War, Peace and Non-Violence from the Viewpoint of the Teachings of Islam
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Chapter 1 Editor’s Foreword The issue of peace and justice in society, and in the internation- al community at large is of fundamental importance and must be thoroughly addressed if the community – national or international – were to prosper and coexist in peace and harmony. However this would not be maintained if the code of conduct between individuals and states were not based on tolerance and non-violence when addressing matters of disputes and contentions. And there are the unavoidable circum- stances that lead to conflict, but then war should be seen as the last resort in settling any conflict. This is the approach that is encouraged by Islam, and in this re- spect, three articles are presented in this book that address the issues of war, peace and non-violence from the viewpoint of the teachings of Islam. These authoritative articles have been chosen from the works of Imam Muhammad Shirazi who, as can be seen from his extensive works, advocates non-violence in all manners of life, and in the various domains of society. His call for peace and non-violence stems from his- conviction to the teachings of Islam on every aspect of the human life. Through his extensive knowledge of the teachings of Islam, the au- thor presents the Islamic stand on war, peace and non-violence, as found in the traditions and teachings of the Prophet of Islam, which could serve as exemplary models for Muslims in particular and mankind in gener- al. Detailed accounts of the traditions of Prophet in his dealings with his foes during war or peace times are presented in this book, which gives the reader a clear insight into the way and the basis upon which the Prophet of Islam used to conduct his affairs in these respects. Z. Olyabek 2 November 2001 3 Chapter 2 Part One In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent The Merciful. All Praise is to Him, Lord of the Worlds. Let Allah’s Blessings be upon Muhammad and upon his righteous and pure family. In addressing the issue of universal peace, the author in this discourse begins with tackling the phenomenon of war by discussing aspects such as the causes of war, as well as the management of war and behaviour during war. The author goes on to present some of the Islamic perspect- ive on war and the measures needed to contain war and its causes. The following is Chapter 4 of Imam Shirazi’s book The New Order for a World of Faith, Freedom, Prosperity, and Peace pp349-402. Translated by Ali Adam 4 Part 1 Islam’s View on War 5 War is the worst thing known to mankind War is the worst thing known to mankind throughout his long history. It brings about the killing and maiming of human beings, the loss of their powers and their disfigurement. It also causes the destruction of civilisations, stirs up hatred and resentments amongst people, and passes psychological problems on to future generations. It also causes the fighters to become prisoners of war. For these reasons, war must be avoided at all costs and if war becomes necessary – because the en- emy has forced the situation – it is imperative that war should be limited to the least degree of necessity. It is also imperative that humanity in general put an end to wars finally so that they do not occur in the future. 6 War is an illness War has been a phenomenon from the earliest times. It is said that it is confirmed as a fact in the Holy Qur’an in the verse: {And had Allah not checked one set of people by means of another, the Earth would indeed be full of corruption.}1 Some say that war is one manifestation of the struggle for survival which is a natural attribute of all living things and which will never cease, and that it is one of the traditions of human society. However, the prevention of war by finding another solution is what should be sought. For illness and disease is also a human reality from the very beginning as is the burning of cities, houses and shops or destruction by flooding and other natural events, which can cause harm to humanity. However, all of this does not make war inevitable, for war is not a prime reality but rather a secondary phenomenon, which happens because of the malice of certain individuals. Hence, a group of religious scholars have said that war in itself is bad and ugly because it entails the killing of people and destruction. The Holy Qur’an supports this in the following verse: {Fighting is prescribed upon you though ye dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing that is good for you and that you 1The Holy Qur’an: The Heifer (2): 251. love a thing that is bad for you. Allah knoweth and you knowethnot.} 2 On the surface, this verse shows that if fighting were a natural thing then Allah would not have said: {though ye dislike it.}. Therefore, war is a social phenomenon brought about by corrupt instincts and not something natural in humanity. 7 War as the last resort We find that the Prophet Muhammad (S)3 did not instigate a single war, but rather made war only in self-defence. Even then he did not re- sort to defensive wars until after the exhaustion of a number of alternatives: Firstly neutrality, as this was the case between the Prophet (S) and Abyssinia. Neutrality is the first phase of non-aggression. After neutrality comes the turn of the treaty of non-aggression as prac- tised by the Prophet (S) when he entered into a treaty with the Jews of Madinah or when he entered into a treaty with the non-believers of Makkah at Hudaibia. 8 Islam Through Conviction After these two possibilities comes the role of Islam. For if the oth- er party (the enemy) accepts Islam he will have spared his wealth and blood and there will be no enmity other than for the wrongdoers and oppressors. The acceptance of Islam is clearly not a matter forcom- pulsion it rather consists of solid evidences, which promote the conviction of the intellect in the matters of the beginning and the resurrection, the Prophet (S) and the Sacred Law etc. 9 The Jizyah tax . Finally In the absence of neutrality, or a treaty, or the acceptance of Islam, then the ‘Jizyah’ tax4 comes into play as was practised by the Prophet (S) with the Christians of Najran. The ‘Jizyah’ tax is of two types: 2The Holy Qur’an: The Heifer (2): 216. 3Sall-Allah Alayhi wa Alihi wa Sallam, meaning Peace and Blessings of Al- lah be upon him and his infallible family. This is always stated after the mention of the name of the Prophet out of respect for the Prophet of Islam (S). 1. The ‘Jizyah’ of the people of the ‘Dhimma’ or protectorate who live under the auspices of Islam. This tax is taken from them in the same way that the ‘Khums’ and ‘Zakat’ taxes are taken from the Muslims. We have mentioned in our books of jurisprudence that the ‘Jizyah’tax is taken solely from the unbelievers (contrary to what is widely believed). The money collected from the unbelievers who live un- der the province of Islam does not come under the heading of ‘Khums’or ‘Zakat’ but rather under the heading of the ‘Jizyah’ tax. This applies whether the unbelievers are ‘People of the Book’ like Jews or Christians or Zoroastrians, or others like the Idolaters or the Polytheists. 2. The ‘Jizyah’ tax collected from those unbelievers who are not un- der the auspices of Islam. This is collected because of the obduracy of those to whom the truth has appeared, as the Prophet (S) did with the Christians of Najran when he discussed with their learned men the truth- fulness of Islam but they dismissed it. The Prophet (S) then disputed fur- ther with them but they still resisted. After that there was nothing left but their obstinacy. The obstinate person should become less obstinate in the face of what should return him gradually to the truth. Allah states in the Qur’an regarding the Christians of Najran: {The similitude of Jesus in the sight of Allah is as that of Adam, He created him from pure earth then said to him ‘Be’, and so he was. This is the truth from your Lord so do not be amongst the doubters. And if anyone disputes with you in this matter after know- ledge has come to you, say: ‘Come let us gather together our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, ourselves and yourselves, then let 10 us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.’ This is the true account: there is no god but Allah, and Allah is indeed The Exalted in Power, The Wise. But if they turn back, Allah has full knowledge of those who cause mischief. Say: ' O People of the Book! Come to a common parlance between us and you: that we wor- ship none but Allah and we associate no partners with Him and we take no lords from amongst ourselves instead of Allah. But if they turn back then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.}5 4 The Jizyah tax is paid by the non-Muslims, as opposed to the Khums and Zakat taxes paid by the Muslims. 5The Holy Qur’an: The Family of ‘Emran (3): 59–64.