Action, Not Reaction
Al-Risala (English), August-September 1994, 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.
Action, Not Reaction
1994 8-9 August-September 21 Action, Not Reaction (262) Several years ago, IBM, the famous American Computer Company, was already so far ahead in the field of computers that its officers, making fun of Japanese Computer Companies, had quipped: ‘When IBM sneezes, Japanese computer makers are blown away.’
Japanese industrialists, however, did not express any anger at this ‘provocation’. They rather devoted themselves to upgrading the standard of their computers, until a time came when Japan had achieved the topmost rank in the world in the computer industry. Today Fujitsu, a Japanese computer company, said its largest new computer can perform up to 600 million instructions per second, compared with as many as 210 MIPS for IBM’s best. (Time Magazine, September 17, 1990).
Reacting to provocation brings nothing but negative results, whereas avoiding provocation leaves the way clear to embark on planned construction and consolidation. It is the law of this world that those who ‘act’ make progress, while those who ‘react’ are doomed to destruction. This applies particularly to the behaviour of Muslims at the present time. For example if a Hindu says anything against Muslims, all our so-called Muslim leaders and our third class journalists will start protesting that Muslims’ sentiments are being hurt and that the administration, being unconcerned, has failed to discharge its duties. The Muslim public will then allow itself to be provoked into launching an agitation. What else can this result in but communal rioting? There is nothing more calculated to do a disservice to the Muslim community than this, for the final outcome will simply be that Muslims are left further behind than ever.
