Could Not Answer

than anything else. Furthermore, the innumerous schools and
madrasas and their subservient pious foundations and kitchens
that exist in Islamic countries today must be observed with
common sense. When the deeds of trust of the pious foundations
of only the madrasas in Istanbul are studied, it will be seen that
these pious foundations (waqfs) undertook the salaries of the
professors (muderris), the doorkeepers and other personnel of
each madrasa, the pay of the students and even the carpets they sat
on when studying. I wonder if there is so much motivation, so
much facility in any European school? If it should be questioned
why today’s schools and madrasas do not have their original
brilliance and order, there cannot be found anything that has to do
with religion among its causes. We see, with regret, that these
pious foundations which had been established for goodness and
charity, have been deprived of worthy administration since they
fell into the hands of incompetent, hypocritical and religiously
ignorant people. Nevertheless, the students educated in the
madrasas not only study science and mathematics like European
students, but they also study such religious sciences as ’ilm-ikelâm,
’ilm-i-fiqh, and ’ilm-i-tafsîr. Therefore, there are not any
enemies of religion among these students like in Europe. For,
inprovement in science will add clarity to the realization of the
trueness of religious commandments. That is, the more scientific
knowledge a person learns, the more powerful will his faith in
Islam become. In Christianity the case is quite the opposite. A
person cannot be a full Christian unless he is so asinine and so
ignorant as to take for granted the doctrine of trinity, which means,
“Three make one, and one is three,” and which is the basis of the
Christian faith.
As for the Protestant priest’s question, “While Christians send
forth missionaries and various books in order to spread
Christianity everywhere, why don’t Muslims endeavour to call
pagans and Christians to Islam? Why don’t they send forth
translations of Qur’ân al-kerîm or scholars to various places in
order to call to Islam?”, fulfilment of this very important religious
service is Muslims’ duty, as we have said above. In the time of
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’, much emphasis was
placed on this duty, and this state went on for years. Islam’s
spreading over nearly half of the earth was due to the emphasis it
has placed on justice, beautiful morality, knowledge, and science.
Later, as deviated holders of bid’a came to the fore, the duty of
emr-i-ma’rûf, that is, recommending goodness, which is Islam’s
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