The Pilgrims' March/Moulana Abul Kalam Azad
MOULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD
HIS MESSAGE TO HIS COUNTRYMEN
Sir,—After Moulana Abul Kalam’s arrest I found the following message with some other notes among Moulana’s papers, and I send it to the press as desired by him.
Yours faithfully
F.d. Ahmad
Private Secy.
to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
BEFORE THE ARREST
To-day is the morning of the 8th instant. Last evening I received information from some reliable sources that the Government of Bengal has after consulting the Viceroy decided to arrest me and Mr. C. R. Das. As for me, the Government seems to have decided to prosecute me if I my departure from Calcutta. A friend sent to me by the Government gave me a timely warning to this effect. But I regret that I had to disappoint the Government in this respect also as well as another as my creed at the present moment is not to obey but to disobey.
I decided this on full consideration. For many reasons my presence here was indispensable. By resaons I mean that any time that is available should not be wasted. By the grace of God the opportunity now given to Calcutta is much more valuable and important than anything else and I am sure I am not wrong in this belief.
The Government has very kindly relieved me of the great responsibility by deciding on my arrest. God alone knows how much it pained me to have remained outside the jail so far. Those who go ahead scarcely know the feelings of those left behind. Mohammad Ali, Shaukat Ali, Lala Lajpat Rai and Pandit Motilal Nehru have completed their journeys while I am still lagging behind in the way. I have now begun to feel that I am coming to the end of my journey and my heart is full of joy and happiness because I am leaving the last but a successful field behind.
I have called the present field of activity in Calcutta “the last and successful field” and that is what I fairly believe it to be. In a short time the country will see what could not be accomplished in the last three years by the whole country, will be done by Calcutta within a few days. Of course to bring all this to a final issue only one further step was necessary but I am not now anxious on this score as I believe that the Government of Bengal will complete our work by its own actions. If both myself and Mr. C. R. Das are arrested within the next two or three days the incident will bring a new life and awakening not only to Calcutta but to the whole of Bengal. The last three years of my Liberty could not arouse Bengal from its profound sleep but I hope our arrest would do that in a moment.
In my arrest I see a new turn on the part of the Mussalmans of India and I especially look upon my brothers in the Punjab and N. W. Frontier and Behar. My Muslim brothers of these provinces have always given a willing and an affectionate ear to my words and have always believed in and relied upon them. For the last 10 years they have been the centre of all my hopes. I believe that my arrest will prove for them my last message. By my silence after my arrest they will understand fully what I could not explain to them by my continuous speeches and writings during the last three years. Thus the Government of Bengal is rendering a valuable service not only to Bengal but to the whole of India.
FIRST CONGRATULATIONS TO
MAHATMAJI.
If I am arrested the following message be sent to Mahatmaji on my behalf:—
I take the opportunity to congratulate you on your success. I hope you will not accuse me of being hasty in this respect. I am looking forward to that much longed for moment and I would not like others to surprise me in tendering the congratulations. You are every day running short of human aid as your colleagues are being frequently arrested but Divine Aid is on the other hand increasing. The recent disturbance in Bombay had caused you great pain and I felt much aggrieved to see you so unhappy and restless on that account. But Calcutta is now aroused in order to present to you the pleasant fruits of success in place of your sorrowful feelings of the past.
We had last had a talk about Calcutta on the 25th November and I am glad that the assurance given to you then has proved to be right. I am working in Calcutta for the last 15 years and my family have been residing here for about 50 years and therefore the assurance given was based on my personal knowledge and belief. The Muslims of Calcutta have done most important work in connection with the Khilafat movement during the last three years, and in this last stage also Calcutta will take the lead. It has understood the moral of peaceful sacrifice. It will neither flare up nor extinguish but the fire will continue to burn on. It appears that the share of completing the stage of peaceful civil disobedience has fallen on Calcutta, to which it has a right.
