| Kitáb-i-Íqán | 156 |
all that is therein faded before their eyes into
nothingness. Have not this people exemplified the
mysteries of "rebirth" and "return"? Hath it not
been witnessed that these same people, ere they
were endued with the new and wondrous grace of
God, sought through innumerable devices, to
ensure the protection of their lives against destruction?
Would not a thorn fill them with terror, and
the sight of a fox put them to flight? But once having
been honoured with God's supreme distinction,
and having been vouchsafed His bountiful
grace, they would, if they were able, have freely
offered up ten thousand lives in His path! Nay,
their blessed souls, contemptuous of the cage of
their bodies, would yearn for deliverance. A single
warrior of that host would face and fight a multitude!
And yet, how could they, but for the transformation
wrought in their lives, be capable of
manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the
ways of men and incompatible with their worldly
desires?
It is evident that nothing short of this mystic
transformation could cause such spirit and behaviour,
so utterly unlike their previous habits and
manners, to be made manifest in the world of
