RELIGION
The people of the countries
under report are Mahomedans of the Sunni sect .
The religion of the people
themselves, bigoted as they may seem at first sight , is little more than
skin-deep . They are regular in their devotions and the performance of outward
observances of the Mahomedan faith , and in these observances they are well
kept up their Mullahs and priests . The people as a whole are more
superstitious than religious, and it is by playing on their superstitions that the
priests are enabled to obtain an easy and effective hold over them . Nothing
would be too absurd or improbable for them to believe if represented to them as
the dream or vision of a religious personage.
Priests and religious communities
swarm throughout the country .Few country perhaps in the world so abound with them
as Dir , Swat and Bajour . This is due to the existence of many famous shrines
and to the superstious weakness of the people ,which tempts those , who come to
visit the shrines , to stay and profit by the gullibility of the people.
The real religion of the people is
Pakhtun-Wali, or pathan Law , by which all action in their lives are governed .
This is an indefinable name given to an incomprehensible code of right and
wrong ; acode which teaches a man that hospitality is a sacred duty ; that any
act , however mean or base , to gain advantage over some one else is fair ;
that a wife’s dishonor must be avenged by the blood of the abdulterer, but that
a few rupees and another women may be conveniently accepted ; that a man should
succor and help his own kith and kin , and yet be almost invariably at deadly
feud with his own cousins . It would be easy to give instance innumerable of
similar moral anomalies . To show how little the Koran or the tradition’s
really enter into their lives or dealings with their neighbours ,; A few of
their own proverbs are instructive ;- A Pathan admits one-half of the Koran ,
but not the other , One foot of a pathan is in paradise, the other in Hell ,;
The language of Hell is certainly Pashtu, owing to the numbers of Pathans there , ; The
sacred law is good but not suited for a healthy young man ;.
Pakhtun-Wali , being an unwritten law , is
capable of extensive interpretation . It can be made to necessitate , justify
or excuse most actions. It is regulated however by established local and tribal
custom.
Notwithstanding their subjection to
priestly influence , the people are not individually fanatical like the Kakars
and certain other pathan tribes further south . If left alone by their priests
they would be an easy people to deal with , but their collective fanaticism
when roused is almost in calculable .
It is probable that the inhabitant
of the upper and more distant portions of the country such as the Swat and Dir
Kohistans, and the Indus Kohistan of Kana , Ghorband , etc , have only become
Mahomedans at comparatively recent times . As often happens in the case of
recent converts, they are more fanatical and bigoted than those whose religion
is of older date . The same is to some extent the case with Gujars , who are
also a remant of the earlier Hindu inhabitants , and who are now an extremely
ignorant and bigoted type of Mohomedan .
RELIGIOUS
CLASSES
A few words are necessary to
explain the distinction between the various religious orders and communities in
this country.
The religious classes may be divided
into two separate divisions . The may be described as members of religious
castes . They are descendants of some religious or holy personage of the past ,
whose sanctity and importance has conferred a religious status on his
descendants . These are classed as Saiads , Mians , Akhundzadas and Sahibzadas
. According to Pathan , and Imight say general Mahomedan estimation , these
rank spiritually in the following order ;
[1] Saiads ; - This is the term given to
descendants of the Prophet . Owing to their larg number and varying circumstances
, it does not follow that a Saiad , as such , is given precedence over ther
spiritual denominations , but a Saiad who comes into prominence as a religious
man takes precendence of all other religious denominations .
[2]
Mians ;- These are the descendants of saints and spiritual leaders who
have acquired a wide reputation among many tribes , and not a merely local
reputation . All Mians are , or are supposed to be ,descendant of saint of some
past century . the term is not given to descendants of modern saints , but some
of these may in course of time become Maians . The remarks made regarding
Saiads apply to Mians also .
[3] Akhundzadas ;- Sometimes known also as Pirzadas . These are
descendants of saints of merely local tribal reputation . Thus we have
Akundzadas of Khal [Dir] ,of Mayar
[Jandol] , of Bamboli [Adinzai
Swat ] and so on . The descendants of Mushki Alam are classed as Akhundzadas ,
because Mullah Mushki Alam was himself an Akhundzada ,; otherwise they would be
only Sahibzadas .
