It is essential that man should have within his reach, a super formula for life’s management. Accountability to God provides man a super formula for managing life. Human beings enjoy freedom. They take decisions about their actions of their own free will. Managing life requires that man make himself consistently disciplined in his behaviour. And for the attainment of disciplined behaviour, it is essential for one to be convinced of the existence of a power far superior to himself, a Being who is aware of man’s activities at every moment; who can reward and punish man, and from whom it is impossible to escape.
There can be only one being of this nature and that is God. Belief in God functions at two levels at the same time. On the one hand, man finds in God a guardian who is aware of all his activities and who has unlimited power to chastise him. It is not possible for man to escape God’s chastisement. Belief in God compels man to steadfastly adopt a proper attitude in all situations, privately as well as publicly. Only then can he save himself from the wrath of God. Another point is that belief in God is a storehouse of limitless hope. Man can lead his life in this world with the conviction that if he incurs any loss because of treading the path of truth, or if he suffers from any other adversity, he will be able to endure it. For if he adheres to the path of truth, God will grant him a reward in the form of eternal Paradise, and there can be no reward greater than this.
Then man will bind himself to moral values and adhere to justice on his own, considering himself accountable to God. In this way he will be able to manage his life in this world, and become deserving of eternal bliss in the next life.
Source: Spirit of Islam, December 2017.
Why does despair take place? Despair is a result of lack of deep thinking. In my own experience, there are several instances which led me to despair. Today when I look back and think that whatever happened was best for me. Why does this happen? Because man has limitations and does not have knowledge of the future. When I think in retrospect, those situations that led me to despair turned out to be the points from which I gained greater success. The best solution is to keep faith in God and remember what Caliph Ali said: ‘Whatever happened, happened for the good.’
Source: Living in Hope
It is the honeybee’s culture to travel every day and reach places where flowers are available for it. The bee extracts nectar from the flower and returns to its abode. It does not care about anything else.
Where there are flowers, there are also other things like thorns, leaves, and stem. It simply extracts nectar from the flower and returns without objecting to the thorns. This behaviour of the honeybee gives a lesson to man in a symbolic manner: Live like the honeybee. Extract what is good for you and leave what is unwanted for you. Do not waste your time in complaining and protesting about it.
People generally get offended upon hearing criticism against them. This behaviour is quite against the scheme of nature. In doing so, they pay a heavy price. They deprive themselves of the “nectar” that is available for them in everything and every experience — a good lesson to be learnt and a wise advice you can forward. Every person’s environment has “nectar”. One should take the “nectar” and like the honeybee, ignore the “thorns”.
Living with a focused mind is very important for every man and woman. Only a focused mind is a developed mind. When you get offended or provoked, it means you have allowed another person to disrupt your focus and break your concentration. You should neither be offended nor get provoked. You should adopt the honeybee culture.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
The British historian Arnold Toynbee has rightly pointed out that nations must inevitably face challenges. But, there are two categories of challenges: either that which is so severely adverse as to be insuperable, or that which is – within limits – quite surmountable. The latter challenge can prove to be a stepping stone to further progress, but if the challenge is so enormous as to be of a crippling nature, it can reach unmanageable proportions and, it goes without saying, can have disastrous consequences.
As a rule, challenges fall into two categories – the tractable and the intractable. The former kind of challenge is a regular feature of nature’s functioning or is part of the scheme of things as laid down by the Creator. It is the way of nature to create such situations as will result in the kind of challenges which motivate people to strive to their utmost, thus unfolding their hidden potential.
Source: Living in Hope
Positive thinking is the other name for natural thinking. Positive thinking cannot be acquired from the external world. It is your inner nature that provides a reservoir of positive thought. Preserve your inborn nature and you will surely emerge as a positive thinker. Every human being is born with great potential. Allow your potential to unfold and you will become a positive thinker in the perfect sense of the word.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
It is greed for political power which has always been the cause of war throughout history. However, Islam laid down the principle that the system of government would be based on mutual consultation. This command is expressed in these words in the Quran: Amruhum shura baynahum. That is, “Their affairs are settled by mutual consultation.” (42:38) This means that in Islam, governance is not imposed from outside. Rather, it emerges from within society. It is not a matter of imposition by anyone. This has been expressed in a tradition attributed to the Prophet in these words: “As you are, so will be your rulers.” (Musnad al-Shihab al-Quda’i, Hadith no. 577)
The reason for wars in the name of political power has always been a person’s or group’s desire to establish their rule in society by removing their rivals from power. This leads to wars between the two parties. But when the principle adopted is that political rule is not a matter of imposition, but is rather something which emerges from within society, the reasons for war are automatically eliminated.
