Chapter 2

Religions are either,

line

Observe that a pure Religion, such as true Islam, comes in between false Religions and mistaken or mixed Religions, just as the Quranic Path of Grace lies between the Path of Sin and the Path of Error. It is the mean between two extremes.

3. It is not Islam to believe that there has been no true religion besides Islam.30Such an erroneous belief leads to intolerance, thereby begetting bigotry and fanaticism تعصب. It iscontrary to the teaching of the Qur'an and the Prophet. The first verse of the second Sura الم = سورة بقرة commands us to believe in not only what was revealed to Muhammad but also in what was revealed to those who went before him. It clearly indicates that there are, and will ever be, many true religions of which Islam is one. Almost the first saying of our Prophet reported in collections of his traditions احاديث is "whoever says 'there is no god but God,' will attain Salvation"i.e., will obtain eternal bliss. This shews clearly that all religions which inculcate belief in one God are true religions—are right Paths of Grace which lead to eternal bliss. Observe that most Muhammadans (not Muslims) of to-day have forgotten this principle and have therefore become intolerant fanatics,31which accounts largely for the loss of political power of most Muhammadan Governments of modern times.

4. Neither is it Islam to believe that all religions are true. Such an erroneous belief leads to indifference, thereby begetting caprice and impiety. It is obviously contrary to the teaching ofthe Qur'an and the Prophet, for they both denounce many a false religion. If everybody thinks that every religion is true, there will be no two men professing the same religion, and there will be no real agreement between their thoughts and actions. Co-operation32اتفاق و ايحاد among men (which is the root of Family, Society and State) would tend to become impossible. Note that it is the indifference to religion and the consequent impiety of some of the Muhammadans of to-day that accounts mostly for their lack of co-operation, and for their loss of political power in modern times. Degradation is the lot offaithlessMuslims, for as the Qur'an says, "Ye will be exalted only if ye be faithful Muslims."

From what has been said you can easily infer that we should adopt the mean between two extremes and must therefore believe that neither are all religions true nor are they all false, but thatsome religionsare true and that Islam is one of them. The characteristic mark of true religions is belief in one God; and this indeed is the reason why Muslims are permitted to eat and live with, and even marry, Jewesses, Christians and others who believe in one God and possess sacred Scriptures.

5. I, for one, would not hesitate to call all Monotheists (Jews, Christians, and other Unitarians موحدين)Muslims, because they believe in one God: but I would not call themMominsمومن,because they do not believe in one God in accordance with the teaching of our Prophet. You know that our Creed كلمة consists of two parts:—

(i) There is no god but God,(ii) And Muhammad is His Messenger.

Those who believe in the first part are Muslims (مسلم = the peaceful)33and those who believe in the first as well as the second part of the Creed are Momins (مومن = the faithful). Both Muslims and Momins are believers in one God; the only difference between them is that Muslims may not (like Momins) accept Muhammad as their guide in the belief. The Qur'an (iii. 83) defines Islam thus:—

Say ye; We believe in God, and that which hath been sent down (revealed) to us, and that which hath been sent down to Abraham and Ismail and Issac and Jacob and the tribes; and that which hath been given to Moses and to Jesus and that which was given to the Prophets from their Lord. No difference do we make between them—and to God we are resigned (Muslims).

6."There is no deity but God." Since God is One, His Revelation to Man cannot be other than one and the same for all time. There has therefore been and will ever be but one true religion. That religion is Islam. إن الدين عند الله الاسلام "Verily the (only) religion with God is Islam" (Q. iii 17). All the prophets from Adam toMuhammad received but one and the same Revelation and therefore preached Islam and Islam only. ذالك الدين اقيم "It was (and is) the standard religion"—Q. xii. 41.34

Whenever any people went astray and deserted Islam for idolatry a prophet arose among them to preach Islam and bring them back to righteousness.35Each prophet or messenger of God did nothing but try to restore the universal religion to its pristine simplicity and purity.

It was only in interpreting the Revelation and applying it to the practical needs of their age, that successive prophets and their followers differed; and the differences gave rise to the so-calledreligionsand religious systems of the world.

Note 6.

"Islam" and "not-Islam".

Imust devote this Note also to my observations on "Islam" and "not-Islam" in order to prepare you for a just appreciation of my contention that there are many good religions in the world but Islam is the best of them36.

