A Time for Peace, A Time for War

The word "Islam" is closely related to the word "salam or silm" which means peace. Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, himself had a very peaceful nature, was extremely tolerant, and highly protective of the non-Muslim minorities living in the Muslim state. However, there are times when states find war inevitable, but Islam only permits war in specific and dire circumstances. It keeps warfare at a level of mercy and respect for the enemy that no other army has been able to reach. The Prophet sometimes had to fight for the mere survival of his people and message, but once their security was ensured, he immediately reverted to peace and diplomacy. There is a rigid code Muslims must abide by in deciding when they can fight and how the fighting should be conducted. War itself is despised, and is only a last-resort option when all other attempts at peace have been made. A Muslim is never allowed to initiate hostilities. "And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but transgress not the limits. Surely, Allah likes not the transgressors." [2: 190]. The only times in which believers are allowed to take up arms are when they are defending their own lives and the lives of their people, when they see the weak being oppressed in acts of tyranny, and when they are prohibited from practicing their religion: "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers." [2: 191]. "They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence, is a greater with Allah; for persecution is worse than killing. And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion, if they can. And whoso be cometh a renegade and dieth in his disbelief: such are they whose works have fallen both in the world and the Hereafter, Such are rightful owners of the Fire: they will abide therein," [2:217]. Aside from these circumstances, there is no legitimate fighting in Islam. The conditions placed upon the soldier in battle are of utmost respect for the enemy and for human life. Islam makes a clear distinction between combatants and noncombatants, forbidding soldiers to harm defenseless civilian in any way. The Prophet said: "Do not kill the women, children, aged or the ill." He also prohibited Muslims from harming monks in their monasteries or hermits in their caves. Cutting down trees, destroying livestock, wells, homes or land of the enemy is likewise forbidden. Upon seeing the corpse of a woman in a battlefield, Prophet Muhammad asked his companions why she had been killed, and condemned it. There is no excuse for any expedition or attack resulting in the killing of civilians, no one has the right to take innocent lives. For those enemies active in combat and those taken prisoner of war, the list of rights is lengthy. There is no torture, no killing of the wounded or defenseless, and the return of corpses to the enemy is honored. There is no mutilation of the enemy bodies. Even after Hind bint Utbah, a powerful lady of Makkah, chewed the liver of the Prophet's uncle, Hamzah, after he was killed in a battle between Muhammad and her non-Muslim people, Muhammad still forbade his men from disrespecting a creation of God in such a way The Prophet commanded the believers to treat the prisoners of war with kindness. One prisoner by the name of Abu Aziz told how surprised he was to see the Muslims giving the better part of their meal-the bread-to the prisoners while they themselves just had dates. "Not a crumb of bread would fall into their hands without them giving it to me," he narrated, "and I would be so embarrassed that I would reject it. But then they would return it back to me." The Qur'an lays down strict guidelines for the declaration of war by a Muslim army, and Muslims are prohibited from breaching any treaty to which they have agreed. "If you fear treachery from any people throw back (their covenant) to them (so as to be) on equal terms (that there will be no more covenant between you and them), Certainly Allah likes not the treacherous. [8:58]. The extent of the Prophet's mercy can be seen in the Muslim conquest of Makkah, which happened towards the end of his life. The Makkan tribe of Quraish had blatantly violated the significant "Treaty of Hudaybiyya" by supplying men and arms in an effort to attack a Muslim-allied tribe. They had slaughtered ruthlessly, even killing inside the Holy Sanctuary, and knew they could expect retaliation for such a weighty crime. Muhammad, upon learning of the raid, set out for Makkah at the head of a colossal army of 10,000 men. Everyone wondered how he would conduct this expedition; if he wanted revenge for all the mockery, persecution, and murders of his companions, now was certainly the time. His forces humiliatingly outnumbered his enemies. When the army reached the outskirts of Makkah, they came upon the chief of Quraish, the archenemy of Islam, Abu Sufvan. Several Muslims were furious and wished to see him dead, but the noble Prophet received him. Muhammad asked his uncle, Abbas, to take Abu Sufyan ahead to a high gorge-giving him a full view of the Muslim army approaching Makkah. The leader must have felt his heart leap to his throat as he watched group after group, tribe after tribe pass in front of him. Finally, he turned to 'Abbas and asked incredulously, "Oh Abbas! Who are all these people?" Abbas's reply was plain and powerful: "This is the Apostle of Allah and his Companions." When Abu Sufyan approached the Prophet Muhammad begging for pardon and forgiveness, it was not revenge he heard coming from Muhammad's blessed lips. Instead, the Prophet simply said: "He who takes refuge in Abu Sufyan's house is safe; whosoever confines himself to his house, the people therein will be in safety; and he who enters the Sacred Mosque is safe." With these words Muhammad gave a full pardon and amnesty to the city of Makkah, and it was conquered in peace. To Wahshi, the murderer of Muhammad's uncle Hamzah; a pardon. To Hind, who mutilated his body and chewed his liver, absolute clemency. To Habar, who had attacked the Prophet's daughter so brutally that she eventually died, forgiveness. After seeing this, the people started to accept Islam in crowds, as long before, God had promised Muhammad they would. " When comes the Help of Allah (to you against your enemies) and conquest (of Makkah), And you see that the people enter Allah's Religion (Islam) in crowds, So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives" [110:1-3]. As families were reunited and the Muslims celebrated being back in the sacred city, Muhammad had other things in mind. After offering prayers to God for the victory, he proceeded directly to the House of God, the Ka'bah, that had been polluted by the 360 man-made idols. The Prophet of God proceeded to knock them to the ground with his bow. As he did, he recited the Qur'anic verse: "And Say: Truth (Islamic Monotheism) has come and falsehood (Polythesm) has vanished. Surely! Falsehood is ever-bound to vanish." [17:81]. "Al-Amin" returned to Madinah, where he spent the last years of his extraordinary life in worship and devotion to his Lord. He continued to stand in prayer for hours throughout the night until his ankles were swollen and his wife asked him to stop., but he did not. Although he was a ruler of a vast empire in his last years, he continued to sleep on a modest straw mat, with no desire for carpets, or luxuries of any kind. He became ill and passed away in the arms of his wife, Aisha, at the age of 63. He left behind a stunning legacy, a blameless example and a religion that changed the world forever. Courtesy:  Niche of Truth

