The Root Cause of Riots

on a collision course. Even after he had left his homeland, the Makkans did not leave him alone. They continued their hostile activities against him. Many big and small battles took place as a result. Again the Prophet followed the same policy of refraining from interfering with the status quo. By accepting the superior position of the Makkans he entered into a peace treaty with them, which is known as the Hudaybiyya Peace Treaty. In this, he acknowledged the established position of the Makkans and made a truce with the condition that no war would take place between the two parties for a period of ten years. The Hudaybiyya Peace Treaty was a successful example of positive status quoism. Consequently, the Prophet, by accepting the prevalent situation in Arabia, secured full opportunities for peaceful dawah struggle and this opened the door for a “clear victory” in the words of the Quran (48:1). The principle of Islamic activism has been briefly alluded to in the Quran: Therefore bear up patiently as did the steadfast prophets before you. Bear up with patience and do not seek to hurry on their doom. (46:35) According to this verse, there were in any given situation two ways of launching a campaign,—the patient and the impatient. The latter is that of an emotional response while the former is that of an considered response. The impatient person launches himself on a collision course at the very outset making the continuance of the struggle impossible. On the contrary, one who follows the patient method, and avoids any confrontation with the status quo, is free to make full use of any opportunities which come his way. This method leads to sure success without creating any new problems in society. In short, there is unlimited scope for both individuals and groups who adopt the patient method as a matter of permanent