Part II: The Story of Sayyid Abbas:
Atuji, Miriam Zamani, and Bari Begam's Conversation,
followed by the text of Sayyid Amjad Ali's Will
Atuji: There, my dears, you have heard Zubaida
Khatun's story! You see how her mother educated her and made her a worthy
person. Aren't we also human beings? If we wish, we can turn our children
into even better persons. If we don't, how will they ever learn to be
worthy?
Miriam Zamani: Honored one! If you don't mind
my asking, how did you conclude from all this that mothers can also
teach their sons? We were talking about my son, Ahmad Mirza, and you
brought up the story of Zubaida Khatun. The latter has to do with the
education of girls, and the former has to do with the education of boys.
They are as different as heaven and earth!
Atuji: Bari Begam! Do you hear what Miriam
Zamani is saying? Do you also feel that a mother cannot educate her
son?
Bari Begam: Atuji! To tell you the truth, the
discussion was about one thing, and you diverted it to another! I too
realize that if a mother can read and write, she can educate her daughter
and teach her good judgment. But the education of boys is not a mother's
job.
Atuji: Thank heavens, at least, that you have
agreed on one thing! Now the time has come to take up the second question.
That is, if we listen to the will which Sayyid Abbas's father/1/
wrote during his last days, you will have the answer to your question.
Sayyid Abbas recounted the text of the document that
his mother gave him:
Sayyid Amjad Ali's Will
After praising and thanking God, I, Amjad Ali,
request that all those present regard this as my last will and testament.
No one can be sure where and when death will overtake him, but during
my recent illness, I felt that my heart was seriously affected. Perhaps
my time is near. My friends and dear ones should not be dismayed by
this. If it is true that my days are numbered, I am very grateful that
I am still of sound mind, and can say whatever I have to say and bequeath
whatever I have to bequeath.
First of all, I am thankful to God that I was
born into the faith of Islam and that I believe in the one God.
Secondly, I am grateful that He made me the
son of parents who made great efforts to raise me well, and who spent
their lives seeing that I had a proper education and upbringing. They
were so considerate that if I suffered pain, it seemed to wound their
hearts, and if I became angry, it caused them great anguish. But with
all their love and affection, they never spoiled me or ceased to encourage
my education. They fed me well, gave me good clothes to wear, spread
a comfortable bed for me, gave me a good horse to ride—in short, whatever
I asked for, they gave. They may have pampered me, but I nevertheless
had quite a strict upbringing. I fully realize that although during
my childhood there were many things that I found unpleasant, and which
were even more unpleasant for them, they still obliged me to do things
I didn't want to do, and paid no attention to whether I liked it or
not.
Next, I must also thank God that I was born
under the government of a people whom God, in the Quran, has called
the Muslims' best friend./2/
The present English government has brought so much enlightenment to
India that one can hardly distinguish between day and night. The roads
are so safe that where once caravans had difficulty in passing, now
anyone can travel without a worry, tossing a gold coin carelessly in
the air as he does so. Commerce has been faciltated, so that in a few
days one can move tons of merchandise from West to East or North to
South. One can now go to distant cities, of which one had only heard
tell before, as easily as coming and going to the bazaar. If you want
to send a message across thousands of miles, or to receive a message
from the same distance, it is almost easier done than said. No sooner
have you sent the message than you get the reply. Before, workers did
not realize the value of their labor. They worked from morning to evening
and earned, with difficulty, a few annas. Now everyone gets a just reward
for his labors. The injustice had endured since time began that idle
men could live at ease and in luxury, while working men were regarded
with contempt as lower in status. It is the benefit of this government
that deserving people have got their due.
Before, farmers had to rely on the rains or
on wells to water their fields; now the Ganges and the Jumna flow in
all directions./3/
Wherever there are canals, there is perpetual greenery. Before, kings
and nobles could, but the poor could not, get the necessary medical
care. You had to pay for the doctor; you had to pay again for the medicine.
Now in every city, town, and village, government doctors come around
and care for the sick. One doesn't have to pay for the doctor or the
medicine. Anyone who so desires can be cured, and one can get all the
medicines one needs. Before, you couldn't get any books at all, and
those that existed were very expensive, since anything that was handwritten
took years to complete. Now, thanks to printing, books are available
as cheaply as vegetables. Means of transport which were not available
to kings are now possible for the common man. Cloth which rich men could
not afford earlier is now worn even by miller's children.
Before, if one wanted to know about the world, one
had to travel to its four corners. Now, true maps of every country are
available cheaply, so that whoever wants to can sit at home and travel
through the mountains, forests, rivers, and islands, the populated areas
and the deserts, of the entire world. Before, it was virtually impossible
to educate your children satisfactorily; but now the government education
system has made it so easy that it is more difficult to remain illiterate
than to be educated. Before, keeping the cities clean never occurred
to people; now every alley and lane, every street and bazaar, is cleaner
than the homes of the nobility once were.
In the old days, the rich oppressed the poor, and
the lords treated the peasants like slaves; now everyone has rights
and liberties. Other than crimes punishable under law, anyone can do
anything he likes; there are no obstacles. If one doesn't like the verdict
of one judge, one can appeal to another; and then if one doesn't get
one's heart's desire, one can appeal to a third or a fourth, all the
way up to the Privy Council. One is free to follow the religion of one's
choice. One can object to any section of any law that one doesn't agree
with. I could prolong my account to include hundreds of things, to make
my children realize the benefits of the present government. My children
perhaps do net realize these benefits, because they have never experienced
anything else. But I hope that they will read history and familiarize
themselves with conditions obtaining during earlier regimes, and will
thus have their eyes opened. Only then will they realize how beneficial
the Queen's/4/
reign has been for us and how fortunate we are.
In addition, I am grateful to my parents for having
married me to a woman from a very fine family. My wife came and enlightened
every corner of my house. All those evil customs which had been observed
in our house since the time of our ancestors, and all those evil beliefs
which both the men and women felt were part and parcel of their religion,
she did away with so tactfully that there was no unpleasantness. On
the contrary, everyone was grateful. I will be eternally grateful for
her conduct toward my mother and sister. Khwaja Sahib/5/
at the time of her departure from his house told her: "Above all, you
should try to get along with your mother-in-law and sister-in-law, if
at all possible. But if you see that it is not possible, then in consultation
with your husband, set up a separate household, and don't worry about
what people will say or whether your in-laws will take it ill. If you
do not get along and you continue to live in their house, every day
will be a struggle. But don't make your husband be disobedient to them."
At that time, I said clearly that if she wanted to, I would not object
to leaving my parents' house, since I thought it was also for the better.
But she never wanted it, and my mother and sister always thought very
highly of her.
Another frequent problem is that women have the habit
of indulging in unnecessary expenditures for food and drink, for weddings,
and so on. They don't pay sufficient attention to the need to save for
a rainy day. They only consider the need to wear something different
from all the others when they go out in company, to celebrate the sixth
day feast of a child/6/
with great pomp and show, to observe a death in the family in such a
way that the entire clan talks about it. If the house has to be sold
up, so be it; if the household effects have to be auctioned, fine. Although
I never considered my possessions as particularly important, she looked
after them as if she were the guardian of something precious. She never
wasted a penny unnecessarily. In household management, she never gave
me any cause for complaint. Even had I had ten men to look after my
household, they could not have done it any better than she. In my house
there was always thousands of rupees worth of merchandise stored away,
and much of it was such that if it were not looked after, it would go
bad. But thanks to her attentions, nothing was ever spoiled.
There are also women who are in the habit of
spending all their time running around visiting their aunts, cousins,
sisters, nieces, and never having a minute free. For this reason, misunderstandings
often arise between husband and wife. My wife always waited until I
sent her to her parents' home for a visit, and then she came back within
the month. Otherwise, if she were obliged to go out to a wedding among
close friends or relations, she would never spend more than three or
four hours at it. She did not go out unnecessarily.
In addition to this, ever since my late father
had taught me to read, I only enjoyed being in the company of learned
persons. I especially hated to sit at home, to the extent that my mother
and sister decided I was unsociable. When my wife came, I willingly
gave up my habit of going out, since I no longer had to be concerned
about getting good conversation elsewhere. She also often went along
with me when I had to live in some other city; and except for thinking
fondly of my mother and sister, I would not miss home at such times.
When I was with her, no matter where we were, it seemed like home.
At that time, our house was still encumbered
by a debt of ten to twelve thousand rupees from the time of my grandfather.
Because of mismanagement of expenses, there seemed to be no hope of
paying it off, but her careful management meant that within ten years,
not a penny of that debt remained. The house where we lived had always
been dirty and messy; she changed its appearance totally. In summer,
in winter, in the rains, whatever the season, she made it comfortable.
Anyone who had seen the house twenty years previously and who revisited
it did not recognize the place. In short, no matter how much I say,
I can never fully express my gratitude to her. I can only say that for
as long as I live, I know that she will continue to do her best for
me, and that after I am gone, she will continue' to raise Sayyid Abbas
in the way that I would wish. I am certain that she will continue to
spend her life in worthwhile endeavors. But she has also recognized
her rights and has urged me to make this will. I request my mother and
sister to grant my request that after I am gone, they consider Sayyid
Abbas's mother as having taken my place. Indeed, they should hold her
even dearer than me.
If God grant that Sayyid Abbas live to adulthood,
my greatest desire for him and for his descendants is that they pursue
knowledge insofar as it is possible. This is the best advice I can possibly
give. The greatest benefits to mankind and to the faith spring from
learning. I would also like to give him some advice on practical day-to-day
matters. If he follows this advice, he will accomplish a great deal.
If one wants honor in this world, one needs to learn the skills which
are valued by the rulers of the time. Each age and regime values
different skills. Those people who continue to value the skills
of earlier times and refuse to learn new skills will only bring ruin
upon themselves.
For some time, our family has earned its living from
commerce. But you, my son, do not necessarily have to take up commerce.
Rather, you should choose the kind of profession you deem suitable,
according to your own capacities and what you think is right. Some government
servants hanker after promotions without developing the skills that
lead to them. That is a great mistake. You should strive to develop
skills that will make people take notice of you. If some ruler or rich
man relies on your opinion, never recommend an unworthy person. Whatever
you do, keep in mind a person's strengths and weaknesses, no matter
how close friends you may be with him. If you do not, then what you
do to help him may be harmful to hundreds of other worthy men. If you
tell lies, then all your true words will not be believed. Breaking promises, telling
lies, taking bribes, embezzling, using flattery, deceiving others to
get your own work done, all these things should be avoided. Make
sure that you never even consider indulging in them.
At the beginning of your career, you may have frequent
opportunity to travel. Do not travel on Fridays, as that is the day
for worship. Just as the Jews have their Sabbath on Saturdays and the
Christians on Sundays, so we have ours on Fridays. All the other days
belong to God as well, so never hesitate to take a trip because of the
day. People say that when there is an inauspicious conjunction of planets,
it is unlucky to travel toward the East on Saturday and Monday, or toward
the West on Friday and Sunday, or North on Tuesday and Wednesday, or
South on Thursday./7/
You should never believe such nonsense. These superstitious beliefs
are the ruination of many people.
You may have occasion to sell a horse, or you
may want to buy one for your own transport. You should take care not
to buy a horse that is ill or lame, or that has an unpleasant look in
its eye. But there are other old saws about equine defects which you
should pay no attention to. Nowadays people consider a man a great expert
in horse-flesh if he can somehow pass off an old nag as a good mount
to some unsuspecting customer. That is dishonorable. If you trade in
horses, you should tell the buyer all the defects of the animal before
selling it.
Many people who are in commerce keep their goods
for years, in the hope that when the price doubles or trebles, they
can sell and make a killing. But people like that will always end up
in arrears. It is far better to sell things for a little less; then
you will seldom lose. If you wish to meet someone who is very, very
busy, go to see him when he is free. Otherwise, he will be annoyed by
your visit. You should not be too friendly with people who waste your
time unnecessarily. You should consider time even more precious than
life. You should fix set times to do your work, not just do it when
you please. You will realize the value of this advice when you set a
timetable and follow it strictly.
Some men consider severity toward their wives
to be an entirely normal thing, and they think it honorable never to
trust them. Those people embitter their lives and earn punishment from
God, who will do justice to the silent and patient women. On my wedding
day, at the time of our departure, Khwaja Sahib gave me this advice:
"It says in the hadith that one should not mistrust women." I benefitted
greatly from this advice, and you too should never forget it. In times
of adversity, never lose courage. You should always get up early in
the morning. You should seek to learn something from whomever you meet.
You should learn to pick out those who are lazy good-for-nothings, and
you should always treat your servants as your helpers. When you are
very busy with some important task, give them routine jobs to do, but
when there is no big task before you, you should not consider it beneath
your dignity to take care of your own routine needs. Those who have
their servants do all the work become too dependent upon them. Such
people suffer no end of problems.
Learn as much new knowledge as you can, and attempt
to learn as many languages as possible. Give top priority to knowing
your own language fluently; then you should learn the language of the
scriptures; then you should perfect your knowledge of the language of
the rulers. After that, there is no end to the number of languages you
may learn with some benefit, but it is absolutely necessary that you
learn these three (Urdu, Arabic, and English). Some people spend their
lives perfecting their knowledge of Persian, but that is a mistake.
That was necessary when Persian was the language of our rulers, but
now the time has come to learn English, and only learn enough Persian
to improve your Urdu style. In sum, you should consider good whatever
is good according to rational thought, even though you hear others saying
the contrary. And you should consider whatever is irrational as bad,
even if thousands of people think it is good.
After this, I would like to admonish my entire community
to make efforts to educate their daughters. Do not lay waste all the
capabilities that God has granted them, nor gratuitously deprive women
and girls of the thousands of benefits of education. Considering that
the value of a parrot or a myna bird is enhanced when it knows a few
words, and considering that women are your own flesh and blood, what
have they done to deserve being denied an education?
I have completed the bequests that I have to make.
Now I make all of you witnesses to my faith in Islam, and I vow that
if I live on, I shall avoid to the best of my ability the sins that
I may have committed up till now. God is enough for me. Nothing else
remains.
*on to the Seventh Majlis*
= = = = = = = = = = =
/1/ That is, Sayyid
Amjad Ali, Zubaida Khatun's husband.
/2/ The reference
in the Quran is to Christians, not to the British. In this passage,
Hali gives evidence of his loyalty to British rule in India. His praise
seems exaggerated, but at that time he was not only in government service,
but also a firm believer in cooperating with the British for Muslim
advancement. Like Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Hali was fearful of the kind
of disloyalty that might lead to another revolt as in 1857, and desirous
of avoiding such a disaster at all costs.
/3/ This refers
to British-built irrigation projects.
/4/ Queen Victoria.
/5/ Zubaida Khatun's
father.
/6/ The sixth day
feast of a child: A celebration on the sixth day after birth which involves
the giving of gifts, wearing of new clothes, feasting on rich foods,
and giving to the poor. See Shurreef, Qanoon-e-Islam, pp. 15-17.
/7/ For an explanation
of lucky and unlucky days and directions of travel, see Shurreef, Qanoon,
pp. 266-274.