the word, we cannot but see how unimportant a place
the Holiness of God held in the mind of Muhammad, when
he could say all that he had to say on the subject in
these three passages, which, as we have seen cannot
be said to contain any teaching on either the
fact or the nature of God's holiness.
If we look through the Qur'an in search of other
passages which, without specifically speaking of God's
holiness, teach that He hates evil with a moral detestation,
we look in vain, and are forced to conclude that Muhammad
nowhere realizes the importance of insisting on the
holiness of God.
God condemns evil, that is true, especially evil which
shows itself in unbelief and opposition to His will;
but He does so apparently not because of what evil is
as opposed to His holy nature, but because of what it
.is as opposed to His majesty and His omnipotent
will.
The doctrine of the Qur'an concerning the forgiveness
of sins shews plainly that sin is viewed as something
expressing despite to a properly constituted authority,
and not as something contrary to the very nature of
God Himself, and from cover to cover there is nothing
in the book to show that Muhammad appreciated the necessity
of insisting on the Holiness of God and of the need
for moral purity on the part of the believer.
It is because of this want that while Muhammadanism
has always been and still remains a successful missionary
religion when in contact with paganism, it has yet always
failed as an instrument for the inculcation of |
