Islam Rediscovered
23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformation
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the old and opted for the new. This revolution is
known as the Renaissance.
It was this revolution which enabled the European
nations to perform the greatest feat of history, i.e.
emerging from the traditional age into the age of
science. The truth is that the human mind is a
treasure-house of unlimited power. In normal
situations the human brain remains in a dormant
state. It is only external shocks which awaken it,
and the greater they are, the greater the intellectual
revolution within man. This shock treatment
produces in man what psychologists call brain-
storming. This brings about a fresh intellectual
outlook, a transformation which elevates a normal
man to the level of a superman, who is then able to
perform great feats.
Religious conversion is only a small part of this
whole process. When the dialogue-conversion
process is set in motion, it cannot have limits set to
it. It is not possible to allow one kind of conversion
and to prohibit another. Being a stormy process, it is
boundless.
