The Clarion Call

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The
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The Clarion Call

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
‫ﻭﻧﺼﻠﻲ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺭﺳﻮﻟﻪ‬

THE CLARION CALL

Honourable Delegates and Brothers-in-!

It is a matter of great thanksgiving to Almighty   that we have

assembled here tonight at a conference of responsible representatives of
 from all over Natal to deliberate on and discuss problems of great
importance to the welfare of our community and to devise efficient ways and
means to rehabilitate and maintain the prestige of  and  in this
land.

But, gentlemen, before I proceed to examine and analyse the deplorable

circumstance in which the  of this country find themselves and, show
you an effective scheme for the future course of your action, I must thank you
most heartily for inviting me to this country and affording me an opportunity to
render some service in the cause of our religion to which I have dedicated my
life.

During the short period at my disposal, I have tried my level best to direct the
attention of  towards ic teachings, on the one hand, and, on the
other, to remove the misunderstandings that prevail among the non-
regarding  and its followers.

Gentlemen! I have been both pleased and grieved at witnessing the state of
 and  in this country. I have been pleased, because the 
here, financially speaking, are fairly well off, and their economic status in
comparison to the  of other lands is much better. I have been also happy
because your forefathers have demonstrated the truth of the statement made by
a very orthodox fanatic Christian missionary in one of his books, viz, that:
“Wherever the Muslim traders go, no matter even if they have to live in jungles,
they first of all erect a mosque and, if that be not possible, they at least
consecrate a room from their business or residential premises for prayers, and

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the call of the Mu’ezzin resounds in the locality five times a day”. Praise be to
  that those gentlemen who came to this heathenish soil bethought
themselves of this and built mosques at different places, thus at least laying the
foundation of  in this benighted land.

But, gentlemen, I have been very unhappy and intensely grieved to find that the
, though they possess wealth and riches, though trade and commerce, to
a certain extent, are in their hands, and at some places agriculture also
contributes to their well-being, they do not enjoy respect: the respect that is
their religious heritage, the respect that is the distinguishing characteristic of a
, the respect that is conferred upon him by the Holy , which
explicitly lays down that:

       

“◌ِAnd respect is (only) for  , His Prophets and the Faithful.”1

Let me tell you that though shackles of slavery are stigmas of humiliation, the
 of other countries that are bowed down under foreign yoke have
nevertheless, scrupulously guarded their prestige and self-respect. In spite of
labouring under the great disadvantage of being hopeless minorities in some
cases, they have never allowed their position to be lowered to such an extent as
to tolerate the shameful practice of segregation that is imposed here. I refer to
the disgraceful contretemps of owning houses in certain quarters but not having
the right of residing in them, of being compelled to pay large sums of revenue
but at the same time in tram and train and the higher classes of boats of certain
steamship companies. Of countenancing the outrageous shame of seeing one’s
own servant and employees participating as members in Municipal
Corporations and State Councils, merely because of the white colour of their
skin, whilst the employers themselves, a thousand times richer, better dressed,
better housed, better qualified in many other respects, and paying more taxes to
the Government, are deprived of the ordinary privileges of citizenship and
treated more or less as pariahs, although both the white and the so-called
coloured people are equally alien to this land where there invidious distinctions
obtain.

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1
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Surah Al-Munafiqun: Verse 8

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Another cause of my unhappiness and acute grief has been to find that though
beautiful structures have been set up for mosques, no provision, whatsoever,
has been made for their real embellishment. I mean, that no steps have been
taken to establish institutions worthy of the name to impart instruction in
religious teachings to  and thus ensure proper attendance in the
mosques, which alone constitutes their genuine adornment. Besides, as far as
the sacred duty of dissemination the teachings of  among the non-
is concerned, not only has it been sorely neglected, but, I am inexpressible sorry
to state, a decidedly un-ic mentality dominates certain quarters and several
people entertain the preposterous idea that it would be, to put it mildly, unwise
to proselytise the natives. For, they argue that if the natives embrace , they
would automatically attain a feeling of equality with them, which in their
opinion would be degrading, thus implying that the natives were debased, and
they, exalted. On the other hand, they are mortally afraid to initiate ic
propaganda among the white people, lest they might be deported for committing
such heinous crime!

Gentlemen! If we, in our turn, arrogate to ourselves this kind of snobbish

superiority, consider the native inhabitants of this country to be a lower grade,
deem them unfit for our society and, as members of the human family, refuse to
accept them as brothers in defiance of a clear injunction of the  to the
effect, we are not only violating one of the fundamental moral principles of
 but such an attitude on our part also serves to justify the treatment meted
out to us by the white people as a condign punishment, for, as the Arabic
proverb aptly says: “One who digs a well for his brother falls into it himself”.