[4] Sahibzadas ;- These are descendants of
Mullahs who have gained a reputation for learning or sancitity . As such are
classed the descendants of Kotah Mullah , Manki Mullah , Adda Mullah , Karbogha
Mullah , etc .
These religious classes need not and
seldom do occupy themselves with religion . Their occupation , profession and
character , to but slight exent effect their religiod status in the eyes of the
people .
The second division comprises those
who make religion their profession and means of livelihood . This includes all
the preaching classes , from the village Mullah who holds the modest village
living , and the Imam , the resident preacher of some particular Masjid ,to the
wealthy guardian priest of some popular and cure-dealing shrine , and the
miracle-working saint whose disciples number thousands . It is not necessary
that these should belong to any of the religious castes . Their influence is
increased by the fact of their doing so , but some of the most successful men
of this class have sprung from the ranks of the laity . The great Akhund of
Swat was a Gujar [cowherd class ] , whil
the Mad Mullah ‘ [Sartor Fakir ] is the son of a Bonerwal Malik .
Of the first division , the religious
castes , there are large communities throut the country . They hold for the
most part free lands , seri , given in the past as religious grants . They use
their religious status to exact all they can from their neighbours , but in
other respects differ little from the people of the country .
The second division , i.e., the preaching
classes, absolutely swarm in this country . Among tham , especially among the
village Mullah and Kazis ,are men of real religion and good lives , but the
majority are mere religious adventuers , who play on the superstitions of the
people and batten on their alms .
Worse even than the bigger men are the
Talib-ul-ilm [seekers after knowledge ] . These are men , chiefly young men ,
who contemplate following the religious profession . They flock to the shrines
of this country and attach themselves to some religious leader , ostensibly for
religious education . Their number far exceeds those required to fill up
vacancies in village mullahships and other ecclesiastic appointments, and they
are reduced to seek other means of livelihood . They are at the bottom of all
the mischief in the country , the instigators and often the perpetrators of the
bulk of the crime , They use their religious status to live free on the people , who are too superstitious to turn
them out , even when they destroy the peace of the family circle .
`With the increase of our influence
in the country , the influence of these religious adventures , great and small
, diminishes . To retain their influence , they oppose all progress ,
intellectual , social and material , of the people among whom they dwell . To
this we their deadly animosity , shewn at all times by invective against our
Government and all its works , and periodically , whenever fitting opportunity
offers , by a fanatical scream of Jehad
RELIGIOUS LEADERS
All the people of this country
recognize the spiritual leadership of one or other of the principal religious
heads . The rivalry between these spiritual chiefs is at times very keen and
not necessarily amicable . They do not hesitate to call each other Kafirs
[unbelievers] on the slightest
provocation , and if the dire consequences with which they threaten each
other’s disciples in the next world are to be believed , few Pathans of this
country need hope for Pathan of this country need hope for Paradise . The
disciples , as represented by the people of the country , do not however seem
to take more than a passing interest in the rivalry between their religious
leaders , but the priestly followers of each throw themselves warmly into the
quarrels of their Chiefs , and resort to violence when discrespancy in numbers
seems to hold out reasonable hope of success . The principal religious leaders
are the following ;-
[1]
The Hadda Mullah [Najim-ud-din] , so called from his home at Hadda in
the Jalalabad district . He now lives at Chamarkand in Bajour . He was a
disciple of the Akhund of Swat . He is a
bitter rival of the Manki Mullah , and the dispute now raging between them as
to the correctness or otherwise of raising the index finger after rising from
the first sajda [prostration] during prayers is engaging the close attention of
orthodox Mahomedans in Afghanistan and elsewhere . His disciples comprise all
Bajour , Jandol ,the Mamunds , Asmar , a portion of the Jalalabad district and
of the Utman Khels . He has also a large following in the Peshawar district .
Sardar Habibulla Khan is said to be his devoted follower , but the Amir appears
to have taken the part of the Manki Mullah in the contention above referred to
. The Hadda Mullah was one of the principal promoters of the Jehad of 1897 ,
but latterly he has shewn himself friendly towards Government .
