The Unity of Muslims — Page 10
10 Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad from various castes, including shudras, kshatriyas, and vaishyas, pose as brahmins in hopes of claiming the prize. While observing the pedestrians, the minister notices two men he thinks might be brahmins. He calls them over and inquires about their identity. Though both claim they are brahmins, the first is a merchant and the latter a brahmin. The minister instructs his guards to bring the men for a statement and questions the first man, ‘How tall is a tree?’ The merchant says, ‘Forty-four or forty-five feet high. ’ Turning to the second man, the brahmin, the minister asks the same question. He replies, ‘Four to five feet tall. ’ Assessing their answers, the minister deduces that the latter is a real brahmin, given their tendency to be idle, readily accepting everything they hear. Identifying the brahmin from his naive answer, the minister orders that offerings be presented to him. Thus, some individuals tend to make inaccurate estimations, while others have expertise in this craft. Some people can use hearing as a tool to gauge distances. Native Americans, for instance, place their ears against the ground to discern sounds, allowing them to approximate miles and direction from which an enemy is approaching. The beats or vibrations they sense enable them to determine if a galloping horse