ACROSS THREE CONTINENTS
IMPRESSIONS AND LESSONS
Travelling is mentioned as an attribute of a believer. (9: 112) Travelling introduces a person to the wonders of God scattered across the earth. It gives perspective, insight and valuable lessons to lead a worthy life. In December 1985, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan represented India in an Islamic Conference held in Bamako, a town in Mali. Setting out from Delhi Palam Airport (now Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi) on December 4, 1985, he reached Bamako via Rome and the Senegalese capital, Dakar. The return journey was undertaken by way of Paris, London, Kuwait, and Dubai. Here are some excerpts from Maulana’s account of his impressions and experiences of his one-week journey across three continents. This is the second part of a two-part series.
The Bamako Islamic Conference was inaugurated on the evening of December 6, 1985. The Malian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Education were present at the opening ceremony along with other dignitaries. The three working languages were Arabic, English and French. The conference was attended by delegates from various parts of the world. As was pointed out by the Kuwaiti delegate: “We have come from the western portions of the earth and from its eastern portions.”
Muslim intellectuals from the following countries took part: Canada, Mali, Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Switzerland, Madagascar, England, North America, Brazil, Sudan, Kenya, India, Turkey, Kuwait, Pakistan, Guyana, Syria, Philippines, Ghana, Gambia, Holland, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Korea, Tunisia, Nigeria, Yemen and Japan.
I am more in the habit of listening than of speaking, and, during the conference, I kept up this habit. When one of the participants commented on my not speaking as much as the others, I told him that I was trying to be a good listener. Most of our groups seem to think that they should talk continuously, even when etiquette requires them to remain silent.
When Islam Ceases to Exist in Its True Form
An official of a certain institute recounted the story of an elderly lady who had come to him, saying that she wanted to perform Hajj, but did not have the means to undertake the journey. She asked if the institute could make arrangements for her travelling expenses so that she could do so. She was told that since she lacked the means—from the point of view of the Shariah—it was not incumbent upon her to go on the pilgrimage. She answered: “I have been going on Hajj every year for the last seventeen years, why should I be deprived of it this year?” This is the kind of misconception which occurs when Islam ceases to exist in its true form.
An Arab scholar made certain painful observations on the state of present-day Muslims. “I am sorry to say that Muslims commence their works from the top and that is why they achieve nothing. Their works never reach completion, because in order to complete anything, one has to start at the foundations.” It is indeed lamentable that this weakness is found in Muslims the world over.
When the conference was over, I returned via Paris and London on December 10. At Paris I found that my onward journey had not been confirmed, so the lady at the desk had to do a good half an hour’s work on the telephone, computer and telex to sort matters out. Even then, no direct flight from Paris to Delhi being available, the route had to be changed, entailing repeated re-calculations of flight schedules. In spite of all this extra work, she became neither exasperated nor annoyed. Finally, she managed to book me on a British Airways Flight from London to Delhi. All this had taken quite a long time and I had to rush to catch the BA Flight. It was not until I had reached the aircraft that I discovered that I had left my collection of books at the airport desk. When I informed the air-stewards of this, they requested me to remain seated, assuring me that they would fetch my books. They then telephoned from the aircraft itself to the lady at the desk, who sent my package immediately. Just as the plane was about to take off, it was handed over to me.
I was very moved by this whole episode and now cannot find words of praise good enough for the speed, precision and efficiency with which everything was carried out. All the airport systems had to be in working order to produce such excellent results. The fact is the world of today is not in need of any “better order”. But to my way of thinking the world has got all the order that it needs. Rather, it is food for the soul which humankind stands in need. The real work for those who seek to call people towards God is that of presenting Islam in the form of spiritual nourishment.
Promotion of One’s Own Interests
On the BA flight, the announcements were made first of all in Arabic. Various notices on the aircraft were written in Arabic on top and in English below. We were also told over the loudspeaker that among the stewards on board, there were people who knew English, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu and Punjabi, and that we could ask for whatever we needed in our native language. Hearing this, I realized that having people on the cabin crew who know the main world languages was not just a way of being more helpful and obliging to passengers, but a way of plying their international trade more profitably. If any venture is to be successful, the requirements of the clientele have to be properly catered for. But when it comes to spreading the Word of God, the urge to be so accommodating has not proved so strong, for nowhere is there an Islamic institute which has made arrangements to have a multilingual staff, so that people speaking different languages may have the benefit of Islamic teachings. It seems that, for man, worldly motivation is more potent than that of the next world.
