The Wrong Reaction
Al-Risala (English), November 1988, p. 14
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.
The Wrong Reaction
1988 11 November 14-15 The Wrong Reaction (717) Our present-day “Muslim crusaders” are no different in their reactions. It has been hate, not love, which has spurred them into action. Their efforts have been aimed solely at consigning people to Hell-fire. As for making them eligible for the Garden of Paradise they have taken no action whatsoever; they do not genuinely feel that this is their concern.
Saeed Naurasi (1873-1920), a Turkish scholar and warrior in the cause of Islam, was a man of great mental and practical abilities whose persistent and vehement opposition to the Turkish government turned the authorities against him. Eventually, he was arrested and brought before a military tribunal. Delivering a statement in court he said: “Even if I possessed a thousand souls, I would not hesitate to sacrifice every one of them for the sake of just one single point of the true teachings of Islam”. (Dawat al-Haq, Rabat, November, 1985)
Throughout his life, Saeed Naurasi had been absorbed mainly in his studies. But then, one day, something happened which changed the entire course of his life. From being a student of Islam, he turned into a warrior for Islam. It was in 1894 that he read in certain local newspapers that the British Colonial Minister, Gladstone, had delivered a speech in the House of Commons, which was clearly inimical to the interests of Islam. Holding a copy of the Quran in his hand, Gladstone told the House: “So long as the Muslims hold this Quran in their hands, we will not be able to rule over them. This being the case, we have no choice but to eliminate it completely, thus severing the Muslims’ connection with it.”
On reading this, Saeed Naurasi should have been filled with the urge to correct the erroneous way of thinking into which Gladstone and men of his like had fallen, but instead, he became preoccupied with the irreverence which Gladstone had shown towards the Quran. He was moved by a desire, not to show Gladstone the true way, but to punish him for his act of blasphemy. Today, the reaction of our prominent Muslim figures is very similar. There is no positive approach in their espousal of the Islamic cause. Whenever they take up the Islamic banner against alleged transgressors, they are invariably moved to this by some negative reaction.
But Islam, far from being an expression of negative reactions, is a faith grounded in positive realities. A true believer is one who discovers God in all His greatness, and devotes his life to God alone. Reading the signs of God throughout the length and breadth of the universe, he becomes a fountainhead of divine learning. It is as though he has penetrated the veil over the unseen, and has seen Heaven and Hell with his own eyes. His greatest yearning is to be saved from Hellfire and admitted into the gardens of everlasting delight. It is when such a state of realization has been attained that one can truly call oneself a believer and a Muslim. Ultimately, this state of realisation is communicated to others, as one calls them to the path of true faith.
In his statement in court, Saeed Naurasi declared himself ready to sacrifice his entire being for anyone point of the true teachings of Islam. At first sight, this statement would appear to span the entire spectrum of Islamic teachings. On closer scrutiny, however, the fact emerges that he had only a small part of Islam in mind. This is illustrated by his reaction to Gladstone’s statement on the Quran. While concentrating on the fact that Gladstone’s suggestion was an act of irreverence towards the Quran, he completely disregarded the clear implication that, if Gladstone could make such a statement, it was because the message of the Quran had never been effectively conveyed to him. Saeed Naurasi was highly incensed on the first score, and felt moved to take punitive action. But on the second score, he remained impassive.
Our present-day “Muslim crusaders” are no different in their reactions. It has been hate, not love, which has spurred them into action. Their efforts have been aimed solely at consigning people to Hell-fire. As for making them eligible for the Garden of Paradise they have taken no action whatsoever; they do not genuinely feel that this is their concern.
