Page 365 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

326 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [CH.

at the bare supposition that the people of
Oman had ever been an offset of any one of

these—“ we approximate not to any sect, nor
does any sect approximate to us. How can

we be in alliance with those innovators who
oppose God’s religion ?”

In the true spirit of intolerance, he then
proceeds to denounce all those whose faith

differs from his own. “ We conclude such to
be devoted to ruin ; enemies of God ; infidels,
whose portion hereafter shall be in Gehenna

for ever. They deny the eternity of future
punishments ; they diminish the enormity of

sin ; we enhance it. The portion of the wicked
surely will be for ever, for God is great
*
!
Their doctrines content not our intelligent
ones ; away with it 1 away with it!”

The same writer mentions the existence of
a tradition that the Mussulmans were to be

divided into no less than seventy-three sects,
of which, in course, only one could be ortho­

dox ; and hints the people of Oman is that
one, grounding his opinion on the sense of the
Arabic word which signifies “ escaping,”

as well as “ safe.” In fact, the great points

* From a MS. in the Authors possession.