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O my Almighty God, my Beloved Guide! Show us the path
which leads the righteous and the sincere to Thee. And save
us from treading the path which leads to carnal desires,
malice, spite and worldly pursuits. Having done that, I now draw your attention
to the following: notwithstanding the hundreds of
differences between us, Muslims and Hindus alike share
one thing in common, i.e., we all believe in God, the Creator
and Master of the Universe. Also, we belong to the same
denomination of Godís species and are referred to as humans.
Furthermore, as inhabitants of the same country, we are mutual
neighbours. This requires that we become friends to each
other, with purity of heart and sincerity of intentions.
We should dispose kindly to each other and be mutually helpful.
In the difficulties pertaining to religious and worldly matters, we
should exercise such sympathy towards each other as if we
have become limbs of the same body. My countrymen, a religion which does not inculcate
universal compassion is no religion at all. Similarly, a human
being without the faculty of compassion is no human at all.
Our God has never discriminated between one people and
another. This is illustrated by the fact that all the potentials
and capabilities which have been granted to the Aryans have
also been granted to the races inhabiting Arabia, Persia, Syria,
China, Japan, Europe and America. The earth created by God
provides a common floor for all people alike, and His sun and
moon and many stars are a source of radiance and provide
many other benefits to all alike. Likewise, all peoples benefit
from the elements created by Him, such as air, water, fire and
earth, and similarly from other products created by Him like
grain, fruit, and healing agents, etc. These attributes of God
teach us the lesson that we, too, should behave magnanimously
and kindly towards our fellow human beings and
should not be petty of heart and illiberal. Friends! Take it as certain that if either
of our two nations would not treat Godís attributes with respect
and will not shape its conduct in accordance with the conduct
of God, then, that nation will soon be wiped out from
the face of the earth. Not only will it destroy itself but
it will also jeopardise the future of its generations to come. The
righteous of all ages have testified that following Godís ways
works like an elixir for the people. Moreover the survival, both
physical and spiritual, of human beings depends on the same eternal
truth that man should follow the virtuous attributes of God Who is the
Fountainhead of all that is essential for survival.
God commences the Holy Qurían with the following verse which is contained in surah al-Fatihah:3
That is, all perfect and holy attributes belong exclusively to
Allah, Who is the Lord of all the worlds. The word ëalam comprises all different peoples,
all different ages and all the different countries. The
commencement of the Holy Qurían with this verse was designed
to counter the views of such people as attempted to monopolise
Godís unlimited providence for their own nation and imagined
that the other nations did not belong to God or that having
created these other people, God discarded them as being
of no consequence, or else perhaps they were shelved to oblivion
by Him, or (God forbid) they were not even created by Him.
To illustrate this further, we refer to the view of the Jews
and the Christians, still commonly held by them, that all the
Prophets and Messengers of God belonged only to the House
of Israel, and that God completely ignored the religious and
spiritual requirements of other people, as though He were
displeased with them and that, despite finding them in manifest
spiritual welfare. As is also written in the Gospels that Jesus
Christ (peace be on him) observed that he had been sent only
for the lost sheep of Israel Impossible as it is, yet by way of argument let us assume
that Jesusas did claim to be God. In that case, for him to
confine his beneficence to such a small circle as the House of
Israel does not behove the magnanimity of God. Had he been
God, was he God only for the House of Israel to the exclusion
of all other nations? He is known to have suggested that
he had no concern for those who did not belong to the
House of Israel. In short, the Jews and the Christians do believe
that all Prophets and Messengers have been appearing
from among them, and that Divine scriptures were revealed
to them alone. Thereafter, according to the beliefs of the
Christians, the institution of revelation and communion with
God ended with Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as though
a seal had been set on the institution of revelation
from God. Unfortunately the Hindus of the Arya sect
also entertain a similar belief. Like the Jews and Christians,
who restrict the institution of Prophethood and Divine revelation
exclusively to their people and deny the honour of Divine
revelation to others, the Aryas also, unfortunately for
the human race, have adopted the same doctrine. They too believe
that the blessing of Divine communication was never bestowed
to any people outside the domain of the *** race. Again
it is India alone which, according to them, is exclusively blessed
by God for the selection of the four ëRishisí from
its soil; it is Sanskrit alone, the language of the Vedas, which has
always been the medium of instruction chosen by God. One can
safely conclude from this, that both these nations
do not consider God to be the Lord [Provident] of all the
worlds. Notwithstanding this, He is still proclaimed to be Lord of
the Universe and not that of the Israelites or the Aryans alone. Moreover
this strange behaviour of God, as presented by them, draws an
image of God which is so partial that He appears unmindful
of the rest of His creation. Thus, it is for the refutation of such
erroneous views, that God commences the Holy Qurían with
the verse:5 God also made it clear in several places in
the Holy Qurían that His Messengers have been appearing in
different lands all over the world. In fact He did not neglect
any people or any country. The Holy Qurían explains through
various examples that just as God has been looking after the
physical development of the people of every country, in accordance
with their requirements, so has He blessed every country
and every people with spiritual upbringing. Allah says
in the Holy Qurían:6
Meaning that there is no people to whom a Warner has not
been sent. Therefore there is no question that the True
and Perfect God, to believe in Whom is essential for every
person, is the Lord of all the worlds. Furthermore, His providence
is not confined to any particular people, age or
country. In fact, He is the Lord of all peoples, the Lord of time
and space, and He is the Sovereign of all the countries. He
alone is the Fountainhead of all beneficence and the Source of every
physical and spiritual strength. All that exists is sustained by
Him. He is the Support for every creature. It is the universal beneficence of God which
encompasses all peoples, all countries and all ages. It
so happened lest anyone should have cause to complain that:
ëGod has bestowed His favour upon such and such people,
but not upon us.í Or that: ëSo and so received the
Book in order to be guided while we did not.í Or that: ëIn such
and such an age, He revealed Himself through His revelations,
communications and miracles but in our time He remained hidden.í
Thus, by demonstrating His universal beneficence, He
left no justification for such possible accusations. He displayed
His virtues boundlessly so that no people remain bereft
of physical and spiritual bounties from Him. He also did not
treat any age as doomed.
So, when such are the attributes of our Lord, it is but
befitting for us to acquire them ourselves. So, O compatriots!
