It is a maxim with Mussulmans of all sects that prayer is not
valid if made in another man's house without his permission, and this
being so, and the Shah admitting that his palaces of right belong not to
himself but to the Mohdy, he is obliged to lease them according to legal
form from an alem or mujtahed, acting for the supposed Mohdy, before he
can pray in them to his spiritual profit.
It will be readily understood that, with such an organization and with
such tendencies to deductive reasoning, a wide basis is given for
divergence of opinion among the Shiites, and that while the more highly
educated of their mollahs occasionally preach absolute pantheism, others
consult the grosser inclinations of the vulgar, and indulge their
hearers with the most extravagant tales of miracle and superstition.
These are a constant source of mockery to the Sunites. Among the more
respectable Shiite beliefs, however, there seems to be a general
conviction in Persia that a reform of Islam is at hand, and that a new
leader may be expected at any moment and from any quarter, so that
enthusiasts are constantly found simulating the gifts of inspiration and
affecting a divine mission. The history of the Babites, so well
described by M.
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