[552] I follow here the French translation of the Arabic text, made by M. Garcin de Tassy.—(See Journal asiatique, mai 1842, pp. 436-439.)
[553] Ad was an ancient and potent tribe of Arabs in the province of Hadramaut. They chiefly worshipped four deities; Sakia, supplying them with rain; Háfedha, preserving them from all dangers abroad; Rázeka, providing them with food; and Sálema, restoring the sick to health. Frequent mention of them occurs in the Koran.
[554] The tribe of Tamud dwelt first in the country of the Adites, then removed to the territory of Hejr, where their habitations, cut in the rocks, are seen at this day. (See Sale’s Koran, vol. I, pp. 7. 9. 196. 199.)
[555] Moavia.
[556] Koran, chap VII. v. 165.
[557] Allusion to the twelve Imáms. See their names, pp. 367. 368, note 1.
[558] Allusion to the twelfth Imám, named Mahdi. See hereafter a further explanation.
[559] The word Akhbarín is frequently employed to designate “the transmitters of historical traditions,” in opposition to مُحدثين muhad-disin, “transmitters of traditions relative to the prophet;” but above it is employed as the name of a distinct sect. I shall translate it by “dogmatical traditionists.” It is taken in a much wider sense by the author of the Dabistán, who does not fix the precise epoch of the origin of this sect, but only says that it was in after times called ghaibet sari; of which name an explanation will be given hereafter.
[560] Amin, “faithful,” is a title given to many Imáms, Shaikhs, and Mullas.
Asterabad is the capital of the province of Georgia; some Oriental geographers place the town in that of Tabaristan, and others in that of Mazendaran, as these three provinces, which together formed the ancient Hyrcania, were often united under one denomination. Herbelot mentions two authors with the surname Asterabadi, both commentators of the Arabic Grammar Cafiah, which seems to have no connection with the religion above mentioned.