Chapter 28: The Martyrdom of Dr. Farooq Khan

Conversation of Javed Ahmed Ghamidi

[This is a conversation by Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, which he had during an interview with Mr. Imran Yusuf, a representative of www.al-mawrid.tv, on the occasion of Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan’s martyrdom. The questions have been omitted to maintain the flow of conversation.]

Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan was my dear brother, my friend, and a long-time companion. People will mention his knowledge and excellence, discuss his writings, talk about his eloquence, enumerate his religious services, and highlight the contributions he made to education in his province. There is no doubt that he was praiseworthy in all these matters. However, that which always captivated me with love for him was his humanity. He was a perfect model of the pinnacle of humanity. Whoever saw him closely knows that his patience, composure, philanthropy, and the constant smile on his face were all integral parts of his personality. I shared a companionship of approximately twenty years with him. During this period, I cannot recall a single instance where any complaint arose against him, or anything in his demeanor was felt contrary to the higher stages of humanity. He always maintained his standards. In conversation, dealings, and ethics, he was a person of high stature, and I believe that this was his true beauty. He was always a messenger of peace and throughout his life, he continued to preach peace and safety.

Whatever our ideology may be, he played an extraordinary role in spreading it within his region. He wrote books to explain it, delivered speeches to clarify it, attended seminars, and participated in gatherings—always striving with full dedication, sincerity, and determination to propagate its message. He is a martyr of the call to

truth. He sacrificed his life for this cause. At this moment, when he has left us, you can imagine what emotions someone like me must be experiencing. The truth is, I have been deprived of a brother, a companion, and a friend. When I reflect on the great honor of martyrdom that he has attained, I can only say:

A longing arises, accompanied by regret—why was it not me?

When Providence creates its beloved personalities, it endows them with some extraordinary qualities. Forbearance, dignity, politeness, culture, gentleness—these were his perfections. God created him in such a way. These traits were embedded in his very nature. In truth, whenever I envision him, it is accompanied by him smile. He never became angry. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Al-Mawrid. In its meetings, naturally, differences would arise, and opportunities for complaints against others would present themselves, but he always remained a peacemaker. No one ever had the chance to hear any invective from his pen or tongue. In his relations with others, there were no ups and downs. Once the level of a relationship was established, he never let it deteriorate and always maintained it. His gaze was fixed on the sincerity of the other, and he always kept it in consideration. Whether it was his own or others, he always spoke with great decorum and politeness.

This gentleness was inherent in his nature, and the mission that he championed is fundamentally based on the idea that our relationship with those who do not believe is one of invitation; our weapon is only reasoning; we are to present our arguments with evidence. When you position yourself at such a standpoint, it is impossible for harshness to arise within you, or for you to commit any injustice against someone else, or to attack someone’s sincerity. Observing Dr. Khan’s conduct in this regard, it often seemed that he was acting in emulation of the example set by his Prophet (PBUH). God created the nature of His final Prophet in this way; he was the most excellent fruit of the tree of nature. Allah Almighty has praised his noble character repeatedly in the Qur’an. Words like Raʾūfun raḥīm (most kind and merciful)¹

have been used for him, and it is said, Wa law kunta fazzan ghalīza al-qalbi lanfaddū min hawlika, meaning, O Prophet, had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you.²

Dr. Farooq Khan came to visit me twenty years ago. His wife was a reader of “Ishraq.” She wrote a letter to me stating that her husband had written a book titled “The Future of Pakistan.” He had some religious uncertainties and wished to discuss them with me. Consequently, he visited me with her letter and stayed for several days. During this time, we engaged in discussions on numerous subjects. There were both disagreements and agreements. This process of debate, agreement, and disagreement continued until his martyrdom.

In summary, I can say that he largely understood my thought and was its advocate. There may have been differences in some interpretations, as he was a thinker in his own right. Just as I sometimes disagree with my teachers, he also had disagreements with me on some matters. Additionally, he wrote many things at a time when I had not yet completed my book Meezan. Therefore, it is possible that in some matters, people might see a difference in perspective between us. However, the reality is that overall he rose with this thought, bore witness to it before people, and ultimately sacrificed his life in the way of Allah for this cause.

In my opinion, with his departure, our nation has been deprived of a great individual. This is a significant deprivation for any nation to lose such personalities. An Arabic verse says:

Adāʿūnī wa ayya fatan adāʿū!

“They have lost me, see, how they have lost the youth!”

The reality is that a great loss has occurred, but perhaps this nation is not even aware of it. The reason for this is that it has not yet reached the level of maturity to recognize its well-wishers.

Dr. Muhammad Farooq Khan’s struggle was essentially an individual effort. My own limited endeavors or those of some elders before me are

also individual. Until this struggle is transformed into a movement or a comprehensive initiative, neither Islam nor Muslims can be positioned appropriately in front of the world as a genuine invitation to faith. Therefore, there is currently a need for a significant movement of renewal and revival to be initiated within the Islamic world—Reformation of Muslim Religious Thought. A movement for the reformation of Muslim religious thought. Such stagnation and staleness have permeated Muslim religious thought that unless it is eradicated and broken, and unless Muslim religious thought is re-evaluated in light of the interpretations from the early centuries of Islam and reformed anew, we cannot confront current challenges effectively.

The departure of Dr. Khan is undoubtedly a significant loss, but these are God’s works. Jesus (PBUH) had said that no person is indispensable. What difficulty is there for Allah to bring forth an Abraham from beneath stones? The religion is His, the call is His, the message is His. We are merely servants. None of us is indispensable. When we are gone, Allah will raise other servants for His religion. The opportunity we have is simply to continue fulfilling the duty of serving the religion. Allah’s religion is not dependent on us; His religion is established on His wisdom, and He continues to create its means. We are servants of the religion, not benefactors. Dr. Farooq Khan was one such servant among the servants of the religion. We pray to Allah to accept his service.

As for those who have claimed responsibility for his martyrdom, I would only say to them: Do not consider yourselves as enforcers; rather, become true callers to the faith. Listen to others with patience, and come forward with the weapon of reasoning. The injustice they have committed, and the atrocities they have perpetrated before this, make me fear that they may face the same question in the court of God:

.ْوَاِذَا الْمَوْءٗدَةُ سُئِلَتْ. بِاَي ِ ذَنٌْۣبٍ قُتِلَت When the girl who was buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed? (81:8-9)

[December 2010]