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The
Process of Islamic Revolution
[1. Address delivered at Muslim University,
Aligarh (India) on 12th September, 1940.]
Gentlemen!
In this discourse I shall explain to you the process by which an
Islamic State comes into being as a natural consequence of a
particular set of circumstances. Now-a-days the phrase."Islamic
State" has become a child's plaything; the idea has caught the
imagination of certain people, and some of them even profess to
have adopted it as a positive ideal. But such strange methods
are being suggested for its attainment as would make it as
impossible to reach the desired goal as reaching America in a
motor car. This loose thinking is due to the fact that owing to
certain political and historical causes, a desire has sprung up
for a certain ideal which may be called the "Islamic State" ;
but no attempt has been made either to define in a scientific
manner the nature of this state or to study the process of its
evolution. In these circumstances it becomes doubly necessary to
investigate this problem in a scientific manner.
Natural Evolution of the State System
In this gathering of educated people I need not spend much time
in explaining that a state, whatever its nature, is not formed
by artificial means; it is not an article of manufacture to be
prepared at a particular place and then transplanted elsewhere
entirely at the sweet will of men. It is rather a natural
product of the interplay of certain moral, psychological,
cultural and historical factors pre-existing in a place. Certain
pre-requisites must be fulfilled, certain social forces created
and some natural requirements satisfied before it can come into
being by the pressure of events. Just as in Logic, deduction
always follows the arrangement of premises; in Chemistry a
chemical compound is formed by the combination, in a particular
way, of certain ingredients possessing chemical affinity;
likewise it is an undeniable fact that in Sociology a state is
merely the natural consequence of the circumstances which
pre-exist in a particular society. Again, the nature of state is
wholly determined by the nature of the circumstances which
underlie its birth and formation. Just as it is not possible
that premises may be of one type and their arrangement may bring
about a different conclusion ; chemical components may be of a
particular nature and by mixing them up a compound of a totally
different kind may be obtained ; a lemon seed may be sown and a
tree bearing mangoes may grow out of it ; similarly it is not
possible that conditions may exist favoring the growth of a
particular type of state and the manner of their mutual
interaction may also suit the development of the same type of
state but, after passing through various evolutionary stages, an
altogether different state may emerge out of the process ; and
the operation of the very forces which favored one form of state
may result in a state being established which belongs to a
different category altogether.
Please do not imagine that I am bringing in the doctrine of
Determinism here and denying the freedom of human will. There is
no doubt that in determining the nature of a state the volition
and actions of individuals and communities play a very great
part. What I am driving at is that whatever the nature of the
state system that is desired to be created, it is indispensable
to adopt and choose such means as fit in with the nature and
spirit of the desired system and then to hit upon the
appropriate course of action leading towards it. It is essential
that a particular type of movement should grow up permeated by
the same spirit; the same sort of mass character should be
molded; the same type of communal morality should be developed;
the same kinds of workers should be trained, arid the same type
of leadership should emerge; and such collective action taken as
is inherent in the nature of the particular state system desired
to be set up. It is only when all these means have been
successfully employed and all the necessary forces and
appropriate factors have continued to operate for a sufficient
period of time and when, as a result of their operation over a
considerable period, they have created a social pattern strong
enough to withstand all influences foreign to its spirit, then
there comes into being, as a natural sequence of this train of
events, that particular type of state for which these powerful
forces have prepared the ground. This is exactly as a tree
springs out of a seed and continues to grow with its own force,
so that on reaching a particular stage of development it begins
to bear the self-same fruit for which its natural structure was
particularly suited. If you consider this fact, you will
recognize that when a particular type of movement, leadership,
mass-character and communal morality have emerged into a shape
appropriate to a definite form of state system and yet the hope
is entertained that, as a consequence thereof, a state system of
an altogether different nature will be created, it would be
little more than wishful thinking.
The Ideological State
We have now to consider what is the nature of the state which we
call an Islamic state. In this connection I may point out that
the distinguishing mark of the Islamic state is its complete
freedom from all traces of nationalism and its influences,
direct and indirect. It is a state built exclusively on
principles. I should call it an ideological state. A state
having its foundations in certain recognized moral principles
and free from all idea of nationality or race is one which the
world has known but once only and the advantages of which it
does not appreciate even to this day. In ancient times men knew
only of government by families or classes. Later on, they had
experience of racial and national governments. But the idea of a
state conducted on a definite set of principles and ruled by a
group of persons compose of widely differing nationalities who
have accepted those principles as the basis of their entire
life, social, economic and political--such acceptance of
principles being their sole title to have a voice in the affairs
of the state, this has never struck root in the narrow mind of
man. Christianity did embody a very dim perception of this truth
but it could not develop a full system of ideas on the basis of
which such a state could be formed. .In the French Revolution we
discover a faint glimpse of the idea of a state founded on a set
of principles, but it soon disappeared in the darkness of
nationalism. Communism of course preached this gospel with deep
fervor and did even attempt to form a state on this basis, so
that the world began to take interest in the great Russian
experiment. But the evil spirit of nationalism soon possessed
the Communist state and injected its poison down to its roots.
From the dawn of history down to modern days, Islam is the only
system in the world which seeks to organize the state on the
basis of an ideology free from all traces of nationalism and
invites mankind to form a non-national state by accepting its
ideological basis.
As this is something novel and the world around us is moving in
a contrary direction not only the non-Muslims but even Muslims
themselves are unable to realize its full implications. The idea
completely eludes the grasp of those Muslims who, though born in
Muslim families, have had their training and education on
Western lines and whose views on life and history are borrowed
from the European history and Western politics. The result has
been that in, countries outside India, where Muslims
preponderate and which are more or less independent, when people
of this type assumed the reins of government, they could think
of no other form of government or state system except a national
government and national state. This was because they had no
knowledge of Islam and its attitude towards the problems of life
and no conception of a state formed on a definite set of moral
and spiritual principles instead of the principle of race or
nationality. In India too, people who have received the same
kind of mental training are involved in the same fallacy. They
talk of an Islamic state but, because of their peculiar mental
training and their background of Western political history, they
have before their mind no plan of life except. that derived from
the life and history of a national state in Europe. Consciously
or unconsciously, they fall a victim to nationalistic ideology;
and whatever program they think of is fundamentally
nationalistic. According to them, the nature of the problem that
confronts us is no more than this: that Muslims are a separate
national group like Hindus, Englishmen and Frenchmen and as such
they have every right to a separate national existence under a
state and government of their own. However much they may rack
their brains, they cannot conceive of any other means of
attaining this objective except that, as a nation, Muslims
should follow the same methods and adopt the same strategy as
have been followed and adopted by all other national groups in
history. In other words, the elements of which this nationality
is composed should first be welded together in a strong unified
whole ; a powerful national spirit should then be infused among
them ; a central authority should emerge and direct them ; they
should organize their own national guards ; they should have a
national militia ; wherever they are in a majority they should
form a national state based on the well-known democratic
principle of majority rule ; and wherever they may be in a
minority, their "rights" should be safeguarded and their
individuality protected, just as in other countries of the word
national minorities seek and claim such protection : in the
services, educational institutions and elected bodies, they
should have proportionate representation, their representatives
should be elected by their own votes ; and they should be given
their due share in ministries as a distinct national entity.
