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of the New, especially the Psalms and the Gospels. Hence the Word of God could not be
destroyed, unless all Christians were destroyed also. During the persecutions in France in
the sixteenth century, in many instances the clergy of the Reformed Church had to learn by
heart whole books of the Bible, so that, even if their books were taken from them, they
might still be able to draw the water of life from the wells of salvation for themselves
and for their people. It is well known, moreover, that in all ages Jews and Christians
have taken the greatest possible care of their Holy Books, prizing them more than life
itself. Hence to say that at any time, whether before or after the Hijrah, they have
become corrupted
(محرّفة), whether intentionally or unintentionally, is to assert the
occurrence of what is absolutely impossible. None but the ignorant and bigoted can bring
such a charge against the Bible.
That this may be clearer than the sun at noonday, let us inquire what advantage to
themselves had the Jews or the Christians to expect from corrupting their Sacred Books.
They well knew that to attempt such a thing would be to sin against God and to bring down
upon themselves grievous punishment, for this is taught both in the Old Testament (Deut.
iv. 2) and in the New (Rev. xxii. 18, 19). Moreover, they would thereby be destroying
their own religion and leading astray from the way of salvation all their own children and
children's children for ever. Had Oriental Jews and Christians desired to gain worldly
advantages from Muhammad and his followers, they would have tried to introduce passages to
support Muhammad's claims, instead of striking out such passages, as Muslims accuse them
of doing. By rejecting Muhammad they were condemning themselves and their descendants to
"give tribute out of hand and be brought low" (Surah ix. 29), to occupy the
degraded position of the unhappy Zimmis
(نِمّي). Every now and then they knew that
they were in danger of frightful massacres
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and of undergoing unutterable brutality, as at Adanah and its neighbourhood in 1909
A.D. For many centuries such awful scenes have been the natural result of these words of
Surah At Taubah, as interpreted by wicked rulers and the ignorant multitudes. Had the Jews
and Christians accepted Muhammad as a Prophet, they would not only have escaped all this
cruelty and oppression, but they would also have shared all the worldly privileges
belonging to Muslims. Instead of this they have clung to their ancestral faith, though
they knew that in every mosque throughout the Ottoman Empire in the Friday prayer all
Muslims express their hatred of them in these awful words: "O God, make their wives
widows and their children orphans, and give their possessions to be a possession for the
Muslims." Is it not clear that, if either Jews or Christians had found in their Holy
Scriptures any prophecies relating to Muhammad and bidding them expect and accept him when
he came, they would gladly have become his disciples, and thereby gained the good things
both of this world and of the world to come? Hence they had every inducement to endeavour
to corrupt their Scriptures, not by omitting, but by inserting, passages relating to
Muhammad. That such passages were not inserted is a proof that they did not and could not
corrupt their Scriptures. To corrupt them by striking out verses which would have brought
them great advantages, and by so corrupting them to condemn themselves to untold misery
here and hereafter was not a thing likely to commend itself to either Jews or Christians.
Nor can anyone who reflects on the matter believe that this was done, there being no
motive whatever for it, and many against it.
But, had either of these religious communities plotted and endeavoured to change and
corrupt their Scriptures, the other party would at once have detected and exposed the
fraud. There was in Muhammad's time, as both before and after it, great animosity between
Jews and Christians, and hence it is impossible to
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