192 THE KEY OF MYSTERIES

neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him.' 'I 1 am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.' And so St. John says: 'This 2 is the antichrist, even he that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.' These are only a few of the very many verses of the New Testament which must seem unintelligible or false to the man who is ignorant of the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity. We see that St. John, by the inspiration of God, states clearly and forcibly that denial of the Father and the Son, which is implied in denying the divine Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the heresy taught by Antichrist (الدّجّال). This alone is enough to show the importance of the doctrine which we are considering, and to act as a serious warning to every God-fearing man not to reject the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, lest he should be reckoned among the deluded followers of Antichrist, and with him be overthrown by the Lord Jesus Christ on His triumphal return to reign. 'Behold, 3 he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they which pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him.' 'For 4 he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet.'


1 John xiv. 6. 2 1 John ii. 22-3.
3 Rev. i. 7. 4 Cor. xv. 25.
DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY TRINITY 193

(2) Recognition of. God's holiness, justice, mercy and love, is closely connected with belief in the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, so much so indeed that, if anyone rejects this doctrine when revealed in the holy Scriptures, he cannot properly realize that these attributes belong to God. Hence it is that among our Muslim brethren, although every one admits with his lips that God is holy, just, merciful and loving, and that He possesses all other good attributes to the degree of perfection, yet when he thinks over these attributes he finds that to him they seem to be merely expressions which ultimately denote God's almighty will and power. 1 Thus all adequate conception of these attributes is lost in the idea of absolute, infinite, irresponsible might. Hence in the Qur'an it is said, 'He 2 misleadeth whom He will, and guideth aright whom He will,' and again and again it is stated that He is 'able 3 to do everything'. But belief in one Al-mighty God cannot of itself bring eternal salvation, for even the devils believe, and tremble. 4 Belief in God's almighty power may terrify men's hearts, but it cannot render them tender and warm with love for God. It is only when the hard heart is melted by the conviction of God's love 5 for us that


1 See Gairdner's The Muslim Idea of God, pp. 22-3.
2 Suratu'n-Nahl (xvi) 95; Suratu'l-Fatir (xxxv) 9; Suratu'l-Muddaththir (lxxiv) 34.
3 Suratu'l-Baqara (ii) 19, etc. إنَّ اْلله عَلَى كُلِّ شَئٍْ قَدِيْرٌ
4 Jas, ii. 19. 5 1 John iv. 19.