August 8th, 2002
The primary job of a ruler is to work for the safety and prosperity of the people he rules. The rulers of India today, MLAs and MPs as well as the Ministers and their cohorts should remember this when they are voting themselves more pay, allowances and perquisites. Also when they deny protection to some subjects on account of their religion. Their moral behaviour should also be ‘above suspicion’.
Let us go back and see how things were in some of the golden moments of history. This is not to deny the horrors of the past but in India today needs respite and relief from contemporary horrors.
After Hazrat Umar became the Khalifa (Caliph) he fought with the Iranian hero Hormuzan and defeated and captured him in the field of battle.
When the captive was brought before the Khalifa Umar the following conversation is said to have taken place
Hormuzan ‘I have lost the battle. My life and my kingdom are your forfeit’.
The Caliph Umar ‘ I can spare your life and also restore the kingdom you have lost if I am assured of your loyalty and a regular payment of whatever tribute is agreed between us’.
‘I need a gesture from you. You have to become a Muslim’.
Hormuzan ‘I shall not become a Muslim’. ‘I have lost the kingdom already by losing the battle’. ‘You can also take my life’.
The Khalifa summoned the executioner who came flaunting a shining sword. He waved the deadly weapon around his head for the victim and the crowd to see and shudder. At this point the Irani turned to the Khalifa and said ‘I thought it the custom that a dying man is allowed one last wish if not more!’.
Umar immediately halted the execution and asked Hormuzan to name his wish
All present were still as they waited to hear what this mighty king fallen on evil days would ask for from his captor.
Hormuzan said
‘I am thirsty. Have your men bring me water’
The Khalifa asked for water. When he saw that the water had been brought in a glass vessel he showed displeasure and remarked ‘Hormuzan is a king and the least you can do is to bring water in a gold or silver vessel’
The next supply was brought in a gold ewer.
Hormuzan said. ‘It is hot and I need cool water which can only be from an earthenware container.
When water came in a suraahee Hormuzan seized the vessel, turned to the Khalifa and said
‘I hope you do not wish to hurry me. Please say that you will not have me killed until I have drunk the water from this vessel’.
The Khalifa smiled and said loudly
‘You will not be executed unless you have drunk your fill from the earthen vessel you are holding’.
As soon as the sentence was completed Hormuzan dashed the earthenware vessel on the ground and watched it splinter into a thousand fragments and spill its water and the dry earth soaking it up until not a trace remained.
Hormuzan said
‘You promised not to kill me until I had drunk the water from the suraahee. This is now not possible. You have therefore to spare my life’
Umar agreed.
Umar then thought of a way to convert Hormuzan to Islam. He entrusted the captive to a man who was a model of piety.
Hormuzan was deeply impressed by the lifestyle of the pious Muslim who was in charge of his custody. After some time he asked him how he came to be so good. The custodian responded
‘Because of the dictates and practice of Islam’.
Hormuzan then announced that he too would like to become a Muslim.
He sent a message to Umar
‘Please summon me to your presence so that I can tell you of my desire to profess Islam’.
‘ I want this done in full public view when you are holding court so that people realize that I am doing it of my own free will and not under duress.’
After the ceremony was over Umar said ‘Now I assign to you the territory which was your kingdom’
Hormuzan said ‘I no longer have any desire to be a ruler’ ‘Please assign me just one small and desolate village from what used to be my kingdom so that I can help develop it into prosperity’.’ This will enable me to earn an honest living in accordance with my present ideals’.
As Umar consented Hormuzan repeated ‘Remember it must be a desolate village’.
Umar sent emissaries to search for a desolate village in the erstwhile domain of Hormuzan so that it could be assigned to the ex-ruler.
The whole empire was searched and not a single desolate village could be located.
The failure of mission report was presented in Court in the presence of all including Hormuzan.
The ex-ruler said ‘This was the point of my request. I have surrendered to you a land so prosperous that even a single desolate village cannot be found in it.
If any part of it becomes poor you who are now responsible will have to answer for it on the Day of Judgement’.