Such are the methods and ideas of these people. They are
evidently borrowed from the conception of European state system
and yet those who advocate the above means and strategy talk, in
the same breath, of their resolve to form an Islamic state.
These people also use Islamic terms, `Ummah' `Millat', `Ameer'
and the duty of `obedience to the Ameer' the meaning of which in
Islamic terminology is something quite different from what these
persons have in mind when they use these words. To them,
however, these Islamic terms are synonymous with the terminology
of nationalism and, as good luck would have it, these terms were
found ready-made in Islamic literature and are now being freely
used to serve as a cloak for un-Islamic ideas and modes of
action derived from the West.
If you understand the nature of a state based on spiritual and
moral principles, you will find little difficulty in realizing
that this attitude of thought and action and this program of
work cannot serve even as a starting point for arriving at the
desired goal of an ideological state, let alone the question of
its utility in the concluding stages of the movement. Rather
such ideas and actions are by their very nature fatal to the
growth and evolution of a state to be founded on non-national
principles. The very basis of an ideological state is that we
dismiss all questions of tribes, classes, and `nationalities and
look upon men as moral and spiritual beings. It is not with
their nationality but with their humanity that we concern
ourselves. We place before them certain principles of action and
a set of beliefs wherefrom they have been derived, and put
forward the claim that these principles provide the basis of a
universal culture and a non-national state system which will
lead mankind to real peace in this world and in the Hereafter.
Anyone who accepts those principles is entitled to an equal
share in the conduct of the state system built on them. How can
a man whose numerous activities bear the stamp of nationalism
come forward with such an ideal? How can he appeal to the wider
humanity and the common moral sentiments of mankind when he has
already falsified his position by associating himself with the
good of a particular community or a particular nation? Would it
not be ridiculous to appeal in the name of humanity and the
common welfare of mankind to people blinded by national
prejudices and fighting each other in the name of nationalism
and national states, and in the same breath to demand national
rights and national self-determination for our, own people ?
Does it stand to reason that a movement for dissuading people
from litigation should be launched by instituting a suit in a
court of law?
The Divine Caliphate
Another distinguishing feature of the Islamic state is that the
basic conception underlying all its outward manifestations is
the idea of Divine sovereignty. Its fundamental theory is that
the earth and all that it contains belongs to God Who alone is
its Sovereign. No individual, family, class or nation, not even
the whole of humanity can lay claim to sovereignty, either
partially or wholly. God alone has the right to legislate and
give commands. The state, according to Islam, is nothing more
than a combination of men working together as servants of God to
carry out His Will and Purposes. This can happen in two ways:
either some person should receive the law of the state and its
basic constitution directly from .God or he should follow the
lead of another person who is the recipient of such law and
constitution, In the working of the state all those will
participate who believe in this law and are prepared to follow
it. They will all work with a sense of individual and collective
responsibility to God, not to the electorate, neither to the
king nor the dictator. They will proceed on the belief that God
knows everything overt and covert ; from His knowledge nothing
is hidden ; and from His grip man can never hope to escape, not
even after death: The responsibility for running the state has
been vested in men not for the purpose of enforcing their own
orders or imposing their own will on others, enslaving people of
other nationalities, calling upon them to bow down their heads
in submission, enabling them to construct spacious palaces by
fleecing the weak and downtrodden ; in short, for the pursuit of
their pleasure and self-glorification. On the other hand, men
who are at the helm of the state should have a feeling that this
is a burden laid on them that they may enforce the Divine law
and administer social justice to the creatures of God. They
should feel that if they make even a small mistake in following
and enforcing the law or become guilty of even a grain of
selfishness, prejudice, partiality and dishonesty, they shall be
hauled up before the throne of God on the Day of Judgment, even
if they escape punishment in this world.
The superstructure of social conduct and political action that
is raised on the basis of this theory is entirely different from
that of the secular state in all its details and ramifications.
Between these two forms of social and political life there is
nothing common either in the elements which make up their unity
or in the spirit and attitude underlying them. A state system
based on belief in the sovereignty of God and in a sense of
responsibility to Him requires for its successful working a
special type of individual mass character and a peculiar mental
attitude. Its army, its police, its law-courts, its revenue
system, its taxation, its administrative and foreign policy, its
conduct of war and peace-everything differs widely from its
counterpart in a secular state. The ordinary judges as well as
the Chief Budges of the secular courts are not fit to work as
clerks or even peons in its judicial system. The Inspector
General of police in a secular state is not worthy of being an
ordinary constable therein; and the Generals and Field-marshals
not fit to be recruited as ordinary soldiers. The foreign
ministers of the secular states, not to say of their fitness for
any office under the Islamic state system, will not escape
imprisonment under that system for their falsehood, fraud and
dishonesty. In short, all persons who have been trained for
running the affairs of secular state and whose moral and mental
training has been undertaken in the spirit which permeates every
activity of the secular state are totally unfit for an Islamic
state, which requires human beings of a very different character
for its citizens, voters, councilors, office-bearers, judges,
magistrates, heads of departments, commanders of the army,
ambassadors, and ministers-in brief, for all the different
elements of its collective life and administrative machinery. It
requires men who have the fear of God in their hearts ; who feel
a sense of responsibility towards God ; who prefer the next fife
to the present ; in whose eyes moral gain or less is much more
important than worldly success or failure ; who follow
implicitly, in every walk of life, the-code of conduct and line
of action which has been permanently formulated for them ; whose
struggle and efforts are directed to the attainment of Divine
pleasure ; who, are influenced neither by personal nor national
motives ; who are not slaves to avarice of their sensual
passions ; who are free from narrow-mindedness and prejudice ;
whom wealth and authority cannot corrupt ; who are neither.
