Ch 8: Behind the Curtain

In the course of this talk Umar Lahmi addressed Isabella.
Umar Lahmi: So for securing forgiveness of sins all kinds of dirty
acts have to be narrated? But how did you use to seek forgiveness?
Isabella (lowering her eyes with modesty): On a given date everyone
has to go to the great church,the same where you had discussion with
Michael and Peter and then…
Umar Lahmi: Are girls alsobound to appear?
Isabella: Yes, every adult girl and boy is present there and the
priest enquires from everyone what sins he had committed the previous
week. After stating the sins and making confession, the priest,
passing his hand on the head of the sinner, says: Now go. By the
blessing of Jesus Christ all your sins are forgiven.
Umar Lahmi: Are questions put to everyone in seclusion or in the
presence of all?
Isabella: It would not have been so shameful if everyone were asked to
confess in seclusion. But everyone is questioned in the presence of
all before the certificate of pardon is granted.
Umar Lahmi: Allah forgive! Even in the presence of unmarried boys and girls?
Isabella: Yes, and in fact (bowing her head in shame again) unmarried
boys and girls have to confess in public and in the hearing of all.
Umar Lahmi: Allah forgiveus! In the confession of sins many shameful
things may have to be stated. Supposing one has committed theft, he
shall have to confess it before all.
Isabella: Not only theft, even the most heinous act has to be publicly
confessed. If anyone does not confess and conceals something, thenthe
pardon is not granted and the sinner isthreatened of Hell.
Umar Lahmi: This might be having a very bad effect on the morals of
unmarried boys and girls.
Isabella: Certainly. But among the Roman Catholics no importance is
attached to sins securing pardon of sins being so easy. This has made
people bold in committing sins.
One of the audience: Are sins of common people forgiven by the priest himself?
Ziad (smiling): Probably the priest may not be committing any sins.
At this stage Ziad b. Umarleaves the meeting and goes upstairs to
devote himself in prayer and devotion.
Isabella (lowering eyes inshame and modesty): Youcannot conceive what
our religious leaders do, particularly our monks, and how full of sins
is their life.
Umar Lahmi: What! Are the lives of religious leaders even worse than
common people? What are you talking? It does not mean that by becoming
a Muslim you make false allegations against anyone. Punishment of
false accusation is very severe according to the Holy Quran.
Isabella: You must think like that because you are not aware of the
black record of the monks' lives and since you cannot even conceive of
these shameful acts, you may not be wrong if you think me lying or
disbelieve me.
Umar Lahmi: Is it a fact? Ifso, please let us know in detail.
All those present insisted that Isabella should throw some light on
these matters so that they may have an idea ofthe great boons
conferred by Islam .
Isabella: You know that abandoning the world and the life of a monk
have been greatly stressed in Christianity and, therefore, most of our
priests have adopted monkery and have forsaken the world. To gain
salvation they take great pains and afflict their bodies. In the same
way women also becomenuns (that is follow in thefootsteps of Virgin
Mary and lead unmarried lives). But at the same time monks and nuns
cannot maintain their chastity. Monks and religious leaders are also
corrupt and nuns often completely lose their chastity. Because of
confession and pardon monks often find a good opportunity to satisfy
their lust. Nuns are mostly involved in this moral depravity while
some monks do not spareeven their mothers and sisters. [Laski, History
of Civilization of Europe, Vol. II].
(At this stage Isabella is extremely ashamed and perspires.)
All present: Allah protect us ! Allah forgive us ! All power and
authority is with Allah!
Umar Lahmi: These thingshappen because Christianity has dignified
unmarried life and asceticism which is against Nature and Divine law.
A strong argument of the falsity ofChristianity is also that it
enjoins on men such lawsas are against Nature which men cannot follow.
It is for this that the Apostle of Islam had declared that La
Rahbaniyat fil-Islam. [There is no monkery or giving up the world in
Islam.] He also said : An-nikah min sunnati fa-man raghaba an sunnati
fa-laisa minni [Marriage is my system and whosoever turns away from my
system is not of me]. The Quran says: "And (as for) monkery, they
innovatedit—We did not prescribe it to them, but they did not observe
it with its due observance." And how can anyone observe a thing which
is unnatural and against law?
Isabella: Has Islam prohibited monkery and abandoning the world?
Umar Lahmi: Certainly. You have just heard whatthe Holy Quran and the
Prophet of Islam say.
Isabella was greatly moved on this and the dignity of Islam was
further enhanced in her mind.
A person: So the monks do not discriminate between the permissible and
the prohibited, between right and wrong ?
Isabella: There are many shameful things. When the honour of their
mothers and sisters is notsafe at their hands, what else they would
not be doing!
Mr Laski in his book, European Morals, has very elaborately exposed
the depravities of monks and priests in general and has written that
there was no moral crimewhich they did not commit.
A person: Are the nuns also so corrupt?
Isabella: Allah may protect us. Their condition is worse than monks.
Even European historianshave testified that when a tank in a school of
nunswas cleaned out several thousand craniums of babies were found
there which had been thrown in to conceal corruption of some of them.
Umar Lahmi: In fact the root of all this corruptionis the creed, of
Atonement which has given licence to Christians to commit sins.
Isabella: Surely, you have understood it well. In fact, the creed of
Atonement has taken away the fear of sins andeveryone is confident
that by confessing beforethe priest all kinds of siaswill be forgiven.
Umar Lahmi: Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is great!). The greatness and truth
of Islam is also manifest from the fact (hat while rejecting the creed
of Atonement, it has made good conduct the basis of salvation and
felicity and at the same time it has propounded the principle that:
"He who does an atom's weight ofgood will see it. And he who does an
atom's weight of evil will see it."
A person (to Isabella): You know that the creed of Atonement has
induced Christians to commit sins, but there is also another reason.
Christians consider all Prophets to be sinners and think that they
have been committing all kinds of sins in their life.
Isabella: This seems to be wrong. If the holy Prophets are also taken
to be sinners, then who will be left to cause aversion from sins and
what right shall they have to ask people to refrain from sins ?
Umar Lahmi: You are right, but what would you say to the Christians
regarding holy Apostles (Allah forbid!) as idol-worshippers,
adulterers and liars ?
Isabella: Oh brother! it is really the creed of Christians. They
regard Apostles as idol-worshippers and also liars. If this is so,
which of the Christian books say so ?
Umar Lahmi: My sister! you do not know yet the ideas of Christians
and, inorder to justify their ownsins, what serious accusations they
have made against Apostles. Since you have not yet carefully studied
your sacred books you are surprised at my words. I assure you that if
Islam had not come and the Champion of all Goodness, the Chief of
Apostles, had not exposed the untruths of Christians and Jews, no one
would have found any proof of the chastity of Apostles today.
Isabella : Are the Christians so shameless that they still believe in
Prophets while considering them sinners. Probably you have
misunderstood. I have not yet heard from anyone that Apostles
worshipped idols and told untruths. Can you prove your allegations
from the religious and revealed books of Christians ?
Umar Lahmi: Certainly from your revealed books…
Isabella : My religious and revealed books! My religious and revealed
book is the Holy Quran.
Umar Lahmi: I mean the books which you as a Christian regarded
religious and revealed. They contain all these things.
Isabella : Very strange! But kindly give some proof of it.
Umar Lahmi: I say it againthat in the sacred Christian books Prophets
(Allah forbid!) have been described as adulterers and
idol-worshippers. It is said about Prophet Lut (Lot) (the Old
Testament in his hand) had sexual intercourse with his daughters. See
Genesis, Chapter 19, verses 32-38. About Prophet David it is said that
he had. sexual intercourse with an alienwoman. See Samuel 2, Chapter
11, verse 4. Then it is said about Prophet Samson (Shamshun) that he
had intercourse with an alien woman and then had a love affair with
another. See Judges, chapter 16, verse 1.
All present: Allah forbid ! Allah may curse the Jews and Christians!
Allah forgive us! Allah forgive us!
Isabella is ashamed and perspires and could not speak.
