The Prophetic Model

The Prophet of Islam began his dawah mission in 610 AD in Makkah, where he found himself facing stiff opposition from the Makkans. He therefore decided in 622 AD to migrate along with some companions from Makkah to Madinah. There, unlike the adverse situation prevailing in Makkah, a favourable environment already existed for the Prophet to carry out his mission. Islam then began to spread rapidly, unhindered by any obstacles in its path. How did this come about in Madinah? We find the answer to this in one of the traditions of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet:

At that time in Madinah, there were two big tribes – the Aws and the Khazraj. Because of tribal traditions, they often came into confrontation with each other and five years before the Prophet’s migration, the two tribes waged a bloody battle, known as the Buath war. This battle was a blessing in disguise for the Prophet of Islam (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3777), for, in the course of the fighting, a large number of people belonging to both the tribes were killed, and all this carnage caused the Madinahns to engage in some soul-searching. Consciously or unconsciously, they came to realize that they needed an ideology based on peace rather than on war, if they were to ensure an honourable life for themselves. It was at a moment such as this that the peaceful message of Islam was brought to Madinah and it rapidly entered the hearts of the people.

Now, almost the same state of affairs prevails in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The ‘jihad’ in Kashmir first started here after the partition in 1947 in the form of large gatherings and agitations. After a period of time this movement took a violent turn. On the one hand, were the Kashmiri Mujahidin and on the other the Indian army. It was an unequal fight. As such, it was but natural that a large number of Kashmiri Muslims were killed. As a result of this armed confrontation, Kashmir suffered great harm in every respect. Education was disrupted, tourism dwindled to almost nothing, important social institutions were destroyed beyond repair and the overall economy was seriously affected. In view of this state of affairs, the conscience of the people of Kashmir was awakened and this has lead to a process of rethinking on a large scale.

Consequently, the people of Kashmir have decided to give up armed confrontation and instead follow the path of peaceful dawah.

Today, militancy has almost ceased in Kashmir and now the culture of one man, two missions is being adopted. On the one hand, Kashmiris are seeking a better future in educational and economic fields, and on the other, they are engaged in peaceful dawah work as a matter of religious duty.

The Prophet Yusuf, the son of Israel (Jacob) was born in Kana‘an (Palestine) 3500 years ago. The circumstances of his life brought him to Egypt, which in those days was ruled by a Hyksos King, who offered the Prophet Yusuf the position of administrator under his rule. According to the Quran this was ‘the King’s law’ and the Bible records this event thus:

‘You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne, will I be greater than you.’ (Genesis; 41:40) The Quran calls the story of Yusuf “the best story”.

The Prophet Muhammad was an Ismaelite prophet, who lived 1500 years ago. During the Prophet Muhammad’s time, an important event took place – the drawing up of a pact known as Sulh-e-Hudaybiya. The Quran calls this a ‘clear victory’. (48:1).

These events, relating respectively to two prophets tell us the successful formula for succeeding in the struggle of life, i.e. political ‘statusquoism and dawah activism’.

Muhammad (PBUH), appointed Prophet in 610 AD in Makkah, concluded a peace treaty with the Quraysh who, in those days, enjoyed the position of leadership in Arabia. This peace treaty, Sulh-e-Hudaibiya, recognized the leadership of the Quraysh, and unilaterally accepting all the conditions laid down by the Quraysh, the Prophet made a 10 -year no-war pact with them. By the terms of this treaty, and by accepting the leadership of the Quraysh, the Prophet found ample opportunities for peaceful dawah work.

This is the prophetic model for activism at the social level. This is the model which should be followed by the people of Kashmir and by the Muslims of the rest of the world. This is the only model by following which Muslims can achieve success and honour in this world. No other model save this one is practicable.

Accordingly, the Muslims of Kashmir and the Muslims of the rest of the world are duty-bound to eschew hatred and violence. They should delete the phrase ‘armed struggle’ from their vocabular y, burn all literature based on hatred and totally renounce the politics of confrontation. As a token of their good intentions, they should throw all weaponry into the river. Instead of becoming the rivals of their fellow men, they should become their well-wishers. They should wholeheartedly foster a culture of human friendliness. In doing so, they will be following the straight path of God, instead of giving in to their own desires. And it is only people who act in such a way who are destined for success in this world as well as in the next.