Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 191
191 Malfuzat – Volume IV instead turned a weak mortal into God. As for the rights due to God’s creation, they have disfigured them to such an extent that there is no way to set them right. The entire teaching of the Gospel leans to one side and it cannot nurture all of the faculties given to human beings. Firstly, by accepting the concept of Atonement there can be no way to prevent the infringement of the rights due to humanity at large. For when a person accepts that the blood of the Messiah has removed and cleansed the impurity of sin—even though blood cannot cleanse filth in ordi - nary circumstances either—the Christians ought to tell us what, pragmatically, prevents them from creating disorder in the world? How can one believe for cer - tain that any punishment would be given for stealing, usurping another person’s wealth, robbery, murder, or giving false testimony? If despite believing in the con - cept of Atonement, a sin is still a sin, then I fail to understand what is the meaning of Atonement and what have the Christians gained from it? Therefore, in order to completely fulfil the rights of humanity, Allah the Exalted vested human beings with various faculties, and the purpose was that we would use these faculties in the appropriate instances to benefit humanity at large. However, the Gospel lays all of its emphasis on the faculties of forbearance and meekness, even though they can have the influence of a deadly poison in certain circumstances. The System of Spiritual Life So our civic life, which is built on the social interaction of people possessing vari - ous dispositions, inherently demands by virtue of this very mixing and structure that we employ all of our faculties at the appropriate time and place. However, the Gospel has completely ignored the importance of gauging the situation and circumstances at hand, and blindly gives the same teaching in every instance. Is turning the other cheek when slapped on the first a teaching that can ever be adopted in the practical sense? Have you ever seen anyone give their cloak also to the one who asks for their shirt? Can any man, no matter how ardent a lover he may be of the Gospel teaching, ever hand over his daughter to the evil and wicked man who attacks his wife? Of course not. Just as it is necessary for us to consume various foods according to the changing weather and seasons, and dress accordingly as well for the health and wellbeing of our body, so too, regulation is necessary for the wellbeing of the soul and to develop and nurture its faculties and properties. In our physical way of life, just p. 457