JIHAD OR EXTENSION OF TRIBAL CULTURE?

JIHAD, OR EXTENSION OF TRIBAL CULTURE? Cultural Conditioning D URING the early period of Islam, Makkah came under its fold in the year 630 A.D. Thereafter, the Arabian tribes began entering the fold of Islam in multitudes (THE QURAN 110: 1-2). This was a phenomenon of what is called ‘mass conversion’. According to Jabir bin Abdullah, after this incident the Prophet is reported to have said these words of historical significance: “People have entered God’s religion in multitudes, and they will soon, in the future, turn away from it in multitudes.” (Musnad Ahmad) Jabir bin Abdullah, the narrator of this Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) report, was a well-known Companion of the Prophet. He died in the year 697 A.D. In the battle of Siffin, Muslims were divided into two groups. One group was led by Ali, the other by Muawiya. This resulted in a bloody civil war, the first in Muslim history. It is said that some 70,000 people died in this war. The Prophet of Islam wanted people to resolve their natural differences through peaceful discussion. A neighbour of Jabir bin Abdullah’s relates that when he returned from a journey, Jabir came to meet him. He mentioned to Jabir the civil war that had torn apart the Muslims. Thereupon, Jabir began to weep and narrated the above Hadith. Why is it that divisions and strife began to appear shortly after the Prophet left this world? It was not because people’s intentions were corrupt or that they had lost their sincerity. The only reason for this was because of the phenomenon known as ‘conditioning’. An Arabic saying succinctly expresses what conditioning is about: ‘That which you grow up on is precisely what you grow old on, too.’ This means that the environment that conditions you when you are young remains with you until the end of your life. This fact is expressed in the form of another Hadith: “Every child is