It is no part of our intention in these pages to attempt to develop or formulate such a doctrine. We desire only to point out that the orthodox Muhammadan doctrine is one-sided, and does injustice to the teaching of the Qur'an. But this point must come up rather in connexion with the teaching of the Qur'an on God and His will, and there and not here would be the place to consider the other side of Qur'anic teaching on this question.

Here we seek to emphasize the human side of the question. The message of Muhammad to his contemporaries consisted largely of command and prohibition; but there is always closely associated with these an appeal to their heart and conscience, urging them to choose the good and avoid the evil. 'Verily this (is) an admonition, and whoever is willing to be admonished, will take the way unto his Lord' [Suratu'l-Muzzammil (lxxiii) 19] .

This same thought of the responsibility of man, as based on the fact that he can choose for himself, is often brought out in the Qur'an in those passages which speak of the vain endeavour which sinners will make on the day of judgement to excuse themselves. 'They will iterate discourse with one another; those who were esteemed weak will say unto those who behaved themselves arrogantly (Had it) not (been for) you, verily we had been true believers. They who behaved themselves arrogantly shall say unto those who were esteemed weak, Did we turn you aside from the (true) direction, after it had come unto you? On the contrary, ye acted wickedly (of your own free choice)' [Suratu's-Saba' (xxxiv) 30] . The clause in parentheses is not in the

original, but it is no rash addition to the meaning of the text. The text as it stands in the Qur'an undoubtedly conveys this sense. Again, in Suratu's-Saffat (xxxvi) 28-31, we find the following, '(And the seduced) shall say (unto those who seduced them), Verily ye came unto us with presages of prosperity; (and the seducers) shall answer, Nay, rather ye were not true believers; for we had no power over you (to compel you); but ye were people who (voluntarily) transgressed: wherefore the sentence of your Lord hath been justly pronounced against us, (and) we shall surely taste (His vengeance). We seduced you; but ye also erred yourselves' [see Suras xxxix 58^-60; xliii. 19; xxv. 19; xx. 108] .

The New Testament teaches that it is God who worketh both to will and to do in the heart of the believer, and the message of Muhammad in the following verses is the same, though in its expression it may not be very carefully guarded or very clearly defined. 'Verily this is an admonition: and whoso willeth taketh the way unto his Lord: but ye shall not will unless God willeth: He leadeth whom He pleaseth into His mercy; but for the unjust hath He prepared a grievous punishment' [Suratu'l-Insan (lxxvi) 30]. Whoso, therefore, willeth let him return unto his Lord' [Suratu'n-Naba' (lxxviii) 39]. 'Whither, therefore, are ye going? This (is) no other than an admonition unto all creatures; unto him among you who shall be willing to walk uprightly: but ye shall not will, unless God willeth, the Lord of all creatures' [Suratu't-Takwir (lxxxi) 27-9] .

We have already said that the question must come up for further consideration in another place. At