Umar Lahmi : Now, listen further. In the Christian sacred books
Prophets have also been said to have been liars. First the Prophet
Samson (Shamshun) told a lie andtaught a wrong thing to a woman
thrice. See Judges, chapter 16. Next a Prophet (whose name is not
mentioned in the Bible) told a lie. See 2 Kings, chapter 13. Another
Prophet also tolda lie. See 1 Kings, chapter20. Christ told a lie. See
1 Kings, chapter 22, verse 15. Apostle Jeremiah also spoke a lot of
falsehood. See Jeremiah, chapter 38.(To Isabella:) You know Saint Paul
very well. What do the Christians say of him ?
Isabella : Christians believe Saint Paul to be aprophet and all great
priests are regarded as successors of Saint Paul and for this they are
authorised to forgive sins.
Umar Lahmi: Quite right. But is it not said about him in all the four
Bibles that when the enemies arrested Jesus Christ and wanted to
arrest Saint Paul, he thrice cursed Jesus- Christ and told a liethat
he did not know him(Christ)?
Isabella : Of course, it is so written. I used to take daily lessons
of the Bible from my teacher, Michael.
Umar Lahmi: Now, take the proof of the third thing that, according to
Christians, Prophets worshipped idols. It is written in the Book of
Exodus (which is the fourth part of Taurat), chapter 32, verse 4, that
Prophet Aaron asked his people to make idols andtaught them to worship
them. In chapter 11 of 1 Kings, it is said that Prophet Solomon at the
insistence of his wife worshipped idols in his old age and thus
assigned partners to Allah. Allah forbid!
Isabella : Allah protect us!
Umar Lahmi: Look, I have the Bible with me and I have marked relevant
portions. You may see yourself that I am not telling a lie. (Isabella
turns over the pages and reads all the references.) My object in
referring to these is that Christians boldly and fearlessly commit all
kinds of sins because, according to them, Prophets also committed them
(Allah forbid!) and they think that when Prophets werenot deprived of
their prophethood in spite of their sins, why should common people be
condemned on that very account.
Isabella: Does the Quran call all Prophets innocent?
Umar Lahmi: It is the greatest merit of the Quran that it has
stronglyrepudiated all the wrongideas and allegations of the Jews and
Christians and declares that Prophets did not. even think of
committing sins, to say the least of actually committing them. The
Quran says that what the Prophets prohibited they had never even
thought of doing it, and the Quran counts all Prophets among the
virtuous.
Isabella : Is it not written in the Quran that ProphetAdam ate the
fruit of the prohibited tree? Is it not disobedience of God's orders a
sin?
Umar Lahmi: The definition of sin is that it is an act which is
committed deliberately. Anything done unintentionally is not a sin.
For instance, a man isprohibited from eating or drinking while he is
observing fast, but if anyone eats and drinks in forgetfulness the
fast is not broken and there is no sin. Prophet Adam also ate the
fruit of the prohibited tree in forgetfulness as the Quran says: "We
had taken a pledge from Adam but he forgot it and We did not find
deliberation in him."
Isabella: Glory to God! I know it today that Adam committed no sin,
otherwise Christian priests used to allege that Adam is described asa
sinner in the Quran. (Suddenly becoming conscious of the time) Oh! I
am very much delayed and should go home at once. My father and mother
will be anxiously waiting for me,and I have not yet taken my food.
Umar Lahmi: If you like food can be served to you here. The common
food of my master (Ziad b. Umar) will be served toall of us, You may
also participate. Will you accept this request of mine?
Isabella: Thank you very much, but I will prefer to take food at my
house, for mother does not eat till I return after walk. She always
takes food with me.
Umar Lahmi: How long will she have your company in taking food! At
last one day the secret has to be out.
Isabella: Leave it to the time when it comes, but just now permit me to leave.
Umar Lahmi: When will you bring your friends with you?
Isabella: Tomorrow if possible, otherwise day after tomorrow
certainly.And now you should praythat they should also be guided to
the right path like me.
All present : Amin!
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain