Page 167 - Age of Peace Goodword.indd

The Greatest Evil of History

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ar is not a new phenomenon. It has always been a part
Wof human history. In the very first generation of man,
fighting broke out between Adam’s two sons and, as a result,
Abel was killed by his brother Cain. Fighting has continued
since then in every group and nation. But we learn from history
that every period of conflict has its end. It has always had a
limited span. There is no battle which has raged indefinitely;
even the First and Second World Wars were fought for limited
periods of time.
But the case of the Muslim community appears to be totally
different. We learn from history that once a battle is waged in
the Muslim ummah it never comes to a halt. There is a saying
of the Prophet in the nature of a prediction, which has proved
to be entirely right. It is as follows:
‘When the sword enters the ranks of my ummah it will
never be taken away.’
1
In this respect, Muslims have become an exceptional
community. A deeper analysis of this matter shows that the
reason for this is a justification having been found for violence.
That is, violence has been legitimized by religious law. Since,
sacred law is unchangeable, the violence which is held justified
by it allows no room for revision.
What is this ‘justified violence’? It is the perpetration of
violence in the name of Islamic jihad. In Muslim history, all
battles were fought in the name of jihad. And the traditional
concept of Islamic jihad is that success awaits one in either
of the two situations: in the case of victory as well as defeat.

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