History Speaks

Roger II, (1095-1154), founder of the Norman 

dynasty in Sicily, holds a distinguished place 

among medieval European monarchs. He had his 

capital at Palermo, and is noted for having made 

Sicily into a prosperous country. He established a 

strong administration, and constructed a powerful 

fleet. The success of Roger II, according to a western 

historian, can be attributed in part to the fact that he 

“made Sicily a meeting place of European and 

Arabic scholars.”  

Al-Idrisi was a contemporary of Roger II. Born in 

Marrakesh, he was educated in Spanish 

universities. Later he travelled extensively in 

Europe, Asia and Africa. He became the greatest 

geographer of his age, and a close friend and 

adviser to Roger II, at whose court he served as 

official geographer. Roger II originally invited AI

Idrisi to Sicily to make a map of the world for him.  

Here we can see the cause of the esteem in which 

Muslims were held in times past. They made Islam 

a dominant force on the world scene, not through 

protests and demands, nor from spreading conflict 

and terror, but through being useful to the world. 

By virtue of hard struggle, they established 

themselves as intellectual leaders of the world. They 

had something that others did not have, so people 

flocked to their sides. That was how Muslims raised 

their standing in the world in times past. It is by the 

same method that they can improve their position 

today, and build for a bettor future. 

                                                       Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                   - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

How to Lead, Even in Defeat

In 1827 A.D., the Mediterranean island of Sicily 

became part of the growing Islamic empire. For 

nearly three hundred years it remained under 

Islamic rule. Then, in 1090, it was reconquered by 

the Normans.  

The founder of the Norman kingdom of Sicily was 

Roger II (1095-1154). In 1110 he succeeded his 

brother as count of Sicily and in 1130 was crowned 

king. Although he belonged to a nation of 

conquerors, and it was the Muslims whom he had 

defeated, he still retained a high respect for Arabs 

and Islam. His coronation mantle was designed by 

a Muslim artist, and had Arabic inscriptions woven 

into it. After his coronation, he decided that he 

would like to have a chart showing the full extent of 

the Norman empire. He chose a Muslim 

cartographer, Al-Idrisi, to design this chart, for he 

was the greatest expert in the field. Al-Idrisi then 

went on to prepare an atlas for the king, consisting 

of seventy maps and extensive geographical data. 

Originally written in Arabic, the first European 

edition of this atlas was published in 1619.  

The selection of Al-Idrisi for the mammoth task of 

preparing maps of the whole of the known world 

shows, as the historian. J.H. Kramers has pointed 

out, that at that time the intellectual and academic 

superiority of Muslims was accepted by one and all. 

Roger II certainly appreciated the worth of Muslim 

scholars: he encouraged and sponsored them in 

their work and—in the words of one historian—

“made Sicily a major meeting place for Christian 

and Arab scholars.”  

Though defeated on the field of battle, Muslims 

continued their intellectual and academic 

dominance, even in the court of their conqueror. 

This was because at that time Muslims were far and 

wide the most advanced race in almost every field 

of knowledge. The legacy of Islam lives in European 

languages, which retain many words of Arabic 

origin.  

Muslims today complain of their political, economic 

and military subjection to non-Muslim nations. 

They think that they can take back, by protest and 

militancy, what has been seized from them. But the 

case of Roger II of Sicily—his respect for Muslim

scholars and their continued intellectual 

domination even after military defeat—shows that 

the solution to the problems of the Muslims in the 

modern age lies in their cultivating technological 

capability, and establishing dominance in the field 

of modern scientific knowledge. This can be 

achieved—not by protests and militant 

“fundamentalism”, but by earnest academic 

endeavour alone; it can be acquired by seeking to 

give to the world, rather than just take from it.

                                                                      Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Character Builds the Nation

Toyota, a Japanese motor company, has been 

functioning for the last thirty years without a single 

day ever having been wasted, and without its 

production ever once having slackened. This is only 

one of the many examples which explain the fast 

development of industry in Japan. General Motors 

and the Ford Motor Company of the U.S.A. are the 

biggest motor manufacturing companies in the 

world. The annual production of these motor 

companies is, on an average, 11 cars per employee, 

while the Toyota Motor Company annually 

produces 33 cars per worker.  

Considering the non-existence or at least paucity of 

all the major raw materials of industry in Japan—

coal, iron, petroleum, etc.,—Japan still manages to 

surpass all other countries in industrial progress. 

One might well ask why. A  Hindustan Times 

commentator (25 August, 1981) attributes Japan’s 

success to “A national spirit of compromise and 

cooperation, and a willingness to endure  

short-term setbacks for the long-term good of the 

nation, company or family.”

It is temperament then which plays the most crucial 

role in the making of a nation. It is important in 

nation-building in the way that bricks are important 

in any kind of construction work. A house made of 

unfired bricks is unsafe, because any calamity, even 

a minor one, can bring it tumbling down. A 

building, on the other hand, which is made of kiln-

fired bricks can be trusted to withstand the 

onslaught of tempests and floods.  

A character so tempered that it can be depended 

upon through thick and thin—like the kiln-fired 

brick—is what in the long run builds a nation, for it 

is only such a temperament which can remain 

attuned to the more and more complex procedures 

of industrialization and remain steadfastly geared 

to national progress

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                         - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Realizing One’s Own Shortcomings

He had reached old age and was still unmarried. 

When asked his reason for remaining a bachelor, he 

said that he had always been looking for a perfect 

spouse. “But in all this time, did you not find one?” 

he was asked. “Once I did,” he replied, “but 

unfortunately she was looking for a perfect spouse 

too, and I did not come up to the required 

standard.”  

Generally people are expert at detecting the faults 

of others. That is why they are unable to get on with 

anybody. If they were to seek out their own faults, 

instead of those of others, they would realize that 

they are in the same position as they find others to 

be in. Awareness of one’s own shortcomings makes 

for a spirit of humility in individuals and unity in 

society. If one sees only the faults of others, on the 

other hand, one will become arrogant, and 

perennially be at odds with one’s fellows.  

It is a fact of psychology that no single person can 

be an amalgam of all good qualities. Just as there

are many shades of grey between black and white, 

so are there many gradations of good and evil in 

ordinary human beings. While few are saints, few 

also are the out-and-out villains of this life, and 

many are the combinations of different qualities 

and defects than one can find in any given 

individual. It is no simple matter to label a person 

wholly good or wholly bad. If there is to be 

harmony within a community, the bad sides of its 

members must be tolerated, while their good sides 

are appreciated. In this way, no talent is lost to 

society, and fellow-feeling will prevail. This is a 

principle that should be remembered in all life’ s 

relationships. Man and wife, employer and 

employee, businessman and partner—all need to 

keep it in mind. If we want to pluck “flowers,” we 

have also to bear the “thorns” that come with them. 

There is no way that one who cannot put up with 

thorns will be able to possess the flowers of this life.  

There are few great tasks which can be 

accomplished by individuals single-handedly. Only 

the talents of several individuals combined can 

achieve any substantial work. Just as this is true in 

commercial and political spheres, so is it true of

religious work also. But in whatever field work is 

going on, people will only be able to work together 

if they are patient and tenderhearted in their 

outlook. They will have to bear with one another, 

putting ill-feeling behind them, not becoming 

alienated towards one another over petty issues. It 

is all very well to be an idealist, but if one eternally 

seeks the ideal in people, one is bound to be 

disappointed. The only way to be able to work with 

others, then, is to overlook the fact that they do not 

come up to one’s ideal standard, and even to extend 

moral support to those who seem the most 

deficient.

                                                                  Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

A Lesson from a Tiger

Jim Corbett, after whom a famous national park in 

India has been named, was an expert on the nature 

of tigers. He once wrote: “No tiger attacks a human 

being unless provoked.” People who live in jungle 

areas where tigers roam will confirm the truth of 

Jim Corbett’s words. There is usually no cause for 

concern when one comes face to face with a tiger. 

Unless it is provoked or harbours deep-rooted 

suspicion of human beings the beast will ignore one 

and continue on its way.  

And how does this suspicion form in some tigers? 

Tigers are by nature not ill-disposed towards 

human beings. Only very few of them can be called 

man-eaters, and even they were not born as such. 

They became man-eaters, not through any fault of 

their own, but through the folly of human beings. 

Usually it is inexperienced hunters who do the 

damage. They shoot at a beast, wounding but not 

killing it. A tiger injured in this manner becomes 

man’s enemy. Wherever it sees a human being, it 

attacks and kills. The same is true of most beasts of

prey. They only attack man when they have already 

been wounded by him.  

This information from the world of nature holds 

deep significance for man. It shows that one should 

not think of anyone—not even the most savage 

people—as one’s enemy in advance. One will only 

be treated as an enemy if that is how one sees 

others. If one does not view them with animosity, 

they are more likely to be amicable in return.  

The second lesson is that one should not take 

measures against anyone without sufficient 

preparation. If the measures that one takes are 

indecisive, they are sure to be counter-productive. 

The other party will only become further provoked, 

and tension between the two will deepen further.  

Everyone has certain needs and desires in this 

world, which they remain busy fulfilling. The secret 

of life is not to stand in a person’s way. If one does 

not make oneself a target for another’s vengeance, 

but lets everyone continue pursuing his own goal in 

life, then one is not going to find one’s own path 

blocked by others. One will find everyone so

asborbed in minding his own business that he has 

no time to interfere with that of others.

                                                                 Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Negligence: A Moral Deficiency

It is hard to believe that any animal could be more 

dangerous or terrifying than the man-eating tiger. 

But it is not the tiger or the bear which is the most 

dangerous enemy of man. In truth, the most 

dangerous of our enemies are the bacteria which are 

so tiny that they remain invisible to the naked eye. 

Small they may be, but these bacteria breed at such 

a furious rate that, given favourable conditions, one 

of their number can reproduce itself 10’000 times 

over within a mere matter of ten hours. While a 

bear or a lion only occasionally eats a man alive, 

man is the constant focus of deadly bacteria.  

Their species run into thousands. We are fortunate, 

however, in that 99 percent are either beneficial or 

harmless. Though only one percent is harmful, its 

deadliness is such that it can claim the life of a man 

within a matter of seconds. All fatal diseases, 

according to medical science, are produced by such 

microorganisms. Their very lack of bulk makes it 

possible for them to enter the human system in 

ways against which man has no natural system of 

defence.  

People are usually aware of big and obvious 

dangers, and imagine they must be responsible for 

all their misfortunes. But, if the truth were told, the 

harm done to us by these tiny living organisms far 

surpasses any havoc our bigger enemies can wreak. 

Yet, when we come to think of it, the greatest 

damage of all is done by those seemingly 

insignificant and often short-lived moments of 

neglect—moments when timely action was our 

duty, when approval needed to be given or 

withheld, when advice or help or self-appraisal was 

needed, and we let the occasion slip by, heedless of 

the consequences. Easygoing negligence can creep 

into our souls, like bacteria into the body, and, if not 

pulled up short, can become an ingrained attitude, 

leading to moral corrosion.  

A negligent attitude permits people to fritter away 

their time, day after day, with no thought for the 

future. Similarly, they squander substantial portions 

of their income. This wasted time and pointless 

expenditure may seem a trivial matter, if it is just a 

question of one day—a few hours and a few rupees 

don’t seem to add up to much. But if one were to 

calculate the time and money thus wasted in one

year and then in a whole lifetime, it would become 

clear that fully fifty percent of one’s life and 

earnings had been squandered in vain pursuits. 

Take the total wastage of a whole nation and the 

loss assumes such enormous proportions that it 

quite goes beyond the imagination.

                                                                                   Ref – The Moral Vision

                                                                      By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

A young aspiring Muslim student from Azamgarh, 

A.M. Khan by name, stood nervously before the 

Principal of Hindu College. “Sir, I should very 

much like to be admitted to the B.Sc. course in your 

college.” The reaction was sharp. “The admissions 

are closed. How do you expect to be admitted in the 

month of October when you are already several 

months late with your applications.” Unforeseen 

circumstances had prevented young Khan from 

applying sooner, but he simply said, “It would be 

extremely kind of you if you would help me.” Then 

he added hesitatingly, “One whole year will be 

wasted for me if I am not granted admission.” The 

Principal’s reply was stern. “There is just no 

question of further admissions.”  

The principal talked in such an offhand manner that 

it should have been obvious that there was no point 

in persisting. Even so the student was determined 

to try his luck, although all he really expected was 

to be asked to leave the room immediately. On 

seeing the insistence of the student, the principal

finally asked him rather dryly what his marks had 

been in the previous examinations, because he felt 

certain that he must have failed to get admission 

elsewhere due to his low marks. If this were the 

case, the principal would have had good grounds 

for rejecting his application. But the student’s reply 

was just the opposite of what he expected. He said, 

“Eighty five percent, sir.”  

These words worked like a miracle. The principal’s 

mood changed all of a sudden, and he asked the 

student to sit down and show him his certificates. 

When he had seen them and was satisfied that the 

student’s claim was true, he told him to write out an 

ante-dated application.  

Not only was the student then given admission in 

spite of such a long delay in applying, but he was 

also granted a scholarship by this very same 

principal who had been so reluctant even to give 

him a hearing.  

Had the same student approached the principal 

with a third class degree, and had been refused 

admission as a result, he would surely have gone 

away full of hatred for the principal concerned, and

would have remarked to his friends that it was 

prejudice which had come in his way. He would not 

have admitted that he had been refused admission 

because of his poor results. He would have publicly 

understood by aspirants to high positions that the 

response of the society we live in is usually an echo 

of our own condition. We tend to attribute the evils 

afflicting us to society so that we may shake 

ourselves free of the blame.  

When a man enters life fully prepared to meet its 

challenges, the world cannot but give him due 

recognition. Never in any environment does he fail 

to receive the position of honour which is his due. 

This results in his being able to maintain high moral 

standards. His conduct is then marked by bravery, 

confidence, broad-mindedness, gentlemanliness, 

acknowledgement of others’ worth and a realistic 

approach to life. He has the will and the capacity to 

enter into proper human relationships. Society 

having recognized his talents and he in turn having 

given due acknowledgement to society, he can rise 

above the negative attitudes of hatred and 

prejudice.  

The reverse is true when, because he cannot come 

up to the required standards, he fails to prove his 

worth; when he enters life with inadequate training 

he surely fails to find a place of his choice in the 

world. As a depressed personality, he almost 

certainly develops a low moral character. He falls a 

prey to negative psychology—anger, complaint, 

even criminality. Failure in life gives birth to this 

negative psychology, because it is seldom that the 

person concerned blames himself for his failure. He 

almost always lays the blame on others for his own 

shortcomings. Inadequate preparation for life 

brings two evils simultaneously—failure on one’s 

own part and uncalled-for complaint against others.  

A stone is hard to all and sundry. But it presents no 

problems to anyone who has a tool which can break 

it. The same is true of the more complex obstacles 

that face us in life, for it is only if you enter the field 

of life equipped with the proper skills, that you feel 

entitled to claim what is your due. Even after the 

“last date” you can be given admission to a college 

without anyone else intervening to help you. But 

without the necessary skills and ability, you will fail 

to find the place you truly deserve.  

Anyone who wants success to come his way in this 

world of God will first have to make himself 

deserving of it. He must know himself and his 

circumstances. He must organize and channelise his 

energies properly. He must enter the field fully 

armed in every respect, then others cannot fail to 

recognize his true value. He must be like the tree 

which forces its way up through the undergrowth 

to take its place in the sun.

                                                                               Ref – The Moral Vision

                                                                           By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The More Hurry, the Less Speed

An Indian Airlines Airbus, flight IC 406, from 

Bombay to Delhi, left, Bombay half an hour behind 

schedule. Soon after the take-off, one of the 

passengers sent a note to the pilot, Captain 

Bhatnagar, asking him the reason for the delay in 

departure. The latter asked him to come to the 

cockpit so that he could explain the position to him.  

The passenger not only refused to be convinced, but 

hit captain Bhatnagar from behind saying:  

“I have seen many pilots like you!” 

