Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/35

 child under age, the proper authorities appoint a legal guardian for Mm; every bit of the property which the guardian happens to sell on behalf of the child-heir is reckoned as sold by the child himself, and everything he buys is bought in the name of the child, all the actions of the legal representative of the minor being imputed to the minor himself, and when he comes of age, he has not the smallest right to invalidate that which was done for him in his name, whether it resulted in gain or loss; nor can he hold any reckoning with his guardian on the plea that he himself never appointed him. In this way the deeds of the one person are imputed to the other, whether bitter or sweet, and with or without his consent.

Know that the cause for appointing a legal representative for man, who is a responsible person himself, is his evil nature, which was formed in him whilst yet in his mother's womb. The Koran refers to this in the sentence, "Verily the heart is prone to evil" (Sura Joseph), and also it says, "Cursed be man! What hath made him unbelieving? Of what thing did God create him? " (Sura "He frowned"); and also, "Yet lo! man is an open antagonist " (caviller), (Sura The Bee). Then there is a sound tradition mentioned in the Mishkat, etc., which says, "There is not born a son of Adam whom the devil does not prick at its birth, and it cries from the touch of Satan, except Jesus the Son of Mary, and His mother."

David the prophet said to the same purpose, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (from the Zaboor—Psalm 51). Also, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psalm lviii. 3).

Now, since all the sins that a man commits are due to this evil nature; even if it could be supposed that God so exceptionally treated any one man as to "take off from him his burden which had galled his back," and that he thus became sinless, not long would pass before he would commit some fresh sin, on account of his old