If anyone has any ideas about the course politics should take, he or she has only one option, and that is, to peacefully disseminate his or her ideas. Instead of attempting to impose one’s ideas upon others, one has to wait until society willingly accepts them. The enforcement of political ideas is not an option for anyone.
The Quran tells us: “whoever killed a human being – except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land – shall be regarded as having killed all mankind.” (5:32)
Killing someone is a very heinous act. It is legitimate only if someone becomes a definite danger to social peace. To kill someone without genuine justification is tantamount to the slaughter of the whole of humanity, because such an action is a gross violation of respect for life, which, in turn, leads to the taking of human life becoming a seemingly easy affair.
From the Quranic verse quoted earlier, one can gauge the great importance that Islam gives to peace and security. Islam demands that if a single person is killed, the entire society must react as if it is not a single individual, but, rather, the whole of humanity, that has been slain.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
Formation of a rule or government is not the goal of Islam, and therefore Islam does not prescribe any absolute model. The main concern of Islam is to convey to people the creation plan of God.
When it comes to electing a government, Islam does not endorse a specific model. We can understand this by observing how the first four caliphs in early Muslim history were selected. The first caliph, Abu Bakr, was directly elected by the people of Madinah because the Prophet Muhammad had let Abu Bakr lead the congregational prayers during his lifetime. When his health was failing, Abu Bakr nominated Umar to be the second caliph after him. The third caliph, Uthman, was selected by a board of six senior Companions of the Prophet. It is not clear how Ali, the fourth caliph, was elected—whether through nomination or selection. So, from this we learn that, in the early history of Islam, four different models for selection of the caliph were adopted.
In later times, a dynasty got established. For example, King Sulaiman (ibn Abd al-Malik) had a son who was not too competent. So, when the King fell ill, he was advised by his guide (alim) to write a deed for his successor. The King wrote a deed in favour of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, who was the King’s distant relative. This paper was sealed and brought to Damascus after the king passed away. The King’s advisor first took an oath from all to agree to the deed of the King and then announced the name of their new King, who was Umar ibn Abdul Aziz. This was another model, in which the public was asked if they had faith in the King’s decision before the announcement of the name of the successor.
Islam, therefore, prescribes no single method. The matter is handled according to the situation and as per that which is acceptable to the contemporary majority.
The problem is not of ISIS, but of our literature and media. A negative mindset was fostered among the youth by the Ulama and by the literature on the political interpretation of Islam. ISIS simply availed of the opportunity to recruit these negative Muslim youth.
Some problems do not have a short-term solution as people so desire. The real solutions to such problems can be had through long-term effort—by discussions, intellectual development and spreading of the right literature. We should work on a long-term peaceful solution as short-term planning or violence cannot work, because every act of violence perpetrates revenge.
Source: The Age of Peace
The majority of the present Muslim world has disowned the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In fact, this so-called State is neither a state nor is it Islamic: it is not a state because the United Nations has not recognized it as such, and it is un-Islamic because the majority of Muslims have disowned its claims. In Islam there is no concept of an “Islamic State”. This term itself has been innovated, as this phenomenon was not found in the early period of Islam, which is considered to be the authentic period of Islam.
How did the ISIS come into existence? It is a known fact that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a self-proclaimed caliph. It is said that the Prophet of Islam established a state in Madinah after the Hijrah, or emigration to Madinah. However, the Prophet never proclaimed that he was the khalifa of Madinah, or the ruler of Madinah. According to books of seerah (Prophet’s biography), people of Madinah themselves gave this position to the Prophet at the time of Hijrah. History tells us that when the Prophet, accompanied by his Companion Abu Bakr, reached Madinah after migrating from Makkah, the people of Madinah welcomed him with these words: Intalaqa amirayn muta’ayn. (Musnad Ahmad, hadith no. 12234) That is, “You are our leader. We are ready to obey you.” This is the way in which a state came into existence in Madinah at the time of the Prophet.
The political leader in Islam is decided not through appointment, but by election. There is a well-known verse in the Quran in this regard: “Their affairs are decided by mutual consultation.” (42:38). It means that political leaders in Islam are elected through the democratic process.
It is said that Madinah was the first Islamic state under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad himself. But, the Prophet or his Companions never called it “Islamic State of Madinah.” There was no such term used at the time. Practically speaking, it was Madinah Administration, rather than the Islamic State of Madinah.
