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RECONCILIATION.
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All Liberated Souls, thus, are the true Gods. The insistence on the number twenty-four as that of the most perfect Souls, is due to the fact that these Great Ones became Teachers of humanity before the attainment of Nirvana, while the rest of the Liberated Souls only applied themselves to attain their own salvation, although they also taught a few others to some extent.
We have seen that the teaching of Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism recognises these twenty-four Gods. The Hindu Scriptures also acknowledge save of the Holy Ones, and the first Tirthamkara is even mentioned by name in the Bhagwata Purana and other works. Islam alone of the other more important creeds can be said to be silent about them, but the use of the plural form of the 1st person for Godhead can only indicate one of the two things, either that the word 'we' is employed with reference to a number of Gods, or in the sense in which it is used by earthly Kings, that is, as a mark of personal greatness. But except the word of the ignorant theologian of modern times, there is no authority for the latter interpretation, for the Qur'an is altogether silent on the point; and the former is supported by good reason and philosophy. It follows, therefore, that the former is the true interpretation.
We thus find that Al Qur'an also contains the same teaching as to the nature of Godhead as is to be found elsewhere. But for this, Mahomed would never have said, “Man know thyself," nor God," I am nearer to you than your jugular vein.”
As for the remaining ideas of God, we have had occasion to point out that the notion of the Absolute
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