ABSTRACT
THE commonly received opinion that the Muhammadan religion' is one remarkable for the absence of dogma and the unanimity of its professors is quite incorrect. In this chapter I propose to show how the unorthodox sects differ in some very important principles of the faith. The next chapter will contain a full account of the doctrines held by the Sunnis, or the orthodox sect. The term Shfah means a " follower/' and is now used to denote the followers of eAli, the son-in-law of Muhammad and the fourth Khalif. The Shi'ah sect is chiefly found in Persia.
