Judging human character

Judging human character is a rather difficult subject. In Urdu we call it ‘Mardam Shanasi’ but in English there is no equivalent term. ‘Physiognomy’ bases a person’s character on features like face, body, complexion, etc. Even in our culture we don’t trust someone with yellow eyes , thin lips or shifty eyes (I know of some examples but won’t mention them.)

My father, a graduate from Nagpur at the beginning of the last century and head master of various high schools in British India for more than 40 years, was an expert at this due to his interaction with thousands of students. I once had a friend named Razzaq who was rather clever. After passing his high school exams he became a ‘patwari’ and brought us some sweets to celebrate. My father said to him: “Razzaq, you are a clever boy; I am afraid you will commit fraud and go to jail.”

When I went to Bhopal in 1961 to see my older brother before going to Germany, Razzaq came to see me. He told me that there had been many opportunities for him to make money as a patwari, but whenever he was inclined to do so he saw my father’s face telling him he would go to jail if he did it and that prevented him from doing so. “Alhamdollillah, I am well off. I have my own house, the children have all studied and are well settled, all with honest income”, he said.

Scholars and intellectuals of various countries have given their opinions on the subject, but the best one comes from Hazrat Ali. He said that if you wanted to know the true character of someone, give him power and wealth or travel with him for a few days. This is still the best way.

We know that, all over the world, the police and judiciary are extremely efficient at finding out the facts and differentiating between falsehood and truth. Unfortunately, a bad reputation spoils their good work and virtues. There are many who believe that, like in olden times, if the law of evidence is made optional and the judges are allowed to use their common sense and judgement, most cases would be quickly and justly dispensed of. There may be some misjudgements, but isn’t that happening now?

Our great religious scholar, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, described the judging of a person’s character in this way. “There are hundreds of thousands of trials, O father, for anyone who says: ‘I am the captain of the Gate.’ If he is not put to trial by ordinary and everyday life, then there will be knowledgeable to ask him for proof of his worth. When a cheat pretends to be a tailor, the king will give him a piece of satin saying: ‘Cut this into an undervest’. From the result of this test he will be exposed. Were there not a test for every person, everyone would become a saint.

“Even suppose the weakling would put on a coat of mail. As soon as he feels the first blow he would become a captive of the enemy. The soft breath of the wind will restore him who is intoxicated with God to his senses. The God-intoxicated man will not come to himself at the blast of the trumpet of resurrection. The wine of God is true; you have been but drinking buttermilk! You have made yourself out to be worthy. Only by hypocrisy, O contriver of fraud, will you be able to conceal depravity of nature and spiritual sloth. Do not count yourself one of the travelers of the Way; you are a comrade of them that defile the Way, so do not talk rubbish. Fly back from hypocrisy, hasten towards reason.

“You have feigned to be a lover of God but in reality you have played the game of love with the devil. Why have you made yourself crazy and senseless? Where is the juice of the vine? You have drunk our blood saying: ‘Begone, I do not know you. Leave me! I am a Gnostic who is beside himself and I am the leader of the village.’ You have a false impression of your nearness to God. You do not see that the nearness to God of the saints has a hundred miracles and powers.

“In the hands of David, iron is as soft as a piece of wax while in your hands wax becomes as hard as iron. Nearness to God in respect of His creating and sustaining us is common to all, but only the noble ones possess the nearness that consists of the inspiration of love. Nearness is of various kinds. The sun strikes both the mountains and the gold in the mine but between the sun and the gold there is a nearness of which you do not have knowledge.

“O man without wisdom, do not be an inebriate of the sort who regrets regaining sobriety. Be one of those who, while drinking the wine of divine love, they mature and suffer regrets for their shortcomings. You are falling to this side and that, like a drunken. O you who are on this (wrong) side, there is no passage for you on that side. You are all on this side, so do not idly boast about that (right) side. You sweeten your palate with the savour of false imagination; you blow into the bag of selfhood and fill it.

“One prick of a needle and you and emptied. May no intelligent man’s body (and mind) be swollen like that!” Courtesy Maulana Rumi. A free rendering of the translation by R A Nicholson (1933).

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com