Page 308 - Neglected Arabia 1902-1905

3

Missionary Letters and News

rom Arabia

3anuauv—flDarcb, 1904

THE SPIRITUAL POVERTY OF ISLAM.
:.v A Plea for the Mohammedan World.
S. M /u'cmkt, I). D., . R.Ci S.. I{.inrein. Ar.il'i.i.

A sU (»n^ pU\*i l*« >r Liu. fjf ch*： wor'ul
c( i uld l»c made l)；tsc<l on ihc vii^t vxicnc of I、la!n and the m*arl\,
t u.«) lumdivd millions of people iL vmi»r;n.vs. ()r «)I1C coul<l |»k\ul
ilu* «lan^iT tlial (/hristianity incurs lVf)in >n :l f( h*,(、:.
point lo the unprocccknLocI and unan-nuni nv^krt on l!k* pare
"! llio ('luirch to c\\*m%u,vli/.c llu： ina^cs even in the past
mum、. <)1 missions. One rould pk*cul ihc marvvluus (>[)portunitic>
Inr missions in Moslems opened I>y the |i：*r>«ri\ss uf ('hrisiian civili-
/cilion and conquest. But the stmn/cst plea. an»l one that will
mucli the man qualified to respond co ic—the al an who is spiritu­
ally-minded—is that based on the woful spiritual condition of the
Mohammedan worUl. Look at it in hare outline.
I. The Moslem iJt\i of God and cf Jesus Christ is defictive, i//V-
tsrti',1 find 心griuiitig. There is no dcity but Allah. To study
His character vou must read Palgrave.55* Absolute sovereignty,
ruthless omnipotence ar.d caprice arc Iiis auributc^. Hell must be
fillocl, the Koran says, and so Allah creates inhdcls. Allah is not
hound In* any standard of justice. Vet we arc told that “Islam
is the handmaid of Christianity/' Hero is a summary of what
orilioclox Moslems hdiove concerning* the Christ. Ho was miracu-
1 >usly born of the Virgin Mary: performed puorilo miracles: was
an apostle of (iod strengthened liy che Holy Spirit，i.c., Gabriel;
Ik. forctoUl the advene of Mohammal ns Paraclete; the Jews in­
umlal to a*iu*ily Him. hue tiod ilaviwd ihom and Judas was
slain ii\ His stead. He is now in one of the inferior stages of
coli.'scial bliss; lie will come a^ain ac the last da\\ will slay Anti-
rlirisc, kill all swim*, break tlic C'ro^s, and ivmovc the poll-tax
from the iulKlcls. IK* will rci^n justly U>r foriy-fivo.years, marry
• Ti'；iv, in A rabia,** v«»l. \, pp. 3i*5OT0.