Modern-day terrorism in the name of Islam is based entirely on the misinterpretation of Islamic texts. An example of this misinterpretation derives from this Quranic verse, “All power belongs to God alone.” (12:40) Here, hukm is used in the sense of the supernatural power of God. However, Muslim extremist thinkers have 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 that has been taken out of context. Another verse in the Quran says ʿIdilu. It means, ‘Follow the principle of justice [in your life].’ (5:8) But a misinterpretation of this verse has taken it in the transitive sense instead of the original intransitive sense in which it was used in the Quran. The verse means that justice should be imposed on people by force. As a result of this misinterpretation, the concept of justice has been politicized. This political interpretation of Islam has no basis in Islam. The terrorist phenomenon is, therefore, based on the misinterpretation of the scriptures. It can be countered only by presenting the correct interpretation of the exact text used to radicalize people. It will act as a counter ideology. It will make people understand that the present militancy, based on the political interpretation of Islam, has no sanction in Islam. Then, we must present the Islamic position of the same scriptures. And then it must be universally publicized worldwide. Realising that their actions are un-Islamic, people with an extremist bent of mind will give up violent activism on their own and turn to peaceful activism. To counter the political interpretation of Islam, we shall have to re-engineer the minds of extremists along peaceful lines.
Introduction
A report in today’s Hindustan Times carried a report entitled:
“Taliban attacks
This is very serious news. According to a Hadith, “Doomsday will not come lest two big Muslim groups clash. The claim of both these groups will be the same.”
It has never happened before in history that two fighting camps have had the same claim. Whenever there is a fight, the two groups involved have different claims. For example, in
To understand this we need to go in depth. The most difficult task is analysis; coming out of biases is a prerequisite of doing correct analysis.
Two hundred years back Muslims had an empire. The headquarters of the Caliphate was in
Nobody reacted in the way in which it was told as in the Quran. There were several such incidents in the life of Prophet Muhammad. He faced atrocities at the hands of the Meccans. On seeing this, Hazarat Omar said, “We want to do jihad.” However, the Prophet replied, “O! Omar, we are few.” These words of the Prophet, at the time when he faced atrocities mean, “Do not see those who are inflicting atrocities upon you, rather see where you are. If you are weak and still you fight then you’ll be further persecuted.”
The Prophet pointed the internal shortcoming that is, the Muslims were weak, and hence migrated from
Similarly, when the Muslims were defeated by the Meccans at the Battle of Hunayn the Quran pointed to the shortcoming of the Muslims. The Quran said, “The reason of defeat at Hunayn was arrogance.”
The Quran did not blame others for the defeat of the Muslims; rather, the internal reason was pointed out.
Satan also waged war on Adam due to emotional reason. Similarly, the emotional reaction of the present Muslims who are fighting and creating violence is a satanic reaction. This is the same for all the Muslims leaders. Among the Arabs a slogan was prevalent, “Salahuddin should be brought back so that we can fight.”
In India Sultan Tipu did the same thing. His army was weak. However, he fought and died singing the slogan, “Fight like a tiger.”
This was a false slogan. The real tiger which has been created by God doesn’t fight. The Prophet also migrated from
When their hate speeches, writing etc. did not work, they started suicide bombing. This shows that when you take a wrong step, it will lead to madness.
God has given freedom to man. Creating the universe is easy for God. What is difficult is managing history without abolishing the freedom given to man.
How does God manage the universe without abolishing man’s freedom?
Kingship in the earlier times led to violent activism. The sword-based activism created people such as Marx and Rousseau. These people brought about political activism. However, political activism is intolerant activism as it brings about intolerance or hate by one group on group on another. Then Mahatma Gandhi initiated street activism. This type of activism also leads to hate as it is based on the concept of “We and they.”
God managed history and now there is media activism. This is a great miracle.
According to the Quran the Dabba activism will be Kalam based.
The media is doing the same. There is no violence or gun or bombs in the media. Here one has to present one’s argument. This is purely word based (word activism). Hence, media activism is Dabba activism.
God has brought history to the stage where words can be used to spread one’s message rather than sword or violence. Now there is no need to fight to spread one’s message, the media can be used to do so.
However, the Muslims are unaware of this age. According to a Hadith, “The farmer ties his cow here and there; he keeps changing the position from the shade to the sun. However, the cow doesn’t know why the farmer is doing so.”
The Muslims should not be like the cow, unaware of what God is doing. They should know what changes God brings about in history and how He manages it so that they can appropriately spread the message of God. God has managed history from violent activism to street to media activism. This has been the course of history; now there is peace and there is no need to go to war to get one’s voice across the world. Now we can use the media to present our arguments. Hence, we must know what changes are brought in history so that we can avail the opportunities brought about by these changes and spread our message.
At the time of the British rule, MWK’s elder brother told him that the fighting between the Hindus and the Muslims is instigated by the British. So, MWK made his goal of freeing
Everybody hates the British because they brought an end to the Muslims’ empire. However, the Muslims should have done introspection. They should have tried to see their own weaknesses rather than blaming and complaining others.
Now Islam should be rediscovered. We have to leave intolerance and bias. We have to take out the negative thinking.
In the Quran few things are in present tense and few are in the future tense. The present tense alludes to the times of the Prophet. For example, the idols at the time of the Prophet had to be finished at that time alone.
While a verse in the Quran which pertains to the time of the Prophet Moses says, “We will preserve your (Pharaoh) this day as a sign to the future generations.”
The body of Pharaoh was discovered in the 19th Century and is now in
There were signs in the universe which had to be unfolded. For example, the Quran speaks of creation of the universe by saying that sky was “torn” apart. This has been established now by the scientific theory of the Big Bang, according to which the universe came into existence after an explosion occurred in a dense ball of matter.
There is one thing which is yet to happen. According to the prediction of a Hadith, “There will be no house on the earth, big or small, in which word of God will not be enter.”
This Hadith is in the future tense.
How will this happen? This is possible only in the age of the printing press. There was no printing earlier. But, today in the age of telecommunication, sitting at one place you can spread the message across the globe. Also, there is religious freedom which did not exist before. There is no religious persecution due to which the word of God can be spread.
Apart from the negative aspect of the jihad, there is also a positive aspect. This is that jihad is in news everyday. This brings Islam in the news. There is curiosity and people have different questions regarding the Quran. Everyday Quran is in news. Now when CPS members go to spread Quran, people accept readily. People ask for more than one copy. This age of inquisitiveness is also brought about by God.
God has made it possible that His word can be spread.
There was a time when man only had animals as means of communication. In this traditional age, the Prophet and his Companions dedicated themselves towards spreading the message of God.
Now in the printing press, those who will dedicate themselves for the task of spreading God’s message will be the Brothers of the Prophet.
Now we must abandon every other task. Everything other than doing God’s work should be secondary.
Yesterday there was news that Indians are spread in 108 countries of the world. But all that people dedicate their lives to is their family, children, business etc. People should dedicate their lives towards a mission.
Doomsday is knocking at our doors. The Doomsday will come all of a sudden. Now we have to save ourselves from distraction. A man can have only one concern at a time. To make God’s work our concern, we should make everything else secondary.
