Scattered Pearls — Page 18
17 as well, on the basis of what I have seen with mine own eyes. It always appeared as if the life the Promised. Messiah lived, was, in all its aspects, a most natural and spontaneous flow, from the depths of his being, in which there was no posing of any kind, no striking of attitudes, either before the world, or even before himself, absolutely unaffected by environment, or by what other people might like to think of him. . Here I would relate very briefly only one incident which on the surface, seems very small. Among the worldly people, even among the religiously and spiritually inclined, the. Peers and the Sajjadah Nasheens, that in their homes when they sit with people, their friends and disciples, and those from outside their own circle, the seating arrangements keep in mind the social status of the people present on such accasions. . But in strict accordance with the way of the Holy Prophet. Muhammad, (peace be on him) the Promised Messiah observed no such distinctions. All and sundry sat with him, intermingled, as they happened to find room, as if all were members of one single family, where all were equal. The result of this utter informality often was that the Promised. Messiah himself was seen sitting at a place which struck an observer as being the least marked for any honour or distinction, while some other people appeared to be occupying seats of prominance. On scores of occasions it so happened that the Promised Messiah would be seen on a charpai on the paintee (lower side) while another man would be sitting on the same charpai on the head side, in our eastern style of living which is considered to be a place of lesser respect than the other. Or the Promised Messiah would be sitting on a bare charpai, while some other people would be found sitting on one with a mattress and a sheet for a covering. Or he would be sitting at a lower eminance than some disciples sitting in a position somewhat raised. On account of this utter informality, a stranger often had difficulty in spotting the Promised Messiah not infrequently taking someone else for him. But this is a most remarkable circumstance that such a state of affairs is seen only in the case of the chosen people of God, where this informality does not lead