Ch 18.3: A White Lie

Isabella: It does not prove superioritybut a defect. If mischief-makers and criminals are forgiven on every occasion, mischief will spread in the world and order of the world will be disrupted, but the Quran has allowedthe use of both, forgiveness and retaliation, in their proper places. Besides, the teaching of the Bible alsocasts aspersion on God as to why He created the quality of anger and excitement in men. Has the quality of anger been created uselessly? Never. God has never created any of the capabilities of men without merit. So the Quran has taught proper use of the qualities of mercy and anger and forgiveness and retaliation and does not allow any branch of human capabilities to wither away.Christian Homan: Look ! how unjust it is that you are rejecting every good quality of ours. Our Lord never fought with anyone but forgave his enemies and bore their oppression patiently, while your Prophet took revenge from his enemies and never forgave anyone. Thus it is proved that it is the example of the Bible and our Lord which will lead to salvation.Isabella: Patience, forgiveness, firmness, bravery and justice, etc., are such qualities whose merits are known to every man but few of them know their real significance. Every moral quality is good or bad according to its use in its proper place, otherwise in themselves patience and forgiveness, etc., have no merit. Look, forgiveness and overlooking will be at their best whenthe forgiver has the power to retaliate. If a helpless and weak person has no power to retaliate, his overlooking and forgiveness will not be considered a merit but just his helplessness. Our Prophet possessedthis moral power of forgiveness and overlooking in the highest degree. Thus when after the victory of Mecca cruel unbelievers were brought to him he let them free, saying : La tasriba alaikum al-yauma [There is no charge against you today]. Although if he wanted he could have cut them to pieces, because he was inpower and his Companions awaited his orders. Now, tell me what was theposition when your Lord forgave his enemies. Obviously he was oppressed, had no one to help him nor had he the power to take revenge; what else could he do but to forgive?If he were in power and then had forgiven his enemies it would have been a matter of pride for you. Patience in the state of helplessness is not at all forgiveness.Christian woman: Fie ! Isabella, you call sanguinary men moral and do not give any merit to the person who never shed a drop of blood.Isabella: It is your faulty understanding that you take obvious things in perverse light. I now put it to you. Do you see any good in bravery and whether you regard justice good or bad ?Christian woman: Both these qualities are excellent; who can deny it ?