This short epistle entitled A Message of Peace is being presented
to you with all due respects and with a sincere heartfelt prayer
that Almighty God may Himself inspire you and fill your
hearts with trust in my sincerity, lest you misread this friendly
gesture and consider it to be an attempt to gain some ulterior
motive. Dear Countrymen! The matter of the Hereafter is
very often obscured to ordinary people. Its secrets are known
only to a few of the enlightened, who embrace a kind of
death [for the sake of their Lord] before they actually die. The
goodness of this world, on the other hand, is easily recognised
by any man with vision and wisdom. It is a common experience that calamities which cannot
be averted by ordinary measures, and the difficulties
which seem insurmountable, very often respond to the
power of unanimity. Hence it would be against the dictates
of wisdom for one to not benefit from the blessings
of unanimity. The Hindus and the Muslims are two great nations
inhabiting this country. It is hard to believe that either
of the two, for instance the Hindus, would one day gain total
domination over the Muslims, and turn them out of this
country altogether. Likewise, it is not possible for Muslims to
expel the Hindus from their homeland. It should always
be borne in mind that Hindus and Muslims are indispensable
to each other in this country. If one is beset with
a calamity, the other will inescapably share it. If either one intends
to humiliate the other, out of egoistic pride or vanity, then
it will not escape the consequent disgrace itself. And if anyone
among them falls short of showing concern for his neighbour,
then he too will suffer the ill effect of his callousness.
Anyone who contemplates annihilation of the other is
like one who saws off the branch on which he is sitting. With
the Grace of Allah, you have also got a measure of education;
it behoves you now to eschew grudge and promote mutual
love. Similarly, the dictates of your wisdom require that you
abandon the course of callousness and adopt an attitude
of compassion and sympathy. The hardship of this life is
like unto a journey in a desert in the midst of summer on a hot
sunny day. It would be futile to take this arduous journey
without cool water. It is the cool water of mutual love
which you so direly need to extinguish this burning fire and to
save you from dying of thirst. In precarious times such
as these I invite you to truce, as reconciliation is urgently required by both
nations. Many a calamity is befalling the world; there are
earthquakes and there are famines. Over and above the earthquakes
and famines we continue to be plagued by the bubonic
pestilence. Moreover the Divine revelations which God
has conveyed to me further confirm that if people do not mend
their evil ways and practices and do not repent their sins,
the world will be further visited by other severe calamities.
One misery will not end before another follows. Eventually people
will reach the end of their tether and will wonder what is
happening to them and what next is in store for them. They
will be pushed to the edge of their senses by calamity upon
calamity. So take heed my countrymen, before such evil days
confront you. It is highly essential that Hindus and the Muslims
should come to terms with each other and if either of the
two parties is guilty of such excesses as obstruct the path of peace,
they are better advised to desist from pursuing that course.
Otherwise, the entire blame for the sin of mutual enmity
will be borne by the faulting party.
If someone questions the possibility of reaching reconciliation while religious differences
are playing such a negative role, throwing hearts further apart,
then my answer would be to say that difference in matters
of religion can only play a negative role when it disregards the
dictates of justice, wisdom and the well-tested human values. It
is to avoid this danger that man has been fully fortified with
a clear sense of judgement and common sense. He should thus
always carve a path for himself which never deviates from
the path of justice and good sense. Again it should not violate
the commonly experienced human sensibilities. Also it should be
remembered that day to day petty differences cannot obstruct
the course of reconciliation. Only those differences can
destroy the process of reconciliation which result in insulting
and blasphemous attitudes by one towards the revered
Messengers and revealed holy books of the other.
The good news in all this for those who seek reconciliation
is that all of the Islamic teachings are also found in the
different parts of Vedic teaching. For instance, although the
newborn branch of Vedic faith entitled Arya Samaj teaches
that after the revelation of the Vedas, communication from
God to man was sealed, the great avatars born in the Hindu
faith from time to time, who have millions upon millions of
followers in this country, have doubtlessly broken that seal by
claiming to be recipients of Divine revelation. One such elect
Divine representative, who is greatly revered in this country
and Bengal, is known as Sri Krishna. He claimed to be the
recipient of Godís Word and his followers not only believe
him to be a Messenger but some consider him to be God
personified. There is no doubt, however, that Sri Krishna was
a Messenger and a representative of God in his time, and God
conversed with him. Likewise, from among the Hindu people of the
Latter Days was one named Baba Nanak, whose saintliness
has become a byword in this country. His followers,
the Sikhs, number no less than two million. Baba Sahib
openly claims to be the recipient of revelation in the Janam
Sakhis7 and the Granth8. In one Janam Sakhi he states that
he had received revelation from God testifying to the truth of Islam. Based on
this he performed Hajj9 and followed the Islamic injunctions
meticulously. It is established without doubt that great signs
and miracles were manifested by him. It goes without question
that Baba Nanak was a holy and pious man. He was one
of those whom God, the Mighty, the Glorious, made drink
out of His goblet of love. He was born among Hindus only to
bear witness that Islam is from God. Anyone who sees for
himself his relics preserved at Dera Nanak, in which he has
testified to the kalimah10: and witnesses relics that lie enshrined at
Guru Hersahai, District Ferozepur, among which is also a
copy of the Holy Qurían11, how can he ever doubt the fact
that because of his pure heart, nature and effort, Baba Nanak
had come to know of the secret that lay hidden from the so-called
Pundits. Guru Baba Nanak also claimed to be a recipient
of revelation from God and he enjoyed the Divine blessing of
showing many miracles. Thus he roundly debunked the erroneous
claims that there was no revelation after the Vedas
or that no signs were manifested thereafter. No doubt Baba
Nanak was a great blessing from God for the adherents of Hinduism.
You may deem him, if you please, the last avatar for Hinduism who
endeavoured to eradicate the hatred which Hindus had for
Islam. But it is tragic for this country that Hindu faith did not
derive any benefit from this Divine blessing which came in
the person of Baba Nanak. On the contrary, the Pundits
inflicted much pain upon him for praising Islam wherever he
went. It was his mission in fact to bring Hinduism and Islam
to a state of mutual peace. Unfortunately for this country, the
followers of the Hindu faith paid no due attention to his
teaching. If he and his pious teachings had been shown any
respect, the Hindus and the Muslims would have become
united by now. O grief that such a righteous man came into
this world, remained with us and passed away, but the imprudent
did not gain any benefit from his light! In any case, he proved that the institution
of revelation and communion never terminates and that the Divine
signs of Allah always appear through the agency of
His chosen ones and he stood witness to the fact that harbouring
enmity towards Islam is tantamount to harbouring
enmity towards the Divine light.
