Victory of Truth

Victory of Truth Towards the end of the 19th century, when the British ruled in India, a mosque was being constructed in Kandhla—a village in U.P., northern India. A dispute started between local Hindus and Muslims concerning the land next to the mosque. The Muslims claimed that it belonged to the mosque and wished to include it in the new construction. But the Hindus insisted that it was the site of an ancient temple. The dispute grew and eventually the case was taken to the court, where it took several years to reach a decision. The magistrate was an Englishman. He was unable to make a decision on the basis of the inconclusive evidence that was brought before him. Eventually he spoke to the Hindus and the Muslims separately. He asked the Muslims if they knew any Hindu who would be able to testify that the land belonged to the mosque; if they did, he said, he would settle the issue on the basis of his evidence. The Muslims, however, were unable to give the name of any such Hindu. “This is a religious matter,” they said, “we cannot expect any Hindu to be impartial in such an affair. There is no Hindu we know who would speak the truth, and admit that the land belongs to the mosque.” The magistrate then called the Hindus, and asked them if they could suggest the name of a Muslim who would verify their claim that the land had been the site of a temple. If they could tell him of such a Muslim, he said, he would settle the case on the basis of his evidence, and give the land to the Hindus. The Hindus consulted among themselves. Then they reported back to the magistrate. “This has become a matter of sectarian pride,” they said. “For this reason it will be difficult to find a Muslim who admits that the land belongs to our temple. But there is one holy man in our village. We do not expect him to tell a lie.” The Muslim’s name that the Hindus gave was Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh, the father of Maulana Muzaffar Hussain Kandhelvi. The magistrate was at this time based near Kandhla, in a village called Ailum. He immediately summoned Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh to the court to give evidence in this case. Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh came to the magistrate’s court. A large number of Hindus and Muslims had gathered outside the court. Everyone was waiting with mixed feelings for the decision. The magistrate spoke in a loud voice. “Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh,” he said,