My question, Huzoor, is about war. The Holy Prophet ﷺ took some time before getting permission to fight. A number of years. And when he got this permission in the verse of the Holy Qur’an, it appears this was the reason, some of the reasons given was because he had been wronged, driven out of his home, and also that he could not worship God. There is also another verse of the Holy Qur’an where God says that if people are not driving others by war out of certain places, then mosques, churches, cloisters… No, this is the verse, the same verse. Yes, some verse. Not a different verse. I see, I see.
The verse says, Arabic That is the verse. Yes, Huzoor. Both these things occur in the same verse, not in different verses. Yes, Huzoor. Now the question, there are two questions, Huzoor. The first one is, what is the significance of this delay in giving the permission? Because the atrocities started right from Mecca and they continued even in Medina. But this took a long time. And the second question is, it appears the permission given is attached to two reasons, which are basically religious. I could be wrong in using the word religious, but that is, he had been wronged, driven out of his home, and he could not worship God, and also driving people out of churches, mosques and cloisters.
Now one thing you have attributed to this verse, which it does not say, because they could not worship God, this has nowhere been mentioned. I see. That’s another question I have to answer. Yes, yes, please. The second question is, can’t war be declared for any other reason other than religious? Of course, war can be declared for any reason. Rightful reason, I mean, according to Islam, according to the Holy Quran. For that, different declarations are made in different places. But the holy war, as it is called Jihad, is kept aloof from these things, because it’s a religious phenomena which should not be mixed up with ordinary political or other phenomenon of defense and aggression, etc.
The Holy Quran permits anybody who has been wronged to take revenge against that wrong, to the extent that he is wrong. And wars otherwise than these have also been mentioned. Another war has also been mentioned in the Holy Quran by the Muslim states against a Muslim state. If a Muslim state falls out with another Muslim state, then it is a duty according to the Holy Quran of the entire Muslim world to bring about a reconciliation. And if they fail to do so, and the aggressive party does not mend her ways, then it is permitted in the Holy Quran for the whole Muslim Ummah to go into war against that aggressive party.
But on the condition that once it is overpowered, it should be rectified and no wrong should be committed against that party itself. So there are so many other places in which, in general principles, these issues are discussed. So any war other than Jihad is a regular war, it is permitted by the Holy Quran, provided the party which goes into the war is the grieved party. So in every war, there is a greater possibility that out of the two parties, one would be aggressor and one would be aggressed against. So according to the Islamic verdict, one would be rightful in the war and the other would be wrongful in that war.
So generally speaking, both parties can’t be held to be right. So you can’t say that Islam permits you to go into war so that both the parties are sanctified and permitted. Because it’s only a war of defense in principle which is permitted in Islam. Whether it is religious or non-religious, that defense part is common to both. So this is why during world wars or other wars, both the parties cry out that they are the aggrieved party. And they always try to give some excuse for their aggression.
But it so happens, nowadays, I said generally this is the case, but nowadays the world has become so corrupt that it is very difficult to keep the right party from the wrong party entirely separate. Things have got mixed up. Most states have become corrupt and dishonest in their behavior, in their political behavior I mean. And almost entirely the whole world has become selfish in that regard. So the fault is divided up between different states. So the righteousness is also divided up. So neither a state can be declared holy good nor holy bad.
So in such cases, in the modern times, most often than not the blame will be equally shared. And neither of the two parties will be permitted to go into war because both are wrong. I can’t say this is the aggrieved party, so her defense is entirely correct and permissible. But this is a general observation. It doesn’t mean that in the modern times no state can be justified in her defense and totally exonerated in her going into war. Some states are, even today.
I know occasionally it happens that one powerful country attacks another country without rhyme or reason, without any legitimate rhyme or reason. So in that case the systemic principle will be applicable to one state that she is permitted, according to the Holy Quran, the other is not permitted. One would be doing a wrong thing, the other would be doing a right thing. The second part of the question was, was there any significance to this delay about the permission? Well, from the time hostilities were started, till the time that this permission was granted, there were about thirteen, fourteen years, you know, in between.
And also hijrah occurred in between, about a year before the first permission was given. That is, the Prophet had migrated from Mecca to Medina, as mentioned in this verse as well. So what time would you think would be more appropriate? When Islam was first declared, then immediately the Prophet should have been permitted to go into war, defending his cause with sword, as others were doing it, or a bit later? And how much later?
This is a very difficult question to decide. The only time which could be a differentiating time between permission and non-permission, from human point of view, according to human logic, should be the time when the Muslim society was powerful enough to defend itself. Logically, reasonably, if a man had designed things, he should have waited until the Muslim society was powerful enough to defend itself, because then was the time to go into war and defend the cause of Islam. And this is exactly what Maulana Maududi has said, that God waited until the Muslims were powerful enough, not only to defend, but also to start aggression against other states.
This is not only ignoble, not only base, this attitude, but also it creates a very bad image of God Almighty. It mixes up religion with political movements. It doesn’t leave any room for a differentiation between religious movement and non-religious movement. Where is the part played by God? So all that is absolutely nonsense. And this claim is falsified by the actual events of history. At the time when the permission was granted, the Muslims were still very weak.
So weak that even in the town where they were given sanctuary in Medina, still they were in minority and they faced hazards from all sides. While when the Arabs attacked for the first time, you see they were outnumbered and outclassed in every regard. So the facts of history positively reject that idea that Allah was waiting till that time, till such time as Muslims were strong enough. But because when the permission was given, they were not strong enough. Now come to the verse which we have quoted. The internal evidence of that verse also shows that this was not the reason why this delay was made.