hungry for riches nor greedy of power ; who possess a strength
of character that can resist all temptations even if the entire
resources of the earth and all the treasures of the world are
placed at their free disposal with nobody to check and
-supervise -them ; who pass sleepless nights when the government
of a city is entrusted to them so that, under their protection,
people may be freed from all fear in respect of their life,
property and honor ; who entering a country as conquerors, set
at rest by their conduct any fear that may be entertained about
them that they wilt indulge in loot and plunder, in tyranny,
adultery or sexual incontinence. On the other hand, the
conquered population find, .in every soldier of their army, a
guardian of their life and property and the honor of their
womenfolk; whose reputation in international politics is such
that the whose world can depend upon them for their
truthfulness, love of justice, adherence to moral principles,
and fulfillment of promises and undertakings. An Islamic state
can only be formed with this type of people and it is only men
of such sterling character that can run it. People with
materialistic and utilitarian mentality who always come forward
with new principles under the stress of personal or national
expediency ; who do not believe in God or in the life Hereafter
; whose policy revolves on the axis of worldly gain or loss, far
from being fit to establish or govern such a state are a menace
to its stability. Their very existence in such a state is a
challenge to the principles on which it claims to rest.
The Method of Islamic Revolution
Keeping in mind the nature of the Islamic state as explained
above; let us consider the means to be employed for bringing it
into being. As I have pointed out in the beginning, the
ideological, moral and cultural conditions existing in a society
bring forth by their inter-play the type of Mate suited to them.
It is not possible that a tree may shape as a lemon from its
rudimentary stages right up to the state of its completion but
when it reaches the stage of fruition, it should all of a sudden
begin producing mangoes. An Islamic state does not spring into
being all of a sudden like a miracle; it is inevitable for its
creation that in the beginning there should grow up a movement
having for its basis the view of life, the ideal of existence,
the standard of morality, and the character and spirit which is
in keeping with the fundamentals of Islam. Its leaders and
workers should be men who psychologically and spiritually are
fit to accept this particular mould of character. They should
then, by ceaseless efforts, create the same mental attitude and
moral spirit among the people and on the basis of moral and
intellectual tendencies so created they should build up a system
of education to train and mould the masses in the Islamic
pattern of life. The system would produce Muslim scientists,
Muslim philosophers, Muslim historians, Muslim economists and
financial experts, Muslim jurists and politicians ; in short, in
every branch of knowledge there should be men who have imbibed
the Islamic ideology and are imbued deeply with its spirit, men
who have the ability to build a complete system of thought and
practical life based on Islamic principles and who have strength
enough to challenge effectively the intellectual leadership of'
the present Godless thinkers and scientists. With such an
intellectual background the movement should take the field
against the wrong system of life which is to be found all around
us over the wide world. In this struggle its torch-bearers
should furnish proof of their moral strength and sincerity by
facing adversities, braving dangers and by offering sacrifices
in money and lives. They must go through all forms of trials and
emerge like pure gold which every one may declare unalloyed
after having it tested. During their struggle they should by
word and deed exemplify in their conduct and bearing, that
particular ideology which, they claim to represent. In
everything they say or do, it should be apparent to all who come
into contact with them that the ideological state to which these
selfless, truthful and God-fearing men of pure character and
sacrificing spirit are inviting the world must certainly be a
guarantee of social justice and world peace. Through such
struggle all those elements in society whose nature is not
entirely devoid of truth and justice will be attracted to the
movement. The influence of people of low mentality and those who
resort to mean tricks will disappear to a palpable degree in the
face of a lofty movement like this. A revolution will take place
in the mentality of the masses and the collective life of
humanity will cry out for a state system like this, so that
after a time it will become impossible in the changed society of
the day for any other system of life to maintain its existence.
Ultimately, as an inevitable and natural consequence, that
particular state system will be set up for which the ground has
been prepared in this manner; and as soon as this system is set
up, office-bearers from the lowest officials right up to
ministers and administrators of every rank and status will be
available for running it through the out-turn of that particular
system of education and training which I have mentioned above.
Gentlemen! This is the natural method for bringing about that
revolution and setting up that state system which is called the
Islamic Revolution and the Islamic state. You are all men of
learning; the history of revolutions in the world is before you.
You cannot be unaware of the fact that a particular type of
revolution demands the same type of movement, the same type of
leaders and workers, and the same type of social consciousness
and cultural and moral atmosphere. The French Revolution needed
that particular kind of moral and mental basis which leaders
like Rousseau, Voltaire and Montesquieu had prepared. The
Russian Revolution could only be brought about by the ideas of
Marx, the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky and thousands of other
Communist workers whose lives were cast in the Communist mould.
The National-Socialism of Germany could only take root in the
moral, psychological and cultural conditions which had been
created by theories of leaders of thought like Hegel, Fichte,
Goethe, Nietzsche and many others including Hitler. Exactly in
the same way the Islamic Revolution can be brought about only
when a mass movement is initiated based on the theories and
conceptions of the Qur'an and example and practice of Muhammad
(peace be upon him) which would, by a powerful struggle, effect
a wholesale change in the intellectual, moral, psychological,
and cultural foundations of social life. It passes my
understanding how any movement of a nationalistic character with
its background of an imperfect educational system like the one
prevalent amongst us, which is based on utilitarian morals and
pure opportunism, can ever bring about the Islamic Revolution. I
do not believe in the kind of miracles in which M. Reynaud, the
former Premier of France, believed. [1. Mr. Reynaud, when he was
Prime Minister of France during the present war, said in a radio
broadcast a few days before the defeat of France: "Only a
miracle can now save France and I believe in miracles."] I
believe that the means employed in securing an end inevitably
leave their effect on the results produced.
Loose Thinking
There is a misunderstanding amongst us that if the Muslims are-
fully organized and develop a solidarity of their own, that
would be a panacea for all our ills. It is thought that, in
order to reach the desired goal of the Islamic state or of "free
Islam in free India", the only means that need be adopted are
that individual comprising the Muslim nation should be knit
together into a strong unity and develop a central organization
of their own working in obedience to a central leadership. As a
matter of fact this is a nationalist program. Any nation,
desiring to become powerful, great and strong, will adopt these
methods to secure such ends, be it the Hindu nation or the
Sikhs, the Germans or the Italians. A leader who is devoted to
his nation, who is an adept at varying his plans and strategy to
suit the needs of the moment and who is so gifted by nature to
have his orders carried out is always fit to lead a nation on
the path of ambition, whether he is a Moonje or a Savarkar, a
Hitler or a Mussolini. And hundreds and thousands of young men
who can move in an organized manner and do the bidding of their
leader for their national ideals can always raise the standard
of any nation, irrespective of the fact whether they believe in
the Japanese. or the Chinese ideals. Now, if Muslims are a
nation by racial or historical ties and the end in view is
merely to make this nation powerful and great, then the
employment of these methods is no doubt necessary. Muslims will
have to tread the path of national ambition so familiar to those
who know the history of Western nationalism and, as a result
thereof, we can secure a national government of our own or at
least secure a reasonable share in the government of our
country. But let us be clear in our minds, that this is not even
the first step on the road to Islamic revolution or the creation
of an Islamic state; it is in fact a reverse process which will
lead us backward.
The community which is at present known by the name of Muslim is
a hybrid mixture of all sorts of people with hardly a common
standard of behavior. From the point of view of moral conduct,
you will find among Muslims as many varieties of character as
are to be found among the non-believers. The proportion of those
who are prepared to give false evidence in law-courts is
probably as large among Muslims as among non-Muslim communities.
Muslims are not a whit behind any other people in bribery,
burglary, adultery, lying, and the other moral evils. All the
methods which are used by non-Muslims for earning their bread
and acquiring wealth are also resorted to by the members of the
Muslim community. A Muslim pleader, when he advocates the cause
of his clients, knowing full well that the tatter's case is
unjust, is as much devoid of the fear of God as a non-Muslim
pleader. A Muslim aristocrat, when he comes across wealth, and a
Muslim official, when he holds office, behaves exactly as a
non-believer would do. To weld such elements into an organized
unity and teach them by political training the duplicity and
cleverness of a fox or by military training impart in them the
bestial vigor of a wolf, may succeed in securing for them the
kingdom of the jungle; but I cannot imagine how the Kingdom of
God can come through such people and by such methods. Who will
acknowledge their moral superiority 7 Who will regard them with
feeling of respect and reverence? Whose heart will be attracted
to Islam on coming into contact with such people? With such an
uninspiring leadership, can they hope to repeat the historical
performance alluded to in the Qur'anic words: "They will join
the Divine faith in large numbers?" Where on this broad surface
of the earth will their spiritual leadership be recognized? In
which part of the globe will the oppressed people welcome them
as liberators? The task of "exalting the Word of God" requires a
group of workers who are fearful of God and implicitly follow
the law of God without consideration of gain or loss, no matter
where they come from, whether from this community which is now
called Muslim or from outside. A handful of such men are more
valuable for this purpose than the huge crowd of which I have
just spoken. Islam does not stand in need of a treasure of
copper coins which passes for gold mohurs. Before examining the
stamp on the coins, Islam necks to find out whether or not pure
gold lies beneath. One such coin is more valuable to Islam than
a whole heap of spurious gold coins. Then, again, the leadership
which God requires for the glory of His name is the type of
leadership which should not budge an inch from the principles
which Islam seeks to uphold, no matter what the outcome may be,
whether all the Muslims perish by hunger or go down before the
sword. Leadership which seeks only the advantage of its own
community and without adherence to principles is prepared to
adopt any plan with which it can secure the worldly salvation of
its flock : leadership which is devoid of the fear of God is
utterly unfit for the ideal which Islam has fixed for its
followers. Then, again, the system of education and training
which is based on the well-known maxim that one should move with
times can never serve a religion of which final and irrevocable
command is that whichever way the wind may blow and whatever
path the world may follow, you must at any cost traverse the
path which has been marked out for you by God. I assure you
that, even if you are presented as a free gift a particular
place of territory to rule over, you will not be able, as things
go now, to administer it according to Islamic principles even
for a single day. You have made no preparations to train or
educate people imbued with the moral spirit and possessing the
intellectual attitude which is necessary for running an Islamic
state, its police, law-courts, army, revenue, and enforcing its
financial, educational and foreign policy. The education which
is imparted in your colleges and universities can doubtless
produce, for an un-Islamic government, the type of men who can
serve as secretaries and ministers; but I hope you will not be
offended if I say that it cannot produce even peons for the
Islamic courts, nor constables for the Islamic police. And this
defect is confined not only to your present educational system.
Our own old system of education which does not believe in the
motion of the earth is equally useless from this point of view
and cannot give to the Islamic state a single qazi, finance
ministers or director of education. And with such utter lack of
preparation to think of the formation of an Islamic state is
pure moonshine. Those who talk in this strain are completely
ignorant of the true conception of an Islamic state.
Some people, however, argue that once a national state of
Muslims is set up, may be of a non-Islamic character, it could
be changed gradually into an Islamic state by education,
training and moral reformation. But whatever little I have
studied of history, politics and sociology, compels me to
repudiate this theory as untenable. If such a plan succeeds I
shall regard it as a miracle. As I have explained already, the
form of organization of a state has deep roots in social life.
Until there is a change in the social fabric, no permanent
change can be produced by artificial means in any system of
government. A powerful ruler like the Omayyad `Umar, the son of
`Abdul 'Aziz, who had at his back a party of men trained by the
Companions of the Prophet of Islam, completely failed in his
efforts to transform the Omayyad state, because society as a
whole was not prepared for reformation. Powerful potentates like
Muhammad Tughlaq and Aurangzeb `Alamgir, in spite of their
individual piety, could not effect any. change in the system of
government. Even a strong monarch like Mamoon-ul-Rasheed, who
wanted to make only a superficial change in the form of
government, was wholly unsuccessful. And this happened in a
period when the power and strength of an 'individual could
accomplish a good deal. I am, therefore, unable to understand
how a national state, formed on a democratic basis can easily go
through the process of such a basic transformation. In a
democratic state, power is wielded by persons who have the
approval of the voters. If the voters do not possess the true
Islamic mentality and the moral attitude which Islam inculcates;
if they are not able to tolerate the Islamic standards of
integrity and moral purity, and if they are not prepared to
accept the impartial justice and firm principles on, the basis
of which an Islamic state is run, then their votes can never
return the true type of Muslims to a parliament or assembly.
Under these circumstances, power will come into the hands of
those individuals only who, though they may be registered as
Muslims in the census, are far removed from Islam lad their
ideas and modes of behavior. The wielding of power by such
people means no more than this: that we shall stand where we are
under a non-Muslim government. We may even occupy position worse
than that, because a national state bearing the label of Islam
will be bolder and more fearless than a non-Muslim state in
suppressing an Islamic Revolution. Such a Muslim national state
will pass a sentence of death and outlawry for acts which a
non-Muslim, state will punish only with imprisonment and all the
same the leaders of this state will be called "ghazis" during
their life time and saints after their death, because they
happen to be Muslims by birth. Hence it is utterly wrong to
think that this type of national state can in any sense be
helpful in bringing about the Islamic Revolution. The question
which confronts us is that if we have to revolutionize the
social life of humanity, even fn a Muslim national state, and if
we have to do this without the aid of the state, more probably
in tine face of active opposition by the so-called Muslim state,
why should we wait for that opposition to take shape instead of
starting forthwith on the road of revolution? Why should we
foolishly waste our time in expediting the so-called Muslim
national state and fritter away our energies in setting it up?
We know that it will not only be useless for our purpose but
will rather prove an obstacle in our path.
The Technique of Islamic Movement
Gentlemen! I shall now explain to you in a brief historical
survey the way in which the foundation of social life have to be
changed and reconstructed in order to bring about an Islamic
Revolution and the special technique by which this goal can be
reached.
In reality Islam is a movement which seeks to build up the
structure of human society on the conception of Divine
sovereignty. The movement has followed the same familiar pattern
from the dawn of history. Its leaders were persons who ate
called the prophets of rod. If we desire to start this movement
it is inevitable to follow the practice and methods adopted by
those leaders, for there is no other technique suitable to the
nature of this movement nor can one be devised. But when we
attempt to trace the footsteps of these messengers of Clod we
are faced with a great difficulty. We have the most meager
information about the work done and methods followed by the
prophets of God in the early period of history. The Qur'an, no
doubt, contains brief hints about their work but they do not
give us a full picture. We also come across in the New Testament
some sayings of Jesus Christ which, though lacking authority, do
throw same light an how the Islamic movement is conducted in its
initial stages and what are the problems that it has to face.
But Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) did not himself pass
through the later stages of the movement so that we cannot find
any guidance from his life about the later and final stages of
the Islamic movement. In this matter we get clear and perfect
guidance only in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him). In
seeking guidance from this source we are not influenced by mere
sentimental attachment but surely because there is no other
source available to us for a knowledge of the different phases
through which the Islamic movement has to pass. In the whole
history of leaders of the Islamic movement, it is Mohammed
(peace be upon him) alone whose life furnishes us all the
details of the. various phases and aspects of the movement, from
its early beginnings as an apostolic message of ~ truth, down to
its visible embodiment in an external state system with a
definite constitution, a dear-cut internal and external policy
and a precise social organization. Hence I shall place before
you from this source a brief description of the technique of
this movement.
You are well aware that when Mohammed, the Messenger of God
(peace be open him) was called upon to deliver the message of
Islam, a great many moral, cultural, economic, and political
problems were awaiting solution. There were already in existence
two rival imperialisms, the Roman and the Persian. The social
life of Arabia and the surrounding countries rested on a basis
of class distinctions, and class conflicts were by no means
infrequent. Economic exploitation was widespread, and moral
evils existed in full measure. In his own country there were
intricate problems awaiting solution by a leader. The whole
nation was steeped in ignorance, moral degradation, economic
chaos, and internecine quarrels. The coastal parts of Arabia,
right up to Yemen, and including the fertile provinces of Iraq,
wire in the grip of Persian imperialism. In the north, Roman
domination had extended itself up to the frontiers of Hejaz. In
Hejaz itself Jewish capitalists had established great centers of
trade and had enmeshed the Arabs in the net of their usurious
transactions. Facing the easternmost coast was the Christian
Abyssinian government which had invaded Mecca only a few years
before. In Nijran, lying between Hejaz and Yemen, there was
firmly entrenched a group of Christians who derived support from
the Christian government and had economic and political
relations with it. In spite of all these multifarious problems
which needed urgent solution, the Prophet of God paid no
attention to these problems of the world outside or to those
which were more intimately related to his own people. On the
other hand, he merely called upon his countrymen to give up all
gods except one God and to render full obedience to Him only.
This was not because the Prophet of Islam held those problems to
be unimportant or regarded them as unworthy of serious
attention. You are well aware of the fact that at a later stage
he did give attention to ail these problems and solved them one
by one. But the reason why he turned away his attention from
these pressing questions of the day and concentrated all his
energy on preaching obedience to God was that, from the
standpoint of the Islamic movement, all evils which arise in the
social life of mankind owe their existence to this basic
misconception that man regards himself as an independent and
irresponsible being ; in other words, he sets himself up as his
own god or again, because he falls into the error of taking
someone else besides his Creator as his guide and law-giver,
whether this may be a human being or some inanimate object of
nature. So long as this evil persists at the root, no amount of
Islamic theory can succeed in eradicating social diseases.
Unless this basic misconception is corrected and man becomes
conscious of his responsibility to his Creator, an evil
suppressed at one point will reappear at another point in some
other form. Hence if man is to be reformed and human society is
to be purged of evils, the mind of man should first of all be
disabused of the idea of independence and mankind should realize
that the universe in which we live is not in reality a kingdom
without a sovereign. On the other hand, it is governed by an
All-Powerful Sovereign, whose sovereignty neither stands in need
of man's acceptance, nor can it be extinguished by his efforts,
nor again can human beings step out of the limits of this
kingdom and find refuge elsewhere. In view of this hard fact and
stark reality, the notion that man is an independent being, free
to follow his own desires and dictates of his reason, is a
foolish presumption not supported by facts and of which the evil
consequences will but recoil on his own head. Both wisdom and
realism demand that man should bow down his head before his
Maker straightforwardly and without any reservation, and admit
in all humility that his position is that of an obedient servant
in relation to his Maker, Who is his Master, Guide and
Law-Giver. It should also be brought home to man that in the
whole of this universe there is only one Sovereign, Master and
Ruler. No one else is entitled here to issue his own commands
nor do's, in paint of fact, any one else's writ run here.
