A FOOL'S PARADISE

The truth is that war is never the choice of the believers. War can be waged in Islam only in defence, to counter the armed aggression of the opponents. And it is more than clear that it is the aggressor who fixes the date according to his choice, leaving no option open to the defender. According to a tradition, the Prophet observed: Do not wish for confrontation with the enemy; instead, ask for peace from God. Sahih al-Bukhari This observation of the Prophet tells us the basic principle of Islam with regard to war. Peace in Islam is the rule, and war an exception. In Islam, war is an act of compulsion rather than an option. The situation of war is not created by the believers. It is, in actual fact, the other party which is responsible for compelling the believers to go to war in defence. The month of Ramazan is called the month of patience. It is the month of training in self-control; of placing curbs on one’s desire; of refraining from being provoked in spite of provocation; of producing spirituality in one by bearing the pangs of hunger and thirst; and striving to come closer to God by remembering Him more—by means of prayer and the reading of the Quran. This closeness to God is possible only when man withdraws from the human world and brings himself closer to the spiritual world of God. Ramazan is the month of training in self-control; of refraining from being provoked in spite of provocation and striving to come closer to God. Keeping these realities in view it would be very appropriate to say that Ramazan is the month of peace, rather than a month of war. The month of Ramazan is for awakening one’s inner nature, rather than for involving oneself in external conflicts and controversies. The month of Ramazan is for engrossing oneself in thoughts of God, rather than in embroiling oneself in the thoughts of this world. According to a tradition—once, at the sighting of the new moon of Ramazan, Prophet Muhammad observed: