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All praise is due to Allah, Whose proof of
existence is evident in the signs of His Creation, Whose Wisdom is
Supreme, Whose foresight encompasses all time, and Whose Power is
over all things.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon the greatest of messengers, the seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, and upon his pure progeny, his righteous companions, and
his loyal followers, all of them.
Allah commanded the Noble Prophet (upon whom be
the peace and blessings of Allah) to establish Islam amongst his
people and then to spread it over the world. For the first
10 years of his mission, the Messenger of Allah lived under
dangerous condition where the Quraysh sat on their wealth and
affluence and held at the centre of this prestige their idols and
false deities. During this entire time period, the Prophet
did not once pick up a sword and run into the streets of Makkah to
fight people until they submitted to Islam. Contrary to old
western legends, Islam was not spread by the sword.
Instead, as Allah says in the Qur'an:
Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with
wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that
are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best, who have
strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (Qur'an
16:125)
This was an essential theme throughout the entire
mission of the Prophet. Finally, after the hijra to Madinah,
the covenant with the people of Madinah, and the establishment of
an Islamic community, Muslims were forced to take military action.
Even in this circumstance, the military action was taken to remove
the oppression that the Quraysh had imposed upon the Muslims.
Never was war used as a means to spread the religion or to gain
political power over any people.
The question one might ask is why, if the Muslims
had been oppressed since the beginning of the mission, did they
wait until they migrated to Madinah to fight back with military
expeditions? Why did they not use guerrilla warfare and
other such tactics while in Makkah? The reason is in the
purpose of the Islamic mission. Its mission was to establish
service to Allah, justice, peace, and equality. The
migration to Madinah established alliances with both Muslims (the
Ansar community) and with the Jews.
The Muslims did not engage in warfare until they
had an established governance and were able to execute military
operations without endangering innocent lives (either theirs or
their enemy's). Under no circumstances are Muslims allowed
to kill innocent men, women, or children. We also see from
the life of the Prophet, that the Muslims eventually established
peace with the people of Makkah. They signed the Treaty of
Hudaybiyah, despite the fact that some of the conditions that the
Quraysh requested did not seem to be in favour of the Muslims.
Nevertheless, the thoughtfulness and tact of the Messenger of
Allah in realizing the implications of peace were tremendous.
In only two years of peace, the Muslim community
multiplied and spread. By establishing trust between
themselves and the non-Muslims, they were able to open up
dialogue, invite people to Islam, and gain more allies in Arabia
and also in other countries. The wisdom of peace takes
maturity and foresight into the true goal of the Islamic mission.
The model for human excellence established by our beloved Prophet
is not one of conquering and dominance but rather of peace-loving
dialogue and trust. It is no wonder that for the years
leading up to the beginning of his mission, the Prophet was known
by the Quraysh as As-Sadiq (the Truthful) and Al-Amin (The
Trustworthy).
Even when the Quraysh opposed the Prophet, they
could not ignore his honesty and good will towards them.
Those who were taken as prisoners of war by the Muslims probably
lived better lives than if they had stayed with the disbelievers.
It was through this type of assurance of goodwill and insurance of
alliances that the Muslim community grew and eventually led to the
Conquest of Makkah, which was done without any bloodshed.
The question one must inevitably ask is, where do
we as a Muslim community stand now? We are undoubtedly being
oppressed in the world, and we must undoubtedly stand up against
that oppression. Is this situation, however, the type of
situation that calls for war or for the peaceful dialogue and
da'wah that was the larger portion of the Prophetic mission?
It is time for us to re-evaluate our position.
If the only way that we, as Muslims, can fight against a
formidable oppressor is by compromising our own religious
principles, then we should not be fighting at all. Under no
circumstances is the taking of innocent lives permissible in
Islam. In Palestine, for example, the world has now seen the
evil that Israel has created and spread throughout the region.
Much of the world is willing to stand with the Muslims against
Israel. But what happens when another suicide bombing takes
place? The world cringes and they start to question whether
or not the Muslims deserve their support at all.
It is time for Muslims to support those who are
oppressed whether in Palestine, Turkey, Kashmir, China, the
Philippines, Chechnya, etc., not through guerrilla warfare and not
through rallies and angry letters to political officials.
Instead we must establish trust among the common people. We
must look to the average non-Muslim and reach deep inside each
person to find the innate goodness that all humans are given at
birth. People are looking for truth and morality more than
ever, and we must be at the forefront of groups calling for the
reformation and refinement of moral principles, justice, and
equality.
When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, finally
conquered Makkah and all of Arabia, it was not like any conquering
that the world had before witnessed. It was not a pillaging,
terrorizing, destructive conquest. In fact it was not a
military or political conquest at all. It was a conquest of
the hearts of the people. Islam will be victorious through
the hearts of people, not through bombing and gun battles.
Let us embark on a struggle (jihad), not of
military might, which we do not have, but rather of superior
intellect, morality, and compassion. The world should see
each and every Muslim and say, "Yes, he is truthful, and yes,
she is trustworthy." Such will be the true victory of
Islam. Such will be path of salvation, not only for the
Muslims, but for all of humanity. Such is the nature of
peace.
When comes the help of Allah, and the Victory.
And you see people entering the religion of Allah in crowds.
Then, celebrate the praises of your Lord and ask His forgiveness.
For He is Oft-Returning (in grace and mercy). (Qur'an 110:1-3)
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