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The place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in history is extricably tied up with the piace of
Pakistan itself, but even after one has reached a conclusion about the place of Pakistan
itself in the history of man, question still remains as to whether the Quaid-i-Azam was the
expected or proper exponent of the expression of the Pakistan Movement. Some outside
observers have persistently questioned this and have draws attention to the apparent
contradiction between Jinnah's ideas and personality on the one hand and the inherent
implication of a the Pakistan Movement on the other hand. They profess to see anomalies
ajjd contradictions between this modern individuals and medieval notions of a religious
state; between his political ides in f he early part of bis life and his later commitment to
Pakistan and so on.

Before these matters can be properly evaluated, some understanding must exist about the
place of Pakistan itseif in history, and although at first sight the Pakistan movement
appears to be a movement towards'disintegration of a larger political unity, namely
British India, in an age which needs larger political and economic forms of associations,
and although Pakistan represents the reliance of remembering" one's religion and one's
religious identity and values in an age which has tried to shut out religion from political
life, the fact remains that the Pakistan movement was a rejection of a narrow nationalism
based on a common race or language or birthplace and it placed the ideas that men
believe in asbeing more worthy of their loyalty, particularly when the idea (as in the case
of Islam) contains a conviction about the oneness of the human race and that all human
beings are born equal and are entitled by right to equality of treatment.

We can observe asi increasing rejection of the narrow racial nation-state idea of the past,
even in it original homeland of Europe, which is now trying desperately to achieve some
from the European unity after the disastrous nationalistic wars o the past, particularly . in
1914 and 1939. Clearly, however, such larger forms of unity are only likely to be truly
successful when there is a stronger idea capable of overcoming the narrower doctrines of
linguistic-cum-

racial affinity. Such a larger idea is the concept of Muslim brotherhood. The
prospects for unity, whether we consider Europe or the Middle East, are, therefore, likely
to be much greater when a common idea transcend narrow national boundaries. Such an
idea is inherent in the Pakistan movement and represents a new trend in history in which
states are held together by a common ideological commitment and this idea, as embodies
in Pakistan, has an essential role to play in the growing movement for greater co-
operation between countries of the Muslim world and the instrument through which this
state of Pakistan came into being was Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Although it was only at a
later stage in his life that he rejected the possibility of working with Hindus within one
political framework, the dramatic evolution in his thinking on this matter is similar to the
change in thinking that is characteristic of many great men possessed throughout their
lives an unchanging static political philosophy, Churchill began as a liberal and
ended as a conservative. De Gitalic in earlier life was a champion of France's imperial
mission and yet the later played a major role in persuading the French to abandon the
fantasy of a French Algeria. Ataturk began his career as an officer loyalty servant the
Ottoman Sultan and yet, late, he led the movement against the Sultan and abolished the
institution of an Ottoman Sultanate itself, and the situation was similar with Gamal
AbcicS Nasser. Joseph Stalin began his life in a theological seminary. Only to become in
late years, the embodiment of a movement against Christianity itself. Conversely, in the
lives of the great religious leaders there comes a point of which the great transformation
to belief has taken place. Yet, it is equally true that in the earlier period of a great man's
life, it is possible to detect qualities which later lead to the great change. In'the case of
Jinnah two things should be noticed about his earlier life. The first is that even when he
was in favour of working towards Indian independence in an association with Hindus, he
did so as a Muslim conscious of the necessity of ensuring the rights of Muslims. It was
only when he realised that these rights of Muslims could not be protected in a united
India, in the face of the permanent Hindu majority, which showed no signs of exhibiting
generosity, or even justice, to the numerically smaller Muslim community, only then did
he adopt the idea of a separate Muslim state. The point should never be lost sight of, that
both before and after this change in objectives, he was consistent in being of all ties
concerned with what was in the best interests of the Muslims. The other quality that is
consistently clear throughout his life was his merciless intellectual honesty which was
incapable of self-deception or deception of others and was able to unerringly uncover the
deceptions of other people. 204

Emporium Current Essays

Emporium Current Essays

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Whenever Jinnah spoke about Islam he spoke about its eternal principles; of fraternity,
equality, social justice and tolerance. In doing so her performed a highly necessary
service because prior to his time the socio-political and even moral implications of Islam
were often lost by emphasising empty forms or mere rituals devoid of actual practice.
When he appeared, attired in the clothes of his century, he served as a constant reminder
that traditional garments cannot be a substitute for possessing authentic Muslim
conviction and that and that an au.thcntic commitment to the eternal principles of Islam
did not require to be dressed up in superficial and merely external window dressing. Men
must be judged by what they say and do not, by how they are dressed or the lyrical
quality of their speech or whether they are clean-shaven or not.
Perhaps nowhere is the truly Muslim quality of Jinnah more apparent in his personal
character. Integrity is the word that automatically conies to mind in describing it.
Integrity covers many, many things -- moral integrity, intellectual integrity, integrity in
dealing with one's fellow human beings, financial integrity ~ all this Jinnah possessed in
abundant measures. It was this which largely explains the loyalty he evoked from the
Muslims of the Subcontinent as an authentic, exponent of Muslim aspirations in spite of
the fact that he did not wear clerical garb and, in fact, was subject^ to criticism and
opposition by some who, by their dress and appearance, claimed to be more Muslim in a
superficial way of judging these things.

It is because of this integrity and straight-forv ardness that the Muslim masses were
satisfied as to his my a, i.e., the sincerity, purity and honesty of his ir.tentions. This
illustrates an interesting and highly significant aspect of Muslim psychology where their
political leaders are concerned, namely that thoy are hostile, suspicious of and un-
reconci.'cd to, a leader, however, successfully he may temporarily appear to be, when
they suspect or doubt the sincerity of the person's nlya they will support him through any
kind of adversity or setback and even when he makes mistakes. This is, of course, closely
related to the central idea of what sort of character a man should possess, which is to be
found from the earliest days of Islam, running like a golden threat throughout Islamic
history, namely, that above all a man must be amin or worthy of being given a trust and
upright, i.e., all that is contained in the phrase "integrity of character". The respect and
loyalty that Jinnah evoked in his lifetime and which suffuses his memory now are
because of this: that, as a man of integrity and real character, he symbolised the

enduring Muslim ideal about what the purpose of God was in placing man upon earth and
unless this realisation is made, no true awakening and progress can ever be achieved.

In accomplishing the task he had taken upon himself on the morrow of Pakistan's birth,
Jinnah, to quote Symonds "had worked himself to death, but had contributed more than
any other man to Pakistan's survival." He died on September 11,1948. To quote Lord
Pethick Lawrence Secretary of State for India (1945-47). who had headed the Cabinet
Mission in 1946, "Gandhi died by the hands of* an assassin, Jinnah died by his devotion
to Pakistan,"

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