ISLAM

160 ISLAM VERSUS CHRISTIANITY
closer and yet closer to Islam. And what is
the secret of this wondrous hold? To the
savage and the savant Islam appeals with
equal force ;
for there is nothing- in Islam to
hamper or to impede the forward step of man
free from theology and priestcraft it imposes
no rigid code of law. Destitute of ritual and
ceremonial it leaves its votary a perfect and
free hand in worship and devotion. In its
essence splendidly democratic it gives the freest
and fullest scope to the genius of man. The
Quran, instead of being a stumbling block to
advancement, is a book brimming with counsels
of perfection for all times and all peoples. It
does not restrict but widens the charity of man,
The fleeting, must however, be disengaged from
the permanent and the necessity of the hour
must not be sacrificed to an obsolute edict or to
the dictates of a temporary measure.
Thus the reader will appreciate the true spirit
of the Islamic peoples of to-day. Western influences
have not diverted them from the normal trend ol
their religious life and have only helped them to
realise the inner and more passionate call of the
Prophet towards a healthier, brighter and a more
prosperous life. Islam does not allow fanaticism,
narrowness of mind and intolerance for other religions.
Such then is the true spirit of Islam.
TJniversalism is its keynote, unity of God its sole
slogan, brotherhood of man its cardinal tenet; a