640 Notice of the Ajaib-al-MukhlukaL [No. 152. 



spirit of the faithful the holy spirit, ^^AJl^* who has charge of all 

 created things. 3rd, Michael, who has charge of heavenly bodies, the 

 actions and powers of things that have breath, and the angel-tenanted 

 sea of the 7th paradise. 4th, lzrail, the angel of death, the place of 

 repose of action ; the place of immersion of souls and bodies, whose feet 

 are on earth, and whose head touches the firmament. 



The. author, after narrating conversations between the prophets 

 Abraham and Solomon with the angel of death, proceeds to describe the 

 seven angels that have separate charge of the angels, the seventh hea- 

 vens, the guardian angels, two of whom are constantly on the right and 

 left of every mortal, to record his good and evil actions,* the two 

 angels Harut and Marut, imprisoned till the day of judgment by the 

 Almighty in a well in Babylon, for having, when subjected under a 

 fleshly form to similar temptations, committed sins for which the angels 

 denounced mankind. 



Division of Time. 



The measurement of time hinges upon the revolution of the heavenly 

 bodies. Time is divided into karans, ,.J> or cycles ; karans into years ; 

 years into months ; months into days and nights ; days and nights 

 into hours ; hours into minutes ; and minutes into seconds. 



Human life is made up of time ; a space to be passed by each travel- 

 ler ; of which every year is a journey ; every month a bdrid ; every week 

 a parasang ; every day a mile. 



The day is shortest when the sun enters in Jadi, (Capricorn), and 

 longest when it appears in Sartan. (Cancer). When the sun enters 

 Hamal and Mizan, (Aries and Libra,) at the time of the vernal and 

 autumnal equinoxes, the days and nights are equal. 



The day is the space between sunrise and sunset ; and the night 

 between sunset and sunrise. 



* " We created man, and we know what his soul whispereth within him: and we 

 are nearer unto him than his jugular vein. When the two angels deputed to take ac- 

 count of a man's behaviour, take account thereof; one sitting on the right hand, and 

 the other on the left, he uttereth not a word ; but there is with him a watcher ready to note 

 it. And the agony of death, shall come in truth. Thus oh man is what thou soughtest to' 

 avoid. And the trumpet shall sound: this will be the day which hath been threatened, 

 and every soul shall come."— Sale's Koran, p. 382. 