[2]
The Manki Mullah , so called from his home at Manki near Nowshera . He
too was a disciple of the Akhund of Swat , and after his death managed to
secure a very large portion of the Akund’s following and religious influence .
His disciples comprise most of the people of the Peshawae district , Sam
Ranizai and about half the Utman Khels ; many in Lower Swat and few in Upper
Swat . He has never openly committed himself in any act of hostility to
Government and got the credit of remaining quiet during the disturbances of 1897
.
[3]
Of far greater importance in the past ,however , than the above two
present leaders of religious through , was the Akhund of Swat . Born in 1784 of
Gujar parents , in either Upper Swat or Boner [some accounts say at Jabrai in
Upper Swat , others Said Asam in Boner ; the former is generally believed to be
most authentic ] , Abd-ul-Ghafur , as his real name was , started life as a
herdboy , and wandered about in charge of his cattle , fasting praying and
studying . He then migrated to Baika on the banks of the Indus , in what is now
termed British Yusafzai . It was here that his sanctity and holiness began to
attract universal attention , and he got the title of Akhund . From Baika he
moved to the village of Salim Khan , where he got involved in the death of
Khadi Khan of Hund at the hans of Said Ahmad Shah , the founder of the sect
known as the Hindustani fanatics or Mujahidin . This occurrence led to the
hasty retirement of the Akhund from there , and he settled for a time at
Gujargarhi , and later at Torder near Akora . During this period his fame and
influence had been spreading far and wide , and he got the additional title of
Buzurg, or saint . The Amir Dost Muhammad Khan invited his co-operation against
the Sikhs in 1829 , and the Akhund joined him with a large contingent of
Yusafzai at Sheikhan village near Bra . The Sikhs , notwithstanding the
Akhund’s saintly presence , were victorious , and the Akhund fled to Bajour .
From there he wandered to the small village of Kaladarra in Sam Ranizai , where
he lived a secluded life for a few years . From there he moved to Butkhela in
Lower Swat , and from there to Saidu , where he settled down permanently at
about 43 years of age . At Saidu he married
Nikbi Khel women ,and by her had two sons, the fathers of the present
Mianguls . He died at Saidu in 1877 at the ripe age of 93. From the time of his
arrival at Saidu until the time of his death , the Akhund was the leading man
of the Yusafzai .
Greatias his authority was , it was not
absolute ; and many instance are on record of his wishes , and even his express
commands being disregded , especially when obedience to them entailed the
foregoing of loot or other advanteges . The Akhund may , however , be said to
be the only leader whom the Yusafzai have universally acknowledged since their
invasion of the Swat valley and that neighbor-hood .
The Akhund’s two sons , Abdul Hassan
and Shirin , are dead and his four grandsons , termed the Mianguls , of whom
the eldest is Minangul Sayd Badshah , now reside in Saidu , where they are they
are the custodians of the Akhund’s shrine . They have not done much to
perpetuate in themselves the spiritual reputation of the Akhund . they lead the life of sporting country
gentlemen , but conduct religious services in their granfather’s Masjid . Teir
descent and their connection with the shrine of the Akhund , to which numbers
flock both from all parts of this country and from Indus , continue to give
them considerable influence . They have lost the temporal power held by hteir
grandfather , but have inherited a portion of his spiritual influence in the
country . A great deal of this has been usurped by the Sartor Fakir in Upper
Swat , and by the Manki and Hadda Mullahs in Lower Swat and elsewhere. The bulk
of their followers reside in India , and from them large subscriptions are
periodically reside .From these and the offerings made at the Saidu Shrine the
Mianguls derive a considerable income . They have free grants of land in many
parts of Dir , Bajour , Swat and Sam Ranizai .
[The Mianguls] took an active part in
promotion , with the Hadda Mullah , a fanatical rising against Government in
the soring of 1897 . This fell through for the time being, but led to the
rising in the autumn of that year , in which they took an active part , They
have since realized the importance of coming to terms with the British
Government ; and our dealings with them are now of a friendly and amicable
nature . They have on more than one occasi referred to the Political Agent at
Malakand the settlement of their family and tribal disputes .
