Malfuzat – Volume II — Page 195
195 The Benefits of Religious Freedom Then, among the many blessings that we have received during the rule of this government and which have supported the cause of religion, one is the remark- able advancement of intellectual faculties and mental abilities. Since the admin- istration has given each and every religion the freedom to preach their faith, in this way the people now have an opportunity to scrutinise and reflect over the principles and arguments of every faith. When the followers of various religions attacked Islam, the Muslims were pressed to ponder over their own religious texts in support of their religion and to prove its truthfulness, and in this way their intellectual faculties were refined. It is a matter of principle that just as physical strengths improve with exercise, spiritual faculties also are developed and nurtured with exercise, just as a horse is disciplined by a trainer. Similarly, with the arrival of the British, people have received an opportunity to reflect over the principles of religion. Those who reflect have in turn become more firm and steadfast in Islam—the Religion of Truth. Further, wherever an opponent of the Holy Quran has put their finger to object, it is from that very place that those who contemplate have found a treasure of divine insight. Moreover, due to this freedom, the field of dialectics has also advanced a considerable degree, especially here. Now if someone from Turkey or Syria was to come here—no matter how knowledgeable and learned a scholar—they would not be able to sufficiently refute the objections raised by the Christians or Aryas, because that individual would not have been as able to receive such free and wide exposure to the principles of various religions so as to cross-examine between them. Therefore, just as the country has found physical peace through the British gov- ernment, so too we have attained spiritual peace as well. Since I am concerned with spiritual and religious affairs, I will speak mostly of those favours granted to us by the government, which have facilitated us in fulfilling our religious obliga- tions. The Conditions for the Observance of Worship It ought to be remembered that a human being can only observe the various rites of worship with complete freedom and satisfaction when four conditions are met. They are as follows: