“If, for example, any one possessing the power of changing a stone into gold, or a stick into a serpent, should seek to shake the bases of this certitude, it would remain firm and immovable.”

I sat upon the cool floor of my cell in Damascus while the rain tapped against the mud-brick walls. A student brought me news that the sun had turned black above Baghdad, yet my heart did not tremble at the lie, for my conviction rested on a truth deeper than sight.