Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 397
2 May 1908 397 that Muslims indeed were subjected to wanton oppression. In short, look at any aspect and from any angle and see whether the Muslims of that time were the oppressed party or not? If God had not given permission to those few weak Muslims to raise their sword to defend their lives and had not permitted them to fight defensively even at that critical and dangerous juncture, should He have allowed them to be eliminated from the face of this earth? Under those circumstances, it was their right to defend themselves by any standards—religious or con- ventional. And yet, that has been the cause of criticism even to this day, and the bigoted and ignorant opponents refuse to forget. So now, do these people wish to renew these allegations and alienate people from Islam by advancing the concept of a bloodthirsty Mahdi? Look, the Holy Prophet s as , has clearly stated vis-a-vis the Mahdi َ َضَع ُ الْحَرْب ی َ َضَع ُ الْحَرْب ی that he would bring an end to wars and that war would be an intellectual war. The pen would carry out the work of the sword. The world would be conquered with spiritual insights, heavenly blessings, and miraculous Signs. And the ascendancy of Islam would be established through conclusive arguments and refulgent proofs and the true religion would be made to stand distinct by fresh prophecies from the unseen and Divine acts of support. It is not enough to say that we possess plentiful miracles from the past. You should know that you have nothing that exceeds the stories and fables mentioned in the manuscripts of the Hindus and the scriptures of the Christians and the Jews. If you present stories, they will be able to present far more impressive stories. If the standard of truth of Islam has been reduced to mere sto- ries and fables, then you should know that this matter has been rendered dubious.