Similarly, I can also, from personal experience, give testimony
that the present age has certainly not been deprived of
communication and revelation from God. On the contrary,
God still speaks as He used to speak and still hears as He used
to hear. It is not that His eternal attributes have become inoperative.
I have been blessed with communication from God
for nearly thirty years, and He has shown at my hand
hundreds of signs which have been observed by thousands of
witnesses and have also been widely published in books and newspapers. Without exception,
people from all denominations have witnessed one or another of the signs.
In the face of such repeated evidence, the teaching of the
Arya Samaj, which is wrongfully attributed to Vedas, cannot
be accepted, for it alleges that all Divine revelation and
communication has come to an end with the Vedas. This
Arya position is tantamount to believing that nothing is left of
manís belief but tales and legends. Consequent upon this
dogma, they dismiss all the Divine scriptures that came after
the Vedas as mere man-made fabrications. They do this
notwithstanding the fact that the Divine scriptures in question
possess a greater and more potent proof of the Divine origin
than the Vedas. The hand of Godís support and assistance is
behind them and extraordinary signs from God bear witness
to their truth. By what logic, then, are the Vedas termed the
ëWord of Godí, while these other books are not? The
attributes of God are limitlessly profound and He lies hidden
behind innumerable covers. Hence, dictates of wisdom
require that He should not rely on one book alone for His
manifestation. Rather, it is befitting for Him to choose His
Messengers from all over the world in different countries,
reflecting His glory through them by blessing them with His
revelation and gift of communion. This is so that man, weak
and credulous by nature, should not be deprived of the good
fortune of responding to His call. Pure common sense cannot accept the proposition
that God, the Lord of the Universe, Who illuminates
the East and West alike with His radiant sun and quenches
the thirst of every land with the universal bounty of His
rain, should be so miserly (God forbid!) with regards to the
spiritual needs of man as to become partial only to one country, one people and
one language. I fail to understand what logic and rationale it is
that God the Omniscient listens to manís prayers and supplications
and understands him in every language, and He is not
displeased with it, yet He abhors to make His word descend
upon hearts in any language other than Sanskrit, the language
of the Vedas. This philosophy is found only in the Vedas like a
well concealed enigma which no one, as yet, has been able to
resolve. Personally, I consider the Vedas to be absolved
of ever having displayed such a philosophy upon any
of its pages, which not only goes against common sense,
but also blemishes God with the allegation of miserliness and
niggardly conduct. The reality is that once a long time
elapses after the revelation of a Divine Book, the followers
of that Book, either out of sheer ignorance, or as a result
of some ulterior motivesóby mistake or by intentófeel free
to annotate the Divine teachings. Because these annotators
are of divergent views, so, with the passage of time, hundreds
of denominations are born out of one.
It is also strange that just as the Aryas believe that revelation
has only been confined to the Arya kith and kin and Arya
faith, and that Sanskrit has been specifically employed by God
as His own language, so too the Jews have similar views
regarding the chosen Children of Israel and their Books. They
believe that the only language of God is Hebrew and the
institution of revelation has been confined to the House of
Israel and its land. According to them, anyone who claims to
be a prophet of God while he does not belong to this House and does not speak their language
is (God forbid) definitely a liar.
Is it not then a strange coincidence, that both these
peoples have followed the same path in their dogmatic assertions?
Likewise, the followers of many other religions entertain
similar views, as for example, the Zoroastrians, who claim
that their religion originated billions of years before the Vedic
revelation. From this it transpires that the tendency (to
confine the revelation of God to one's own language or the
Book) is based merely on prejudice and ignorance. This is
further abetted by the fact that in the dark ages of the past,
people had no access to the information concerning people
and countries beyond the boundaries of their homelands. This
lack of knowledge on their part led them to draw the wrong
conclusions. They had witnessed that God had bestowed
upon them a Divine teaching in the form of a Book, and they
knew that Messengers of God had been selected from among
themselves; hence their erroneous impression that they had
been the only people so favourably treated by God, while the
rest of the world was unfortunate in being deprived of this
blessing. This erroneous view has done a lot of damage
to the world, and it has worked as a seed of mutual
enmity and malice which continues to grow. For a long
time, it so happened that a people remained hidden from
others and one country remained concealed and veiled from
the other to the extent that the scholars of the Arya faith
used to believe that there was no inhabitation beyond the Himalayas.
When God lifted the veil, it was already too late for them
to mend. By this time they were already fixed in their prejudices. All the false distinctive
features which people had attributed to their own revealed books, divines,
and messengers, had become deeply rooted in their
hearts and had become permanently fixed like the etching
on stones. Each people had the same misconception that Godís
capital was situated in their country. Savage behaviour
was predominant among most people of that age. Hence, to them
the sword seemed a natural instrument for settling accounts
with those people who dared to oppose the old order.
Who then would dare to cool down their self-aggrandisement
to create an atmosphere conducive to mutual peace?
Gautum Buddha was one brave enough who stood up to
achieve this goal. He did not agree with the erroneous view
that the Vedas are everything and that there is nothing beyond
them. Nor did he believe in any people, country or tribe as
being exceptional. In other words, he did not agree that the
Vedas enjoyed a monopoly and it was only this faith, this
language, this country, and the Brahmans which had been
permanently and exclusively registered in the court records of
God to become the recipients of His revelation. He suffered
greatly because of expressing these different views and he was
accused of being an atheist or an agnostic. Similarly scholars and
researchers of Europe and America, who do not accept the
godhead of Jesusas, and whose hearts refuse to believe that God
can be crucified, are atheists according to the Christian priests.
