peace be upon him.

Then he opened another compartment and took out a piece of black silk. Inside was the image of a man of dazzling whiteness, with beautiful eyes, a smooth forehead, long cheeks, and a white beard, as though he were smiling. He asked, “Do you recognize this?” We said, “No.” He replied, “This is Abraham, peace be upon him.”

Next he opened another compartment and removed a silk cloth; in it was a white image, and—by Allah—it was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He asked, “Do you recognize this?” We said, “Yes: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,” and we burst into tears. He said, “Allah knows that he stood up, then sat down again and said, ‘By Allah (1), is it really him?’” We answered, “Yes, it is indeed he, as though we were looking (2) right at him.” He remained silent for a while, gazing at the image, and then said, “Although this was actually the last of the cases, I brought it forward for you so that I could see how you would respond.”

He then opened another compartment and brought out a piece of black silk. Inside was the image of a slightly dark, handsome man (3): his hair was tightly curled, his eyes deep-set and piercing, his expression stern, his teeth overlapping, his lips drawn tight, as though he were angry. He asked, “Do you know who this is?” We said, “No.” He said, “This is Moses son of Imran.” Beside him was an image that resembled him, except that the man’s hair was oiled, his forehead broad, and there was a slight cast in his eyes (4). He asked, “Do you recognize this one?” We said, “No.” He said, “This is Aaron.”

Then he opened another compartment and produced a white silk cloth, and there appeared the image (5) of a man—