Why Have You Not Distributed the Holy Quran Till Now ? a Judge
Belief, Determination, Courage, and Humility Win the Hearts, Syed Hamid Mohsin
Soon after the successful programme of introduction and distribution of The Quran in the conference hall of the Karnataka High Court I thought, why not personally present The Quran to the Judges and advocates by visiting their offices. When I discussed this with a few Muslim advocates, they opined, it is perhaps not an easy task to visit the Judges’ chambers to present them with the copies of The Quran. I said; let us give it a try. This is the Word of God, and Allah will surely help us in this work.
After the very next day of the High Court programme, we started the meetings with Judges. This continued for 12 days.
We used to visit the Judges chambers and sent our card through their secretary by telling just that we have come to present The Quran. We were immediately called in. The honourable Judges welcomed us warmly, on seeing the Quran in our hands they stood up respectfully. We presented to them The Quran, a book on The Life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS), Basic Islamic literature, and DVD of The Quran. They offered us seating next to them. They opened our gift box with utmost care and respect, and immediately started reading The Quran. Then they would start a discussion on The Quran, Prophet Muhammad (SAS), Islam, and Muslims. They intended to give us the price amount for the Quran received. I replied to them, the Final Prophet, Muhammad (SAS) has ordered the Muslims to present The Quran to all. He said: “Covey (on behalf of me) even if you know one Ayat (a verse of The Quran).” I am just following the great order of our Great Prophet. I request you to please read The Quran and I most humbly request you to please seek guidance from The Quran.
Karnataka High Court has a total of 38 Judges out of which 28 Judges were present, 10 Judges were on duty at High Court benches situated at Gulbarga and Dharwad. When these Judges return to Bangalore in the month of June, we will present the Quran to them InshaAllah. It is worth noting here that, out of 28 Judges we met; only two of them had English translated copies of The Quran. All other Judges though knew a thing or two about the Quran but none of them had a copy of the Quran with them.
After gifting of The Quran to the honourable Judges we thought of presenting the Quran to the high court libraries. The high court has three libraries and the Mayo Hall Court functioning under the High Court also has a library. We were surprised and shocked to know that none of these four libraries has a copy of The Quran. These vast libraries maintained with the valuable volumes for the references for use by advocates and Judges did not have a single copy of The Quran. We met the Karnataka State Advocates Association General Secretary and Chairman of High Court Libraries, Mr. Shankar and told him that we wish to gift The Quran to these libraries. We explained to him: “The Quran does not belong to a particular section of the people but it is meant to guide the whole humanity. The Quran is the most widely read book in the world and that this is the first written constitution of the world. That this book contains different laws and this is the complete and comprehensive guide for the justice and courts. We wish that this great book adorn your important libraries.”
Mr. Shankar was highly impressed on hearing about The Quran and gave permission to keep The Quran in all the four libraries under the High Court. We have gifted two sets each of The Quran translations in English, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi for each library. We requested them to keep the Quran in an appropriate place visible to all and also to put a notice board saying The Quran is now available in the library. They have accepted our requests. This non-Muslim brother has helped so much in the cause of The Quran. Thus for the first time in History, The Quran and book on life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) are adorning the libraries of the High Court.
Here, I am reminded of an interesting event from the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) which is a source of great guidance for the propagation work. Preparations were in full swing for the War of Uhad. Prophet Muhammad (SAS), himself a great commander was busy in planning the war strategies. According to the plan, the Muslim Army had to reach the war field through a secret route. This route and the details of Muslim planning were to be kept a secret from the non-Muslims. There was a non-Muslim who was a war expert and who could plan it successfully. The Prophet Muhammad (SAS) summoned that person and discussed the issues with him. He readily helped the Prophet.
We presented The Quran to the officers of the High Court including the Registrar. Then we went to the chambers of the senior advocates and presented The Quran to them. Most of the High Court advocates are also practicing in the Supreme Court and they have 25 to 100 junior advocates working under them. Their fee goes upto lakhs of rupees and they are so much busy that it is very difficult to meet them, tougher than compared to meeting with the Judges. In spite of this when we said our purpose of meeting them, to present The Quran; they invited us immediately and received The Quran by standing up respectfully.
After this programme, about 150 senior advocates visited Salaam Centre office at Richmond Road and received the Kannada translated copies of The Quran. Everyone expressed his thoughts about the Quran after receiving it. Their thoughts surprised and shocked me because the educated and intellectual people have no knowledge about The Quran.
A retired Judge who hails from north Karnataka and well versed in Urdu came to Salaam Centre and told me: “I wished to read about Prophet Muhammad (SAS) since a long time. I would like to read the stories of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) in The Quran, so give me The Quran.”
Another Judge said: “Is The Quran is a book of poetry? Does it have stories, does it has prose or poetry?” This shows how much misunderstanding is there about The Quran.
While we were busy in distributing The Quran, an advocate met us said: “I had received The Quran from you five days back and have read it. I did not find anything against Hindus in it. Whereas we were told that The Quran only contains poison against Hindus. We were also told that The Quran exhorts for Jihad against Hindus. But nothing of such sort is there in The Quran. After reading it my misunderstandings have been eliminated. Now I will study The Quran seriously and would try to dispel the misunderstanding in others.”
An honourable woman Judge wanted English Quran for her son-in-law who resides in London. The next day we visited her and presented to her with “Tadabbur-e-Quran,” English translation of The Quran by Ameen Ahsan Islahi. She said, every Muslim should have the same desire and spirit with regard to The Quran. She asked for my autograph and signature on the Quran. I requested her to sit down. “She said how this is possible? You have the great The Quran in your hand and I can not sit. First you please take your seat and then I can sit.” After I signed, she asked me to write some message. I replied, “I have signed and the great message is present inside The Book.” She was highly impressed on hearing it.
Following are a few excerpts of the responses by honourable Judges and advocates during distribution of The Quran.
“Yes, I have English translation of The Quran and I am studying it. No doubt, this book has been sent for the guidance of all human beings. You make this Great Book reach to all the human beings. God Himself knows how to explain it to whom. Whether one is a Justice, Advocate, Scientist, Politician, Farmer, or an Auto-diver–God Will enlighten them with their own level of understanding. They will get guidance even from a small verse from this book. You have to just give them The Quran. You are not made custodians of the book. It was the Muslims responsibility to spread this Guide Book to all others, but you have seized it and confined it for yourselves. Thank God, He has not entrusted (as custodian) to you with Oxygen and water otherwise, you would have seized that also.”
“The Constitution of our country permits that anyone may preach about their religion and Book. All can practice their religion and propagate it to others. If you are doing this, it is not unconstitutional. The advantage of this work would be that people in the country could come closer to each other.”
We have heard that if Muslims leave The Quran, then The Quran also leaves them. Tell me the fact, whether today, the Muslims have embraced any other book in place of The Quran? Then, why they are being oppressed and tortured everywhere?”
While presenting The Quran to an honourable Judge, we said, this is a small step that we are trying to distribute it. He said, “Do not say it as a small thing, perhaps you may not be aware how great a task you are doing. You are lighting the lamps in the darkness. If you light Lakhs of lamps in our country inhabited by crores of people then, our society will be illuminated by The Quran. Gradually it will dispel the darkness of misunderstanding and tension. Your work is not small; it is a great work that would not bear fruits immediately. But surely we will see the results sooner or later. You need to do this work on a bigger scale.”
An honourable Judge emotionally said, “I have been observing from the past ten years that there has been gigantic level of atrocities on Islam and Muslims. Now as a remedial measure for these atrocities, you have to popularize The Quran for the next ten years. This has to be done on a bigger scale continuously. Otherwise things may turn worse for Muslims.”
“In my view, the sole reason for troubles of Muslims the world over is that they have stopped seeking guidance from this Book (The Quran). They have also stopped the propagation of this Book to all human beings. That is why there is an ever-growing menace of misunderstaing and they are subjected to atrocities knowingly or unknowingly.”
“In my opinion, if anyone is being highly unfair and cruel with this Great Book, it is the Muslim.”
“We extend our hearty congratulations to you. Spread The Quran to more and more people. The need is to speed up this work.”
“You have done a great atrocious and cruel act in dealing with The Quran. You say Prophet Muhammad (SAS) has entrusted the Muslims with the responsibility of spreading the Quran to all those to whom it has not reached. I ask you Muslims, where were you till now? Why have you remembered this responsibility now? You say it is a mistake. It is not a small mistake but a bigger crime that you have committed. You Muslims have neither read it with understanding nor have you made others (non-Muslims) to study it. You Muslims have been sitting around the Quran like a snake. You are big criminals for doing this big crime.”
“Yes, I would like to study The Quran to know what Message Allah has given for all humanity. If the Quran contains Message for all human beings then why have you kept this away from the humanity till now?”
“The Muslims themselves are not studying the Quran by understanding the meaning then how can they preach its teachings to others. How can they lead others?”
“Do I need to read it; you want me to read it. I will definitely study it and try to understand. Thank you very much for this Great Gift.”
“This is a great service to humanity. All religions teach only good things. Please give me one more copy of English Quran. I need to send it to my brother-in-law in London.”
“I have an English translation of The Quran. For a recent case that came before my court I have studied The Quran. I have given the verdict in the light of The Quran and have recorded the Quranic verses as reference in my verdict. Now I will surely study the Kannada translation of The Quran and the books on life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) that you have presented to me.”
“Thank you very much for presenting to me The Quran and the book on life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS). I will definitely read them. I congratulate you for spreading the Word of Allah to the humanity.”
“We ought to seek knowledge about what Allah has said in The Quran.”
“Look at this, I have Bible. And I was eagerly waiting to read The Quran. Now that you have given to me The Quran and book on life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS), I will certainly read it. Thank you very much.”
“You are doing an excellent job. This is a very great service to humanity. Lot of misconceptions has been spread about Islam. Certainly this great work will remove these misconceptions.”
“I have seen a hoarding about The Quran near City Railway Station. Your endeavours in spreading the information and motivating the people to read The Quran are good. I congratulate you on this. I wish that you spread this to a still larger level.”
“Till today we were listening to others, from today we will listen to this (The Quran) and seek the truth from this alone.”
“I am fortunate and feel it a privilege that Allah has chosen me from amongst crores of people and sent you to me with The Quran. Thank you very much for giving to me The Quran and the book on life of Prophet Muhammad (SAS). I will definitely read them. There are many people like me who want to know what is there in The Quran. Give the Quran to them without fail.”
“I think it very strange that when someone disrespects The Quran, Muslims can not control themselves and start fighting without the fear of killing or getting killed. But when it comes to their own practice, unfortunately they themselves are very backward in reading and understanding The Quran. Tell me how many Muslims are today settling their disputes as per the laws of the Quran? For example, how many Muslims are following the laws of the Quran in matters of division of (legacy) property? Heaps of legacy cases are accumulating in the courts today. How many Muslims are solving their problems of divorce, Khula, and maintenance as per the Quran? ”
“All over the world, Muslims are under suspicion today. Just a Muslim name arouses a symbol of ‘suspect’ whether it is Azim Premji, Abdul Kalaam Sahib or Shah Rukh Khan. Why is this happening? If the same situation continues, the Muslims may be extinct within 200 years. They will loss their identity, only name will remain. I have read about such religions whose books remain or whose mention is found in books but the followers are nowhere to be found. Lest Islam also face such a situation. I think the only solution of this is for Muslims to introduce themselves to the world. They should explain to the world what is there in The Quran, what is Islam, and who is called a Muslim. Otherwise, The Quran and Islam will remain but Muslims will extinguish. Today there is an extreme need to clear the misunderstanding created about Islam and Muslims. I have read the writings of Taslima Nasreen, she is riotous, and such people are not needed today. Today’s society needs people like Kamala Surraiyya of Kerala. Talisma Nasreen’s writings are highly condemnable. Alas, if Muslims have had presented introduction of The Quran, Islam, and about themselves, today the situation would have been different. This pathetic condition would not have arrived.”
An honourable Judge said, “When I was practicing as an advocate there was a case between two Muslim parties. We made them to accept a peaceful settlement by taking oath while holding The Quran in their hands. After a few days one of them turned away from the agreement saying, the advocate gave me a book covered in cloth bag for oath taking I do not know whether it was The Quran or any other book. I requested my friend Mr. Ibrahim Sahib from Mavalli, Bangalore to get a copy of The Quran from the Mavalli Masjid. I urged the concerned party to take the oath again and asked him, look this is The Quran or not? Do you know to read it, he said, ‘yes.’ I asked, do you also understand The Quran. He said, ‘I can not understand as it is in Arabic.’ Then, I thought this is same thing as we read Geetha and do not understand as it is in Sanksrit. We read it only for Blessings. So they may be reading The Quran without understanding, only for Blessing. Mr. Mohsin, you say there are guidance, laws, success, and way to happiness in The Quran. If you (Muslims) do not understand it then how can you get guidance and happiness? I used to say to my dear friend Ibrahim Sahib that whether is this international conspiracy of the enemies of The Quran to keep Muslims away from understanding the Quran. I think the Muslims have fallen prey to this conspiracy. Till today, they have neither understood the conspiracy nor have awakened themselves. You should have a programme to make them understand the Quran. Quarrels and conflicts will decrease and the number of cases in courts will also decrease.”
“You have gifted us the Greatest gift of The Quran, thank you very much. I had a desire to read The Quran from many years. From today I will make sure that I read it at least for half-an-hour everyday.”
In the past, the prophets were tortured in many ways and even killed for calling towards the Will of God. Tolerating all sorts of suffering, they continued their mission of propagation. As a result of many years of propagation a handful of people used to accept the faith. There are a few prophets, who after a lifetime of propagation would not get a single person to accept the true religion. They had to leave the world without making anyone a follower.
If we remember the early days of Prophet Muhammad (SAS), there was stiff opposition. Those who presented the verses of The Quran were tortured mercilessly. They were dragged and thrown out in hot sand. They were faced with all types of atrocities including social boycott. Prophet Muhammad (SAS) also at times sustained blood injuries.
Today the situation has changed for good. It is conducive for the propagation work. The Quran distributors are welcomed everywhere. Is not this a Blessing? We need to make fullest use of the advantageous environment for propagation work. Prophet Muhammad (SAS) said, A propagator should be more ambitious in propagation work.
While engaged in propagation, I felt that propagation work in India needs planning that is easy and direct. But there should be contact of heart to heart, not mind to mind. Non-Muslim intellectuals also are worried about what is happening about Islam and Muslims, the world over. At this juncture we need to spread the Quran to non-Muslim brethren with love and humility. As per a rough estimate, there are about two lakhs propagation workers from various organizations in our country. If each of them presents a copy of The Quran per month to a non-Muslim, then, they will distribute two lakhs copies of The Quran. This means that 24 lakhs copies of the Quran will be distributed per year. We must seriously think it over, how much advantageous would be the results. If we talk of the past 25 years, five lakhs copies of The Quran might have been distributed to non-Muslims.