'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎107v] (219/610)

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Saiyids.
D&rvishes.
These Mujtahids have Religious schools and give Certificates
to some of their 3 disciples, who are thereby ordained
and may return to Persia as Mujtahids, the place they take
there depending on the quality of their certificates and on their
own abilities.
They in turn collect imitators and pupils and give certificates
for smaller Mujtahids and 4 Akhunds. They usually belong
to the middle or poorer classes.
Unless “ Saiyids ” or “ HajTs ” they are designated “ Shaikh ”
(elder) and wear white Hurbans and long robes (caba).
In each of the towns there are several Mujtahids and many
Akhunds, one of the former generally being nominated Imam
Ju’meh by the Government to officiate at the Friday prayers.
He need not be, and in fact usually is not, the chief Mujtahid
of the town as a Mujtahid’s influence depends on the popular
confidence in him and recognition of his learning and sanctity,
which are shaken rather than confirmed by association with the
Government. In the country there is usually one Mujtabid to a
group of 10 to 20 or more 'villages, i.e., he is a sort of bishop,
and one or more Akhunds in each village.
Another religious title found in most towns is Shaikh-ul-
Islam, but in Persia it does not, as in Turkey, carry any special
significance.
The descendants of the prophet Muhammad form a separate
religious class of “ Saiyids ” (lords), as distinct from the
“ avam,” or common people, and may be distinguished by
their black or green turbans and sashes. Their pedigree
should be traceable back on the father's side to an Imam and
so to Fatima the daughter of Muhammad and Ali. Bogus
Saiyids with no genuine claim to this descent are very
numerous.
Darvishes are Avandering religious mendicants, who congre
gate in winter in the towns of Mazandaran and Gilan, and in
summer are scattered over the plateau. Their stock in trade
is a leopard skin, a beggar’s bowl, and a show of religious
asceticism, and they live by begging and giving recitations and
conjuring performances under the stimulating influence of
“ hashish
1 Madraseh.
2 Tasdiqnameh.
3 Talabeh.
4 Akhund is the Persian word equivalent to the Arabic “Mullah.” 'Mullah
js also used in Persian but carries little religious significance. In country villages
it is loosely applied to any man who can read and write.
6 The turban (imameh) is a distinctive mark of the clergy as opposed to the
crdinarv cap (kulah) worn by the layman.
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