The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 296
ARGUMENT FOR SAYYED AHMAD KHAN 295 cognition when all their spiritual difficulties are resolved. But—alas!— man is hasty and fails to adopt this course. Almighty God has promised in the Noble Quran that if a man only believes the Noble Prophet to be true and if he then tries to discover the true reality of the unseen through spiritual effort, the same would be disclosed to him through visions and ilhām [inspiration], and the faith of such an individual would be raised up to the stage of irfān [divine cognition]. The truth of this promise has always been made manifest to the holy ones who seek Almighty God through spiritual effort. In short, what is above the ordinary understanding of believers should not be sought by begging at the door of the school of philosophers or by asking the way from one who has lost it himself. Rather, they are granted the stage of Divine cognition through sincerity and persever- ance. That is the stage where all their spiritual difficulties are resolved. Do not be disheartened by the furious struggle going on in this age between religion and science and the attack upon religion being made by science, wondering what to do. Be sure that in this struggle Islam has no need to sue for peace like a conquered and helpless adversary. Rather, this is the age of Islam's spiritual sword, just as there has been in the past an age of its temporal might. Bear in mind this prophecy that, in this battle too, the enemy would very soon be vanquished with disgrace and Islam would be triumphant. The new learning of this age may launch attacks ever so severe with ever so new weapons, but they are doomed to suffer defeat. I say this in a spirit of gratitude of the blessed favour that I have been granted knowledge of the great powers of Islam, on the basis of which I can make the assertion that Islam will not only remain secure from the attacks of modern knowledge, but will, instead, prove the ignorance of all present knowledge which is against it. The Kingdom of Islam has nothing to fear from the invasion of philosophy and science. The days of its grandeur are at hand, and I can clearly see the heavenly Signs of its triumph. This glory is spiritual and the triumph is also spiritual, so