As for incurring the vengeance of the powers that be and courting deportation
by preaching  among the white people, I would put it to my timid friends
that, far from thinking of repatriating us, they would be only too willing to
welcome us and concede to us complete equality, the moment they are
acquainted with the real teachings of . Sad to say, it is the lack of
knowledge and our want of courage to enlighten them that are to blame for the
maltreatment that we receive at their hands.

In fact, it is only because they think us to be fetish-mongers, worshippers of

millions of idols, ignorant and uncultured, that they look down upon us and
class us as labourers and coolies from India; but when they learn that we are the
representatives of a people who imparted lessons in civilisation to Europe, who

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were responsible for the revival and the diffusion of the arts and philosophy of
Greece, who taught the principles of science and mathematics to the world, who
established the Universities of Seville and Cordova, who taught Medicine to
Europe and opened out hospitals, who manufactured scientific apparatus of
great importance, developed the science of navigation and threw open the
gateways of commerce and agriculture, who were for centuries the masters of
the world politically, intellectually and socially and whose descendants, though,
for the time being, lag behind other nations on account of their indifference and
negligence, are, nevertheless, virile and capable enough of marching shoulder to
shoulder with them, nay even surpass them and leave them behind, - the
moment they come to know all these facts, I assure you they will be compelled
to extend to us the respect to which we are entitled.

Gentlemen! It would not be out of place if I were to remind you here of what I
said very emphatically in my first public utterance at the memorable Town Hall
meeting, the like of which, according to your own accounts was never held in
the annals of the Natal , that if you exhibit in your daily lives the high
moral qualities inculcated by , the white people who have conferred
divinity on Jesus Christ, and Asiatic, will not be only treating you as their
equals, but will be even prepared to follow your lead and emulate your sublime
conduct. Consequently, there is no reason, whatsoever, for getting frightened
and the sooner our friends disabuse their minds of the doubts in question and
enter the arena of action in right earnest, the better for all concerned.

In this connection, I may be permitted to tell you that there is an

uncompromising injunction in the Holy  viz.:

        

“There is no compulsion in Religion”.2

And  gentlemen, is a religion that does not need any kind of compulsion.

I have made it a principle to invite people to embrace  merely by

portraying its beauties to them, and throughout my missionary career extending
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2
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Surah Al-Baqarah: verse 256

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over twenty years, there seldom has been an occasion for me even to ask
anyone directly to accept , for no sooner do the seekers after Truth realise
it for themselves than they come forward of their own accord to proclaim their
allegiance to it. In my opinion, therefore, the difficulties that you are faced with
now, would never have arisen, if you had only presented a true portrait of 
to the people of South Africa, an obvious way of surmounting them is to do so
now; nay, I make bold to assert and a little reflection will convince you that the
solution of all your political, economic and commercial problems will be
facilitated if you launch a systematic campaign for the propagations of .

I can assure you from my personal experience of three months that the white
people in this country are in a state of bewilderment and are earnestly searching
for Truth. Just as the intelligent section of the Europeans and Americans are
disgusted with the mushroom sects and the extremely illogical teaching of the
so-called Christianity which may more appropriately be termed “Churchianity”,
so is the white population of South Africa confused and puzzled and is at a loss
to know which way to turn and what course to adopt. The Unitarian Church, the
Dutch African Church, the Prayer League, the continuous increase in the
membership of the Theosophical and other cognate societies, are manifestations
of their restlessness and futile attempts at enlightenment. Now is the time,
therefore, for us, , to sink all our trivial differences, forget petty
quarrels and bickering, and as a solid phalanx, lifting up the standard of 
 Unity and the everlasting Prophethood of  , demonstrate to
these shrewd and talented people that the only religion which is in absolute
consonance with reason, science and philosophy, is the religion of , the
very name signifying peace and submission to the Will of   submission,
not in the sense of fatalism, but in the sense of conformity to the Divine Law.
Let us also make them realise that  is the genuine edition of the religions
preached by Moses  and Jesus , the real portraits of which have been
shrouded in dogmas, superstitions by the priest of the Synagogue and the
Church, who have done so in order to perpetuate their priestly authority.

Coming now to the native inhabitants of this, I must say that their condition is
more pitiable than that of the whites. Christianity has proved a complete failure
as a reforming factor in their lives, and this is such an open secret that even
Christian missionaries have been constrained to admit it.

