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. Here informal education, means gaining knowledge through the literature, seminars and conferences, dialogue and discussion, and so on. It is not just theorizing about peace, but Maulana Wahiduddin Khan had experimented with it in practice in Kashmir. He had worked towards inculcating peaceful thinking among Kashmiris since 1968, and continued his efforts till his last days. 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 Maulana is read.
Between 2011-2012, CPS International had organized a series of meetings with those Kashmiris who were 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.
Source: The Age of Peace
The present problem of terrorism is based on an ideology that cannot be countered or killed through legal action or by mere condemnation. Now the question is: how to tackle this militancy? The answer is that it requires a counter-ideology. The militants have purportedly legitimized their militancy by applying to it a wrong and misleading interpretation of the religious scriptures. We have to delegitimize it by replacing the wrong interpretation with the right interpretation. No other strategy will work. We have to develop a counter-ideology to overcome it. According to the UNESCO dictum, ‘violence begins from the mind.’ It must, therefore, be uprooted from the mind itself. This goes directly to the root cause of terrorism. Therefore, in order to eliminate this root cause, we need to initiate our efforts by beginning from the right starting point. And, that is, the re-engineering of minds of individuals by taking them away from the culture of violence and bringing them closer to the culture of peace. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s literature and lectures provide a counter-ideology to re-engineer minds on peaceful lines by presenting them with the correct Islamic perspective of the same Quranic verses that are used to radicalize them. When they understand that their understanding has nothing to do with Islam, they leave it on their own, and start working on peaceful lines.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Present-day terrorism has become a worldwide menace. Present-day violence being perpetrated in the name of Islam is due to the political interpretation of Islam. While Islam is a religion whose commandments have to be followed by people of their own free will; the political interpretation wrongly shows Islam to be a religion of enforcement. As such, it is not a case of gun versus gun; it is a case of ideology versus ideology. Those Muslims who are engaged in violence today have become victims of this wrong ideology that justifies violence to enforce Islamic commandments. The only way to solve this problem is to present to these Muslims the peaceful interpretation of Islam, which is a religion of following (not enforcement). This will serve the purpose of a counter-ideology and take away the justification for using violence. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has provided a counter-ideology in many of his books such as, ‘The Political Interpretation of Islam,’ ‘The Ideology of Peace,’ ‘The Age of Peace, and ‘The Prophet of Peace.’ This counter-ideology has worked among Kashmiri militants. After reading Maulana’s books, many Kashmiris with a militant bent of mind have left off violence and are working in the field of education, peace and interfaith harmony.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
One does not need to defend Islam. We need to spread the right teachings of Islam to create an understanding of the peaceful message of Islam. Terrorism has no linkage to Islam. It is an undeniable fact that due to wrong interpretations of Islam; some sections of our society are today engaged in hate and violence. As a consequence, on the one hand, the authorities are trying to crush the terror menace through legal action, and on the other hand, reformers are trying to curb it by engaging in condemnation. However, both of these methods are proving to be ineffective. Then what is the solution?
The present problem of terrorism is based on an ideology that cannot be countered or killed through legal action or by mere condemnation. We have to develop a counter-ideology to overcome it. Violence begins from the mind. It must, therefore, be uprooted from the mind itself. This goes directly to the root cause of terrorism. Therefore, in order to eliminate this root cause, we need to initiate our efforts by beginning from the right starting point. And, that is, the re-engineering of minds of individuals by taking them away from the culture of violence and bringing them closer to the culture of peace. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has presented the counter-ideology to re-engineer minds on peaceful lines in many of his books like ‘The Ideology of Peace’ and ‘The Age of Peace,’ among others. Reading these books and watching his lectures on this topic, many people have left violence and turned towards peace activism like education and conveying God’s word to all humanity.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
In present times, numerous violent movements are being spearheaded in the name of establishing the ‘Islamic System’ or the ‘Prophetic System’. These movements, however, are simply a ruse to engage in a quest for political leadership in the name of Islam, and this is in spite of the fact that to launch and conduct a movement in order to acquire political dominance is itself not permissible in Islam.
The aim of a genuine Islamic movement is the purification of individuals’ souls (Quran, 20:76), not the Islamization of the government or the state. Accordingly, for centuries the Sufis focused on the purification of individuals’ souls. This work continued, using peaceful methods, and never became a source for spreading hatred and violence. The Sufis always promoted peace and humanity, while the so-called ‘revolutionary Islamic’ movements of today are producing completely the opposite results. The linking of Islam with hatred and violence is entirely the result of the misguidance of certain modern-day so-called Muslim leaders, who have been spearheading violent movements aimed at acquiring political power. Through their actions, these people have made Islam seem like a religion of hatred and violence, although, in actual fact, the Islam sent by God is a religion of peace and concern for the welfare for all. A true Muslim is one who is concerned about the welfare of humanity, not someone who is at war with humanity.
