The Holy War — Page 228
228 slaughtered then it is not enough to say that I am your Creator and Master, I give you a little pain for the benefit of others, do not com- plain unjustly. So, Justice does not wish that anybody suffers for something which he is not liable, or that the suffering might not lead to the development of some excellence in him. That is why I stated the three different types of suffering that you cannot ignore or erase. And then, thinking all suffering to be of just one type, how can you permit God—donning the cloak of Creator and Master— to take any and every worthy and unworthy action? I have repeatedly stated to the gentleman that the attributes of Justice and Truth cannot be manifested without any benefit. So why do you ignore giving regard to the demand of Justice? Will Justice stop its demand if you ignore it? Verily, until its demand is fulfilled, Mercy cannot be shown. Fifteenth: According to you, in S u rah al-F a ti h ah , Allah the Exalted has not moved away from Justice nor has He given priority to Mercy over Justice; but rather, He has given people the shelter of His mercy, and this is rightly so. Whatever other vain illusions you may have is your choice. Sixteenth: This is true that Allah the Exalted desires of His creations that they act in such and such a way and it is for their ben- efit as well, but to reject the Divine Rights by this is wrong. Does not God have some rights upon His servants? If not, then what rec- ompense does God have for sins and why does He warn them of the sword of justice? When there is no recompense, then why the need for punishment? The admonition of a father is indeed for the betterment of the son, but is the word of punishment absolutely meaningless? Admonitions are derived from Mercy, while punishment is derived from Justice. Thus, we also admonish and punish our children, but this does not mean that they should simply die. And when they become unworthy and are expelled, then it means they are being punished: ‘These are the consequences of your actions. ’ Accordingly,