STORY IIIa

The Jewish King, his Vazir, and the Christians. A certain Jewish king used to persecute the Christians, desiring to exterminate their faith. His Vazir persuaded him to try a stratagem, namely, to mutilate the Vazir himself, and expel him from his court, with the intent that he might take refuge with the Christians, and stir up mutual dissensions amongst them. The Vazir's suggestion was adopted.1 He fled to the Christians, and found no difficulty in persuading them that he had been treated in that barbarous way on account of his attachment to the Christian faith. He soon gained complete influence over them, and was accepted as a saintly martyr and a divine teacher. Only a few discerning men divined his treachery ; the majority were all deluded by him. The Christians were divided into twelve legions, and at the head of each was a captain. To each of these captains the Vazir gave secretly a volume of religious directions, taking care to make the directions in each volume different from and contradictory to those in the others. One volume enjoined fasting, another charity, another faith, another works, and so on. Afterwards the Vazir withdrew into a cave, and refused to come out to instruct his disciples, in spite of all their entreaties. Calling the captains to him, he gave secret instructions to each to set himself up as his successor, and to be guided by the instructions in the volume secretly confided to him, and to slay all other claimants of the apostolic office. Having given these directions, he slew himself. In the event each captain set himself up as the Vazir's successor, and the Christians were split up into many sects at enmity with one another, even as the Vazir had intended. But the malicious scheme did not, altogether succeed, as one faithful band cleaved to the name of "Ahmad," mentioned in the Gospel,2 and were thus saved from sharing the ruin of the rest. The Vazir's Teaching. Myriads of Christians flocked round him, One after another they assembled in his street. Then he would preach to them of mysteries, Mysteries of the Gospel, of stoles, of prayers. He would preach to them with eloquent words Concerning the words and acts of the Messiah. Outwardly he was a preacher of religious duties, But within a decoy call and a fowler's snare. Therefore the followers of the Prophet ('Isa) Were beguiled by the fraud of that demon soul. He mingled in his discourses many secret doctrines Concerning devotion and sincerity of soul. He taught them to make a fair show of devotion, But to say of secret sins, "What do they matter?" Hair by hair and jot by jot they learned of him Fraud of soul, as roses might learn of garlic. Hair-splitters and all their disciples Are darkened by similar preaching and discourse. The Christians gave their hearts to him entirely, For the blind faith of the vulgar has no discernment. In their inmost breasts they planted love of him, And fancied him to be the Vicar of Christ; Yea, him, that one-eyed and cursed Dajjal! 3 Save us. O God ! who art our only defender! O God, there are hundreds of snares and baits, And we are even as greedy and foolish birds; Every moment our feet are caught in a fresh snare ; Yea, each one of us, though he be a falcon or Simurgh! Thou dost release us every moment, and straightway We again fly into the snare, O Almighty One! Sleep of the body the soul's awakening. Every night Thou freest our spirits from the body And its snare, making them pure as rased tablets.