The Power of Peace

days. That is to say, of the entire 23-year prophetic period, except for one and a half days, the Prophet observed the principle of non-violence. While giving the command of battle to the Prophet and his companions, the Quran clearly states that it was the other party, which had commenced hostilities (The Quran, 9:13). This verse gives conclusive evidence that there is only defensive war in Islam. It is absolutely unlawful for the believers to wage an offensive war. The Islamic method is entirely based on the principle of nonviolence. Islam does not allow for violence in any circumstance except that of unavoidable defense. The Present Age and Non-Violence The greatest problem facing Islam in present times, to my way of thinking, is that Muslims have consigned the sunnah of non-violence to oblivion. In more recent times, when Muslims faced such problems as that of Palestine, the fall of the Mughal empire, and the Turkish caliphate, they fell prey to negative reaction on such a large scale that they completely forgot that the policy of Islam was that of non-­violence and not of violence. It is as a result of this deviation from the teachings of Islam that even after a I00-year long bloody war, there has been no positive outcome. The outcome has, in fact, been the reverse. They have lost to an indescribable and unimaginable extent what still remained to them after losing their empires. According to Imam Malik, this ummah will be reformed in its last phase just as was done in its first phase. That is to say, that just as the issues of the first phase of Muslims were settled by the non-violent method, so will the issues of latterday Muslims be settled likewise. If a violent course of action did not yield any benefit in the past, neither will it do so in future. The circumstances of presentday Muslims resemble those that prevailed at the time of Hudaybiya. Today once again the unbelievers are guilty of bigotry (The Quran, 48:26). The solution to this problem in the first phase lay in the Muslims’ refusal to display bigotry by not falling prey to the psychology of reaction but rather adhering strictly to the path of taqwa (righteousness) since that would entitle them to divine succour and a clear victory (The Quran, 48:26). The Quraysh, who enjoyed the position of leadership in Arabia, were bent on waging war at the time of the Hudaybiya treaty. The Kabah was in their possession. They had expelled the Prophet and his companions from their own homeland. They had taken possession of Muslims’ homes and properties. They ceaselessly engaged in antagonistic activities against Islam. Given this state of affairs, the Muslims had two options before them. One, to wage war with their opponents in the name of putting an end to persecution and securing their rights. This option would certainly have resulted in further loss in terms of lives and resources. The second option was to exercise patience on the question of political and material loss for the time being and to exploit the opportunities that still existed. The Prophet of Islam and his companions chose the second option. The result was splendid: within just a few years the history of the whole