Khwaja Kamal-ud-Dins
assessment of prospects of propagation of Islam
in the West, 1913
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Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din wrote a report in January
1913, published in Badr, 6 March 1913, on his assessment
of the prospects of the propagation of Islam in the West,
particularly with reference of course to England. It is translated
below from Urdu.
Propagation of Islam in the Western
world
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu
When departing from India, I announced through
the newspapers Akhbar and Zamindar the purpose
of my journey. I neither made any promise to anyone about
the propagation of Islam nor raised any hopes. However, Muslim
brethren connected me with the subject of this article, directly
or indirectly, and expectations of me were expressed in Islamic
journals, of which I had never considered myself worthy. I
was at least pleased to see, by these writings, that our community
is alive and interested in the propagation of Islam. I have
not come here on behalf of any Anjuman nor has any merchant
of Bombay has sent me here for the propagation of Islam by
paying the costs. I am against that as a principle. Thus,
as Dr. Iqbal’s visit to Japan was proposed by an Anjuman,
I was against it. The tree of Islam has been watered by personal
sacrifices and this is what is required now as well. It is
my own inner pain and compulsion and my crying and imploring
at the threshold of the Almighty that has brought me to the
Western world. Today I do not consider my journey to be a
waste by any standard. I knew that the way of working and
speaking here is entirely novel, so I did not proceed in haste.
It would have been all too easy to hire a hall and give lectures
in it or make my presence known in newspapers, creating a
false impression of success back home and pleasing my fellow-countrymen
by this illusion. This is especially easy to do in this city
[London] where one can buy the highest honour, good name and
favourable opinion as a commercial commodity. I seek no fame
nor, except from Allah, any reward from anyone, nor yet to
discharge my duty to any Anjuman or merchant of Bombay. Therefore
I have started to study the conditions here from the perspective
of the propagation of Islam. It is now the fifth month since
I left India. Although this is a short duration, but for information
of Muslim brethren I write down the conclusions I have reached
in this period. Only Allah the Most High knows whether these
conclusions are right or wrong.
These people live in a cold climate and are not
impetuous in making decisions. Being liberal-minded, yet they
are also traditionalist who do not accept new ideas, ways
and religions quickly.They are very proud with a high self-regard.
Continuous success, power and wealth have created a feeling
of superiority in them. They do not consider the thoughts
of an Asian mind to have any value at all, and believe the
source of every good thing to be Western. Even though their
God [meaning Jesus] came from the East, they do not consider
any principle, idea or view originating from the East to be
worthy of attention, due to being from the East. They have
very little free time. Leaving their homes before 8 a.m. to
go to work, they do not return till 6 p.m. Tired after a days
work, they indulge in various forms of entertainment. If they
come to any lecture, it is merely for amusement and pleasure.
This is why lectures here are at most half an hour or three-quarters
of an hour in duration. People cannot sit for longer than
this. Politics is the religion here. If some well-known, learned
man gives a lecture, and that too on politics, then thousands
gather. To attend such gatherings is regarded as a requirement
of freedom. At all the lectures on religion that I attended,
even though on some occasions the speaker was very famous,
yet in this populous city only an audience of some 70 to 100
was present. People are not interested in religion. I have
often been to see inside churches. The trend here is that
women come to the places of worship, and accompanying them
are some men related to them. No one else bothers.
The misconceptions about Islam that I have found
since coming here are so terrible that I had absolutely no
idea about them in India. The worst possible picture that
can be portrayed of a religion or an institution is the picture
of Islam here. Those responsible for this are not only the
Christian clergymen, but also the politicians. Fifty years
ago the Liberal Party decided that the Turks should leave
Europe. In Europe war is in the hands of the bankers and the
general population. The present Balkan war is a result of
the collusion between bankers and newspapers. As the Liberal
Party wanted to remove the Turks from Europe, it had to create
public opinion against them. Accordingly, all kinds of false
allegations and baseless accusations of atrocities were published
against them in newspapers, novels and books, and during the
past fifty years all Western nations and their masses were
turned against the Turks. Today too there is a kind of conspiracy
among all newspapers in England to not print even one line
in favour of the Turks. I do not understand what we had thought
in India because here everyone is against the Turks. However,
these are political matters, with which I have no concern.
My purpose is to say that the dark picture of the Turks spread
in the West for political reasons, especially over the past
fifty years, has brought Islam into disrepute because Turk
and Muslim are synonymous here.
The style of life here and what are considered
to be harmless entertainment or pastimes contain what I regards
as elements of obscenity. I went to Paris, known as the Palace
of the Devil, and by way of information saw some courts of
that devilish place. Then I came here and observed various
types of pastimes in this country. On such occasions a Muslim
is compelled to call for the forgiveness of Allah, but from
the point of view of the propagation of Islam I am often bewildered
and perplexed and ask: O God, are these the people who will
accept Islam? I have said that they are not interested in
Christianity itself or religion. They consider religious matters
a waste of time. They greatly detest Islam, which they regard
as an obstacle to progress and flowing entirely against the
grain of the times. Besides this, their involvement in their
worldly affairs is so dominant that they have no time for
anything else. This is the state of the majority of the people.
The others are the affluent, who cannot understand where to
throw their money. In such a carefree country full of wonders,
there are plenty of sources of play and amusement for them,
so they cannot be interested in anything like religion.
This is the negative side of the prospects of the
propagation of Islam that I have explained. In view of these
circumstances I did not like to waste time and money delivering
lectures. However, there is a bright side which is very pleasing
and encouraging. The ordinary individuals here are generally
most definitely not persons of their own, independent mind
as they are thought to be abroad. In certain matters they
only get an understanding after reading newspapers. Early
in the morning they read the newspaper that they trust, then
whatever they read in that newspaper, it becomes their belief
and opinion. This is why the press is so powerful here. One
of the reasons for the progress of this nation is that once
they accept someone as an opinion leader, anything he says
is regarded as set in stone. In wars their soldiers act on
this. In religious, social, national, political matters etc.
if an opinion former declares some view, they all agree with
him. I think this is a good quality because every individual
is not capable of having an independent opinion in every matter.
This is why a great man can write a book presenting some new
concept, and he makes the country agree with him in his lifetime.
If I have conceived of any way of the propagation of Islam
up till now, it is because of these opinion leaders, and not
the masses. I have spoken to some famous church figures here
about Christianity, and met some wealthy persons interested
in intellectual matters. This gave me great pleasure. When
I put to them in a polite way certain criticisms of Christian
doctrines, they acknowledged these without hesitation. When
I showed them that certain modern social and cultural trends
of this country were literally stated in the Quran, they were
even more surprised, some saying that they did not realise
the high calibre of the thinking of Muhammad (may peace and
the blessings of Allah be upon him). They wished to be given
further authentic knowledge about Islam, which may be a source
of pleasure as well as further reflection and consideration
for them. The last generation in Europe, as also the present
generation, have produced a group of famous thinkers who are
greatly disenchanted with the present-day civilization and
culture of Europe. Some believe that Europe has reached the
last days of the Roman civilization, the result of which will
be the end of its present greatness. These great men are proposing
new principles of civilization in opposition to the existing
ones, and my friends will be very surprised to hear that some
aspects of this new thinking are close to Islam and some are
exactly Islamic, which our Western-educated Muslim brethren
have departed from.
It appears from the report of the divorce commission
here that the proposed relaxation of the divorce laws are
exactly in accord with Islam. I have said that the ordinary
people here do not hold their own independent opinions, while
those who are their masters are moving towards Islamic principles
in cultural, social and political matters. We must explain
to this latter class of people, in an intelligent and gentle
manner, that some parts of the new modes that they are proposing
were taught by the Quran thirteen centuries ago, while other
parts have certain drawbacks which can be corrected by Islam.
For example, on the questions of the connection between the
soul and the body, the birth of the soul, and philosophy of
thought, Imam Ghazali and Bu Ali Sina have much influenced
Europe. But Henri Bergson, the present-day French philosopher,
has explained the nature of the soul in a way which defies
the previous philosophy. But the summary of his views is the
verse of the Quran ending with the words: then We cause
it to grow into another creation [23:14]. Professor
Huxley is disenchanted with Christianity, and a chief aspect
of his philosophy is based on the verse Surely man is
in loss [103:2], it being the duty of culture and civilization
to emerge from this state. According to him, religion has
not taught the remedy for this state, but by religion he means
Christianity. Some remedies proposed by him, although incomplete
and greatly defective, are tending towards the golden principle
taught in the next verse of Sura Asr: Except
those who believe and do good deeds and exhort each other
to truth and exhort each other to patience [103:3].
The philosopher [Herbert] Spencer, believing in
the First Cause, cannot find in the Christian scriptures any
means given by which man can attain knowledge of this First
Cause. In other words, he does not want to believe in revelation.
Does not the Sura Naml of the Holy Quran put forward
philosophical arguments from the testimony of this very Nature
that is the teacher of this philosopher? Socialism is popular
in Europe today. Its virtues are to be found in Islamic teachings,
while the Holy Quran has also mentioned its flaws and proposed
a middle path. The golden principle of rationalism, which
Professor Leakey believes has demolished Christianity, is
in my view only one half of the reality of human existence.
In its full and perfect form it is to be found in Sura
Tin. The philosopher [John Stuart] Mill sets forth the
principles of mental independence. A much greater measure
of this independence is found in the lives of the Companions
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The concept of personal sacrifice,
which some European philosophers deeply lament as disappearing
from Europe, is indicated in the word Islam itself
and is created in man by acting upon its pillars.
The followers of the philosopher Nietzsche are
looking for causes. From the point to which their mentor has
taken them, the Quran can further guide them. The Suffragette
Movement demands rights for women, but these are far below
the rights given to women in the Quran. There is deep anxiety
in England about the White Slave Trade, but if
there is any remedy for it, it lies in polygamy.
These are a few issues which are a cause of concern
to the thinkers and opinion leaders of Europe. To send a missionary
here as a lecturer to propagate Islam is not a way for which
this country is ready yet. Of course, if someone becomes famous
and renowned then people may pay attention to him. It is pen
and paper which is overwhelmingly powerful here. If books
or standard journals from India are sent here, they will be
consigned to waste paper baskets here, if for no other reason
than the quality of printing and typesetting in India. These
ways are utterly futile. If work is done from here by pen
and paper, with perseverance and determination, that would
be highly useful. From here the propagation of Islam can be
done not only in England but also in Europe and America, and
in particular in that dark continent where the hearts of the
people are ready to accept the light of Islam, but there are
powerful movements afoot here in Christian clergy circles,
for political ends, to keep their hearts in the dark. The
people there know English and are Christians who are disillusioned
with Christianity and prefer Islam. By this I mean the continent
of Africa, about which I will write later in detail.
Europe is in fact ruled by ideologies and principles.
We cannot conquer Europe by sword and canon, but if we show
them that the principles that they are following are found
in a better form in the Quran there is no reason why they
should not accept the supremacy of the Quran. Read the writing
of any European philosopher and you will see that, being disenchanted
with the culture and civilization of Europe, he is proposing
a new culture that is very close to the Holy Quran. The reason
why their attention does not go towards the Holy Quran is
that its followers are bereft of all those qualities that,
in my view, are attained by following the Holy Quran. A tree
is recognised by its fruit. The non-Muslim world mistakenly
considers us to be the fruit of the Holy Quran, whereas the
Quran is not responsible for our deeds and actions.
Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
c/o National Bank of India
26 Bishop’s Gate, London, England
16 January 1913 |
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