Anon

Observations on the Mussulmauns of India Anon

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MUSSULMAUNS OF INDIA DESCRIPTIVE OF THEIR MANNERS, CUSTOMS, HABITS AND RELIGIOUS OPINIONS MADE DURING A TWELVE YEARS RESIDENCE IN THEIR IMMEDIATE SOCIETY BY MRS. MEER HASSAN ALI INTRODUCTION VERY little is known about the authoress of this interesting book. She is reticent about the affairs of her husband and of herself, and inquiries recently made at Lucknow, at the India Office, and in other likely quarters in England, have added little to the scanty information we possess about her. The family of her husband claimed to be of Sayyid origin, that is to say, to be descended from the martyrs, Hasan and Husain, the sons of Fatimuh, daughter of the Prophet, by her marriage with her cousmniiunj All, The fatherinlaw of the authoress, Mir Haj Shah, of whom she speaks with affection and respect, was the son of the QazI, or Muhamrnadan lawofficer, of Ludhiana, in the Panjab. During his boyhood the Punjab was exposed to raids by the Mahrattas and incursions of the Sikhs, He therefore abandoned his studies, wandered about, for a time, and finally took service with a certain Ha ja where she docs not tell uswho was then raising a force in expectation of an attack by the Sikhs, He served in at least one campaign, and then, while still a young man, made u pilgrimage thrice to Mecca and Kcrbcla, which gained him the title of Haj I, or pilgrim. While he was in Arabia, he fell short of funds, but he succeeded in curing the wife of a rich merchant who had long suffered from a serious disease. She provided him with money to continue his journey. He married under romantic circumstances an Arab girl named Falimah as his second wife, and then went to Lucknow, which, under the rule of the Nawftbs, was the centre in Northern India of the ShFah sect, to which he belonged. Here he had an exciting adventure with a tiger during a hunting party, at which the Nawab, Shujauddaula, was present. He is believed to have held the post of Peshnamaz, or leader in prayer, in the household of the eunuch. Almas All Khan, who is referred to by the authoress. His son was Mir Hasan All, the husband of the authoress. The tradition in Lucknow is that he quarrelled with his father and went to Calcutta, where he taught Arabic to some British officers and gained a knowledge of English. We next hear of him in England, when in May 1810 he was appointed assistant to the wellknown oriental scholar, John Shakespear, professor of Hindustani at the Military College, Addiscombe, from 1807 to 1830, author of a dictionary tf Hindustani and other educational works. Mention is made of two cadets boarding with Mir Hasan All, but it does not appear from the records where he lived. After remaining at the College for six years he resigned his appointment on the ground of illhealth, with the intention of returning to India. He must have been an efficient teacher, because, on his resignation, the East India Company treated him with liberality. He received a gift of 50 as a reward for his translation of the Gospel of St.