peaceful co-existence - knowledge · muhammad and his pure and cleansed progeny. ... lims to fight...

PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE

By :

Sayyid Sadru d-Din Baldghi

Translated by:

MUNTAZIR

TEHRAN -IRAN.

Revised edition: 1400 / 1980

Published by:

World Organization for Islamic Services

P. 0. Box No.11365-1545, Tehran - IRAN.

In the Name of Allah,The All-compassionate, The All-merciful

Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all being;the All-compassionate, the All-merciful;the Master of the Day of Judgement;

. Thee only we serve, and to Thee alone we prayfor succour;

Guide us in the straight path;the path of those whom Thou hast blessed,

not of those against whom Thou art wrathful,nor of those who are astray.

O' Allah! send your blessings to the head ofyour messengers and the last of

your prophets,Muhammad and his pure and cleansed progeny.

Also send your blessings to all yourprophets and envoys.

Dear Reader,

The book you now have in hand is one ofthe many Islamic publications distributed bythis Organization throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying themessage of Islam to the people of the world.

You may read this book carefully andshould you be interested to have further studyon such publications you can contact us througha letter. Naturally, if we find you to be a keenand energetic reader we shall give you a deserv-ing response in sending you some other publi-cations of this Organization.

You may express your views on this pub-lication and the subject matter discussed in it,and how far you have benefited from it or whichpart of the subject matter has proved useful toyou and your environment. You will be able, inthis manner, to introduce yourself as one of ourgood and active reader.

Meanwhile, you can keep our address at thedisposal of your friends and those individualsinterested in Islamic Studies.

Publication Secretary,WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR ISLAMIC SERVICES,

( W0FIS).

CONTENTS

Page

TRANSLITERATION..................... 9

THE ERA BEFORE THE ADVENT OF ISLAM... 11

RELATIONS WITH NON-MUSLIMS .......... 20

WARS - ISLAMIC VIEW ................ 24

RULES GOVERNING CONDUCT OF WAR ..... 30

CONDITION PRIOR TO INITIATION OFHOSTILITIES ......................... 30

RULES OBSERVED DURING HOSTILITIES .... 32

AFTER CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES ....... 34

CONCLUSION......................... 39

This is the translation of an article whichappeared in Persian in a well-known religiousmagazine

"Maktab-e Islam "

(vol.l,

Nos. 133-

136) under the title of "Payami-e Islam ".

23rd November, 197519 Dhilqa `d, 1395Tehran - IRAN.

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent,

The Merciful

THE ERA BEFORE THEADVENT OF ISLAM

Before the inception of Islam, the worldwas a scene of total chaos, prejudice, and op-pression. People were obsessed with self-prideand glorification. Depending on their localities,people adopted various beliefs, with the idolworshippers being in the majority.

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Relation between people individually andcollectively was based on the theory of "Mightis right". The rich and the mighty consideredthe poor their chattels. The poor were deprivedof their basic rights. The mighty considered ittheir prerogative to persecute the weak and suckits blood. In that lawless society, standards ofliving degenerated to those of lower animals.

The policy of the ruler was to satisfy andfulfil his needs and wishes at the expense ofthe people. The poor were reduced to serve asserfs at the whims of the despotic ruler.

When mankind was so deeply engrossedin futile and harmful practices, God, Most Highout of His endless mercy sent His Messenger topurify them and restore their dignity.

The rays of sunlight pierced through thedark clouds of Arabia and proclaimed

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THE ERA BEFORE THE ADVENT OF ISLAM

. . . there has come to you indeed fromAllah a Light and a Clear Book. Thereby,does Allah guide those who seek Hispleasure on the paths of peace, and leadsthem out of every (kind of) darknessinto light by His Will, and guides them tothe right path. (Qur'an, 5:15-16)

Islam is comprised of a doctrine and amethod, and its message can be divided into dif-ferent classes within the context of this doctrineand method. In short, this message is an invita-tion to the world of peace and enlightment.

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Islam formulated a series of explicit in-structions within the context of its doctrineto lead mankind towards peace, harmony, andequality. The three main classification cameunder the following titles.

