A new bi-weekly series, in which excerpts are presented from the book, Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran. A highly recommended introduction to Islam. Author of said book, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, second successor of Promised Messiah (as)
God of the Bible-A National God
Religion has a twofold purpose: (i) it enables man to meet his Maker; and (ii) it
teaches him his duty towards his fellowmen. All religions existing at the advent of
Islam were not only different but mutually contradictory. The Bible talked not of
God, but of the God of Israel. We read in it again and again:
And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me.
And also thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath given
one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said,
Amen, and praised the Lord.
And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying...
God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
Jesus also regarded himself as a Teacher for Bani Isra’il. If others approached him,
he would send them away. In Matthew 15:21-26 we read:
Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Jesus also taught the apostles:
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you
Vedas Also a National Scripture
Among the followers of the Vedas, the reading of the Vedas had become so
exclusive a prerogative of the high castes that Gotama Rishi says:
If a Sudra happens to hear the Vedas then it is the king’s duty to drop molten
lead and wax into his ears; if a Sudra were to recite the Vedic Mantras the king
should cut off his tongue and if he try to read the Vedas, the king should cut his
body
The teaching about ‘foemen’ in the Vedas is extreme and barbarous.
In the Atharva-Veda the orthodox are taught to put the non-Vedics in chains and
to plunder their houses:
Consume, with lion aspect, all their hamlets, with tiger aspect, drive away thy
foemen. Sole lord and leader and allied with Indra, seize, conqueror, thine
enemy’s possessions.
Similarly Vedic prayers addressed to the sun, moon, fire, Indra, and even grass,
seek the destruction of the non-Vedic dharmis. Thus we have:
Bewildering the senses of our foemen, seize thou their bodies and depart, O Apva.
Attack them, set their hearts on fire and burn them: so let our foes abide in utter darkness.
Whetting thy bolt and thy sharp blade,
O Indra, crush thou the foe and scatter,
Those who hate us.
Blind, O my foemen, shall ye be even as headless serpents are: may Indra slay each best of you, when Agni’s flame hath struck you down.
Cleave through, O Darbha, amulet, my foes, my adversaries heart;
Rise thou and batter down their heads.
We also have:
Do not hold discourses with non-Vedic dharmis.
Should anyone criticize the Vedas, turn him out of the country, that is, condemn him to a life-sentence.
Confucianism and Zoroastrianism also were national religions. They did not address their Messages to the whole world, nor did they try to teach on any large scale. Just as Hinduism regards India as God’s favoured land, so does Confucianism regard China as God’s own kingdom. There are only two ways to resolve this division and
disagreement between religions: either we must hold that there are several gods, or, if
God is one, we must prove Him so. Or we must have these conflicting religions
replaced by one Teaching.
Will be continued...
Can't wait, read the full book online at https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Introduction-Study-Holy-Quran.pdf