The Reality of Khilafah — Page 12
SIRRUL-KHILAFAH— 12 borne out of their ignorance, and persisted in abusing me with mockery and derision. They began issuing fatwas of heresy and labelled me a liar. They attacked me with all manner of false alle- gations and stung me with their serpent-like tongues and trod on me as they would tread on pebbles. I continued to admonish them but they would not listen. I beckoned them but they did not take heed. Whenever they tried to confront me, they took to their heels. Whenever they made an error, they insisted upon it and did not fear God. They openly committed acts of treachery, neither abandoning them nor making any excuses for them, so much so, that the truth disappeared, faith was forgotten, the sun of divine knowledge set, and the treasures of religion were left undiscov- ered. The time for natural disasters arrived and overwhelmed the land, the edifice of religion was left deserted, and people lost their peace and faith, which bolted like a frightened horse. Seeing that darkness had spread and the face of the right path had become concealed, I started writing books in support of Islam, providing sublime proofs and arguments for its truth. Alas, they profited not from any of my sermons, believing them to be platitudes, and they did not desist. Whenever a debate neared its end and the opponents saw that the burning flames of passion had cooled and that the strength of my arguments had extinguished all doubt, they would hurl all manner of insults towards me. They declared that one of the signs of the Promised Reformer who would call people to Islam was that he would be from among the eminent scholars and noblemen of the age. While referring to me, they alleged that I knew not a word of Arabic, nor was I a liter- ary or knowledgeable person. There was truth in what they said, therefore, I supplicated to my Lord to teach me, if He so pleased.