The Power of Peace

sciences were compiled. All the precious books of classical Islamic literature that adorn our libraries owe their existence to this peaceful course of action. For instance, Hadith is regarded as the second source of shariah after the Quran. These traditions, having been compiled, are available to us in the form of books. These are so precious that, without them, the very structure of religion could not have taken shape. During the respective reigns of the Umayyads and Abbasids, when the rot had set in in the rulers, most of these traditions were retained only in the memories of the traditionists of the times. Had these traditionists opted for the principle of violent collision with the oppressor-rulers of their time, all of them would have been done to death by the rulers. Then all the precious treasures of traditions, instead of becoming parts of the books, would have been lost to posterity. It is the miracle of the choice of non-violence over violence that the precious treasure of the traditions is available today in printed form on our bookshelves. We are thus in a position to fully benefit from the guidance given to us by the Prophet. Political Insurrection Unlawful After the period of the pious Caliphate, corruption set in in the Muslim rulers. Still the religious scholars did not rise in revolt against the rulers, scrupulously avoiding any confrontation. They continued to expend their efforts in non-political fields. This was not simply a matter of chance, but the adoption of a policy based on the clear injunctions of the shariah. As we know, books of Hadith record the traditions in detail under chapters like al-Fitan (Trial). The Prophet had clearly foretold that in later times all kinds of rot would set in in the rulers. They would become tyrants and unjust, but even then, the people should never take up arms against them. Instead the Prophet advised that when the believers found themselves being ruled by such tyrants, they should take to the mountains with their ‘camels and goats’ instead of launching campaigns against them. ‘Camels and goats’ signify those opportunities which existed in non-political fields, and which will always exist irrespective of the corruption of the rulers. The Prophet’s injunction meant that at such times what the believers have to do so is to peacefully exploit the existing opportunities in non-political fields by avoiding any confrontation in the political field. These injunctions of the Prophet were so clear that the religious scholars formed a consensus that, staging an insurrection against the rulers was unlawful, and therefore to be totally avoided in all circumstances. In the commentary of Sahih Muslim, Imam an Nawawi, commenting on the traditions in the chapter ‘Al-Imarah: writes: “Do not adopt the way of confrontation with the rulers in the matter of their power. If you find them going against Islam, you should try to make the truth clear to them by sincere counselling. So far as launching campaigns and taking up arms against them to oust them from positions of power is concerned, that is unlawful by the consensus of Muslims,