The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 99
T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH 99 against Islam by the Christians and others, the same are also appli- cable to their own scriptures. Thus, it is obvious that if the fear of the law becomes a deterrent, such criticism shall cease to exist in the future, and the ones which have been levelled in the past, shall stand exposed. And by taking this approach, the brilliant face of Islam shall become visible to all, and the artifices of the charlatans shall be unravelled. So do not hide the truth and do not be dis- honest, and fear Him whose wrath is a consuming inferno. I have also heard your statement that you cannot sign this petition since you have already been terribly embarrassed in the matter of Abdullah Atham. How can I respond to this except to say that you have, indeed, been terribly embarrassed in the matter of the prophecy relating to Atham, and you have nothing left. I agree that it is absolutely true that you lost face by this prophecy and great humiliation visited you, but I still do not know what, in your estimation, is the cause of this embarrassment and humilia- tion. However, by looking at the events related to the prophecy and your obduracy, it appears that this humiliation is necessarily due to two reasons, and there is no third reason. 1. Firstly, your heart was thrashed by the fact that Atham, through his words and deeds, and through his own confes- sion, proved the veracity of this prophecy. And by shirking from taking the oath, he drew the attention of people towards the stipulation mentioned in the prophecy, which unequivo- cally stated that if he turned to the truth , this chastisement would not befall him. Therefore, if you are embarrassed at the fact that—contrary to your desire—the Christians are so van- quished that they cannot show their faces, then your condition