Islam in History

rather enjoined to keep their distance from them, to take to the hills (that is, to stay away from political activities) and to devote themselves to tending their sheep and goats. That is to say that they had to abandon the path of political confrontation in favour of continuing their activities in non-political fields, such as education, dawah, the service of the Quran and hadith, etc. In the first phase of Islam, it was Abdullah ibn Zubayr who violated this prohibition. He engaged in an armed confrontation with the Umayyad ruler, Yazid ibn Muawaiya, in the name of reform in politics. It resulted in the loss of precious Muslim lives and resources. At that time, Abdullah ibn Umar, son of the second caliph and companion of the Prophet, was in Makkah, yet he did not take part in the fighting. Some companions of Abdullah ibn Zubayr met him and asked him to join in the battle. The conversation that took place on this occasion has been recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari under three references. One account has been thus recorded: Nafe narrates that during the (fitna) revolt by Ibn Zubayr, two persons came and said to Ibn Umar that people were being killed, while he the son of Umar (the second caliph) as well as a senior companion of the Prophet, refused to take part in the campaign. They asked him what prevented him from doing so. He replied: “I refrain from joining in this battle because of God’s express command never to shed the blood of one’s brother: it is unlawful.” Both replied: “Has not God enjoined us to fight till persecution (fitna) ceases?” Abdullah ibn Umar then retorted: “We fought till fitna ceased. Religion became only for God, and now you want to fight so that fitna may return, and religion will no longer be for God.” (Fathul Bari, Kitab at-Tafsir, Vol. 8, p.32, Kitab al-Fitan Vol. 13, p. 49)