Where to Work

Where to Work

1985 4 April 8-9 Where to Work (433) In World War II, Germany and Japan formed a military alliance known as the Axis Powers. In 1940 their cry was: “Today Europe, tomorrow the world.”

To achieve this aim of world conquest Germany and Japan waged war with the Allied Powers-Russia, Britain, America and France – for six long years. But war did not bring Germany and Japan the conquest they sought. Still, defeat in the Second World War taught them a lesson. It taught them to forget the idea of military conquest and concentrate on consolidating their industrial and economic strength. This change in method produced sensational results. Their quiet endeavour carried both countries to the top bracket of nations on the economic scale. Both countries – and specially Japan – have achieved economic hegemony in the world. The international market is bursting with Japanese goods. On February 5, 1982, the British weekly magazine New Society carried an article which described the phenomenon of Japanese post-war economic success. “They have fulfilled in peace the visions which took them to war 40 years ago.”

Just as Germany and Japan learnt a lesson from their defeat in World War II, so the Muslims can learn a lesson from the post-war success of these defeated nations, the Muslims have, over the last 100 years, been struggling to achieve their ends by confronting their enemies in military and political areas. Incalculable loss of life and property has been incurred in these conflicts. Yet, despite all the sacrifices they have made, no good has come of all this for the Muslim themselves. It is time for the Muslim to take a fresh look at their recent history and change their approach. The Muslims, have resources which not even Germany and Japan – with all their scientific and technological capability – can rival they are bearers of true religion and the Qur’an – the authentic and preserved book of God. What they must do is give up the politics of agitation and militant confrontation; instead, they should concentrate on communicating Islam to other national of the world. There is no doubt that the Muslims strength lies in the strength of Islam alone. When they devote themselves to the task of communication of the faith, then they will surely find fulfillment of the visions they have cherished for so long.

The Muslims have been working in the wrong field; only if they change their area of action can their dreams come true. What they have been trying to achieve by war with other nations, they can only achieve by making peace with others and capitalizing on the spiritual wealth they have at their disposal.