1. The Prophet Muhammad lived and died more than thirteen hundred years ago. There are now on the face of the earth no less than 250 millions (= 25 crores) of human beings who profess his religion, and who love and respect him just as his own immediate followers loved and respected him. These two simple facts are enough to prove—

(1) that there must be something real and true in the religion professed by so many people, and(2) that the man who preached and established it must have been both great and good to an extraordinary degree;

(1) that there must be something real and true in the religion professed by so many people, and

(2) that the man who preached and established it must have been both great and good to an extraordinary degree;

for common experience leads us to conclude (a) that nothing which is false or unreal can survive centuries of change and (b) that none whois not good and great can be loved and respected by millions of men. No Muslim or Momin need therefore believe in any thing more than:—

(i) that Islam is a real and true religion, and(ii) that Muhammad was a very great and good man.37

(i) that Islam is a real and true religion, and

(ii) that Muhammad was a very great and good man.37

Thus, your belief in one God لا اله الالله makes you a Muslim38(=peaceful), no matter by what other name you call yourself; and your belief in the goodness and greatness39of Muhammad محمد رسول الله makes you a Momin (=faithful), no matter by what name others may call you. Let me quote here a passage from Sir Edwin Arnold's Preface to his beautiful poem "The Pearls of Faith: the Ninety-Nine Names of Allah:" اسماء حسنى

"The soul of Islam is its declaration of theunityof God: its heart is the inculcation of an absoluteresignationto His will. Not more sublime, in religious history appears the figure of Paul the tent-maker, proclaiming 'the

Unknown God' at Athens, than that of the camel-driver Muhammad, son of Abdullah and Amina, abolishing all the idols of the Arabian Pantheon, except their chief—Allahu ta 'Ala, God the Most High—and under that ancient and well-received appellation establishingthe one-ness of the origin, government, and life of the Universe. Thereby that marvellous and gifted Teacher created a vast empire of new belief and new civilization, and prepared a sixth part of humanity for thedevelopments and reconciliationswhich later times will bring. For Islam must be conciliated; it cannot be thrust scornfully aside or rooted out. It shares the task of the education of the world with its sister religions, and it will contribute its eventual portion to

—"that far-off divine event Towards which the whole creation moves."

Theitalicsare mine. I shall have to refer to them in my subsequent Notes. Observe, the cosmopolitan poet uses only the word "Islam" and not "Muhammadanism".

2. It is not Islam or Eman ايمان to deify Muhammad or to represent him to be akin to God, as sometimes some Moulvies represent him and call him "the One (Ahad) in the guise of Ahmad40." Our Prophet himself never claimedthat he was anything more than a mere man. Indeed, he taught us all to say اثهد ان لا اله الا الله و اثهد ان محمداً عبده و رسوله that he was but "a servant and messenger of God." The only thing he ever claimed for himself was that God had chosen him to be a messenger رسول to convey His messages to men. "That an immense mass of fable and silly legend," says Rodwell, "has been built up upon the basis of the Qur'an, is beyond a doubt; but for this Muhammad is not answerable,41any more than he is for the wild and bloodthirsty excesses of his followers in after ages."

3. God's messages which Muhammad delivered to men were all collected soon after his death and are preserved intact in a remarkable book called theQur'an—a book which has lived through no less than thirteen centuries without undergoing the least alteration in a single word or even a dot! The difference in the messages contained in the Qur'an and the ordinary sayings of the Prophet reported in books on Hadis حديث is simply this:—that when delivering God's messages Muhammad himself felt, and those who were in his company witnessed, that he was inspired by some divine energy or power which impelled him to say what he said; whereas at other times, when he was talking like an ordinary man, no signs of divine energy or inspiration were visible. It will carry me toofar if I endeavour to explain here the real nature of "the divine inspiration" under which he delivered what he and others believed to be "divine messages". You will understand it if you read such books as Professor James'sVarieties of Religious Experience. Let us, like good Momins, take it as afact, what our Prophet's intimate companions صحابة vouched, that he appeared to be quite a different man when he uttered such messages. Their style or matter itself even to this day proves to all unbiassed minds that they are no ordinary sayings of an ordinary man. There is something unique in them which we can only feel but cannot define or express in words. Even historians and biographers like Gibbon and Muir and translators like Rodwell, Palmer and Lane-Poole are obliged, in spite of themselves, to admit and admire, what some of them call, the rugged grandeur and eloquence of the Qur'an. Even Sale says that some passages are really sublime.

