FROM MAULANA’S DESK

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.

 

 

WHERE THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD WENT WRONG

THE present situation in Egypt reaffirms the veracity of the Islamic formula in this regard. The Prophet of Islam has said: “Kama takununa kazalika yuwallu alaykum” (‘As you are, so will be the government upon you’). According to this prophetic saying, the government always emerges from society. It cannot be imposed from outside. No slogan whatsoever justifi es the theory of imposition of a government. Muslims must adopt a two-point formula in this regard. In terms of government, they must accept the social verdict, and in terms of personal mission, they must adopt dawah as a peaceful activity. So, the Islamic formula in this regard is — dawah activism and political status-quoism.

This is the only formula that is a permanent guarantee for peace in society. This formula nullifies the politics of opposition, and it also abolishes all kinds of protests, conflicts and violence. If people adopt this formula they will be able to enjoy peace in every situation. Peaceful activism enables you to avail the opportunities, while violent activism destroys the opportunities — and opportunity is the greatest asset for a person as well as a party. The mistake of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ was that they tried to impose their cherished system by force. However, according to the above-mentioned hadith, first of all they should have prepared the society before imposing their cherished system. If your society is not ready to accept your system, you have to wait and engage yourself in the task of preparing the minds of people.

The Muslim Brotherhood started the politics of opposition in Egypt in 1952. In spite of great sacrifices, this led to confrontation and violence, and, fi nally, bloodshed. Thousands of people were killed during this period. But in terms of positive gain, nothing was achieved. The ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ started their political activism in the name of Islam. However, in terms of results, it generated only hate, infighting, and destruction.

At the same time, there were and still are enormous opportunities in the fi eld of dawah. Had the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ adopted peaceful dawah mission, today they could have been highly successful in bringing people within the fold of the Truth. But due to their wrong policies, and in spite of great sacrifices, they achieved nothing and, instead, destroyed everything.

The British anthropologist Sir Arthur Keith wrote a book titled A New Theory of Evolution (1948). In this book, referring to the history of Egypt, he observes how Egypt was Islamized during the Khilafat period commenting: “Egyptians were conquered not by the sword, but by the Koran.” (p. 303)

If we compare this experience of the history of Egypt with the present failure of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’, we will discover that the power of the Quran is greater than the power of the gun. But it is very strange that in the same land of Egypt, the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ is trying to achieve through the power of the gun what was achieved through the power of the Quran.

The Quran is not a political manifesto of Muslims. The Quran is a book of ideology. The Quran is a power when it is used for peaceful Quranic activism. It is with regard to this point that the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ has failed — it takes the name of the Quran as a political agenda, and not for the basis of peaceful dawah.

The best advice for the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ can be given in two words: reassess your policies and re-plan your activities on the basis of the Quran. The former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was deposed from his offi ce on July 3, 2013. He delivered a long speech on June 26, 2013 where he said: “Asabtu ahyanan wa akhtatu ahyanan ukhra” (‘Sometimes I was right in the actions I took, and sometimes I committed mistakes.’)

I would like to add that he and his party were wrong in the target they had opted for. They opted for a political target, while they should have instead opted for dawah as their target. They did not gain anything from their political target, while by making dawah their target they could have gained both — political power and dawah.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
[email protected]

 

 

Formula for Strength

Every tree is known to be a composite of two parts, half of it being below the surface of the earth, and the other half standing up in the air.

This is the formula for strength. Strength can only be achieved from the inside and not from the outside.

If you want to live as a strong person, you have to develop a fi rm base, and then you will be able to live as a worthy member of your society.

 

Overcoming Handicaps

One may be beset by the most grievous handicaps in life, but it is always possible to rise above them. However, this can be done by one who is willing to endure some “initial pain”; and put in some “extra eff ort” to achieve one’s goal.