Freedom's Battle eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 277 pages of information about Freedom's Battle.

Freedom's Battle eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 277 pages of information about Freedom's Battle.
your power.  For we are face to face with a peril greater than plagues, greater than influenza, greater than earthquakes and mighty floods, which sometimes overwhelm this land.  These physical calamities can rob us of so many Indian bodies.  But the calamity that has at the present moment overtaken India touches the religious honour of a fourth of her children and the self-respect of the whole nation.  The Khilafat wrong affects the Mussalmans of India, and the Punjab calamity very nearly overwhelms the manhood of India.  Shall we in the face of this danger be weak or rise to our full height.  The remedy for both the wrongs is the spiritual solvent of non-co-operation.  I call it a spiritual weapon, because it demands discipline and sacrifice from us.  It demands sacrifice from every individual irrespective of the rest.  And the promise that is behind this performance of duty, the promise given by every religion that I have studied is sure and certain.  It is that there is no spotless sacrifice that has been yet offered on earth, which has not carried with it its absolute adequate reward.  It is a spiritual weapon, because it waits for no mandate from anybody except one’s own conscience.  It is a spiritual weapon, because it brings out the best in the nation and it absolutely satisfies individual honour if a single individual takes it, and it will satisfy national honour if the whole nation takes it up.  And therefore it is that I have called non-co-operation in opposition to the opinion of many of my distinguished countrymen and leaders—­a weapon that is infallible and absolutely practicable.  It is infallible and practicable, because it satisfies the demands of individual conscience.  God above cannot, will not expect Maulana Shaukat Ali to do more than he has been doing, for he has surrendered and placed at the disposal of God whom he believes to be the Almighty ruler of everyone, he has delivered all in the service of God.  And we stand before the citizens of Mangalore and ask them to make their choice either to accept this precious gift that we lay at their feet or to reject it.  And after having listened to my message if you come to the come to the conclusion that you have no other remedy than non-co-operation for the conservation of Islam and the honour of India, you will accept that remedy.  I ask you not to be confused by so many bewildering issues that are placed before you, nor to be shaken from your purpose because you see divided counsels amongst your leaders.  This is one of the necessary limitations of any spiritual or any other struggle that has ever been fought on this earth.  It is because it comes so suddenly that it confuses the mind if the heart is not tuned properly.  And we would be perfect human beings on this earth if in all of us was found absolutely perfect correspondence between the mind and the heart.  But those of you who have been following the newspaper controversy, will find that no matter what division of opinion exists amongst our journals and leaders
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Freedom's Battle from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.