4. We call the Qur'anthe word of God, chiefly because it contains messages of high spiritual value delivered byan illiterate manlike Muhammad. It is neither a history like some of the books of the Old Testament, nor a biography like the four Gospels of the Bible. It is only a collection of sermons, commands, and instructions delivered and issued from time to time as occasions required. It contains, indeed, references to stories of older Prophets and previous events well knownto the people of Arabia. But they are less by way of narration than by way of illustration. They are parables more or less42(تلك الامثال نضر بها لناس). Commentators like Zamakh-shari (تفسير كشاف) and Imam Razi (تفسير كبير) whose learning and authority cannot be questioned, have clearly proved that there is nothing in the Qur'an which is improbable or cannot be rationally explained to be quite in accordance with the laws of Nature قانون قدرت. If you read Sir Syed Ahmad's Commentary تفسير احمدى or his Essays خطبات you will find rational explanations of the ideas of Paradise and Hell, the Day of Judgment,43etc. I need not dwell on them here. I would however draw your attention to what is called the rule of "Parsimony in Thought" which is in vogue among men of Science. It is that if and when you can explain anything by what is well-known and understood by every one, you should not believe in the existence of "supermen" or assume the occurrence of supernatural events. When, for example, we can explain any action of Muhammad as an ordinary action of a reasonable man, we should not assume or believe that he performed a miracle. If we canexplain the defeat and discomfiture of Abraham's Army by natural causes, such as an epidemic, we ought not to assume the occurrence of any supernatural event44.

5. The Qur'an does not favour any particular system of Philosophy. It leaves Muslims free to adopt any system of thought that commends itself to them, provided that it is not inconsistent with the (توحيد) idea of the one eternal and absolute God. Thus the Qur'an confines itself to the sphere of religion—the sphere where man is brought face to face with his God.

(a)What, then, is the object or aim of the Qur'an?

من عرف نفسه فقد عرف ربه (He who has understood himself has understood his God.)

(b)Why should a man be revealed unto himself?

In order that he might know his true relation with the rest of the world so that he might shape his conduct accordinglyi.e., be true to himself, true to others, and true to his God in thoughts, words, and deeds.

(c)How does the Qur'an reveal a man unto himself?

By showing him:—

(1) God in History45(هوا لا ول و الاخر He is the First and the Last.)

(2) God in Nature46(و الظا هر He is the Manifest.)

(3) God in Man's Conscience47(والباطن and He is the Hidden—Qur'an lvii. 3.)

In this sense the Qur'an is truly a revelation!

Note 7.

III.—Why is Islam the best religion?

MY real task begins with this Note. I have to explain to you why I consider Islam48the best of the religions that are now professed by men all over the world. Mark, I do not say that other religions are not good, but I only say that Islam is the best religion of all those I know. Why do I say so? Because no other religion accords so well as Islam with the modern ideas of Science.

By applying the adjectives "good," "better" and "best" to religions, I indicate thedegreeto which each religion, by its tenets and teaching, induces men to seek their welfare فلاح: and by the word "Science" علم I mean simply the systematised knowledge of things known and knowable.

Sciencediscovers things that are necessary or desirable for human welfare.Artsgenerally show the way in which those things can be obtained or manufactured.Governmentsprovide,or ought to provide, facilities for scientific investigation and for improvement in arts. And it isReligionthat should move men to take the fullest advantage of the science and arts of the time. You may take a horse to a river but you cannot make him drink unless he is thirsty. If he is thirsty he will drink of his own accord; but if he is not, neither the appearance of clear water, nor the easy way to get at it, nor indeed your whip or coaxing can ever induce him to drink. In the same way Science may show you water or anything that is useful, Arts may show you different ways of getting it, the Government of your State may offer rewards or even threaten punishment; but you will not drink, that is to say, you will not take advantage of the good things shown you and placed at your disposal, unless you are thirsty, unless there is something in you which impels you to it. This thirst, this something that is the moving force ormotive, is created or furnished by Religion.

The chief use of religion lies in the desire that it fosters in men to live well, and virtuously.49It is true that for most men the fear of punishment and the hope of reward, either here or hereafter, are motives for right conduct: and some religions (and even Islam as taught by some Moulvies) give glowing pictures of Heavenand Hell awaiting good and bad people after death.50But these motives are unworthy of the higher nature قوا ئى ملكو تى of man. They are like the crack of a whip or the show of green grass to a horse that will not run. They are not so effective and lasting as the high spiritual motive for a virtuous life furnished by true religion. I cannot dwell further on this point without entering upon a philosophical or metaphysical discussion which is foreign to the purpose of these Notes. Suffice it to say that the spiritual or religious motive for virtuous conduct is the best of all motives, as it conforms to the higher or angelic ماكو تى nature of man and assists him in subduing his lower or animal بها ئمى nature.51

It is but religion, true Religion, that enables the "son of man"i.e., mankind to surpass angels in godliness. Note, this is exactly what Sir Oliver Lodge says in his book,The Substance of Faith allied with Science.

