BY: Dr. Gilani Shah
مت سہل انہیں جانو پھرتا ہے فلک برسوں
تب خاک کے پردے سے انسان نکلتا ہے
Not easily understood by those who just live for decades,
Human emerges from the veils of dust at that time.
Who knew that 1450 years ago, the sound coming from the peaks of Faran would once again give rise to a theoretical nation on the Earth for humanity.
In true meanings, it will be reflected through the thoughts of Allama Iqbal from the East, and the symbolic son of the echoes from the peaks of Faran will hold such magnificent grandeur that someone will call him the most important person in Asia. Someone will address him as a distinguished personality of this century. Someone will place him among the great leaders of the Islamic world, and he, assuming the guise of the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, will be acclaimed as the envoy of freedom and the representative of the Muslims in the Subcontinent. He will be called the advocate of freedom.
He will proclaim himself, calling from the present moment, that he was great as a lawyer, once as a member of the Congress, then as a Muslim leader, then in the form of a global politician, then as an ambassador, and again in the form of a practical human being in practical life, with the determination of unwavering resolve, he will be so firmly embedded in history that people remember him with the name of Jinnah. They remember him as the founder of Pakistan, the father of the nation i. e. Muhammad Ali Jinnah. They remember him as the one, who brought vitality to Pakistan through providence by the grace of the ALMIGHTY, the one who gave life to those who struggled, the philosopher, the leader, the great light, the hero of freedom, the great human being, whose message will resonate through his deeds, providing guidance forever.
In 1905, joining the political party Congress in British India, he embarked on a practical and intellectually rich political life, initiating a journey for next 42-43 years, shining like a meteor in the political sky.
He was a singular, charming, dignified, versatile, and multifaceted individual, whose successes resonate across all fields due to his compelling and impactful character.
In fact, he played many roles with utmost distinction. He was among the foremost legal luminaries born in India in the first half of the 20th century. He served as an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, a great constitution-maker, an outstanding parliamentarian, a first-rate statesman, a freedom lover, and a leader. He was a dynamic Muslim leader, a political sage, whose practical wisdom towered as a beacon of light. Above all, in the modern era, he stood out among these great personalities for his elevation, farsightedness, discipline, firm convictions, teamwork, strong ethical values, unrelenting hard work, and a practical role. Thanks to these qualities, he achieved greatness, counted among the few global leaders, whose unwavering and inspiring leadership transformed a weak minority into a dynamic nation. He was bestowed with such a dynamic nation that even the fingertips of destiny applaud him:
ناطقہ سر بگریباں ہے، اسے کیا کہیے!
The eloquent speaker is speechless; what can one say about that!
The great personality, who spent a significant part of his political life in South Asia, was born on December 25, 1876, in Karachi to Poonja Jinnah. Commencing his practical life as a lawyer after completing his studies at Sindh Madrasah-tu-Islam and then in Lincoln’s Inn, London, he might have been one of the youngest lawyers in British India, continuously practicing for three years in Bombay.
His services in the field of law, coupled with his exemplary style, sharp reasoning, and the art of convincing minds, distinguished him. In the early stages of his political life, he earned the title of Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity for his influential role. It is also said that at the conclusion of the First World War, he, as a polished politician with a complete sense of etiquette, impressed everyone with his impactful appearance and eloquent arguments. He was recognized as a brilliant and wise statesman, prompting the belief that such individuals should be given the opportunity to handle the affairs of the country.
He took charge of Muslims in British India at a time, when they were scattered and vulnerable, facing regional, communal, linguistic, religious, economic, and political challenges. Muslims were victims of oppression, dispersed, and subjected to both collective and individual hardships. There was no one to address their plight, and in British India, they existed in an extremely disorganized state. Jinnah, with his dynamic and freedom-loving personality, transformed their circumstances, which were marked by extreme disorder, into a resolute minority. He, like a single call, united them under one banner.
