Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 17
KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH 17 ‘ I sa as (Jesus Christ) (if these are his words) and his disciples only meant that the Jews placed excessive emphasis on the letter of the Law and completely ignored righteousness. This became the cause of their being accursed. They did not observe prayers except in name, and their hearts did not turn towards God Almighty with love and fear, so this type of prayer became a curse for them. They slaughtered animals for alms and charity, but they never slaughtered their ego, so this charity and sacrifice also became a curse for them. In their acts of worship, they apparently bowed their heads down before God Almighty, but their hearts never bowed before Him, so their worship also became a curse for them. They, no doubt, spent in charity and abandoned their wealth for sacrifice before God Almighty, but they were not ready to abandon their false ideas, so Zakat also became a curse for them. In short, the Jews laid greater emphasis on pretence and ignored inner purification; therefore, ‘ I sa as (Jesus Christ) or his disciples had to point out that following the injunctions of the sharia in name without purifying the inner self is a curse. It did not mean that the sharia was a curse; rather, it meant that their ostentation and disregard for inner purification had become a curse for them. Nevertheless, the Romans found an excuse, and they misinterpreted these verses to mean that religion should be followed only in matters of prayer and fasting, but not in worldly matters, for religion has no