This is how Buddha was branded an atheist. As is the
routine of the mischievous antagonists who incite the hatred
of common people, he was made a target of many a false
accusation. Consequently, he was turned out of the soil on
which he was born and bred, the country that was his homeland. Even now, the Hindus view
Buddhism with disdain and they begrudge its success. According
to Jesus Christ (peace be on him) ëA Prophet is not
without honour save in his own country.í12 Buddha
migrated to another country and gained tremendous success
there. It is reported that one third of the world is populated
by the followers of Buddha. As far as the large majority
of adherents is concerned, the real centre lies in China
and Japan, but his message has reached as far as Southern Russia
and America. Now we return to the original subject of discussion:
the age when one religion was unaware of the existence
of the other. In that general state of ignorance,
it was but natural that every people should have considered their
own religion and their own book to be the only one. Eventually
when countries became linked to each other through the spread
of knowledge, this trend of monopolising God
resulted in the creation of another obstacle in the path of
mutual understanding. People began to expect the religions in every
other country to agree with theirs, or else they
stood rejected. It was no easy task to rid such religions of
the poetical exaggerations built around them over the ages. So the followers
of every religion braced themselves to vehemently
oppose the other. So, also, the religion of Zend-Avesta
raised the flag with the claim that, ëNo one else is like
usí and they monopolised the institution of prophethood to their own
family. They related such a long history of their
religion, that those who used to pride the longevity of Vedic history
were put to shame. In their turn, the faith of the Hebrews
crossed every limit when they asserted that Syria was declared
to be the eternal seat of Godís sovereignty and that only the pious
among them would be considered worthy of being sent for
the reformation of the world. But in effect, the work of reformation
remained limited to the House of Israel, and the revelation
of God became the prerogative of only their House under
the seal of God. All others who rose with a claim were considered
liars and imposters. Likewise, among the Aryas, similar views to
those which were widespread among the Israelites gained
favour. According to their belief, God is the King
of the Aryas alone; a king of the type who is totally unaware
of the existence of others. And without rhyme or reason, it is
believed that God had forever set His heart on the Arya climate.
Little does He care to visit other countries once in a while,
to inquire about the state of the miserable people living there
whom He had once created only to forget them forever.
Dear friends! I appeal to you, in the name of God, to
consider whether such views can really be entertained by
human nature. Or if any conscience could find room for them
within its bounds! I fail to understand what kind of logic it is
that on the one hand God is conceived to be the Lord of the
whole universe and, on the other, He is claimed to have withdrawn
His hand of providence from a large part of the world,
and that His gaze remains fixed on a particular people and one
section of a particular country. O those who possess wisdom!
Please decide with justice if, in the entire realm of physical
laws created by God, there is a single piece of evidence in
favour of this. Why then should His spiritual laws be based on
such biased attitudes? If the faculty of reasoning is employed, the good or evil of
anything becomes manifest from the fruit it bears. Needless
for me to discuss the consequences of abusing and reviling the
holy Prophets of God, who have been seen and accepted by
hundreds and millions of people; there is hardly a people who
have not themselves witnessed the outcome of the bitter fruit
of such practices. O Dear Ones! Age-old experience and repeated
trials have established, without question, that to insult
and abuse the Prophets and Messengers of different countries
and peoples is such a deadly poison which not only destroys
the body but also kills the soul, thereby ruining the worldly
prospects as well as the spiritual. A country whose inhabitants
are always after finding faults in the leaders of others,
and constantly assassinate their characters, can never rest
in peace themselves. Such people can never achieve true unity who,
individually or mutually, refer to each otherís Prophets
or saints or divines with malice or foul language. Who would not
be outraged at the insults hurled at their Prophet or leader?
In particular, Muslims are such people who, although they
do not believe their Prophet to be God or the son of God,
do regard himsa to be the most revered of all the holy men born
of a human mother. To make peace with a sincere Muslim
is not possible unless during discussion, their Holy Prophetsa
is mentioned with respect and refined language.
As for us13, we never use indecent language with regard to
the Prophets of other peoples. In fact, we believe that for all
the Prophets who have come to different peoples of the world and have been accepted by millions
of people in all parts of the world, and love for them and their greatness
has been firmly established in any one part of the
world, and further that this state of devotion and love for them
has endured the test of time, is evidence enough of their
truthfulness. Had they not been from God, they could not have
been accepted on such a wide scale by millions upon millions
of hearts. God does not bestow such honour upon those whom
He favours not. If an imposter aspires to occupy their
position, he is soon brought to ruin.
By virtue of the same logic, we believe the Vedas to be
divine in origin and we consider their saints to be venerable
and holy. We do so despite our observation that Vedic
teaching has not succeeded, nor could it ever succeed, in
turning any section of its followers into true worshippers of
God. The people in this country who worship idols, fire, the
sun, the Ganges, or thousands of deities, or who are adherents
of Jainism or the Shakat faith, all claim their religion to originate
from the Vedas. The Vedas are so vague that they permit
all sects to deduce from them whatsoever they wish.
However, in accordance with what we are taught by God, we
believe that the original Vedas were not manís fabrication. A
human fabrication lacks the power to establish a lasting order.
Although we do not find any mention of stone worship in the
Vedas, without a doubt, Vedic teaching is full of the mention
of the worship of fire, air, water, the moon, the sun, and so
on. There is no verse which prohibits the worship of these
objects. Who is to say that the older sects of Hindus are false
and only the new sect of Aryas is the true one? People who,
by referring to the Vedas, worship these objects, are armed with the powerful argument that
there is clear mention of such worship and nowhere is there any prohibition.
To say that these are the names of God, is a claim
which has not as yet been clearly settled. Had it been settled,
what reason could there have been for the scholarly pundits
in Banares and other cities to have rejected the beliefs of the
Aryas? Despite efforts over the past thirty to thirty-five years,
very few Hindus have accepted the Arya faith and in comparison
with the Sanatan faith and other Hindu sects, the followers
of the Arya faith number so few that they are insignificant,
nor do they have any influence on the remaining Hindu sects.
Similarly, the teachings of nyog, which is attributed to
the Vedas, is abhorrent to human dignity and the human sense of honour.
As I have already stated, we cannot accept that
it is a genuine Vedic teaching. In fact, our well-meaning intentions
make us strongly inclined to believe that such teachings
must have been introduced later from sensual motives.
Since thousands of years have passed since the original compilation
of Vedas it is possible that in different times some scribes
added to or subtracted from it. For us it is proof enough
that the Arya faith has had millions upon millions of followers
for thousands of years who have held it to be the word of
God. It is not possible that the work of an imposter could
enjoy such honour.
