5th June 1981 Dear Muzaffar Raja,
Assalamu Alaikum!
After a long time, I have received news of your well-being. However, this does not mean that I had forgotten you or that our bond had weakened. In this state of solitude and forced separation, memories of sincere and loyal friends like you continue to strengthen my resolve. I am certain that the ties of sincerity and love that have bound us together for years—nurtured with the essence of our hearts—are so deep and everlasting that neither the adversity of circumstances nor the raging storms of opposition can ever weaken them. However, your affectionate letter has refreshed those memories that, even in captivity, I hold close to my heart. So, if I express my gratitude in this regard, please do not consider it merely a formality.
You mentioned your constraint in writing more despite your desire to do so1, and I fully understand it2. However, I would like to tell you that to understand the language of the heart, there is no need to beat drums. Emotions and feelings have a unique expression of their own. Understanding them does not require lengthy writings. Without saying much, you have conveyed a great deal, and in response, I pray that Allah grants you an ever-increasing zeal for certainty and determination for action. Ameen.
Since you have the honour of being near the Baytullah (House of Allah), I trust that you will continue to be enriched with the blessings of conviction and enthusiasm for action. After all, this is the very place from which, centuries ago, humanity was granted the eternal message of spiritual and physical liberation. The revolutionary inspiration of this message continues to benefit all sincere souls. To stand against the forces of ignorance, darkness, oppression, and slavery and to uphold the glorious traditions of faith and action is the very essence of the great example bequeathed to us by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his close companions3. I am certain that the prayers and commitment of dear friends like you will prove to be a source of strength and success for us in this trial of the noose and the gallows.
The realisation of one’s shortcomings is, in itself, proof of one’s wisdom and greatness. There is no need to be ashamed of it. If one lacks this awareness, then true determination for struggle and action becomes impossible. As the saying goes, “God’s house may have delay, but not darkness.” If one’s faith and commitment remain steadfast, then despite thousands of failures and setbacks, the joy of achieving one’s goal eventually becomes one’s destiny. And as a poet has said:
“Yeh baazi ishq ki baazi hai jo chaho laga do dar kaisa
Gar jeet gaye to kya kehna, gar haare bhi to baazi maat nahi”
This game is the game of love, wager whatever you desire, why fear? If you win, what a triumph! If you lose, even then, the game is not lost.4
On top of that, the Qur’an gives us this glad tiding:
“Do not lose heart and do not grieve, for you shall be victorious if you are true believers.”
So, pray that Allah grants us the honour of being among the believers so that we may be counted among the recipients of this promise. May the deniers of truth be humbled, and the people of righteousness be blessed with success and triumph.
By the grace of Allah, my health is perfectly fine, and I am spending these days of captivity with patience and gratitude. The conditions of imprisonment remain unchanged, except that a month ago, I was transferred from Ward No. 18 to Ward No. 16 of the prison. In jail terminology, this ward is called the Phansi Kothi (Hanging Barrack). After years of isolation, I now have the opportunity to interact with a few other prisoners in this new ward. I am sure you would like to know more about my captivity. However, it is impossible to detail everything in this brief aerogram. Moreover, the distress of imprisonment now seems like a natural state, and as Ghalib said:
“Ranj se khoogar ho insaan to mit jata hai ranj”
“When a man becomes accustomed to suffering, suffering ceases to exist.”
Please convey my heartfelt greetings to all our friends and loved ones. I hope you will continue to remember me from time to time so that our mutual memories remain fresh.
Khuda Hafiz
Yours sincerely,
Muhammad Maqbool Bhat
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According to Raja Muzaffar Khan:
“My constraint was of two kinds. Firstly, while writing to Bhat Sahib, I would become so overwhelmed with emotion that words would fail me. Secondly, I had sent my letter from Rome through an Indian colleague in my company (who was the son of a senior Congress-I leader) to be delivered to Bhat Sahib in Tihar Jail. The caution I exercised in writing the letter was my compulsion, and Bhat Sahib understood it well.”
This shows the depth of Maqbool Bhat’s empathy! Despite being confined in a foreign prison, he was so considerate of the constraints faced by his friends who lived in free lands
The source of Maqbool Bhat’s ideology was the very place from where the great call for human dignity arose, offering the true concept of freedom and liberty of thought.
This verse is by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
