The First Meeting

Isabella having left,
Umar Lahmi and Muaz went to their houses and began to study the Holy Qur’aan
and the Bible and noted down important points to be discussed. Next morning
on Sunday the news of this discussion was known all over the city. The Christians
had made arrangements that only a few Muslims should be allowed to enter
the church. So many Muslims had to return disappointed. Umar Lahmi, Muaz
and some Muslim divines came to the church and entered it on getting permission.
They found eminent priests of Cordova present there busy in their worship.
After some time, however, the discussion began. Isabella and all her companions
were present.



Michael (Isabella's teacher): We have learnt that you have some doubts about
Christianity and have come here to resolve them and that you have promised
that on getting convincing reply you will forsake Islam and adopt Christianity.



Umar Lahmi: We have not the least doubt about Christian beliefs and teachings
but are fully convinced that doubts are baseless. But if you satisfy us and
convincingly explain your beliefs we are all certainly ready to become Christians.



Then Michael reckoned to an elderly man to take up the discussion. He came
forward and sat near Umar Lahmi. His name was Peter and he was known as an
expert in Arabic learning and Islamic literature and had to his credit many
books against Islam. He was supposed to be the most efficient debater against
Muslims. He addressed Umar.



Peter (in a superior, rather commanding, tone): I am told that your great objection
is why Saint Paul has called religious law a curse. But this is a minor and
side issue. You are Muslims and believe in the Qur’aan and, therefore,
the decision about Lord Jesus Christ and Christianity should be according to
the Qur’aan.



Umar Lahmi: I had clearly defined the subject of discussion in my letter as
you yourself admit, but now you want to discuss other matters. When I have
written that the discussion should be on the religious law and curse, what
objection can you have?



Peter: We will answer your question also but first let us deal with the basic
issue and that too from your Qur’aan. Does not your Qur'an say about
our Lord Jesus to be Ruhullah (the spirit of God), Kalimatullah (the word of
God)? Has it not been mentioned in.it that he used to bring the dead to life
? Then if you believe in the Qur'an, how an you doubt Lord Jesus being the
son of God ?



Umar Lahmi: You have started quite a different discussion which is not even
remotely concerned with our object. What I want is to understand the significance
of religious law and the curse. If you are prepared to discuss it, then do
it, otherwise let us take leave.



Peter: I put up the Qur'an before you and want that the basic issue should
be decided first. If you want to avoid the basic question and enter into side
issues, it means that you

have no answer to it.



Umar Lahmi: Well, you want to discuss the basic issue apart from your religion
and taking the cover of the Qur'an. If you want to discuss the basic issue,
let us first decide whether Adam did commit a sin and if it is decided that
he did, then we should discuss whether it passed on from generation to generation
to the entire humanity, that is on account of Adam's sin all human beings became
naturally sinners. If this has happened, we will discuss how the blot of sin
can be removed. Then we may discuss the chastity of Prophet Jesus (according
to the Bible). Thereafter yon shall have to prove that Jesus was God and he
only can absolve humanity of sin. When all this is proved, you shall have

to prove that Jesus was crucified and for all the sins he remained in Hell
for three days. This is to be discussed and not what the Qur'an says about
him.



Peter: All this is irrelevant. What I want is to prove from the Qur'an that
Jesus was the "Spirit of God" and the "Word of God" and
he brought the dead to life. Therefore Christian religion is just.



Umar Lahmi (pointing to Isabella): Now I appoint her the judge and ask her
why we were called here. (To Isabella :) Sister, you have to say now what I
wrote in my letter and why you brought us here.



Isabella: In fact the real talk was as to whether religious law is a curse
or not. If it is a curse, why do the Christians by following it become accursed?
But the objection of our holy father (Peter) is also justified and my judgment
is that first your objection should be met and then the Holy Father may put
questions on the Qur'an.



Umar Lahmi: This is for me to leave the ground open for you. Now, I give you
the promise that when you have dealt with our objection we will immediately
allow you to put general questions. But when, as I have promised, I embrace
Christianity, what need then there will be of any further questions?



Peter: Well, sir, then you state your question
clearly.



Umar Lahmi: You go on replying each of my questions one by one and the matter
will be clear. First, let me know whether not to steal, not to kill, not to
oppress the neighbour, etc., are religious commandments and whether they are
concerned with religious law.



Peter: Surely, all these are related to the
religious law.



Umar Lahmi: And what is Saint Paul's decree
about religious law ?



