Akbar Ahmed's narrative in this book challenges the reader to think whether one can step out of the limiting boundaries of context and stand up for truth and compassion. At several points in the book, the reader is sensitised to the idea that the journey to truth is solitary and subjective.
Akbar Ahmed juxtaposes the story of Dara Shikoh, the Mughal Saint- prince with the story of Noor, the fearless sister of three brothers, each representing a version of Islam in the contemporary world. Though both settings are separated by four hundred years, the issues remain the same.
Akbar Ahmed presents a nuanced story of humanity and Islam in Noor. Noor’s story is set “in a city in the Muslim world, which could be Baghdad, Cairo, Karachi or Kabul (P.15).” Daoud, the doctor and second brother of Noor likens their state of living to almost a Hobessian existence:
“The neighbourhood isn’t the same anymore; everyone is nervous. Cousins spying on each other, friends reporting on a friend, who is there to trust? (P.19)”
It is hard to miss the despondency in Daoud’s words. In his helplessness, Daoud resorts to Islam, as the panacea for everything in an increasingly unpredictable world. In Daoud’s words:
“These Americans have reduced Muslim societies to a jungle. But even the jungle has certain laws. Here we don’t have any. Only Islam can prevent our societies from totally collapsing (P.31)”
Daoud is the voice of the disillusioned who witness a ‘clash of civilisations’ between the West and the followers of Islam. For Daoud, the differences between both worlds are insurmountable and complex. He is the closest approximation to a puritanical, doctrinaire Aurangzeb in the contemporary world. Daoud’s words underscore the dangers of a non-existent dialogue between the West and Islam.
“Yes, yes, but I cannot ignore what is happening to my people any more. We Muslims are being killed and tortured and humiliated across the world. We have been robbed of our honor and dignity. Entire generations are growing up traumatised and angry at the injustices, and yet, Muslims are being called ‘terrorists’ and ‘extremists’. And everywhere America is leading the attack on Islam. Islam is under siege. It is time for every Muslim to stand up and say, ‘No more. We will not take this anymore. We will be heard.’(P.32)”
Noor’s third brother Ali is a lawyer and believes in the rule of law. Ali’s disillusionment stems from his experience with the military when Ali and his sister Noor are unfairly detained and suspected as terrorists for calling out the excesses of the troops.
Noor and Ali are taken to an undisclosed location. Ali is tortured and Noor abandoned in the dawn hours in the outskirts of the city. Ali discovers that the Western ideals of human rights, mercy and justice he believes to be universal, are in fact useless in protecting citizens. Akbar Ahmed portrays the angst of millions through Ali’s words:
“I have been trained to uphold the ideals of justice, the only thing that separates us from the animals! I am supposed to fight with my pen and my words, fight for what God has decreed and society has written into law. What good are we if we can’t implement the law on earth? What good am I? We have no rights. We are vulnerable anytime and anywhere. Anyone can walk into our homes and humiliate us. Even our women are not safe (P.41).”
Noor’s eldest brother Abdullah looks for inspiration to the past. Abdullah is the disciple of a Sufi mystic and strives to understand what makes one a true Muslim. Abdullah is the epitome of Dara Shikoh. Abdullah’s faith and optimism in human nature is a contrast to Daoud’s cynicism.
In Abdullah’s words:
“It is upto us to translate the will of God (P.61)” and the past provides a template for us to act, “The Saints give us inspiration and hope, not grenades and explosives (P.40).”
In the second play ‘Dara Shikoh’ , Akbar Ahmed portrays the struggle between two Mughal princes, Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. They fight for something more than the throne. The Princes fight for their ideas, values and two different understandings of religion and spirituality. Akbar Ahmed’s Dara Shikoh is poignant and tenacious. Defending himself in the court, addressing a panel of Mullahs, Dara Shikoh argues:
“Neither Guru Nanak nor I have ever made negative remarks about Islam. On the contrary. What both of us have done is to underline the spirituality of Islam, and to contrast it with the hypocrisy of its religious clerics who do not practise what they preach……I simply emphasise the inner spirituality of faith, and not its outward superficial behaviour, which can o easily degenerate into mechanical ritual and empty, hypocritical gestures……My Islam teaches me to understand and appreciate other societies and religions. That, too, is written in the Qu’ran (P.92).”
Akbar Ahmed’s book reminds me of Hegel’s quote:
“The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”
If only we had allowed the past to illumine the present;
if only we had learnt from Dara Shikoh’s pluralism;
if only Dara Shikoh’s understanding of Islam found followers;
if only..….if only…if only..ah, the counterfactual!
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