Maulana Wahiduddin Khan<\/strong>, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called \u2019Islam\u2019s spiritual ambassador to the world\u2019 and is recognised as one of its most influential Muslims1 . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.<\/p>\n ANTI-ISLAM IN THE NAME OF ISLAM<\/strong><\/p>\n SOME time ago, I met a Muslim who lives in America. In conversation, he mentioned that these days the image of Islam has become so negative in America that he hesitates to tell anyone he is a Muslim. \u2018If anyone asks me my religion,\u2019 he explained, \u2018I say that my religion is Humanism. If I tell them that I believe in Islam, they will at once say, \u201cThen you must be a terrorist!\u201d<\/p>\n The man accused the media of creating this image of Islam. But I replied, \u2018No. This image has been created by Muslims themselves. It is a fact that Muslims are engaged in violent movements in various places in the name of Islam, which the media reports. Because Muslims spearhead these violent movements in the name of Islam, the media also attributes them to Islam. How can the media call them by some other name?\u2019<\/p>\n The man responded by saying that just a few Muslims were engaged in such violent movements. Hence, he protested, it was wrong to create a negative image about all Muslims. My answer was, \u2018It is true that relatively few Muslims are engaged in such movements. But,<\/p>\n 1. The World\u2019s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2012, Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan.<\/p>\n it is also true that the rest of the Muslims do not openly denounce such movements. They are silent. Hence, in accordance with Islamic principles, it would not be wrong to say that even if only a few people are directly responsible for spearheading these violent and hate driven movements in the name of Islam, the rest of the Muslims are indirectly responsible for them.\u2019<\/p>\n This approach of Muslims is extremely lamentable. In the name of establishing \u2018Islamic Government\u2019 and \u2018The Prophetic System\u2019 (Nizam-e Mustafa) and engaging in \u2018Islamic Jihad\u2019, such acts are being committed as are completely opposed to Islam. Instead of attracting people to the religion of God, these deeds are only driving them away from it.<\/p>\n The Islamic System\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In present times, numerous violent movements are being spearheaded in the name of establishing the \u2018Islamic System\u2019 or the \u2018Prophetic System\u2019. These movements are a ruse for gaining political leadership in the name of Islam. This is despite the fact that launching and conducting a movement to acquire political dominance is not permissible in Islam. The aim of a genuine Islamic movement is the Islamisation of individuals, not the Islamisation of the government or the state. For centuries the Sufis focused on the Islamisation of individuals, using peaceful methods. Never did they become a source for spreading hatred and violence. The Sufis have always promoted peace and humanity, while the socalled \u2018revolutionary Islamic\u2019 movements of today are producing diametrically opposite results.<\/p>\n Because Muslims spearhead these violent movements The linking of Islam with hatred and violence is entirely the result of the misguidance of modern-day so-called Muslim leaders, who are spearheading violent movements in a quest to acquire political power. They have made Islam seem like a religion of hatred and violence, whereas the Islam sent by God is a religion of peace and concern for the welfare for all. A true Muslim is concerned about the welfare of humanity, not someone who is at war with humanity.<\/p>\n Islamic Jihad<\/strong><\/p>\n If someone were to sit somewhere and move one\u2019s hands about and stand up and then claim to be offering prayers in the Islamic way, his actions would not represent the Islamic form of prayer. The Islamic form of prayer has well defined conditions. Only if an action adheres to these conditions can it be said to constitute the Islamic form of prayer.<\/p>\n The same holds true of Islamic Jihad (struggle in the way of God) which has clearly determined conditions or requisites. An action that fully observes these conditions would, in God\u2019s eyes be a jihad. Anything else is meaningless agitation, certainly not a jihad in the true sense.<\/p>\n Islamic jihad is engaging in the path of God. To unleash war for the sake of power, wealth and other worldly things and call it jihad, is nothing but strife or fasad. Involvement in such actions cannot, under any conditions, be credited as Islamic jihad. According to Islamic shariah only an established government has the prerogative of declaring war. An individual or a group has no authority to declare war on its own against anyone in the name of jihad. No matter what complaint an individual or a group may have, it must necessarily act within peaceful limits. It is in no way legitimate for it to resort to war and violence.<\/p>\n The aim of a genuine Islamic movement is the Islamisation Jihad, in the form of qital or war, is a wholly defensive action. Aggressive qital or offensive war is forbidden in Islam. Even if faced with an aggressive attack from another community, all possible efforts should be made to stave off war. War can be resorted to only when all efforts to stave it off or avoid it have failed. The opponents of the Prophet sought to entangle him in war and confrontation on more than eighty occasions, but he was able to avoid fighting through wise action. Only on three occasions (the battles of Badr, Uhud and Hunayn), when no option was left but war, did he participate in fighting.<\/p>\n Another aspect of a legitimate war in Islam is that it should be an open affair. To engage in secret military actions is unlawful in Islam. Proxy war is also regarded by Islam as illegitimate, because in such a war the government uses a group to engage in violence by providing it covert assistance, but it does not directly participate in the war.