testimony from God, and who remain heedless of these days wherein the Orb
of knowledge and wisdom hath dawned above the horizon of Divinity,
rendering unto each his due and assigning unto all their rank and measure,
as to what they can say concerning these allusions. Verily, their meaning
hath bewildered the minds of men, and that which they conceal of the
consummate wisdom and latent knowledge of God even the most sanctified
souls have been powerless to uncover.

14 Should they say: “These words are indeed from God, and have no
interpretation other than their outward meaning”, then what objection can
they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when
the latter saw the aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard
the literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize
God in those who are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents of His
singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe in
them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see
the sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels
visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets
and Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as they found them at variance with
their own faith and creed, they hurled against them such accusations of
imposture, folly, waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to recount.
Refer to the Qur’án, that thou mayest find mention of all this and be of
them that understand its meaning. Even to this day do these people await
the appearance of that which they have learned from their doctors and
imbibed from their divines. Thus do they say: “When shall these signs be
made manifest, that we may believe?” But if this be the case, how could ye
refute their arguments, invalidate their proofs, and challenge them
concerning their faith and their understanding of their Books and the
sayings of their leaders?