The Descent of the Messiah — Page 40
THE DESCENT OF THE MESSIAH of other animals. I saw that the Hand of Providence had created it in this manner. I saw myself sitting in a place surrounded by forests on all sides, and in the forests were all kinds of animals, such as oxen, donkeys, horses, dogs, swine, wolves, and camels. I was made to understand that all these were actually human be- ings who had been given these forms because of their misdeeds. Then I saw the animal, which was as huge as an elephant and was a combination of various forms, and had emerged from the earth by Providence, come and sit down near me with its face pointing to the north. It appeared to be silent, and modesty was apparent in its eyes. Every few minutes, it would run into one of the forests. The moment it did so, cries like unto doomsday would be heard from that direction. It would start devouring the animals and one could hear the sound of bones being chewed. After a while, it would relent and come back and sit down close to me for some ten or so minutes and then run off again into another forest and the same would be repeated, after which it would once again return to me. Its eyes were very large, and each time it came back, I studied it carefully, and the expressions on its face conveyed to me that it was not to blame in the matter, for it was only doing what it had been commanded. It appeared to me to be a gentle and virtuous creature that did nothing on its own but only what it was instructed to do. It was then put into my heart that this animal was in fact the plague, and was the دابةُ الْاَرْضِ creature of the earth], regarding which God had promised in the Holy Quran that He would bring it forth in the Latter Days and that it would bite people because they did not believe in His signs. God Almighty says: وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ 40