<\/p>\n Hostage-Taking\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n These days, a few Muslims are resorting to violence against their imaginary enemies through hijacking and taking people hostage. Such tactics are completely illegitimate in Islam. These misguided people have absolutely no fear of being held to account by God. Else they would never do such terrible deeds which target and harm innocent people. These cowardly actions are wholly against humanity as well as against the religion of God.<\/p>\n An instance from the life of the Prophet illustrates why taking people as hostages is un-Islamic. Opponents of the Prophet in Makkah captured some Muslims and kept them prisoners. The Prophet had entered into a treaty with the Makkans at Hudaybiya. While entering into this treaty, he did not ask the Makkans to return the captured men. He unilaterally announced freeing all Makkan polytheists falling into Muslims\u2019 hands and sending them back. This indicates that even if their opponents took hostages, it was still not legitimate for Muslims to retaliate similarly.<\/p>\n The Real Culprits<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Who then, are really responsible for stirring up a storm of hatred and violence in the name of Islam? Muslim youth engaged in these hate-driven and violent acts cannot be responsible. The blame falls squarely on the so-called \u2018Islamic thinkers\u2019, who in the name of \u2018Islamic Revolution\u2019, gave these youth an ideology that led to such devastating consequences. These so-called \u2018Islamic thinkers\u2019 have concocted a false political interpretation of Islam.<\/p>\n No matter what complaint an individual or a group The method of Islam is the method of dawah (communication of the message of God). The opposite is the method of politics. The two are direct opposites\u2014dawah is based on peace, politics is based on confrontation. People who choose the political method consider others their enemies. This has resulted in Islamic movements turning into political movements and unfortunately associating Islam with all those terrible deeds.<\/p>\n By its inherent nature, dawah looks upon opponents as potential friends. Typically, politicians see others as their rivals and foes. This is why dawah-related action engenders a \u2018mercy culture\u2019, while political agitation produces a \u2018hate culture\u2019. In a society characterized by \u2018mercy culture\u2019, goodness will flourish; \u2018hate culture\u2019 will only spread violence. Goodness can never coexist with hatred.<\/p>\n \u00a0The Real Work To Be Done<\/strong><\/p>\n The fact of the matter is that the present-day political agitations and the violence fermented by Muslims are not just un-Islamic but are also completely useless. Recent history provides ample evidence of this.<\/p>\n By its inherent nature, dawah (communication of the In the first half of the 20th century, most Muslim countries were directly or indirectly under the control of Western powers. Then, movements for their independence were launched. Today, these Muslim countries are politically independent. Some 60 in number, Muslim states taken together form the largest block among the members of the United Nations. Despite this, Muslims carry no weight at the global political level. The reason being that in the ancient past political dominance counted for everything; today it has been reduced to a secondary status. Presently, education, knowledge, science, technology and economics are considered more important. Merely being politically independent does not count for much in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n Muslim countries are today considerably behind others in these nonpolitical spheres and consequently lack a standing on the global map. Most of their people are poorly educated or uneducated. In the fields of science and technology, they are still dependent on Western countries. By modern standards, they have not achieved economic progress. Despite being politically sovereign, they are backward in areas that matter. In reality, they are still dominated by others.Several Muslim countries have, so they claim, witnessed an \u2018Islamic Revolution\u2019\u2014for instance, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, etc. However, these so-called \u2018Islamic states\u2019 are suffering from the same serious problems as secular Muslim states. These so-called Islamic countries are as backward as the latter in the intellectual and economic fields. The real work today is to help Muslims advance in these spheres. This work has nothing to do with politics or political dominance. Such non-political work is possible only in a purely peaceful framework. There is no occasion to spread hatred or instigate violence. This work is entirely positive and motivating.<\/p>\n Maulana Wahiduddin Khan<\/strong> [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n A Good Harvest<\/strong><\/p>\n HUMAN life is divided into two periods\u2014the pre-death period and the post-death period. The limited period before death is a test period for us and the eternal period after death is to receive reward or punishment depending on our performance in the test. Those who qualify will be rewarded with Paradise, and those who fail will be sent to Hell.<\/p>\n This is the scheme of creation as devised by the Creator. The goal of creation is to select those people fit to inhabit the world of Paradise. The evil that people do creates the environment required for testing and selecting those who will inhabit Paradise. On completion of this test period there will be no need for the existence of this world or of those who have failed in the test. The only thing that will remain will be Paradise and those who have been selected to reside in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n To make people aware of this plan, the Creator has made elaborate arrangements. Firstly, a deep consciousness of this has been placed in human nature itself. It is common experience that total fulfilment cannot be found in the present world. Everyone leads a discontented life and leaves the world in this same state. This general discontentedness is a reminder to everyone that their destination lies somewhere else; that their desired world is not the world before death and that they should strive to find it in their life after death.<\/p>\n The Creator has made this world such that no one can find a life of comfort here. It is riddled with problems, diseases, accidents, boredom and all kinds of unpleasant situations, until death finally overcomes one within a short span of time. These are repeated reminders of the fact that man cannot build a world of his dreams in this ephemeral abode; that this world is decisively insufficient for the fulfilment of his desires. This unpleasant situation compels him to continue the search for reality.<\/p>\n The sufferings of some stand as lessons to others. There are some who are paralyzed and confined for life to a wheel-chair; others suffer from incurable diseases losing all charm in life. These are the Creator\u2019s sign-posts exposing the transitory nature of life in this world. They are reminders that it is just not possible for us to build a world of our own choice in this life.<\/p>\n Those who play the role of God\u2019s sign-posts appear to be in great suffering. But there is good news for them. On the Day of Judgment their deeds will be accepted by God. They may not have been able to perform great deeds, but their patient and silent suffering will be accepted by God. Patience and willingness to endure what God had destined for them will alone suffice to gain entry into Paradise.<\/p>\n The knowledge of this reality is not alien to man. Through different sources, man has come to understand that he cannot build a world of his choice in this life span; that whosoever performs good deeds will be able to find a world of his choice only in Paradise, in the life span after death. Paradise will be built in the next world, but the heavenly personality that will inhabit Paradise is to be built in this world.<\/p>\n What is Paradise? This world a miniscule model, is in a sense, an introduction to Paradise. Paradise is in fact, the perfect version of the present world. All the blessings of the present world will be available in the heavenly world, the difference being that the present world is imperfect, while the world of Paradise is total perfection; this world is far from ideal but the heavenly world will be an ideal world; the present world is ephemeral, while the world of Paradise will be eternal.<\/p>\n This world and Paradise are worlds apart. There is fear and grief in the present world, pollution and all kinds of suffering. In Paradise, there will be no fear, no grief, no pollution, or suffering. Paradise will have no limitations or boundaries; this world is full of limitations and disadvantages. Man will have a sense of absolute fulfilment in Paradise, whereas, in this present world no one can enjoy this sense of fulfilment.<\/p>\n Hell is a place quite opposite of Paradise. The sufferings and disadvantages we experience in our lives in this world will be all brought together.<\/p>\n The period before death is the period of sowing the seeds, while the The periods before death and post-death are linked and can be compared to the sowing and reaping of the harvest. The period before death is the period of sowing the seeds, while the period after death is for reaping the harvest. \u201dAs you sow, so shall you reap\u201d is an eternal principle that applies to the life span after death as it does to the life before death.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”UNNECESSARY COMPLAINTS” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Ride The Waves Of Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n THE British MP, Enoch Powell (d. 1998) once made an interesting comment about political leaders who complain about the media. He felt that such complaints were unnecessary or unjustified. \u201cA politician who complains about the media\u201d, he said, \u201cis like a ship\u2019s captain complaining about the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n This comment is absolutely true. However, it applies not just to political leaders but to all people. Most complaints against others are needless. While the issue is actually not something to complain about, it has been turned into a cause for one.<\/p>\n This world is established on the principles of nature. Life in this world is like a vast ocean, full of waves. Living in society, we will always face one wave after another. The sensible way to deal with the waves that appear in our lives is to consider them as challenges. Instead of complaining about the waves that come our way, we should learn the art of successfully riding over or bypassing them.<\/p>\n \u00a0Challenges are for our own good. They come into our lives to train us; That we have to face many waves or challenges in life is not something bad or wrong. In fact, challenges are for our own good. They come into our lives to train us; to increase our wisdom and to strengthen us. Difficulties are experiences, and without such experiences one cannot become a complete person. We should learn lessons from our experiences and stop complaining about them.