The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 303
302 Α'ΙΝΑ-Ε-ΚΑMĀLĀT-E-ISLAM-DAFI UL-WASĀWIS or destitute person who is as downtrodden as Islam. Most of the well- to-do people live a life of luxury. They have no time to spare from building their worldly mansions, from catering to their pleasure, and- to some extent-spending for earning a good name and reputation. The maulawi class is entangled in their own selfish bickering. They neither have the ability nor the zeal for inviting towards Islam, nor do they have any concern or passion for it. All they can do is to declare their own people, their own brethren, their own fellow Muslims, and their own fellow reciters of the same Kalimah, facing the same Qiblah to be kāfir [disbelievers], to call them dajjal [deceivers], to brand them faith- less, to issue edicts banning social relations with them, and announcing that it is unlawful to perform their funeral prayers, and they deserve various adverse appellations. And the scions of saintly houses and her- mits of today who are known as 'godly people' are just sitting with their ears stuffed with cotton. Islam is being beaten like an innocent child in front of their eyes. The enemy is about to strangle him but these hard- hearted so-called hermits couldn't care less. From whom, then, should Islam look for help? To whom should it appeal for sympathy? Firstly, all of these sections of society are incapa- ble of serving Islam in any way. And if ever any of them does an uncom- mon happy service to Islam, it is not free from ostentation or ulterior motives. Thus, if Islam is not destitute today, when would it be? If these are not the days of misery, when would they be? I declare on the basis of certain and conclusive revelation from Almighty God that these are the very days of serious calamities and it is the age of the Antichrist which had been foretold by the Immaculate Prophet, peace be upon him. The present-day foolish maulawis deny that it is the age of the great Antichrist or of the greater catastrophes, but this denial of theirs will be valid only if they can point to any par- allel from the days of Adam to the present day, to the great catastro- phes which are knocking at the very crux of Islam. And because this age is totally deprived of virtue, and because genuine taqwā has