“I do not understand a section of the people who deliberately want to create mischief and make propaganda that the constitution of Pakistan would not be made on the basis of SHARIAT. Islamic Principles today are as applicable to life as they were 1300 years ago” (Address to Bar Association, Karachi 25 Jan 1948)
[ Ref. Khurshid A. Khan, “Speeches, Statements & Messages of the Quaid-i-Azam”, Vol VI,1996, Bazm-e-Iqbal]
This being an often misquoted (intentionally) to point out as the singular source of Jinnah's perceived support for Shariah, I spent a couple of days trying to find the most authentic and original source.
I have finally come up with a definitive source. Words have been changed and replaced with others to make it sound like the constitution was supposed to be based on Shariat.
I will not post Jinnah's quotes which lead credence to his secular thoughts and the constitution being a secular one for my point is not to establish his secularism rather to prove that this is an intentionally distorted quote.
The original quote:-
“Why this feeling of nervousness that the future constitution of Pakistan is going to be in conflict with Shariat Laws? Islamic principles today are as applicable to life as they were 1,300 years ago. Islam is not only a set of rituals, traditions and spiritual doctrines. Islam is also a code for every Muslim, which regulates his life and conduct in even politics and economics and the like. Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. Islam has taught Equality, Justice and fairplay to everybody. What reason is there for anyone to fear. Democracy, equality, freedom on the highest sense of integrity and on the basis of fairplay and justice for everyone. Let us make the constitution of Pakistan. We will make it and we will show it to the world"
Page 98, Jinnah Speeches and Statements 1947-1948, Oxford 1997
In contrast to the distorted quote:-
"I do not understand a section of the people who deliberately want to create mischief and make propaganda that the constitution of Pakistan would not be made on the basis of shariat. Islamic Principles today are as applicable to life as they were 1300 years ago”.
Other version of distorted quote floating around the interweb:-
he could not understand a section of people who deliberately wanted to create mischief and made propaganda that the Constitution of Pakistan would not be made on the basis of Sharia
Now, the distortion is intentional. "Conflict" is a far different word than "made the basis of".
Constitution not being in conflict with Sharia supports Jinnah's views that Pakistan would be the laboratory of Islam, a place open to religious interpretation and which will not violate any fundamentals of Islam. The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 had already laid the basis of Shariat as Muslim Personal Law (and it continues in Secular India today). Muslim Personal Law was what Jinnah had and always supported. His words were always "create the constitution" rather than saying that it was some divine document handed over to us.
Similarly, the "make propaganda" has been inserted. It clearly shows at first sight that it itself is a forgery for Jinnah had far better English to know that "make propaganda" isn't right and secondly it has been conjured out of thin air to appeal to the conspiracy theory laden mind as to point out that Jinnah himself knew that there would be "propaganda" against the supposedly theocratic state. Jinnah said "nervousness" about the issue, the party that distorted the quote for its own purposes uses "mischief" and "propaganda" because it seeks to perpetuate an image where Islam and Pakistan are victims of a foreign conspiracy supported by local "traitors" and all locals who claim Jinnah's secularism are actually traitors who "make propaganda". For people claiming to be the bastions of Islam, the patent holders of religion and the guardians of the Forts of Islam, the use of such cheap tactics clearly demonstrates how low they can go to make their point.
Also note the intention of leaving out the last sentence for it advocates democracy, freedom of religion, and equality regardless of religion, creed, race or any other basis (as it can be established from many other speeches).
The intentional fudging of the quote clearly demonstrates the lack of evidence available to those who want to paint Jinnah as an Islamist rather than a Secular Muslim Leader. If you cannot differentiate between Muslim Nationalistic State and an Islamic State, then the original and the fudged one will appear the same to you. If Maududi, Israr Ahmed and all other religious figures cannot declare him Kafir e Azam as they did before Partition for Jinnah is the declared founder and a revered figure, they have chosen to fudge facts and history and even claim that Jinnah supported the system of Khilafa and Pan-Islamic thought.
What Jinnah always believed in is the following:-
"The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Constituent Assembly. I do not know what the ultimate shape of the constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be a democratic type, embodying the essential principles of Islam"
Jinnah's support for Muslim Personal Law is well known. He was far too far sighted to realize that advocating a theocratic state in a pluralistic, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and diverse society would be disastrous and tantamount to advocating the oppression of a large population in the name of religion.
“This Dominion which represents the fulfillment in a certain measure, of the cherished goal of 100 million Muslims of this sub-continent, came into existence on August 15, 1947. Pakistan is the premier Islamic state and the fifth largest in the world"
I have earlier expressed my intentions not to support my claim rather disprove/point out flaws in yours. But this quote forces me to quote the most direct association with the word "Islamic State" that Jinnah advocated against.
The Raja started off by saying that since the Lahore resolution had been passed earlier that year, if and when Pakistan was formed, it was undoubtedly to be an Islamic State with the Sunna and Shariah as its bedrock. The Quaid’s face went red and he turned to ask Raja whether he had taken leave of his senses. Mr. Jinnah added: `Did you realize that there are over seventy sects and differences of opinion regarding the Islamic faith, and if what the Raja was suggesting was to be followed, the consequences would be a struggle of religious opinion from the very inception of the State leading to its very dissolution. Mr. Jinnah banged his hands on the table and said: We shall not be an Islamic State but a Liberal Democratic Muslim State.
Ian Bryant Wells, Ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity Page 21
During 1941-45, we advocated that Pakistan should be an Islamic State. I must confess I was very enthusiastic about it and in my speeches I constantly propagated my ideas. My advocacy of an Islamic State brought me into conflict with Jinnah. He thoroughly disapproved of my ideas and dissuaded me from expressing them publicly and the league platform and lest the people might be led to believe that Jinnah shares my vie and that he was asking me to convey such ideas to the public. As I was convinced that I was right and did not want to compromise Jinnah's position, I decided to cut myself away and for nearly two years kept my distance from him, apart from seeing him during the working committee meetings and other formal occasions.
Malik Ghulam Nabi, Daghon Ki Baraat