Peter: What decree? I do not follow.



Umar Lahmi: You do understand it well, but you want to evade answer. Just say
if Saint Paul has called religious law a curse.



Peter: Saint Paul has called religious law a curse in this respect that the
core of religious law came in the form of Jesus Christ and it is a folly to
leave the core and run after the skin.



Umar Lahmi: This is what I also mean that Saint Paul, taking Jesus as the soul
and religious law as the body, has called religious law a curse, and since,
as you said, this Commandment of Old Testament is related to religious law,
there-fore to refrain from killing and fornication is also a curse.



Peter: The thing is that you cannot understand these mysteries without the
help of the "Holy Ghost" and it is not necessary that a matter which
you cannot understand is in fact wrong. Saint Paul has called physical religious
law a curse and not all kinds of religious law.



Umar Lahmi: Agreed. Granted that Saint Paul has called physical religious law
a curse. Now just tell me if not to steal, not to fornicate, not to oppress
parents, etc., are physical religious law or simply internal, spiritual and
moral.



Peter: You are hitting on the same topic. Just listen. What Jesus Christ has
said is more preferable to what Saint Paul has said and our Lord has asked
us to follow the Commandments of the Old Testament.[See Bibl«, Matthew,
S : 19 to 10: 25.]



Umar Lahmi: That is, to obtain salvation it is necessary to follow the Old
Testament. If this is so, why did you raise the problem of Atonement by crucifying
the "Son of God”? Why this bogle of Atonement when it is necessary
to follow the Old Testament? Is it necessary to follow the Commandments of
the Old Testament even after the Atonement of Christ ?

Peter: We know nothing except that our Lord has directed us to follow the
Old Testament. But salvation cannot be gained by merely following the Old Testament
without Atonement.



Umar Lahmi: So Prophet Moses (Musa), David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulaiman), Joseph
(Yusuf), Noah (Nooh) and other prophets must have been deprived of salvation,
for their means of salvation was just following of the religious law. So also
must their communities have been deprived.



Peter: Before the advent of Christ the only means of salvation was following
the religious law, but the Lord's Atonement changed it and now the only means
is Atonement.



Umar Lahmi: First you rejected what Saint Paul had said that religious law
was not a curse and then you rejected religious law as the basis of salvation.
Can you quote any saint to prove that Saint Paul's saying that religious law
is a curse is hot true?



A person: Gentlemen, in fact it is apostasy and disbelief to talk of these
matters. All these elate to unseen mysteries. Saint Paul has certainly called
religious law a curse and it is really
so, but you people are unable to understand these mysteries. Our means of salvation
is the
divinity of Christ and Atonement, because Jesus was free from sins and an embodiment
of God, who by his grace and benevolence suffered on the cross in lieu of us
and gave us salvation.

Another person: Do not indulge in mutual quarrels. You have begun to refute
Saint Paul.

Umar Lahmi: This is the result of untrue
and baseless talks. Now, this other gentleman has broached the- subject of
Divinity and Atonement. First let the discussion of religious law and curse
be concluded.



Peter: You have been given a conclusive reply. Now you may take eight days
to ponder on the matter. If your doubts are not resolved during this time,
you may come here again.



Umar Lahmi: You do not regard religious law a curse and your colleague says
it is a curse and Saint Paul was correct. Which of you two is on the right?



Peter: Those who say this are not acquainted with the mysteries of Christian
religion. You should not attend to what they say.



Umar Lahmi (to Isabella): Now, you say which of them is on the right and whether
Saint Paul was wrong in calling religious law a curse. Isabella: I came here
to listen to your discussion and cannot intervene in any matter. But I will
request my teacher Michael to resolve this question by his great learning and
intelligence, since, apart from our honoured guests, I myself have not yet
understood it.



These words of Isabella fell like a bolt from the blue on the entire assembly
and everyone began to look askance at one another. Just then Michael got up.



