Page:Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894.djvu/50

34 his own Khalify, as all his forefathers did. He is greatly venerated, and will obtain money enough from the believers to go to Egypt with all pomp, as becomes him.

As already mentioned, Bint Bari and the 'Ajami are minor Derwish Orders. The 'Ajami,, who has several mosques or makâm in Palestine, is a very angry sheikh. He never pardons offences, but strikes dead at once, or lames, or gives some such sign of his real existence, as is mentioned in "Folklore" (Quarterly Statement, 1893, p. 219). Sometimes a man may be initiated and become an acting Derwish at once—that is, he takes a spear and the cap or turban of his Lord and becomes a Fakir,, a poor man, living on charity. He may do this only for a time, but generally the Fakirs remain so all their life. Usually they take up poverty, after having assisted for several years as an unrecognised Derwish, going about their work as usual, with no outward sign. The rosary may or may not be the only thing they carry, but they are not necessarily Derwishes because they carry the rosary. When they become wandering Derwishes who have made the vow of poverty, no matter to what Order they belong, they grow their hair and wear old and patched garments. The hair-growing seems to have its origin in the law of the Nazarites (Numbers vi). It is a great trouble for the fellahîn to have long hair, because of the vermin, and it is thus considered to take away the comforts of life, which is its main object. It is also, of course, a visible sign of the man being a Derwish. If a Derwish commits a sin, does anything unlawful in his Order, he must repent and never do it any more; also, other Derwishes of his Order come and beat him, or, as the case may be, reject him altogether from the Order. A pilgrimage to Mecca may take away some sins. The rosaries they wear are made of olive or storax wood,, 'Abhar, and have a hundred or a thousand beads, to facilitate repeating the name of God as often as possible daily.

The mass of fellahîn consider Derwishes to be really holy, and respect them, even kissing their hands when they are known. They also believe that they can wound persons or animals with their swords or with their spears, and heal the wounds immediately by invoking their Lord. A Derwish, called Sheikh Hamdan,, (the title "Sheikh" is given to a Derwish when he is acknowledged as such), lived in Urtâs for several years. He came from 'Allar el fôka, and had his scenes of fukur every Thursday evening. He was much respected by some, but the Urtâs people in general did not think very much of his holiness—nevertheless, some were initiated by him, and especially an elderly man, who gave him hospitality. His fits of fanaticism led him to run over the rocks and mountains round about, where he met his Lord the Badawy. On such occasions he often ran away naked. His friend and host, who was somewhat simple-minded, believed in his Derwish, and was initiated by him, receiving a sufficient quantity of stripes on his head to stun him. The new Derwish, Ethman,