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The
following is an extract from Chapter 4 of Imam Shirazi's book
"The New Order for a World of Faith, Freedom, Prosperity,
and Peace"
In our book ‘al-Fiqh
series: Sociology’ we have said that the maintenance of
peace is not possible through only the media and peace
organisations, for peace is not merely a superficial issue just
as war is not a superficial issue. The roots of war must be cut
so that peace reigns. The roots of war are human deprivation,
which brings about revolution against the group causing this
deprivation. The causes of this deprivation are colonialism,
exploitation, and despotism in government, in economics, or in
science and education.
It is necessary for
one seeking to sever the roots of war to prevent those who stir
up war from attaining their goals and this through spreading
political, economic, and social awareness.
Political awareness
brings about the non-surrender and defiance of people to
dictators whether the dictatorship be open like inherited and
coupe de tat governments or disguised like the governments who
claim to Democracy but are in fact in the claws of Capitalism or
of the single party like America, Britain, France, Russia, and
China.
Economic awareness
prevents the capital from being in the hands of a certain group
whether that group has control of government as well (as
in the former Soviet Union), or not (as in America).
Social awareness
brings about the knowledge of the equality of society regarding
education, power, and wealth.
Indeed:
"Every
person is responsible for what he has earned."
(Quran 52:21)
"Man
will get only that for which he has strived."
(Quran
53:39)
It also brings about
the knowledge that there is no ‘chosen’ class. If it
is seen that education is particular to a certain group because
they are wealthy or have power or are the ruling political party
then it will be known that the society is corrupt and that it
must be realigned until education is general to everyone. The
same should be said for power and wealth.
The world has begun
to head gradually towards this kind of awareness. The world
power was held for a time in the hands of Britain, then America,
then between the two powers America and Russia. However, the
power now is distributed amongst a larger number of states –
America, Russia, Europe, and China. It is true that in the area
of military strength there are only two powers but there are
numerous other centres of power in the political arena each of
which has a treaty organisation. In the economic arena there are
the two main states as well as Western Europe, China and Japan.
In the nuclear field there is India and other states which has
caused the world to come out gradually from being under a
monopoly.
Communism began to
break up because of the splitting of China and the attempted
split of Poland and the unrest of other states under the banner
of Communism. It has also brought great ignominy upon itself,
particularly when it invaded Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and
Afghanistan. Capitalism has begun to break up bit by bit. Both
Japan and France have lost their empires, and British and
American colonialism have here and there started tottering,
especially in the Middle East, with the advent of the dirty
policies of the state of Israel.
To continue, it has
become an easier matter to increase the awareness of humanity.
It is true that neutrality is not possible nor would it be
correct, as a person should not stay silent in front of the
oppressor. However, uneasy awareness has begun to work to bring
about the proper kind of neutrality. As for the neutrality of
twenty years ago, it was in reality a camouflage for agents of
other regimes. For was Castro the agent of the east non-aligned?
Or was Nasser the agent of America non-aligned?
In any case, an
increase in awareness is required so that the roots of war may
be extirpated; the roots being the confinement of knowledge and
education, power, and wealth in the hands of a minority in the
face of a deprived majority. This awareness as well as putting
these three things in the hands of all will also bring people
closer together and will create more relationships. Then corrupt
partisans may not exploit the rest of humanity for their own
personal goals. It is our opinion that whenever awareness
increases nationalisms and corrupt group loyalties decrease in
importance and matters of race, colour and geographical area are
buried.
It is also imperative
before reaching the final result of a comprehensive peace to
expose ‘wars by proxy’ and prevent them from
occurring by a number of means:
a. Changing the
relationships between the smaller states and the larger states
so that the larger cannot make the smaller proxy in wars as is
the custom now.
b. Exposing the military
bases of the large states on the land of the smaller states.
c. Exposing the
military pacts amongst the small states, which are under the
sphere of influence of the large state, and making it clear that
the small states in the pact only want the services of the
larger states.
d. Strengthening the
relations between neighbouring states so that the large states
may not cause a war to occur between them.
e. (Most importantly)
Bringing about the awareness of the people of the smaller
nations so that they do not become as puppets in the hands of
their governments which execute the orders of their masters.
It is indeed
imperative that awareness is brought about for the people of
nations in general so that they do not fall victim to the greed
of Capitalists and Dictatorial rulers be they open Dictators
like the former Soviet Union, or Dictators clothed in the flimsy
robe of Democracy like Britain, France and America. It is these
two groups – Dictators and Capitalists – who ignite wars
always, backed up by corrupt religious scholars, or civilian
experts.
The Messenger of
Allah (s) spoke truly in the words narrated from him saying: ‘There
are two groups from my nation who if righteous, my nation will
be righteous and if corrupt, my nation will be corrupt.’
