Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 38
? 31 transmitted to as many as seven generations. In fact, in recent literature issued in Europe on the subject, I have read of cases where symptoms of this disease have been traced to as many as twenty generations though they differ significantly from the symptoms in the early stage of the disease. In short, this malady runs through the coming generations. Now this disease has not entered from outside. Its germs exist inside the patient. When weakness and debility overpower the mind, then either the nose-bridge would subside or some other symptom would appear, indicating the presence of the disease inside the body. But if the malady attacks from outside, for instance, a child whose father was not syphilitic but the child contracted the disease through contact with a patient in such a manner that he caught the disease, then in such a case we would not say that he inherited it from his father. However, we would say that he contracted it from outside. Similarly, all the agencies of evil listed by the Holy Quran are external. It did not say that since Adam had sinned, Satan will succeed in making him sinful. On the contrary, the Holy Quran said that he (the Satan) would tempt him and infuse fear and awe in him and invite him to an easy life of song and music and thus make him corrupt. In other words, all the agencies of evil are external and not internal. This is followed by إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانُ : another Divine observation 1 Bani Israil, 17:66