The Holy War — Page 159
Proceedings—Debate 30 May 1893 159 silk that man uses, involve the killing of countless living creatures. And the meat of the finest animals that is consumed daily by the Christian gentlemen, we are unable to discover in lieu of what sin all this is taking place. Now that it has been proven that Allah, the Lord of Glory, shows wrath without recompense and we see no compensation being meted out, so in this situation showing mercy without recompense seems most worthy and befitting from a moral standpoint. The Messiah as also counselled the forgiving of sins, that you should forgive the faults of those who trespass against you. If this act of forgiving sins is against the attributes of Allah Almighty, Lord of Glory, then why would man receive such teachings? Indeed, the Messiah says that I tell you not seven times, but up to seventy times seven1; in other words, go on for- giving sins up to this degree. Now look how when man is taught, he is told to go on forgiving those who sin against him without limit and ask for no recompense, but God Almighty says that I will certainly not forgive without receiv- ing some recompense—what kind of teaching can this be? Indeed, the Messiah says at one place that make your morals similar to the morals of God; He causes the sun and the moon to rise equally upon the sinners and the saints and showers His Mercy upon every wrongdoer and innocent one. If these are the ways of God then how is it possible for the Messiah to give such teachings as are against the morals of God; in other words, if the morals of God Almighty are that no one can be free till he is punished, why did Jesus advise others to practice forgiveness? Also, when we look carefully, we notice that sinners have always been forgiven by the intercession of the pious; see Numbers 14:19, Numbers 12:13, Deuteronomy 9:19, Exodus 8:8. Then, apart from this, we ask that on the basis of the division that you have done of sin, which appears to be of three types: Innate; rights due to God; and rights due to the creatures of God; so you can 1. Matthew 18:23 [Publisher]