Page 22 - Arabian Studies (II)

12 Arabia)i Studies II
of course arc limited in number), although none was later proved
innocent by the trial by ordeal.
This indicates two things: first that in the mind of one accused of
witchcraft such an oath, once given an external reality by them,
would be strong enough to destroy them if they had falsely sworn,
and secondly that the oath would be taken in terms of the Islamic
religion, which they could well believe to be inimical to the
supernatural forces they consider themselves as summoning and
controlling.
A vow in Mehri is neder and in Sheri nedr. In Dhofar someone
takes a vow who is in present difficulties, promising to present to a
saint a reward if he is extricated from his troubles. All kinds of
trouble can induce a man to make such a vow but the commonest
stimuli are the illness of a close member of his family, the theft of
property, danger to himself from some natural calamity, or the
prospect of such danger.
A person who has made a vow to take gifts to the tomb of a saint
if he is saved from an impending calamity seems to others to lead a
charmed life,3 and to be protected by the spiritual power he has
invoked.
I have tried to record something on the visiting of saints’ tombs
and of the kind of vows made to the saints, but it became clear that
the fairly young people with whom I worked had no faith in the
barakah of saints’ tombs and that the customs and rituals connected
with them were obsolete in Dhofar, and declining though still
flourishing among the Mahrah further south, in so far as they were
allowed by the new government.
In Dhofar however the older people had observed the old beliefs
up until about twenty years ago. ‘AIT Musallam gave me an account,
not of a precise incident, but of the kind of thing he had heard often
as a young man.* This illustrates the kind of circumstance for which
vows are made and gives an idea of the kind of gift made to the saint
at his tomb. The story says:s

Once some men were travelling on the sea. When they were well
out opposite [the tomb of the saint] Bin Hud, a wind storm
struck them and they began to be afraid for their lives. Then the
boat split down below, and the water rose till it was about to fill
the boat. They were sure they were to die. Then one of the
travelling companions said to the others: ‘Has anyone made a
vow?’ One said: ‘Yes indeed! I have made a vow6 to Bin Hud
which I still have not fulfilled.’ Another said: ‘Why, what
happened to you?’
He said: ‘I once had a camel and it was stolen [herkat] and no