Political Islam is based on self-styled interpretation and has nothing to do with Islam. Political Islam rests on authoritarianism and is certainly not compatible with Western values, which are based on freedom and democracy. Islam is a religion of nature and operates on the principle of freedom. Just as nature does not follow the course of authoritarianism, similarly Islam does not encourage authoritarianism. Islam recognizes individual freedom. But this also means that everyone is free to misuse their freedom. It is this misuse of freedom that creates problems. In such a scenario, those who misuse their freedom may be made to understand and persuaded with reason. However, abolishing their freedom is not the solution advocated by Islam.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The problem is not of ISIS but of our literature and media. A negative mindset was fostered among the youth by the ulema and by the literature on the political interpretation of Islam. ISIS simply availed of the opportunity to recruit these negative thinking 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—through 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 Seeker’s Guide
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is referred to as ISIS. The majority of the present Muslim world has disowned ISIS. In fact, this so-called State is neither a state nor is it Islamic: it is not a state. It has not been recognized by the United Nations. 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 was 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 ‘khalifah’ 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 of Islam, 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.’ (English: “You are our leader. We are ready to obey you.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 12234) This is the way in which a state came into existence in Madinah at the time of the Prophet, as the people accepted him as their leader.
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’ or ‘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.’ [English: “As you are, so shall be your rulers.”] (Al-Bayhaqi, Sho’ab ul Iman: 9/492/7006) 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 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 Prophet Muhammad 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.
Contrary to common belief, gaining political power is not the main objective of Islam. This is a misconception. From the Quran we find that the matter of political power rests entirely in the hands of God:
“Say, Lord, Sovereign of all sovereignty, You bestow sovereignty on whom You will, and take it away from whom You please.” (Quran, 3:26)
The above verse of the Quran clearly states that, for believers, political power is a gift from God, and not a goal to be striven for. That is why political power cannot be the goal to which believers direct their efforts. The first and foremost duty of the believers is for all of them, as individuals and without exception, to fulfil their personal obligations to the utmost extent. Afterwards, if circumstances are conducive, and they receive political power purely by the grace of God, the responsibility of moral governance will fall upon the established state, as is mentioned in the above-quoted verse.
From this, it must be conceded that the establishment of an Islamic state is the responsibility not of individuals but of the society to which they belong. In Islam there are certain injunctions of an individual and personal nature, such as ritual fasting, which depend solely upon the will of the individual for their accomplishment. But the establishment of a political system on the basis of Islam depends upon the will of society as a whole. Only if there is a Muslim society possessed of the collective will to accept and institute Islamic government, can a political system based on Islam with all its social caveats, be established. We can, therefore, conclude that 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. Therefore, striving to establish an Islamic state with the aim of enforcing Islamic injunctions on people is completely against the teachings of Islam.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
The political interpretation of Islam is a case of political extremism, termed ‘ghulu’ in Islam. The Quran gives the following injunction: “Do not go to extremes in your religion.” (4:171) The same point has been made in a hadith in which the Prophet of Islam observed: “You should restrain yourselves from committing extremes (ghulu) in religion. For it was due to their having gone to extremes in religion that the previous communities were destroyed.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 1851)
The Arabic term, ghulu means extremism. The way of extremism is wrong, whatever the circumstances, for it goes against the spirit of religion. According to Ibn Hajar, a 15th-century Muslim scholar and a prolific scholar: “No one engages excessively in religious practices and neglects gentleness without eventually becoming overwhelmed and unable to continue.” (Fath al-Bari, Vol. 1, p. 117) Indeed, it is a proneness to extremism which at times culminates in war and violence. Those who suffer from extremist tendencies remain dissatisfied with the path of moderation since this strikes them as being far from the ideal. That is why they so easily incline towards violence and are ever ready to open hostilities in the name of achieving their objectives.
Moderation, which is the opposite of extremism, is closely interlinked with peace. The Prophet of Islam said: “Indeed, this religion is easy, and no one goes to extremes in practising it except that it overwhelms them. So, strive with moderation, avoid extremism, and be hopeful of good news.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 39) When people possess the virtue of moderation, they necessarily think in terms of peace and will engage in their struggle in a peaceful manner. Where there is moderation there is peace, and vice versa. In stark contrast to this, an extremist attitude very soon leads to confrontation and violence. Islam asks believers to shun extremism (ghulu) and be moderate (itidal) in religious activities.
