The Truth Unveiled — Page 13
13 13 Isl Iamns terliolP been intolerable to the biased and ignorant Muslims. However, when erudite persons find in my writings expositions in support of Islam on the one hand and hear my admonishments exhort - ing them to show sincere faithfulness and obedience to the gov - ernment on the other, they cannot view me with mistrust. How can they? Indeed, Muslims have been commanded by God and His Messenger to faithfully obey the government they live under. I have fully elaborated upon these religious injunctions in my books. Thus, the government can conclude that just as my father was truly loyal to the government and my brother also followed in his footsteps, I too have rendered such service through my pen for the last nineteen years. How, then, can my affairs be suspicious? My entire youth was spent in this way. Now, I approach old age and find myself constantly ill. I am approximately sixty years of age. A person who declares me to be a threat to the government is severely unjust. I cannot deny that I have also authored books on religious matters, nor do I deny that writings authored by me, which stand in opposition to the dogmas of the Christian clergy have been published as well, and they are dissatisfied by this due to their religious persuasions. But, I consider my good intentions, of which God Almighty is fully aware, to be sufficient. The way I show my opposition is completely at variance with the behaviour of other Muslims. It is not my view in the least that religious dif - ferences should cause such anger that the response of the oppo - sition be legislated by the government as a crime punishable by law, or that enmity be harboured against such people. On the contrary, my philosophy is that patience and propriety ought to be demonstrated in religious debates. It is for this reason