Through Force or Faith? — Page 48
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 48 picture of a Muslim. Therefore, it is the chore of a Muslim today that he proclaim these sublime teachings. As for how to deal with those who do not desist from ridicul- ing Islam, God, the Exalted, has declared that the ill-fortune of such people has made their actions appear beautiful to them. They think their actions are laudable. But these people will ultimately return to their Lord after this life. And when they will return to God, He will apprise them of what they used to do. Then he will mete out the treatment that they deserve. About this, Allah, the Exalted, says: ُهٰيِقْلَاَف يِف ِباَذَعْلا ِدْيِدَّشلااَيِقْلَا ْيِف َمَّنَهَج َّلُك ٍراَّفَك ٍدْيِنَع ٍعاَّنَّم ِرْيَخْلِّل ٍدَتْعُم ِبْيِرُّم ْيِذَّل۟ا َلَعَج َعَم ِهّٰللا اًهٰلِا َرَخٰا Cast ye twain into Hell every ungrateful enemy of truth , ‘Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter, ‘Who sets up another God beside Allah. So do ye twain cast him into the dreadful torment’. ( S u rah Q a f, 50:25–27) This is what Allah, the Exalted, shall tell the custodians. In the next world, He will give them this treatment. The task that Allah has taken upon Himself, we need not worry about that. These days there is much pandemonium about Rushdie, but even these kinds of faithless people have some god. Some organi- zations of the world or some influential men of the world or some governments of this world are taken by them as their god. God has a strategy to deal with such people. By us rioting; or by declaring that suicide attacks are justified and this should be our reaction; by doing or saying such things, a wrong image of Islam will be presented to the world and nothing would be achieved except an