Lecture Ludhiana — Page 15
Lecture Ludhiana 15 labelled me a disbeliever. I am amazed at this temerity on their part, for the life or death of Jesusas is in the first place not a prerequisite to being a Muslim. Do we demand any such pledge from the Hindus or Christians who convert to Islam? What is required of them is no more than to proclaim: آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهِ وَ شَرِّه مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ 11 Despite the fact that this issue (of the life or death of Jesus) does not form part of the Islamic dogma, why, consequent upon my declaration that Jesusas was dead, was I subjected to such violent persecution? Why were my followers branded apostates, and Antichrists, to the extent that they were denied burials in Muslim grave- yards, and their possessions were lawfully snatched; and it was considered legal to forcefully keep their women as mistresses outside wedlock, and to murder them was considered a good deed deserving reward in the hereafter and so on and so forth. There was a time when these very clerics used to shout that if there were ninety nine reasons to call someone a disbeliever and only one reason to call him a Muslim, he would still be a Muslim and not a disbeliever. What has gone wrong now? Am I worse off than even this? Do my 11 'I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, divine providence regarding good and evil and the resurrection. ' [Translator]