So when we, despite all these obstacles, purely out of fear
of God, accept the Vedas to be divine revelation in its origin
and assume all the false teachings to be the work of scribes,
what justification can there be for the Holy Qurían to be
made the target of such brutal attacks? It is full of injunctions
from cover to cover speaking only of the worship of one God. Nowhere does it require man to
worship the sun, the moon etc. In fact there are clear statements
to the contrary:14
In other words, do not worship the sun, the moon, or any
work of creation, but worship only Him, Who has created
you. Apart from this, the Holy Qurían is itself a testimony to
God through its old and new signs. It is a mirror which shows
Godís existence. Why should it be made the target of such
ferocious attacks? Why are we not treated in the same spirit as
we treat the Aryas? And why is the seed of enmity and hatred
sown in the soil of this country? Do they really expect that
the outcome of such behaviour will be good? Is it decent to
hurl stones at one who offers flowers or to splash urine on
one who offers milk? If Hindus and those belonging to the Arya
faith were prepared to make a complete truce whereby
they accept our Prophet, (may peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) to be a true Prophet of God and in future agree
to refrain from contempt and slander, then I am ready to be
the first to sign the following treaty:
We, the members of the Ahmadiyyah Jamaëat, will testify to
the truth of the origin of the Vedas, and will speak of the
Vedas and their Rishis with respect and love, and if we do not
honour our part of the contract, we will be liable to pay a fine
of not less than three hundred thousand rupees to the Hindu
community. If the Hindus genuinely desire to effect a compromise with
us, then they should also write it as a declaration and sign it;
its subject matter being as follows: We believe in the divine message and Prophethood
of Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Rasulullah [the chosen one,
the Messenger of Allah] may peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him, and deem him to be a true Prophet and
Messenger. From now on we will remember him with reverence
and respect as befits a believer. If this is not adhered
to, a large fine of not less than three hundred thousand rupees will be
paid to leader of the Ahmadiyyah Jamaëat.
It should be remembered that at present, the Ahmadiyyah
Jamaëat numbers not less than four hundred thousand15.
Hence, the collection of three hundred thousand rupees
should not be considered too great a task for such an important
cause. The majority of people who are outside the fold of
our Jamaëat are disunited in their views and are diverse in their
nature. They do not follow a leader, obedience to whom they
would consider incumbent. This is why I cannot undertake
anything on their behalf; as yet they consider me to be a kafir
[imposter] and dajjal [Antichrist]. But I trust that when the
Hindus enter into an agreement with me, they16 will also not
be so daring as to abuse the Book and the Rishis of such a
civilized people and thereby invite the abuse of the Holy
Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in
retaliation. Such abuses will then be rightly blamed on those
who act irresponsibly. As such action is contrary to modest and virtuous behaviour, I do not
expect that after this treaty they would permit their tongues to wag. It
should be mandatory that to make the contract binding, ten thousand
adult representatives from both parties should sign
it. My dear ones, there is nothing like peace
and compromise. Let us unite with the blessing of this treaty
and be one nation. You know full well that denial17 on both sides
has thrown us apart and that our country is suffering greatly.
Visualise how blessed it could prove to testify to each
otherís truth. Come, give this a try now. This is the best course
for achieving peace. Pursuing any other course would be like ignoring
a dangerous abscess merely because it looks clear and
shiny, while, in reality, it contains rotten and putrid matter.
I need not elaborate on the ever-increasing, mutually
hypocritical, attitude and discord between the Hindus and
Muslims. This is rooted not in religious differences alone, but
has also secondary causes which pertain to worldly ambitions.
For instance, the Hindus have always shown their desire to
have more say in the affairs of government and country. They
have been demanding that they should, at the very least,
always be consulted in such affairs and that the government
should always pay special attention to their demands. They
also desire that they be posted at the higher ranking offices as
the British are. The Muslims made the blunder of not joining
this campaign of Hindus out of fear that they were small in
numbers. They were afraid that whatever benefit was to be
had from such campaigns would be drawn by the majority
Hindu community and not the Muslims. So they not only abstained from joining this cause,
but they also obstructed the passage of Hindu efforts by openly opposing
it. Thus mutual enmity increased.
I admit that such factors contributed to furthering the
enmity which had already existed. But I cannot accept them
to be the real reason. I beg to differ with those who believe
that religious disputes are not at the root of Hindu-Muslim
enmity and discord, and that the disputes are in fact political
in nature. Everyone can easily understand why Muslims
are reluctant
to join forces with Hindus in demanding their due rights and
why they have been refusing to join Congress and why again,
having perceived the soundness of the Hindu strategy, they
began to follow the same path step after step while maintaining
a distinct and separate entity, taking great care not to
be identified with them. They did not join the Hindus, but
created a similar but separate Muslim organisation.18 Dear Friends! I reassert that the underlying
factor responsible for this behaviour is religion, and nothing
else. If today the same Hindus embrace the Muslims while
pronouncing the kalimah Tayyibah:19
then Muslims would cease to oppose them forthwith. Conversely, if Muslims renounce Islam and
embrace Hinduism and start worshipping fire, air,
etc., in accordance with the Vedic injunctions20, then those differences which are
labelled as political will suddenly vanish as if they had never
existed. It is thus evident that the underlying factors
in all enmities and grudges are the religious differences.
It is such religious differences which, since times immemorial,
reach a climax and then invariably give way to extensive
bloodshed. O Muslims, I say: If Hindus treat you as a
different nation merely because of religious differences and
you respond to them in the same manner, the matter will not
end here. How can you achieve a sound, healthy relationship
unless you take appropriate remedial measures against this
root cause? It is possible that you may temporarily enjoy a
friendship, but only superficially. The ultimate sincerity of heart,
worthy of being called sincerity, can only be achieved if
you genuinely change your attitude towards the Vedas and the Vedic
Rishis by accepting them to be from God. Likewise, the
Hindus should also change their niggardly attitude by testifying
to the truth of our beloved Holy Prophet (may peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him). Remember, and remember
it well, that this is the only principle which can establish
a genuine truce between you and the Hindus and this is the
only water which can wash away all malice embittering your
relationship. If the hour has finally come when these two nations,
who have for so long fallen apart, are destined to be reunited,
then God will open up their hearts to this purpose as He
has already opened up our hearts to the same. It is essential
however that you treat Hindus with sincerity and kindness and let decent behaviour be your
second nature. Refrain from all such measures as would cause
them pain, except those that are essential or obligatory
according to our faith. Consequently if the Hindus sincerely
accept the proposition of testifying to the truth of our Holy Prophet
(may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and of having faith in his truth, then what remains regarding
the split on the issue of cows can be done away with. Remember if
we are permitted to eat something, it does not follow
that we have to eat it. Everything permissible is not obligatory.