<\/p>\n Live as a flower<\/strong><\/p>\n Spiritual behaviour is friendly behaviour towards [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”THE PRACTICE OF SATAN” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Disagreement To Rebellion<\/strong><\/p>\n ACCORDING to the Quran, at the time of the creation of Adam, Satan showed dissent with God\u2019s creation plan. Satan did not let these \u2018disagreements\u2019 with God remain at the level of a difference of opinion, but took it further towards rebellion against God. He made a rebellious plan to turn all of mankind against God. This is quoted in the Quran in the following words:<\/p>\n Satan said (to God), \u2018Because You have led me astray, I will lie in ambush for them (mankind) on Your straight path: then I will surely come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful\u2019. (THE QURAN 7: 16-17)<\/p>\n There are two ways of dealing when differing with others. One is to keep differences as a personal disagreement and limit them to a personal level. The other method is to escalate the differences to discord and enmity, spreading negative propaganda and becoming an enemy of the person. The first method of dealing with differences is acceptable, but the other method is following the practice of Satan. Those who do so are at risk of being included with the \u2018devil\u2019s partisans\u2019 in the court of God. (THE QURAN 58: 19)<\/p>\n It is natural for man to have differences with others. But to create false or negative propaganda against others; to prevent others from supporting them; to try to destroy their means of livelihood; to target their faith and intentions; to falsely accuse them of wrongdoing\u2014all these are following in the footsteps of Satan. Those who do so, are undoubtedly the followers of Satan even if they package their case in the most \u2018religious\u2019 terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Missionary Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n What inspires a man more than anything is to have a great [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. The fact is that peace is deeply linked with the whole of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action\u2014small or big\u2014is at all possible.<\/p>\n ISLAMIC PACIFISM<\/strong><\/p>\n A Practical Model Of Peace<\/p>\n SOME years ago, American forces organised a military operation and killed Osama bin Laden. Both when alive and when he was killed, there was much talk about him.<\/p>\n Lessons contained in any incident or event are always of interest. What one learns from this event is that militancy is clearly no option at all for anyone\u2014for an individual, a group, a country or a superpower. Why? Because something that does not produce any result cannot be an option at all.<\/p>\n Osama staged a massive operation through his Al-Qaeda network. It was the biggest act of terror that the world had ever seen\u2014planes crashing into the Twin Towers in New York. No one had ever heard of such daring terror before. Despite this unprecedented terror operation America remains just as it was. Its strength unimpaired. For its part, America organized a big, well-planned operation. It identified Osama\u2019s hideout in Pakistan and managed to kill him. But killing Osama the individual did not put an end to the \u2018Osama phenomenon\u2019. Osama is dead, but his ideology is still alive, and acts of terror continue.<\/p>\n What is the lesson from this? As mentioned earlier, violence is no option at all\u2014for anyone, individual or a state. It only results in greater destruction, greater evil, and nothing else. History testifies to this. Yet strangely, violence has been present throughout human history<\/p>\n There is much talk today\u2014as before\u2014about peace and pacifism. That we need an ideology of peace is something every sensible person acknowledges. But where is that practical ideology of peace? People often say, \u201cWe must have peace. War is such a bad thing.\u201d True, but for this we need a workable ideology of peace, one that will effectively rule out any and every justification to resort to war.<\/p>\n People think injustice leads to war, and that, therefore, those denied justice should first be given justice for peace to prevail. This is a flawed concept. You may think you have given justice to someone, but he may not think he has received his just due. And so, he will remain dissatisfied and disgruntled and can easily take to violence.This demand for \u2018just peace\u2019 cannot work. It can never result in peace.<\/p>\n The only way to establish peace is to work for peace for its own sake, unconditionally, and not link it with justice or human rights or anything else. Agreeing unilaterally to peace will open doors to many opportunities to progress. Availing these opportunities, one can obtain all those things including justice.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is the only workable formula for peace and also the formula that Islam recommends. Islam is an ideology of peace and presents this eminently workable formula for peace, yet strangely, Muslims have failed to understand this or convey it to others.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0But killing Osama the individual did not put an end to the \u2018Osama phenomenon\u2019. The Prophet and his companions embodied the Islamic model of peace, but soon after their time, derailment set in among Muslims, so much so that even today Muslims are engaged in violence, which they have wrongly named as \u2018jihad\u2019. According to a Hadith (words of the prophet) report, the Prophet Muhammad said that in the later period, a group among his ummah (followers) would consume wine. When asked why they would do so (when God has expressly forbidden it), the Prophet said that these people would give a new name to wine and declare it lawful. (Al-Darimi)<\/p>\n That is what some Muslims have done in the case of terrorism, too. They have sought to declare terrorism as legitimate by calling it \u2018jihad\u2019 and making it permissible. This is a case of repackaging something unlawful as lawful by giving it a fictitious name.