Africa Speaks — Page 21
faith in Allah and to praying to Him. True, there are scientists of that kind. But even they have had to knock at the door of the Great Unseen, to implore it to yield some of its secrets to them. This is not very different from the solicitations of a believer in Allah, a believer who has had ex perience of Divine grace and mercy, who has prayed to Him often and whose prayers have been heard almost as often. The believer and unbeliever both turn to the Unseen for help. Both receive this help. Only, the unbeliever does not know and the believer knows that this help-which they both seek and find-comes from Almighty Allah, Lord, Creator and Sustainer of us all. The unbeliever and believer both sustain themselves with prayer, with the hope of help from somewhere. The unbeliever does not know that he prays, nor to Whom he prays, nor Who receives his prayer and rewards it with accep tance. The believer out of long experience knows that he prays and prays to his Lord and Master, Who opens for him the door to knowledge and discovery. The unbeliever prays in ignorance, the believer prays with knowledge and confidence. Both have their prayers heard. But how different are the two prayers! It is this difference I invite you to grasp. The difference is that if you pray with knowledge and confidence and trust and conviction, you have far more chance of being heard and reward ed. And how relevant is this to our present predicament. You and me and many others in Asia and Africa are charged with backwardness. But neither you nor we were backward always. We had our day, the day on which we led the world not only in our knowledge of Almighty Allah but-with H is grace and mercy-in our knowledge of the world. That day is going to dawn on us again. Once again you and me are going to become the torch-bearers of knowledge, knowledge of God, knowledge of nature, knowledge of man. But those who will combine natural means and methods--and these have been given to us as to others by Allah Almighty-those who will combine natural means and methods with prayer and trust and confidence in the power, grace and mercy of Allah, will go forward and march to progress with greater speed. What is more, they will have no delusions about their own powers. They will not become arro gant, attributing everything to themselves. They will have due humility. They will not march nor lead others to destruction. On the other hand, they might save others from the disasters into which the blind, unguided pursuit of knowledge is certain to lead us. , \ 20