If we read the Quran, we will not find any such commandment: Aqim dawlat al-islam. That is, ‘Establish an Islamic State.’ Why is a commandment of this kind lacking in the Quran? The reason for this is given in a tradition of the Prophet: Kama takunu kazalika yu‘ammaru ‘alaykum. (Bayhaqi, Sho’ab ul Iman: 9/492/7006) That is, “As you are, so shall be your rulers.” It means that according to the Islamic concept, government emerges from the society, it is not imposed on the society from outside.
After Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (d. 634 AD) was the first political head in Islam. But, he was referred to as Khalifah al-Rasool (successor of the Prophet), or the successor of the Prophet, rather than khalifah al-muslimin. What was the method through which Abu Bakr reached this position? According to the history of early Islam, after the death of the Prophet, the Sahaba or Companions of the Prophet assembled in an open place called Saqifa Bani Saidah in Madinah. At this place all the people came together and open consultation took place between the Companions. Through the consensus of the Companions, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq became the head of the state of Madinah.
A self-proclaimed state or caliphate, such as ISIS, has no place in Islam, because it has no sanction in the Quran and the practice of the Prophet and his early companions. Such a state is totally against the Islamic spirit. According to the Quran and the Prophet’s practice, no person has the right to proclaim his sovereignty on his own. To declare someone as sovereign is solely people’s domain, and not that of any particular individual. The case of ISIS is certainly a case of illegal coup, rather than a lawful act of Islam.
Source: The Age of Peace
No, individuals or non-state actors cannot wage war. In Islam, war is not the duty of members of the general public, whether individuals or groups. Rather, it is the task of a properly established government. Individuals do not have the right to engage in war on their own. On the contrary, war can be declared only by an established government. It is permissible for the government to call upon the general public to assist it in a war, but members of the public do not have the right to declare war on their own.
The Quran lays down as a general commandment that in the face of threats or where there is the danger of an external attack, the public should not take any action on their own. On such occasions, the only thing to do is take the matter to what the Quran (4:83) refers to as ulul-amr, or those in authority—in other words, their rulers. And it is for the latter to decide on an appropriate response.
The same point is made in a tradition of the Prophet, that is, the rulers are like a shield. (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 2957) War is fought under their leadership, and they protect the people. This indicates that the planning and declaration of qital, or war, is entirely the prerogative of a properly established government. The general Muslim populace can, remaining under the leadership of their rulers and obeying their orders, play whatever role is required of them in this regard, but they cannot act independently.
From this Islamic principle it is clear that there is no scope in Islam for non-state actors to engage in war on their own, or what is generally called guerilla war. This is because a guerilla war is fought by independent non-state organizations, rather than by agencies of an established government.
The word jihad is derived from the root jahada, which means ‘to strive’ or ‘to struggle’. It denotes the exertion of oneself to the utmost, to the limits of one’s capacity, in some activity or for some purpose. Thus, the Quran says: “Strive for the cause of God as it behoves you to strive for it.” (22:78)
In the Arabic language the word jihad refers to making an all-out effort for something. Because fighting one’s enemies is also one form of such effort or striving, it is also referred to as a jihad, in an expanded sense. However, the actual Arabic word for this is qital, and not jihad.
Qital or fighting with one’s enemies is something that might happen by chance, and only occasionally. However, jihad is a continuous process that animates every day and night of the life of the true believer. It never ceases. This continuous jihad is the ceaseless effort a believer makes at every moment to abide by God’s will in every aspect of his life. Such a person does not let any negative elements affect his life, such as the desires of the self, the allure of gain and personal aggrandizement, the promptings of opportunism, the problems of the ego, the lust for wealth, and so on. Overcoming such things is the real jihad, and this is what jihad’s essential meaning is.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
The root cause of Muslim militancy is the political interpretation of Islam. According to this, it is Muslims’ bounden duty to establish the political system of Islam all over the world, even if it involves the use of force. This wrong interpretation was a result of distortion of Quranic teachings. For example, a verse says: “…So that men may conduct themselves with justice.” (57:25) This is an injunction to believers to adhere to justice. But this was changed to mean: ‘You have to implement justice in the world.’ This kind of misinterpretation has been done with several teachings of the Quran. The result was that Quranic teachings which are the subject of self-following have been turned into a subject of implementation on others by force.
When you take the above Quranic verse in this sense: ‘It is my duty to follow justice in my life’, it creates no problems at all. However, if you take the verse in this sense: ‘I have to enforce justice on others’, then it is bound to create rivalry. Because, there are already some people occupying the seat of power. Under the influence of this interpretation, you will make an attempt to unseat them in order to implement your so-called Islamic order. This would inevitably lead to conflict. If the first interpretation makes you see other people as your friends, the second interpretation causes you to consider others as your rivals.
