Principle, Not Cowardice
Al-Risala (English), January-February 1992, p. 21
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.
Principle, Not Cowardice
1992 1-2 January-February 21 Principle, Not Cowardice (352) A reader of Al-Risala once complained that there was one thing about it that he did not like. “You always preach tolerance among the Muslims. This is just cowardice. Is it your intention to turn all Muslims into cowards?”
The complainant is a small shopkeeper who sells goods which meet the daily needs of his customers. One day I was at his shop when a young boy came in with a matchbox in his hand. He threw the matchbox towards the shopkeeper, saying angrily. “There are supposed to be 60 matchsticks in this, but there are only 50!”
The boy’s behaviour had been insulting and provocative but the shopkeeper did not react. He quietly handed over another match box to him, saying very politely, “Never mind, take another one.”
After the boy had left, I said to the shopkeeper, “That boy definitely misbehaved, but you didn’t say anything.” He replied, “Earlier, I used to talk back and often clash with the customers. The net result was that my shop closed down. Later, I kept watching another shopkeeper who was doing good business. He ignored their curt remarks and dealt with them pleasantly. I started doing the same thing when I opened up another shop. Now, by the grace of God, my shop is running well-certainly much better than before.”
I heard him out patiently and then I said to him, “Between you and me there is only one difference. You have become ‘coward’ for the sake of your worldly business, while I would like to become a ‘coward’ for the sake of the Hereafter. There is, in fact, no cowardice in this. It is a matter of moral principle. Neither is it passivity. It is a matter of positive action. It is not conceding a defeat but taking a step towards a greater victory. It leads not to loss but to gain. It is not bowing to man, but to the Lord of the Universe.
If one does not understand the importance of patience and tolerance, it can only be because of a lack of experience and any innate sense of discretion.
