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by means of examples and similitudes which can best be appreciated by
scholars who are overawed by falsehood. On the other hand, the ignorant ones are not only inattentive towards them but ignore the warnings and signs and tend to take them lightly. "Lo! Allah disdaineth not to coin the similitude even of a
gnat."119
The power of God encompasses all things above and below the mosquito in size and magnitude — a power which cannot be exercised by any
other being. His Wisdom applies equally to everything and the wrong has always been dispelled by righteousness. What is evil and wrong is erased forever as foam passes away forever. The same thing is true of the minerals that melt. Fire having flame dispels their dross and froth. The latter becomes like dust and, being useless, is washed away. The foamridden water of floods remains on the ground for a specified period, but nothing on earth remains ever the same: everything goes back to its origin. Every living thing, as should be obvious, gets benefit from this water, since it is upon it that life subsists; and life is from it. The usefulness of jewels is that they perform the function of serving as exchange commodities in payment for articles. People forge jewellery from them. They are for adornment and beautification. Copper, brass and iron (which are base metals) serve as assets that confer advantage and protection. The physicists have stated that sulpher is 'father' of the melting substances and quicksilver their 'mother'. By melting it, the fire reconverts
it into trembling quicksilver. Such being the case, it may preferably be discussed first. QUICKSILVER
Quicksilver or mercury is also called zawuq, whence the verbal noun,
tazmq, that is, to wash over an article with quicksilver. Base coins which are washed over with quicksilver so as to pass as legal tender are designated as muzabbaqat. It was not a long while ago that thick dirhams whose edges were smooth and black like the pans of weighing instruments were current; they were called muzabbaqah. It is said that these coins were made from the mercury separated
from sand. The coins are current in Makka. Transactions through them were discontinued during Hajj so that all the gold and silver that was with the pilgrims could be acquired. They again came into use with the departure of the pilgrims or the ringed dinars were employed as tender. When heated upon fire in conjunction with sulphur, it yields cinnabar. Sulphur removes its liquidness and produces redness in it. Lead, in
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198
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