A Present to Kings — Page 17
mans ( 17 ) progress of Islam. To be jubilant over such progress and to read in it any security for the future of Islam is a sign of gross ignorance and of a want of acquaintance with the essence of. Islam. Had such material progress been the object of Islam, the object would appear to be fully achieved by the nations of. Europe, whose attention is fixed upon the world to a greater degree than that of the Mussalmans, and compared to whose progress in trade and learning the progress of the Mussalmans is even less than a mole-hill compared to a mountain. The person must be sericusly mistaken who is pleased to consider any intellectual, scientific or emmercial progress of the Mussalas a progress of Islam, and is always urging the. Mussalmans towards these minor branches of advancemet. . Had he considered it, he might have seen how little these matters had to do with the real object of Islam. As I have already said, Islam by virture of being a true religion is helpful and favourable to the fulfilment of all beneficial ideas of the human brain and does not forbid any kind of progress. . Rather, it encourages the Mussalmans to acquire every kind of learning and to achieve every kind of advancement. But nevertheless such advancements can not be deemed as the progress of Islam, and even if the Mussalmans should happen to beat their opponents in these fields, still their victory could not be termed as a victory of Islam. . It would thus appear that it is something quite different that is meant by Islam. As its name signifies, Islam denotes perfect submission to God, and complete obedience to His commands and the strengthening of the relation between man and the Master of the Universe. This was the object to the accomplishment of which the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) devoted himself throughout his life. All the works of his life, all his activities bear witness to the fact that the one purpose he had in view was that by all means the greatness of God might be made manifest on earth and that men should leave their passions and desires and turn towards God and that everything about them, their walking or sitting, eating or drinking, sleeping or waking, might be solely for the sake of