HYDERABAD DIARIES

commentary of the Quran written by me five times and was in the process of reading it the sixth time. He said he was extremely keen to have the second volume. A gathering held at the residence of an advocate, Mr Aziz Ahmed Khan, was attended by scholars and other luminaries. In the course of the conversation, one of the facts that I learnt was that when the Nizam’s rule came to an end, local Muslims had been extremely worried, for, without the patronage of their old ruler, their government jobs, their sole source of livelihood, had suddenly ceased to exist. Their miseries were only temporary, however, for, finding all familiar doors closed, they turned of necessity to business, and now, after 40 years in this line, Muslims have a considerable share in the Hyderabad business community. From playing no part at all in the business world during the Nizam’s rule, they managed to project themselves into the highest echelons of the successful. Personal failure can always be converted into success, and there are many who show great acumen in doing so, but sadly there are very few who can apply such personal experiences to community affairs. In an issue of AI-Risala, an article entitled, ‘This is not Islam’ makes a critical appraisal of Muslims’ overreaction to any overt criticism of Islam. The case in point was the misdirected attack by Muslims on an editor who had published what they considered a literary jibe at Islam. Quoting the Quran in support of restraint in such matters, the article castigates those who, on the basis of insufficient evidence, go on a rampage, burning and destroying property. One reader raised objections to the view presented in this article but did not support his argument by referring to the Quran or the Hadith. I, therefore, explained to him that if there were to be any debate on points which already had the backing of the Scriptures, he should cite passages from those same Scriptures in order to support his viewpoint, for the truth of the Quran and Hadith could not be disparaged by personally concocted arguments. This is a common error made by the Muslims of today, that is, whenever any debatable point has to be defended, they pass over quotations from the Scriptures in favour of their own home-made reasoning, and this in spite of the fact that it is sheer heresy to do so. A Muslim must present Personal failure can always be converted into success, and there are many who show great acumen in doing so, but sadly there are very few who can apply such personal experiences to community affairs.