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

Muhammad's prophet-hood was similar to those of the Prophets before him, including Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and many others. An orphan by the age of seven, he grew up as simple, yet pious individual. He was known for his justice and honesty, earning the nickname " AI-Amin (the honest man)" years before he was to learn of his own prophet-hood. He despised the injustices he saw within Makkan society, and as a young man helped form an alliance, "Hilf al-Fudhoul," to help preserve the rights of the poor and oppressed. He was troubled by the abundance of idols and senseless acts of paganism dominating his people. A staggering 360 idols were housed in Makkah, and they were called upon daily by most residents of the city. For someone of deep moral character, it must have been a confusing and difficult place to live. Muhammad (PBUH) used to go for days at a time into hills around Makkah to meditate. It was during one of these times in cave in Mount Hiraa, that God sent his first revelation to Muhammad (PBUH). Muhammad (PBUH) was now the final Messenger of God, and would be used to deliver the universal message to all humankind. The Archangel Gabriel came to Muhammad (PBUH) and commanded, "Read!" Muhammad, terrified, replied, "I'm not a reader," for he could neither read nor write, as literacy, where he lived, was rare. The angel took hold of him, squeezed him with incredible force, released him and repeated the command: Read! Muhammad repeated himself and once again the angel squeezed him until Muhammad (PBUH) thought he could bear it no longer. After the third time, Muhammad (PBUH) felt the intense ringing of bells and heard Gabriel recite the literal word of God. Words so powerful that it felt like they were inscribed on his heart: "Read: In the name of your Lord Who created, Created humankind from something that clings (zygote to the uterus), Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." [96: 1-3] He (PBUH) ran from the cave in terror, trying to escape the intense and frightening experience. But everywhere he looked on the horizon, he saw Gabriel; he could not escape it; he had already been chosen. Over a period of 23 years, the revelations continued to come. The verses make up the Noble Qur'an, and Muhammad (PBUH) and the believers committed them to memory. The thriving city of Makkah saw Muhammad (PBUH) as a grave threat; their strong economy depended upon the commerce of tribes that came to pay homage to the many idols housed in Makkah. The Makkan chiefs, upon seeing Islam spread, summoned Muhammad (PBUH) and offered him any amount of wealth or power he wanted, in exchange for him to halt his preaching. To this offer, which was delivered by his own uncle, Muhammad's (PBUH) reply was swift: "If they placed the sun in my right hand, and the moon in my left, I would not abandon this path I am on". For teaching the concept of one God and obedience to His law, Muhammad (PBUH) was mocked, beaten and cast out by his own people, who refused to abandon the idols and blood sacrifices surrounding the religions of their forefathers. When he visited the city of Ta'if, the people sent their children to hurl stones at him. The people of Makkah once draped the intestines of a camel upon his blessed shoulders while he was prostrating in prayer, then doubled over in laughter at their cruel prank. The Makkan's seized several believers, men and women, torturing and even killing them, and several attempts were made on Muhammad's (PBUH) life. After 13 years of harsh conditions in Makkah, including a social and economic boycott in which Makkans were forbidden to meet, marry, or trade with the Muslim minority, Muhammad (PBUH) immigrated to the welcoming city of Yathrib, some four hundred kilometers to the north of Makkah. The city adopted the name "Madinah," and is still known today with the same name. Muhammad (PBUH) was made head of state and in a matter of years established an advanced and just political, legal, economic and social system. His years of Prophet-hood were at many times tumultuous, but he knew his patience and perseverance was not in vain and would not go unnoticed. He had the ever-present consciousness that" Allah," or God, was All-seeing, All-knowing. Courtesy : Niche of Truth

Why should we not follow him?

Who was Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) before he was forty?  An illiter­ate shepherd boy. Another ordinary person in the darkness that sur­rounded him. A honest and truthful trader. Whence did this Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) receive such wisdom?  How did he concoct an all embracing, and eternally rel­evant, set of moral laws? How was it that he formulated, and propounded, the highest of political and economic theories? Whence did he create a set of the loftiest code of guidance which has never witnessed the least necessity for change? One man - a single individual - becomes, at once, a trail blazing social reformer, an astute legislator, a strategic military leader, a powerful statesman, a highly intelligent visionary, a man of the most extreme God-consciousness, a loving, head of the family, and friend. And yet does he say, ‘This is all not of mine own doing. It is but the Will and Power of God. He it is Who has sent me as a messenger for the guidance of humanity Follow me, therefore; for therein, lies your salvation.’ Has there been any evidence for his having spoken a false-hood?  No. Has any even alleged the commission of a great sin upon that greatest of lives? No. Has there been any other comparable example of the ideal life in the history of the world? No. Then, if that is so, why should we not obey him? Why should we not believe in him? Why should we not take him as our role model? Why should we not follow him? What of the Divine scripture that was revealed through him? It remains as the miracle of miracles even as it is the ocean of the highest knowledge itself. More than being a religious scripture, it remains as the su­per-natural attestation of the prophethood of Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam). Man­kind has not yet been able to face the challenge of that super-natural Book. Nor will mankind be able to do so in future! We have understood that in the personality of Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam), all the prophecies in the earlier scriptures concerning the mes­senger who was to come, found their true fulfillment. It follows from the fact that if the earlier scriptures, today, contain numerous prophecies, concerning Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) despite the corruption to which they were subject, the number of such prophecies could have been much greater if the scriptures were to be available in the origi­nal purity with which they were revealed to the prophets. We can believe, therefore, that -Muhammad (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) is the messenger of God, the Creator, Sustainer, and the One worthy of the worship, of all worlds. The Messenger of Peace. The truthful prophet. The follower of all the earlier prophets. The guide unto the Creator for all humanity. Make, therefore, the unconditional obedience to him, thy creed. For that is the path to true salvation. “And We have sent you (O Muhammad sallallahu alaihiwasallam) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). Say: It is revealed to me that your Ilah (God) is only one Ilah (God - Allah). Will you then submit to His Will (become Muslims and stop worshipping others besides Allah)? But if they turn away say: "I give you a notice to be known to us all alike. And I know not whether that which you are promised (i.e. the torment or the Day of Resurrection) is near or far." (Quran 21: 107-109 Translated meaning) Courtesy: M M Akbar