What the British author: S. H. Leeder said about Islam and the Truth (2)

In his book, the British author: S. H. Leeder said “Praise be to Allah, who rewards those who fulfill their obligations and keep their trust. Allah, the truest of all tellers, said Be faithful to your pledges and do not break your promises, for these make you responsible to God.”

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In his book: “Veiled mysteries of Egypt and the religion of Islam (1913)”, the British author: S. H. Leeder said in the introduction of his book: “There has always been a veil of mystery over the religion of I slam, from its very first days.”

What Leeder said about Islam and the Truth?

 “The Holy Koran says, and herein is the duty of man, Worship none but God, and be good to your parents and kindred, and to orphans and to the poor, and speak with men what is true, and pay the stated alms ‘ (Sura ii. 77).

Praise be to Allah, who rewards those who fulfill their obligations and keep their trust. Allah, the most true of all tellers, said Be faithful to your pledges and do not break your promises, for these make you responsible to God. Be sure God knows what you do; and when He destined you as the best of all peoples, He commanded you to do good and forsake evil. The foundation of true belief is faithfulness in the performance of every undertaking. A nation which lacks this quality, and allows itself to become familiar with lying, will be misguided, and all its striving will be in vain.

Suffering, misery, and poverty will overtake it, and in the next world punishment more severe and lasting. O creatures of God!

I call you to the practice of the truth, and faithfulness in every trust. Is there no reward even in this world for this?

To be believed by one’s friends, when one speaks, to be trusted in all the affairs of life? Such was the example and life of our great predecessors, who were before all things faithful, and true to themselves, and to one another. But, alas! We have forfeited the great teachings of our religion that stand now as a remonstrance against us. The Prophet on whom be blessings and peace as you know, hated lying, and he declared,

‘There is no belief in the unfaithful, nor a religion to the untrustful.’ “Shun ye the word of falsehood,” says the Koran (Sura xxii. 31). Mohammed declared that the guardian angel moved away from a man in detestation when he told a lie. By the testimony of all men who knew him Mohammed was a truthful man. “We have ever found thee a speaker of the truth,” they admitted, even in the days before they accepted his message. The only office allowed to the religious teacher is advice, guidance, and warning. Just as the layman will only with extreme reluctance refer to the faults of a brother Moslem, so even the preacher must not venture to expose the follies and frailties of others ; and to pry into the religious beliefs of other Moslems is not permitted even to the chief sheikhs. It is not proper to make any outer show of repentance; sin can only be confessed to God alone and in the secret heart. Of all these things, God will judge; and every function of priestcraft is opposed to the spirit of Islam.