OUTSTANDING OUTCOME OF
POSITIVE ACTION
Positive action yields positive results, while retaliatory behaviour is resultless.
Dr. Ahmed Sultan of Bangalore, Karnataka, shared with me some incidents that have had outstanding outcomes of positive action here. Dr. Ahmed Sultan is a regular reader of the monthly magazine Al Risala, which is published by our organization, and he entirely agrees with our mission of peace and spirituality.
On January 8, 1993, Dr. Ahmed Sultan accompanied his son, who was riding a motorcycle. A Hindu was coming in his car from the front. Unfortunately, his vehicle collided with the bike. Dr. Ahmed Sultan fell on the road. He suffered severe injuries to his legs. The car driver, who was Hindu, wanted to put him in his car and take him to the hospital.
But Dr. Ahmed Sultan did not say anything to the Hindu and told him to sit in his car and leave immediately from there, as many people knew him there. They would gather there and would surely harm him. They will not spare him. Insisting in this way, he persuaded the driver to leave. After that, he went to the hospital with his son and got his wounds dressed.
The next day, the car driver visited Dr. Ahmed Sultan’s house. He fell at Dr. Sahib’s feet. He said that he had been very kind to him. Dr. Sahib told him that it was just a coincidence that his car collided with their motorcycle. There was no ill intention on his part.
When people came to know about this incident, many Muslims told Dr. Sahib many things like: This person was anti-Muslim. He was the same person who once caused Hindu-Muslim riots in Bangalore. Revenge was necessary. You should say that he had deliberately collided his car with your motorcycle. Now, they had a golden chance to harm him. They should not have lost the chance and should have immediately reported it to the police.
Dr. Sahib responded to those Muslims, “Forgive him; now he will never cause mischief again. The person who was unwilling to say sorry before today has come to touch my feet.” In my view, this incident is a beautiful example of positive action. People consider retaliatory action a defense, although not retaliating is a bigger defense.
Dr. Sahib also shared an experience from when he visited Shimoga in 1991. The people there informed him that a Ganesh Chaturthi procession would pass through the mosque route, which they feared could incite violence and potentially lead to riots. They sought Dr. Sahib’s advice on how to prevent this outcome, as they were unsure of what to do besides attempting to reroute the procession. However, they also understood from their past experience that trying to stop the procession might lead to further destruction.
Dr. Sahib told the people that they considered stopping the procession as a strategy, but he felt that not stopping the procession was an even bigger strategy. Doctor Sahib advised those people to remain completely silent for the time being. He told them not to take any retaliatory action. However, when the date of the procession arrived, he advised them to buy garlands of flowers from the market, about 20-25 in number, and put them on a tray, when the Hindu procession arrived in front of the mosque, he advised the people to come to the road with these garlands and welcome all the Hindu leaders leading the procession by putting flower garlands around their necks.
The Muslims of Shimoga said to Dr. Sahib that the strategy he proposed seemed absurd. They thought it could, potentially, make them more emboldened to harm the Muslims. They were concerned about the repercussions. However, Dr. Sahib explained to them the rationale behind his suggestion, emphasizing that they had already witnessed the negative effects of their previous approach. He encouraged them to consider the potential positive outcome of adopting this new strategy. The Muslims of Shimoga, trusting in Dr. Sahib’s wisdom, decided to follow his advice.
When the Muslims of Shimoga implemented Dr. Sahib’s suggestion by presenting garlands of flowers to the Hindu leaders, it had a remarkable effect. The gesture unexpectedly dissolved any negative sentiments harboured by the leaders. The act of offering garlands symbolized respect and goodwill, fostering a sense of unity and understanding between the communities. Instead of slogans and drums, people began hugging each other with joy. Moreover, when the time of the procession came the following year, those people themselves changed the route of their procession. This is the result of positive action.