Source: Ideology of Peace
One of the example of this misinterpretation derives from a verse of the Quran, which says: ‘In al-hukmu illa lillah.’ [English: “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, 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.
Islam emphasizes following justice. For example, a verse in the Quran says, ‘Deal justly.’ (5:8) Another verse says: “…So that men may conduct themselves with justice.” (57:25) In these verses justice (adl) is used in the transitive (lazim) tense of adhering themselves to, rather than in the intransitive tense (mut‘a’ddi) of implementing on others. The proponents of this wrong interpretation distort the meaning of the verse: “…So that men may conduct themselves with justice.” (Quran, 57:25) to mean that ‘You have to implement justice in the world,’ whereas this is an injunction to believers to adhere to justice. 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.
According to the proponents of the ‘political interpretation of Islam,’ Islam is a ‘complete system’, in the sense of an alternative socio-political system. According to its ideologues, it is the religious duty of the Muslim ummah to establish this system all over the world. These people believe that all systems other than the ‘Islamic system’ that exist in the world are evil and false. They contend that the raison d’etre of the Muslim ummah is to put a complete end to every sort of what they call these ‘evil’ systems, no matter what the cost, and to replace these systems with the ‘Islamic system’.
The ideologues of the political interpretation of Islam go even further than this and claim that the issue of a Muslim’s eternal salvation depends on this ‘system’. They argue that a person’s success in the Hereafter depends on his role in establishing this ‘system’ in this world. They claim that if a person strives to establish Islam as a ‘complete system’ on Earth, he will get eternal Paradise in the Hereafter after death, while if he does not make such efforts, he will face eternal Hell. Hence, according to the ideologues of the political interpretation of Islam, Muslims have just two choices: either they realize the goal of the global ‘Islamic system’ in practice or else they keep up with their confrontation and conflict until they achieve this goal. According to them, a third option is simply impossible.
This means according to the political interpretation of Islam; the issue is fundamentally an ideological one. Their opponents may wage war against them and kill them, but after that, those of them who survive may be determined to continue on the very same path, because they believe it to be nothing less than a matter of religious belief. According to them, death in this supposed ‘holy war’ is not merely being killed, as is understood conventionally. Rather, they believe that dying in this war will bring them instant entry into Paradise. They believe that death in such a war gives them the status of ‘martyr’ and dispatches them to Paradise, their desired destination.
This is a gross misinterpretation of Islam. In Islam, the principle of responsibility is based on one's capacity. It is not God's way to burden anyone beyond their ability. The Quran says, “God does not charge a soul with more than it can bear…” (Quran, 2:286) This principle applies both to individuals and society as a whole. Therefore, Islam cannot give such a responsibility to every Muslim to establish an Islamic state as it is beyond the capacity of a person. Furthermore, the role of political power in Islam is, in actual fact, a supporting role. Political power is a powerful supporting factor for providing shelter to Islam in that all religious activities are smoothly performed under it. The task of political power is to provide peace and security to Muslims, so that all religious activities may be performed in a normal way. That is to say, the role of political power is not the enforcement of justice, rather its role is to establish a normal situation in society in order that people may find the opportunity to follow justice in their lives.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
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. A large number of Muslims, especially many among the youth, have become obsessed with this ideology and are trying to establish the political rule of Islam in various parts of the world, thinking it to be their ticket to Paradise. Having failed to achieve this objective of establishing Islamic rule by peaceful methods, they have started resorting to suicide bombing. The reasoning behind this seems to be ‘If we cannot eliminate non-Islamic rule, let us at least destabilize it and pave the way for Islamic rule’.
