books well! He made a mistake. Then he made tawba for this (he repented and begged for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy). He was right about his ordering Medina-i-munawwara plundered. For the inhabitants of Medina had become quite unbridled and disobedient. As for Walid; yes, he was a sinner. It is not wajib to imitate the Khalifa, but to obey his commandments compatible with the Shari’at.” I had asked these same questions to my hodja Ahmed Efendi and received identical answers with slight differences. Then I asked the secretary, “What are the ultimate reasons for preparing these models?” He said, “With this method we are assessing the mental capacities of the (Ottoman) Sultan and the Muslim scholars, be they Shi’i or Sunni. We are searching for the measures that will help us cope with them. For instance, if you know what direction the enemy forces will come from, you will make preparations accordingly, post your forces at suitable positions, and thus rout the enemy. On the other hand, if you aren’t sure about the direction of the enemy assault you will spread your forces here and there in a haphazard way and suffer a defeat. ... By the same token, if you know the evidences Muslims will furnish to prove that their faith, their madh-hab is right, it will be possible for you to prepare the counter-evidences to rebut their evidences and undermine their belief with those counter-evidences.” Then he gave me a book of one thousand pages containing the results of the observations and projects carried out by the aforenamed five representative men in areas such as military, finance, education, and religion. He said, “Please read this book and return it to us.” I took the book home with me. I read through it with utmost attention during my three-week holiday. The book was of a wonderful sort. For the important answers and the delicate observations it contained sounded genuine. I think that the answers given by the representative five men were more than seventy percent agreeable with the answers that their archetypes would have given. Indeed, the secretary had said that the answers were seventy percent correct. Having read the book, I now had more confidence in my State and I knew for certain that the plans for demolishing the Ottoman Empire in time shorter than a century had already been prepared. The secretary also said, “In other similar rooms we have identical tables intended for countries we have been - 46 - colonizing as well as for those we are planning to colonize.” When I asked the secretary where they found such diligent and talented men, he replied, “Our agents all over the world are providing us intelligence continuously. As you see, these representatives are experts in their work. Naturally, if you were furnished with all the information possessed by a particular person, you would be able to think like him and to make the decisions he would make. For you would be his substitute now.” The secretary went on, “So this was the first secret I was ordered by the Ministry to give you. “I shall tell you the second secret a month later, when you return the book of one thousand pages.” I read the book part by part from the beginning to the end, focusing all my attention on it. It increased my information about the Muhammadans. Now I knew how they thought, what their weaknesses were, what made them powerful, and how to transform their powerful qualities into vulnerable spots. Muslims’ weak spots as recorded in the book were as follows: 1- The Sunnite-Shiite controversy; the sovereign-people controversy;[1] the Turkish-Iranian controversy; the tribal controversy; and the scholars-states controversy.[2] 2- With very few exceptions, Muslims are ignorant and illiterate.[3] [1] This assertion is entirely wrong. It contradicts his former statement that “it is fard to obey the Padishah.” [2] This is sheer calumniation. The written will of Osman (’Uthman) Ghazi, (the first Ottoman Padishah), is a detailed example of the value and honour the Ottoman administration set on the scholars. All the Padishahs granted the highest positions to the scholars. When the jealous adversaries of Mawlana Khalid Baghdadi slanderously denounced him to Mahmud Khan II and demanded that he be executed, the Sultan gave this widely known answer: “Scholars would by no means be harmful to the State.” The Ottoman Sultans granted a house, provisions, and a high salary to every scholar. [3] The books on religion, ethics, iman, and science written by thousands of Ottoman scholars are known universally. Peasants, who are supposed to be the most illiterate sort of people, were very well informed of their faith, worships, and craft. There were mosques, schools, and madrasas in all villages. Villagers were taught how to read and write, religious and worldly knowledge in these places. Women in villages knew how to - 47 - 3- Lack of spirituality, knowledge, and conscience.[1] 4- They have completely ceased from worldly business and are absorbed in matters pertaining to the Hereafter.[2] 5- The emperors are cruel dictators.