Changing the Place of Action
Refrain from making problems targets of confrontations, rather use the method of peaceful negotiation, even if that means finding another place where opportunities present themselves.
When the Prophet of Islam was in his early prophetic period, he lived in Makkah for a period of 13 years. There he found some supporters but the majority become hostile to him to the point of deciding to kill him. At that time the Prophet took no retaliatory action. Nor did he become determined never to leave Makkah at any cost. Instead what he did was to quietly leave Makkah for Madinah.
It was a matter of changing his place of action. After making a deep analysis of the circumstances, the Prophet decided that he would not spend or waste his energy in confrontational activities with the Makkans but would rather leave Makkah and make Madinah his centre of action. This was the way of the Prophet, which may be called ‘changing the place of action’.
In practical and controversial situations this was an extremely important practice of the Prophet. This practice may be differently expressed as refraining from making the problems targets of confrontations but rather staying away from the place where the problems are and finding another place where opportunities presented themselves.
This principle is exactly in accordance with Islam and with reason. When anyone is not able to follow this principle, it is because he is making the matter one of his own prestige. But wisdom demands that in no situation should any issue be made one of honour and prestige. In that way the path to the solution remains open. Turning any matter into one of prestige and honour is to take it to the extent where no solution will work, no strategy towards its solution will be workable.
There are two ways of changing the place of action. When there is no opportunity to continue one’s mission at one place, one should select another more opportune place for one’s activities. When the way of war is not effective, adopting the way of reconciliation is best. When the problem cannot be solved by confrontation, one should try to find the solution to the problem through peaceful negotiation. When the direct struggle is not proving beneficial, adopting an indirect struggle becomes important.
