often than once in three or four, and sometimes even seven, days.

3.

A different witness, a disciple of Jelal's father, related that Baha Veled frequently affirmed publicly that his Lord, Jelal, was of exalted descent, being of the lineage of a king, and also of an hereditary saint.

His maternal grandmother was a daughter of the great Imam Es-Sarakhsī1 (died at Damascus A.H. 571, A.D. II75), who was of the lineage of the Prophet. The mother of EsSarakhsī was descended from the Caliph ‘Alī; and Jelāl's paternal grandmother was a daughter of the King of Kh'ārezm, who resided at Balkh.

Jelal's paternal great-great-grandmother, also, the mother of Ahmed, El-Khatibi, grandfather of Jelal's father, was a daughter of a king of Balkh. These particulars establish that Jelal was well descended on both sides, in a mundane and in a spiritual sense. The well-known proverb

'Hereditary disposition ever insinuates itself,” proved fully true in his most illustrious case.

4.

When Jelal was seven years old, he used every morning to recite the very short chapter, cviii., of the Qur'an

"Verily we have given unto thee the abounding good. Therefore, do thou perform thy devotions unto thy Lord, and slaughter victims. Verily, he who evil entreateth thee is one who shall leave no issue after him."

He used to weep as he recited these inspired words. Suddenly, God one day vouchsafed to appear to him visibly. On this he fainted away. Regaining consciousness, he heard a voice from heaven, that said—

"O Jelālu-'d-Din! By the majesty (jelāl) of Our glory, do thou henceforward cease to combat with thyself; for We have exalted thee to the station of ocular vision."

1 From the city of Sarakhs in Khurāsān.

Jelal vowed, therefore, out of gratitude for this mark of grace, to serve the Lord to the end of his days, to the utmost of his power; in the firm hope that they who followed him would also attain to that high grade of favour and excellence.

5.

Two years after the death of his father, Jelal went from Qonya to Haleb (Aleppo) to study. (This account is altogether subversive, as to time and date, of that already given in chap. ii. No. 3.)

As he was known to be a son of Baha'u-'d-Din Veled, and was also an apt scholar, his professor showed him every attention.

Others were offended, and evinced their jealousy at the preference thus accorded to him. They complained to the governor of the city that Jelal was immoral, as he was in the habit, each night, of quitting his cell at midnight for some unknown purpose. The governor resolved to see and judge for himself. He therefore hid himself in the porter's room.

At midnight, Jelal came forth from his room, and went straight to the locked gate of the college, watched by the governor. The gate flew open; and Jelal, followed at a distance by the governor, went through the streets to the locked city gate. This, too, opened of itself; and again both passed forth.

They went on and came to the tomb of Abraham (at Hebron, about 350 miles distant), the "Friend of the AllMerciful." There a domed edifice was seen, filled with a large company of forms in green raiment, who came forth to meet Jelal, and conducted him into the building.

The governor hereupon lost his senses through fright, and did not recover until after the sun had risen.

Now, he could see nothing of a domed edifice, nor one single human being. He wandered about on a trackless

plain for three days and three nights, hungry, thirsty, and footsore. At length he sank under his sufferings.

Meanwhile, the porter of the college had given intelligence of the governor's pursuit after Jelal. When his officers found that he did not return, they sent a numerous party of guards to seek him. These, on the second day, met Jelal. He told them where they would find their master. The next day, late, they came up with him, found him to be nearly dead, and brought him home.

The governor became a sincere convert, and a disciple to Jelal for ever after.

(A parallel tale is told of Jelal's fetching water from the Tigris for his father by night when he was a little child at Bagdad. There, too, all the gates opened to him of themselves.)

6.

It is related that the Seyyid Burhānu-'d-Din was often heard to narrate that, when Jelal was a child, the Seyyid was his governor and tutor. He had often taken Jelāl up on his shoulder, and so carried him to the empyrean.