<\/p>\n The Prophet was born in 570 CE in Makkah and started his mission in 610 CE. The chapter Al-Muddaththir in the Quran was among the early revelations received by the Prophet. At the start of this chapter, God addresses the Prophet thus:\u00a0<\/p>\n O, you, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning! Proclaim the glory of your Lord; purify your garments; shun uncleanness; do not bestow a favour in the expectation of receiving more in return; and for the sake of your Lord, be patient. (THE QURAN 74: 1-7)<\/p>\n Patience or Sabr is not defeatism nor is it a passive attitude. Patience means to think over issues in a cool and calm manner\u2014without resorting to reaction, to resentment, to hate or, to revenge. It is engaging in positive planning. At the very outset, this was told to the Prophet. How amazing! The Quran (4: 128) also says as-sulh khair or \u2018reconciliation is best\u2019. Sulh means \u2018peace\u2019, and as-sulh khair indicates that a peaceful settlement of disputes is the best. This clearly indicates the importance of the peaceful method in Islam.<\/p>\n Another Quranic verse says: \u201cLet them not dispute with you on this matter\u201d (22: 67). This means that Muslims should not give others an opportunity to dispute with them. The Arabic style of expression used in this verse means that they should not give their opponents a chance to enter into controversy with them. For example, in Arabic it is said: La yadribannaka Zaydun. This phrase literally means that \u2018Zayd should surely not beat you\u2019. However, the sense implied in this sentence is: \u2018You should surely not give Zayd an opportunity to beat you.\u2019 Believers should adopt a course of action that does not lead to confrontation but seek to maintain an environment of peace. Why? Because without this, it is not possible to call people to God. These two Quranic verses (4: 128 and 22: 67), tell us the path we should adopt.<\/p>\n Life involves facing situations that you will not like, are unpleasant for you and will be against your desires. Differences are a part of nature. Given that problems are bound to appear, what should we do?<\/p>\n What we should do is to learn to manage problems, rather than fight them. This is the formula that Islam gives\u2014manage problems, rather than seek to fight them or try to eliminate them. This is also the formula of pacifism. Many people hope for a problem-free life. They want injustice and oppression to be completely eliminated. Only Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 15 then, they say, can there be peace. This is Utopian thinking and will never happen. And then what do these people do? They establish organizations in the name of peace. Some even pick up weapons in the name of attaining \u2018just peace\u2019. Others bring crowds into the streets to shout and demonstrate in the name of peace. Such an approach creates many problems. Like physical violence, this \u2018street activism\u2019, too, produces agitation. It produces agitated minds. It fills people\u2019s minds with hate, with the \u2018us-versus-them\u2019 mind-set. It is based on opposition to others, on the belief that others are oppressors and that you are oppressed, that others have deprived you of your rights and that therefore you need justice, else there will be no peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 Violence is no option at all\u2014for anyone, individual or a state. It only results in greater Whether someone picks up a gun or engages in street activism, bringing people into the streets, mobilising crowds and engaging in the politics of sloganeering, it is all the same thing. Neither of these methods is condoned in Islam. The Prophet never adopted a policy of agitation, of demonstrations, of slogans even though he faced many problems. This formula of \u2018just peace\u2019 can never work; it can never bring about peace. Why? Because there are bound to be problems in this world since this is a part of God\u2019s creation plan itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Differences between people will always exist. People are bound to get hurt by other\u2019s attitudes and behaviour. All these are included in God\u2019s creation plan. So, learn to accept problems as part of life. Recognise that you cannot eliminate problems. All you can do is to manage them.<\/p>\n According to a Hadith report, the Prophet said:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGod grants to rifq (non-violence) what He does not grant to unf (violence)\u201d. (Abu Dawood)<\/p>\n The Prophet of Islam was an embodiment of this principle. In his years as a prophet in Makkah, he faced innumerable challenges. He was persecuted. His companions were beaten. He was boycotted. His opponents made it difficult for him to stay on in the town. But in this entire period of 13 long years never did he engage in agitation, nor take out a demonstration or start a fight. When the number of Muslims grew, some of Prophet\u2019s companions suggested that they fight to end Violence is no option at all\u2014for anyone, individual or a state. It only results in greater destruction, greater evil, and nothing else. History testifies to this. 16 Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 oppression. But the Prophet did not allow this. He told his companions that he had not been given permission to fight, and he exhorted them to keep patience. That is, he advised them to solve the problems they were facing through patient planning. This is what is called \u2018problem management\u2019.<\/p>\n Look at how the Prophet managed problems. The Prophet\u2019s opponents in Makkah plotted to kill him, thinking it would solve the challenge that his mission posed to them. And when this was decided in the tribal parliament, the Dar al-Nadwa, what happened? At night, the Prophet silently came out of his house, took Abu Bakr\u2014a childhood friend and Companion\u2014with him, and left Makkah for Madinah so that there could be no chance for confrontation.\u00a0<\/p>\n This was a way of managing a challenging situation. Had the Prophet announced and left Makkah, had he left in the day time instead of at night, had he left the town after having a quarrel or argument with those who opposed him, it would have caused a confrontation. You, too, must learn how to avoid confrontation and manage problems that you will face in your life. The basic principle to bear in mind is that peaceful settlement of problems is the best way. \u2019As-sulh khair\u2019, as the Quran says.<\/p>\n The Quran advises not to give others the chance to enter into confrontation with you. It takes two hands to clap. If you refuse to raise your hand to strike against someone there will not be a clap! Likewise, avoid anything that might give others the opportunity or excuse to resort to violence. That also means that you should not engage in violence yourself.<\/p>\n Years of persecution in Makkah made the Prophet shift to Madinah. Never did he utter a word against the oppression of the Makkans. But what do most people do? They rant and rave against their \u2018oppressors\u2019. They complain about human rights\u2019 violations and injustice. These days, a new buzzword is \u2018internationalisation\u2019. People now go about internationalising their alleged persecution. Some Muslim groups have placed their people in Europe and America to \u2018internationalise\u2019 issues, such as that of Kashmir and Palestine. But all this was not the method of the Prophet. The hue and cry about \u2018persecution\u2019 and the \u2018internationalising\u2019 of these issues further exacerbates existing problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n Never did the Prophet resort to such methods. Not once in his life in Madinah did he ever speak against the Makkans. But because they were polytheists and considered the Prophet’s message of tawhid or the oneness of God to be a threat, they took to the offensive by unleashing battles against him. But the Prophet managed these battles in such a way that they turned into mere skirmishes. All the so-called ghazwas (wars) which the Prophet fought were actually skirmishes, not wars. They began in the afternoon and ended the same evening. This is by no means a \u2018war\u2019. Wars are like the First and the Second World War. The \u2018battles\u2019 of Badr and Uhud that the Prophet engaged in which lasted half a day, were only skirmishes.<\/p>\n Why did they turn out to be skirmishes when the Makkans wanted to unleash war? The Makkans attacked, in the hope of fighting, but the Prophet\u2019s wise management with his peaceful policy, transformed them into mere skirmishes. Take, for instance, the Battle of Khandaq also called the \u2018Battle of the Trench\u2019. But how was it a battle? An army of Makkans 12,000 strong advanced towards Madinah. When the Prophet came to know of this\u2014keeping himself informed was part of his management system\u2014he took his companions and arranged for a trench to be dug around the portion of Madinah that was open to attack. The Makkans arrived at the trench, laid siege there for a fortnight and then returned. There was no fighting. This is another example of the Prophet\u2019s method of problem management.\u00a0<\/p>\n Believers should adopt a course of action that does not lead to confrontation but Yet another example of the Prophet\u2019s policy of pacifism is his peace negotiations with the Quraysh. The Quraysh, the most influential tribe in Arabia, were opponents of the Prophet. The Prophet entered into talks with them at a place called Hudaibiya until they finally agreed to a peace treaty. However, the Quraysh laid down some conditions that weighed heavily against the Muslims. For instance, a clause of the treaty said that if after the signing of the treaty a Makkan accepted Islam and went to Madinah, he would have to be sent back to Makkah. There were several other conditions like this.<\/p>\n On the paper on which the text of the treaty was written, the Prophet was referred to as \u2018Muhammad, the Prophet of God\u2019, but the Makkans objected to this. As they did not believe he was a prophet of God, Believers should adopt a course of action that does not lead to confrontation but seek to maintain an environment of peace. 18 Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 they demanded that the phrase \u2018Muhammad, the Prophet of God\u2019 be replaced by \u2018Muhammad, son of Abdullah\u2019. The Prophet\u2019s companion Ali, who was writing the treaty on paper, was not ready to do this. Then, the Prophet erased these words with his own hands and agreed to write \u2018Muhammad, son of Abdullah\u2019. This peace treaty of Hudaibiya was another brilliant instance of the Prophet\u2019s management of problems.<\/p>\n There are no hard-and-fast rules for managing problems. It is dependent on the situation, requires discernment and an open mind while choosing the course of action. With wisdom determine what needs acceptance or rejection in order to avoid confrontation.<\/p>\n Scholars generally define peace as the absence of war. Peace is a positive term, so why give it a negative definition? The right definition of peace must have a positive content which is the presence of opportunities. So, a more comprehensive definition of peace is: a state of the absence of war and the presence of opportunities. When peace is established, opportunities will emerge. Availing these can lead to growth and progress. That is what happened in the wake of the Hudaibiya no-war treaty. It led to increased, peaceful interaction between Muslims and others, enabling them to learn about Islam. In a mere two years, a large number of people entered the fold of Islam, and when the Prophet marched towards Makkah 10,000 companions accompanied him. This event was predicted in the Bible. \u2018He came with ten thousands of saints\u2019 (Deuteronomy 33: 2), the Bible says. This is the miracle of peace.