The Essence of Islam – Volume V — Page 35
Miracles, Signs and Prophecies 35 or is a Jew, or a Hindu, or a Christian, get rid of such doubts, and how can his heart be satisfied?. . . The common people, who often behave like cattle, never even think of getting to the bottom of things. Moreover, conjurors have a lot of margin to do their tricks and people find little opportunity to discover their secrets, because these tricks last a very short time and a person finds little opportunity to scrutinize their tricks. Besides, ordinary people have no knowledge of the natural sciences, philosophy and arts, and are completely unaware of all the amazing qualities which the All-Wise has invested in the universe. . Hence at every time and age they are ready to be deceived. And why should they not be deceived, for the properties of things are indeed wondrous, and ignorance only increases the wonder. For instance, flies and some other insects have this property that if they have died, but have not yet undergone significant disintegration and their organs have not yet decayed, and they have not been dead for more than two or three hours like in the case of flies that die in water-if such creatures are buried under salt that has been properly ground, and an equal measure of ash is also sprinkled over them, they come to life and fly away. . This property is so well-known that even little boys know of it, but if there is a simpleton who is unaware of it, and a fraud-claiming to be the Messiah of the flies is to perform this trick before him and is to bring some flies back to life, mumbling some mantras all the time, and trying to give the impression that he has performed the feat through the mantras, would the