TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

Peace could be established through a unilateral truce, and then, through wise planning, the resulting opportunities could be availed in the best possible manner. hearts. It is said that when suddenly one morning the Makkans saw that the Prophet with 10,000 of his Companions had entered Makkah, their leader Abu Sufyan announced: O people of the Quraysh, this is Muhammad who has entered Makkah in such a manner that you now have no power to overcome him. This historical event that occurred as a result of the Hudaibiyah Agreement is referred to in the Quran (110: 1-2) in these words: When God’s help and victory come, and you see people entering God’s religion in multitudes [...]. ‘Help of God’ in this verse is the same as referred to elsewhere in the Quran as ‘God’s mighty help’ (48: 1-3). The words ‘people entering God’s religion in multitudes’ refers to the victory over Makkah that resulted after the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. People entered the fold of Islam in such large numbers that their numerical strength itself was sufficient reason for victory. Wisdom of Hudaibiyah From times of old, man was aware of only two options in dealing with conflict―war, or retreat. But this notion was based on dichotomous thinking. In accordance with the law of nature, in reality there was another option, which man remained unaware of. Peace could be established through a unilateral truce, and then, through wise planning, the resulting opportunities could be availed in the best possible manner. In other words, by abstaining from both confrontation and retreat, and using the power of peace for quiet planning. The historical event of Hudaibiyah was a practical demonstration of this wisdom arranged by God through the Prophet and his Companions. But it is a strange tragedy of history that despite the successful demonstration of the wisdom of Hudaibiyah, both Muslims as well as others remained unaware of this great truth. Throughout history, the wisdom of Hudaibiyah has been only used once—neither before it, nor after it. Man has always thought about how to attain peace, the study of peace being an academic subject known as Pacifism. A vast number of books have been written on the subject. There is even an Encyclopaedia of Pacifism, but thus far, a practicable ideology of peace has not been developed.