Gandhi & the Islamic Connection
March 30, 2009

M.K.Gandhi’s views and movements are lauded all over the world. He was almost regarded as a ‘saintly’ personality and the word Mahatma that is attributed to him,speaks for itself. But a lesser known fact about Gandhi’s ‘saintly’ demeanour is the inspiration he drew from Islamic teachings. Gandhi drew inspirations from the glorious Quran, the blessed life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and that of his companions. Of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) he said in an interview with ‘Young India’ -

“I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind… I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life.”

An even lesser famous quote is the observation of Gandhi about the caliphate of Hazrat Umar (r.a), one of the prominent companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and the second Caliph in Islamic history. Gandhi said

“The best thing to happen to India would be to be reigned by a dictator as just and upright as Umar, RA.” One would wonder why a non-violent exponent of Gandhi’s stature should regard the rule of a dictator as the ‘best thing’.

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