مسلم ہے تو مسلم لیگ میں آ
If you’re a Muslim, join the Muslim League,
لے کے رہیں گے پاکستان
بن کے رہے گا پاکستان
With determination, we’ll create Pakistan,
Established, Pakistan will remain.
In 1917, the practical initiation of political action marked the beginning, and it was his profound understanding and foresight that elevated him to a prominent role. In the 1919 Act, a separate quota for Muslim votes was established, granting them the right to adequate and full representation in both central and minority provinces. Jinnah, advocating for organized, progressive, and constitutional development, transformed the dispersed masses into a nation, emphasizing that
“There is no shortcut to freedom, and any extralegal means cannot bring India near the threshold of independence. It can only be achieved through political struggle and nonviolent methods”.
And then he demonstrated that without resorting to violence and without stepping beyond constitutional bounds, he led his struggle through highly ethical and political means to the point that Allama Iqbal had outlined in his 1930 address in Allahabad.
In pre-partition Pakistan and India, even when Muslims were disorganized, Jinnah found support and solace in the thoughts and leadership of Iqbal. He credits Jinnah as the sole guiding light for Muslims in the region. Muhammad Iqbal the poet, the Islamic thinker, the torchbearer of the Islamic nation’s revival, emerges as the only leader for Muslims. He appreciates Jinnah’s intellectual richness, and Jinnah, in turn, validates this by uniting the scattered nation in 1940, binding them in a struggle, a theory, a vision, and a goal. The same nation that lacked a theory, a coherent thought, political maturity, and an organized system then embraced a particular theory, thought, and objective, making it the cornerstone of its existence and engaging in the game of life with vigor.
Jinnah advocated for the end of the federal system because the centralized government favored the objectives of Hindu-majority in India. Under Jinnah’s dynamic leadership, a well-organized popular movement emerged, and as Muslims became aware through his efforts, Jinnah delivered his historic address in Lahore on March 23, 1940, reiterating in different words the call for a separate nation, the voice emanated from the voice raised at the peaks of the Faran, rather, Jinnah’s claim was in eloquent and articulate language, asserting that certainly. “We are one nation”.
“We have our own distinct culture, our civilization, our language, our literature, our art, our architectural art, our names, our responsibilities, our social manners. Our destinies, our lineage, our laws, our moral principles, our customs and traditions, qualifications, ceremonies. In short, we have our own theory about life, and according to all the principles of international law, we are one nation.”
In 1940, Jinnah organized this dispersed nation into a purposeful entity, giving a purpose to the aimless nation. The All-India Muslim League, with a specific targeted focus, created the most distinguished, popular, and robust political organization for the Muslims with a special vision. Following this journey and policy, Jinnah succeeded in creating a nation, a country, and a history in 1947. During this journey, countless challenges emerged, numerous phases, storms raged, hurricanes struck, obstacles arose, and rains poured. However, Jinnah faced no obstacle, no difficulty, no storm, no hurricane, no obstacle, no flood that could shake him from his destination; he remained steadfast and undeterred.
No temptation, fear, or pressure could divert him from his destination. He did not deviate from the path. He did not slow down even for a moment. He continued the journey at full speed, attaining the destination by the will of the Almighty.
The Corps Mission arrived. Numerous offers from Viceroy, tempting proposals from Gandhi, Cabinet Mission, and various recommendations were made. However, Jinnah remained resolute on a singular objective, and with his inspiring leadership, he reached that destination. He was undeterred by the echoes of distant challenges. Just as the sound emanating from the peaks of Faran eventually gave rise to a great revolution in Medina, a similar resonance, when manifested in the personality of Jinnah, materialized into the practical form of Pakistan.
Navigating through these challenges, Jinnah had the task of managing around 80 million refugees. Despite a substantial distance between the two states, he had to give practical shape to the idea of one nation. He also had to confront the state-level coercion in Kashmir, the occupation of Junagadh, and the seizure of Hyderabad. Witnessing all these stages posed additional challenges for him.
