Questioner: The other question is, what are your comments about what happened to the Muslim world in the last six months?
Huzoor (rh): Muslim world?
Questioner: Last six months.
Huzoor (rh): Yes. You see, I gave my comments to what happened to the Muslim world in six months, in six months. So, I can’t give those comments in a few moments, in six minutes. I spoke on this subject continuously for about 15 or 16 sermons. Some sermons in between were not on the subject because I had to change the subject because of necessity. I had to turn to some other subjects as well. But altogether it did take me around six months or more to give my comments.
Questioner: Well, of course.
Huzoor (rh): So, I tell you, they have been translated into Arabic, they are being translated into English, they are being translated into other languages and they will be made available to you. But if you are interested in one particular aspect, please ask your question and I’ll answer you now here. As far as all the comments are concerned, it’s impossible for me to tell you the comments in the short space of time of a few minutes. (urdu)
Questioner: The aspect, Your Honour. The aspect, Your Honour, is as a Muslim or Muslims in general, one can really start to puzzle to what and who to blame.
Huzoor (rh): What?
Questioner: To be puzzled.
Huzoor (rh): Puzzled about what?
Questioner: About what happened in the last six months, to whom we should blame and how we blame.
Huzoor (rh): Yes, I understand.
Questioner: And on what ground one should put his feet, knowingly that without that much of little faith, a single individual like myself or others.
Huzoor (rh): I understand. It’s not a question only of Muslims or Christians or where the truth belongs. It’s not so. The question is the question of human deterioration. There is no truth left in human affairs. So, it’s not a religious question at all. While answering the same question in my conference in Trinidad, I told them, I said, look here, the truth neither belongs here nor there. Falsehood belongs on both sides, and this is a human feeling. I told them that Iraq attacked Iran with the full support and blessing of America who wanted her revenge against Iran, and Iraq was led to attack through Saudi Arabian support, through Kuwaiti support, financially fully supported for eight years. This war of attrition continued and no Western power even dreamed of stopping this war. The result was that one million people were killed on Iranian side, one million people were killed on Iraqi side. Who taught Saddam Hussein the art of making gas? The Western powers. Who provided him the know-how? Who provided him the machinery? Who supplied the most lethal weapons to both Iran and Iraq throughout? It was the Western world.
You see, when they said embargo on arms, it only meant we are going to raise the prices. Embargo meant more difficulties will be created, so more money. During eight years, the Muslims, extremely stupidly, in a suicidal policy, were selling their oil to get weapons to kill each other. The same oil was used by the wiser West to dream of going to the stars and Jews in rocketry and this and that, and the same oil practically was used to burn each other’s houses.
Questioner: I think this is the point (at) which we came together to be specific. Is that the thing which Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. promised us that we are going to have or not yet?
Huzoor (rh): What I’m telling you is we have reached that stage which was predicted by Hazrat Muhammad Rasoolah s.a.w. Not only now, we reached this stage more than 100 years ago. We have been fighting with each other. You see, most of the Jihad in Islam has been turned against the Muslims themselves. If you study the history of Jihad after An-Hazrat s.a.w, you will be surprised to find that most of the Jihad was fought between Muslims and Muslims. Infights, murder in the name of God, destruction of each other, and even today what we see is Iran and Iraq went into Jihad with each other. Iraq and Saudi Arabia and allies went into Jihad with each other. Iraq could not call as an ally any non-Muslim power because Russia had already succumbed to the pressure of the West. But if she could, she would call Russia to her aid. A Saudi Arabian did not hesitate to invite Christian powers. Even we understand they got Jewish help wherever they could secretly to destroy Iraq. So, another Jihad fought between Muslims and Muslims.
Questioner: Exactly, this is the point. In fact, three weeks ago, I myself Sunni, born, but I am Muslim before I am Sunni or anything else. I invited a couple of the leaders of Shia in my place. In fact, the leaders of Shia representative to my place to discuss with them about what they want, what they are. And I found them that they are taking the same step exactly. I repeat exactly what they said. They said, we do not care if Israel come to govern us. We do not care if America coming to govern us as long as taking care of Saddam Hussein. I am not pro-Saddam Hussein myself, but I do not go to that far. Now, the point is, this is exactly the same as the Saudis, the same as the Kuwaitis. Now, the point is, your honor, you know that the story, it looks funny theoretically, but it is bloody and deadly in practice. It is simple in theory.
