AN EXAMPLE OF
NOBLE CHARACTER
In Muslim times, Eastern Bengal was under the control of the central Sultanate in Delhi. Occasionally, its governors rebelled and declared themselves independent rulers. One such figure was Sultan Ghiyath al-Din (Reign: 1390–1411), one of the most prominent medieval Bengali sultans, who broke ties with the Delhi Sultanate and established an autonomous government in Eastern Bengal. At that time, the city of Dhaka had not yet developed; the capital was Sonargaon.
A British historian, F.B. Bradley-Birt, records an incident in his book, ‘Dacca: The Romance of an Eastern Capital (London, 1914):
“One day, while practising with the bow, Ghyasuddin accidentally wounded a boy, the only son of his mother, who was a widow. The woman, ignorant of the king’s identity, went and complained to the Kazi, demanding justice. The Kazi, perceiving who it was who had wounded her son, was torn between his desire to do justice and his fear of the king. But, fearing God more than the king, he finally sent a messenger to summon Ghyasuddin to his court. The latter, on receiving the summons, immediately arose and, concealing a short sword beneath his cloak, repaired to the court of the Kazi. There, showing him no special respect, the Kazi ordered him to compensate the woman for the injury done to her. The king complied, and, giving her a large sum of money, sent her away content. Then, the case being disposed of, the Kazi descended from his seat and prostrated himself at the king’s feet. But Ghyasuddin, raising him up, showed him the sword which he carried beneath his cloak, and said: ‘Kazi, in obedience to your commands as the expounder of the sacred law, I came instantly at your summons to your tribunal, but if I had found that you deviated in the smallest degree from its ordinances, I swear that with this sword I would have taken off your head.’ The king, pleased to find justice so impartially administered in his kingdom, handsomely rewarded the Kazi, and raised him to great honour.’” (pp. 55–56)
The tomb of this justice-loving king reportedly still stood in Sonargaon at the time the book was published (as cited in the Urdu Magazine, Sidq-E-Jadeed, Lucknow, 2 May 1980).
The secret of a nation’s rise lies in the presence of such principled and courageous individuals. A society thrives when living souls like these are among them—and it declines when they are absent. A “living person” is one who places principle above convenience, who accepts his mistakes without offering excuses, who can forgive personal offense, and who respects others even when they have ruled against him.
