Know that the figures employed by prophets are of two kinds: first, where every word which occurs in the simile represents a certain idea: and secondly, where the simile, as a whole, represents a general idea, but has a great many points which have no reference whatever to that idea: they are simply required to give to the simile its proper form and order, or better to conceal the idea: the simile is therefore continued as far as necessary, according to its literal sense. Consider this well.

The key to the understanding and to the full comprehension of all that the Prophets have said is found in the knowledge of the figures, their general ideas, and the meaning of each word they contain.

In 1893-1894 I went to to search for remains of the dynastic race, which presumably had entered Egypt at that point from the Red Sea. In the lowest part of the temple foundations we found parts of three colossal figures of the local god , each with surface carvings of animals, &c. They obviously belonged to a far earlier art than anything known in Egypt, and all later discoveries confirm their being placed as the earliest works of the , long before the establishment of the . One figure is at Cairo, and two are in the Asmolean Museum at Oxford.

. . . speak Thou, O Lord, who didst inspire and illuminate all the prophets;

Narrated Aisha: The Prophet entered upon me while there was a curtain having pictures (of animals) in the house. His face got red with anger, and then he got hold of the curtain and tore it into pieces. The Prophet said, "Such people as paint these pictures will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection."

The best Qualification of a Prophet is to have a good Memory.

"ONE WHO WRAPS HIMSELF

God called the Prophet Muhammad Muzzammil,
"The One Who Wraps Himself,"

and said,
"Come out from under your cloak, you so fond
of hiding and running away.

Don't cover your face.
The world is a reeling, drunken body, and you are its intelligent head.

Don't hide the candle
of your clarity. Stand up and burn
through the night, my prince.

Without your light
a great lion is held captive by a rabbit!

Be the captain of the ship,
Mustafa, my chosen one,
my expert guide.

Look how the caravan of civilization
has been ambushed.
Fools are everywhere in charge.
Do not practice solitude like Jesus. Be in the assembly,
and take charge of it.

As the bearded griffin, the Humay, lives on Mt. Qaf because he's native to it,
so you should live most naturally out in public
and be a communal teacher of souls.

Love is the path and road of our Prophet

I call a fig a fig, a spade a spade.

The Prophet is essentially a one-sided man. A certain moral idea fills his whole being, masters his every feeling and sensation, engrosses his whole attention. He can only see the world through the mirror of his idea; he desires nothing, strives for nothing, except to make every phase of the life around him an embodiment of that idea in its perfect form. His whole life is spent in fighting for this ideal with all his strength; for its sake he lays waste his powers, unsparing of himself, regardless of the conditions of life and the demands of the general harmony. His gaze is fixed always on what ought to be in accordance with his own convictions; never on what can be consistently with the general condition of things outside himself.

One sees a kind of procession of Egyptian priests, whose heads are shaven and crowned with leaves; they wear the dress of the land. Some carry cymbals, flutes and trumpets, others bear sticks adorned with carved hawk's heads. Some stand under a portico, others take their way to the Temple of Serapis. These last bring hither a casket, holding the god's bones. Behind a priestess, clothed in yellow, is seen a kind of building, made for the bird ibis, represented on its walls. In this picture is a tower whose top is concave, and there is also a vase to receive dew. This scene is not a caprice of the imagination. All has been taken from that famous Temple of Fortuna at Palestrina, whose pavement, composed of beautiful mosaics, depicts in a true and good manner the history of Egypt and Ethiopia. I have put all these things into my picture, in order by their novelty and variety to please you, and also to show that the Virgin is really in Egypt.

The original of the figurative Language of the Prophets was the Comparison of a Kingdom to the World & the parts of the one to the like parts of the other. And accordingly the Sun signifies the King and Kingly power. The Moon the next in dignity that is the priestly power with the person or persons it resides in. The greater stars the rest of the Princes or inferior Kings. Heaven the Throne court honours & dignities wherein these terrestrial Luminaries & stars are placed, & the Earth . inferior people. Waters the same. The sea a gathering together of many people into one large dition or body politick, a great kingdom. Rivers & fountains of water, peoples under several heads, many small kingdoms principalities or provinces & their head cities. And when there are two sorts of people considered, they are sometimes distinguished by calling one the earth & the other the Sea, waters or rivers.

Insulting the Prophet is something that has been going on in Europe for a very long time. In Dante's Inferno, if you're interested in the 28th Canto, where Dante is being taken on his conducted tour of hell and guided by Virgil, he comes across the Prophet Mohammed in the course of his eternal damnation. He is punished I quote Dante's words, as a seminator di scandalo e di scisma, a sower of scandal and of schism. Now, this is very insulting. In the great Cathedral of Bologna there is a wonderful set of pictures painted, if I remember rightly, in the 15th century depicting scenes from Dante's Inferno, including some very graphic pictures of Mohammed being tortured in hell by the devil very graphic.</br>Nobody did anything about this. A couple of years ago, the leaders of the Italian-Muslim community sent a polite request to the cathedral saying these are insulting to Muslims; would they mind covering those pictures. The cathedral administration said they would consider it. Nothing happened. The pictures are still in view.

Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet was screening me with his Rida' (garment covering the upper part of the body) while I was looking at the Ethiopians who were playing in the courtyard of the mosque. (I continued watching) till I was satisfied. So you may deduce from this event how a little girl (who has not reached the age of puberty) who is eager to enjoy amusement should be treated in this respect.