A Present to Kings — Page 40
( 40 ) previous time his garden used to bring good fruits though it has ceased to lo so now. So long as the garden used to bring fruits it was worthy of praise, but now it is merely so much firewood and does not deserve the name of a garden. And since Islam alone is such a religion the following of which has produced in every age such perfect men, therefore Islam alone can be the true faith, since none of the other religions can demonstrate the same virtue that their following has in any age produced such perfect men. In fact this is a feature special to Islam, and it is a promise of God vouchsafed to the. Blessed Prophet that at the beginning of each century at least one such person will be raised who will renew the faith. . If now we were to suppose that at any future time this virtue should disappear from Islam, and that thenceforth the advent among the Muslims of such perfect men should cease such a supposition would be atrocious in the extreme, because it would amount to saying that God (may He protect us) was a breaker of promise Who made a certain promise to the Seal of the Prophets (peace be on him) but after a time ceased to observe the same, or it would follow that the Blessed Prophet was guilty of a mis-statement (may God protect us) or that. Islam would then join the rank of the dead systems and would be empty of the Holy Spirit which gave it pre-eminence over other faiths. But these are idle fancies. Neither is God a breaker of promise nor is the blessed Prophet capable of a mis-statement. Nor can Islam ever join the rank of the dead systems, because it is the last religion intended for humanity, and there is no other dispensation to come after it, so if this faith too should die, there would be left no provision for the guidance of the world. After Islam there is no room for any new faith because the Shariat (law) has been perfected and after a perfected Shariat there remains no need for any other. Shariat. Thus these are all mere idle fancies. Islam is a living faith and shall continue to display its miraculous powers till the end of the world. It is from this faith alone that spiritual life can be obtained and save it there is no door which can give man access to God.