Therefore, one should not agree to become the instrument of any
one's will other than His Will, nor accept the command of any
other nor bow down before any one else. There is no one worthy
to be styled in this world as His Majesty, because all majesty
resides .in Him. Them is no one here who can be called His
Holiness, because all holiness is vested in Him. There is no
being to be styled as His Highness because highness is the sole
attribute of God. There is no one here ht to be called His
Lordship fox lordship belongs to God wholly and solely. There is
no legislator here and no law-giver, for the only law deserving
obedience is the Law of God. There 'is no one here besides Him,
who can rightfully claim to control and regulate the affairs of
humanity, none who can administer justice in his own right, none
who can answer the prayers of man and from whom man can expect
help or succor in distress; there is none besides Him, Who
possesses the keys of authority and there is nobody else who can
claim absolute and unconditional allegiance of human beings. All
men are but servants and there is only one Master. Hence it
behooves us to deny obedience to all authority which does not
itself owe allegiance to Him and to refuse to serve any person
or group of persons who act independently of the Will and
Purpose of the Creator. This is the bedrock basis of all
reformation. On this foundation alone the whole superstructure
of individual character and social organization can be planned
anew after pulling down the old structure, and all the problems
of human life that have arisen in the past or will arise in
future can be solved in a new manner.
Without any previous preparation or anything by way of
preliminary action, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him)
directly presented this fundamental conception to his people. He
did not follow any round-about method in preaching his message.
For instance, he felt no need to prepare the ground by trying to
win the popularity and gain the affection of his people through
useful social and humanitarian work. Nor did he seek political
power in order to push forward his mission through the back door
of Government authority. He did nothing of the kind. What we
see, on the other hand, is that there came forward a man who.
directly announced that "There is no god but One God". He did
not fix his eyes on anything else. It would be wrong to conclude
that mere prophetic boldness or missionary zeal was responsible
for this direct and straightforward mode of preaching. In
reality this is the necessary technique of the Islamic movement.
The influence and prestige gained by any other means is of no
use whatever for the moral reform which Islam undertakes.
.People who co-operate with you on any basis other than that of
"no god except One God" can give you no help in the task of
social reconstruction on Islamic lines. In this great work only
those persons can be for real use who respond to you on hearing
the cry of "no god. except One Gad", who are attracted solely by
this truth and who desire to make it the foundation-stone of
their lives and prepare themselves for work on this basis.
Therefore, the particular type of wisdom and practical
understanding which is necessary for conducting the Islamic
movement requires that, without any introductory work, a start
should be made directly with this call to the unity of God.
This conception of the unity of God is not a mere religious
creed. As I have explained just now, the whole system of social
life which is based on the conception that man is an independent
being or that sovereignty belongs to any other animate being, is
uprooted from its foundation and a new superstructure rises on a
different basis with belief in the Oneness and Sovereignty of
God. Today the whole world hears your Mu'adhdhin (caller to
prayers) proclaiming loudly, "I bear witness that there is no
god except One God" and hardly takes any notice of it because
neither the caller knows what he is calling for, nor do the
hearers find any real meaning or purpose in it. But were it to
become known that the proclamation is intended to mean-and the
caller is fully conscious of this meaning-that one should
recognize no sovereign nor accept any government, nor yet obey
any law, or that one should refuse to accept the jurisdiction of
any court, to carry out the command of any one or bind himself
to any established usage or rite and that one should repudiate
the privileges, sovereignty, sanctity and authority of everyone
else besides God, and declare himself to be a rebel against
un-Godly rulers, you can very well understand that this daily
proclamation will not be tolerated even for a moment. Whether
you wish to pick up a quarrel with any one or not, the whole
world will come and quarrel with you. As soon as you raise the
cry 'you feel as if all of a sudden the earth and the heavens
had turned into enemies and on all sides you will find
yourselves encircled by hostile elements.
This very state of affairs confronted Muhammad (peace be upon
him) when he raised this cry. The Announcer had raised the cry
in full consciousness of its import and the audience knew very
well what he was really driving at.- Hence everyone who was
adversely affected in any respect by this cry stood up to
suppress it. The priests scented danger in this cry to their
papal domination, the rich saw a .menace to their hoarded wealth
and luxurious living, the capitalist realized the danger to his
economic overlordship; the worshippers of race and tribe were
not slow to feel the challenge it implied to their superiority ;
the nationalists at once shrugged their shoulders at this new
unifying force which meant the destruction of the artificial
unity built on the idea of nationality, and the ancestor
worshippers rose in indignation at this looming bit of a cloud
whose showers were to wash away their ancestral ways of living.
In short, everyone who had set up an idol for his worship felt
the ground slipping from under his feet and all these people
hastily patched up a unity among themselves, in spite of their
deep-seated differences to fight this new and formidable menace
to their established way of living. Under these circumstances
only those persons came forward to join Muhammad (peace be upon
him) whose minds were clear, who were capable of the
understanding and accepting the truth and who had at least such
love for it left in them that when they realized that his call
was a call to truth, they girded up their loins to face death
and destruction for its sake. The movement needed people of this
very type. They came one by one and in twos and fours. Their
numbers increased gradually as the struggle developed. Some of
them had to lose their employment; some were driven out of their
homes by their own kith and kin: some had to leave their
friends, relatives and acquaintances; a large number of them
were dragged on hot sand; while others were stoned and abused in
the market-place. Someone had his eyes taken out and another his
head broken. Attempts were made to buy off people by offering
them women, wealth, office, authority and everything else that
could be offered. All these things came, and it was necessary
that they should. come, for without them the Islamic movement
could. neither gain strength nor grow to wide proportions.
The first advantage of all this was that people of weak
character and irresolute determination could not join this
select band. Whoever came was the cream of the society then
existing and was really needed. There was no method of selection
more effective than this; that whoever came to this movement
should pass through these trials. The morally unfit were
automatically weeded out.
Then again, those who came were undergo these hardships not for
any selfish motives, not the interest of their family, tribe or
nation 'but the salve-of what they felt to be a great truth and
order to seek the pleasure of their Lord. For this alone they
were beaten, starved to death, and became victims of an
unparalleled oppression; with the result that they developed the
true Islamic attitude which was needed. The struggle molded
their character and gave added sincerity to their beliefs and
actions. It was natural that in this automatic process of
training they should become permeated with the true spirit of
Islam. When a person comes forward with. a high ideal and
undergoes sufferings, tortures, exile, poverty and other
hardships for its sake, the spirit of that ideal penetrates his
heart and fills his mind, arid his whole individuality is
transformed into the likeness of his ideal and purpose. In order
to complete and hasten this transformation, prayers were
prescribed for the followers of the new movement so that their
minds may become concentrated on this one aim, the sole object
of their life. By repeatedly proclaiming the sovereignty of Him
Whom they regarded as Sovereign, their convictions would gain in
depth and intensity and they should fully believe in the
omniscience of God, in His mastery of the Day of Judgment and
His complete supremacy aver all His creatures, because
henceforth they were to work under His commands. This was also
necessary so that the idea of obedience to any one except Him
should never again be allowed to influence their minds even in
the slightest degree.
