Sadullah, I need a man

inroads into the country until a stage was reached when they succeeded wresting control of the entire country. The Mughal emperor at the Red Fort was emperor only in name, and almost all power was vested in the hands of the English. Two of the phrases coined at that time aptly sum up the state of affairs: “The government of Shah Alam stretches from Delhi to Palam.” And “Bahadur Shah sits on the throne, but the company gives the orders!” (i.e. the East India Company). Finally, in the wake of the 1857 revolution this mere figurehead was removed from the scene for ever. The story of the Mughal empire is the story of all Muslims, the greatest reasons for their downfall in later times being the same as they were in Mughal times— the pursuit of personal glory, the resulting internecine warfare and the sacrifice of higher and greater things. Personal objectives may have been temporarily achieved, but no great social order has resulted. It is only when the individual is willing to step down in favour of higher principles that society as a whole can benefit. The sacrifice of the individual is the price to be paid for the glory of the nation. No nation can ever hold up its head, far less take pride of place amongst the nations of the world, if the individuals of which it is comprised think of nothing but personal gain and selfglorification. This has never been so, and nowhere is this evident in the world of today.