Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 16
16 doctrine of Unity preached by Islam. Wars were resorted to at the express command of the almighty as a punishment for the offenders who either took up arms against the holy faith for its extirpation or assisted the aggressors or laid obstructions in the way of Islam intending to hinder its progress. These three causes necessitated a severe chastisement, of the offenders and Almighty God willed that io should be effected by means of the sword. Another unjust and unwarrantable charge against Islam is that it preached peace during the first thirteen years under the most cruel tortures and persecutions of its enemies because it lacked force at that time, but that as soon as it had sufficient force to make its appearance in the field of the battle it declared war. Such a charge would have had some foundation if the oppo- nents of the Holy Prophet had not committed the heinous deeds of cruelty and innocent bloodshed or plotted to take away his life as they did at Mecca, and the prophet had left Mecca of his own accord and not on account of their evil designs. The slightest acquaintance with the circumstances of the Prophet's life at Mecca, would convince every sensible person of the unreasonable- ness of such a supposition. Even the enemies of Islam cannot deny nay they have borne testimony to the fact that the Holy Prophet met the objection and persecutions of his enemies with * great fortitude and strictly enjoined forbearance and non-resis- tance of evil upon his companions. There was no end to the severe persecutions of his enemies. They shed the blood of many an innocent person and inflicted wounds and injuries upon whom- soever they could lay their hands on. An attack upon the Prophet himself was at last plotted to bring the whole movement to an end. At this critical moment Almighty God led His messenger out of all danger to Medina and gave him the glad tidings that those who had taken up the sword against Islam