Page 63 - Demo

59Whatever may have been the real position of the Hebrew Sophis (or Sophees) after the great religious and national schism, one thing is certain, namely, that the true knowledge of God and the esoteric ofscience religion was preserved until the appearance of Jesus (pbuh) Christ (pbuh), who built his Community of the Initiates in the Inner Religion uponSimon theSapha, and thatthe trueSophis or seers of the Christian Mispha perpetuated this knowledge and watched over it until the appearance of the Elect of Allah, Muhammadal-Mustapha- the Hebrew “Mustaphi”!The Bible mentions -as I said above- numerous prophets attached to the Misphas; but we must well understand that, as the Quran clearly declares, “God best knows whom He shall appoint for His Messenger”, [1] that He does not bestow the gift of prophecy on a person on account of his nobility, riches, or even piety, but for His ownpleasure.The faithandallworks of piety,meditations, spiritual exercises, prayers,fasting, and divine knowledge may raise a novice to become a spiritual murshid or guide, or to the rank of a saint, but never to the status of a prophet; for prophecy is not procured by effort, but is a gift of God. Even among the Prophetsthere are only a few who wereApostles or Messengersfavoured with a special book and commissioned to direct a certain people or with a particular mission. Therefore, the term “prophets” as used in the Hebrew Scriptures is oftenambiguous.I must also remark in this connection that probably the majority of the material of the Bible was the work or production oftheseMisphas before theBabylonianCaptivity or even earlier, but afterwards has been revised by unknown hands until it has taken the shape which we nowadays have.[1] . QURAN 6:124. When there comes to them a sign (from Allah. They say«We shall not believe until we receive one (exactly) like those received by Allah›s apostles.» Allah knoweth best where (and how) to carry out His mission. Soon will the wicked be overtaken by humiliation before Allah, and a severe punishment, for all their plots. (Editors)