Page 426 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

NEGLECT liD AKAlilA II

,.v answered that a live coal should he placed in front of the child and if
!cricked it up. it would he a proof that he was not a prophet and if he did
nick it up it would prove that he was a prophet for (Sod always protects
! servants. When the coal was brought, Moses was not going to pick
j up since he was a prophet, but Gabriel all unseen, took the coal, placed it
' , the hand of Moses and guided the coal to his mouth in order to surely
convince Pharaoh and to save Moses. So Pharaoh was kept from killing
M.im-s, |jUt from that day Moses stuttered.
Here is another experience. I was talking to a school hoy one day who
runted the passage in the Quran where Christ speaks from his cradle and
tells |ieople that he is a prophet, etc. He asked me whether this incident
in mentioned in the Bible and I told him that it was not. Then he said,
\ki you know to whom Christ was talking?” I replied in the negative
jnul ]|f said, “He was talking to Ali.” The boy was a Shiah Moslem, a
nit which greatly reveres Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed.
Just before Easter we were having lessons on the resurrection of
■
l host. One day I tried to bring out the marvelous character of the
roilrrection. After I had finished the lesson, one of the hoys said to me.
-’Chat was a fine lesson, but why did you try to show that this was such a
marvelous lliing? I-el me tell you wlial happened in Kerhela. This is
line and if you do not believe it, you can ask any number of people here
in Bahrain who were present when it happened. (I had previously called
.mention to the fact that Paul had written that most of the five hundred
jiuple who saw Him at one time after his resurrection were still alive. 1
('nr. 15:6.) A very pious Moslem died and was carried to Kerhela for
burial. Before burial, his corpse was placed for a whole night next to
ihc tomb of one of the great saints who are buried there. The next morn­
ing his friends went to get his corpse to bury it, but what was their sur-
I ri'i* to find the man alive and well again! They took off his grave clothes
jinl the man lived some years afterwards.” Then as an afterthought he
>ai«l. "'rile other day you said that Mohammed did not perform any mir-
rfclo. He certainly must have for if the dead body of one of the Islamic
siiul* could jicrform a miracle, then surely God’s apostle Mohammed
oiiiM perform miracles when heNwas alive.”
Here was an intelligent young man who believed this story and told
u :in the absolute truth without the slightest doubt but that it was an
iiiihciilic incident. He did not say as to whether he accepted the resurrcc-
l.wii of Christ, but even if he did accept it, it would just take place along
willi all the other miracles and tales he had heard to he wondered at and
iliat is about all. So these marvelous stories are a real hindrance to the
»l»rc;ul of the Gospel for they take away from and make common the
£ivalesl truths of the Gospel. Astonishing tales are told as to how God
L»n protected the prophets, so what more natural than the Moslem belief
that Christ was not crucified. Another was made to look like him and
ihey crucified him and not Christ.
And so we might go on, but what about it and what is the solution for
ii all.' Education will do a great deal to dispel this superstition and
nubility, bill after all it is the Spirit of Truth who guides iulo all ihe
(mill, who must give them that discernment which is necessary. And the
l*rl of God S'people along with the duty of providing the wherewithal
(i#r education is to pray that His Spirit will enlighten their hearts and drive
•*.iy mists of superstition and credulity.