Islam by emphasizing and stressing theOneness of God, began to make inroads intothat sector of idol worshippers and believersof false gods. As a result, the power of idolatryof false gods was greatly undermined and ulti-mately this myth was wiped out. People, irre-spective of their colour or caste were broughtunder the banner of Islam. Human faith wasraised from false gods and idols to the beliefof God, Creator of all mankind. In this respectthe Holy Qur'an states

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i) Tawhid - Unity of God;

ii) Equality of human beings; and

iii) Justice.


The Originator of the heavens and theearth. How can He have a son when He hasno consort, and ( when) He has createdeverything and has knowledge of all things.Such is Allah, your Lord. There is no godbut He, the Creator of all things, so wor-ship Him. And He is the Guardian overeverything. (Qur'an, 6:101-102)

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. . . The nature made by Allah - the nature- in which He has created mankind . . .(Qur'an, 30:30)

By establishing the Oneness of God, differentpeoples were integrated within the commonreligion. Islam is then a concept that.compre-hends a universal relation between man andGod. Every aspect of Islam rotates about thedoctrine of Unity which Islam seeks to realizefirst of all in the human being in his inner andoutward life. The "Shahadah"; laa ilaha illa 'llah,is the most universal way of expressing Unity.For this reason Islam is based from beginningto end on idea of Unity, for God is One.

Therefore, this Unity expresses itself in theintegration of human society which Islam hasestablished. There is only one Muslim peopleno matter how scattered and far its membersmay be. No individual or a particular group canclaim to have a special status in relation to God.

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The idea of Unity was thus established and nodistinction has ever been made between thesacred and profane.

0 Mankind; We have created you from amale and a female; and We have made youinto tribes and sub-tribes that you mayrecognize one another.

Verily, the mosthonourable among you, in the sight ofAllah, is he who is the most righteousamong you . . .

(Qur'an, 49:13)

This doctrine of Unity has further beenasserted in Islam by exemplifying the common

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originality of mankind.

0 ye people; fear your Lord, Who createdyou from a single soul and created there-from its mate, and from them twain hath spreadmany men and women: and fear Allah, inwhose name you appeal to one another,and fear Him particularly respecting tiesof relationship ... (Qur'an, 4:1)

Relation between people has been estab-lished under the Divine Law. In Islam the em-bodiment of the Divine Will is not a set only of

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general teachings but of concrete ones. Not onlyis man told to be charitable, humble or just, buthow to be so in particular instances of life. TheDivine Law contains the injunctions as appliedto every situation in life. It is the law accordingto which Allah wants a Muslim to' live. It istherefore a guide of human action and encom-passes every facet of human life.

Verily, We sent our Messengers with mani-fest signs and sent down with them theBook and the Balance that people may act-with Justice ...

(Qur'5n, 57:25)

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O ye who believe be steadfast in the causeof Allah, bearing witness in equity: and letnot a people's enmity incite you to actotherwise than with justice. Be just, thatis nearer to righteousness . . . (Qur'an, 5:8)

RELATIONS WITH NON-MUSLIMS

The message of Islam encompasses everyaspect of human life. Islam cautions its fol-lowers from being over-zealous and restrictsuse of force in converting other people. Islamhas laid down a set of regulations on the man-ner in which Islam was to be preached andspread.

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Call unto the way of thy Lord with wis-dom and goodly exhortation, and arguewith them in a way that is best ... (Qur'-an, 16:125)

There should be no compulsion in religion.Surely, right has become distinct fromwrong. . . (Qur'an, 2:256)

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And argue not with the People of theBook except with what is best ... (Qur'an,29:46)

Islam does not like anyone to be forced tobelieve in its message. The holy Qur'an says:

. . . will thou, then, force men to becomebelievers? (Qur'an, 10:99)

It is crystal clear from these verses thatIslam aimed at spreading its message throughpeaceful means - by patient persuation andlogical reasoning and not through use of force.

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Islam insists upon its followers to maintaingood and amicable relations with non-Muslims.This statement is emphasized by the followingverse of the holy Qur'an:

Allah forbids you not, respecting those whohave not fought against you on accountof religion, and who have not driven youforth from your homes, that you be kindto them and act equitably towards them:surely Allah loves those who are equitable.(Qur'an, 60:8)

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No wars would have been fought had thenon-Muslims communities let Islam spread itsmessage without interference and hindrance orif they did not resort to wanton persecution ofthe Muslims.

WARS - ISLAMIC VIEW

Islam, being a practical religion has threeelements, namely intelligence, will and realism.

