From Stones to the Quran
In the course of our conversation, a Kashmiri Muslim once said: “We have travelled a long way from October 1989 to October 2011. Formerly, we used to throw stones at the soldiers. Now, we present them with the Quran.” These words tell us of the new revolution commencing in Kashmir. It is a sign of a new beginning. When a healthy process sets in in history, it goes on uninterruptedly until it reaches its destination.
The words of the Kashmiri Muslim denote that earlier the Muslims in the valley were living in a state of unawareness. Now they have learnt to live in a state of awareness. Kashmiri Muslims at first regarded others as their rivals. Now they have come to regard them as madu. The Kashmiri Muslims never used to stop short of violence, but now they have discovered the secret of living in peace. Having adopted a satanic culture earlier, the Kashmiri Muslims have now decided to follow the culture of the angels.
What is satanic culture? When God created Adam, He told Satan to acknowledge man. Satan refused to do so on the pretext of a self-styled excuse but the angels, in accordance with the command of God, immediately acknowledged Adam. It is as if Satan threw stones at Adam, while the angels heeded the command of God.
This is the test of man in this world. Those who throw stones at others have failed in the test, while those who obey the word of God and welcome others, have been successful, for they have trodden the path of the angels.
This new decision by the Muslims of Kashmir is the beginning of a new phase for Kashmir. It is the declaration of the dawn of a bright morning following upon a dark night.
The Power of the Quran
The Quran is a book which conquers hearts. There are a great number of examples in history of the Quran bringing about a revolution in individuals or groups with its ideological power. The Quran is the book of God. It is this holy authorship which has produced in the Quran the capacity to conquer man, who is God’s creature. One example of this is recorded in the history of Egypt. When the Muslims of the first phase entered Egypt, the Egyptians at that time spoke the Coptic language and practiced idol worship. Under the influence of the Quran, they not only changed their religion, but they also adopted the language of the Quran.
A British Egyptologist, Sir Arthur Keith, puts this development in a nutshell when he says: “The Egyptians were conquered not by the sword, but by the Quran.”
The Quran once again can play this effective role, provided that the believers in the Quran abandon non-Quranic activities and convey the peaceful message of the Quran to the world.
The Spring of Islam
On a visit to Kashmir in June 1989, I was reminded by a Kashmiri of how I had once said at a meeting in Srinagar that I could envision the spring of Islam in Kashmir. I had not made this remark in view of the actuality of Kashmir but rather in terms of its potential.
Certain unwise leaders have caused a flare- up of negative feeling in the Kashmiris and have then engaged them in emotional politics. But this has never been in line with the actual temperament of the Kashmiris, who are by nature a peace-loving people. If the Kashmiris can be given right guidance, then certainly the ‘autumn’ will be replaced by ‘spring’. The hot air of violence will give way to the cool, pleasant air of peace. Here, once again, political Islam will be replaced by Rabbani Islam.
There is full potential for unleashing a dawah revolution in Kashmir, but this potential cannot become a reality on its own. As such, what is required is that the peaceful teachings of Islam should be spread in this region. A movement of intellectual re-engineering should be launched to bring about awareness among the people. They have to be made to understand that hatred and violence are not an option for them. Their only option is love and peace. Therein lies for them success in this world and the next.
The Dream of Kashmir
In August, 2008 a young Muslim from Delhi went to Kashmir, where he stayed for three weeks. During his stay he kept a diary to record his daily experiences. When he came back from Kashmir, he showed me the following entry in his diary: On August 4, 2008 I stayed for one night in a students’ hostel in Kashmir, where I shared a room with one of the students. When I woke up in the morning, this student told me he had had a dream relating to the monthly Al-Risala. He said ‘I saw an old man with a grey beard. He was not educated, but was crying out loudly, asking repeatedly to be enrolled as a member of the Al- Risala. In this dream, it appeared as if the old man symbolized the soul of Kashmir. The soul of Kashmir was screaming out that it was sick of the negative thoughts that were being spread across the valley. It totally disapproved of this and said, “Spread the monthly Al-Risala and its positive thoughts instead.”’
The militant movement started in October 1989 in Kashmir, during which Kashmir suffered immeasurable losses of life and property. The self-styled Jihad brought to Kashmir nothing but destruction.
Now there is only one way to rectify matters, and that is to spread constructive thinking in Kashmir. Only the message which has been repeatedly conveyed in the monthly Al-Risala can bring back normal life to Kashmir. Anything other than this can spell only death and destruction. The so-called Kashmir militant movement may benefit certain leaders, but Kashmir and the Kashmiri people have nothing to gain from it. Now, the final hour has come to review this whole situation. Emotionalism must be abandoned in favour of realism.
