Through Force or Faith? — Page 196
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 196 Muslim Community, who has been ordained to revive the true teachings of Islam in this age and to show its practical applica- tions, states in this context: I therefore admonish you: Refrain from evil and be truly compassionate towards mankind. Cleanse your hearts of malice and spite, for you will become like angels through this habit. It is a filthy and unholy religion that is devoid of sympathy for humanity, and polluted is the path riddled with the thorns of a rancour based on selfish desires. O those who are with me, do not become like such people… I have come to you with an order: jihad with the sword has ended from this time forward, but the jihad of purify- ing your souls must continue. I do not say this of my own accord. This is indeed the will of God… Accordingly, I command those who have joined my ranks to refrain from all such thoughts, to purify their hearts, to foster sympathy, and to be compassionate towards the suffering. They should spread peace on earth, because that will cause their faith to spread in return. ( The British Government and Jihad, London 2006, pp. 16–17) The Promised Messiah has come into the world to repel the notion of taking up sword in the name of religion, and to estab- lish, through his reasoning and arguments, that Islam is a faith that does not at all need sword for its propagation, but that the inherent qualities of its teachings and its verities, insights, rea- sons, proofs and the living support and signs of God Almighty and its inherent attractions are the actors that have throughout