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The net result of the elaborate and expensive propaganda of Christianity among
the natives is that they learn to change their garb of Adam and Eve for
incongruous western one, and, along with it, they alter their simple and natural
mode of life and very soon make moral wrecks of themselves. For instance,
adultery which they condemned as a great sin before their conversion, and
which is still unknown among those who have nature as their sole guide, is
freely indulged in by them. They speedily get addicted to drinking, gambling
and other vices, which are rarely found among the denizens of the jungles who
have not as yet succumbed to the preaching of the accommodation doctrines of
the Church. Street fights, robberies and murders, which are the offspring’s of
these twin curses, become a common feature among them - a state of affairs of
which their unsophisticated brethren are seldom guilty.

In contrast to this, I will now tell you in the words of Reverend Taylor, a
Christian Missionary, as to what  has done and can do for the uplift of the
native Africans living in the lap of Mother Nature. This is what he says:

“ has taken a greater share than Christianity in civilising the native of
Africa. When a community of Negroes enters the fold of , ghost-worship,
fetish-mongering, cannibalism, human sacrifice, infanticide, etc. instantly cease
to be practised by it. The Negroes, as , begin to lead a cleaner life and
cultivate a sense of self-respect and dignity. Drinking becomes taboo,
promiscuous intercourse of men and women (the real cause of moral depravity),
dancing etc., are prohibited and chastity of their women folk is jealously
guarded and appreciated. Where they were lazy and easy going before, they,
after embracing , become active and hard-working. Cruelty to animals and
slaves and blood-feuds are forbidden. The evil of slavery is mitigated and the
custom of marrying an unlimited number of wives is regulated and
circumscribed within reasonable bounds. They learn lessons in human
sympathy and benevolence. In short, they easily assimilate the virtues 
teaches them as, for instance, abstinence from intoxicants, cleanliness, chastity,
justice, patience, courage, benevolence, Hospitality, love of truth and trust of
God. To be candid, the  set us an example in the matter of intelligent
resignation to the Will of God, and there is no doubt that  tends to
eradicate the three banes of modern civilisation, drinking, gambling and
adultery”.

The same gentleman, in the course of a letter to the London Times, wrote:

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“ as a proselytising religion has been more successful than Christianity in

Africa, and our efforts to convert  have invariably proved to be futile”.
In view of these facts, if the responsible officials of the Government of the
Union of South Africa hold in common with the civilised world that the
political progress of a country is commensurate with the progress of its people
in the mental, moral and social spheres, and that consequently it is their moral
duty to bring about the desired conditions among the semi-barbarous races of
this territory, I would, with due respect, urge them to grant my missionaries a
tithe of the facilities accorded by them to the Christians in this field, and I
would, by the grace of  , show them very soon the huge difference
between the edifying character and moral behaviour of those who adopt 
and those who are converted to Christianity.

I may also add here that my investigations indicate that the original religion of
these people was undoubtedly . Emanating from Arabia, it first penetrated
the continent of Africa, and even today the North, East and West Africa
provided ample evidence of the fact that at sometime in the past inhabitants of
this province also were undoubtedly . Although they have forgotten the
name of their religion on account of their being cut off from the outer world and
the neglect of the , they still unconsciously practise some of the
fundamental teachings of . For example, they believe in One and only
One God, and in Basuto Land and its environs, circumcision which is an
ic practice is almost obligatory; they invoke the name of the Creator at the
time of slaughtering animals, bathe themselves after co-habitation and so on, - a
clear proof, not only of the abiding nature of the teachings of  but of their
ancestors having once been .

However, it is your foremost duty as  to convey to them the Message of

, the ancient religion of both their and your ancestors, by precept as well
as example. Let me tell you that your deliberate evasion of this sacred task
amounts to a sin before   and you may rest assured that the day will
come when He  will question you in this wise: “Did you warn them to leave
off their pagan and savage habits, to realise their obligations as human beings,
to believe in One and only One   and to live in peace and amity with
their fellow-men?”

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My friends, I entreat you to give your earnest consideration to what I am going

to tell you now in the capacity of a Mufti, fully realising the responsibilities of
the office, viz., that if a person, after attaining the age of puberty, dies in these
parts without receiving the message of , you will certainly be held liable
for refraining from communicating it to him, it being your duty to do your
utmost for bringing him to the Right Path.

The Hindu religion, gentlemen, absolves or rather excludes the mass of its
followers from performing this duty, for it confines the task of acquiring and
disseminating the religious lore to a particular group, I mean, the Brahmins. The
Shastas, which are the codes of the Hindu law, pronounce the Kshattriyas and
the Vaishyas incapable of doing it, whilst the Shudras are such obnoxiously
dirty creatures in their estimation that it is blasphemous for them even to hear
the sacred hymns and if they happen to do so, their ears, according to an explicit
commandment of the Shastras, must be blocked up with molten lead.

The Christian Church, on the other hand, has made a commercialised profession
of it and a distinct group of salaried persons attend to the duties of missionary
work.

