Page 172 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

Our Prophet Muhammad's (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) life shows that
war is only fought for defensive purposes when
all else has failed. The Qur'an was revealed to

the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) over a period of 23 years. For the
first 13 years, Muslims lived as an oppressed
minority community under pagan rule. Many
Muslims were physically tortured, some were
killed, and others had their property looted. As
a community, they were constantly exposed to
humiliation and threats. Nevertheless, they re-
mained peaceful and continued to invite the

pagan Meccans to peace. When the oppression
reached unbearable levels, the Muslims mi-
grated to Yathrib (later Madinah), where they
found freedom and friendship, and where they
gradually established their own rule. Not even
then did they declare war on the aggressive pa-
gans of Mecca.

The nature of an Islamic society is meas-
ured and balanced, for people are invited to do
good and commanded to refrain from evil.

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