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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
any more," which would be meaningless except as implying freedom from a recurrent liability to death. Christianity and Islam would both have to reject a number of passages from their sacred scriptures, if they persist in denying the truth of re-incarnation. So far as Christianity is concerned, we hope we have said enough to convince the most obdurate Christian that his own religion teaches identically, and word for word, the same doctrine as is preached by the most ancient faith in the world, namely, Jainism. We shall, therefore, now turn to
Islam to show that the same doctrine is contained in its sacred books.
Mahomed even believed in the existence of souls prior to their embodied life on earth. He said :
"Souls before having dependence upon bodies, were like assembled armies : after that they were dispersed; and sent into bodies. Therefore, those which were acquainted before tho dependence attract cach other, and those that wore unacquainted, repel" ("The Sayings of Muhammad,' p. 81).
His writings also contain carefully concealed allusions to the highest form of belief. A few quotations will suffice to prove our statement.
1. "We are nearer to him (man) than the vital vein" (Al Qur'an, 1. 15).
2. "And He to whom you pray is nearer to you than the neck of your camel" ("Sayings of Muhammad').
3. “God hath not created anything better than Reason, or anything more perfect, or more beautiful than Reason; the benefits which God giveth are on its account, aud understanding is by it, and God's wrath is caused by it, and by it are rewards and punishments" ("Sayings of Muhammad').
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