A Present to Kings — Page 6
( 6 ) devotees. No body who attached himself to Islam tasted the fruit of disappointment, rather whoever touched its skirts met always with victory and success and was secure from loss and regret. Islam rehabilitated deserted homes and made the savage superior to the most civilised nations of the earth. It was an antidote of which whoever tasted was made immune from the diseases of scepticism, doubt and misgivings. It was a philosopher's stone, and whatever came into its contact was changed into gold, or rather became itself an alchemy a touch of which transmuted hearts hard like iron into pure gold. In short, there was no one who was any the worse for Islam. On the contrary it brought joy and success to all homes and there was not one who could say that he sacrificed some thing for Islam and remained so much the loser. . Nations derived blessings from it and countries attained greatness through it. . Hundreds, nay thousands of religions there were which flourished before the advent of Islam. But with the appearance of this perfect religion the false creeds lost their charm and paled as do the stars on the rising of the sun or an old country taper besides a modern electric lamp. Neither such of the systems as by means of philosophy and science had sought to hold the world in their sway could prove a match for Islam, which overcame them by its simplicity, nor could those creeds prevail which by their fine allegories and exquisite parables had puzzled the human mind, nor those which flourished in the world under the protection of mighty empires. Neither did any better success attend those cults which had opened the door to every comfort and enjoyment and taught doctrines of epicureanism. Every kind of temptation and display and license and gloss proved unavailing in the conflict with the grand simplicity of the Islamic faith, and the latter remained the victor over the world. The victory was both physical and moral. . On the one hand non-Islamic governments were supplanted by. Islamic governments, and on the other millions of people abandoned their old creeds to take shelter under the faith of. Islam. Whoever saw the Muslims had perforce to admit the truth of Islam.