Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 178
178 he will not be counted a bad or immoral man. On the contrary, his conduct will deserve praise, for he is like a man fighting in the defence of his country though he has not yet attained complete victory. I shall next illustrate the teachings of Islam con- cerning morals by reference to specific moral qualities. This subject is so vast that to deal with it in any detail one would require much larger space than I can here afford. I shall, therefore, confine myself to the discus- sion of only a few moral qualities by way of illustration. In doing so, I shall keep in view the classification which I have indicated above in defining morals, viz. , that morals consist in the proper use of natural instincts. I shall first deal with the natural instincts of pity and revenge. Man, in common with other animals, possesses the natural instinct under which he tries to avoid inflicting pain on others, and the sorrows and misfortunes of others affect his mind in such a manner that he begins to share in their troubles. All persons would feel drawn towards a sick person and would have sympathy for him; except perhaps those who are too busy to pay him any attention or those who may have suffered at his hands. The latter, very likely, instead of feeling any sympathy for the afflicted person, may actually enjoy the sight of his suffering. This last feeling is called Naqam , or vengeance and is a distinct feeling which comes into operation when a man suffers pain or loss at the hands of another and wishes to inflict pain or loss on him in return. In a case like this the feeling of revenge displaces the feeling of pity or compassion; and the person who inflicts pain, instead of pitying the man