Kitáb-i-Íqán | 119 |
In another passage of the Gospel it is written: "And it came to pass that on a certain day the father of one of the disciples of Jesus had died. That disciple reporting the death of his father unto Jesus, asked for leave to go and bury him. Whereupon, Jesus, that Essence of Detachment, answered and said: "Let the dead bury their dead." (2)
In like manner, two of the people of Kufih went
to `Alí, the Commander of the Faithful. One
owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was
to be the purchaser. They had agreed that this
transaction should be effected and the contract be
written with the knowledge of `Alí. He, the exponent
of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said:
"Write thou: `A dead man hath bought from another
dead man a house. That house is bounded by
four limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the
other to the vault of the grave, the third to the
&Sirat, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.'" Reflect,
had these two souls been quickened by the
trumpet-call of `Alí, had they risen from the grave