The Unity of Muslims — Page 16
16 Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad According to a saying of the Holy Prophet s as , if you witness something evil and have the power to remove it, you should do so with your hands. If you lack the strength to do so, you should speak out against it. And if words fail you, as may be the case when a person fears reprisal from their ruler, at least detest the matter in your heart. 8 Thus, Prophet Muhammad s as has permitted disagreements: stopping evil with your hands, protesting against it with your tongue, or, at least, despising it in your heart. In a famous anecdote, it is narrated that a saint once passed by a man playing a fiddle. The saint grabbed the instrument and broke it. The man, who happened to be a royal courtier, took offense at the act and complained to the King about the insult. Upon hearing the complaint, he summoned the holy man to his court. As the saint entered the court, the King began playing a fiddle. The saint calmly observed him playing until the King eventually asked if he had passed by such a place on such a day. ‘Yes,’ the saint replied. ‘Did you break the fiddle of my courtier?’ the King continued. 8 Sahih Muslim, The Book of Faith, Chapter: Clarifying that forbidding evil is part of faith. [Publishers]