Huzoor (rh): You see, it is not just one party to be blamed. Iraq is also to be blamed.
Questioner: Oh, definitely.
Huzoor (rh): You see, in the beginning, much before the hostilities broke out, I started the series of sermons which I am referring to, and I very clearly, openly advised Saddam Hussein and sent these messages through some embassies to them. I know these messages have been reaching him. That it is extremely suicidal for you to take the course of confrontation at this moment particularly. You must draw your lesson from Saladin. He first consolidated. You are Saladin. But wrongly so. Of course. I told him so in so many words. You are not Saladin. Because Saladin was a very honest, very pious person. He was so holy that even the bitterest enemies of Saladin cannot find one single fault in him. So, I advised him that to become Saladin, you require Saladin’s qualities. Moreover, also his wisdom.
Questioner: Saladin started the same way Saddam Hussein started too.
Huzoor (rh): What?
Questioner: Saladin started his youth the same way as Saddam Hussein started his youth.
Huzoor (rh): No, no. Just a minute. They both are from Takrit.
Questioner: I don’t mean that only. I meant even the behavior-wise.
Huzoor (rh): No, there is a lot of difference. There is immense difference between their characters. Saladin was not a cruel person. He was very benign. He was very forgiving. What he did was he consolidated the Muslim power. And having created one large Muslim power, Muslim nation, he united the Arabs first. Through messages, through diplomacy and also through force. But never was he cruel to anyone. Very little bloodshed you notice during the period of his wars with other Arab countries because he was very wise man. He avoided bloodshed as far as possible. Having consolidated the power, then he was able to defend, first of all throughout the foreign presence from Palestine, and afterwards throughout he defended Palestine until at last Europe gave up, and for 200 years they dared not attack any Muslim country after Salahudeen. Because this is what the name he left.
So I requested Saddam Hussein for God’s sake to behave, to understand. I said if you have to beg arms from your enemy to fight with, what is this nonsense? You want to fight an enemy and also beg arms from him? All weapons from him? You can’t produce enough weapons. You can’t produce airplanes. You can’t produce the modern warfare machinery. How can you fight an enemy with that? So consolidate, come to terms with Arab countries, not by being haughty and arrogant to them, but through negotiation, through mutual understanding. Then of course after 10 years or 20 years a time may come that you become all united and powerful enough to expel any foreign presence in your country. But he would not listen and he has been very cruel, repeatedly very cruel to other brother Muslims, his own army generals, those from whom he feared they would not accept his yoke. He has been totally merciless. Now if you do not stick to the absolute principle of Islam, of Adl, then you have no right to seek mercy from Allah. Adl is the first platform on which the mercy grows, not the other way around.
So he, to my study, I have been very, very, very honest with him. I never chewed my word when I advised him. I said, I like many things in you. You are a brave man. You understand the politics. You know that Arabs must be united against Israel and so on and so forth. But your policy is wrong. Then I warned him, if you do not desist from this, you will do such damage to Iraq that centuries will lament that damage. Because the enemy is ready now to totally destroy you. Why don’t you understand this? Despite this, he followed the course blindly?
Questioner: Your honor, first of all, people cannot be destroyed, that’s for sure. And Saddam Hussein, people cannot be destroyed. Saddam Hussein is a person, he can die.
Huzoor (rh): No, no, the people’s will is sometimes so deeply crushed that for decades, if not for centuries, they cannot rise. You know, the entire superstructure of Iraqi life has been completely destroyed, demolished. There are no bridges, no power, nothing left there.
Questioner: In fact, I agree with you. I feel sad for six months. I didn’t receive anything from there. But nevertheless…
Huzoor (rh): I agree, people never die. This is what I said.
Questioner: And the Muslim, the Islam is reborn again there.
Huzoor (rh): I agree, but not like this.
Questioner: No, no, I agree with you.
Huzoor (rh): They will rise with the power of the Qur’an.
Questioner: That’s exactly the reason I am here. Not leaving it alone. I am not representative of any group. I met a brother…
Huzoor (rh): Just a minute. I think enough of this. Let’s turn to other questions, please.
Questioner: : Sure, sure. I met a brother…
Huzoor (rh): Let me first speak of this.
