Al-Risala (English), January 1991
Al-Risala (English), January 1991, p. 2
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.
Why Ask for the Impossible
1991 1 January 2-3 Why Ask for the Impossible (428) One day a washerman set out for the river bank along with his donkeys. The local residents told him that they would let his donkeys pass through their area on one condition only, i.e. that they did not bray, because they did not like the noise they made.
The washerman replied: “I could have fulfilled your condition if you had asked me to stop my donkeys from kicking anyone, but it is not in my power to stop my donkeys from braying.”
This story aptly illustrates the issue of communal rioting. The root cause of most of the riots that occur in India is that whenever one community’s procession passes through a neighbourhood populated by another community, the latter makes the condition that the procession must go on its way without any provocative slogans being raised. But this is a condition, which can seldom be met. There are always certain participants who feel compelled to raise provocative slogans, which, in turn, incites the other community to retaliate, generally by stone-throwing. This starts off a chain reaction of hand-to-hand fighting and sometimes even shooting. The result is the kind of large-scale riot, which brings in its wake death and destruction for the entire locality.
There is no doubt about it that leading processions through the streets is a shallow business. And it is only shallow people who participate in such activity. Serious, educated people seldom join in. In other words, a procession is much the same as a string of donkeys. Except that it is made up of human beings. To demand that such people should refrain from raising slogans is totally unrealistic. This is because they are constitutionally incapable of maintaining a discreet silence.
We must understand the difference between what is practicable and what is not. We should learn to demand only what is practicable. What is the point of demanding something, which has been proven impracticable?
So far as the spoken words are concerned, we must show patience (Qur’an, 74:10), for the damage done by the spoken word is purely psychological. But so far as actions are concerned, we should apply restraints, for actions are largely aimed at physical harm. Whenever slogan-raising is likely to become an issue, we should ask the administration only to ensure that the participants in a procession do not engage in any violent activities. If we could but adopt this policy, we would have found a way of putting an end to communal riots forever. Demand the possible in this world, and you will meet with success. Why expect the impossible?