Islam has always sought to unify all do-mains of people under the banners of Islam.Therefore, it faced the problem of comingacross hard core enemies and the inevitabilityof war.

Islam has never initiated wars but onlyfought back in defence of their basic rightswhen there was a threat to peace and orderhad to be restored. In this case, a police action

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WARS - ISLAMIC VIEW

would be launched to clear the society fromtrouble shooters and rebels.

. . . and if Allah did not repel some menby means of others, there would surelyhave been pulled down cloisters andchurches and synagogues and mosques,wherein the name of Allah is often com-memorated. . . (Qur'An, 22:40)

It is obvious from this verse that but for theresistance put up by the Muslims, there wouldnot have remained places of worship. This is oneof the examples when it was obligatory for Mus-lims to fight to defend places of worships andtheir right to worship AllAh.

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. . . and had it not been for Allah's repel-ling men some of them by the others, theearth would have become filled with dis-order . . .

(Qur'an, 2:251)

It was sacrosanct to uphold the primaryvalue of religion and maintain discipline in thesociety. This required the Muslims to be harshon traitors and prevent them from causing chaosand disorder.

Islam by legislating war limited it. Use offorce was permitted only in self-defence. Here-under are situations where it was obligatoryfor Muslims to fight.

i) To wipe out oppression and injustices

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WARS - ISLAMIC VIEW

ii) To defend the right to freedom ofworship; and

iii) To defend the state.

There are many verses (in the holy Qur'an)to support the above theory and here are someof them

And fight in the cause of Allah againstthose who fight against you, but do nottransgress. Surely, Allah loves not thetransgressors. (Qur'An, 2:190)

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. . . and fight the idolaters all together asthey fight you all together: and know thatAllah is with the righteous. (Qur'an, 9:36)

Permission (to fight) is given to thoseagainst whom war is made, because theyhave been oppressed - and Allah indeedhas power to help them. Those who havebeen driven out from their homes unjustlyonly because they said, `Our Lord is Allah'. . . (Qur'an, 22:39-40)

These verses prove that Muslims were onlyallowed to fight in self-defence against oppres-

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WARS - ISLAMIC VIEW

sion and tyranny. A summary of this theory isgiven in the following verse

Allah only forbids you, respecting thosewho have fought against you on accountof (your) religion, and have driven you outof your homes, and have helped (others)in driving you out, that you make friendsof them, and whomsoever makes friendsof them - it is these that are the trans-gressors. ( Qur'an, 60:9)

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RULES GOVERNING CONDUCT OF WAR

By legislating war, Islam laid down rulesand regulations to be observed during theentire hostilities. These rules can be sub-dividedinto three parts:-

ii) During hostilities;iii) After cessation of hostilities.

CONDITIONS PRIOR TO INITIATIONOF HOSTILITIES

Whenever it appeared that war was im-minent Islam required its followers to findsolution to prevent outbreak of hostilities andmaintain peace. Before launching the offensive,the Muslims were required to negotiate with theenemy and offer them three options to preventwar.

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i) Prior to initiation of hostilities;

CONDITIONS PRIOR TO INITIATION OF HOSTILITIES

i) To join the rank of Muslims by em-bracing Islam;

ii) To conclude friendship treaties;iii) To refrain from fighting or aiding

enemies of Islam by supplying themwith arms.

If the enemy refused to accept these con-ditions, then Muslims were justified to go intothe offensive.

Muslims attached great importance to theseconditions and strictly adhered to them. An ex-ample is given when al-Imam Àli (peace be upon him) went to fight against Àmr ibn Àbdi-wudd in the battle of Trench (Khandaq ).

al-Imam Àli (peace be upon him) invitedÀmr to embrace Islam and he refused. ThenÀli requested him to withdraw and not fight,but again he refused. When al-Imam Àli ex-hausted all charnels of persuasion, did he startto fight with him.

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This proves that Muslims are peace lovingand made wars only when the enemy showedintransigence and inflexibility. Those, amongMuslims who did not observe these rules werepunished.

RULES OBSERVED DURING HOSTILITIES

We have seen that only "defensive wars"were permitted in Islam. Muslims were notallowed to go into the offensive to seek ven-geance or recriminations.