Because it says, that those people are permitted to defend themselves now against whom aggression has already taken place, who are being fought one-sidedly. And not because they have become powerful, but because Allah has decided to give them victory. Allah is powerful enough to give them victory. They themselves are weak, by themselves they cannot win. This is already mentioned in this verse. Because instead of saying, because they have gained strength now, they have come into their own, they have grown adults now, come of age as they say, so now they can defend themselves, so let them. This is not what the Holy Quran says. It says Allah permits them while they are weak. Why? It is Allah who is powerful enough to give them victory. This is their state.
They have been turned out of their homes. For no crime of theirs. The only crime they committed was they said Allah is our Lord. So, the whole verse, the way it speaks of that permission, rejects, totally rejects the idea of this reason for that permission. That Allah was waiting for them to gain strength. The verse itself tells us that they are still in a very perilous state of weakness. Unless Allah helps them, they cannot become victorious. And this is exactly what happened.
During the first war, after this permission, the Muslims were so weak as compared to the attacking army, that there were 313 pitched against 1000 stalwarts of Arabia, the very chosen ones, those who were past masters in the art of war. And they were so well equipped, that all the necessary, all the advanced weapons were in their hands. They were well mounted, they were well provided. Everything that went for war in Arabia was available to them. On the other hand, this so-called army of 313 was composed of old people, people who could not walk straight. Some of them were lame.
Some of them were not armed with an iron sword. They went with swords made of wood. They were in a very poor state, from every regard. They were old people as were children. All counted with 313. So what a stupid man he is who says that Allah was waiting for the Muslim society to come into strength so that she could defend herself. Most shocking inference. Not only that, the weakness continued after this victory as well. Until you reach the time of Ahzab. What happens there? This is what you call waiting for strength?
The small community of the Muslims in Medina is surrounded by overwhelming number from all sides. And even within that town, they are not safe. Their back is also threatened by the treacherous Jews. So whatever the reason be, this is not the reason, that I can say. There are many reasons one can conceive. Number one, to suffer for the cause of Allah, even when you are so deeply hurt that you can sacrifice anything for his cause, yet you are not permitted. So that patience at the time of extreme pressures is also a value which is cultivated by religion.
So Allah tries them both ways. Number one, they are teased out so much that they are ready to lay their lives for the sake of their honour. They don’t want to live anymore. They say, permit us, oh God, and we’ll go into war and whatever may happen, we are ready to face it. So they don’t care whether they are weak or strong. Yet they are held by a very strong hand of Allah’s command. No permission.
That shows to the world that they are a principled people. They live by the command of Allah. They don’t decide for themselves. And they are honest in their claims, that they are true in their belief in one God, and they are totally subordinate to his will. That is what was happening in Mecca. That is what is referred to also in the Holy Quran, that remember when there was a time that you wished you were permitted to be allowed to go into war. You are permitted to go into war. And now there it is before you. Go ahead now. That is the sort of declaration that I am referring to in the Holy Quran.
So that period of 13 years was a period of going through a mill, being purified, being refined. It added so much to the value of Muslims that the people who had gone through this mill of patience stood out, you know, miraculously above every other who became Muslim after them. The quality of these people in Islam who suffered for 13 years along with the Prophet and also to a degree of those who were permitted to go into war and yet they were weak for a long time to come. The quality of their Islam is far excellent.
I mean you can’t compare those who came later on after the victory was granted to those who went through all this experience. So that was very important. That was a very important reason. Islam was not just a religion for the purpose of gaining political victories. It was a religion for the purpose of gaining spiritual, moral victories initially, in the first place. So all through that period of waiting, what you call a period of not doing anything while Allah could give them victory even if He decided at that time, that period was not useless.
It was serving a definite purpose of ennobling the Muslim society of cultivating such values among them as would not have been cultivated otherwise. So if they had not gone through that training of 13 years maybe the results of war later on may have been totally different. So Allah works His ways in a very subtle way. What you refer to as Nasrullah also comes this way. They were prepared potentially. They were turned into a people who were powerful beyond their observable apparent power. So Allah declared there at the permission that now you can fight twice as much enemy to begin with but later on you will gain strength and the ratio would be 1 to 10. But during the first war, first battle we should say, the war had started when they were turned out in fact.
During the first battle the ratio was 1 to 3 yet Allah gave victory to them. If a man had made the Holy Quran he should have said now you can Allah has given you power over three times your forces because actually this is what had happened. But it was Allah who said it. So Allah said now you are able to defend yourself against an enemy twice as much as you are. Later on we will give you further strength and you will be able to overpower 10 times as much enemy as you are. Yet you see in Badr the enemy was three times yet they were given victory. That shows that Nasrullah comes in many ways. One of the way Allah’s help comes is through this period of training and adding quality to a people which is missed by other people living in the same area.
That exceptional quality which comes by training, spiritual training. So that quality made them strong enough to defend against twice as much enemy. Yet Allah’s help comes otherwise as well. It’s not just a material help like this which can be broken down into material terms. So that third part came directly from Allah and for that we have no apparent reason.
That has been mentioned by Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. that that handful of pebbles which were thrown by A.S. in the direction of the enemy they provided the missing factor and they turned almost a losing battle into a victorious battle. For more information visit www.osho.com
