One of the prophets of Allah called on the people to believe but they would not believe. They simply would not believe until someone said, I"ll show you a way to test the prophet. Examine him this way.

How? the people wanted to know.

O father, tell the prophet that you want him to ask Allah to grant that you will never die. Never. There will be no death. If he can do this, he is a true prophet.

They said, Hah, that is a good idea. They went to the prophet and said, If it is true that you are a prophet sent to us by Allah and that we should follow you, petition Allah and ask that we should not die until we ask to die. If you can do this we will believe that you are a prophet sent by Allah.

The prophet petitioned Allah, and Allah answered, I have granted your petition. Allah cannot be seen, but he hears our petitions and judges justly.

No one died for many years until the old men and the old women became so old and decrepit and shriveled that the younger ones put them in baskets which were hung on hooks on the wall. The old people were so old that they could not talk but only mewed like cats. Miew, miew, miew. Furthermore, the old people were so numerous that the young people could not walk or move around without bumping into them or stepping on them. They were fed up with the number of old people, fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, great grand¬fathers and great grandmothers, and so on. Some were so old and bent that their heads touched the floor when they moved and they cried like babies.

What"s this? the people .said. This will never do. Now we know that death is a sign of the mercy of Allah. They went to the prophet and said. O Prophet, petition Allah and let Him send death to whom¬ever He chooses.

Then death began to work among the old people and take them, one after another, one after another, until only the young were left, and all of them became believers.