During the. fighting Muslims were forbid-den to kill women, children, the old and thesick, and those who did not participate in thefighting. Muslims were not allowed to mutilateor maim enemy soldiers; and destruction ofenemy property was also prohibited unless theenemy took the initiative in this kind of action.Muslims were not allowed to kill woundedenemy soldiers lying on the battlefield. They

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RULES OBSERVED DURING HOSTILITIES

were required to maintain the highest standardsof conduct.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon himand his progeny) issued comprehensive instruc-tions on exercising maximum restraint. WhenMuslims heard the Holy Prophet refusing themto kill children, they protested, "Are not thesechildren of idolaters?" The Prophet replied,"Were not your ancestors idolaters?"

Islam prohibited Muslims to cut essentialsupplies such as water and food from reachingthe enemy. The Muslims were required to putup a courageous fight and not kill their enemiesthrough hunger and thirst. During fighting, ifan ambassador of the enemy entered Islamicterritory to negotiate terms for cessation ofhostilities, he would be granted maximum safeconduct. Islam empowered Muslims to releaseprisoners of war or offer peace to the enemyif that did not jeopardize or harm Muslims.

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The Holy Qur'an says:

And if anyone of the idolaters ask pro-tection of thee, grant him protection sothat he may hear the word of Allah; thenconvey him to his place of security . . .( Qur'an, 9:6)

AFTER CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES

Standards of conduct during the war ap-plied after the war also. Muslims were ordainedto treat prisoners of war with kindness.

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And they feed, for love of Him, the poor,the orphan, and the prisoner. Saying: `Wefeed you for Allah's pleasure only. Wedesire no reward nor thanks from you'.(Qur'an, 76:8-9)

Muslims set free their prisoners of warwith or without ransom. In many cases prisonersof war were set free without ransom but inparticular situation it was necessary to ask forransom.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon himand his progeny) released many prisoners of warwith or without any . ransom. After the battleof Badr, the Holy Prophet of Islam promised

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to set free those prisoners of war who wouldteach, at least, ten Muslims the art of readingand writing.

In order to combat malicious propagandacampaign against Islam, Islam employed publicrelations campaign to keep the non-Muslimsfully informed of the aims of Islam. The Mus-lims conducted this campaign by:

i) Sending Ambassadors;ii) Concluding bilateral agreements (with

non-Muslims.

From the very beginning, the Holy Prophetsent letters to all neighbouring states explainingthe aims and objects of his mission, and sentrepresentatives to different tribes to explainthe message of Islam. This was done to counteranti-Islamic propaganda by the enemy.

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Muslims concluded defence pacts with vari-ous tribes and states to safeguard their commoninterest and reduce threat of war.

Islam had such a defence pact with thetribe of Khuza'ah and had to go to its aidagainst the Quraysh in the event of Hudaybiyah. Islam was prepared to grant concessionfor the sake of peace as can be seen from the"Treaty of Hudaybiyah" concluded by theHoly Prophet of Islam in 8 A. H.

Islam ordered its followers to strictlyadhere to the treaties concluded and not violateany of the clauses. There are many verses inthe holy Qur'an on this subject but we shallquote only a few of them.

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And fulfil the covenant of Allah when youhave made; and break not the oaths aftermaking them firm, while you have madeAllah your surety. Certainly, Allah knowswhat you do. And be not like unto herwho, after having made it strong, breaksher yarn into pieces. You make your oathsa means of deceit between you, for fearlest one people become more powerfulthan another... (Qur'an, 16:91-92)

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And make not your oaths a means of deceitbetween you; or your foot will slip after ithas been firmly established, and you willtaste evil because you turned away fromthe path of Allah, and you will have asevere punishment. (Qur'an, 16:94)

CONCLUSION

Islam is a Divine revelation which wasplaced as a seed in the heart of man who was thereceptacle of this message. Man is the container.He cannot break this container; he can onlypurify it and empty it of the pungent substancethat fills it so that it can become worthy ofreceiving the Divine nectar. It is by emptying

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the cup that man becomes worthy of receivingthe message of heaven. It is by becoming aworthy field that the Divine seed becomessown in it. The seed of Islam was placed in theheart of man through the Qur'an and theinstrument of its propagation among men, theProphet. From this seed there grew that spiritualtree which has created one of the greatest civili-zation in history, a tree under whose shade asizeable segment of the human race live anddie today and find meaning and fulfilment inlife.

THE END

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peaceful co-existence - knowledge · muhammad and his pure and cleansed progeny. ... lims to fight...

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