Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah, vol 2 | Page 2

Ula al-Din, of a Kurd family, settled at
Al-Madinah, a man who had travelled over the East, and who spoke
five languages to perfection, he coldly replied that he had never
consorted with these heretics. Sayyids and Sharifs,[FN#4] the
descendants of the Prophet, here abound. The Benu Hosayn of
Al-Madinah have their head-quarters at Suwayrkiyah:[FN#5] the
former place contains six or seven families; the latter, ninety-three or
ninety-four. Anciently they were much more numerous, and such was
their power, that for centuries they retained charge of the Prophet’s
tomb. They
[p.4]subsist principally upon their Amlak, property in land, for which
they have title-deeds extending back to Mohammed’s day, and Aukaf,

religious bequests; popular rumour accuses them of frequent murders
for the sake of succession. At Al-Madinah they live chiefly at the Hosh
Ibn Sa’ad, a settlement outside the town and south of the Darb
al-Janazah. There is, however, no objection to their dwelling within the
walls; and they are taken to the Harim after death, if there be no evil
report against the individual. Their burial-place is the Bakia cemetery.
The reason of this toleration is, that some are supposed to be Sunni, or
orthodox, and even the most heretical keep their “Rafz[FN#6]” (heresy)
a profound secret. Most learned Arabs believe that they belong, like the
Persians, to the sect of Ali: the truth, however, is so vaguely known,
that I could find out none of the peculiarities of their faith, till I met a
Shirazi friend at Bombay. The Benu Hosayn are spare dark men of
Badawi appearance, and they dress in the old Arab style still affected
by the Sharifs,—a Kufiyah (kerchief) on the head,[FN#7] and a Banish,
a long and wide-sleeved garment resembling our magicians’ gown,
thrown over the white cotton Kamis (shirt): in public they always carry
swords, even when others leave weapons at home. There are about two
hundred families of Sayyid Alawiyah,—descendants of Ali by any of
his wives but Fatimah, they bear no distinctive mark in dress or
appearance, and are either employed at the
[p.5]temple or engage at trade. Of the Khalifiyah, or descendants of
Abbas, there is, I am told, but one household, the Bayt Al-Khalifah,
who act as Imams in the Harim, and have charge of Hamzah’s tomb.
Some declare that there are a few of the Siddikiyah, or descendants
from Abu Bakr; others ignore them, and none could give me any
information about the Benu Najjar.
The rest of the population of Al-Madinah is a motley race composed of
offshoots from every nation in Al-Islam. The sanctity of the city
attracts strangers, who, purposing to stay but a short time, become
residents; after finding some employment, they marry, have families,
die, and are buried there with an eye to the spiritual advantages of the
place. I was much importuned to stay at Al-Madinah. The only known
physician was one Shaykh Abdullah Sahib, an Indian, a learned man,
but of so melancholic a temperament, and so ascetic in his habits, that
his knowledge was entirely lost to the public. “Why dost thou not,” said

my friends, “hire a shop somewhere near the Prophet’s Mosque? There
thou wilt eat bread by thy skill, and thy soul will have the blessing of
being on holy ground.” Shaykh Nur also opined after a short residence
at Al-Madinah that it was bara jannati Shahr, a “very heavenly City,”
and little would have induced him to make it his home. The present
ruling race at Al-Madinah, in consequence of political vicissitudes, is
the “Sufat,[FN#8]” sons of Turkish fathers by Arab mothers. These
half-castes are now numerous, and have managed to secure the highest
and most lucrative offices. Besides Turks, there are families originally
from the Maghrib, Takruris, Egyptians in considerable numbers,
settlers from Al-Yaman and other parts of Arabia, Syrians, Kurds,
Afghans, Daghistanis from the Caucasus, and a few Jawis—Java
Moslems. The Sindis, I was told, reckon about one hundred families,
who are exceedingly despised for their
[p.6]cowardice and want of manliness, whilst the Baluch and the
Afghan are respected. The Indians are not so numerous in proportion
here as at Meccah; still Hindustani is by no means uncommonly heard
in the streets. They preserve their peculiar costume, the women
persisting in showing their faces, and in wearing tight, exceedingly
tight, pantaloons. This, together with other reasons, secures for them
the contempt of the Arabs. At Al-Madinah they are generally small
shopkeepers, especially druggists and sellers of Kumash (cloth), and
they form a society of their own. The terrible cases of misery and
starvation which so commonly occur among the improvident Indians at
Jeddah and Meccah are here rare.
The Hanafi school holds the first rank at Al-Madinah, as in most parts
of Al-Islam, although many of the citizens, and almost all the Badawin,
are Shafe’is. The