Ghazzali's Alchemy of Happiness. 



101 



self to you as though he would dwell with you and would 

 forever be at your side ; while in truth this world is always 

 upon the point of being snatched away from you, notwith- 

 standing you are tranquilly unconscious of it. The world 

 is like a shadow, which, while you look at it, seems fixed, 

 although in reality, it is in motion. Life is like a running 

 water, which is always advancing, yet you think that it is 

 still and permanent, and you wish to fix your abode by 

 it. The world again is like an enchanter who performs 

 for you acts of friendship and manifests love for you, for 

 the sake of winning your affections to him : but as soon as 

 he has secured your love, he turns away his face from you 

 and plots to destroy you. . . . 



The world resembles those imposters, who decorate them- 

 selves externally and conceal the sorrows and curse they 

 bring, while the ignorant, looking only at the outside, are 

 fascinated and deluded. The world resembles the old wo- 

 man who arrayed herself in silk stuffs and flowered bro- 

 cades, and with ornaments, and covered her head with a 

 beautiful embroidered veil, so that those who should see 

 her from a distance, and notice only her garments and her 

 form, might be deceived. And whenever she has suc- 

 ceeded in inducing a person to follow after her and to de- 

 cide upon joining himself to her, she takes off her robes 

 from her back and her veil from her head, and immedi- 

 ately her concealed ugliness is brought to light, and the 

 person who had been seeking her, becomes subject to eter- 

 nal regret and sorrow. We have received it also by tradi- 

 tion, that the world will be brought to the great assembly 

 at the last day, in the form of a woman with livid eyes, 

 pendent lips, and deformed shape, and all the people will 

 look upon her, (we take refuge in God,) and will exclaim, 

 " what deformed and horrible person is that, whose aspect 

 alone is severe torture to the soul?" And they will be an- 

 swered. " It was on her account that you were envying and 



