Islam, the Perfect and True Religion

Isabella did not say anything after this and all those present were struck
dumb. The Christian women put their heads down in humility, while Muslims seemed
to be pleased in their minds. The Christian woman herself sat silent and found
no word to say. When Isabella noticed her helplessness she spoke again.



Isabella : Well, you must be tired now. Let us put off the discussion till
tomorrow. Now, say at what time will you be able to come?



Christian woman : I will not rise without finally deciding about truth and
falsehood right now. But probably you are tired.



Isabella : From me you are at ease to continue the talk day and night and do
not go till truth and falsehood are sorted out. What I said was for your convenience.



Christian woman : In fact, I am resolved to carry the discussion till the last
point. Now, just say what was the need of Islam when Christianity prevailed.



Isabella: If Islam had not come, truth would not have been brought here to
the world. It was Islam which revived the teachings of Apostles and taught
people purity and cleanness/ I tell you briefly a few reasons for the coming
of Islam :



(1) Islam by its advent perfected religion, for teaching of previous revealed
Books were suited for their own time and had no universal appeal. The Quran
filled the gap.



(2) True teachings of Prophets were corrupted by their followers which the
Quran purified. For instance, Christians, by deifying Jesus Christ, had built
up the rotten structure of assigning partners to Allah which was pulled down
first. Islam brought the light of the sun of God's unity and presented the
true form of God's Glory and Mercy to the world.



(3) Ahl-i-Kitab (People of the Book) had attributed many shameful acts to Prophets,
calling some of them liars, cheats and adulterers and thus making all Prophets
sinners. Islam strongly refuted these charges and restored the real nobility
and dignity of Prophets.



(4) Ahl-i-Kitab (People of the Book), by inter-preting their sacred Books,
had manipulated them and so people's trust on all revealed Books was lost.
The Quran exposed their mischief and fraud and presented all the real teachings
of previous Books anew, and now we have no need of any other book as the Quran
includes teachings of all the Books revealed to Prophets.



(5) Since previous Prophets and their revealed Books were for particular periods
and particular people, so they did not contain laws which were needed by men
till the last day. The gap was filled by the Quran and, after completing the
code of religion, proclaimed that needs of all humanity are served in it by
which men will be benefited till the Day of Judgment.

Do you now realise why Islam came to the
world ?



Christian woman : All these are mere claims without arguments, you neither
mentioned any miracle of your Prophet nor proved his Prophet-hood. The question
of his teachings comes after these problems are resolved.

Isabella : You asked me to say what was the need of the advent of Islam and
I briefly narrated some of the needs. Now it is for you to meet these arguments.
I have already given you the proof of miracles and have put up to you such
a living miracle which can be seen by all the world today, that is, the Quran
and its challenge. If the Quran is not the" Word of Allah, then bring
just one verse to compare with it. But it is just this which the world could
not accomplish. As to the Prophet being a Messenger of Allah its proof is in
this very miracle. When not even one verse can be produced to compare with
it, then it is established that it is the Word of Allah and the person who
brought it can only be True Apostle of Allah. Another proof is that the Prophet,
after his getting Prophethood, gave such a reform to the world and in his own
lifetime made entire Arabia to bow before Allah. Can an example of this type
be found in any false prophet? Just name even one fraudulent man who would
have performed this great reforming task.



Christian woman : Whatever you say, your Prophet is not fit to be obeyed. How
can a person who had shed blood all his life and married so many women be ever
a reformer? Look at the purity of our Lord, that he never married all his life.



Isabella : Well, your lord was God and did not need married life, for it is
man who needs marriage. As our Prophet was a human being like others, he contracted
marriages. But just name any other Prophet who, in spite of being a human being,
had not married.



Christian woman : The perfect man is one who is distinguished from others.



Isabella : But you believe your Lord to be God, Son of God.



Christian woman : But along with this our Lord was also a perfect man.



Isabella : Did he eat and drink ?



Christian woman : Why not? His eating and drinking was not in his capacity
of God but in the capacity of man.



Isabella : Then, how was your Lord distinguished ? What is the definition of
perfect man ?



Christian woman : The perfect man is one in whose obeying there is no difficulty.



