ay of God's holy Cause hath
been revealed, and the concourse of the faithful, swift as lightning, are,
even now, passing upon that way, whilst these foolish divines wait
expecting to witness the signs foretold. Say, O ye foolish ones! Wait ye
even as those before you are waiting!

Were they to be questioned concerning those signs that must needs herald
the revelation and rise of the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation, to
which We have already referred, none of which have been literally
fulfilled, and were it to be said to them: "Wherefore have ye rejected the
claims advanced by Christians and the peoples of other faiths and regard
them as infidels," knowing not what answer to give, they will reply:
"These Books have been corrupted and are not, and never have been, of
God." Reflect: the words of the verses themselves eloquently testify to
the truth that they are of God. A similar verse hath been also revealed in
the Qur'an, were ye of them that comprehend. Verily I say, throughout all
this period they have utterly failed to comprehend what is meant by
corrupting the text.

Yea, in the writings and utterances of the Mirrors reflecting the sun of
the Muhammadan Dispensation mention hath been made of "Modification by the
exalted beings" and "alteration by the disdainful." Such passages,
however, refer only to particular cases. Among them is the story of
Ibn-i-Suriya. When the people of _Kh_aybar asked the focal center of the
Muhammadan Revelation concerning the penalty of adultery committed between
a married man and a married woman, Muhammad answered and said: "The law of
God is death by stoning." Whereupon they protested saying: "No such law
hath been revealed in the Pentateuch." Muhammad answered and said: "Whom
do ye regard among your rabbis as being a recognized authority and having
a sure knowledge of the truth?" They agreed upon Ibn-i-Suriya. Thereupon
Muhammad summoned him and said: "I adjure thee by God Who clove the sea
for you, caused manna to descend upon you, and the cloud to overshadow
you, Who delivered you from Pharaoh and his people, and exalted you above
all human beings, to tell us what Moses hath decreed concerning adultery
between a married man and a married woman." He made reply: "O Muhammad!
death by stoning is the law." Muhammad observed: "Why is it then that this
law is annulled and hath ceased to operate among the Jews?" He answered
and said: "When Nebuchadnezzar delivered Jerusalem to the flames, a