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matter of fact, Islam is a descendant of Judaism and Zoroastrianism as the Revd. W. St. Clair Tisdaill has so well shown in his very admirable work "The Sources of the Qur'an." A good deal has been said by non-Muslim writers by way of attack upon Mahomed for his shortcomings. But we cannot listen to all that, for the very simple reason that Mahomed never said of himself that his example was to be followed by men. Mahavira, Buddha and other Indian Teachers had invited men to follow their example, and Jesus had repeatedly asked mankind to do the same, but not Mahomed. He never said to any one: Go sell off all thou possessest; give it away in charity, and come and follow me.' If Mahomed therefore had nine wives, if he framed special rules for his own convenience, if, in short, he did not perfect himself in respect of renunciation and charitra, these are his private concerns, though they must be fully accounted for in determining the degree of self-realisa tion attained by him.
MYTHOLOGY
There can be no doubt but that Islam was at first only intended as a sort of reform over the unrestricted libertinism and mammon-worship that were rampant among the Arabs in Mahomed's day; but the sword the Prophet was forced to draw to defend himself did not admit of the idea being fully carried out. I am here not concerned with the political aspect of Islam, but it is evident that the teaching of the earlier creeds as to the excellence of the extreme degree of forgiveness and dispassion for the sâdhu could not and did not find any
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