Islam and Ethiopianism

Islam and Ethiopianism 
Praise be to Allah, God of the people, Lord of them all.
Creator of all creatures, the Luminous Truth, who
created man of mud, the angels from lustrous light, and
the ginn from blazing fire, who sent prophets, and
made of paradise a home for the faithful, and fire the
end for the blasphemous. The prayers and the peace of
God be on the last of His prophets, who was dispatched
as an envoy of mercy to all creation, heralding the
rightful religion, and pointing out the straight path. He
called on people to follow God, dilegently toiled for
this aim, established minarets and centres for
knowledge, salvation, profusion and justice. He
solidified the verdicts of Islam among the best nation
ever created, and formed the most righteous society
that ever appeared on earth.
I proceed
To guide people to worship the One God in the manner
He advocates and condones is one of the most sublime
pursuits, the loftiest objectives and the noblest
activities. Such is the occupation of prophets, and messengers, peace be upon them,1 for the sake ofwhich they were dispatched, and in the pursuit ofwhich they faced injury, affliction, armed conflict,hostility, combat and false charges. Such were naturalconsequences of the clash between truth and falsehood,virtue and vice, and righteousness and waywardness.Promulgators and religious scholars are the prophets’heirs. Each enjoys a share of the burden of prophecyin proportion to his knowledge and achievement. Theysuffer as much as did their predecessors—injury,accusation and skepticism. At present we note thateach one devotes himself to one or another of theaspects of the da’wa (the call to Islam), and undertakesto propagate it among people. Each adopts the methodthat suits his mission. Some are occupied in writingand authorship; others undertake preaching andoratory; a third party follows up instruction andpedagogy; while some are preoccupied in mattersconnected with charity and alms.