Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 272
Malf uza t - English translation of Urdu Volume 8 272 enclosing a letter thus was against the post office laws. The law- yers said that there was no way of escape outside of denying this letter—as if there is no salvation except through lies—but I did not like this at all. On the contrary, I said that if telling the truth leads to punishment, so be it; I will not tell a lie. Finally, that case was presented in court. The officer of the post offices appeared as the plaintiff. When I was asked about the matter, I said plainly that it was my letter, but I had placed it with the article considering it to be a part of the article. The magistrate understood this, and Allah the Exalted gave him insight. The officer of the post offices insisted a lot, but he [the magistrate] did not accept a single point and let me go. 1 How can I say that one cannot live without lying? Such 1. In Badr, this incident is recorded in greater detail as follows: Approximately 27 or 28 years ago or perhaps even earlier, I dispatched an article in support of Islam against the Aryas for printing in a press owned by a Christian named Rallia R a m, who was also a lawyer who lived in Amritsar. He was also the proprietor of a newspaper. The article was sent in a postal packet open on both sides, and I also placed a letter in the packet. This letter contained statements in support of Islam and the falsity of other faiths, as well as an emphatic request for the article to be printed. For this reason, the Christian [editor] became inflamed on account of his religious opposition. It so happened that on this occasion, he found an opportunity to make a hostile attack against me, as the postal law stipulated that it was an offence punisha- ble by a fine of up to 500 rupees or up to six months imprisonment, to place such a letter in a postal packet. However, I was utterly unaware of this. He acted as an informant to the postal authorities and had a case filed against me. Before I received intima- tion of this case, Allah the Exalted revealed to me in a dream that the lawyer Rallia R a m had sent a snake my way to bite me, but I fried the snake like a fish and sent it back to him. I am certain that this was an indication that the decision given in court on this case might become a precedent for lawyers. In short, I was summoned to Gurdaspur, the district’s headquarters, to defend against this charge. All the lawyers that were consulted regarding this case advised that the only way of escape was to lie and suggested for me to