Building a new state required extensive efforts with his charismatic personality. Despite facing all these challenges, Jinnah spent a politically rich life for 43 years. The 72-year-old, gradually weakening in health, continued to convey messages to his people, saying,
“The foundations of your state have been laid. Now, you should swiftly focus on building and developing as much as you can”.
Therefore, it has been said by Richard Symonds that
“Jinnah’s role in ensuring Pakistan’s survival surpasses that of any other individual”,
Mr. Jinnah, suggested:
“My advice to you is that you should observe and maintain the highest sense of honour and integrity and serve your people selflessly in every way you can, make your people self-respecting self-confident and self-Reliant.”
Mr. Jinnah possessed a high standard and forward-thinking personality, and recognizing the essence of his leadership, as Muhammad Iqbal remarked him:
ہزاروں سال نرگس اپنی بے نوری پہ روتی ہے
بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دیدہ ور پیدا
(For a thousand years, the narcissus laments its lack of light
With great difficulty, a perceptive eye is born in the garden.)
Jinnah was deeply aware of global issues and the plight of Muslims, particularly expressing concern about the situation in the Arab world. His renowned words regarding the British-established state of Israel were:
“Israel is an illegitimate child of the West; we won’t recognize Israel.”
Jinnah expressed a strong stance, saying:
“Every man and woman of the Muslim world will die before Jewry seizes Jerusalem. I hope the Jews will not succeed in their nefarious designs and I wish Britain and America should keep their hands off and then I will see how the Jews conquer Jerusalem. The Jews, over half-a-million, have already been accommodated in Jerusalem against the wishes of the people. May I know which other country has accommodated them? If domination and exploitation are carried now, there will be no peace and end of wars”.
On February 1948, addressing American citizens, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said,
“We do not cherish aggressive designs against any country or nation. We believe in the principle of honesty and fairplay in national and international dealings, and are prepared to make our contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nation of the world. But Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed people of the world and in upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
Responding to a journalist’s question on October 25, 1947, he stated,
“I do still hope that the partition plan will be rejected, otherwise there is bound to be the gravest disaster and unprecedented conflict…the entire Muslim World will revolt against such a decision…Pakistan will have no other course left but to give its fullest support to the Arabs and will do whatever lies in its power to prevent what, in my opinion, is an outrage.”
On December 19, 1947, during an interview with a BBC representative, Robert, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated,
“The Muslims of sub-continent are obviously reluctant to antagonize the United States, or any other country, but our sense of justice obliges us to help the Arab cause in Palestine in every way that is open to us.”
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, addressing the Muslim world, said:
“My message to our brother Muslim States is one of friendship and goodwill. We are all passing through perilous times. The drama of power politics that is being staged in Palestine, Indonesia and Kashmir should serve an eye opener to us. It is only by putting up a united front that we can make our voice felt in the Counsels of the world.”
Today, as we remember this great leader, the Father of the Nation, the founder of Pakistan, and the leader of the Islamic Ummah, we must not forget where we stand today. Do we realize what Quaid’s dream was for the Muslim Ummah, for Pakistan, and for the people of Pakistan? It was a Pakistan from where, a hundred years ago, Quaid raised us and gave us a homeland, a place where he united us as one nation and one community. Now, are we capable of becoming the custodians of his vision?
The same pain hidden within Jinnah, calling out in the language of Muhammad Iqbal, says:”
کیا سناتا ہے مجھ کو ترک و عرب کی داستان
مجھ سے کچھ پنہاں نہیں اسلامیوں کا سوز و ساز
لے گئے تثلیث کے فرزند میراث خلیل
خشت بنیاد کلیسا بن گئی خاک حجاز
“What are you narrating tale of the Arabs and Turks to me?
Nothing is hidden to me; the Muslims’ anguish and unrest.
The descendants of trinity have taken Khalil’s legacy,
The foundation stones turned into church dust in Hijaz.
Freedom, freedom, and freedom, the voice rising from the peaks of Faran in Jinnah’s persona still warms our conceptional feelings today, calling out that anyone is there to respond to that call.
The unity, The faith, the discipline. The nation with a special vision… Ah.”
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