In the previous post, Hazrat Inayat Khan began to illustrate the work in the world of the Spirit of Prophecy by means of an allegory, which is concluded here below.
The older ones, who were hardened in their ways, paid no heed, and the little ones were too young to understand, but the middle ones, who hearkened to his words, followed him quietly, won by his magnetism and charmed by his loving personality.
The guardians became alarmed at the thought that the children in their charge might be tempted and carried off. They thought, ‘Some day even the remaining ones may be charmed by his magic; and our control over them, with the possession of their wealth and our comfort in their home, and our importance and honor in their eyes will all be lost if we let this go on any longer.’ They made up their minds to kill him and incited the remaining brothers against him, declaring before them the pity of their dear brothers being led astray and carried away from their home and comfort, and how unfounded was the claim he made.
They came up to this man and arrested him, and bound his arms and legs and threw him in the sea. But those children who had looked upon him as their guide and brother grieved and lamented at this. The brother consoled them, saying, ‘I will come to you again, O children of my father. Do not give up hope, and the things that you have not understood, being young, will be taught to you fully; and as these people have behaved so harshly towards me, it will be shown them what it is to be heedless of our father’s message brought by his own son; and you will be enlightened, O children of my father, with the same light with which I came to help you.’
This man was a master swimmer. The sea had no power to drown him. He seemed to them to have sunk, but then he drew his hands and feet out of the knots, rose upon the water and began to swim in a masterly way, as he had been taught. He went to the father in the wilderness and told him all his experiences on his long journey, and showed his love and desire to obey his father’s will and fulfill all his commandments, to go to the children of his father again with renewed strength and power, in order to bring them to that ideal which was the only desire of the father.
A bearer of the message of their father appeared again after a few years. He did not insist on proving himself to be the son of their father, but tried to guide them and help them towards the ideal set for them by their father. The guardians, disturbed already by one who came and went, insulted him, stoned him, and drove him out of their sight, but he, renewed in his power, strength, and courage, and coming fresh from the mighty influence of his father, withstood it courageously with sword and shield, and sought refuge among those of the brothers who responded to him and sympathized with him on his last coming. They said, ‘Surely he who came before was from our father, whom our brothers did not recognize and have sunk in the sea, but we are awaiting his coming, for he promised us that he would come.’ He answered, ‘It is myself who promised, and went to our father, and now I have come, for the promise given to you was of two natures: ‘I will come again’ was said to those who could recognize me in a different garb, suited to the time and the situation. ‘I will send another’ or ‘Another will come’ was said to those who were likely to be confused by the external garb. It was said to them so that they might not refuse the word of guidance sent by our most loving father.’ They understood his word better, but refused to acknowledge him to be the same as the first, whom they had formerly seen and now expected. He spoke, and he showed in his works the signs of their father, but they clung to the person whom they had seen at first, forgetting his word and their father.
But the little ones, who had not known him before, felt the tie of the blood relationship, for neither were their hearts hardened nor were they set strongly in their ideas. They loved him, and they recognized him more than had ever been his experience at his former coming, while the other brothers, under the influence of the guardians, fought and rebelled against all that this man did. But, in spite of all their resistance and the suffering caused to him, he guided the children of his father, as many as he could, until the name of his father was again glorified and his brothers were guided, directly or indirectly, through the puzzles of the world and the secrets of the heavens.
This story illustrates what has happened in the lives of the messengers, especially of Jesus Christ and Muhammad, though the terms Father, Son, Brother, are merely metaphorical. There has been one Teacher only, and He alone will be. All the names which the world has fought over, are His names, and all the physical forms that have won the adoration of the truth-seeking world are His forms. Therefore, though the foolish reject the message, there are wise ones who accept it.
To be continued…