Sixth Matter

To  those  people  who  go  to  excess  in  the  idea  of  negative  nationalism  and racialism we say this:

F i r s t l y : The face of the world and especially this country of ours has since ancient times seen numerous migrations and changes of population. In addition, when the centre of Islamic rule was established here other peoples were drawn to it and they settled here. Consequently, only when the Preserved Tablet is revealed will the races truly be distinguished from each other. To construct movements and patriotism on the idea of true race is both meaningless and extremely harmful. It is for this reason that one of the nationalist leaders and racialists, who was very neglectful in religion, was compelled  to say: “If language  and religion are the same, the nation is the same.” Since that is so, relations of language, religion, and country should be considered, not true race. If the three are the same, the nation will certainly be strong. And if one is absent, there will still be nationhood.

S e c o n d l y : I shall describe by way of example, two of the hundreds of advantages the sacred nationhood of Islam has gained for the social life of the sons of this land:

The First:  What  enabled  this  Islamic  state,  while  numbering  only twenty or thirty million, to preserve its life and existence in the face of all the large states of Europe was the following idea held by its army, which was born of the light of the Qur’an: “If I die, I shall be a martyr; and if I kill, I shall be a ghazi.” They met death eagerly and with longing, laughing in its face. They always made Europe tremble. What in the world is there that will give rise to such elevated self-sacrifice in the spirit of a simple-hearted  soldier? What patriotism can be instilled in its place? What can make him willingly sacrifice his life and all his world?

The Second: Whenever the dragons (large states) of Europe have dealt a blow at this Islamic state, they have caused three hundred and fifty million Muslims to weep and cry out. So in order not to make them do that, those colonialists drew back their hands; they lowered them, even while raising them to strike. What power can be established in place of this constant moral support, which can be in no way belittled? Let them show it! No, that huge moral strength must not be offended by negative nationalism and independent patriotism.