There are many things which we know to be lawful yet
we do not necessarily practice them. To treat Hindus
with decency and kindness is one of the important Islamic injunctionsó.
If for the sake of achieving a higher goal one forgoes
a right, it will not be against the spirit of the Divine law.
To consider something to be lawful is one thing, to utilise it is
another. The spirit of piety requires that you abstain
from whatever God has forbidden. To actually pursue the path of
gaining His favour and to have the welfare of His creation at
heart and to treat others with goodness and sympathy and to respect
all the holy Prophets and Messengers from God, and to accept
them as reformers and to not discriminate between
them and to serve all mankind irrespective of denominations.
This is the essential requirement of our faith. How can we ever
be at peace with such people whoówithout justification
and without regard for the fear of Allahóspeak of our
Holy Prophet, Hadrat Muhammad (may peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) with disrespect, and abuse him and
refrain not from the use of foul language? In truth, I
declare that it is possible for us to make peace with the serpents fed on
brackish soil and the wolves of the wilderness, but not with
those who make wanton attacks on our Holy Prophet (may
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who is dearer to us
than our lives, our mothers and our fathers. May Allah cause
us to die as Muslims. We are not willing to do anything at the
cost of our faith. Here, I do not wish to censure any particular
people nor do I intend to hurt anyoneís feelings. But,
with a deep sense of mortification, I observe that Islam, being
a religion of peace, never attacked the founder of any religion.
The Qurían is that revered book which laid the foundation of
peace between nations and acknowledged the truth of all
Prophets belonging to all the different nations. It is the Holy
Qurían which enjoys the unique distinction of teaching us with
regards to the Prophets of the entire world that:21
Therefore, O Muslims, you should declare: We believe in all the
Prophets of God belonging to this world and we do not discriminate
between them as to reject one and accept the others.
Name one book like the Holy Qurían which is so dedicated
for the cause of peace. The universal beneficence of
God has not been confined by the Qurían to any specific
House. It acknowledges the Prophets of the House of Israel,
one and all, be they Jacobas, Isaacas, Mosesas, Davidas or Jesusas.
And it acknowledges the Prophets of other nations regardless
of whether they dwelt in India or Persia. None of them have been labeled as deceitful
or imposters. On the contrary, it clearly proclaims that Prophets appeared in
every nation and in every township and laid the foundation
of peace between all the peoples. Alas, this Messenger of Peace
is abused and treated with contempt by all peoples alike.
O my dear countrymen, I have not expressed this view to
offend you or to hurt your sensibilities in any way. But I do
desire to submit, in all sincerity, that those who have made it
their second nature to vilify the Prophets of other faiths and
consider this unjustified behaviour to be a part of their faith
commit an act of unwarranted interference in othersí affairs.
They not only sin against God, but they are also guilty of
sowing the seed of discord and enmity among mankind. Now
answer me with hand on heart: if someone abuses anotherís
father or accuses anotherís mother of unchaste conduct, will
this not be tantamount to assailing the honour of his father
himself? If anyone retaliates with similar abuses, will it not be
appropriate to say that in reality the blame lies with the person
who initiated it? In that case he himself would be the offender
of his parentsí honour. God, through the Holy Qurían, has cultivated
refined and respectful etiquettes. He admonishes:22
In other words, do not even abuse the idols of the nonbelievers
lest they abuse your God out of ignorance. (surah al-
Anëam, al-juzw, 7) Now consider that this is the Quríanic teaching despite the
fact that it treats idols as of no significance. Yet God teaches
the Muslims to abstain from insulting even the idols and
admonishes them instead to adopt a course of gentle persuasion
lest they [the idolaters] should be provoked, in turn, to
abuse God. The Muslims would then be responsible for such
abuses. What manner of people are they who revile the name
of this great Prophet of Islam and speak of him with utter
disrespect, brutally assailing his honour and tarnishing his
spotless character. He is the highly revered Prophet whose
name is held in such awe as when uttered the great Muslim
kings vacate their thrones and bow their heads to his
commands. They consider it an honour to be counted among
the humblest of his servants. Is this respect not a bounty of
God? Those who dare insult the recipient of such honour do,
in fact, quarrel with God Himself. The Holy Prophet
Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
holds such a high station with God that to prove his truth He
has shown the world great miracles. Is this not the work of
His Mighty hand, which has bowed the heads of 200 million
people before Muhammadís threshold? Granted that every
Prophet had many a heavenly signs in his support, but the
peerless signs shown in Muhammadís support outnumber
them all. They continue to appear even today as they were
manifested in the past. Alas, you cannot understand an argument as
plain as this: When the earth is filled with sin and becomes
uncouth and when wickedness, debauchery, and impertinence
weigh heavier on the scale of God than acts of righteousness,
it is then that Godís mercy requires of Him to
send one of His servants who would set the disorder right. Sickness and
disease call for a healer. You of all people should be able to
understand this better than others. You hold the view that the
Vedas were not revealed at a time when the ocean of sin was
in spate, but that they were revealed, instead when the calm of
sinlessness prevailed over land and sea. Do you then consider
it inconceivable that a Prophet should appear when the flood
of sin rages high and rapidly inundates every country of the
world? I do hope that you are not so ignorant of
the facts of history. When our Holy Prophet (may peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) honoured the office of
prophethood with his advent, the age had plunged into utter
darkness and no aspect of human conduct was free from the
blemish of sin and false beliefs. Pundit Dyanand writes in his
book Satyarath Parkash, that even in the land of Aryawart
[which takes pride in its monotheistic beliefs] idolatry had
replaced the worship of God, and the Vedic faith had become extensively
corrupted. Reverend Pfander, a white European priest
and a staunch defender of Christian faith, also endorses
these views in his book, Mizan-ul-Haq. He observes that at the
time of the inception of Islam, the Christians had become
the most corrupt among all the religious denominations.
The lewd and wanton conduct of the Christians of the time
was a source of shame and dishonour for Christianity. The
Holy Qurían, justifying its revelation, speaks of the same in the
following verse23: That is: Corruption has appeared on the land and the sea.
