ABSTRACT
TO the Muhammadan in the Deccan a horse is ghazi mard; in Sind it is malaik or angel and firishta, ‘God-sent’, names that are also applied to a child with its special kudrat. The Prophet swore by the horse and the sparks from its hooves, and to possess a horse is as meritorious as entertaining forty Hafiz. A horse prays for itself and for its owner; from morning to afternoon for its owner and from afternoon till sunset for itself. When it bends a hind leg until it touches the ground it is making fat’ha on behalf of itself and its owner. Khwaja Ḥassan Basari had sold his horse, but bought it back at an enhanced price when in a dream the Prophet asked him why he had sold an animal that for long had prayed for blessings in Paradise for its master.
