FAQEER, Fakir, Darvesh or Dervis, amongst the Mahomedans, religious orders or communities, of whorn there are several sects. In India only ten classes are generally met with. The Kalandar darvesh are rarely seen in India.
Faqir is from Fukr, ARAB, The Persian name Darvesh is from Dar, a door, and Vihtan, to beg. There have been many branches and orders. Jalal ud-Din founded the Mulavi order. In European Turkey, they have formed somewhat permanent communities, and about sixty different orders, each named after its founder, are supposed to exist there. The Batashi of Constantinople are said to be quite atheistic, not attached to the principles of the Koran, nor firm believers in Mahorned as a prophet. They are generally of the Shiah sect of Ali, and are Sufi or Mahornedan spiritualists. The Rafai darvesh, in Turkey, inflict on themselves great self-torture. Some of the wandering Indian fakirs wander so far west as Hungary, to visit the shrine of a santon, Gul-baba, and they sail to Tenasserim and Burma. One whom the Editor met near Hingolee, in the Dekhan, was a native of the Panjab, but had been to Ceylon, Mergui, Tavoy, Rangoon, and Moulmein. As a general rule, the fakirs in India are now a low, profligate set of men, held in great disesteem by all classes of the community, and some of them are utterly degraded in habits and mode of life. The bulk of them are Be-Sharra, literally without law, Le. do not act up to the precepts of Mahomed, but are latitudinarians ; a few are Ba-Sharra, or with law, following Malio inedanism. The latter are the Salik.— The Be-Sharra are styled Majzub, Azad, Ras-us-Shahi, Imam Shall. The Kalandar are of both sects. Some of
the fakir take up their residence in burial-places, which they create, or of which they become the proprietor or rnakandar i or they reside in an asthan or a takia.
The Kadria or Banawa profess to be tho spiri tual descendants of Salad Abdul Nadir Jilani of Baghdad. The Chisti are followers of Banda nawaz, whorse shrine is at Kulburga ; they aro usually of the shiah sect. Shutaria are descendants or followers of Abdul Shutar-i-nak. Tabkatia or Madaria, followers of Shalt Madar ; many of the Madaria are jugglers, also bear or monkey leaders. Malang are descendants from Jarnan Jati, one of Shah Madar's disciples. Rani or Gurzmar are descended from Saiad Ahtnad Kabir Rafai, who seem to beat, cut, and wound themselves without betraying suffering, and who, in the belief of the faithful, can cut off their own heads and put them on again. Jalalia, followers of Saiad Jalal u I-Din I3okhari. Sollagia, from Musa Sohag, dress like women, wear female ornaments, play up-in inusical instruments, and sing and dance. Naksh-bandia, followers of 13aha-ud-Din of Naksh band, disti n (*Walled by begging at night, and carry ing a lighte% lamp. Bawa piari dress in white. There aro other distinctions. At the Maharram a number of tho lower classes assume the cha racter and garb of fakirs of different ridiculous personations, for the amusement of the popu lace and the collection of contributions.—Wats.; Kanoon-i-Islam. See Darvesh ; Sufi ; Eesawiah.