This verse implies that every nation, whether in a state of
ignorance or whether it presumed itself to be wise, was not
free from corruption. Thus it is established on the authority of
all testimonies that the entire mankind, during the age of
Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) were they oriental or occidental, those belonging
to the land of Aryas or those who were dwellers of the
Arabian desert, so also those who inhabited islands, had all
become moral destitutes. There was not one among them whose relation
with God was without blemish. Evil practices contaminated
the entire earth. Why then cannot a man of sound
mind understand this simple matter of commonsense that it
was the right time and the right age, with reference to
which human reason can accept, that an exceptionally eminent
Prophet must be raised.
As to the question concerning the reformation which this
Prophet brought about with his advent, none can answer like
a Muslim with reference to the overwhelming evidence of the
great reformation brought about by the Holy Prophet of
Islam (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is
beyond the scope of a Christian, Jew or *** to answer this
question with such clarity and with the support of such irrefutable
evidence. The first phase of the Holy Prophetís (may
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reformation
began with that of the Arabs. The Arabian peninsula was in
such a hapless state that it was hard to refer to its dwellers
as humans. Name an evil which they did not exhibit; name a
form of idolatry which they did not practise. To steal and rob was the order of
the day, and committing pointless *** was like trampling
an insignificant ant under their feet. They murdered innocent
children and usurped all that belonged to them. It was not
rare for them to bury their daughters alive. They took pride in
fornication and boasted of it in their songs. Drinking was so
common among them that there was no house without cellars
of wine. They led the whole world in gambling. Beasts would
feel ashamed at being likened to them and snakes and wolves
would be disgraced if called Arabs. When our Prophet (may peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) stood up with a resolve to reform
them and decided to cleanse their hearts with all his
spiritual intent, within a matter of a short time they displayed
such rapid changes as transformed them from beasts into
humans and then from ordinary humans into a cultured
people and from a cultured people they became Godly and became
totally immersed in the love of God. For the sake
of that love they suffered every torture as though their sense
of pain had been paralyzed. They were subjected to extreme
suffering by different modes of torture and were ruthlessly
flogged. They were made to lie on burning sand and imprisoned.
They were deprived of food and water until they reached
the verge of death; but at every trial they continued to
march forward. There were so many among them whose children
were slain before their very eyes and there were many
among them who were themselves crucified in front of their
children. The singular devotion with which they laid
down their lives is such that even to think of it agitates
one to tears. If it is not the command of God and the power of spiritual
attention of His Prophet, which worked magic on their hearts, what
else could it have been which gravitated them so irresistibly
towards Islam? What magic transformed them and made them
bow on the threshold of a humble man who had once treaded
the streets of Mecca without any kind of friendship, wealth,
or power? There had to be a spiritual hand which lifted them
from such lowly depths to such dazzling heights. Even more
amazing is the fact that many among them were those who, in
their earlier stages of rejection, were sworn enemies of the
Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and thirsty after his blood. I see no greater miracle than this
that one so helpless, poor and penniless as he, could wash
their hearts of all the stains of enmity and hatred and draw
them so powerfully towards himself. So much so that they cast
away their royal garments willingly for the sake of God and
accepted the humility of being clothed in sackcloth.
Some, in their ignorance, blame Islam of Jihad [waging
wars] to spread its message and of gaining converts at the
point of sword. They claim that these converts were forced to
change their religion under the threat of the sword. Woe to
them a thousand times! They have exceeded all limits in their
injustice and in their efforts to conceal the truth. O pity!
What is wrong with them, that they wilfully turn away from
realities? Our Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) did not appear in the land of Arabia in the
capacity of a monarch. It therefore cannot be suspected that
he had royal majesty and power with him, such that the
people gathered under his banner for fear of their lives.
Now the question one faces is simply this: When he
waged his lone spiritual battle for the pronouncement of Godís Unity and for the establishment
of the truth of his ministry in a state of utter helplessness
and poverty, then where was that sword which struck terror in
their hearts, and coerced the meek into submission? And had
they refused to believe or had they persisted in their rejection
of him, from which king did he beg for a contingent army
to be sent to his aid so that they may be forced to yield?
O seekers of truth! Rest assured that all these allegations
are fabrications by those who are sworn enemies of Islam.
Cast a glance at history. Muhammad (may peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) was that same orphan whose father
died shortly after his birth and whose mother passed away
leaving him behind as a child of only a few months. That
child on whom God had extended His hand of support was
nurtured in His care without any other patronage. During
those hard times of orphanhood, he tended goats belonging
to others. None was his mentor except God. And even up to
the age of twenty-five, none of his uncles were willing to offer
their daughterís hand in marriage to him as it appeared that he
would be unable to meet even the basic household expenses.
Moreover, he was unlettered and was not trained in any skill
or profession. As he approached the age of forty, lo, there he
was with his heart powerfully drawn towards his Lord, Allah,
the Gracious. There was a cave, a few miles from Mecca by
the name of Hira. It was here that he would retire by himself
and, concealed from the eyes of men, become lost in the
remembrance of God. One day, in that very cave, while he
was praying in seclusion, God revealed Himself to him, and
he was told: The people have turned their backs on the path
of Allah and the earth is befouled with sin. So I God Almighty] appoint you as My Messenger
and send you to the world, so that you may warn the people that
they should turn back to their Lord before His punishment befalls
them. Being unlettered, he was frightened by this
command and beseeched God: I know not how to read and
write. Then God filled his *** with all faculties of
spiritual knowledge and enlightened his heart. With the blessing
of his quwwat-equdsiyyah [power of purification], the humble and meek
started entering the circle of obedience to him. But the
powerful leaders mustered all their forces to oppose him tooth
and nail. They went even to the length of plotting to kill him
and many men and many women were put to agonising death. As a last measure they surrounded the
house of the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) with intent to *** him. But who can touch
him whom God protects. God revealed to him: Leave this
town forthwith and I will remain with you at every step.
Accordingly he left Mecca and took Abu Bakr (may Allah
be pleased with him) along and remained in hiding for three
nights in the cave of Thaur. The enemy gave chase, and with
the aid of a tracker were led to the cave. That tracker traced
their footsteps right up to the entrance of the cave, telling
them: Here the track ends, so search for him in this cave. If he
is not to be found here then the sky must have swallowed
him. Who can limit the boundless wonders of Godís creation?
