"The Prophet faced many handicaps, but he never gave up hope, and finally triumphed. He has left that lesson behind, and if we face our difficulties in the same spirit, I do not see why we should ever fail. The cause of freedom is always just and the fight against slavery is always noble."
"Nonviolent Soldier of Islam" is a biographical account of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, given the prestigious title of Badshah and known by many as the "frontier Gandhi" due to his geographic location and devotion nonviolence. By utilizing the strength and faith of the Pathan (Pashtun) people, Badshah Khan, by requiring oaths of nonviolence, created an army that stood against the British not by countering violence with violence, but armed with "soul force", risked their lives in their struggle against oppression. In one of the more intense scenarios in the book, the Khudai Khidmatgars, literally translated to servants of God, were gathered in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar to demonstrate against the arrest of their leaders. When confronted by British troops in armored vehicles ordering their dispersal, they refused, and unarmed they absorbed the bullets and attacks of the opposed. The effect of their strength in faith and other resultant situations like it multiplied their support among the Indian people and helped in exposing the brutality of British Imperialism. Throughout his life, Khan held to his firm faith in nonviolence and was assured of its transformative effects through his own experience. Through his leadership, the Pathan people, classically known as violent and vengeful warriors, used their own strength, honor, and firm faith to transform their anger of oppression from violent reaction to love in action through nonviolence. Khan died in 1988 under house arrest after having spent half of his life under arrest or in exile.
Links:
Eknath Easwaran Homepage
Citation Information:
Easwaran, E., & Easwaran, E. (1999). Nonviolent soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a man to match his mountains. Tomales, Calif: Nilgiri Press.
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