The Religious Orders of Islám #247582

The two most active elements in Muslim lands in the opposition to social, political, and religious reforms and to the advance of modern civilization are the 'ulama, the men who may be said to form the lawyers and the clergy of Islam, and the various Orders of Darweshes. The 'ulama speak in the name of the sacred Law, eternal, unchange able. The Darweshes look upon Islam as a vast theocracy, in which their spiritual leaders are the true guides. It is conceivable that the 'ulama might be brought to see that, if some concessions would save a Muslim State from ruin or extine tion, it might be to their advantage to make them. The Darwesh treats with scorn any attempt at compromise, and looks upon a Muslim govern ment, which in the least departs from the laws and practices of the early Khalifate, as disloyal to the great principle that Islam is a theocracy.