There is another use of Religion to which I should refer briefly before I pass on to the main argument. You always intend doing many things but never succeed in doing themall, either because you change your mind or because somebody or something prevents you from carrying them out. It is nevertheless important to yourself and society that your wishes, which are naturally more numerous than your actions, should be as good as the actions themselves. Laws and social conventions cannot adequately control them, for they take account of only outward manifestations, that is, actions which flow or result from your inward desires, passions and prejudices. These are controlled by such religions as true Christianity and true Islam which take that as done which was merely intended to be done, and inhibit bad intentions even before they appear in action.

Now, whatever religion supplies the best motives for virtuous conduct and most effectively prevents mischievous intentions, must necessarily be one which conforms best with the most approved ideas of the science and arts of the time. I hold that Islam is such a religion.52

Let me begin by showing a conformity of Islam to a modern idea, that there are moreworlds than one.53There are still some religions which assume that there is no other world than the world we live in, and that God created and maintains it for men only. Science has proved that such assumptions are unwarranted, and has even suggested grounds for believing that there are beings in the innumerable worlds of stars. This world of ours with its inhabitants has therefore no right to monopolise God to itself. Nor indeed have we, human beings, any right to consider ourselves as its superior inhabitants. Science is now-a-days on the track of finding out beings who are or who may be superior to man. Note that all this is implied in the expression رب العا لمين "the Lord of theworlds" contained in the Sura and other parts of the Qur'an. It does not say "the king of theworld" (رب العالمين) or ofmenرب العالم but says generally and truly that God is the King or Lord of great or grandworlds: رب الانسان, the definite article رب العالمين in Arabic is often used to express greatness or grandeur as in the word ال which means the Most High God.

According to Islam there are two sources of knowledge,ScienceandRevelation: the one represents man's effort to learn God's ways, and theother represents God's grace to discover His ways to man.54I for one believe that the difference between the two sources of knowledge corresponds to the difference between "Experience" and "Intuition," between Acquired Ideas and Innate Ideas—a difference which modern philosophers (Spencer and Bergson) consider to be one of degree only and not of kind.

Note 8.

Unity55and Union.

Icannot go over the whole field of Muslim theology to show how its ideas are in accord with the scientific thought of our days. I will confine myself to three principles and three maxims implied in the analysis of the Opening Sura سورة فتحة given in one of my previous Notes56.

I. The verse الحمد لله رب العالمين الرحمن الرحيم مالك يوم الدين points tothe Principle of Unity:

There is but one God who created the worlds, maintains and rules them.

From this results theMaxim of Union & Loyalty:

Union is strength = Be loyal to your King.

II. The verse اياك نعبد و اياك نستعين اهدنا الصراط المستقيم points tothe Principle of Perfection:

Worship of God, His protection, and guidance are necessary for the perfection of our mind and body.

From this results theMaxim of Self-help:

God helps those who help themselves = Be true to yourself.

III. The verse صراط الذين انعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم و لا الضالين points tothe Principle of Moderation:

It is the straight path of righteousness that enables you to avoid crooked paths of sin and error and leads you to happiness.

From this results theMaxim of the Average:

Adopt the mean of two extremes = Be moderate in everything.

I will now endeavour to shew, as briefly and as simply as possible, how the principles and maxims I have stated correspond with the best scientific ideas of the present age. By "the best scientific ideas," I mean nothing more thanconclusionsarrived at by eminent men of science after severe study and prolonged investigation. I can only refer to the conclusions as such without attempting to summarise the reasoning, etc. by which they have been reached. You may read the works of authors I shall name, if you wish to learn more of their thoughts.

Principle of Unity.

