قندیل ہدایت

قندیل ہدایت — Page 385

385 of 1460 MOHAMEDANS 129 his religion was in the ascendant in the seats of power۔These old-fashioned Mohamedan gentle- men have little or no English education, but they have a culture of their own; and among the mullas۔may be found men of great learning۔Other interesting types of Kashmir Mohamedans are found among the headmen of the picturesque little hamlets along the foot-hills۔Here may be seen fine old patriarchal types, just as we picture to ourselves the Israelitish heroes of old۔Some, indeed, say, though I must admit without much۔authority, that these Kashmiris are of the lost tribes of Israel۔Only this year there died in the Punjab the founder of a curious sect, who maintained that he was both the Messiah of the Jews and the Mahdi of the Mohamedans; that Christ had never really died upon the Cross, but had been let down and had disappeared, as He had foretold, to seek that which was lost, by which He meant the lost tribes of Israel; and that He had come to Kashmir and was buried in Srinagar۔It is a curious theory, and was worked out by this founder of the Quadiani sect in much detail۔There resided in Kashmir some 1900 years ago a saint of the name of Yus Asaf, who preached in parables 17