'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part IA & IB. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎1481] (1636/1782)

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1181
The undeniably important suggestions contained in the Iqbal-ud-
Daulah's memorandum were referred at the beginning of 1867 to Sir A.
Kemball, British Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Baghdad, for report. That officer,
after correcting an error into which the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. had fallen regarding
the origin of the Bequest, and mentioning that the monthly amount for
distribution had been increased (by the falling in of new items) from
Rs. 8,333 to Rs. 8,451 a month, explained that the money was now dis
bursed at each of the Holy Cities through a Chief Mujtahid—Mirza
; Ali Naqi at Karbala and Saiyid J Ali, Bahr-ul-'Ulum, at Najaf assisted
byanumber of sub-distributors of the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. 's selection, of whom
there were 19 at the former and 6 at the latter place; and that receipts
were obtained from the sub -distributors, as well as from the Chief
Mujtahids, " to anticipate, as far as might be practicable, the misappropria
tion of the monies by the primary recipients.-" Sir A. Kemball, who
had probably consulted the Iqbal -ud-Daulah on his return to Baghdad
iu regard to the details of his scheme, continued :
The selection of the Mujtehede depends solely upon popular preference, necessarily
very much divided in its exhibition, and guided or misguided as often by the intrigues
and ambitious pretensions of the individual as by his assumed pre-eminence in the know-
edge of the law, or austerity in devotional exercises. I should add, however, that the
Mujteheds preferred for Nejeff and Kerbella respectively by my predecessor were those
being Turkish subjects, but of Persian extraction, who at the time enjoyed the highest
repute, the latter being still the almoner of these endowments, and the former, deceased,
having been succeeded by a Mujtehed who was chosen by my locum tenens during my
absence in England in 1860.
As regards the appropriation of ths monies in question, there is every ground to b«-
lieve in the aecnracy of the information communicated by the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. . Nothing is
assigned to the support, strictly speaking, of the shrines. The Mujteheda are virtua y
irresponsible ; their own friends, relatives, and adherents are, of course, favoured, and
in any case the recipients are for the most part in the enjoyment of independent
means of subsistence, while Indian noblemen and a crowd of Indian devotees and pil
grims of all ranks exist on charity and in a state of absolute destitution.
Did, then, the terms of the Agreement referred to justify, as I suppose the assign-
ment of these charitable grants for the benefit of Indian Mujteheds and Mnjawurs I
should be disposed certainly to recommend the adoption of this measure, if not exclu-
sively, to an extent at least more in proportion to the needs of the lattei. In doing so
I am sensible of the increased labour end responsibility which such an arrangemen
would entail upon this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. : the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Ikbal-ood-dowlah propo.es hat the f unds
thus rendered available should be assigned in vanous proportions ; My. to p o id
subsistence to indigent resident Mnjawurs, to relieve the immediate wante of poo
pilgrims, widows, and orphans, being Indians (among whom under '
preference should be given to natives of Ondh). and to ael 7;/% the ^.^, ^
persons deceased, the ordinary charges of interment, etc-i ^ o
houses and hospitals at the principal places of resor and finally, should the mean.
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