<\/p>\n The Prophet then sent letters to the rulers of lands adjacent to Arabia and dispatched envoys to different tribes in Arabia to convey the message of Islam. Entire tribes embraced Islam, another miracle of peace. In this way, the Prophet provided a model and an ideology of peace. Following this he established some very important principles to maintain peace, two of which are mentioned here. One relates to internal revolt or khuruj, rebellion against an established government. The Prophet declared this to be haram or unlawful in Islam. He laid down that once a government is established in a country, one must accept it.<\/p>\n This was not meant to encourage a passive attitude. If you do not rebel against a government, you will engage in peaceful work, such as inviting people to God, promoting education, running businesses etc. The political field is just one of hundred fields, and you still have opportunities to work in the remaining ninety nine. But if instead, you Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 19 involve yourself in that one political field; all work in the remaining fields comes to a complete halt. That is why the Prophet declared revolt against an established government to be unlawful.<\/p>\n This issue is so important that in his commentary on the Sahih Muslim (a collection of traditions attributed to the Prophet), the 13th century Islamic scholar Imam al-Nawawi, while asserting revolt (khuruj) as unlawful, says that if you have differences with the ruler, then you should personally communicate with him. That is, take an appointment with the ruler and engage in a one-to-one conversation with him. He adds that as far as khuruj against the ruler is concerned, it is haram or unlawful according to the consensus of the religious scholars. Even if the ruler is corrupt or oppressive.<\/p>\n The Prophet has clearly laid down the principle regarding internal politics of a country that once a government is established, it is wrong to engage in the politics of opposition. Instead, one must engage in the politics of construction in other fields while avoiding political confrontation. The Prophet affirms another principle for relations with other countries. He declared aggressive war against other countries or states unlawful. No Muslim has the right to attack another country and invade it. However if another country attacks a Muslim country, the Muslim government can fight in self-defence. Islam permits only defensive war. Even in defensive war it should be understood that one should not rush to fight as soon as one hears news of war. A Muslim state should first resort to peaceful negotiation and try to understand the motives for the aggression. These methods aim to avoid or to minimize war. Should all such efforts fail and the other country attacks, then only a limited defensive war is permissible, and nothing more than that. A limited armed action is allowed only to put an end to aggression. This again has conditions. A Muslim force can only fight with the members of the attacking army or combatants, and not non-combatants.<\/p>\n To understand the implications of this today, you must keep in mind today\u2019s context, which is very different from 7th century Arabia. We live in the age of weapons of mass destruction. In this age, no war can be fought in which non-combatants are not killed. This, therefore, means that according to Islam, today war is not possible at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, at the internal level, the Prophet has declared political revolt unlawful and stressed that Muslims should focus only on constructive 20 Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 activities. On the external front, he allowed only for a defensive war in the face of clear aggression. He specified that even in this case, it is not permissible to kill non-combatants. Since in today\u2019s age of weapons of mass destruction it is not possible that non-combatants will not be killed during a war, there is only one option for Muslims now\u2014and that is peaceful settlement of disputes. The option of war has ended.<\/p>\n This is Islamic pacifism. It is unfortunate that Muslims have forgotten this and have been unable to deliver the message of Islamic pacifism to the world. Muslims are as unaware of this ideology of peace as others are. The reason for this is that throughout history\u2014and equally today\u2014 there is a very big evil called \u2018selective reporting\u2019. At home, a motherin-law does selective reporting of her daughter-in-law to her son, and a daughter-in-law does selective reporting of her mother-in-law to her husband. Neither of them will provide the full story. This is a mentality that has been carried down over the centuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n The historical treatises written by Muslims are all characterised by selective reporting. They talk a great deal about battles and wars, but almost nothing about other issues. The Prophet engaged in dawah work, inviting people to God, and so did his companions. Following this, vast numbers of people embraced Islam, but details of the spread of Islam are not recorded in history books written by Muslims. The first book specifically on this subject was written in the 19th century by a British scholar, Professor T.W. Arnold\u2014titled, The Preaching of Islam.<\/p>\n How strange it is that all books on Muslim history by Muslim authors suffered from this sort of selective reporting! They mention little or nothing of the peaceful activities that resulted in the great spread of Islam, but focus almost wholly on wars and political victories. Even the titles of their historic writings reflect this\u2014Futuh al-Sham (Conquests of Syria), Kitab Futuh al-Buldan (The Book of the Conquests of the Lands), and many such books. \u2018Islamic history\u2019 was mostly about wars and conquests. To them, the later period of Muslim history was a chronicle of the military conquests of lands, although had the Prophet, his companions and other early Muslims not engaged in tremendous and peaceful work, there would not be more than a billion Muslims in the world today.