[4] Next comes , in importance , the Mad Fakir , also known as the Mad
Mullah , Mullah Mastan . He is more commonly known in Upper Swat by the name of
the Sartor [bare-headed] Fakir .His real name is Saad-ullah Khan , and he is by
birth the son of a Bonerwal Malik . He was a great wrestler and athlete in his
youth . Owing to a quarrel with his brother in which he is said to have killed
him [some say accidentally] he hurriedly left Boner and went to India . He
lived for some year in Ajmir and other places in India . He returned to Boner
about 1895 and soon began to acquire a reputation for sanctity and piety , which
made him widely known in the Swat and Indus Kohistan . To his single-mindedness
of purpose , impatience of political intrigue , and to his fanaticism against the British Government ,
his name of Mullah Mastan [Mad Mullah ] is due .
He took up his abode in 1897 at
Landakai, where he obtaind the reputation of having miraculous powers . The
time was one of great unrest in Swat and else where on the border . It is known
that in the spring of that year great endeavours had been made by the Hadda
Mullah , the Mianguls of Saidu , and Said Akbar of Tirah to bring about a
simultaneous and concerted rising along the broder at the time of the annual
Chitral Reliefs . This fell through for the time owing to want of agreement
between the leaders .Impatient at the failure of the other leaders to start
Jehad , the Sartor Fakir determined to do so himself . He raised the standard
of Jehad and swept down on the Malakand . To his independent action we much ,
for it took yhe tribes by surprise , and instead of a simultaneous and
universal movement along the North-West Frontier we had only to meet in turn
disconnected and isolated risings . Nevertheless , as the history of Malakand
disturbances will show , the Sartor Fakir provided some of the hardest and
sternest fighting we have known on the North-Western Frontiers . Wounded and
defeated , the Fakir returned to the Indus Kohistan . He Hs lived for some time
now at Miandam near Paitai .
He has made many subsequent attempts to
raise another Jehad , but only once succeeded , in December 1898 , when he
started off to attack the Nawab of Dir , and then with the support as he hoped
of the Dir Tribes to again attack the Malakand . Unexpected opposition by the
Dir tribes under Abdullah Khan of Robat upset his plans , and the presence of a
moveable column in the Swat valley and their movement up the valley forced him
to abandon the attempt and again retire to Kohistan . Since then he had apparently
realised the futility of further fanatical effort , for he has shown a desire
to enter into communication with the British authorities and has made overtures
of friendship.
[5] The principal religious leader of late
times in Dir was the Sheo Baba . He died about 1894 and was buried at Hariankot
, a suburb of Dir . His shrine is much visited . The Nawab of Dir resorts to it
whenever he gets ill .
[6]
The most important religious personage at the present time in Dir is the
Palam Baba , who resides at Palam near Darora . By birth he is a native of
Afghanistan . He is a follower of the Hadda Mullah and bitter opponent of the
Manki Mullah . He bears a deadly animositly towards the British Government and
misses no opportunity of pournig invective upon them and all their works . He
is sensitively orthodox , and during the Chitral Reliefs buries himself in an
underground chamber to prevent the breath of infidel contagion reaching him .
In 1898 he spent the month of Ramazan with the Mad Fakir in Swat , owing as he
said to the absence of godliness in Dir . Latterly he has found that his
outspokenness is not bringing him popularity . He has become quieter but still
venomous .
[7]
Another important religious leader in Dir is the Khwaja of Timergara near
Sado . He is now an old man and very orthodox . He took an active part against
us in 1897 . He is a man of shrewd common sense , which will prevent him
showing animosity against us until the omens are more propitious . He has
influence with the Malizai . He does not take sides with either the Manki or
Hadda Mullahs .
Besides the above there are numerous
men of religious sanctity and possessing local influence , but of less general
importance , such as the Sheikh Mullah of Dokdarra and others . The failure and
defeat of the fanatical rising of 1897 has thrown discredit on all the
religious leaders who promoted it . Many are anxious to retrieve their former
positions by further effort . It is doubtful whether the former confidence in
their miraculous powers now shaken can be restored . A new-comer who might
acquire popular favour would have a better chance of raising a Jehad . He would
however first have to combat the professional jealousy of the present
recognized religious leaders .
