'XX/7 Vernacular Newspapers & periodicals, Extracts from & Pan-Islamism.' [‎14v] (28/70)

Want breaks all blockades put up to prevent the entry of the forbidden
article. If the High Priests are really desirous of enforcing the dictates of
the Muhammadan religious law and of relieving the Muhammadan nation of
want and poverty, it is necessary to do it in a businesslike manner, as wise men
have said :—
“ Enter houses by their doors ”,
The answer to the query was no doubt evident and nothing new has been
said by the High Priests. If the object is only to disprove the accusations
brought against the High Priests by the public or people imitating the Euro
peans and to remove their objections, the result is sure to be contrary to the
one desired. But if it is really intended to remove the poverty and to preserve
the wealth of the Muhammadan countries, the right way to bring that about
is this :—The Muhammadan nation should be encouraged to form companies of
industry, and all the ulema who have the means should be share-holders in
them as far as possible. But these companies should not be conducted on
the lint s of the former Persian Companies whose object in booming was only
“to deprive Mulla Nasr-ud-din of his quilt” (i.e. to rob the people), as in a short
time the odour of their dirty work made the whole Muhammadan world stink,
in consequence of which Persia has been thrown back a hundred years in the
matter of joint-stock companies.
Special knowledge and qualifications are required to form a company of
share-holders. It will do no harm to the reputation of such and such a Persian
trader, or such and such a priest, if we say that they do not know how to start
and conduct a joint-stock company of share-holders. We should employ foreign
ers of experience to start such concerns for us and gradually acquire experience
and learn work from them. We cannot forego the good of a large majority for
the mischief of a small minority, and the undertaking is in no way opposed to
the Muhammadan religious law.
We quote one instance to prove our assertion. The Imperial Bank of
Persia belongs to a very small company with a very small capital which was
formed in England. This company engaged a few trained and experienced
men and deputed them to Persia. This handful of officials have made a fool
of thousands of Persian traders and bankers, nay the whole Persian nation.
The reason is that those handful of officials are learned men, and we are
ignorant. Should we be desirous of forming companies for purposes of
industry, trade, banking, or agriculture, we must, at the beginning, borrow
skilled and experienced men from foreign countries to conduct the business
for us and to teach us the work.
Our own power of discernment will be of no avail in this matter, nor will
our morals, logic or explanatory science be of any use. Until we form com
panies to meet all our requirements, we shall not be able to accomplish anv-
thing, and a hundred thousand fatvas like this will remain a dead letter. The
points 'which we have brought to notice are in no way opposed to the Muham
madan religious law.
It is a thousand pities that all our communities are so far absorbed in
verbal discussions only and are not seriously thinking of any practical work.
A few speeches intended to make a reputation suitably or unsuitably and to
quiet a class of people without any intellect are considered sufficient. This
procedure is not confined to people of the lower classes only, and it mav be
said that it is at the bottom of all the evils from which Persia, nay the wliole
of Islam, is suffering.
Should the spiritual leaders be anxious to relieve the Muhammadan nation
of want so that they may be able to compete with the civilised nations on
equal terms, or even to surpass them, they ought to deeply go into the causes
which led to the improvement of the other nations. We can say without
hesitation tnat the foreign nations owe their improvement to their sciences.
Until we acquire those sciences and experiences, it is impossible for us to
compete with them on equal terms. No fool can compete with a wise man
and no ignorant man can compete with a learned person.
If the Muslim High Priests are determined to educate their nation, the
proper way to do this is to adopt the same measures in matters of civilised life