Nazzāmites.—Muʽtazilites, followers of Ibrahīm ibn Sayyār
un-Nazzām, who was an extremist in his teaching of man’s free-will
and other philosophical doctrines.
Nuʽmānites.[1]—Ghāliites agreeing in some points with Hishāmites, but holding that God is a light in the form of a man, yet not a body.
Nuṣairites.[1]—Ghāliites who agree with the Isḥāqites except that they lay more stress on the incorporation of the deity.
Qadarites.—The upholders of free-will (see above).
Qataʽites.—Mūsāites who regard the rank of the imāms as closed with the death of Mūsā.
Rāfiḍites.—A term used by some writers to denote the Shiʽites as a whole; by others given to a class of the Shiʽites who forsook Zaid ibn ʽAlī because he forbade them to abuse the Companions.
Rashīdites.—Thaʽlabites, followers of Rashīd ut-Tūsi, sometimes called ʽUshrites (“tithers”) because they differed from others on the question of tithing the produce of land watered by rivers and canals.
Rizāmites.—Kaisānites of Khorasān at the time of Abū Muslim, to whom they ascribed the imāmate and the Spirit of God. They also believed in metempsychosis.
Sabaʽites.—Ghāliites, who followed ʽAbdallah ibn Sabā (see Shiʽites).
Ṣāliḥites.—(a) Zaidites, followers of al-Hasan ibn Ṣāliḥ, who agreed with the teachings of the Butrites (above); (b) Murjiites, followers of Ṣāliḥ ibn Amr, who united with the doctrines of their own party those of the Qadarites.
Ṣaltites.—ʽAjārida who had nothing to do with the children of believers until they had grown up and professed Islam.
Shaibānites.—Thaʽlabites, followers of Shaibān ibn Salama, who was killed in the time of Abū Muslim (Moslem). They arose chiefly in Jorjān and Armenia and agreed in doctrine with the Jahmites.
Shamīṭites.—Jaʽfarites, followers of Yaḥyā ibn Abū Shamīṭ.
Shiʽites.—See separate article.
Shuʽaibites.—ʽAjārida who said that God creates the actions of men, and men appropriate them.
Ṣifātites are those who ascribe eternity to all the attributes of God, whether they denote essence or action, or are of the class called descriptive attributes.
Ṣifrites, the same as Ziyādites (below).
Sulaimānites (Suleimanites).—Zaidites, followers of Suleimān ibn Jarīr, who held that the appointment to the imāmate was a matter of consultation and that the imāmates of Abū Bekr and Omar were legal although ʽAlī had a better claim.
Thaʽlabites.—A party of the Khārijites, followers of Thaʽlab ibn Amir, who agreed with the ʽAjārida except that he was friendly with children until they actually denied the faith. He also took alms from slaves when they were rich, and gave alms to poor slaves.
Thaubānites.—Murjiites who said that faith consists in the knowledge and confession of God and His apostle, and what the intellect is not capable of doing. What the intellect can do (or leave) is not of faith.
Thumāmites.—Muʽtazilites, followers of Thumāma ibn Ashras in the days of Mamūn, who taught that all non-Moslems would become dust on the day of resurrection.
Tūmanites.—Murjiites who taught that faith depends on obedience rather to the principles than to the commands of Islam.
ʽUbaidites.—Murjiites who believed that anything but idolatry might be forgiven, and that if a man died professing the unity of God his sins would not hurt him.
Waʽīdites.—Those who, opposed to the Murjiites, pronounced judgment in this life; they are not counted as a separate sect by Shahrastānī (see above).
Wāṣilites.—A name given to those who followed Wāṣil ibn ʽAtā, the founder of Muʽtazilitism, who denied the attributes of God, asserted the power of man over his own actions, taught the existence of a middle place between heaven and hell, and despised the parties of Othman and ʽAlī alike.
Yazīdites.—Ibāḍites who said that they followed the religion of the Sabians in the Koran, and believed that God would send an apostle from the Persians.
Yūnusites.—Murjiites who taught that faith consists in knowledge of God, subjection to Him, abandonment of pride before Him, and love in the heart. Obedience apart from knowledge is not of faith.
Zaidites.—The moderate Shiʽites (see Shiʽites).
Ziyādites.—Khārijites, followers of Ziyād ibn ul-Aṣfar, who did not regard those who abstained from fighting for Islam as unbelievers, and did not kill the children of idolaters or condemn them to hell.
