MUSSULMAN. ARAB. Properly Musalmin, a person of the Muhammadan religion ; it is the plural form of the Arabic Muslim. A woman is called Mussulmani, and the creed Islam. There are in British India about 50,121,585 of this faith, many of Arab, Persian, and Mogliul de scent, with many converts from Hinduism, how ever, particularly in Lower and Eastern Bengal. A large portion of the people of Turkey in Europe, most of the people of Northern Africa, the majority of those of Turkey in Asia, Arabia, Central and Southern Asia up to the Indus river, a fourth part of the population of British India and Ceylon, with a sprinklino. in Sumatra, the Archipelago, and China, are of this faith. They are chiefly of two sects, Sunni and Shiah. Arabia, Syria, Asiatic Turkey, Central Asia, Egypt, and Af ghanistan are largely Sunni. In European Turkey the Mubammadans form about a sixth part of the population. The Afghans are 3Iussul mans chiefly of the Sunni sect. The Parsivan and
Aimak, who are subject to the Afghans, profess the Shiah form of Islam, but some of them are Ali-Illahi. Mussulmau sects are numerous, one of them is the Wahabee. The Wahabee calls him self a Muwahhid or Unitarian, in opposition to Mushrik—Polytheist,—any other sect but his own. The founder of this sect was Abdul Wahab, a native of Aijaene, a town in the district of El Ared. This man in his youth first studied at home those sciences which are chiefly cultivated in Arabia. He afterwards spent some time at Basra, and made several journeys to Baghdad and through Persia. After his return to his native place, be propagated his opinions among his countrymen, and succeeded in converting several independent Shaikhs, whose subjects con sequently became followers of this leader.— Ferrier's Afghans; Allan Numa, 523 ; Wellsted's Tr.; Burton's Mecca ; Nietruhr's Tr. ; Palgrave.