But, gentlemen, it is  and  alone that enjoins each and every follower
to be a missionary, not for any mundane consideration but as a primary duty of
a human being who claims to be on the right path or rather whom   has
favoured with the blessing of true guidance. Every  is, therefore,
expected to be the torch-bearer of the Commandments of   and it is the
conferment of this unique distinction on him that marks a ’s superiority
over members of all the other religions, for as the Holy  says:

          

            

   

“You are the best of Peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right,
forbidding what is wrong, and believing in  . If only the People of the

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Book had Faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have Faith,
but most of them are perverted transgressors.” 3

In fact, the obligation of a  who has attained the age of discretion is of so
great a consequence that its deliberate disregard disqualifies him from being
reckoned as a loyal and worthy member of the fraternity of the Faithful.

In order, therefore to facilitate its observance by all, preaching in  is

classified into three types, and I would impress upon you the desirability of
understanding them thoroughly well.

The first one, which pertains to all  without exception, consists in
imparting the simple basic teachings of , viz., that the Creator  of this
universe is a Being whose name is  ; He is One and has no partner; He
sent many Prophets for the guidance of humanity; they were all His true
Apostles and Muammad  is the last Prophet, who re-stated, confirmed and
perfected all the former religions and enjoined belief in all the Prophets  that
had preceded him. Every man is responsible for his actions and accountable for
them to   after death. The Holy Qur’n, is the Last Book of  
and constitutes His complete Code of Laws. Every human being should follow
it for his salvation here and in the hereafter. Prayer, Fasting, Pilgrimage, Zakt
(poor-due) are its Fundamental Principles of practice. A  must accept
him who submits himself to the Will of   as his brother, and he must not
acknowledge any kind of partnership in the undivided Sovereignty of  .
Lastly, he must refrain from committing theft, adultery, uttering lies,
backbiting, deceiving etc.

These are the elementary teaching of  which every  must know and
convey to the non- as the Holy  says:

           
“Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together)
in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience
and Constancy”.4
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3
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Surah Al-i-‘Imran: verse 110

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The Holy Prophet  lays further stress on this by saying: “If you have heard a
verse or even a word from me, you must convey it to others.”

To remove any doubt, he  elucidates it thus: “Those who are present must
convey it to the absent, (i.e. that people of the coming generation).”

This category of preaching, as I have already said, is compulsory for every

 of age in accordance with his capacity.

The second and a little higher type is that of explaining these very Articles of
Faith and the Fundamental Principles in the light of reason, advancing rational
arguments in their support with tact and wisdom and presenting the subtle and
finer points in such a way that the listener’s hearts may be convinced. In fact,
the manner of preaching should be so inviting and attractive that, without
offending the susceptibilities of the audience, it may appeal to its members and
they may be able to understand and grasp the subject thoroughly.

The third one, which comes under the province of learned theologians, consists
in solving, according to the teachings of the  and adith, the new
problems of belief and action (which must continuously crop up due to fresh
advances of human thought in the realms of science and philosophy), in issuing
decrees and in settling disputes in the light of the investigations of their
recognized predecessors in theological learning.

Gentlemen! I have already told you that the first type of preaching is incumbent
upon every adult , whilst in connection with the second and the third, the
Holy  says:

            

    

“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good,
enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong:
they are the ones to attain felicity”.5

_________________________________________________
4
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura Al-Asr, verses 1-3
5
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura Al-i-‘Imran, verses 1-4

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The following verse is in the praise of this group:

              

     

“He grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted
receives indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message but
men of understanding.”6

It is this group to which the Qur’n again refers thus:

              

            
“Nor should the Believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every
expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in
religion, and admonish the people when they return to them, that thus they
(may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)”.7

The members of this group, who study the , the  and ic
Jurisprudence, and, after assimilating them thoroughly well, carry out
appropriately the duty of inviting people towards , are called Ulama or
Theologians. It is not sufficient for them to have mere theoretical knowledge,
but the main condition for them is to practice what they have learnt. Hence it is
said in the :

           

         

________________________________________________________________
6
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura Al-Baqarah, verse 269
7
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura At-Touba, verse 122

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“And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, are they of various
colours. Those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge:
for   is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving”.8

Consequently such learned Ulama and those who are ignorant of the religious
teachings cannot be placed on the same footing, as the Holy  says:

             

       

      

“Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating
himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who
places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord, (like one who does not)? Say: "Are
those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are
endued with understanding that receive admonition.”9

Hence the latter two categories pertain to the province of the Ulama who, if
they fail to perform their duties, will have to face a more searching and harsher
examination than those who come under the first category. The Holy Prophet 
therefore says: “He, who acquires knowledge and keeps it to himself without
imparting it to other and neglects to enlighten those who lack it, will find the
reins of Hell in his mouth on the Day of Judgment”.

It goes without saying that every  must render all possible assistance to
such theologians. In case, however, they are not to be found, it will not acquit
them of their obligations; they must, under all circumstances, carry out their
missionary activities according to their capability.

You will excuse me for saying it, that I find that you have not only neglected
your duties as  laymen, but you have also failed to engage the services
of the Ulama in this field.
________________________________________________________________
8
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura Ftir, verse 28
9
Al-Qurn Al-Kareem, Sura Az-Zumar, verse 9

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In the first instance, unfortunately, I came across very few lims in this
country, and even those whom I met, who could scarcely be counted as capable
of meeting the demands of work which faces them. Besides, the energies of
such of them as possess some degree of ability have been wasted by you in
making them teach the rudiments of religion to your children, while you could
have very well utilized their talents for imparting higher education in ic
teachings with a view to create a group of lims from amongst you. Besides
that, you could have also employed their knowledge and ability for furthering
the cause of  among the natives.

Side-by-side with this sad state of affairs, there is another trouble and it is that
now-a-days the mere donning of a turban and a robe has been set up as a
criterion for a qualified lim, nay the credulity and ignorance of the masses is
such that anyone in a Fez cap and a long coat can pass himself off as a learned
theologian if he has got the gift of the garb and knows how to pose himself as
one. As if this were not enough, these self-styled theologians, who neither
knows anything about religion nor do they practice its teachings, boldly step
forward to criticize the qualified and erudite lim and Muftis. And the humour
of it all is that this dubious skill in quibbling is interpreted as proof of profound
learning.

In this connection I have noticed a very dangerous situation. We all know that
whenever we have to fight a law-suit in a Government court, we always make it
a point to look out for a qualified and competent lawyer of reputation and
satisfy ourselves that he is regularly practicing in the court and is not one of
those briefless barristers who con the dusty tomatoes in the court libraries or
else warm their chairs at home. But when it comes to the interpretation of the
civil and criminal laws of religion then ordinary men, who cannot even
distinguish between the implications of various religious terms, are readily
accepted as authorities and their loose opinions assume the sanctity of pontifical
decrees in the eyes of the ignorant masses.

I wish to emphasize, my friends, that it is high time for you to get prepared, on
the one hand, to discharge your duties in connection with the missionary work
to the extent that has been enjoined upon you as , and on the other, to
secure the type of lims who may serve the cause of our religion according to
the requirements of the two latter categories.

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 The Clarion Call

I was painfully shocked and grieved when some leaders of the African natives,
both on public platforms and in private conversations, bluntly questioned me
thus:

“What has your community done for us in this country? It is understood that the
white people maltreat us, but even the  shirk us as untouchables. The
Christian missionaries, in spite of what one might have to say against them and
their methods of propagandas, at least teach us something profess to be
interested in our activities, whilst your brethren have not even cared to inform
us that, side by side with material wealth, they are the heirs to the most precious
blessing from God, a perfect religion, the teachings of which tally with nature
and satisfy the dictates of reason and inculcate the sublimest morals. They are
as miserly in imparting the teachings of their religion as they are stingy in
parting with their money.”

To tell you the truth, I was really embarrassed, for, frankly speaking, I could not
contradict them, and for the matter of that, you will excuse me for asking you,
but tell me honestly, can you refuse their allegations?

One of their leaders went so far as to say on a public platform while addressing
me that the Christian missionaries and their followers will never allow a
preacher of my type to stay in this land for long, for the way he said, in which I
preached was such that I had already conquered the hearts of many and if I were
allowed to continue to preach in this manner, a great number of natives would
be soon converted to my views.

My friends! I leave it at that and can only say that I have been discharging my
duty in accordance with my inadequate ability, and, in pursuance of the
commandment of the Holy , I am delivering the message to you. May
  make you realize and act up to your responsibilities!

So far I have confined myself to the pros and cons of the question of the
propagation of . Now I will proceed to examine the problem of education
which is closely connected with it.

There are two aspects of education, religious and secular. I do not conceive
them as separate from one another, for  has made them reciprocal. It has
established such intimate relationship between the physical or material and the
religious or spiritual phases of life that what pertains to one concerns the other

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 The Clarion Call

as well. Thus it was that so long as we were true to our religion, we prospered
in the world and practically ruled it; but no sooner did we detach ourselves from
its path, than our material and moral decline set in and still continues on its
downward course.

That is not the problem, however, which I have to discuss here. What I wish to
point out is that it is neither the religious not the secular education which seems
to have engaged your attention in this country. The state in which one finds the
arrangements for religious education is simply ridiculous. What it pleases you is
to call a school does not approximate the standard of a mere primary class of
the institutions that impart religious instruction in India or Egypt. When one
visits a so-called  school in South Africa, he is told that it provides
instructions in Arabic, Urdu, Gujrati, etc. But on investigation one discovers
that the teaching of the Alphabet and a parrot-wise recitation of a few chapters
of the Holy  are interpreted as education in Arabic, and, what is more
pitiable, even this rudimentary instruction is marred by wrong phonetics and
incorrect pronunciation. If a pupil endowed with a good voice is taught some
indifferent variation of alto and basso and chants a few verses in the presence of
the trustees of the school and the parents or guardians of the students, they
complacently presume that their children are becoming adepts in art of
ic elocution. But it requires one, who can differentiate between mere
melody of voice and the accurate accent and rhythm of ic recitation, to
know how remote these children actually are from the merit that is attributed to
them.

As regards Urdu, it shares the same fate. For, the children learn to read like
parrots but have no idea of the meaning and are utter strangers to syntax and
composition. I visited some schools in Natal and Transvaal and found the same
state of affairs prevailing everywhere.

This, gentlemen, is the condition of religious education and, I am afraid, you

fare no better in respect of secular education too. An impartial survey of the
situation will indicate that you do not avail thoroughly even the mediocre type
of education that the schools impart here according to the English curriculum,
framed by Government educationist in pursuance of their Asiatic policy. Let
alone the secondary and high schools; even the number of  boys that
attend the primary schools is so small that one has to bow down his head in
shame while discussing this topic with a non-.

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 The Clarion Call

When your High School, which you have named as the Sastri College was
established during Mr. Sastri’s tenure of office as the Agent-General for the
Government of India, you lavishly subscribed to its funds. But, for  
sake, will you please tell me, or, if you prefer, ask yourselves, as to what extent
your community has derived advantage from your munificent contribution?
How many of your boys go to that school? How far do you give them any
encouragement? If I may be allowed to state the correct reply, I will say that far
from doing anything of the kind, you positively hinder them, for I learnt from
some of the young men that their parents compelled them to leave the school,
although they were keen on prosecuting their studies further. It appears that if a
boy manages to study up to the sixth standard, the parents think that he has had
more than enough of education and forthwith harness him to the shop, for it
saves them the salary of a salesman or an assistant, amounting at the most to ten
pounds; or they perhaps think that higher studies would only make him unfit for
the occupation of trade.

Several students of the Sastri College complained to me that their fathers

prevented them from studying their lessons at home, as they insisted on their
attending the shops after the college hours and detained them there until the
market was closed for the night.

My friends! I appeal to you to understand thoroughly the benefits of education.

If you wish your sons to develop the trade that you are carrying on now with the
help of clerks according to your own limited ability, if you want them to be
enterprising, if you desire to make them capable of exploring new avenues and
tap fresh resources, if you aspire to see them as merchant princes and industrial
magnates, I would urge you to afford them opportunities for acquiring higher
education; for only thus would they be able to compete with the people of other
nationalities and stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

Remember that the times are changed and if you do not shake off your lethargy
even now and make determined efforts to promote rapid and efficient education
in your community, your existing condition, which is doubtless precarious, will
become altogether hopeless and you will be supplanted by the sister
communities that are accomplishing an all-round progress speedily. For
heaven’s sake, bestir yourselves, awake, arise and avert the on-rushing
calamitous day, when your own off-springs might find themselves compelled to
approach your enemies and rivals for jobs and might in all probability be
disdainfully turned away by them. Just imagine what can happen in the future,
not very far off, if this state of affairs continues longer. For we witness in our

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own times the distressing spectacle of hundreds of such untrained and ignorant
 youths loafing about without any employment. Hali, the famous
patriotic poet of  India, has vividly depicted the time which has now
descended upon us at last. He says, rather in an ironical vein, that in this age of
enlightenment, even the cooks and menial servants will have to be educated to
secure their jobs.

Consequently, my friends, if you want to survive in this land and maintain your
position, which is not; however, very enviable, education and propagation of
, are the two factors of your national life to which you should apply your
minds energetically.

But shall it be possible for you to realize that end? As matters stand at present,
there is an ever widening division in you camp and your ranks are rent asunder.
You are not only unaware of and indifferent to each other’s interests, but you
have chosen to adopt the suicidal motto of: “each one for himself and none for
all”. Of all the places that I visited during my tour of Natal and Transvaal, I did
not find even one where I could see harmony and unity among the .
Notwithstanding the paucity of the  population, the number of parties
and factions is so numerous in every town and village and mutual hatred and
jealousy so rampant that even members of the same family are set up one
against the other. They cannot bear to see their brethren flourishing and at the
slightest pretext, real or imaginary, a brother has no hesitation to sue his brother
in court and squander away the wealth of the family by filling the pockets of
barristers and lawyers.

Gentlemen! These internecine quarrels and fratricidal fights have made a

laughing stock of our community and religion, and neither the honour of an
lim nor the reputations of a layman are safe under such circumstances.
Our sense of shame and self respect has become so numbed that we do not feel
the slightest compunction at assailing the honour of any brother of ours and
forget in our blind perversity that his disgrace would be as much ours for the
simple reason that he belongs to the same community to which we belong.

This lamentable condition in which I find my brethren lacerates my heart and I

virtually shed tears of blood. I have been throughout Natal and Transvaal and I
notice the mentality of the people is so ruinously transformed that it is
permeated only by unredeemed selfishness, and patriotic or national sentiments
or human sympathy have no access, whatsoever, to their hearts.

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Take for instance, my own example. Can anyone, be he a  or a non-

, dare to point out a single act or word of mine which has served to
inflict any sort of injury on anybody? Have I asked a farthing of anyone or
raised any subscription, or have I encroached upon anyone’s hospitality? For
  sake, tell me, have I been the cause of inconvenience or trouble to
anyone? No, and decidedly no, and yet in spite of it all it reaches my ears and I
witness it with my own eyes that, in certain circles, my actions and speeches are
deliberately misrepresented and subjected to hostile criticism, nay even ridicule.
However, one could have afforded to connive at their unworthy conduct, had it
been confined to their own cliques or even to the  community. But the
despicable part of it is that they have shamelessly given publicity to their
malicious effusions in the press, regardless of the impression they might create
on other communities.

When this is the kind of treatment meted out to a visitor who has neither his axe
to grind nor has he connected himself with any communal faction nor fostered
or aggravated differences of opinions, you can imagine to what extent the seed
of selfishness has taken root in the community and how the harvest of honour
and dignity is consumed in the fire of enmity, hatred and jealousy.

Gentlemen! I, for my part, have freely forgiven my detractors and wish to

announce openly in this public meeting that I harbour no ill-feeling or grudge
against them. I invite them with a loving heart, however, to eradicate the canker
of selfishness that is eating away the vitals of the body communal, to join us
united in lifting up the banner of  and to assemble on our common
platform to help in organizing the scattered force of our community.

In conclusion, gentlemen, I appeal to you to form associations in various parts,

with the main aim and object of exterminating disunity and of working for the
uplift of all the members of the community. You can then have a Central Body,
with representatives from all these associations, which should devote its,
energies to practical and constructive work without seeking name and fame.

I now place before you a tentative program of action under various heads,
which may be modified if necessary. I hope it will meet with your approval and
you will take immediate steps to materialize it, and working with complete
unanimity, save the sinking ship of the Community, while there is yet time for
it.

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SCHEME

Central Body Missionary Centre:

For the revival, preservation and propagation of  in these parts, there must
be a central ic organization under the name of “The Central ic
Society” or any other suitable name in the capital of the territory.

Announcement of its Location:

Effective steps, should be forthwith taken to announce the location of Head-

quarters to all the towns, cities and villages of the territory.

Branches:

The Branches of the said Central Body must be opened in all the chief towns
and cities of the province.

Libraries:

Each Branch must have a small library of ic Literature in English, Urdu
and Gujarati attached to its office.

Translation of the Holy Qurn and other ic Books:

Each of the said libraries must stock at least three copies of authentic English
Translation of the Glorious Qurn10 and other books written by the righteous
Scholars, etc., which could be lent out to all seekers after the Truth for perusal
and study and may also provide a tolerably thorough grounding in the teachings
of  for the  youths.

Presence of Qualified Men at the Offices at Stated Times:

The Central Body as well as its branch offices should each arrange for an
intelligent and educated , who can satisfactorily enlighten any seeker
after the Truth, to be present at the respective offices at stated times. If at some
place the  in question does not know the local language, the officials of
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10
The English Translation of Kanz al-Imn by Imm Amad R al-Qdri 

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the said place should engage an interpreter to be there at the appointed time. Till
the Organization is sufficiently well-established to warrant the engagement of a
whole-time worker, the work should be carried on by the otherwise occupied or
employed officials of the Society and its branches in an honorary capacity.

Propaganda and Pamphlets:

The Central Body should arrange with able and qualified Ulama to write
informative and interesting treatise on various aspects of ic teachings.
These should be published at least once a month in English as well as in the
native language.

Free Distribution:

The Branches as also the well-to-do individuals should purchase copies of these
pamphlets from the Central Body and distribute them gratis among their non-
 customers, friends and acquaintances.

Shops in the Jungles:

The shop in the jungles should also be furnished with these booklets in the
African native vernaculars for free distribution among their customers.

Education Committee:

The Central Body should appoint a Special Committee from amongst its
members to look after maters relating to education.

Registration of Schools:

A list of all existing schools in the province should be at once prepared and kept
up-to-date.

Curriculum:

The Education Committee should draw up a curriculum which should be

uniformly followed by all the schools on its register, so as to enable all pupils to
learn the same books and to complete the course in a stated period of time.

Supervision:

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The Education Committee should appointed a capable and competent inspector

of schools who should visit each school at least three times a year and submit
his report to the Committee.

Changes and Reforms in the Schools:

The Committee, after scrutinizing the reports of the inspector, should, in the
consultation with him, instruct the trustees of the respective schools to
introduce the suggested changes and reforms.

Increase of Teacher Staff:

A teacher must not have more than forty pupils at a time, and if the number
exceeds the limit and additional teacher must be immediately engaged.

Subsidies:

Where the local people are not in a position to meet the expenses of the school,
the Central Body should extend suitable financial assistance to them.

School of Theology:

The Central Body should establish a School of Theology at its head-quarters,

where promising students from different schools of the province, intending to
prosecute their studies further in religion, might be given a thorough training in
all the branches of theology through the medium of Arabic and Urdu.

Training of Ulama:

One of the aims of this Central School of Theology should be to produce a

sufficient number of able Ulama who could take up the posts of teachers, so
that after a time, there might be no need to recruit them from overseas.

Missionaries:

The second aim of the Central School of Theology should be to turn out a
number of enthusiastic and efficient missionaries, conversant with the native
languages. A hostel might also be established for the benefit of such pupils.
Scholarship:

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The Education Committee should also arrange for giving scholarships to such
intelligent and deserving students at English schools on account of indigence,
and, if possible, send some promising and brilliant pupils to Egypt, India and
Europe for higher studies.

Religious Instructions for Boys at English Schools:

Wherever the  boys attend the English schools, provisions should be
made for their instruction in religious teaching by arrangement with the
authorities concerned, so that the English-knowing section might not remain
ignorant of religion.

Collection of Funds:

As funds would evidently be necessary for carrying out all these activities, a
small committee should tour the province and collect a lump sum to form a
nucleus of a Central Fund.

Budget:

On the strength of the amount collected, a budget should be made out and
appropriate amounts allotted to various departments from its income.

Contribution from the Branches:

The Branches should also contribute a part of their income, even though it be
the tenth or twentieth part, to the Central Body.

Fees:

The fee for membership should be kept as low as possible and efforts should be
made to increase the income by enrolling the largest number of members
possible.

Head Office:

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The expenses of the Head Office should be met from the income of the Central
Fund, the annual contribution from the Branches and the recurring fees from the
members.

General Policy:

The Organization must not concern itself directly with politics and must confine
its activities solely to ic propaganda and education work. Its members
however should be left at liberty to join any political institution in their personal
and individual capacities.

In other words, the Central Organization should, as a body keeps itself entirely
aloof from the political field, so that it may peacefully accomplish the task
before it.

Gentlemen! I have given you my analysis of the conditions pertaining in your

country and I have laid before a scheme which, if properly carried out, will, I
am sure, go a long way in solving your problems. We are now at a parting of
the ways, literally and not metaphorically, for, as you all know, I am sailing on
the 12th instant for Zanzibar, on my way to the Far East and Heaven alone
knows when we shall meet again.

I, therefore, avail myself of this opportunity to thank you all once again for
providing me with facilities in the prosecution of my mission and in rendering
some humble service to my brethren in particular and the inhabitants of this
land in general.

I thank the Almighty  for enabling me to do my duty to the best of my ability

and to deliver to you His Message in compliance with His Command. And
mind you, I shall be constantly and keenly watching the progress of this Body
and I am sanguinely hopeful that if you translate the proposed scheme into
action and earnestly set about to give effect to the various suggestions contained
therein, you will be soon on your way to attain the goal.

Needless to say, my services are at your disposal and, though we shall be

divided by oceans, our hearts will always beat in unison and it will always be a
matter of pleasure to me to render any service or the advancement of our cause.

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I now pray to the Almighty   to guide you aright, to infuse your minds
with the genuine ic spirit and to endow you with courage and
steadfastness to accomplish the sacred task of serving the cause of . May
He award you purity of thought and sincerity of purpose and may He enable
you to keep the banner of Islm aloft in this territory for all time to come. mn!

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