My first message of ten years ago is also my last message of today i.e., “Be neither harassed nor sorrowful. If you can cultivate the real faith in you, you can predominate all”. The foundation of our success is based upon the following four principles—viz.
(1) Complete unity among Hindus and Mussalmans, (2) Peace (3) Organization, (4) Sacrifice and firmness.
TO MUSALMANS.
I will particularly appeal to my Muslim brothers to keep in mind their religious traditions and truths and to get ahead of their Hindu brethren in these present critical times. If they lag behind it will be for them an act of utter shame and disgrace in the eyes of the forty crores of Musalmans of the world. I will also particularly ask them to be faithful to their Hindu brothers and even if one or a few of them were to do something unpleasant they would excuse them for it but not in any way hurt their feelings. They should also see that they do not commit an act which would give cause to friction in their sacred unity. Secondly they should place complete confidence in the Mahatmaji and act up to his instructions with full, sincerity and firmness unless he asks them to do anything against Islam (which, I know, he would never do).
TO CENTRAL KHILAFAT COMMITTEE
As for the work done by the above Committee, I am fully satisfied. The presence of its courageous and ardent President, Saith Chhotani is in itself a guarantee of its success. My friend, Dr Sayed Mahmood, is already working vigorously as Secretary. Mr. M. Saddiq Khatri is also there to help him. I trust the office-bearers and officials have not forgotten what I told them while last at Bombay and their united life and activities will not let our absence be felt.
TO HAKIM MOHOMMED AJMAL
KHAN SAHIB AND DR. ANSARI
The present circumstances have thrown on your shoulders the burden of our duties in addition to those of yours. It seems to have been destined that all the work in the outside should be done by you. It would he well if you go to Bombay and leave Delhi to itself.
ANGORA FUND
I regret I could not get time to finish the programme of the above fund. Presumably ten lakhs have been collected by now. Formerly, the time for these collections was fixed up to the end of this month but I think it should be extended for a month more and collections continued up to the end of January. I was thinking of fixing a date at the middle of December for the purpose and work on the lines of census work. I was to notify before hand that the collectors of this fund will go out on a particular day or days, that everybody should remain indoors on that particular day and give their little mite to the fund. It should be arranged at least once for all that the Muslim of India should make some sacrifice for the protection of Islam and the Khilafat. But when I reached Calcutta I found that the times were not suited for such a step. I now wish that a declaration to this effect be made at the Ahmedabad Khilafat Conference and date fixed for the purpose in the month of January.
JAMIAT-UL-ULEMA.
The body of the Jamiat Ul-Ulema is at present very important with a big responsibility. This is a Council of Ulemas and there is none besides them to guide the Muslims in their religious and worldly matters. The Jamiat have before them an important religious item. May God give them strength and guide them to arrive at a better conclusion with due concurrence. At the present moment I respectfully beg to remind them of the following points:—
(1) Unity among you members is the fundamental principle of our success (2) You are not far from looking into the necessity of Hindu-Muslim unity and its importance from a religious point of view. It should be preserved at all costs, and it is entirely in your hands. (3) All the Ulemas, and specially, members of the Jamiat should attend the Ahmedabad Congress and this should be arranged by the Jamiat-ul Ulema. (4) Action be at once taken on the Resolution passed at Lahore, for enlisting members and bring it to the fixed number as early as possible.
TO GOVERNMENT OF BENGAL.
I would also like to say a word or two to Sir Henry Wheeler and Mr. Clerk, Commissioner of Police Calcutta, and that is that there shall be a “Complete and Successful Hartal” on the 24th and the works of the Congress and Khilafat Committees will continue with re-doubled zeal and energy after we are arrested.
TO MY COUNTRYMEN.
After four year’s of my internment I was set at liberty in December 1919 and now after two years I am again going to jail. May God help and guide you and keep you all firm in the path of truth and the cause of the country.
Abul Kalam Azad.
Calcutta, 8th December, 1921.