On Persecution and Oppression
Al-Risala (English), March 1986, p. 25
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
On Persecution and Oppression
1986 3 March 25-26 On Persecution and Oppression (784) In the year 41AH Imam Hasan ibn Ali formally relinquished power and the Islamic Caliphate fell into the hands of the Umayyads. With the death of the first Umayyad Caliph, Amir Mu‘awiya, in 6OAH, several successive claimants to the Caliphate arose, and the Umayyads were continually involved in hostilities against them.
Abdullah ibn Zubair was one of these claimants. From his stronghold in Mecca, he held out against Umayyad rule. A force under Hajjaj ibn Yusuf was deployed to deal with the threat from Ibn Zubair. The two men were engaged in constant hostilities, until finally Abdullah ibn Zubair died fighting his adversary in Mecca (73AH).
Imam Bukhari has related in his Sahih how two people came to see Abdullah ibn Umer while Abdullah ibn Zubair was involved in fighting against Hajjaj. “People are being destroyed,” they complained, “and you – the son of Umer ibn Khattab and a companion of the Prophet, are doing nothing. What keeps you from going out and doing battle?” “God prevents me from doing so, for He has forbidden me from spilling my brother’s blood,” Abdullah ibn Umer replied. “But hasn’t God said: “Fight them until there is no more oppression?” they protested. “We did just that,” Ibn Umer told them. “In the Prophet’s day we fought until there was no more oppression, and God’s religion reigned supreme. Now you want me to fight so that there should be oppression, and the religion of others’ besides God should reign supreme.”
Another tradition goes into ibn Umer’s reply in greater detail. The two men pointed out that Ibn Umer went on a pilgrimage to Mecca every other year, but did not join in jihad, although he knew the importance that had been attached to it in the Quran. Ibn Umer told him that Islam was based on five things: belief in God and His Prophet; prayer five times a day; fasting during the month of Ramadhan; paying the poor-due and going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Then the two men mentioned the verse of the Quran in which the Muslims are told to fight until there is no more oppression, and God’s religion reigns supreme. “That’s what we did in the Prophet’s day,” Abdullah ibn Umer replied. “At that time Islam was in the minority, and Muslims used to be persecuted – even killed – for their faith. When Islam became strong this persecution came to an end.
During the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, some people developed political grievances against the Caliph. Entering Medina, they laid siege to his house. Uthman went up on his rooftop and asked them why they were besieging him, and were set on killing him. Did they have any Quranic sanction for their action? One of the rebels came forward and said that they did. He then proceeded to recite the verses of the Quran dealing with jihad and fighting in the path of God.
The rebels considered these verses were valid justification for their action. In their opinion, they were fighting for the removal of a corrupt government. They considered their cause a just one, condoned by the Quran. Uthman, however, did not accept their reasoning. These verses, he told them, are not about you and your companions; they are about us, the companions of the Prophet.
The people who had besieged Uthman were all Muslims. They even cited verses of the Quran in support of their action. Yet they received no support from the Sahaba, the companions of the Prophet. According to Ali, they had erred in their interpretation of Quranic verses, applying to Muslims verses which in fact referred to pagans and idolators.
The “Khawarij” who fought against the fourth Caliph Ali all professed the Islamic faith. One might even say that they were pious and devout Muslims, who produced verses of the Quran in support of their actions and demands. Yet the Muslim community has never condoned their rebellion against Ali. Abdullah ibn Umer said of the Khawarij insurrection that they made the mistake of applying to Muslims verses of the Quran which had been revealed with regard to infidels and idolators. Rather than explaining the Quran, he said, they were distorting it.
In various countries of the Muslim world, modern Islamic movements are engaged in armed struggles against their own Muslim governments. When one looks at these struggles in the light of statements of the Sahaba quoted above, one finds that they cannot be justified from an Islamic point of view. Islam strongly condemns severance of Muslim unity in pursuit of political demands. To apply the label “jihad” to Muslim fratricidal conflicts is totally misleading. To produce verses of the Quran in support of such conflicts only add insult to injury.
