Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin - Khalifatul-Masih I — Page 119
Hadrat Maulw i Nur-ud-D i n ra — Khalifatul Masih I EMINENT DIVINE 119 doctrines upon their peoples by compulsion; religious leaders did not permit any questioning of their exposition of religious problems; teachers of religion did not tolerate any freedom on the part of their pupils. The Holy Quran ushered in an era of intellectual freedom with exhortations like: Why do you not exercise your reason; why do you not reflect; why do they not deliberate upon the Quran?" 44 An old philosopher who was fond of defining everything was in the habit of asking everyone to define something or the other. He would then analyse whatever he was told and expose its imperfections, and thus impress people with the vastness of his erudition. On one occasion he asked Maulaw i N u r-ud- D i n: "What is wisdom?" He replied: "Wisdom is to eschew every type of vice, from associating partners with Allah down to the least unmannerliness. " The philosopher was struck by the reply and enquired: "What is your authority for it?" Maulaw i Sahib turned to a Ha fi z , who happened to be present, and said to him: Kindly recite and translate for the benefit of the philosopher sections 4 and 5 of Chapter Seventeen of the Holy Quran; which the Ha fi z did. The English rendering of the passage is as follows: "Thy Lord has commanded that ye worship none but Him and has enjoined benevolence towards parents. Should either or both of them attain old age in thy lifetime, never say: Ugh to them nor chide them, but always speak gently to them. Be humbly tender with them and pray: Lord, have mercy on them, even as they nurtured me when I was little. Your Lord knows best that which is in your minds; if you will be righteous, then surely He is Most