The Holy War — Page 188
188 Then, sticking adamantly to your first statement, you say that the forgiving of sins of someone in the world through someone’s inter- cession is just an administrative issue. It is sadly perplexing how you became a legislator at this time and why you started abrogating verses of the Torah. If it was only an administrative matter and in reality, the sins were not forgiven, then you should give proof of this from the Torah. The Torah clearly states that sins were forgiven many times through the intercession of Prophet Moses. And nearly all the books of the Bible agree with us that God Almighty is Ever-Merciful and Most- Forgiving; see Isaiah 55:7; Jeremiah 3:13; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalms 4. 32:5; Proverbs 28:13. Similarly in Luke 17:3—4; Luke 15:4–24; Luke 10:25,28; Mark 16:16; Genesis 6:7, 9; Book of Job 1:1, Ezekiel 14:14; Daniel 6:4; Psalms 130:3, 4, 7; Psalms 78:38; Micah 7:18. How much more should I write? You should open and read these Books for yourself and see that all of them prove the same fact that there is no need whatsoever for mercy without recompense, and that God Almighty has always been showing His mercy through many dif- ferent means. Then you go on to say that repentance and faith are the exterior doors; in other words, even though one may repent and have faith, he still needs to be atoned. This is just your claim, which is against all the Books I have referred to. However, this much is true that just as Allah the Lord of Glory, has never decreased or diminished His mercy even though man commits many sins and faults, similarly, when the moment of accepting repentance comes, God Almighty always keeps His mercy in sight and through His grace He considers their paltry offerings as enough and accepts them. If we interpret this practice of God as His grace and say that sal- vation is gained through the sheer grace of God, then this is indeed very appropriate, because just as a poor and humble man gives a flower as a gift to a king, and the king, out of his endless favours, and know- ing his own stature, grants the poor man such a reward which is thou- sands—nay, millions—of times better than the flower, then this act