Another example of this misinterpretation derives from a verse of the Quran, which says: In al-hukmu illa lillah. That is, “All power belongs to God alone.” (12:40) In this verse, hukm is used in the sense of the supernatural power of God as the Sustainer of the universe. However, some Muslim extremist thinkers misinterpreted it to mean political power. Furthermore, it is said that Muslims, as representatives of God, should establish God’s rule on earth. This assumption is wrong because it is based on a Quranic verse which has been taken out of context.
The real message of Islam was: ‘Be followers of Islam’, but because of the wrong interpretation it became: ‘Be soldiers of Islam.’ There is no Quranic verse that gives the directive to Muslims to establish an Islamic rule. Political rule is not an essential part of Islam, rather it is determined by circumstances. If Muslims are in majority in a society and are invested with authority, they can by the will of the people form political rule according to religious teachings. But if the majority in a society is not religious and does not want to be governed by religion, then Islam will accept the social will.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
Man’s greatest faculty is his ability to think rationally. Building a peaceful society requires the re-engineering of the mind. This task can be carried out only through education—more through informal education than formal education. By informal education, I mean gaining knowledge through the media, literature, seminars and conferences, dialogue and discussion, and so on.
Here, I am not just theorizing about peace: I have experimented with it in practice. The venue of this experiment was Kashmir. I have been working towards inculcating peaceful thinking among Kashmiris since 1968, and I am still continuing with my efforts. There has been a sea-change as a result of this movement, and now, in almost every house in Kashmir the peace-promoting literature of our mission is read.
In 2011 we organized a meeting of those Kashmiris who are acquainted with our ideas. On this occasion, someone representing a group of Kashmiris said in the course of conversation: ‘We have travelled a long way from October 1989 to October 2011. Formerly, we used to throw stones at the Indian army. Now, we present them with literature about peace.’
Kashmir, which after 1947 was continually engaged in militancy, has now almost become a peaceful state. If there is any news of attack or violence from Kashmir, it is not due to the local Kashmiris, but is the result rather of a proxy war conducted from outside.
The above example of bringing about ‘Peace through Education’ can be experienced everywhere. The most effective way of bringing about peace is only one—and that is, to educate people’s minds along peaceful lines.
The best way to bring about change in society is through education.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
According to a hadith, the Prophet of Islam defined a believer thus: “A believer is one from whom people are safe as regards their lives and property.” (At-Tirmizi, An-Nasai, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad).
There are two ways of leading one’s life in society. One is to live peacefully among one’s fellow men. The other is to keep quarrelling with others. According to this hadith, the way of the faithful is to live as peaceful citizens in society. No one should pose any danger to others’ lives, property or honour. In no circumstances, should one take the way of violence.
How should life be led so that the members of a society remain safe and secure from others’ injustices? It is to maintain the way of moderation, irrespective of there being causes for complaint. They should be able to bury their complaints in their own hearts instead of pouring them out upon others. A society in which such self-control is exercised is one in which its members can enjoy a feeling of security. Indeed, a peaceful society is the ideal framework for positive human development. On the contrary, a society fraught with violence is an animal, not a human society. It can offer little hope of the realization of individual human potential.
The love of peace is a noble human virtue, whereas the love of violence brings the human being down from a high ethical plane to the level of brutishness.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
We are not the designers of this world. This world was designed by a Mind far superior to ours. Therefore, we must follow the scheme of things as conceived of in the mind of the Designer. Our plans will otherwise result in failure.
Peace is one of the principles according to which the world has been designed. By following the peaceful method, there is nothing that we cannot achieve, while by ignoring the peaceful method all our planning will result in total failure. This is a reality expressed thus by the Prophet of Islam:
‘God grants to peace what He does not grant to violence.’ (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2593)
This prophetic tradition is a statement of a law of nature. This law of nature is in no way mysterious: every person can understand it just by reflecting on nature. The law of nature is that in this world only a peaceful plan can work. A violent plan cannot work at all.
The rationale behind this natural principle is that when one opts for the peaceful method, one is choosing to tread a non-confrontational path. One, therefore, finds a clear road ahead on which to continue with one’s journey as planned. On the other hand, when one opts for the violent method, the journey ends in confrontation. In this case, one is faced at every moment with obstacles from the other side. This kind of journey is against the law of nature, hence it is doomed to failure. According to the Creator’s scheme of things, every person is free to make his own choices. This means that the road of life is not one-way-traffic. At every moment, other vehicles are coming from the opposite direction. So, one has to be able to deal with this onrush of vehicles. It is this art of journey management which is called peace.
Given this state of affairs, the only way to ensure success is to adopt a two-fold strategy in one’s planning, that is, endeavouring to pursue one’s personal agenda while at the same time adjusting with the activities of others. This may seem like walking a tightrope, but it can be done with proper planning.