Upset over the incident, Captain Bhatnagar decided 

to return to Bombay 25 minutes after the take-off. 

This naturally led to strong protests from the other 

passengers. Later, the Indian Airlines arranged for 

another crew to take the flight to Delhi. The net 

result? The flight reached Delhi over three hours 

late.  

This is an example of how important it is to adopt a 

patient attitude in life. The above-mentioned 

passenger refused to put up with a delay of half an

hour, and, as a result, he had to wait for three 

hours. Had he remained patient about the half-hour 

delay, he would have certainly saved himself the 

trouble of waiting for three hours.  

Further, according to the report, a high-level 

inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the 

Airlines.  

No matter what the result of the inquiry, it is certain 

that the passenger will have to sacrifice more of the 

thing he had wanted to save—time. 

                                                                                                 Ref – The Moral Vision

                                                                                                                    By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Ethics and Technology

Soon after the completion of a multi-storeyed 

building called Akashdeep in Bombay, the whole 

construction collapsed. The engineers said that the 

reason for its collapse was that less cement had 

been used than specified by safety regulations.  

In another statement the director of a technical 

institute said, “RCC construction is a scientific 

process which is excellent in the hands of qualified 

and experienced people, but dangerous if managed 

by incompetent engineers and contractors.”  The 

Times of India, 4 September 1983)  

This appears to be the correct and proper 

explanation of the matter, but if we really think 

about the word ‘incompetent’ as applied to the 

engineers and contractors concerned, we realize 

that it needs to be replaced by the more appropriate 

word ‘corrupt’. The truth is that such problems in 

this country are traceable to excessive greed and 

corruption, and not to a lack of technical expertise.  

The Bhakra Dam being a major government project, 

the services of the top engineers were obtained for

its construction. But, no sooner was it ready than its 

walls began to crack, costing the government crores 

of rupees to rebuild.  

Such events are frequent in this country. Despite all 

such ventures being supervised by technical 

experts, one hears of roads falling into disrepair the 

moment they are constructed, of buildings needing 

to be repaired almost immediately after being built, 

and of plans remaining incomplete even after 

projects are ‘completed.’ All this is the result of 

corruption and has nothing to do with a lack of 

technical expertise.  

Corruption is a psychological evil, while lack of 

skill is a technical shortcoming. A psychological evil 

cannot be removed by technical improvement. If we 

are genuinely interested in making a better society 

in our country, we shall have to work for the 

psychological, or moral reform of the individuals 

who comprise the nation. Merely bringing about an 

increase in the number of technical courses 

available will not make them turn over a new leaf.

                                                                 Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Dreams and Success

Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila runs a refrigerator and air-

conditioner business by the name of Kapsons, its 

offices being located in Asaf Ali Road in New Delhi. 

Needing a catchy name for his firm, he advertised 

for one in the newspapers, promising a handsome 

reward for the best slogan. In spite of repeatedly 

advertising, no apt slogan was forthcoming. He 

kept racking his brain day in and day out, but could 

not hit on anything that sounded just right.  

Six whole years came and went, then one night Mr. 

Kapila dreamt he was in a beautiful garden, with 

birds chirruping and perfect weather. Delighted 

with his surroundings, he exclaimed, “What 

wonderful weather!” It had taken him six years, but 

he had found the right catch phrase at last:  

Kapsons: the weather masters.  

The dream is an activity which goes on in the 

sleeping state inside the mind, often crystalling 

unformed thoughts and desires. Often what has 

been going on during the day appears in dreams at 

night. History abounds in tales of discoveries which

have been made through dreams, and problems, 

which had apparently been insoluble, being happily 

solved on wakening from an illuminating dream 

sequence. An inventor’s mind, when totally 

engrossed in his invention, continues to project the 

ins and outs of the problems even when he is 

asleep. It is not unusual for answers to seemingly 

impossible questions to appear in the course of 

dreams. But this only happens as a result of total 

intellectual association with any given subject. 

Success is the result of devotion and assiduity, and 

is never the result of some unasked for miracle. 

                                                                  Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan