THE PROPHET OF PEACE
By: Maulan Waheed-uddin Khan
Introduction:
The teachings of the Prophet of Islam
and his exemplary way of living show that he not only projected the ‘concept of
peace’, but that he was also able to develop a complete methodology of
‘Peaceful Activism’. The revolution he brought about was a practical one based
on his ‘ideology of peace’. In view of the contribution made to human history
by the Prophet of Islam, he can be most appropriately called the Prophet of
peace. In the Qur’an the Prophet of Islam is called the Prophet of Mercy
(Qur’an;21:107). The Prophet of Peace is only another name for the Prophet of
Mercy. Both express the same reality in different words. But this aspect of the
Prophet was overshadowed by the political history of Islam. Now, if there is to
be a rediscovery of the Prophet of Islam as he actually was, this veil of
politics needs to be removed, writes the renowned subcontinent scholar Maulan
Waheed-uddin Khan, in his most enlightening article; ‘The Prophet of Peace’
[published in the Monthly ‘Tazkeer’, Lahore English Edition, December 2008,
www.dar-ut-tazkeer.com]. With the courtesy, it is being reproduced here with
minor adjustments and as short note on Jihad.
Historians have generally acknowledged that the Prophet
of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib, was supremely successful
during his lifetime. For instance, the British historian Edward Gibbon
(1735-94) pays tribute to the Prophet of Islam in his book:-"The History
of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire "
when he observes that "the rise and expansion of Islam was one of the most
memorable revolutions, which has impressed a new and lasting character on the
nations of the globe." M.N. Roy, an Indian leader (1887-1954) "writes
in his book, “The Historical Role of Islam" (Delhi,1939) that Muhammad
must be recognized as by far the greatest of all the prophets and that the expansion
of Islam was " the most miraculous of all miracles". In his book
titled "The I00"(New York, 1978) Dr. Michael Hart has made a list ---
choosing from the entire span of human history -- of the one hundred
individuals whose achievements are the most outstanding. At the head of this
list of these high achievers, lie puts the name of the Prophet of Islam. He
writes: "He is the only man in history)', who was supremely successful on
both the religious and secular levels." The question arises as to what the
secret was of this great success achieved by the Prophet. The secret lies in
one word PEACE. It would not be overstating the case to say that the
Prophet of Islam was the greatest pacifist in history. He exploited peace as an
unconquerable force. The Qur’an says in this connection: "Reconciliation
is the best." (4:128). That is, in controversial matters, a peaceful
course of action is far more effective than having recourse to violence. The
Prophet of Islam once said, "God grants to peace, what he does not grant
to violence." (Sahih Muslim).
Peace- A Complete
Ideology & Methodology:
A study of the life of the Prophet of Islam tells us that
the Prophet discovered peace both as a complete ideology and as a methodology,
which were productive of the most effective strategy in all matters. An eminent
thinker once wrote: "All the revolutions in history were nothing but a
change of the rulers. They were not revolutions in the real sense." In
this case, if this is true, the name of the Prophet of Islam will be regarded
as a remarkable exception. For, it is a historical fact that the changes he
brought about ushered in all kinds of individual, social and political
improvements, the combination of which adds up to revolution. For students of
history, there is always the possibility of different conclusions being arrived
at. However, the writer feels that this is mostly the result of inadequate
study, and that when research is undertaken on a vaster and more comprehensive
scale, any diversity of opinion
automatically narrows down.
Here is an
example to illustrate this point. Some defensive battles took place,
during the lifetime of the Prophet, one of which was fought at Badr. The
traditions tell us that when this battle was taking place, the Prophet of Islam
was seated some distance from the battlefield in a makeshift camp; and he was
seen drawing some lines in the sand by hand or with some twig. An orientalist,
making the assumption that his actions must relate to the current battle,
recorded the following opinion: 'The
leader of Islam was making his next war plan." This orientalist
wrote only on the basis of conjecture, without making any reference to the
facts. But when we look at other traditions, it becomes clear what the Prophet
was doing at that time. He was, in fact, making a plan to establish peace in
the future.
As we find in another tradition, exactly at the time when
this defensive war was taking place, God's angel came to him and said:
"God has sent you a message of peace." On hearing this, the Prophet
of Islam said: "God is peace, peace is from Him and peace returns to
Him." (Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, vol. 3, page 267). According to this second
tradition, we can rightly say that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr, the
leader of Islam was making his next peace plan. The mission of the Prophet of
Islam was not of a political nature. More correctly, it was a spiritual
mission. The Qur’an calls it the purification of the soul (2:129); that is,
making man a perfect human being. The same reality has been expressed elsewhere
in the Qur’an as the making of a complex-free soul. Such an aim can be
achieved only through counseling and persuasion. It is an aim which demands
re-engineering of the mind. This can be done only by awakening man's ability
to think. The means of achieving it is not a political revolution, but
rather an intellectual revolution. That is why all the teachings of the
Prophet are entirely based on the concept of peace. The Qur’an, as
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, has about 6500 verses. There are hardly 40
verses in it, which are about qital
or war that is, less than one percent, whereas ninety nine percent of the
verses are such as are designed to awaken man's intellectual faculties. We can
say, moreover, that the Qur’an is a book on the 'art of thinking.' It is
in no way a treatise on the art of fighting.
Prevalent Environments of 7th Century Arabia :
Early circumstances Arabia ,
a peninsula situated in the south western part of Asia ,
is a desert country which has been inhabited since ancient times. Various tribes
lived here in different regions, ruled by their respective chiefs. It was in
this country, at Makkah, that four thousand years ago, the Prophet Abraham
settled his family. His decedents settled there believed in and worshiped the
one God. But gradually, with the passage of time and the effect of external
influences, they began worshiping idols. In the 6th century A.D. the whole of Arabia had become an idolatrous country. This was the
environment into which the Prophet of Islam was born.
Early Life & Prophethood:
The Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib was
born in Makkah in Arabia in 570 C.E. He
declared his prophethood in 610 C.E in Makkah. In 622 C.E, he went to another
Arabian city, Medina cave of Hera
The Mission
The mission the Prophet was given by God was to convey to
people the message of monotheism (Tawheed).
The message, explaining God's oneness, exhorted man to lead a life which was in
every respect God-oriented. This, for man, was the way to salvation. The
Prophet of Islam, in his early years, was a trader. The image formed of his
personality as a trader was one that earned him the title, "The Truthful
One, The Honest One." He was thus regarded as an honourable person in
Makkah, so that when he climbed up on Mount Safa
This was his first address as a prophet to his people. In
this sermon, he told his hearers that after death everyone would be sent either
to heaven as a reward, or to hell as a punishment. Therefore, the life before
death should be utilized for preparation for the life after death. At that time, idolatry, to which
people had become conditioned, was prevalent in Makkah. For that reason his
speech did not impress them. People simply left without trying to understand
his message. The Prophet's uncle, Abdul Uzza (Abu Lahab), reacted negatively,
saying in disgust: "Woe to you, did you call us to say only this?"!
Makkah was the most important town in Arabia .
And the existence of the Kabah within its confines gave it the status 1 of the
great religious centre of the whole of Arabia .
The Quraysh tribe, who had settled there, were the custodians of ft the Kabah
and thus enjoyed the position of leadership in the in entire country.
The Tribal Parliament (Darul Nadwa):
In Makkah, the Quraysh had established Darul Nadwa. i.e.
the tribal parliament, of which the senior most tribesmen of the
Quraysh were members. Here, after consultation, all
important decisions were taken. The Prophet's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib was one
of the distinguished members of Darul Nadwa, As was the order of the day, an
ambitious leader's first objective was to try to become a member of Darul
Nadwa, which ranked as the centre of power in Arabia
at that time . Apparently, without its bidding, no great task could be achieved
in Makkah, or for that matter, in Arabia . But
the Prophet of Islam did not make any attempt to become a member of Darul
Nadwa. He did not even demand that the vacant seat of his grandfather, Abdul
Muttalib, should be given to him. On the question of Darul Nadwa, the Prophet
of Islam adopted a peaceful course of action, for which I should like to
coin the expression "status quoism". That is, avoiding a
confrontation with the status quo and rather accepting things as they are. This
way the Prophet had of dealing with things, was not status quoism in the
passive sense, but rather a positive line of conduct. Adopting such a course --
positive status quoism -- means not coming into conflict with the system of the
time; but rather discovering the opportunities already existing in it, and then
turning them to full advantage. The slogan: "Ignore the problems, avail of
the opportunities" expresses the spirit of this approach -- an extremely
wise way of proceeding. The Prophet of Islam was guided to the adoption of this
method in the very early verses of the Qur’an: "Every problem is followed
by ease. Every problem is followed by ease." (Qur’an;94:5-6). In-this way,
the Prophet of Islam was counseled that no problem is such in the complete
sense, but rather every problem is accompanied by opportunities. Therefore, man
should opt for the wisdom of avoiding problems and availing of opportunities.
This method followed by the 'Prophet was a very sound course. It follows that
in any; course of action we choose to adopt, we should begin with what is
possible today.
The mission of the Prophet of Islam was to establish he
oneness of God (tawhid). The greatest
problem of the time was that Makkah's most sacred religious centre housed 360
idols, all belonging to different Arab tribes. These idols had been placed in
the Kabah by the Makkan leaders so as to make Makkah the hub of the entire Arabian Peninsula . The Kabah, having 360 idols within its
precincts was a problem; but there was an opportunity hidden in this. Because
of these idols, not only the Makkans, but people from different parts of Arabia all used to gather there. The Kabah had become a
natural meeting ground for people. The Prophet of Islam, choosing to ignore the
presence of he idols in the Kabah, exploited this coming together of he people
as an opportunity. The course he adopted was to visit the Kabah daily, meet
people and recite to them verses from the Qur’an. In this way, he continued to
call upon people to accept the concept of monotheism. He would address people
en masse as well as convey the message at an individual level. Gradually, one
by one, people began to enter the fold of Islam -- for instance, Khadija, Abu
Bakr, Umar, Usman, etc.
Ideological Differences:
Experience shows that people are very
sensitive as regards their religious beliefs. That is why the Prophet had to
face stiff opposition in Makkah. The Quraysh in particular employed all kinds
of strategies to put an end to this mission of tawhid. The reason for their opposition was not political, to any
degree, but was only because of ideological sensitivity. That is to say, the
reason for this opposition was their differing ideology and was not in reality
a response to any perceived political danger. In this initial stage, the
Prophet's wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib gave him staunch support.
Unfortunately, they both died after ten years of his prophethood. Now the
Prophet found himself in the unenviable position of having to find someone to
give him refuge, according to the ancient tribal tradition, so that he might
continue to carry out his mission.
Journey to Taif:
First, he tried to find
refuge in Makkah. Then the Prophet met those tribal chiefs who had come
to Makkah on a visit to the Kabah. None of them was ready to help him. Finally,
he decided to go to Taif, a town situated at a distance of 75 kilometers from
Makkah and seek refuge from the chiefs of the town. According to Arab custom,
this was nothing new. But the leaders, who themselves were idol- worshippers were
not ready to give refuge to a prophet who believed in the One God. Instead of
giving him refuge, they incited the urchins to chase him away from the town by
pelting stones at him. The Prophet took refuge in an orchard on the outskirts
of Taif where he spent the night. According to the tradition, on that occasion
God sent the angel of the Mount to him. The Angel said to him: "God has
seen the treatment meted out to you by 'the people of Taif. Now, if you give me
permission, I can join the two mounts in order that all these people should be
crushed to death." The Prophet replied: "No, although the present
generation of Taif has refused to listen to me, I still hope that the next
generation of Taif will listen to me and will follow the path of God."
Persecution and Conspiracy to Kill:
When the Prophet returned to Makkah from
Taif, the Quraysh intensified their persecution. They gathered at Darul Nadwa
and jointly arrived at a decision to kill him. At that time, there were about
200 people in Makkah who had believed in the Prophet and become his supporters.
But this number was inadequate to give him support against the onslaught of the
Quraysh. So the Prophet decided to leave Makkah and migrate to Medina Arabia
about 300 miles away from Makkah, thus putting an end to the possibility of any
violent confrontation between him and the Quraysh. The Entry of Islam into
Medina Before his migration to Medina Medina Medina
Makkah- A Tourist City
Why had there been these two opposite
responses in Makkah and Medina Arabia , people belonging
to all tribes used to come there. In this way, commercial value was
attached to the idolatry of the Makkans. We might say, in modern jargon, that
the Makkah of those f times had acquired the status of a tourist city. Owing to
this the Makkans feared that if idolatry were to be wiped out from, Arabia , the 'tourist' industry would die a natural death.
The issue for the Madinans was different, for Medina Medina
Migration to Medina
The migration of the Prophet of Islam from Makkah to Medina Medina midnight
and, instead of going straight on to Medina
This showed the kind of principle on which his
training methods were based. He wanted to build the human personality on
positive lines. In changing the names of these two men, he gave them the
necessary psychological encouragement to develop themselves according to the
lofty ideals of humanity. In a similar way, when in later times, during his
stay in Medina, a son was born to his daughter, Fatima, who was married to Ali
ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet asked Ali what name he had given the child, Ali told
him that Harb was the name
given to the baby. (Harb in
Arabic means war). The Prophet said this was not an appropriate name. He
suggested instead the name of Hasan, meaning beautiful. These incidents
tell us that the Prophet was a totally peace-loving person, rather than a
war-monger.
Period at Medina
The Prophet's life at Medina Medina Medina Medina
Peaceful Activism:
The study of human psychology shows that
both peace and violence are expressions of internal feelings. If man's mind is
filled with hatred, it will find expression in a violent form of action. But if
his mind is filled with love, it will always find expression in a peaceful form
of action. Embarking upon a course of peaceful activism is not a simple matter,
but rather entails making sacrifices. That is, man refrains from hating his
opponents, despite having good cause for hatred; and he contrives to direct his
mind away from such activities as would engender hatred. This means that anyone
who wants to follow the peaceful method shall first of all have to keep his
mind in a state of equilibrium. He shall have to refrain from allowing himself
to be provoked, in spite of all kinds
of provocation from the other party. It is by paying this price that the
principle of the peaceful
method can be adopted. For the first time in human history, the Prophet
of Islam provided a perfect and complete model of ‘peaceful activism’. This was
possible only because he paid the price of unilateral moderation and
adjustment. All kinds of injustice were done to him by his opponents, but he
was able to rise above them. By ignoring them, he was able to plan the course
of his actions along positive lines. This speech of the Prophet of Islam shows
that he was a peace-loving person in the complete sense of the word. No event,
however unpleasant, could disturb his peace of mind. With this sublime mentality, he had found something of such
supreme value that all other things were of no consequence in comparison. He engaged
in positive thinking in the perfect sense. His mind was a workshop which
could convert even negative trains of thought
into positive ones. Any negative experience could be defused, by his
mind, there and then, to produce positive thinking. As a result, by the time
any experience reached the storehouse of his memory, it had already been
converted into positive ideas. His personality was a positive one in the full
sense. He had a great capacity for converting experiences of violence into
experiences of peace. On the contrary, some people (inclined to violence &
terrorism due to ignorance) have manifested their propensity for converting
positive experience into all that is negative.
Medina City State
In 622 C.E, the Prophet reached Medina Medina Medina Medina Medina
Congregational Prayers:
On reaching Median the first task
Prophet (peace be upon him) performed was to build a mosque and establish the
system of saying prayers five times a day. One important aspect of the
obligatory prayers was the organized manner in which God had to be worshipped,
and another was the development of the desired character in human beings, by
which they might lead their lives peacefully in society. The method laid down
for the prayer concluded with words to this effect: At the end of the prayer
those saying prayers have to turn their heads both to the left side and the
right side, uttering these words: Assalam-o-Alaykum
wa rahmatullah, Assahm-o-Alaikum wa rahmatullah. This is the equivalent of
addressing all those inhabiting the earth and saying to them: "0 people, peace be upon you." In
this way, the congregational prayer served as a source of training to enable
people to live in their society as peaceful citizens. They had to have positive
feelings in their hearts for their fellow men. In that way, they would never
create problems for others. Their attitude would always be humanitarian and
amicable towards others. When the Prophet of Islam came to Makkah after
emigration, this did not put an end to conflict (with Makkan): it proved rather
to be the; beginning of an era of confrontation (with Makkan). This came about
in spite of the fact that the Prophet of Islam himself had made the sacrifice
of abandoning his homeland Makkah for Medina Medina
Hostilities of Polytheists & Battles
for Survival:
After the emigration of the Prophet of Islam, the Muslims
of Makkah and the surrounding area also came to Medina Medina Medina Medina
Planning a full-scale attack on Medina Medina
JIHAD:
Misconceptions:
There are many misconceptions about Jihad, which needs to
be clarified [hence this brief on Jihad has been
added in the original article]. Briefly, Jihad does not necessarily mean
warfare. Since Islam provides a complete code of life, it addresses the
possibility of war and provides the code of conduct of warfare; which is more
civilized than any in the whole history of humanity. Once all peaceful efforts
fail, the Muslims have to defend themselves and warfare becomes inevitable. The
word ‘Jihad’, is wrongly translated as ‘Holy War’, Jihad is striving against
various forms of resistance, internal (against selfish desires and evil
temptations) or external, for the cause of God. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said: The best fighting (Jihad)
in the path of God is (to speak) a word of justice to an oppressive ruler. The
first and foremost form of Jihad is to; ‘Strive against selfish desires’ (Nafs
ammarah), to purify the
heart, so that the faith (Eman) of Islam is deeply rooted in the heart,
to become fully subservient to the commands of God and His Messenger. Secondly,
making strenuous efforts (Jihad) by peacefully conveying the message of God
(Islam) to the humanity (Dawah), i.e. ‘Jihad Kabira’; the peaceful struggle with the Qur’an (Qur’an;25:52). Thirdly to fight in self
defence or against oppression for the cause and pleasure of God.
Warfare in Self Defence
Permitted after Establishment of State at Medina
It was only after the first two stages which lasted for
over thirteen years that after migration to Median and establishment of
government there that, the third stage to defend Muslims against oppression was
permitted. God says: “Permission to fight back is hereby granted to the
believers against whom war is waged and because they are oppressed; certainly
God has power to grant them victory.”(Qur’an;22:39 ); “Fight for the cause of God those who fight
against you, but do not commit aggression. God does not love aggressors”
(Qur’an;2:190); “And what reason do you (Muslims) have not to fight in the
cause of God, to rescue the helpless oppressed old men, women, and children who
are crying: "Our Lord! Deliver us from this town whose people are oppressors;
send us a protector by Your Grace and send us a helper from Your
presence?”(Qur’an;4:75). However the Muslims are urged to accept peace offer
(Qur’an;4:90) by the opponents. Islam laid down ethics and strict rules for
conduct of warfare once peace efforts fail. Narrated Thabit bin Ad Dahhak, the
Prophet said; “whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with
the same thing in the (Hell) fire”.(Sahih Al Bukhari Hadith Numbr:8.126).
Narrated Jabir ibn Samurah: (The dead body) of a person who had killed himself
with a broad-headed arrow was brought before the Messenger of God (peace be
upon him), but he did not offer prayers for him.(Sahih Muslim Hadith.
Number.486). Messenger of God (peace be upon him) prohibited to mutilate the
dead bodies. (Sahih Muslim Hadith.804). Killing
by burning is not allowed, it is none but God Who punishes with fire
(Sahih Al Bukhari, Hadith, Number.4.259). Conversion by force and killing of
innocent people whether Muslim or non Muslim is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Jihad for Political Power:
The concept of
Jihad was nevertheless used by some medieval Muslim rulers to justify wars
motivated by purely political ambitions, keeping in line with the practice in
vogue in the world by other powers of the time. Gradually, however, Jihad came
to be interpreted more in defensive than in offensive terms. In the 20th
century the concept of jihad inspired Muslims in their struggle against Western
colonialism. Recently in eighties USA Afghanistan USSR
Jihad Against All Socio-Economic & Cultural Evils:
Jihad is a life-long mission for the Muslim as a
community to struggle against all evils, socio-economic, cultural, educational
and political dogmas; superstitious and mythological concepts; and directing
the Muslims towards obedience to God, enlightenment, refinement, scientific
progress, dignified character and honest actions. Its top and most noble form
is to fight the enemies of Islam in battle in order to foil their attempts to
suppress the Muslims and the invitation to Islam. Although retaliation is
permissible but to remit the retaliation by way of charity is appreciated as an
act of atonement (Qur’an;5:45 ),
the best reward indeed is for those who endure with patience. (Qur’an;16:126).]
STRATEGY FOR PEACE:
The policy of Prophet (peace be upon him) was always to
counter enemy war initiatives with peaceful measures. For this peaceful
strategy to be effective, a trained team of peace-loving people was required.
The companions of the Prophet proved to be competent for this task and the
strategy of countering violence with peace proved so successful that, within a
short period of 20 years, the whole of Arabia
had entered the fold of Islam. This peaceful strategy owed its success largely
to the Prophet having been able to establish peace treaties with all the tribes
of Arabia . Thus it was made binding upon all
the tribes to follow the peaceful method of their own accord. This was a new
method -- in effect, treaty diplomacy. It was as a result of these strategies
that a country populated by such militant people could be revolutionized within
such a short period of time. The miracle was that it was a (almost) bloodless
revolution.
The Philosophy of Patience:
Patience, as a virtue, was given the
utmost importance in the teachings of the Prophet of Islam. In the Qur’an,
there are about 110 verses which contain the word sabr (patience). The Qur’an, in fact, goes to the extent of saying
that success depends upon patience alone. The Qur’an states, "O people, be
patient and steadfast, so that you may prosper (Qur’an;3:200). At another
place, the Qur’an states that even the leadership of nations is given to those
who persevere with patience (Qur’an;32:24). It is this truth which is thus
expressed in the text of a long Hadith: "Learn that success goes with
patience." (Musnad Ahmad, vol. I, p. 307) That is to say that success is
linked with patience. No patience, no success. The tree of success always grows
on the land of patience. History tells us that the majority of the world's pacifists,
or peaceful activists, have failed to achieve their aims the commonest reason
being that while they recognized the value of peace, they ignored the value of
patience. Without exercising patience, it is impossible to launch a peace
movement with any hope of success.
Principle of Peace Activism:
Generally, what happens is that first they hold someone
or some group to be their enemy, and then launch a movement against that enemy.
For instance, Nelson Mandela's course of action in South Africa
Did Not use
Hate Language against Atrocities:
As regards ‘Peaceful Activism’, we find that the Prophet,
like other reformers down the ages, also had to face all kinds of atrocities
from his opponents, yet he never used the language of hatred against them. He
even did his best to save his companions from this feeling of hatred. We find
abundant examples of this nature throughout his life. For instance, in Makkah
the family of Yasir, a companion of the Prophet, were poor and weak, so the
powerful opponents of the Prophet started beating them to compel them to leave
the Prophet. On seeing this persecution, the Prophet of Islam did not utter
anything against the opponents. He only exhorted Yasir and his family to
exercise patience, because for doing so, they were promised paradise.
Telling them that the reward for patience was paradise,
he tried to bring this point home to them that, of their own free will, they
ought to refuse to allow themselves to be provoked, irrespective of the kind of
provocation. In no circumstances were they to harbour negative feelings against
their opponents. This was an extremely important aspect of the policy of the
Prophet of Islam, which he himself followed, with God's guidance; that is,
remaining patient in the face of all acts of injustice committed by his
opponents. The Qur’an gives clear guidelines on this subject. It records the
words of the Prophet Abraham: "We shall certainly bear steadfastly
whatever harm you do to us."(Qur’an;14:12 )
By expressing its approval of Abraham's attitude, it endorses the virtue of
patience.
Patience Against Negative Thoughts:
Such patience is not a simple matter. It means adhering
to positive thinking, despite acts of oppression by the other party; and saving
oneself from allowing negative thoughts of the other party to enter one's mind.
For if a negative picture is formed of one's opponents, and then the oppressed
person can never adhere to the principle of the peaceful method while dealing
with the oppressor. If the principle of patience is adhered to, it maintains a
certain normalcy between the former and the latter and saves the relationship
from becoming totally warped. Peaceful
activism in fact reflects peaceful minds. Abnormal or negative minds can never
successfully proceed with the peaceful method. The principle of patience is in
fact a certain guarantee of the perpetuation of normal, positive thinking,
whereas hatred and negativity disturbs our mental balance.
Quiet, Peaceful Propagation:
The study of the life of the Prophet shows that he
continued to face injustices from the addressee group, but the Prophet always
adhered strictly to the principle of patience and exhorted his companions to do
likewise. Never in his meetings were the oppressive acts of the enemy discussed
or even mentioned. Never did he heap verbal abuse on his oppressors. On the
contrary, he had only good words for them. Never did he call his oppressors Kafirs or enemies. Rather, he always
used the word insaan (human being)
for them. One extreme example worth noting is that once when his opponents had
seriously injured him by stoning him, he simply uttered these words: "O
God, guide my people for they do not know." The way of unilateral patience
and well-wishing adopted by the Prophet in Arabia
was only intended to prevent feelings of hatred and grievance finding a place
in his and his companion’s hearts. For a mind harbouring hatred and grievance
is not competent to carry out the task of reform. The study of the life of the
Prophet of Islam shows that for several years after starting his mission in 610
C.E, he would communicate his message quietly through private individual
meetings. At that time, idols were worshipped in Makkah as well as in the whole
of Arabia . The culture of idolatry dominated
everywhere. Idolatrous practices had taken root in the lives of the Arabs,
right from the moment of their birth till the day they died. In such a
situation, introducing the message of monotheism into the environment of
idolatry was simply to invite clash and confrontation. Given this situation,
the Prophet of Islam had either of two options. One, to invite people publicly
to respond to the call of monotheism and openly condemn polytheism (shirk). The second option was to start
his mission quietly through individual meetings and take further steps only
after gauging the circumstances.
If he adopted the first method, there would be chances of
violent confrontation. That is why he gave up that idea. Instead, he adopted
another method, clearly a peaceful method, by which it was possible to continue
his mission without it leading to conflict. This was the first example of
‘peaceful activism’ in the life of the Prophet. In like manner, he launched his
entire movement on the principle of peace. This reality has been expressed thus
in a Hadith: "If you face an enemy, do not allow yourselves to be
influenced by the psychology of reaction and start retaliating; instead, solve
the problem of enmity by following the peaceful method." In this way, he
continued to work peacefully until a time came when 83 people had joined his
mission. At that time, one of his senior companions, Abu Bakr, said to him that
thenceforward, they should work publicly. The Prophet of Islam said; No, Abu
Bakr, we are still only a very few. (Seerah
ibn Kathir, vol., p. 441). But Abu Bakr in his zeal went to the Kabah and
announced in public that he had become Muhammad's follower. On hearing these
words, a group of the Prophet's opponents started beating him up so severely
that he fell down seriously injured. His assailants desisted only when they
thought he had succumbed to his injuries. Umar ibn Khattab was one of the most
powerful followers of the Prophet. He too asked the Prophet why they should
keep quiet when they were on the right path, and insisted that they should work
openly and publicly. On hearing this, the Prophet again said, "Umar we are
but a few. You have seen what treatment was meted out to Abu Bakr." (Seerah ibn Kathir, Vol.l, p.439)
Result-Oriented Actions:
Gradually, the mission of the Prophet of Islam started
spreading and the number of his followers increased. Then the time came when 73
people came from Medina
No
Place
The life of the Prophet of Islam shows that in his scheme
of things there war no room for what is now called 'suicide bombing'. What is
suicide bombing? In reality, it signals the final stage of frustration. That
is, when the extremist feels that his opponents are invincible, he goes to the
extent of killing himself, in the hopes that that will at least inflict some
harm upon the enemy. He seeks justification for taking this step by saying that
he had opted for that path so that he
might receive martyrdom. Resorting to suicide bombing to deal with the
enemy is an indication that although the option of peaceful action is open to
one, intense feelings of hatred and revenge act as a blinder; and in this veil
of darkness, the bomber ultimately kills himself. In any such situation where a
man opts for suicide bombing, the peaceful method is certainly open to him, but
he fails to see this. The truth is that to make a reasoned choice of the
peaceful method, it is vital that man's mind should be free of feelings of
hatred and revenge: he should be able to analyze events dispassionately. In the
words of the Prophet of Islam, he should be able to see things as they are.
