Islamic Education

that it was conducted in the light of the guiding principles of Shariah. This is why the madrasa movement achieved a level of success unmatched by any other movement in modern times. Here, a few aspects of this guidance are highlighted. The Hadith of Gentleness This world operates according to the fixed laws of nature. One of these laws is that a greater part of power in this world lies in non-violence, while violence often leads to destruction. The greatest source of power in God’s world is peace, not war. This law of nature is expressed in a hadith: “Indeed, God grants through gentleness what He does not grant through harshness.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2593) This Hadith does not pertain only to moral behaviour; rather, it applies to all forms of action, including major activities in collective life. The principle is that any meaningful action in this world requires deep planning. Numerous obstacles exist on the path of every endeavour, and at every step, there is the potential for conflict with others. In such situations, what should one do? If you decide to remove all obstacles from your path before proceeding so that your journey may continue quickly and without interruption, the result will be that your journey may never even begin. Such an approach leads to endless conflict. You will continuously fight one obstacle after another, and this violent struggle will never end.