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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
I OCCOBER, 1920
Mutammad bin Al-Hasan al-Mahdi. He gave the king their names, 'Ali, Hasan, Husain Zain-ul-'Abidin, Baqir, Ja'far, Mûsê Kazim, 'Ali Musa Riga, Taqi, Naqi, Hasan Askari, AbQ-IQhgim, al Mahdi,88 who is still living. He also set forth the absurdity of the belief of the Sunnis. The king then praised God for having decreed that the truth should be unfolded to him, and God appointed Mustafa, Murtaza, and the Imâms to reveal to him the true faith Xxx.-AN ACCOUNT OF THS EVENT WHICH CONFIRMED THE KING IN THE TRUE RELIGION
OF THE TWELVE IMAMS. When Shah Tahir left the king's presence and went to his bedchamber, the king also retired to rest, and saw a vision. He dreamt that he saw Muḥammad with 'Ali on his right hand and Hasan and Husain on his left with Muhammad Baqir, while Shah Tâhir was standing at a little distance from them, prepared to execute their orders. When Burhân Nisâm Shâh realized in whose presence he was, he made his obeisance, and Muhammad Bågir said to him, "The prophet commands that you should follow the guidance of Shah Tâhir and lay hold on the true faith of love for the prophet's descendants." The king, who was highly pleased at being addressed, bowed his head to the ground in acquiescence, and opened his lips to praise the Imâm. Just then the morning broke, and the king awoke, full of joy, and praised God for the vision which he had seen. He then sent for Shah Tâhir and began to relate to him the dream which he had seen. It so happened that Shah Ahir had seen the same dream and had been ordered by the prophet, through the mouth of Muhammad Baqir, the Imêm, to guide Burhan Nizam Shah into the path of truth. He stopped the king's narrative and first told his own, thereby convincing the king of the genuineness of his vision. The king then told his story, and Shah Tâhir said that he ought to be surely con-. vinced of the truth of the Shi'ah religion and ought to regard the hatred of the opponents of the prophet's descendants as a religious duty. The king admitted that all his doubts were removed and that he was a firm believer in the truth of the Shi'ah religion and hater of all its opponents, but said that he could not proceed further in the matter without Shah Tâhir's help, which would be necessary for the convincing of the doctors of the law about the court of tbe truth of that faith and for the removal of their opposition and also for leading the people generally into the way of truth. This was, indeed, proof of the king's justice, that he would not proceed violently against such as had not a knowledge of the truth. Shâh Tahir undertook the duty of arguing with the doctors of the faith and of reducing them to silence.
83 These are the names of the "Twelve ImAms" of the Shi'ah sect. The fundamental difference between the Sunnis and the Shf'ahs is well known. The former maintain that the succession to Mułammad m God's vicegerent on earth was properly determined by the popular choice, and that the first four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'All, who were elected, ware Mulammad's lawful stonon. The Shi'ahs maintain that the succession depended on natural descent from Mul ammad through his daughter Fatimah, who was married to his cousin 'Ali, that Mulammad in his lifo time designated 'AR me his MICROOr, and that 'Umar, who was present or the occasion and acknowledged 'AN's right to rudoved, concealed the fact after Muhammad's death. They revile the first three Caliphs as usurpers and maintin that 'All's right to the succession depended not upon his oleotion after the death of Uthman, but w inherent in him, so that he should have succeded on Mulammad's death, The Imama, for the Shi'aha do not use the word Caliph (Kallfah) are the lineal descendants of 'All and Fatimah, and the last. al Mahdi, is supposed to be living, but concealed.
MuratA is an opithet of Mułammad and Murta. A of 'All. Mulammad Baqir, mentioned in the next motion, is the fifth Imam.
