Spirit of Islam, Sept 2015

TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both-man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible. HAS THE AGE OF OPPRESSION RETURNED? Abolishment Of Violence I N the year 661 CE, Imam Hasan ibn Ali formally relinquished power and the Islamic Caliphate fell into the hands of the Umayyads. With the death of the first Umayyad Caliph, Amir Muawiyah, in 68O CE, several successive claimants to the Caliphate arose, and the Umayyads were continually involved in hostilities against them. Abdullah ibn Zubair was one of these claimants. From his stronghold in Makkah, he held out against Umayyad rule. A force under Hajjaj ibn Yusuf was deployed to deal with the threat from Ibn Zubair. The two were engaged in constant hostilities, until finally Abdullah ibn Zubair died fighting his adversary in Makkah (692 CE). Imam Bukhari has related in his Sahih Hadith of two people who came to see Abdullah ibn Umar while Abdullah ibn Zubair was involved in fighting against Hajjaj. “People are being destroyed,” they complained, “and you—the son of Umar ibn Khattab and a Companion of the Prophet—are doing nothing. What keeps you from going out and doing battle?” “God prevents me from doing so, for He has forbidden me from spilling my brother’s blood,” Abdullah ibn Umar replied. The threat to Islam is from the violent behaviour of the Muslims themselves and not from anyone else.