Talim-ul-Quran — Page 219
attitude of theirs towards the Holy Prophet resembles that of Cain towards Abel. The. Surah proceeds to state that while Jews and Christians lose no opportunity to oppose. Islām, they themselves have become so depraved as to have ceased to act upon their own religious Scriptures and are increasingly becoming ignorant of the teachings of their own religions. They are told that if they do not see their way to accepting Islām they should at least follow their own Scriptures and abide by their own Law. But if, owing to the political supremacy of Islām they have sometimes to seek the judgement of the Islamic. Government, that judgement will and must inevitably be according to the Qur'anic Law. . Then attention of the Muslims is drawn to the great change that has come over their political position and they are told that as the power of the infidels has been finally broken and Christians now are to be the principal enemies, and Jews in spite of their enmity towards Christianity, are to side with Christians, they (Muslims) should be on their guard against both of them. Some light is then shed on the stratagems and machinations employed by the enemies of Islām to turn Muslims away from their Faith and to lower in their estimation. After this, importance of the preaching of Islām is impressed upon. Muslims. They are told that the one real method effectively to defeat the activities of Jews and Christians is to preach the Message of Islām to them and to bring home to them its truth from their own Scriptures. It should also be made clear to them that now their salvation lies in Islām and, that their idolatrous beliefs are false, particularly the doctrine that Jesus was son of God. Similarly, mention is made of Jews who, by opposing and persecuting the two great Prophets - David and Jesus - incurred God's displeasure. Their attention is drawn to their past faults and failings, and Christians being more amenable to accepting the commandments about what is lawful and what is unlawful; commandments about oaths; about the use of wine and games of chance and about hunting; and also commandments regarding criticism of religion and ordinances about religious rites and ceremonies and about evidence. Last of all a somewhat detailed mention is made of the particular circumstances of Jesus's ministry, and it is shown that they closely resemble those of other Prophets of God and that therefore there was nothing of Godhead or. Divinity about him and that all material progress of Christian people was due to a prayer of his. But they have made improper use of their material progress and prosperity and have succumbed to polytheistic beliefs and practices. God will, on the Day of Judgernent, establish their guilt and put them to shame from the mouth of Jesus himself. The Sūrah ends with the declaration that to God belongs the Kingdom of heavens and the earth and. He has power over all things, which implies the hint that the belief that the Kingdom of. God is only in heaven as the Christians say, has no foundation 219