The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam — Page xix
xvii preachers and teachers so that they might, in the context of a few published questions, set forth the beauties of their respective faiths. In such a conference, the true religion from God would definitely become patent. This was the objective of the conference. Every learned teacher and preacher knew that he was duty- bound to make evident the verities of his faith. The conference was being held so that the truth may become manifest and it was thus a God-given opportunity for them (the learned divines) to fulfil this objective. Such opportunities were not always available to us. Prevailing upon them further, Swāmī Ṣāḥib wrote: "If a person sees another suffering from a fatal disease, and he firmly believes that he holds the cure for the disease, and he also claims to have sympathy for the human race, then how is it possible for him to intentionally turn away when called upon to provide a remedy? My heart is filled with the desire to know which religion is the one replete with truth. I have not the words to express my fervour. " Representatives of various religions accepted Swāmī Ṣāḥib's invitation, and the Conference of Great Religions was held during the Christmas holidays of 1896. Each of the speakers was required to address five