[3] 6- The roads are unsafe, transportation and travels are sporadic.[4] 7- No precaution is taken against epidemics such as plague and cholera, which kill tens of thousands of people each year; hygiene is altogether ignored.[5] 8- The cities are in ruins, and there is no system of supplying water.[6] 9- The administration is unable to cope with rebels and insurgents, there is a general disorderliness, rules of the read Qur’an al-kerim. Most scholars and Awliya were brought up and educated in villages. [1] The Ottoman Muslims were very firm spiritually. The people would run for Jihad in order to attain martyrdom. After each of the (five) daily prayers of namaz, as well as during every Friday Khutba, the religious men would pronounce benedictions over the Khalifa and the State, and the whole congregation would say “Amin”. Christian villagers, on the other hand, are mostly illiterate, totally unaware of their faith and worldly knowledge, and therefore take the priests’ sermons for granted and adhere to the lies and superstitions they have fabricated in the name of religion. They are like senseless flocks of animals. [2] Unlike Christianity, Islam does not separate the religion from the world. It is an act of worship to busy oneself with worldly matters. Our Prophet stated, “Work for the world as though you would never die, and (work) for the Hereafter as if you were going to die tomorrow.” [3] The emperors brought pressure to bear on the people for the execution of the principles of the Shari’at. They did not perpetrate oppression like the European kings. [4] The roads were so safe that a Muslim who set out from Bosnia would travel as far as Mekka comfortably and free of charge, staying, eating and drinking in the villages on the way, and the villagers would most of the time give him presents. [5] There were hospitals and asylums everywhere. Even Napoleon was cured by the Ottomans. All Muslims adapt themselves to the hadith-isherif, “He who has iman will be clean.” [6] These slanders are not even worth answering. Firuz Shah, the Sultan of Delhi, passed away in 790 [C.E. 1388]. The orchards and gardens irrigated by the wide 240 km canal constructed with his command relapsed into a wasteland during the British invasion. The remains of the Ottoman architecture are still dazzling the eyes of tourists. - 48 - Qur’an, of which they are so proud, are almost never put into practice.[1] 10- Economical collapse, poverty, and retrogression. 11- There is not an orderly army, nor adequate weaponry; and the weapons in stock are classical and friable. [Are they unaware of the systematic army established by Orhan Ghazi, who ascended to the (Ottoman) throne in 726 (C.E. 1326), Y?ld?r?m (The Thunderbolt) Bayezid Khan’s immaculate army, which routed the great army of crusaders in Nighbolu in 799 (C.E. 1399)?] 12- Violation of women’s right.[2] 13- Lack of environmental health and cleanliness.[3] After citing what was considered as Muslims’ vulnerable spots in the paragraphs paraphrased above, the book advised to cause Muslims to remain oblivious of the material and spiritual superiority of their faith, Islam. Then, it gave the following information about Islam: 1- Islam commands unity and cooperation and prohibits disunion. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Hold fast to Allah’s rope altogether.”[4] 2- Islam commands being educated and being conscious. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Travel on the earth.”[5] 3- Islam commands acquiring knowledge. It is stated in a hadith, “Learning knowledge is fard for every Muslim, male and female alike.” 4- Islam commands working for the world. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Some of them: O our Allah! Allot to us whatever is beautiful both in the world and in the Hereafter.”[6] [1] They must be confusing the Ottomans with those French generals who were awarded for pouring their kings’ excrement into Seine. [2] At a time when the British were totally oblivious to arts, weaponry, and women’s rights, the Ottomans formulated these concepts in the most exquisite way. Would they have the face to deny the fact that the Swedish and the French kings asked for help from the Ottomans? [3] The streets were extremely clean. In fact, there were health services allotted to cleaning the spittles in the streets. [4] Al-i-’Imran sura, ayat: 103 [5] Al-i-’Imran sura, ayat: 137 [6] Baqara sura, ayat: 201 - 49 - 5- Islam commands consultation. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Their deeds are (done) upon consultation among themselves.”[1] 6- Islam commands to build roads. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Walk on the earth.”[2] 7- Islam commands Muslims to maintain their health. It is stated in a hadith, “Knowledge is (made up) of four (parts): 1) The knowledge of Fiqh for the maintenance of faith; 2) The knowledge of Medicine for the maintenance of health; 3) The knowledge of Sarf and Nahw (Arabic grammar) for the maintenance of language; 4) The knowledge of Astronomy so as to be aware of the times.” 