TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

oppression. But the Prophet did not allow this. He told his companions that he had not been given permission to fight, and he exhorted them to keep patience. That is, he advised them to solve the problems they were facing through patient planning. This is what is called ‘problem management’. Look at how the Prophet managed problems. The Prophet’s opponents in Makkah plotted to kill him, thinking it would solve the challenge that his mission posed to them. And when this was decided in the tribal parliament, the Dar al-Nadwa, what happened? At night, the Prophet silently came out of his house, took Abu Bakr—a childhood friend and Companion—with him, and left Makkah for Madinah so that there could be no chance for confrontation. This was a way of managing a challenging situation. Had the Prophet announced and left Makkah, had he left in the day time instead of at night, had he left the town after having a quarrel or argument with those who opposed him, it would have caused a confrontation. You, too, must learn how to avoid confrontation and manage problems that you will face in your life. The basic principle to bear in mind is that peaceful settlement of problems is the best way. ’As-sulh khair’, as the Quran says. The Quran advises not to give others the chance to enter into confrontation with you. It takes two hands to clap. If you refuse to raise your hand to strike against someone there will not be a clap! Likewise, avoid anything that might give others the opportunity or excuse to resort to violence. That also means that you should not engage in violence yourself. Years of persecution in Makkah made the Prophet shift to Madinah. Never did he utter a word against the oppression of the Makkans. But what do most people do? They rant and rave against their ‘oppressors’. They complain about human rights’ violations and injustice. These days, a new buzzword is ‘internationalisation’. People now go about internationalising their alleged persecution. Some Muslim groups have placed their people in Europe and America to ‘internationalise’ issues, such as that of Kashmir and Palestine. But all this was not the method of the Prophet. The hue and cry about ‘persecution’ and the ‘internationalising’ of these issues further exacerbates existing problems.