Imam Muhammad Shirazi
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Imam Muhammad Shirazi War, Peace and Non-violence An Islamic perspective Translated by Ali ibn Adam Z. Olyabek fountain books BM Box 8545 London WC1N 3XX UK www.fountainbooks.com In association with Imam Shirazi World Foundation 1220 L. Street N.W. Suite # 100 – 333 Washington, D.C. 20005 – 4018 U.S.A. www.ImamShirazi.com Second edition 2001 Third edition 2003 © fountain books All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of fountain books. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1-903323-04-5 ii Contents PART ONE 3 Islam’s View on War 5 War is the worst thing known to mankind 5 War is an illness 5 War as the last resort 6 Islam through conviction 6 The Jizyah tax . finally 6 The Prophet’s wars were fought in self defence 8 The least amount of casualties 9 Excess of killing and torturing 9 Frightening scenes of the brutality of the Moguls 10 Modern wars are no less brutal 12 The increase of the dangers of war in the modern age 13 The other effects of war 14 Towards a comprehensive peace 15 Cutting the roots of war 16 Exposing ‘War by proxy’ 18 War is an extraordinary situation 19 Islam’s Guidance on War 22 The condition of parental permission 22 Jihad is not incumbent upon certain groups 23 Jihad is not incumbent upon women 24 War is not permitted in the absence of the just Imam 26 The invitation to Islam . firstly 27 Limiting (fighting) to the least amount necessary 28 No war when sanctuary is given 31 Cease fire during the Sacred Months 35 Prisoners of war are not to be killed 35 Those who were forced to fight should not be killed 38 Tolerance in the treatment of the enemy 38 Justification to the enemy, and not initiating attack 42 Women not to be harmed 44 Messengers not to be killed 44 Prohibition of fighting not in accordance with the Sunnah 45 Cowards are not to go to war 45 The Covenanter (Dhimmi) not to be killed 45 The noblemen of the Infidels to be respected 46 Not taking booty is a desirable act 46 iii Children are not to be killed 47 Trees are not to be felled, nor the supply of water cut off 47 Islam’s View on Killing 48 Islam takes a serious view of the unjust killing of people 48 Forbidding the taking part in killing 53 Legalising the killing of a believer is equal to apostasy 54 Forbidding beating unjustly 55 No to suicide 56 The parent may not kill his child even if illegitimate 58 The prohibition of abortion 58 Killing a believer for his faith is a serious crime 58 The expiation for the killing of the believer 59 The consequences of killing a believer 60 PART TWO 67 Islamic Movement and Peace 70 The Movement Must be Peaceful 70 The Noble Consequences of Peace 74 Peace . always 77 Peace: The Way of the Prophets and the Imams 79 Peace Safeguards Islam 82 Peace Amongst Members of the Movement 85 The Results of Peace 87 Equilibrium of Thought and Deed Results in Peace 90 Building Blocks of Peace Within the Movement 93 Instilling Peace 95 PART THREE 99 Non-Violence in the Teachings of Islam 101 Non-violence by nature: 102 Non-violence by coercion: 102 Non-violence by design: 103 Acquiring a Non-violence Discipline 104 War Conducts: Islam vs. Others 106 Islamic Teachings on Non-violence in Combat 111 Weapon of Non-Violence vs. Violence 114 Physical Non-violence 115 Verbal Non-violence 118 Non-Violence by Heart 122 iv Editor’s Foreword The issue of peace and justice in society, and in the international 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 circumstances 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 respect, 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 author 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 general. 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 November 2001 v War, Peace & Non-violence vi 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. 1 War, Peace & Non-violence 2 Part One 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 perspective 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. 3 War, Peace & Non-violence 4 Islam’s View on War Islam’s View on War 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 enemy 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. 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 1 The Holy Qur’an: The Heifer (2): 251. 5 War, Peace & Non-violence love a thing that is bad for you. Allah knoweth and you knoweth not.} 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. 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 resort 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 practised 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.