1. The first Principle of Unity توحيد implies that there is but one Energy or Force whose different transformations we callforces, but one Life whose appearance in different shapes we calllives, and but one Mind whose different manifestations we callminds. But the universal Energy, theuniversal Life, and the universal Mind57الرحمن الرحيم مالك يوم الدين رب العالمين are themselves but so many forms, appearances or manifestations of the one Being الله who is Infinite الصمد and Absolute لم يلد و لم يولد و لم يكن له كفوا احد. This is exactly what scientific men and philosophers have said and are saying to-day. Read the works of any of the eminent men mentioned in the margin,1. Herbert Spencer.2. Dr. A.R. Wallace.3. Prof. James.4. Sir Oliver Lodge.5. Dr. Theodore Merz.and you will find that the conclusion they have reached after life-long investigations, tallies remarkably with the conception of God which Islam formulated centuries ago.

Every child begins with the experience of 'This ismine' and 'That isnot mine.' This experience matures in the adult into "I" and "not-I"—thesubjectthat knows and theobjectthat is known. We call theknoweror subject, Mind; and theknownor object, Matter. Most modern Philosophers agree in believing that Mind and Matter are but two aspects of One Reality underlying All. Just as a big building like the Falaknuma Palace presents different aspects when viewed from different directions, and yet is one and the same building; so the Reality of Existenceappears to usin differentaspects as Mind and Matter, and yet is one and the same Reality58.

Dr. Theodore Merz of the Durham University, at the end of his grand survey of the Scientific Thought of Europe in the 19th Century,59says: "The scientific mind advances from the idea of Order or arrangement to that of Unity through the idea of Continuity."

The process adopted by Science of arriving at Unity is only the reverse of what Islam adopted: the former beginsa posterioriwith Order, finds Continuity and arrives at Unity, but the latter starteda prioriwith Unity, passed over Continuity, and found Order, thus:—

What Sir Edwin Arnold calls the soul of Islam,i.e., the Principle of Unity, so patentlycorresponds with the ultimate results of modern Science and Philosophy, that I need not dwell on it at any great length. It is sufficient to point out that Science has now proved three Unities, the Unity ofSubstance, the Unity ofForce, and the Unity ofProcess; and Philosophy has shown that the three Unities resolve themselves into One Infinite Power.61

Maxim of Union and Loyalty.

2. How is the Maxim of Union and Loyalty inferred from the principle of Unity? Man, being a creature of God, should try to be godly and godlike, try to imitate God in actions, try to co-operate with his fellow creatures for the good of all, and should thus attain the ideal: "Union is Strength." This is the Islamic doctrine of Atonement62(= at-one-ment فنا فى الله): to beat onewith God byunionandco-operationwith God's creatures so far as your and their constitutions and environments allow. But you need not bother yourself with theories at present. Itwill be enough if you remember that the ultimate aim or the sole object of the Prophet's mission was to establish the universal union and brotherhood of mankind by means of a firm belief in the eternal truth of God's unity. He preached the Unity of God and worked all his life for the union of men into a universal Brotherhood.

In order that you shouldco-operate,i.e., work together with your fellow-men for the good of all, your work must needs beco-ordinated. It must be guided and directed so that it tallies with the work of others. This guidance and direction comes from your leader, whom you and your fellow-workers must obey, in order to attain the best results. Co-operation thus implies Co-ordination which requires a leader—Caliph or King—whom you ought to follow loyally.Loyalty to your leaderis therefore the gist of co-operation. The Qur'an and the Traditions are full of injunctions for obedience to "those in authority among you"63اولوا الامر منكم "The surest way of pleasing God is to obey the King."

Modern Science teaches exactly the same thing. I have a series of little books in my Library called "People's Books" published at 6d. each byMessrs. Jack, London. One of them on "Zoology" is written by Professor MacBride, F.R.S. He traces the development of Man from Protozoa,—little specks of animalculæ—and points out how each species of animals has risen higher than another by (i) greater "inventive capacity", the capacity of adopting new means to an old end and old means to a new end: and (ii) higher "tribal morality" implied in co-operation and loyalty to leaders. He says: "Mankind progresses by the appearance of individuals in whom (besides the inventive genius) the instincts of co-operation and loyalty are more strongly developed". It is precisely those instincts that Islam fosters by its doctrine of the universal brotherhood of Muslims—a doctrine which implies primarily loyalty to your King. Just as the affairs of a family like yours, consisting of a dozen members, cannot prosper unless each follows loyally the lead of the eldest, or the wisest among you; so the affairs of a nation can never be in a satisfactory condition unless each individual is loyal to his King and country, and co-operates with his Government by willingly doing what is required of him.

Muhammad enjoined اطلب العلم و لو كان بالضين "Seek knowledge even if thou hast to go for it to China"—(the farthest country known in his days).

Delve gems of Science divineEv'n unto Cathay's mine.