<\/p>\n More than one billion Muslims! How did that happen? Can anyone embrace and willingly follow a religion at the point of a sword? No! Today, there are almost 60 countries with a Muslim majority. It Spirit of Islam Issue 32 August 2015 21 happened due to peaceful work. But in the books of history written by Muslims, there is little or no mention of this. Developments that came about through peaceful efforts have not found a place in these books, whereas only events like wars and political victories are related. This is selective reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n This trend continues even today and we are victims of such selective reporting. An interview with a Muslim news journalist is an example of this attitude. His questions were all about Muslims being allegedly oppressed across the world. In response to the questions, his attention was drawn to the fact that his source of information about such oppression was the media and he was quoting what he had read or heard in the media.\u00a0<\/p>\n The media is an industry of selective reporting. It highlights sensational reports, and ignores other news. The Muslim media claims that Muslims are being oppressed and besieged by others etc., but this is totally baseless. There are ninety nine good things happening with Muslims, but the media ignores these to focus on the one negative news. And that one piece of information is highlighted in such a way that people assume, it reflects the totality of the Muslims\u2019 reality. This is the damage caused by selective reporting.<\/p>\n There is only one option for Muslims now\u2014and that is peaceful settlement In another example of selective reporting, a newspaper carried reports of communal riots in a city in northern India. Upon visiting the city it was observed that people were, going about their business as usual. Where utter chaos was expected in the entire city, there was nothing of the sort. Upon enquiry about the location of the riots, it was found out that it had happened in a small locality but the newspapers gave out the news under a sensational heading “Riots rock the city\u201d.<\/p>\n There has been enormous selective reporting in the writing of Muslim history, and today, in the age of the media, selective reporting continues unabated. All of this keeps people away from peace. It drives them into hate, anger, and enmity. We need to work to bring about a new history, a new age. We need to reprocess history. That will make people understand how meaningful and relevant the ideology of peace is and how peace can be established.\u00a0<\/p>\n BOOKS<\/p>\n Read online or download<\/p>\n literature by Maulana<\/p>\n Wahiduddin Khan in 11 languages!<\/p>\n cpsglobal.org\/books<\/a><\/p>\n ARTICLES\u00a0<\/p>\n Read Maulana\u2019s writings as he<\/p>\n expounds on the spiritual wisdom<\/p>\n of the religion of Islam.<\/p>\n VIDEOS<\/p>\n Watch Maulana Wahiduddin Khan<\/p>\n deal with the pressing issues of<\/p>\n our times\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n cpsglobal.org\/videos<\/a><\/p>\n PODCASTS<\/p>\n Listen to the audio of Maulana<\/p>\n Wahiduddin Khan\u2019s books and<\/p>\n lectures.<\/p>\n
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in the name of Islam,the media also attributes them to Islam.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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of individuals, not the Islamisation of the government or the state.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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may have, it must necessarily act within peaceful limits.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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message of God) looks upon opponents as potential friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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period after death is for reaping the harvest.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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to increase our wisdom and to strengthen us.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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every human being\u2014to friends and foes alike.
It is like the behaviour of flowers that can live with
all their fragrance in the neighbourhood of thorns.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
mission before him. That is what arouses a man\u2019s hidden
potential. It makes him a peak performer.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/spiritofislam.co.in\/spiritnew\/images\/bird.png\")
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Osama is dead, but his ideology is still alive, and acts of terror continue.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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destruction, greater evil, and nothing else. History testifies to this.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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seek to maintain an environment of peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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of disputes. The option of war has endeds ended \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/strong>In 1992, the Babri mosque was destroyed. The whole world knows about it. People keep talking about it. But do people know that there are still some 5,50,000 mosques intact in India, where prayers are offered and where the azan, the call to prayer, is given, five times every day? No one wants to talk about this! There\u2019s no media reporting about these 5,50,000 mosques, but there is a great furore in the media about just one mosque.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/spiritofislam.co.in\/spiritnew\/images\/777.png\")
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