Peaceful action is positive act on, and its importance can be understood only
by a positive mind which plans its course of action in consonance with peaceful
objectives.
Peaceful Thinking:
Peaceful activism is ostensibly an external action, but
it is the result, in the full sense, of an internal awareness. It is peaceful
minds alone that can appreciate the benefits of peaceful activism and can
properly bring it into play. The Prophet of Islam realized this truth. That is
why, first and foremost, he worked towards building peace-loving minds. Only
after such a mentality had been developed were he and his followers able to
launch their movements, abiding by the principle of peaceful activism. The same
reality has been expressed in religious terms. When man's heart is rectified,
then all his actions are rectified.
The Qur’an calls this action of mind-building
'purification' (Tazkia). It states
that one important task of the Prophet was to work for the purification of the
people, or in other words, purification of the soul (Qur’an;2:129). What was
the method of this purification? We learn this from a tradition of the Prophet
of Islam. According to one tradition, the Prophet said that when a believer
committed some sin his heart came to have a black spot, but that when he
repented and sought forgiveness from God, his heart was purified of it. But if
he did not refrain from committing sins, then the spots went on increasing,
until they enveloped the whole heart.
(Musnad Ahmad, vol. 2, p, 297). In this Hadith, the Prophet of Islam tells us
of a very important reality which
is borne out by the study of psychology:
this study tells us that when some thought comes to the human mind, it becomes
a part and parcel of the memory's storehouse, and is never expunged from it.
The study further shows that the human mind has two big departments, one the conscious
mind, the other he unconscious mind. When any thought enters the human
mind, it first goes to the conscious mind, and then gradually it shifts to the
unconscious mind. This shifting process takes place mostly at night during
sleep. In this way, although something active in the memory today apparently
becomes forgotten, having moved to the back of the mind, in reality, it is not
lost, but becomes an integral part of the human personality. The truth is that
the human personality is directly dependent upon human thinking. It is one's
thoughts that make the personality. If we study the above saying of the Prophet
Islam, in the light of modern psychological research; we find that it conveys
the actual secret of peaceful thinking and peaceful activism. Only that person
can be a peaceful activist, in the real sense, who follows this saying of the
Prophet to the letter and spirit. In the jargon of today, this process may be
described as 'de-conditioning'.
CONCLUSION:
All human beings and all human groups live in society.
Within its framework, one can be faced with all kinds of unpleasant events,
which may produce negative feelings towards others. In this way, everyone's
mind is likely to entertain thoughts and feelings of a negative nature. If man
at the outset fails to convert such thoughts and feelings into positive ones,
they will become entrenched in his unconscious mind as negative ideas. If this
process continues unhampered, his unconscious mind or memory will ultimately be
filled with negativity. Consequently, his entire personality will be vitiated.
It is the possessors of such negative personalities who become involved in war
and violence against others. Violence, in fact, is simply an external
manifestation of this negative personality. When any negative thought enters
one's mind, one should immediately convert it into a positive feeling. One who
acts promptly to set in motion this process of mental conversion will build up
a veritable storehouse of positive ideas in the unconscious mind. The benefit
accruing to him will be the freeing of his personality of all kinds of negative
feelings. Such a person will be the possessor of a positive personality, in the
fullest sense. Such are the people who live in positivity, who are truly
capable of launching a movement in accordance with the principle of peaceful
activism. The Prophet of Islam understood this psychological reality, and
through purification, or in other words, by setting in motion the process of
de-conditioning in each individual, formed a team of followers numbering
more than 100,000, who were staunchly committed to the principle of peaceful
activism. Apart from some conflicts due to misunderstanding and conspiracies by
the enemies of Islam, they were ultimately able to achieve peace, by dominating
the negativities through positive way of thinking, to usher in a far-reaching
and beneficent revolution.
[Main Article by
Maulan Waheed-uddin Khan, courtesy the Monthly ‘Tazkeer’, Lahore