In a single night, God so manifested His will that a spider
spun its web across the mouth of the cave from end to end
and a pigeon built its nest at the entrance of the cave and even
laid its eggs therein. When the tracker urged the Meccans to
enter the cave, an old man thus retorted: This tracker must be mad. I have been seeing
this web across the mouth of the cave since the time when Muhammad (may peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) was not even born. At this,
people began to disperse and gave up the idea of searching
the cave. After this, the Holy Prophet (may peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) travelled to Medina secretly.
The majority of the inhabitants of Medina accepted him,
causing the people of Mecca to seeth in rage, lamenting: Our
prey has slipped out of our hands. They then became occupied
in plots to *** the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him). A small party from among the
Meccans who had accepted Muhammad (may peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) also left Mecca and migrated
to different countries. Some took shelter under the Emperor of Abyssinia24.
Some however were left behind in Mecca as they lacked
adequate provisions for such journeys; they were tormented
to the extreme. The Holy Qurían mentions how they wailed
and bemoaned day and night to God. The cruelties of the infidels from among the
Qureish exceeded all bounds. They started to ***
the helpless, poor women and orphaned children. They went
to the extent of killing some women with such ruthlessness
as to have tightly bound their legs each to different
camels and driving them in opposite directions. Thus they died
as they split in two.
When the transgression of these merciless infidels reached
this stage, God, who turns to His servants with mercy
revealed to his Messenger: The supplications of the afflicted have reached me. Thus this
day, I permit them to stand up to their persecutors and remember that a people
who raise their sword against the innocent will themselves
perish by the sword. Yet, transgress not, because God does
not befriend those who transgress.
This is the spirit and essence of Islamic Jihad which has
been maliciously portrayed in the wrong light. God is
forbearing, indeed, but when the mischief of a people crosses
all limits, then He does not let the transgressors go unpunished.
Then He Himself creates conditions which result in
their destruction. I know not how and from where our opponents
heard that Islam was spread by the might of the sword.
God in the Holy Qurían pronounced that there is no compulsion
in Islam:25 That is: The religion of Islam does not permit
any compulsion in matters of faith. Who commanded the application
of force and what were the means of coercion
available to them? And again, such people as are coerced into
changing their faith do not display such dedication and such
quality of belief, that without any financial returns and despite
being a mere few hundred they dare to confront the army
of thousands. When the same reached the number of one thousand,
they somehow acquired the strength to defeat enemies
running into hundreds of thousands. They readily offered
their lives in defence of their faith, to be slaughtered
like sheep and goats. They stamped the testimony to the truth of
Islam with their own blood. Moreover, they became so enamoured
with the task of spreading the Unity of God that, willingly accepting all
kinds of hardships like ascetics, they crossed the deserts of
Africa to disseminate the message of Islam so that their blessed
teachings should bear the fruit of truth. Thus they succeeded
in converting tens of millions of Chinese people to Islam.
Then they entered India in the style of dervishes wearing
sackcloth and succeeded in converting many to Islam from the
Arya faith. They even reached the frontiers of Europe and
raised loud and clear the message:26 Can you claim in honesty that such as these
are really the fruits of the sword of Islam, whose hearts
remain infidel while the tongues alone profess the faith. Nay!
It is the work of those whose hearts were filled with the light
of faith. Nothing but God dwelled in their hearts.
Now we turn our attention to the study of Islamic teachings
and its true nature. It should be clearly borne in mind that the
predominant purpose of Islamic teachings is to establish the
Unity and Majesty of God on earth, to completely eradicate
idolatry and to gather all scattered religious denominations
around a single article of faith and turn them into one people.
The religions which appeared before Islam and the
Prophets and Messengers that came were confined to the
reformation of their own respective nation and country;
whatever they did for their moral uplift was all aimed for the
benefit of their own people. This is why Jesusas unambiguously
admitted that his teachings were for the House of Israel
alone. It is reported that when a woman who did not belong to Israelites beseeched him
with humility for him to show her ëthe wayí, he rejected her plea. The poor
woman even went to the extent of likening herself to a dog
to evoke pity, and implored guidance. He again rejected her plea
on the ground that he was sent only for the sheep of the
House of Israel. Finally, she was silenced. But Our Prophet
(may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) nowhere pronounced
that he had been sent only for the Arabs. On the contrary,
the Holy Qurían commands him to say:27
That is, tell the people that I am a Messenger to you all from
Allah. It should be remembered that it was no fault of Jesusas
that he gave such a curt answer to the woman. The time had
not yet come for a universal teaching. This was the teaching
vouchsafed to Jesusas by God: You are specifically sent for the
House of Israel. You have no concern with others.
As I mentioned above, the moral teachings of Jesus were
confined to the Jews. The Torah taught ìa tooth for a tooth,
an eye for an eye, and an ear for the earî28. The purport of
the teaching was to provide a commandment to the Jews to
establish justice and prevent them from committing transgressions
and excesses. This was necessary because having spent
four hundred years in slavery, cruelty and meanness had
become their second nature. Hence the profound Wisdom of
God so planned that to counter the overemphasis of cruelty
and revenge in their natures, the teachings of forgiveness and love was highly stressed
to the same degree. Hence the moral teaching found in the Gospels is specifically
for the Jews and not for the whole world as Jesusas had no
concern with other people.
The teaching which Jesusas brought did not only have the
drawback of not being addressed to all mankind, but it also
had another shortcoming. As Torah overemphasises revenge
to one extreme, the Gospels, turn to the other extreme as
regards the teaching of forgiveness. Both these scriptures fail
to bring into focus all the possible branches of human nature.
As for Torah, it remains concerned with only one branch,
while the Gospels hold fast to the other exclusively. Both
teachings lack balance. As it is evident that to punish on every
occasion is not appropriate nor is it in accordance with the
dictates of justice, likewise to forgive and to overlook faults
indiscriminately is contrary to the spirit of human reform. In
view of this the Holy Qurían does not entirely agree with
either, but instead proposes the following:29 So an injury can only be avenged to the extent
of the injury received, as is taught by the Torah. But whoever
prefers to forgive, as is taught by the Gospels, then
such forgiveness is only permitted when the person forgiven is
likely to respond with reform and the final outcome is positive
and healthy and the whole episode ends up well. Otherwise,
the routine teaching remains the same as that of the Torah.