A Victory of Virtue

A Victory of Virtue

1990 10 October 14 A Victory of Virtue (359) At a meeting on February 19, 1990, Dr. Abu Bakr of Bombay told me that there had been a large gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat at a place in Maharashtra, and that a police party had reached there to help in keeping order. At the end of the meeting, when the congregation had dispersed, Dr. Abu Bakr met the police officer in charge of the party and had a talk with him. The latter explained to him in Tamil that they had come there to keep a sharp look-out for any unruly behaviour, but that after seeing and hearing all that had passed during this meeting, he felt that if other people could only be like the people associated with this organisation, there would never be any need for police surveillance.

The Police Officer added that he had not formed this opinion by just listening to the speeches delivered on this occasion, but rather by watching how the people behaved. He said that, for instance, a member of the congregation forgot to pick up his watch after performing his ablutions. The police officer waited quietly nearby to see what would happen. Other people soon arrived to perform their ablutions and one of them, spotting the watch, picked it up and made off. The officer then followed him at a discreet distance until he reached a tent set up as a temporary office for lost property. The man handed over the watch without a moment’s hesitation, then he went away to say his prayers.

The police officer said to him that people these days were generally only too pleased to make off with other people’s possessions. But here were people who had no wish at all to keep others possession even when they fell right into their hands. And not only that, they made sure the lost property reached its rightful owner.

Good character conquers all – even the police who are notorious for their suspicious attitude towards the public. The reason is that human beings are endowed with moral sense as a matter of birthright. Consequently, no man can witness a truly moral act without being deeply influenced by it.