PECCAVI
Al-Risala (English), March 1986, p. 32
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
“PECCAVI”
1986 3 March 32 “PECCAVI” (177) When Sir Charles Napier conquered Sindh in 1843, his victory message to the Governor General, Lord Dalhousie, bore the single word, Peccavi.
A strange message indeed, considering that there had been no prior understanding between the military officer and the Governor General as to what this word was supposed to imply. But the Governor General was not at a loss even for a moment. He recognized the word as a Latin expression meaning “I have sinned”, and immediately gathered that Napier had conquered Sindh.
Although this message may have been so worded more in order to be facetious than to keep the information secret, it illustrates how necessary it is for there to be capable and quick-thinking people in charge of affairs whenever a situation calls for delicacy and finesse. It is not always that a communication can be explicit to the point of being blunt, and it is very often essential to be able to read between the lines. This calls for great alertness, a sharpening of the intelligence and, above all, the widest possible education.
