the temptation to invoke the
"Meyers' Law" in their works. The
"Meyers' Law" stipulates that:
"If the facts do not fit the theory,
discard the facts." A historian will
inevitably run into truths which
may be unpleasant to him but he
must not suppress them. He must
state all the facts as he uncovers
them if he wishes to vindicate truth.
But the historian, if he is a Muslim,
has no choice in this matter. He is
not free to write "inspired" or
"synthetic" history. All he can do, if
he is writing history, is to cling
tenaciously to truth. If he writes
false "history" for any reason, he
will only merit the displeasure of
God. Here, as elsewhere, al-Qur'an
al-Majid, the Book of God, is
explicit, emphatic, and unequivocal
in its judgment which reads as
follows: And cover not truth with
falsehood, nor conceal the truth
when ye know (what it is). (Qur'an.
Chapter 2; verse 42) Those who
conceal the clear (signs) We have
sent down, and the guidance, after
We have made it clear for the people
in the Book – on them shall be
God's curse, and the curse of those
entitled to curse. (Qur'an. Chapter
2; verse 159) If the Muslim
historians make these two verses of
Qur'an their "guiding stars," they
will be protected from error, and
they will also be protected from
becoming either the agents or the
victims of propaganda, consciously
or unconsciously. In trying to
smirch the name of Ali ibn Abi
Talib; in trying to play down his
services to Islam; and in desperately
trying to conceal his g