A literary history of Persia

THE ISMA'/L/ DOCTRINE 411such as that of a merchant, physician, oculist, or the like,and, in this guise, arrived at the place where he proposed tobegin operations. 1 In the first instance his aim was to impresshis neighbours with a high idea of his piety and benevolence.To this end he was constant in alms-giving and prayer, untilhe had established a high reputation for devout living, and hadgathered round him a circle of admirers. To these, especiallyto such as appeared most apt to receive them, he began graduallyand cautiously to propound his doctrines, striving especiallyto arouse the curiosity of his hearers, to awaken in thema spirit of inquiry, and to impress them with a high opinion ofhis wisdom, but prepared at any moment to draw back iftheyshowed signs of restiveness or suspicion. Thus he speaks ofReligion as a Hidden Science, insists on the symbolic characterof its prescriptions, and hints that the outward observance ofPrayer, the Fast, the Pilgrimage, and Alms-givingvalue if their spiritual significance be not understood. Ifis of littlecuriosity and an eagerness to learn more are manifested by hishearer, the da l lbegins an explanation, but breaks it off in themiddle, hinting that such divine mysteries may only be disclosedto one who has taken the oath of allegiance to theImam of the age, the chosen representative of God on earth,and the solewhich herepository of this Hidden Science,confides only to such as prove themselves worthy to receiveit. The primary aim of the dd l lis, indeed, mainly to securefrom the proselytethis allegiance, ratified by a binding oathand expressed by the periodical payment of a tribute of money.Of the questions whereby he seeks to excite the neophyte'scuriosity the following are specimens :"Why did God take seven days to create the universe, when Hecould just as easily have created it in a single moment ?""What in reality are the torments of Hell ? How can it be true1The particulars which follow are almost entirely drawn from de Sacy(Expose, pp. Ixxiv-cxxxviii),who cites the account of Akhii Muhsin givenby Nuwayri.