Isabella : Quite right. Now, you yourself have clarified the point. How can
a Christian who has wife and children follow his Lord in his home life ? Similarly,
how can Christians who are fighting against Muslims and idolaters follow their
Lord in military matters ?



Christian woman : Our Lord neither fought any battle nor married. So the question
does not arise,



Isabella : You have defined perfect man as one in following whom no difficulty
arises. But here a great difficulty has arisen, for a man with a wife and children
has no model for him in your Lord because he remained unmarried all his life.
In the same way for the man staking his life in a battle, for him Christ cannot
be a model.



Christian woman (after some silence): Our Lord is the model for spiritual life.
What concern he has with physical life ?



Isabella : Quite right, Jesus Christ can be a model in spiritual life and not
in physical life. So for physical life another guide should be found. In this
aspect your Lord is wanting. But the being who can be a model both for spiritual
and physical life is only one. Man is neither only physical that he needs just
a worldly guide. Just as man is a combination of spirit and body, he needs
a guide who can rightly guide him in both the spheres of life and whose life
can be a model in the whole life of man. There is no doubt that Prophet Moses'
life was of Dignity, while the life of Jesus Christ was of Grace, but the life
of the Last Prophet, Muhammad, was of Perfection. Just as his life was a model
for the prayerful, pious and for sufi, so also for a man of the world, a merchant
and even for a king, The Prophet Muhammad grazed goats in early life, then
retired to the seclusion of the cave of Hira for meditation.

He traded in Syria,
then married Khadijah and, taking to household life, preached from the top
of mount Faran and in the lanes of Mecca, went to preach in Taif and among
the tribes of Hejaz and suffered at the hands of enemies and opponents, served
the starving people, looked after orphans and widows of the community, migrated
from Mecca to Medina, made pacts with Jews of Medina, built mosques, settled
disputes between parties, led prayers, delivered speeches at different places,
trained armies in the battles of Badr and Uhud and led them as a commander,
exhibited the highest military skill,- and then prayed at night and for so
long a time that his feet swelled and cracked. So, in fact, all the ways
and means and models of life's requirements are found in the sacred, perfect
life of our Holy Prophet Muhammad. Just as for one who grazes goats as well
as for a great trader his life is a model, so also for a preacher and for a
traveller and an emigrant his sacred life is worth following, so also for a
retired devotee he is a good guide and his teaching a model for worldly men
of homely life.

And his teach-ing provides perfect regulations, for
international life as also for the need of the dweller of forests. Just as
his plan of work is a guide in the battlefield, so also he is a good model
for people in the days of peace and security. In short, in household life,
preaching, trading, leadership, sermonising and leading prayers, retired
life, tending cattle, formulating laws, ruling as king, and in happiness and
mourning, marriage and divorce, life and death, teaching and training children
and whatever tasks come in man's civilised life there is nothing for which
there is not a model in the perfect life of the Prophet. Thus perfection of
life and all embarrassing needs of life are found neither in the life of Prophet
Moses, nor in Prophet Jesus. So in justice and honesty we are bound to say
that the Last Prophet Muhammad embodies in him all spiritual and physical codes
of human life and of glory as well as grace. Any man of the world who is in
search of a correct plan of actions for this world or the next for him in all
honesty there is no other course but to take cover under the vast and merciful
shade of the Last of the Prophets, Muhammad, and his sacred and complete life,
his code of conduct.

The entire assembly was struck dumb after
this speech of Isabella and even the Christian woman with all her claim of
performing miracles was entranced. When Isabella found the Christian woman
sunk in humility and remorse, she apologised to all guests and said good-bye
to them.



It is reported by Abu Hafs that the effect of this speech was that many of
the Christian women present at the meeting accepted Islam and after some years
even that Christian woman also accepted Islam at the truthful hands of Isabella.
But it did not happen all at once ; it took a few years for the amenable souls
to come under the shade of Divine Grace and Mercy.



So long as Isabella lived she continued to render magnificent services to Islam.
On the one hand she silenced Christians and on the other hand poured an ocean
of learning in traditions and interpretation of the Holy Quran, and thousands
of Muslim divines were benefited by her learning. She lived up to the age of
eighty. All Spain mourned her death and millions offered her funeral prayer.



THE END

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