While on the one side, those who joined the Islamic movement
were going through this process of training, on the other this
struggle itself gave a fillip to the movement. When people
witnessed with their eyes that hell had been let loose on the
devoted followers of the Prophet, they were beaten, imprisoned
and turned out of their homes, they naturally desired to know
what all this anguish was about. And when they learnt that these
people were being tortured not for "women, wealth, or property",
but only because they had come into possession of a new Truth to
which they held fast sincerely and that their lives and habits
bone no trace of any selfish motive, they were naturally led to
seek that for which those people were cheerfully facing all this
tribulations and calamities. And when they came to know about
this was nothing else except belief in on God, that this belief
had effected such a revolution in their lives that they were
ready to throw away all the advantages which society offered
them and willingly gave away all prospects of worldly success
for the sake of truth and righteousness, and that in the cause
which they had taken up they were not slow to sacrifice their
lives, property and even their family, a new light dawned upon
them sweepingly away before it shadows of doubt and mis-understanding.
In this background of righteous suffering they were irresistibly
drawn to the bosom of truth. This was the reason why, barring
those persons who were blinded by religious prejudice or vested
interests, the rest were all drawn towards this movement. Some
attracted almost instantaneously while others resisted the
attraction for a while. But sooner or later every truth-loving
and selfless man joined the movement.
Meanwhile the leader of the movement, by his personal example,
fully demonstrated the principle of his movement and everything
that the movement stood for. Every act, speech and movement of
the leader breathed the true spirit of the Islamic faith and
fully brought out its implications in practical life. This is a
question requiring detailed discussion for which there is no
space here but I will briefly mention a few important things.
His wife Khadijah was the wealthiest woman in Hejaz and he was
carrying on trade with her capital. When the Prophet became
active in his new mission, his commercial business came on a
standstill, for by devoting himself completely to his mission
and incurring the enmity of his people, the business suffered
until it collapsed, Whatever the couple had laid by was invested
and exhausted in a few years' time in propagating the new Faith.
Ultimately matters came to such a pass that when the Messenger
of God went to Ta'if on his mission of preaching religion, he
who had once been the prince of merchants had hardly means
enough to buy a donkey to carry him to his destination.
The Quraishites offered him the throne of Hejaz and said that
they would accept him as their king. They offered to give him in
marriage the prettiest woman of Arabia and to place at his
disposal as much wealth as he liked on condition that he gave up
his mission. But the man who had stood up for the salvation of
mankind, rejected all. these offers and remained content with
the abuses, vilifications, and cruelties of his countrymen. The
leaders of the Quraish and other Arabs said, 'O Muhammad! how
can we come and sit with you and hear your talk when in your
company there are always to be found slaves, poverty-stricken
and mean persons? You have collected around you all those who
are regarded in our society as low class people. Remove them and
we shall seek your company". But the man who had come to level
up the high and the low, refused to remove the poor for the sake
of the rich.
During the whole course of the movement, the Prophet of God
never cared for the interests of his own country, tribe, nation
or family. It was this disinterestedness which convinced the
world that the Prophet was working for the betterment of all
human beings irrespective of race or nationality and it was this
which attracted people of all nations towards his movement. If
he had cared for his own family, then non-Hashimites would have
had no interest at all in his movement. Had he been anxious to
preserve, somehow or other, the authority of the Quraishites,
the non-Quraishites would have had no incentive to take part in
this work. Had he stood for the superiority of the Arab race,
then Bilal of Abyssinia, Suhaib of Italy and Salman of Persia
would have had no reason to support him in his task. What really
attracted everyone was his pure and sincere Godliness and his
absolute selflessness free from all personal, family, tribal,
and nationalistic motives.
When he was compelled to leave Mecca, all the money and
valuables which his enemies had deposited with him for safe
custody were handed over by him to all with instructions that
after he had gone, they should be returned to their rightful
owners. A worldly man would have every motive on such an
occasion to run away with whatever he could lay his hand on, but
the servant of God returned the property belonging to his
blood-thirsty enemies and this at a time when they had already
decided to murder him. This unexampled moral behavior must have
caused no lithe astonishment to the people of Mecca, and I am
sure that, when two years later, they came out to fight against
the Messenger of God on the battlefield of Badr, they must have
felt in their heart of hearts that they were fighting a man who
had not betrayed their trust and who was mindful of their rights
even when he knew - that they had plotted against his life and
were intent on his destruction. While they drew out their swords
against him in blind hatred and obduracy, their hearts must have
been feeling the pangs of conscience. It is quite possible that
this may have been one of the moral cause that led to the defeat
of the non-believers in the Battle of Badr.
After a long and bitter struggle extending over thirteen years,
when the time came for a small Islamic state he set up in
Medina, -there were already available 200 workers every one of
whom had received full training in Islam and was thereby enabled
to perform any task he was called upon to undertake in the
capacity of a Muslim. These people were all now ready to conduct
the Islamic state which was then set up. For full ten years the
Messenger of Clod himself guided the affairs of this state, and
in this short space of time trained thousands of men to
perfection in running every department of government in the
Islamic manner. This was the period in which Islamic ideology
developed from an abstract idea into a perfect socio-political
system and every aspect of the administrative, educational,
judicial, economic, cultural, financial, military, and
international policy of Islam was fully clarified. For every
sphere of life, principles were laid down and applied to
practical conditions of life. Workers on these lines were
prepared by education, training, and practical experience, and
these people presented such an example of Islamic. government
that within a brief span of eight years the small state of the
town of Medina expanded into an Islamic state covering the whole
of Arabia. As people saw Islam . in its practical form and
witnessed its concrete results, they were convinced that this
was humanity at its best and that the true salvation of mankind
lay in this form of society only. The worst enemies had
ultimately to come over to the cause against which they had
fought for years together. Khalid, son of Waleed, accepted it; `Ikrima,
son of Abu Jahl bowed to it as well as Abu Sufyan, Wahshee (the
barbarian), the murderer of Hamza also embraced the new faith
and even Hindah who had swallowed the liver of 'the Prophet's
uncle walked into the camp of the Prophet whom she had at one
time hated so fiercely.