He said that wisdom was the birthright of every Muslim who should seize it wherever he found it. He thus encouraged the learning of Science and the consequent acquirement of inventive capacity which is biologically as essential for human progress as co-operation and loyalty.

A study of animal life from the lowest animalcule to the highly civilized man, teaches us to know, feel and act, in a particular manner,viz.,

(a) toknowour environment,i.e., to know the Laws of Nature in order to improve our general capacity for invention, manufacture and commerce, (Knowledge)(b) tofeelfor our fellow-men in order to increase mutual good-will so necessary for co-operation, (Sympathy)(c) and toactfor the general good of our race under the guidance of our political and social leaders, (Loyalty).

(a) toknowour environment,i.e., to know the Laws of Nature in order to improve our general capacity for invention, manufacture and commerce, (Knowledge)

(b) tofeelfor our fellow-men in order to increase mutual good-will so necessary for co-operation, (Sympathy)

"Knowledge, Sympathy and Loyalty" are thus the watchwords of the Science of to-day no less than of the Islam of our ancestors.64

Note 9.

Perfection and Self-help.

ALLOW me to explain here that my object is not to persuade you to believe what I say but only to make you think for yourself. I will therefore avoid arguments and discussions as much as possible and content myself with bare outlines of certain Islamic doctrines and brief references to the corresponding ideas of modern Science. I shall be very pleased if they serve to excite your curiosity and stimulate your thought.

II.

Principle of Perfection.

1. The second Muslim doctrine which I have called the Principle of Perfection may be inferred from the second part of the Sura:—It is essential for our perfect development that we should worship God and implore Him for help and guidance in the discharge of the three-fold duty of our life.

No sane man thinks that he is perfect as he is. There is always a feeling of some sort in our mind that somehow, and in some respect or other, we are not as perfect as we should be. It is to remove this feeling of imperfection inherent in us that we have to worship God and supplicate His help and guidance. If you ask: "Why should I worship God?" Islam answers your question by asking another: "Why should you admire beauty in Nature and Art?" You cananswer only: "Because it is beautiful. I am so constituted that I cannot do otherwise than admire a beautiful object when I see it". You are unable to give any other reason satisfactorily accounting for your admiration of the beautiful. Islam returns a similar answer to your question:"You should worship God because He is God".You, as one of His creatures, cannot help worshipping or reverently adoring Him when you see, at every instant of your life, manifold manifestations of His divine Goodness and Beauty. Some Sufis65even go to the extent of identifying God with "Infinite Beauty" حسن ازلى which is the object of their love عشق and ecstacy وجد.

You remember the verse which every devout Muslim recites when he hears the news of the death of any one: انا لله و انا اليه راجعون

"Verily we are God's and to Him we shall return".

This as well as some other verses support the Islamic belief in the re-union of a man's soul with God. As I have mentioned in my previous Note, Islam conceives that there is but one Universal Soul. Small parts—infinitesimal fractions—of the Universal Soul are confined in men's bodies and break free at death tore-join the Whole66. This belief is in entire accord with Sir Oliver Lodge's theory (or "speculation", as he calls it) put forward in his book,Faith allied to Science. Without stopping to enquire how far the belief indicated by Qur'anic verses, or the theory advanced by a man of science, is supported by scientific facts, I would only point out that it gives a clear and intelligible meaning to the word "worship" عبادت. It is the communion of the fractional soul, which is somehow confined in a man's living body, with the Whole Soul, the Soul of the Universe, to which it—the fractional soul—shall return some day freed from the trammels of the flesh. This "communion" عبادت includes Adoration تسبيح و تهليل and Prayer دعا.

I cannot do better than quote Sir Oliver Lodge's admirable description of the meaning and object of Prayer:—

"In prayer we come into close communion with a Higher than we know, and seek to contemplate Divine perfection. Its climax and consummation is attained when we realize the universal Permeance, the entire Goodness and the Fatherly Love of the Divine Being."

[الحد لله رب العالمن الرحمن مالك يم الدين

Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, compassionate and merciful, King of the day of Reckoning.]

"Through prayer we admit our dependance on a Higher Power, for existence and health and everything we possess; we are encouraged to ask for whatever we need as children ask parents; [ادعونى استجب لكمCall upon me—I will hearken unto you] and we inevitably cry for mercy and comfort in times of tribulation and anguish."

"The spirit of simple supplication may desire chiefly:—

"1. Insight and receptiveness to truth and knowledge.

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