The Holy War — Page 14
14 by inductive reasoning, they would not be able to break them. But if we are just, and love for the truth is our habit, and if we truly consider this person to be a revered person, and yet we find in his writings such words as are contrary to observed and experienced truths, then for the sake of his reverence, we would ignore the apparent meaning of his words and try and find an interpretation, by resorting to which, the honour of the revered personage may remain intact. It would, however, never be the case that those truths that have been proven to be certain and decisive through inductive reasoning could be averted based upon a single narration. If someone thinks on these lines, then the burden of proof lies upon him to provide some facts supporting and verifying such a narration that goes against the present, decisive and conclusive inductive proofs. For example, the person who debates and argues and disputes say- ing that Sir! Certainly, in previous ages people used to see with the tongue and used to talk with the nose , such a one should present proof of this. And till such time that such proof is not presented, it is very far indeed from the dignity of a civilized, intelligent man that, relying on such writings which—even if they are taken to have been accurately con- veyed—could have scores of interpretations, he should adopt those meanings which are opposed and repugnant to proven truths. If, for example, it is stated to a doctor that arsenic and the poison that is prepared from bitter almonds, etc. are not poisonous, and that even if many pounds in weight of these are given to children to eat, no harm will come to them and—by way of proof—he is told that this is what is written in such and such holy book and that the narrators from whom this material has reached us are reliable; would that doctor— out of regard for that holy book—abandon such a fact that has been proven by inductive reasoning? In short, since inductive reasoning occupies the status of the high- est order in establishing truth in the world, Allah, the Lord of Glory, has mentioned inductive reasoning at the very start, stating: