Вступление

The purpose of launching this journal is to persuade the Muslims of India to adopt civilisation in its fullest degree, so that the contempt with which civilised nations look upon them may be removed, and they too may be called an honoured and civilised people in the world.

"Civilisation" is an English word, which we have translated as tahzib; but its meaning is very wide. It means bringing all of a person's voluntary actions, morals and social dealings, the life of society and its manner, the use of time, the sciences, and every kind of art and skill, to the highest degree of excellence, and practising them with the greatest grace and refinement, from which come true happiness and bodily well-being, by which dignity, gravity and esteem are won, and through which the difference between savagery and humanity becomes visible.

It is perfectly true that a nation's religion has a great share in whether that nation becomes civilised. No doubt some religions are such that they are great obstacles to national civilisation. So now we must see whether the Muslim religion is also of that kind.

On this question there are differing opinions. A prejudiced Christian historian, after travelling in Turkey, wrote in his travel book that the Turks will never be civilised until they give up the religion of Islam, because the religion of Islam is a powerful obstacle to human civilisation.

Sultan Abdul Aziz Khan, the present reigning Sultan of Turkey, resolved to investigate whether the religion of Islam truly is an obstacle to civilisation or not, and appointed a council of learned men, thinkers and ministers to give their opinion on the matter, under the presidency of Fuad Pasha. Two sentences of the report this council wrote are translated here:

"Islam contains all the true principles that bring about the progress of the world and raise humanity, civilisation and compassion to the degree of perfection; but we must abandon many of our customs and habits which were useful in former times but have become extremely harmful in the present age."

Now it lies in the hands of the Muslims to prove one of these two opinions true. If by their practical deeds they show themselves civilised like the other civilised nations of the world, they will confirm the opinion of Fuad Pasha; otherwise the first opinion will confirm itself.

Another English historian writes of the present condition of the Muslims of India: "The Muslims of India are the most degraded of the community of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and their religion, mixed up with the teachings of the Quran and the idolatry of India, has become a strange compound."

In our understanding, both Fuad Pasha's opinion and the statement of this last English historian are entirely correct. Among us Muslims many old tales of the Jews have been mixed in, and many notions, ideas and beliefs of the Roman Catholics, an ancient Christian sect that had long been present in Arabia too, and countless customs and habits of the Hindus; and on top of these, many things have been produced by our own temperaments or our own misunderstandings which are not really in the religion of Islam at all. For this reason the Muslims have fallen into a strange condition, and this is why other nations, looking at the whole of us together, take that compound to be the religion of Islam and form the most contemptuous opinion of it, as one English historian has written in the following words:

"Christianity is not only compatible and in harmony with the greatest happiness that the Almighty has given to man, but advances it; whereas Islam spoils it and casts it into degradation."

Then is it not a matter of shame that we should hear such words of contempt from other nations about ourselves and about our bright and true religion, and not turn our attention to our own civilisation, training and refinement?

This can only happen if we adopt the opinion of Fuad Pasha, which was written with the agreement of great thinkers and scholars, and, fully awake, consider our condition with goodwill and care. We must look at the customs and habits now present among us which obstruct civilisation, and see where they came from and how they became mixed in with us, or how they arose among us of themselves. Whichever of them are defective, bad and obstructive we must abandon, and whichever can be reformed we must reform. And we must keep comparing each thing with the questions of our religion, to see whether abandoning or reforming it agrees with the commands of the shining Shariah or not, so that both we and our religion may be saved from the contempt of other nations and from disgrace in their eyes. In this age there is no work more meritorious than this.

This is our aim towards our Muslim brothers of India, and for this purpose we are launching this journal: so that through it, as far as we are able, we may strive for their good in religion and in the world; so that we may make them aware of the failings that are in us, which we may not see but other nations see very well; and so that we may encourage them to make progress in the good things that are in them. And God is the guardian of success.

Author's note: Do not think that this is merely the writer's assertion. The present conditions, ways and habits of the people of Islam are proof of it, and when all of them are set down, there is nothing left to do but weep. Bare your own leg, and die of shame yourself.