igious views, held that all
religions contained truth. Thus:--

"O God, in every temple I see people that seek Thee, and in every language
I hear spoken, people praise Thee!
Polytheism and Islam feel after Thee,
Each religion says, 'Thou art one, without equal.'
If it be a mosque, people murmur the holy prayer, and if it be a
Christian Church, people ring the bell from love to Thee,
Sometimes I frequent the Christian cloister, and sometimes the
mosque,
But it is Thou whom I search from temple to temple."

In this reign one Mir Sharif was promoted to the rank of a Commander of a
thousand, and to an appointment in Bengal. His chief merit in Akbar's eyes
was that he taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls and the
close advent of the millennium. He was a disciple of Mahmud of Busakhwan,
the founder of the Nuqtawiah sect. As this is another offshoot of the
Shia'hs I give a brief account of them here. Mahmud lived in the reign of
Timur and {83} professed to be Al-Mahdi. He also called himself the
Shakhs-i-Wahid--the Individual one. He used to quote the verse, "It may be
that thy Lord will raise thee up to a glorious (mahmud) station." (Sura
xvii. 81). From this he argued that the body of man had been advancing in
purity since the creation, and that on its reaching to a certain degree,
one Mahmud (glorious) would arise, and that then the dispensation of
Muhammad would come to an end. He claimed to be the Mahmud. He also taught
the doctrine of transmigration, and that the beginning of everything was
the Nuqtah-i-khak--earth atom. It is on this account that they are called
the Nuqtawiah sect. They are also known by the names Mahmudiah and
Wahidiah. Shah 'Abbas king of Persia expelled them from his dominions, but
Akbar received the fugitives kindly and promoted some amongst them to high
offices of State.

This Mahdavi movement, arising as it did out of the Shia'h doctrine of the
Imamat, is a very striking fact. That imposters should arise and claim the
name and office of Al-Mahdi is not to be wondered at, but that large bodies
of men should follow them shows the unrest which dwelt in men's hearts, and
how they longed for a personal leader and guide.

The whole of the Shia'h doctrine on this point seems to show that there is
in the human heart a natural desire for some Mediator--some Word of the
Father, who shall reveal Him to His children. At first sight it would seem