Source: The Age of Peace
On the subject of jihad, the Quran addresses the believers thus: “Do great jihad with the help of the Quran”. (25:52)
As we know, the Quran is a book, an ideological book. It is not a gun or a sword. Therefore, ‘jihad’ by means of the Quran can only mean conveying the ideas of the Quran to the people. This implies that we should struggle peacefully to make the ideas of the Quran understandable by presenting them in the form of logical arguments.
The above-mentioned verse makes it clear that what is called jihad in Islam entails only the kind of peaceful struggle which has nothing to do with violence. The Arabic word ‘jihad’ is derived from the root ‘juhd’ which means to strive, to struggle, that is, to exert oneself to the utmost to achieve one’s goal. This is the original meaning of ‘jihad’ in Arabic.
This verse shows that peaceful effort is vastly superior to violent effort. Whenever one opts for the violent method, the sphere of one’s efforts becomes very limited. In resorting to violence, only the sword and the gun are of avail, whereas by peaceful methods, all kinds of things may be utilized to achieve our objective. Even a pen in a closed room can serve a great purpose.
Source: The Age of Peace
There are some groups in the modern world which are engaged in violence. If you ask them why they are spreading bloodshed, they will answer: ‘We are victims of injustice. Give us justice and we will give you peace.’
This condition for peace is unnatural. It is impossible to achieve justice by fighting for it. This is like putting the cart before the horse. In this world, everything follows the law of nature and the task of achieving justice is no exception.
According to the law of nature, justice cannot be given to someone as a gift. The correct approach is first of all to establish peace on a unilateral basis. Peace will open the door to all kinds of opportunities. Then, availing of these opportunities through wise planning will help you to achieve justice. There is no example in history of anyone attaining justice by fighting.
Peace is not desirable for the sake of justice; peace is desirable for the sake of establishing normalcy. When there is normalcy, every opportunity is available. It is by availing of such opportunities that one can achieve justice.
Justice cannot be achieved as a right: rather one receives justice when one proves oneself deserving of it. If you are complaining against social injustice, then blaming others for it is not the right approach. You should try rather to identify your own shortcomings. Because, according to the law of nature what you call injustice is the result of your own lack of merit. That is why to achieve justice you have to accordingly prepare yourself. Injustice can be removed through education and hard labour, not by demand. The strategy of complaint and protest will not give you justice.
Our world is a world of competition. In this world one can achieve something only on the basis of merit, and not through complaints and demands. There have been a number of great reformers whose goal was to achieve social justice through demands. But they failed. The reason for this was that their starting point was not realistic.
There is only one starting point, and that is, to educate people and make them deserving of being given justice. Justice is for the meritorious: it does not come automatically. If you deserve justice, you will certainly find it. However, if you lack the required merit, you will surely be denied justice. Like other things, attaining justice is also based on the well-known formula of give and take. If you pay the necessary price, you will achieve justice, otherwise not.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
Positive thinking leads to peace. Peace is a product of a positive mental attitude, while violence is the result of a negative thinking. Peace is the natural state of society: violence is an unnatural state. Peace is as much in accordance with nature’s plan as violence is against it. When peaceful conditions prevail in a society all activities take place in their proper form. But if the atmosphere of peace is disturbed, the normal functioning of society is disrupted. This law applies to man, as well as to the entire universe. According to the scheme of nature, peace is the only secret of smooth functioning in human society as well as in the rest of the universe. Peace, therefore, is such a basic requirement of man, that it is crucial to maintain it in all situations. Without peace there can be neither development nor progress. No excuse whatsoever justifies the use of violence, in individual or national life. Regardless of how unfavourable circumstances might be, an environment of peace is indispensable. We must maintain peace unilaterally, for nothing that we desire can be achieved without it.
If we fail to establish peace, then we must face destruction in every field of life. The option for us is not between peace and no peace, but between peace and annihilation. Without peace, there is no hope for the survival of mankind.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
We cannot have anything in this world without paying for it. Everything has its price and this is particularly true of peace. If we want peace, we should be ready to pay for it or stand deprived of it. What is the price of peace? It is simply tolerance. We live in a world of differences, and these differences cannot be eliminated. Therefore, we have only two options before us: adopting the policy of either tolerance or intolerance. While the latter leads to violence, the former ensures peace. Where there is tolerance there is peace, and where there is intolerance, there is war and violence. This is the only universal formula of tolerance for peace, and this same formula may be successfully applied to one’s family life and to social life, as well as at the international level. Peace requires us to foster a culture of tolerance, for intolerance can lead only to war.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