Authorities.—For the philosophy and theology of Ashʽarī see M. A. F. Mehren, Exposé de la réforme de l’Islamisme par Abou-ʽl Hasan Ali el-Ashʽarī (Leiden, 1878); W. Spitta, Zur Geschichte Abu-l Hasan al-Ashʽarīs (Leipzig, 1876); M. Schreiner, Zur Geschichte des Ashʽaritenthums (Leiden, 1891); D. B. Macdonald, Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory (London, 1903). The last work contains translations of the creeds of Ashʽarī and Nasafī (Matāridite). A further bibliography of works on the faith and outlook of Islam will be found in D. B. Macdonald’s Muslim Theology.
The text of the Koran has been edited by G. Flügel, Leipzig, various dates; and by G. M. Redslob, Paris, 1868 and 1880. There are also hundreds of Eastern editions. Concordances have been published by G. Flügel, Leipzig, 1842 (several times reprinted), also in Egypt, Palestine and India. A dictionary and glossary were published by J. Penrice, London, 1873. English translations have been made by G. Sale, London, 1734 (the fullest edition is that with notes by E. M. Wherry, 4 vols., London, 1882–1886); by J. M. Rodwell with notes, London, 1861 and 1876; and by E. H. Palmer in vols, vi. and ix. of the “Sacred Books of the East,” Oxford, 1880–1882. Among the best or best-known Arabic commentaries are those of Ṭabarī (q.v.), Zamakhsharī (q.v.), Baidhawī (q.v.), the Jalalain (see Suyuti), and such later ones as the Mafātiḥ ul-Ghaib of ar-Rāzī (d. 1210). The composition and theology of the Koran are treated in the works of Nöldeke and Grimme referred to above.
On the eschatology of Islam see M. Wolff, Muhammedanische Eschatologie (Leipzig, 1872); and on the doctrine of revelation. Otto Pautz, Muhammeds Lehre von der Offenbarung (Leipzig, 1898). (G. W. T.)
MAHONY, FRANCIS SYLVESTER (1804–1866), known as
“Father Prout,” Irish priest and author, son of a woollen manufacturer,
was born in Cork in 1804. His classical education was
chiefly obtained at a Jesuit college at Amiens, and after studying
in Paris he entered the Jesuit college at Rome and was admitted
into the Society of Jesus. He served in Switzerland and at
Clongoweswood, Ireland, where he was prefect of studies and
subsequently master of rhetoric. Here he was involved in
scandals that led to his resignation. On going to Italy he was
told at Florence that he was expelled from the Society. He
succeeded, however, in obtaining priest’s orders at Rome in 1832,
and returned to Ireland, but subsequently went to London,
officiating for some time in the chapel of the Bavarian Legation.
While there he fell in with William Maginn, and about 1834
began to contribute his celebrated “Prout Papers” to Fraser’s Magazine. These consist of episodes in the life of the parish priest “Father Prout,” and dialogues after the model of “Christopher North,” varied by translations of well-known English songs into Latin, Greek, French and Italian verse, which he humorously represents as being the true originals from which the English authors had merely plagiarized them. Mahony’s translations have been universally admired for the extraordinary
command which they display of the various languages into which
his renderings are made, and for their spirit and freedom both of
thought and expression. His original verse tends chiefly to show
that with all his sarcastic and cynical wit his genius had also its
tender, serious and sentimental side. His “Bells of Shandon”
has always been greatly admired. In 1846 Mahony became
correspondent at Rome to the Daily News, and his letters from
that capital gave very vivid pictures of the first years of the reign
of Pius IX. The last twelve or fifteen years of his life were spent
in Paris, whence he supplied the Globe with a series of piquant
letters on the incidents of the day. He died in Paris on the
18th of May 1866.
The Reliques of Father Prout were collected from Fraser’s Magazine and published in two volumes in 1836; The Final Reliques of Father Prout, chiefly extracted from the Daily News and the Globe, were edited by Blanchard Jerrold in 1876, and an edition of his works, edited by Charles Kent, was published in 1881.
MAHOUT (Hind. mahāwat), an elephant-driver. The mahout sits on the elephant’s neck and directs him by voice and by the use of a goad called ankus.
MAHRATTAS, a people of India, inhabiting the district known by the ancient name of Maharashtra (Sans. “great kingdom or region”). This large tract, extending from the Arabian Sea on the west to the Sātpura mountains in the north, comprises a good part of western and central India, including the modern provinces of the Konkan, Khandesh, Berar, the British Deccan, part of Nagpur, and about half the nizam’s Deccan.
The etymology of the word Mahratta (Marāthā) is uncertain. The name does not indicate a social caste, or a religious sect; it is not even tribal. Strictly, it is confined to the upper class from whom Sivaji’s generals were mostly drawn, and who sometimes claim a Rajput origin. In a wider sense it may be extended to include all who inhabit Maharashtra and speak Mahratti as their mother-tongue. In 1901 the total number of speakers of Mahratti in all India exceeded 18 millions.