After studying Islam by referring to its original sources—the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (the Hadith)—one can say with certainty that the ‘political interpretation of Islam’ is an innovation (bid'ah) and the real Islam, as followed by Prophet Muhammad and his early followers, is based upon peace, compassion and tolerance.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
Which are the pure souls who will qualify for the citizenship of Paradise in the Hereafter? Answering this, the Quran states: “The hearts of the people of Paradise will be filled with the glory of God.” (Quran, 39:75)
This means that for one to be deserving of Paradise, one must discover the glory of God in the present world and acknowledge it from deep within his heart. Glorifying God means discovering God through thinking and reflection, as the Lord of the Universe, while He is unseen. This discovery must be intellectually so profound that it should bring about a revolutionary change in his personality. In this way, he becomes a Rabbani (divine) person. (Quran, 3:79)
The society of Paradise will be a collection of the best individuals from the whole of human history. Every member of this society will possess the fine qualities of positive thinking, peaceful behaviour, sublime character, truthfulness, sincerity and amiable personality, an idealist in thought and a perfectionist in behaviour. Those who have developed this kind of personality are competent members of such a society in the present world. Only those persons will find entry into Paradise who have qualified themselves in the present world, as mentioned in the Quran, thus: “[In the Hereafter] man shall have only that for which he strives.” (Quran, 53:39)
Source: The Alarm of Doomsday
To be held eligible for entry into the perfect world of Paradise in the hereafter, there are two necessary conditions. The first condition is that one discovers God at the level of realization, called maarifah. It means that one’s feelings and emotions are focused on and associated with God alone. Without even seeing God, one experiences God’s mercy and blessings at every moment. The second condition is that one should reach the world of the Hereafter with a purified personality (20:76). It means that one has purified his soul in this world to such an extent that one’s heart and mind are free of impurities devoid of any negativity; that is, one has grown a garden of divinity within himself. However, those who choose to be negative and pollute themselves by following the footsteps of satan will be thrown into hell in the Hereafter, while those who purify themselves will eternally dwell in the blissful environs of Paradise. Those who purify their personalities and attain a profound realisation of God will undoubtedly be rewarded with eternal Paradise by God Almighty.
Source: The Alarm of Doomsday
No! All Muslims will not go to Paradise. Paradise is not anyone’s birthright, nor will one receive entry into it through recommendation or wishful thinking. Only such a person will find entry into Paradise who qualifies for it. Entry into Paradise is a matter of selection, and God Almighty will make this selection in the world Hereafter.
Source: The Alarm of Doomsday
According to the system of nature, God is getting the record of every man and woman prepared through His Angels. We will be judged based on this record which will be presented before the Creator in the next stage of life on the Day of Judgment. Those whose records show that they made proper use of their freedom will find a place in Paradise where they will live eternally in comfort and happiness. In this world, good and bad people exist alongside each other. However, all the bad people will be separated from the good in the hereafter. They will be deprived of all the Earth’s resources, and the land will be entrusted solely to the good people. This is the truth which has been mentioned in the following verse: “And indeed We have written in Psalms (Az-Zabur) that My righteous servants shall inherit the land.” (i.e., the land of Paradise) (Quran, 21:105). This statement made in the Quran is recorded in detail in the Book of Psalms in the Bible: “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” (Bible: Psalms, 37:29).
Now the time has finally come for all men and women to arise from their slumber. By engaging themselves in introspection they must reform themselves. They must make their sole concern the attainment of a successful life in the next phase. Every man and woman must know that the chance they have been given in the present world is the first and last chance. No other chance awaits them. Global warming tells us that the point of no return has already been reached. Let us avail of this opportunity before the time is up. After this, no one will be given any further opportunity to come back to the present world. Nor will there be any opportunity in the next world to atone for one’s misconduct or be rewarded for the belated performance of worthy deeds.
Only death divides us from Doomsday. We are all proceeding towards a fate which will bring us either eternal bliss or eternal torment. Every moment that passes is bringing us closer to the fate that is in store for us. We lose one day more in our lives every day the sun sets, and we will never have another chance like the present to prepare for this awesome day. We have only a comparatively short time in this world, but will have to endure the consequences of our life on Earth forever: either bliss or agonizing punishment.
We are soon going to leave this world where we are free to act, and enter another world where we will reap the consequences of our actions; we must examine our lives before this happens. We will all have to stand before God one day. On that day, how fortunate will be those who are included among God’s faithful servants, for they will be honoured in heaven. How unfortunate will be those whom God rejects, for they will have nothing to look forward to except eternal torment and disgrace.
The Quran and Hadith have clearly predicted that after Qiyamah or Doomsday, the Day of Judgement or the Final Reckoning will come. This will be the Day when the whole of creation will be gathered before the Lord. All voices will be silenced except for the voice of God. Only the truth will have any weight on that day. Nothing else will be of any benefit. On that day man will be judged. From the Islamic viewpoint, God had made this world for a limited period of time. Now those signs have appeared which tell us that this limited period of time is reaching its end. Then there will be Doomsday. Prophet Muhammad made it clear that human beings had not been settled on this Earth for all eternity; that a time would come when the present inhabited world would come to an end and be replaced by another world. Then all the evil people would be sent to the universal dustbin and all the good people, who obeyed God, would inhabit the eternal world of Paradise. Now, human beings must realize that they stand on the threshold of Paradise.