He was asked: Who are they? O Messenger of Allah.’
He said: ‘The scholars and the commanders.’
The Messenger of
Allah (s) did not mention wealth in this hadith as it had a very
small role in the past before the appearance of the corrupt
capitalistic practices that play no part in Islam in the least.
Those who ignited wars then were corrupt commanders and
counterfeiting scholars who used to collaborate in oppressing
the populace. Hence the Prophet (s) was alerted to the dangers
of these two groups. It should also be made clear that the
Prophet (s) was alerted in Islam to the danger of wealth only “revolving
amongst the rich.” We have discussed this topic in the
chapter on wealth.
Islam calls to peace
and considers peace to be normal and war to be extraordinary and
exceptional emergency entered into only out of desperation and
as a last resort. Allah Almighty says:
"O
ye who have faith, enter into peace all of you, and do not
follow the footsteps of Satan."
(Quran 2:208)
"And
if they incline to peace then incline to peace and put your
trust in Allah."
(Quran 8:61)
"They
will not cease from fighting you until they cause you to turn
away from your religion if they are able." (Quran
2:217)
"There
was in them indeed an excellent example for you to follow of one
who seeks Allah and the last day.
But if any turn away, then know that Allah is Free of all wants,
Worthy of all praise.
It may be that Allah will establish friendship between you and
those whom ye hold as your enemies.
Allah has power, and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most
Merciful.
Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and justly with
those who do not fight you for your religion or drive you from
your homes.
Allah loveth those who are just.
Allah only forbids you from taking as allies those who fight you
for your religion and turn you out from your homes and aid
others in turning you out from your homes.
Whoever takes them as allies, they are the wrongdoers."
(Quran 60:6-9)
So we can see that
Islam orders that those who persist in fighting the Muslims and
seek enmity be fought back, and prohibits making friends with
these types of people. As for those people who do not fight the
believers or expel them from their homes, Allah indicates that
they should be treated kindly and with fairness even though they
may be infidels.
There are many other
Qur’anic verses which if collected would show that jihad and
war are secondary and extraordinary and that peace is the
primary ruling as we have already indicated. In a hadith, Imam
‘Ali (a) spoke to his troops before meeting the enemy at the
battle of Siffin: “Do not fight them until they begin to
fight, for you by the grace of Allah have the just cause, and by
leaving them until they start on you, you will have another just
cause over them.”
In a letter of Imam
Amir al-Mu’mineen (a) in which he relates what took place in
the battle of Siffin he says:
“Initially, it
was that we and the group from the people of Syria (the army of
Mu’awiyah) faced one other on the battlefield. It is obvious
(for both sides) that our Lord is One and our Prophet is one and
our call to Islam is one and we do not seek to increase their
faith in Allah and belief in His Prophet nor do they seek to
increase ours. Everything is common between us except for our
difference over the blood of ‘Uthman and in which we are
innocent. So we said: Come let us solve what may not be achieved
today by extinguishing the uprising and calming the general
populace so that the rule may become firm and consolidated. Then
we will become stronger in putting the truth in its rightful
place. They said: ‘No, we will solve it by seeing who
will have the upper hand in battle and they refused all but war.
When both them and us had been torn by war and it had put its
claws in them, and us they then answered to that which we had
called them to previously. We accepted this and hurried to meet
their requests so that they might have no complaint or cause
against us.”
Imam Amir al-Mu’mineen
(a) also said to his son al-Hassan:
“Do not call to
combat.”
Look also at this
hadith related by Imam al-Saadiq (a) who said: “The
Messenger of Allah when he wanted to send out a troop called
them and bade them sit before him. He then said to them: Go out
in the name of Allah and by Allah and in the way of Allah and
according to the religion of the Messenger of Allah. Do not
handcuff or tie up (the prisoners of war), do not mutilate (even
the dead), and do not betray people. Do not kill the old man,
the child or the woman, and do not cut down a single tree except
when you are forced to do so. And if any Muslim be he lofty or
lowly gives a man of the Polytheists sanctuary, then his safety
must be secured so that he hears the word of Allah. If he
follows you then he is your brother in religion. If he refuses
then give him his sanctuary and seek the help of Allah regarding
him.”
In an account on the
occasion of war, Imam Amir al-Mu’mineen (a) advised the
Muslims saying:
‘Commit yourselves to prayer and guard your prayers and
pray much. Seek nearness to Allah through it for it is a duty of
the Muslims at prescribed times.’
He also used to say:
‘Do not fight them until they begin to fight you.’
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![The late Grand Ayatullah Agha Muhammad Shirazi [r.a.]](images/GrandAyatollahAghaMuhammadShirazi.jpg)
