Blessings of Khilafat — Page 76
76 The one who dies protecting his honour and wealth is a martyr. So on the one hand, he who dies protecting his wealth and honour is called a martyr, and on the other hand people are being asked to stay patient in the face of cruelties committed by their rulers and not to stand against them despite their atrocities. The Holy Prophet sa is commanding the people not to beg for even their legitimate rights; rather, he advises them to leave everything to God. Studying these traditions side by side, one realizes that these two commandments are meant to be followed at different occasions. At one time, people have been commanded to forcefully seek their rights, and at another, they have been advised to silently accept whatever is given to them. Let alone engaging in a fight with the rulers, people have been told to not even demand for any basic rights. The reason for this is that sometimes governments undergo a period of trouble, and their condition becomes so fragile that they can save themselves only if they revert to their previous state of affairs; otherwise were they to bring about some change—even if it is a noteworthy one or leads to betterment—it ultimately proves to be disastrous, because it exposes the weakness of that system of government. In such a situation, uprisings in the country would definitely result in the collapse of the government. Therefore, in such a situation, the Holy Prophet sa has forbidden Muslims to demand even their most basic rights from their rulers, lest the demands result in the very destruction of the government. But at times when the situation is different, he allows the demanding of rights under certain conditions. Similarly, the commandments of