Four Questions by Mr. Sirajuddin, a Christian, and their Answers — Page 43
Four Questions by a Christian and their Answers 43 casion. If someone has wronged us, should we punish or forgive them? If someone wants to borrow a thousand rupees from us to squander on his son’s wedding, and celebrate it with pomp and ceremony, arranging fireworks and singers and fulfilling other family customs, then, even though we can afford to lend him the money, we ought to take into account the principle of Ma‘r u f and Munkar and consider whom we are trying to help. The Holy Quran has similarly prescribed the condition of appropriateness in everything good that we do, so that we may progress spiritually as well as materially. With this I have fully answered Mi a G Sir a judd i n Sahib’s second question. I have made it clear that Islam did not wage wars against the Jews to force them to accept Tau hi d , rather the opponents of Islam instigated these wars through their own mischief. Some of them were guilty of raising the sword against the Muslims, some of helping the aggressors, and some of forcefully obstructing the propagation of Islam. It was to punish and subdue such aggressors that God Almighty permitted war. It is extremely unfair and outrageous to allege that the Holy Prophet sa did not fight his opponents for thirteen long years because he had not gained a position of strength. These objections would only be justified if his adversaries had not been responsible for the atrocities and bloodshed which had been committed in Mecca for thirteen years, or had not conspired to murder the Holy Prophet sa , nor to exile him from his homeland, or if he had left for Madina of his own free will without being persecuted. But even