few years of his
existence in the silent contemplation of God.

As he thought of the man's former life, Michael could hear his sonorous
voice chanting the name of Allah in a hundred beautiful forms, as his
bare brown limbs followed in the slow footsteps of a lean white camel
round and round a native well.

Truly, perseverance can work miracles. Faith had moved mountains, for
God had sent this pauper at the well means whereby he was to achieve
his life-long prayer. Michael had been allowed to cross his path.
This penniless African had never doubted, he had trusted in Allah.
Conflicting doubts and arguments had delayed Michael. He had drifted,
one day urged by the unconquerable voice, the next cut off from his
purpose by the advice and companionship of prosperous friends. He felt
that his faith would move no mountains, his perseverance perform no
miracles.

Were Mohammedans more zealous than Christians? Was there in theory, in
ideals, any other institution in the world like el-Azhar? These
students were not paupers; this was no charitable institution. In this
court there were men of all social grades and professions, eager
students gathered together for one purpose from every part of the
Mohammedan world.

And yet Michael thought that, beautiful as it all was in theory,
wonderful as was the indescribable power of Islam, it gave few, if any,
of its children the true conception of God. They learned nothing of
the tender Father, of the beauty of Aton. In Islam there is no
consciousness of God in the song of the thrush to its mate, no
sacredness in the bud of a lily. In spite of all the exquisite names
by which a Moslem addresses his God, His seat is ever in the high
heavens, He still remains to him the Omnipotent God of Israel, the
all-powerful Jehovah.

Even his old friend, who could visualize the joys of paradise and smell
the perfume of sweet jasmine in his dark cell, did not hear God's voice
in the laughing brook, or see His raiment in the blue of the lotus.

Of Akhnaton's closer and more human religion they were ignorant. These
students offered obedience and reverence and complete surrender. How
few of them knew even the meaning of love! This court was full of
ardent students, many of whom had given up well-paid posts to study the
word of Allah as revealed by the Prophet, yet scarcely one of them
loved the creatures of this world because they were the things of God,
because they were God. God sang