Non-Violence and Islam

One coup d’état is often the signal for a series of coups and countercoups. The truly desirable revolution is that which permits gradual and beneficial changes. And this can be achieved only on the basis of non-violence. Success Throgh the Non-violent Method All the great successes of the first phase of Islam as well as the succeeding periods were achieved by nonviolent methods. Listed below are some examples of these successes. 1. Of the 23-year period of prophethood, the initial 13 years were spent by the Prophet in Makkah. The Prophet fully adopted the way of pacifism or non-violence during this time. There were many such issues in Makkah at that time which could have been the subject of clash and confrontation. But, sedulously avoiding all such issues, Prophet Muhammad strictly limited his sphere to peaceful propagation of the word of God. This resulted in dawah work being performed in full force throughout this period. One of the great gains during these 13 years of da’wah work was the entry into the Islamic fold of men of the highest moral caliber, who were responsible for forming the history of Islam, for instance, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, etc. 2. In Makkah when the Quraysh leaders were set to wage war against the Prophet, even then, instead of opting for the way of reaction and retaliation, what the Prophet did was to secretly migrate to Madinah. Migration, by its very nature, was a clear example of non-violent activism. This peaceful strategy enabled