Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 175
175 Malfuzat – Volume IV Recite the Holy Quran with deep reflection and it will become clearly evident that it teaches one to refrain from conflict. Show benevolence to those who have not attacked you. And as for those who are the first to attack you, and as for those who are tyrants, confront them only in defence, but do not exceed the bounds. In the beginning, Islam was faced with challenges of unparalleled proportions. If even a single person converted to Islam, the people would become ready to die and kill, and a thousand forms of aggression were inflicted upon them; and persecution is worse than killing. Therefore, in order to establish peace in society, resistance was necessary. If the Hindus raise an allegation, this is not surprising or disappointing. But it is indeed surprising and disappointing when those whose own affairs at home are even more objectionable raise allegations against others. The Christians have been most unjust in raising these sorts of allegations. Is this the level of their faith? Then, among other matters of secondary importance, slavery is another concept with which they take issue. This is despite the fact that the Holy Quran has given teachings for the emancipation of slaves—emphatic teachings at that; in fact, such teachings that are not present in any other scripture. These are the unimpor - tant issues that these people make a target for objection. Then they present mis - information to those who are uneducated and also to freethinking youngsters. Therefore, when you put forward an objection, you must only consider that to be a sin and worthy of objection which is a sin in the estimation of God and not what the Christian priests deem to be objectionable. I have been meeting with priests since the age of sixteen or seventeen, however, due to the light that God had given me, I was always able to see through their deceptive ways. 1 Polygamy Similarly, they raise an allegation against the concept of polygamy. However, I must say with extreme regret that these foolish people who raise this allegation do not stop to think for a moment what effect this has on their own Lord Christ. It grieves me deeply when I see that this allegation of the Christian priests is actu - ally a vicious attack on Jesus as himself. The reason being that Mary wedded a man who had a prior wife. Then what would we say about this child? Moreover, when Mary and her mother had vowed before God to not marry, then what calamity and affliction had descended so that she was married? It would have been better 1 Al-Hakam , vol. 6, no. 2, dated 17 January 1902, pp. 4-6 p. 441