The Real Reason for Praising the British

This was the time when the Sikhs had deprived the Muslims of all human rights. Ironically, we are experiencing the banishment of Adhan in this day and age, so it is no longer a part of ancient history! Such people have risen even in the present age who feel hurt by the sound of call to prayer. Recently, a letter was published in a Sikh newspaper of India in which the correspondent wrote that he was thrilled that now one group of Muslims had banished the Adhan for another group of Muslims. Because, once the Muslims used to tease the Sikhs, saying that they are such an ignorant people that they believed that Adhan called out by the Muslims contaminated them. Hence they banned the Muslims from giving call to prayer. But today they [the Sikhs] are fully avenged and their hearts feel contented that they have now been exonerated of being uniquely guilty of such an act.

Human history passes through various transient phases. Whenever ignorance gets the better of humanity such actions proliferate. So the real question in this context is not whether the Sikhs acted atrociously. The real question is: Is it really some sort of humanity on one’s part if one does not express one’s gratitude for a nation that delivered the Muslims from persecution?

The Promised Messiah (as) is accused of calling himself Khud Kashta Pauda [of the British], and it is also alleged that the British propped him up to liquidate the spirit of Jihad. I shall address these allegations one by one. It is quite clear from the writings of the Promised Messiah that he did not resort to any such praise because of sycophancy. Rather, he was exercising the Islamic moral of doing his duty to gratefully acknowledge the facts. There can be no other interpretation that can be attached to the following excerpts from him:

‘So, be advised, O you who are uninformed! I do not indulge in any flattery of this government. Rather, in the light of the Holy Quran, it is prohibited to wage a religious war against a government which does not itself interfere in the religion of Islam or religious practices—nor does it draw its sword against us in an attempt to promote its own religious beliefs. The reason for that is that this government itself is not waging any religious war.’1

Again, he says:

‘My temperament never felt inclined to mention these consistently performed services to the Government authorities, because I was not motivated by any desire to be acclaimed or compensated for that. Quite the contrary, I felt it was my duty to explicitly acknowledge the truth.’2