I once went to spend a few days at a religious
institution situated on the outskirts of Alwar, a city
in Rajasthan. To the one side there extended the
buildings of the city and, to the other, there were
open fields stretching far and wide. During my stay
there, I went out one evening at sunset to have a
walk in the fields. Unfortunately, after I had gone
some distance, I was rushed at by a pack of dogs all
barking and snarling. I had to throw stones at them
to chase them away. On my return, I mentioned to
my host how I had almost been set upon by these
animals. My host, Maulana Mufti Jamaluddin
Qasmi, who presides over the institution, simply
smiled and said, “All right, I’ll come with you
tomorrow.” The following day, we set off together,
the Maulana having armed himself with a stick
which was quite long enough to be visible from
afar. When we reached the spot where I had come
upon the dogs the day before, they were there all
right, but there was not so much as a whimper out
of them, far less a bark. Not one of them made a
move to rush at us. So we passed by undisturbed.
On our way back, they were still there, but, they did
not create a commotion this time either, and we
reached home without any untoward incidents,
“That was the miracle of the big stick,” said the
Maulana with a smile. “Yesterday you were
unarmed, so those wretched curs dared to attack.
Today it was a very different story, for the dogs,
immediately realizing that you were well-equipped
to deal with them, lost courage and gave up any
idea they had of attacking. A dog will attack you
only if he thinks you are vulnerable. But he would
not do so if he found you armed.”
There are certain of the human species too, who
sadly, will behave well only when you have a ‘big
stick’ in your hand. But the moment they find you
defenseless, they become bold. They are the type of
people who are brave when dealing with those
weaker than themselves, and who are out and out
cowards when confronted with anyone stronger.
This unfortunate state of affairs calls for people to
be well-equipped to deal effectively with such
unworthy individuals. In society, one ought, in
principle, to be peaceable, humble and courteous to
all. But, to be practical, one should be well armed to
meet adverse situations, so that others are
discouraged at the outset from harming one. Where
would all our beautiful roses be, if nature had not
provided them with innumerable thorns?
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
