these words, rejected and despised the person of the Manifestation,
deprived themselves of the light of His divine guidance, and refused to
follow the example of that immortal Beauty.

When the light of Qur'anic Revelation was kindled within the chamber of
Muhammad's holy heart, He passed upon the people the verdict of the Last
Day, the verdict of resurrection, of judgment, of life, and of death.
Thereupon the standards of revolt were hoisted, and the doors of derision
opened. Thus hath He, the Spirit of God, recorded, as spoken by the
infidels: "And if thou shouldst say, 'After death ye shall surely be
raised again,' the infidels will certainly exclaim, 'This is nothing but
manifest sorcery.'"(81) Again He speaketh: "If ever thou dost marvel,
marvellous surely is their saying, 'What! When we have become dust, shall
we be restored in a new creation?'"(82) Thus, in another passage, He
wrathfully exclaimeth: "Are We wearied out with the first creation? Yet
are they in doubt with regard to a new creation!"(83)

As the commentators of the Qur'an and they that follow the letter thereof
misapprehended the inner meaning of the words of God and failed to grasp
their essential purpose, they sought to demonstrate that, according to the
rules of grammar, whenever the term "idha" (meaning "if" or "when")
precedeth the past tense, it invariably hath reference to the future.
Later, they were sore perplexed in attempting to explain those verses of
the Book wherein that term did not actually occur. Even as He hath
revealed: "And there was a blast on the trumpet,--lo! it is the threatened
Day! And every soul is summoned to a reckoning,--with him an impeller and a
witness."(84) In explaining this and similar verses, they have in some
cases argued that the term "idha" is implied. In other instances, they
have idly contended that whereas the Day of Judgment is inevitable, it
hath therefore been referred to as an event not of the future but of the
past. How vain their sophistry! How grievous their blindness! They refuse
to recognize the trumpet-blast which so explicitly in this text was
sounded through the revelation of Muhammad. They deprive themselves of the
regenerating Spirit of God that breathed into it, and foolishly expect to
hear the trumpet-sound of the Seraph of God who is but one of His
servants! Hath not the Seraph himself, the angel of the Judgment Day, and
his like been ordained by Muhammad's own utterance? Say: What! Will ye