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have desired retribution, but when thou so straitly commandedst, I felt
it incumbent upon me to declare the matter." The Prophet answered:
"The Lord have mercy upon thee, Okâsha: Dost thou desire
retribution?" "Yea apostle of God!" Then the Lord of the
universe, the blessed Mohammed, commanded Balál to go to Fatima's house,
and "Bring with thee," said he, "that scourge, which I used
to take with me in the wars." Balál, in consternation and distress,
proceeded to that noble lady's house and brought the scourge. Then the
Prophet made it over to Okâsha and sitting in the courtyard of the
Mosque, said, "The mercy of the Lord be upon thee, Okâsha! Take thy
retribution without fear or favour." Okâsha receiving the whip,
prepared himself to administer stripes upon the, Prophet. But a mighty
noise, like that of the judgment day, arose from the assembled throng. The
Prophet's companions, one after another, stepped forward, and expostulated
with Okâsha on the fearful temerity of scourging Mohammed, the Messenger
of God, who was moreover in so infirm a state, and close upon his heavenly
journey. They offered to receive upon their own backs a thousand lashes in
his stead; but Okâsha replied, that vicarious retribution was not
permitted by the Lord. At last Mohammed, becoming impatient, said,
"Perform thy work quickly, oh Okâsha; God forbid that death should
rob me of the opportunity, and that this claim should remain against me to
all eternity." Okâsha replied, "Oh blessed of the Lord! when
thou scourgedst me I was naked, and thou art at this time clad in
raiment." The blessed Prophet thereupon took off his raiment, and
forthwith the whole assembly burst into the wildest grief and passionate
lamentation; and the angels nearest to the Throne poured forth their
deprecations, expostulating with the Lord, etc. At last Okâsha arose, and
kissed the seal of prophecy,—the signet of apostleship: and then he
spake as follows : "Oh beloved of the Lord! It was my earnest desire
that at thy last breath I should be ennobled by looking upon the seal of
prophecy. And by this stratagem of retribution, I have obtained the
blessed fortune. Neither didst thou, most holy Prophet, ever touch me with
the scourge, nor could I have had the temerity to demand
retribution."
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The Prophet invoked a blessing upon Okâsha, and retired to his own abode.
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From beginning to end the tale is a pure work of fancy, early tradition
containing not a vestige of it.
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Here, once more, is a common type of the childish legends by which later
traditionists have endeavoured to discredit our Scriptures:—
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A narrator relates that there
was, in the kingdom of Syria, a Jew who, while busily engaged one Sabbath
day in perusing the Old Testament, perceived the name of the blessed Prophet
written in four places; and out of spite he cast that leaf into the fire. On
the following day, he found the same name written in eight places; again lie
burnt the page. On the third day
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