Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 256
256 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the state of the various people within our nation, any intelligent and contempla- tive individual will reach the true and categorical conclusion that righteousness, which was the ultimate cause of the Holy Quran, and which was the true basis for honour and the means of nobility, is nowhere to be found today. A good practical state which was sorely needed in this age—an example of which would serve as a distinction between Muslims and others—has deteriorated and decayed. External Calamities—The Opposition of the Christian Faith Towards Islam On the external front, one may observe that of all the diverse religions which are present today, each and everyone of them, wish to eliminate Islam. In particular, the Christian faith is a bitter enemy of Islam. All the efforts of the Christian mis- sionaries and priests are being exerted for the sole purpose of destroying Islam, insofar as possible and in any way possible; to efface the Oneness of God estab- lished by Islam—for which many lives had to be sacrificed. They do this in order to convince the world of Christ’s divinity and so that they will believe in his blood, which gives rise to an unrestrained and unbridled life of freedom from religious law. All of this is so that the holy objective of fostering righteousness, piety and practical purity—which was the true purpose of Islam—may be effaced completely. The Christian priests have employed various methods in order to suc- ceed in these motives. One must say with disappointment that the Christians have managed to turn away over 100,000 Muslims from their religion, and there are countless others whom they have turned partly Christian. A large number of Muslims possess heretic dispositions and they are influenced by Christianity in their manner, lifestyle and behaviour. The youth of today who were born in Muslim households are a group of people who have been educated in various col- leges. Instead of the Word of God Almighty, they value philosophy and natural- ism, and give them precedence and overarching importance. These people believe that Islam was relevant only in the deserts of Arabia. When I observe and hear about such a state of affairs, I cannot speak for others, but I, for my part, feel an extreme pain in my heart that today, Islam is grappling with these challenges and misfortunes, and the Muslim youth are overcome by a state where they feel that Islam is opposed to their very natures. The third category of people are those who have not stepped beyond the lim- its set by God—they do not indulge in that which is unlawful—but they are p. 234