"دليل بلاد فارس، الجزء III، وهو يتضمن محافظة فارس، لورستان، عربستان، خوزستان، يزد، كرمانشاه، أردلان، كردستان" [و‎‎١‎٧‎٤] (٦٨٦/٣٥٢)

kar—kar
Tribes of Karmdnshdh .—The principal tribes of Karmanshah with the
number of families in each are as follow (for details, see heading of
each separate tribe) :—
Tribe.
Kallmr
Guran
Karindls
Sinjabis
Kuliahi
Zangena
Aiwan
Balawand
Families.
. 6,000
. 2,000
. 2,000
. 1,000
. 6,000
. 2,000
. 2,000
. 2,000
Religion of the tribes of the All Ildhl sect The Kalhur and the
Zangena are Shiah Muhammadans, but are not very strict in their
observance of the rules of the faith. The majority of the Gurans,*
the Karindis and Sinjabis, are bAlI Ilahis. People are very mysterious
as to the tenets and practices of this sect, and do not readily converse
on the subject. The following is a resume of information which
Mr. Plowden collected at different times as opportunity arose. The
cardinal principle of the 'All Ilatff faith is the substitution of ’All, the
son-in-law of the Prophet, not merely for Mahomed, but for God.
Every year at the commencement of winter there is a great festival,
which ends with a three days' fast. The festival is in honour
and in remembrance of 'All and of the great things he has done
for his followers. A leading tradition upon which their belief in
the divinity of 'AH mainly rests was related to me as follows -
During the religious wars which ensued after the death of Maho
med, 'Ali, accompanied by a certain Musayir, was about to engage
in battle with the Arabs. Musayir’s mother implored 'All to bring
back her son alive. In the fight Musayir was killed, but God ac
cepted 'All's intercession and restored the dead man to life. This
resuscitation of Musayir was repeated on six subsequent occasions
through 'All’s influence, with the result that Musayir began to reve
rence 'All as God, and as 'All’s conquests proceeded and were signalised
by many miracles, the general public also began to look upon him as
the Almighty. In remembrance and in perpetual proof of Musayir
having been seven times restored to life, his descendants have ever
since consisted of seven families, never more nor less. No one, how
ever, knows where the descendants of Musayir reside, though they are
to be recognised by a red mark on the neck, which all of them carry.
Saiad Rustain is the name of the present chief priest of the 'All
Ilahis, and he lives at Zarda, the sacred place of the sect on Mount
Dalahu. There is a tomb in which nobody is buried, but which is
venerated under the title of “ Baba Yadgah-i-Husain." The 'Ali
1 lahis have no religious books; they do not keep Ramazan, and they
rarely, if ever, pray. They say that 'Ali is their intercessor, and that
he has commanded them to trust in the efficacy of his prayers, and
that their own are superfluous and useless. In short, 'Ali is their
intercessor with God. Before undertaking any important matter, and
* The rest of the Guransare Sunis.
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