8- Islam commands development. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Allah created everything on the earth for you.”[3] 9- Islam commands orderliness. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Everything is based on calculations, orders.”[4] 10- Islam commands being strong economically. It is stated in a hadith. “Work for your world as though you would never die. And work for your hereafter as if you were going to die tomorrow.” 11- Islam commands establishing an army equipped with powerful weapons. It is stated in the Qur’an, “Prepare as many forces as you can against them.”[5] 12- Islam commands observing women’s rights and to value them. It is stated in the Qur’an, “As men legally have (rights) over women, so women have rights over them.”[6] 13- Islam commands cleanliness. It is stated in a hadith, “Cleanliness is from iman.” The book recommended degenerating and impairing the following power sources: 1- Islam has negated racial, lingual, traditional, conventional, and national bigotry. [1] Shura sura, ayat: 38 [2] Mulk: 15 [3] Baqara sura, ayat: 29 [4] Hijr: 19 [5] Enfal sura, ayat: 60 [6] Baqara sura, ayat: 228 - 50 - 2- Interest, profiteering, fornication, alcoholic spirits, and pork are forbidden. 3- Muslims are firmly adherent to their ’Ulama (religious scholars). 4- Most of the Sunni Muslims accept the Khalifa as the Prophet’s representative. They believe that it is fard to show him the same respect as must be shown to Allah and the Prophet. 5- Jihad is fard. 6- According to the Shi’i Muslims, all non-Muslims and Sunni Muslims are foul people. 7- All Muslims believe that Islam is the only true religion. 8- Most Muslims believe that it is fard to expel the Jews and Christians from the Arab peninsula. 9- They perform their worships, (such as namaz, fast, hajj...), in the most beautiful way. 10- The Shi’i Muslims believe that it is haram (forbidden) to build churches in Muslim countries. 11- Muslims hold fast to the principles of the Islamic belief. 12- The Shi’i Muslims consider it fard to give one-fifth of the Humus, i.e. booties taken in Holy War, to the ’Ulama. 13- Muslims raise their children with such education that they are not likely to abandon the way followed by their ancestors. 14- Muslim women cover themselves so well that mischief can by no means act on them. 15- Muslims make namaz in jama’at, which brings them together five times daily. 16- Because the Prophet’s grave and those of ’Ali and other pious Muslims are sacred according to them, they assemble at these places. 17- There are a number of people descending from the Prophet, [who are called Sayyids and Sherifs]; these people remind of the Prophet and keep Him always remain alive in the eyes of Muslims. 18- When Muslims assemble, preachers consolidate their iman and motivate them to do pious acts. 19- It is fard to perform Amr-i-bi-l-ma’ruf [advising piety] and - 51 - nahy-i-ani-l-munkar [admonishing against wrongdoing]. 20- It is sunnat to marry more than one women in order to contribute to the increase of Muslim population. 21- Converting one person to Islam is more valuable to a Muslim than possessing the whole world. 22- The hadith, “If a person opens an auspicious way, he will attain the thawabs of people who follow that way as well as the thawab for having attained it,” is well known among Muslims. 23- Muslims hold the Qur’an and hadiths in very profound reverence. They believe that obeying these sources is the only way of attaining Paradise. The book recommended to vitiate Muslims’ staunch spots and to popularize their weaknesses, and it prescribed the methods for accomplishing this. It advised the following steps for popularizing their vulnerable spots: 1- Establish controversies by inducing animosity among disputing groups, inoculating mistrust, and by publishing literature to further incite controversies. 2- Obstruct schooling and publications, and burn literature whenever possible. Make sure that Muslim children remain ignorant by casting various aspersions on religious authorities and thus preventing Muslim parents from sending their children to religious schools. [This British method has been very harmful to Islam.] 3-4- Praise Paradise in their presence and convince them that they need not work for a worldly life. Enlarge the circles of Tasawwuf. Keep them in an unconscious state by encouraging them to read books advising Zuhd, such as Ihya-ul-’ulum-iddin, by Ghazali, Mesnevi, by Mawlana, and various books written by Muhyiddin Arabi.[1] 5- Wheedle the emperors into cruelty and dictatorship by the following demagogic falsifications: You are Allah’s shadows on [1] Zuhd, which is commended by books of Tasawwuf, does not mean to cease from worldly labour. It means not to be fond of the world. In other words, working for the world, earning worldly needs, and using them compatibly with the Shari’at will provide as much thawab as other acts of worship will. - 52 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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