Michael: Brethren, we have assembled here to search faith and it is certainly
a very auspicious task. But for it, it is necessary that there should be a
sincere heart and an urge to accept the truth. The question of faith is such
that no one can succeed by his own effort without Divine help. We should, therefore,
earnestly pray to God that He should manifest the truth to us through the help
of the "Holy Ghost" and reveal to us the mysteries of the Christian
faith. (Loud cries of Amen from all Christians.) Gentlemen, whether religious
law is a curse or not is an irrelevant question. The real thing is hat our
Mohammedan brethren have no knowledge of Christian creed and principles and
so they are indulging in polemics. The essence of our religion can be stated
just in two words, i.e. the Divinity of Christ and Atonement. One who has understood
these two has understood all the secrets of the Christian faith. How gracious

is God that He sent His only son for our salvation to suffer all the troubles
of this world and then at last he was killed on the cross as an atonement for
our sins. So I will request my friend Umar Lahmi and his associates to give
up the useless discussion of religious law and curse and think of the holy
personality of our Lord Jesus and his matchless atonement and embrace Christian
faith.



Umar Lahmi: We have not come here for mere talk. We follow a principle and
want to discuss basic problems. We have already defined the subject of our
talk in my note, whose witness is our sister Isabella here. Now, if you want
us to give up the real subject-matter and discuss the Divinity of Christ and
Atonement, I am ready for that also, provided you give me in writing that we
give up the subject of religious law and should talk on the Divinity of Christ
and Atonement.



Peter: We do not mean to say that you should not discuss these problems, but
that we may leave aside marginal issues and discuss basic problems.



Umar Lahmi: Then why did you call us here? Churches and mosques are not necessary
for discussion. If you do not want to discuss, then say so clearly so that
our time is not wasted.



Michael: You have misunderstood holy Peter's talk. He did not mean that we
should close the dialogue altogether. He only wanted to stress that you should
put questions by thinking over the basic problem. But it is already noon and
you may have to take lunch. Say when it will be convenient for you to come
again.



Umar Lahmi: This time is very convenient. No one can say whether we shall have
this auspicious occasion again.



Michael: But you have also to offer your
prayer.



Umar Lahmi: We can offer our prayer in this
very church.



Peter: I think we better take up the discussion
again next Sunday.



Umar Lahmi: I think the discussion should not be put off for so long. Possibly
we may be guided by Allah.



Michael: All right, we restart the discussion tomorrow at this time and continue
till midday.



Isabella: If the discussion to be put off for tomorrow, then it should not
end at noon but continue till the evening so that we may come to some conclusion.



Michael: Not at all, have we no other business?



Isabella: I think, no other business can be more important than this.



It was, however, decided that the discussion should begin in the morning and
continue till noon.



This concluded the first meeting. Umar Lahmi, thanking all Christians, leaves
for his home while the priests and Isabella remain sitting in the church.



One priest: It is regrettable that you gave the opportunity to these "unbelievers" to
raise objections and let the Christian faith be ridiculed. The only way to
treat these heathens is to put the Qur'an before them. Holy Peter did this
in the very beginning but, unfortunately, they cleverly wriggled out and took
up the discussion of religious law. If the same is done tomorrow also, we will
be badly let down, because what they enquire about is of the Divine secrets
which no one except saints can understand.



Michael: In fact, the discussion went into wrong channels in the very beginning,
otherwise they would have been let down by their own Qur'an. Does not the Qur'an
say that our Lord Jesus is the "life-giver" and brings the dead to
life? Does not the Qur'an call him the "Spirit of God" and the "Word
of God”?



Peter: But, now, the subject of discussion for tomorrow has been defined. It
will be on the Divinity of Christ and Atonement. See how cleverly I wanted
them to divert from it, but Michael put them again on it.



Michael: Do not blame me. It is all your
handiwork.



Another priest: What is the use of indulging
in mutual quarrels. It will be seen tomorrow, when Divinity of the Lord will
come under discussion that our Christian religion is not a soft morsel which
anyone can swallow at a gulp.



After this conversation all the Christians left the church and dispersed. Isabella
also left with her companions and made for her home. On her way she spoke to
her companions.



Isabella: Just see, behind the back of Muslims they boast that Muslims cannot
stand before them, but when they were faced with Muslims they were thoroughly
exposed. I am sorry that my father had to leave immediately after leading the
prayer as he had full confidence in the ability and learning of Michael and
Peter, otherwise he would have silenced these Muslims.



One companion: In fact, the problem is a bit too tough. What even your father
could have done ?



Another companion: In fact, our beliefs and dogmas are poor. Otherwise our
priests would not have been so beaten.



Isabella: God forbid ! Just a single discussion has upset you. Our beliefs
are certainly well founded, but there should be someone to explain them. Now,
tomorrow the Divinity of Christ will be discussed and you will see how badly
they will fare.



They had now reached a crossroad where all the girls turned towards their respective
homes.