But now," he would add, "Jelal has attained to such eminence of station that he carries me up." These sayings of the Seyyid were repeated to Jelal, who confirmed them with the remark: "It is quite true; and a hundredfold more also; the services rendered to me by that man are infinite."

7.

When Jelal went to Damascus to study, he passed by Sīs in Upper Cilicia. There, in a cave, dwelt forty Christian monks, who had a great reputation for sanctity, but in reality were mere jugglers.

On the approach of Jelal's caravan to the cave, the monks caused a little boy to ascend into the air, and there remain standing between heaven and earth.

Jelal noticed this exhibition, and fell into a reverie. Hereupon, the child began to weep and wail, saying that

the man in the reverie was frightening him. The monks told him not to be afraid, but to come down. "Oh!" cried the child, "I am as though nailed here, unable to move hand or foot."

The monks became alarmed. They flocked around Jelal, and begged him to release the child.

After a time, he seemed to hear and understand them. His answer was: "Only through the acceptance of Islam by yourselves, all of you, as well as by the child, can he be saved."

In the end they all embraced Islām, and wished to follow Jelal as his disciples. He recommended them, however, to remain in their cave, as before, to cease from practising jugglery, and to serve God in the spirit and in truth. So he proceeded on his journey.

8.

Jelal remained seven years, or four years, at Damascus ; and there he first saw his great friend Shemsu-'d-Din of Tebriz, clothed in his noted black felt and peculiar cap. Shems addressed him; but he turned away, and mixed in the crowd. Soon afterwards, he returned to Qonya by way of Qaysariyya. At this latter place, under the guiding supervision of his spiritual teacher, the Seyyid Burhānu-'d-Din, Jelal fasted three consecutive periods of forty days each,1 with only a pot of water and two or three loaves of barley bread. He showed no signs of suffering. Burhan now pronounced him perfect in all science, patent and occult, human and spiritual. (Compare chap. ii. No. 3.)

9.

In the year A.H. 642 (A.D. 1244), Shemsu-'d-Din of Tebriz came to Qonya.

This great man, after acquiring a reputation of superior

1 Had Dr. Tanner, the forty days' faster at New York, heard of these performances?

sanctity at Tebriz, as the disciple of a certain holy man, a basket-maker by trade, had travelled about much in various lands, in search of the best spiritual teachers, thus gaining the nickname of Perenda (the Flier, Bird, &c.).

He prayed to God that it might be revealed to him who was the most occult of the favourites of the divine will, so that he might go to him and learn still more of the mysteries of divine love.

The son of Baha'u-'d-Din Veled, of Balkh, was designated to him as the man most in favour with God. Shems went, accordingly, to Qonya; arriving there on Saturday, the 26th of Jemadà-'l-akhir, A.H. 642 (December A.D. 1244). He engaged a lodging at an inn, and pretended to be a great merchant. In his room, however, there was nothing but a broken water-pot, an old mat, and a bolster of unbaked clay. He broke his fast once in every ten or twelve days, with a damper soaked in broth of sheep's trotters.

One day, as he was seated at the gate of the inn, Jelāl came by, riding on a mule, in the midst of a crowd of students and disciples on foot.

Shemsu-'d-Din arose, advanced, and took hold of the mule's bridle, addressing Jelal in these words: "Exchanger of the current coins of recondite significations, who knowest the names of the Lord! Tell me: Was Muhammed the greater servant of God, or Bayezid of Bestām?"

Jelal answered him: "Muhammed was incomparably the greater the greatest of all prophets and all saints."

"Then," rejoined Shemsu-'d-Din, "how is it that Muhammed said: 'We have not known Thee, O God, as Thou rightly shouldest be known,' whereas Bāyezīd said: 'Glory unto me! How very great is my glory'?"

On re

On hearing this question, Jelal fainted away. covering his consciousness, he took his new acquaintance home with him. They were closeted together for weeks or months in holy communications.

Jelal's disciples at length became impatient, raising a