Abdal a name given to a peculiar class of Mohammedan devotees. They go bareheaded and with naked legs, half covered with the skin of some wild beast, having a leathern girdle about the waist, from which hangs a bag. Some of them have about the middle of their bodies a copper serpent, bestowed upon them by their doctors as a mark of learning. Their doctrines are totally subversive of good order in society, since they hold that all actions are indifferent, and that God is served in the haunts of the profligate as much as in the mosques. They carry in their hands a kind of club, which they use as a magic wand. They chiefly employ themselves in wandering about, selling relics, and obtaining charity.' They are also called Santons and Calenders.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More