The historians have given as much prominence to the religious
wars of the Prophet that people were misled into believing that
this revolution in Arabia was brought about by violence and
bloodshed,, whereas not more than a thousand or twelve hundred
men were killed on both sides in the course of all the wars
fought during the five years in which the warlike Arab nation
was subdued. If you recall to mind the history of revolutions in
the world, you shall have to admit that this revolution is fit
to be called a "bloodless revolution". And this revolution
changed not merely the administration of the country but also
the mental and moral outlook of the people. The whole of Arabia
was transformed as if by a magic touch, in its mode of living,
in its moral habits and spiritual values, in short, in all
aspects of its life. It was not a mere political and social
reform that had taken place. The whole basis of material and
moral life had undergone a revolution. Adulterers whose life had
been one . of insensate self-indulgence were now protectors of
female chastity and erstwhile drunkards became leaders of the
prohibition movement. Men who had lived as thieves and vagabonds
came to have such a keen sense of honesty that they hesitated
even to accept food from their friends, because it smacked of
taking hold of another's property, so much so that mod Himself
had to assure them in the Qur'an that there was no harm in
taking such food. Those who had been robbers and dacoits became
so religious that when an ordinary soldier among them, at the
time of the conquest of the Persian capital, came upon the royal
Persian crown worth crones of rupees, he concealed it in his
tattered blanket and in the dark hours of the night handed it
over to his general so that his honesty may not become an object
of public admiration and hypocrisy may not taint his sincerity.
Those who had no respect for human life at all and with whom it
was quite common to bury their daughters alive with their own
hands, came to have such regard for the sanctity of life that
they could not see even a fowl being killed mercilessly. Those
who had no idea whatever of truthfulness and justice became so
truthful and just that on the occasion of the peace of Khyber,
when their revenue collector went to collect the government tax
from the Jews and the latter offered him a large sum of money in
order to persuade him to reduce the government demand, he
refused to accept the bribe and distributed one-half of the
produce between the government and the Jews by laying two
separate stacks side by side and asking the Jews freely to
choose one of them. At this strange behavior of the revenue
collector, the Jews were taken aback completely and voluntarily
cried : "This is the justice on which the earth and heavens
stand". Among them arose governors who did not live in
"Government Houses" but among their subjects in houses like
theirs, who freely went about the streets on foot ; who had no
guards at their doors and were accessible to everyone at any
time of day and night. Among them were to be found judges one of
whom dismissed the suit of the Caliph himself against a Jew on
the ground that the Caliph could not produce any other witness
except his son and slave. Among them appeared military generals
one of whom, on being forced to evacuate, a city during a
battle, returned the whole of the Jizya (protective tax) to the
non-believers on the ground that he was not in a position to
afford protection to the conquered and, therefore, had no right
to retain the tax which had been collected in lieu of such
protection. Among them were born ambassadors one of whom in a
court full of the Persian generals gave such practical
demonstration of the principle of human equality in Islam, and
directed such relevant criticism against the class distinctions
in Persia, that God alone knows hose many Persian soldiers must
have been overwhelmed by a feeling of respect for this religion
of humanity. Citizens arose among them who had such a strong
sense of moral responsibility that they usually came forward of
their own accord to confess the crimes which were punishable by
amputation and demanded that they should be purged of the evil
effects of their primes by punishment in this world, so that
they may not have to appear before God in the position of a
thief or an adulterer. Soldiers were to be found among them who
did not fight out of mercenary motives but for the sake of the
faith in which they believed. They marched to battlefields at
their own expense and whatever booty came into their hands they
placed whole of it before their general. Could such complete
transformation in the moral and mental attitude of a whole
people be brought about merely by wars or physical force ? The
broad canvas of history lies before you. Can you bring up any
instance where the sword has revolutionized human morality so
completely?
It seems strange that while during the space of thirteen years
only three hundred persons embraced Islam, in the latter ten
years the whole country of Arabia adopted this religion
wholesale. As some people cannot solve this enigma, they give
all sorts of strange reasons for it. But the matter is quite
plain. So long as life had not been actually planned and
organized on the basis of this new ideology, people could not
understand what this novel type of leader wanted to do. All
sorts of doubts arose in their minds. Some said that he was
indulging in poetic fantasies ; others that he had lost his
wits. Still others thought that he was a visionary, and each one
thus gave his own view of the matter. Only men of unusually keen
understanding and intelligence could believe in Muhammad (peace
be upon him) at that stage -men whose realistic vision could see
clearly that the salvation of mankind lay in this new creed. But
when a complete system of life was built up on this ideology and
people had actual experience of it, when they saw before them
its concrete result, it was that they understood what it was for
which this virtuous servant of God had faced all the perils and
toils of life. After this no room was left for doubt, obstinacy
or prejudice. For any one who had eyes in his head and light in
those eyes it became impossible to deny this clear reality.
Gentlemen! this is the method by which Islam seeks to bring
about a social revolution. And this is, its way of doing the
job. It begins with a simple call to the obedience of God and an
invitation to people to abandon the life of self-indulgence and
accept the restraints of morality. Then it gradually moves
forward. People think that this is a kind of miracle and say
that this cannot appear again. Only a messenger of God should
come and perform it. Put the study of history convinces us that
it is a perfectly natural occurrence. There is to be found in it
the logical and scientific relationship of cause and effect. If
we work in this manner today the same results will appear. It
is, of course, true that for this work, qualities of faith, a
true understanding of Islam, single-mindedness of purpose,
strong power of judgment and complete sacrifice of personal
feelings and selfish desires are necessary, person of strong
will are needed for this purpose who on accepting truth, can
concentrate on it and will not look towards anything else.
Whatever may happen in the world they would not budge an inch
from the path chalked out for them by the Qur?an. They would be
prepared to sacrifice all prospects of personal advancement in
worldly life. They should not hesitate to disappoint their own
and their parents' hopes and expectations. They should not feel
aggrieved over the separation of friends and relatives. Society,
government, law, nation, country, whatever obstructs the
achievement of their object, they should be prepared to struggle
against it. This type of men upheld and exalted the Word of God
in an age bygone and it is only such persons that can repeat and
accomplish the task again.
I now close this subject with a few concluding remarks.
Providence has made Aligarh the nerve-centre of Indian Muslims.
It is on this account that four or five years back I had
selected Aligarh for an address and placed before it a new plan
of educational system which, in my opinion, was essential for
the revival and regeneration of Islam. With similar feelings 1:
am again addressing the students of Aligarh and piecing before
them the plan of that movement which is the only possible means
of bringing about a social revolution of an Islamic character. I
have done my duty and communicated to you whatever I had in my
mind. The responsibility of changing your hearts does not lie
with me.
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