War,peace and Non-violence

Peace: the Way of the Prophets and the Imams

Since the principle of peace is such a strategic and important one, we should discuss it in more detail, it being the basis of the struggle to establish a government for the millions of Muslims on the earth. It is essential that those involved in the international Islamic movement observe peaceful means as peace leads to rallying the people and then it brings about and end to the obduracy of the enemy.

Hence Imam Amir- ul-Mu'mineen (A) said: 'I would hate for you to become revilers.'

Before this the Holy Qur'an had said: {And do not curse those who call upo n other than Alla h lest they curse Allah out of enmity and unwittingly.} (6:108)

Cursing and enmity bring about loathing amongst friends and empower the enemy and there is no call for this. Arbitrary cursing ends up nowhere and what a person should be mindful of in front of his enemy is that he should seek to repel him with what is best as is found in the Holy Qur'an:

{Repel (evil) with tha t which is best for then you will find that your former enemy will beco me your warmest ally. But none shall achieve this but the patient ones and none shall achiev e this except one blessed with great fortune.} (41:34-35)

So those involved in the Islamic movement should adopt peace in their thoughts, words, writings and confrontations and even if they organise demonstrations and strikes they should be characterised by calmness for what is important is to reach the goal and not an outpouring of hatred and loathing. For hatred only breeds hatred and loathing only breeds loathing.

In the well-known aphorism: 'Grapes are not harvested from thorns.' Everything bears fruit of its own kind and good behaviour in a person brings about good behaviour in the person being dealt with. Bad behaviour only brings about a negative reaction. This applies equally to peace and its concomitants; each of them breeds its like.

This requires a degree of self-control and open-heartedness as Imam 'Ali (A) said: 'The tool of leadership is open-heartedness.' Meaning that your heart should remain open in all aspects - ethically and socially, intellectually, and in struggles, for this is the tool of leadership and the more this occurs, the more people will become attracted to the movement and the nearer it will take them to the desired objective.

Hence we can see that the phenomenon of good morals; forgiveness, peace, open-heartedness, kindness, humility, patience, not retaliating in the same way, but responding in the nicest way, ap pears in the lives of the all the great Prophets of Allah and the Impeccable Imams (A) and the great reformers.

We see Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen (A) in the war of Basra (The battle of the Jamal), which was the first war to be waged against him, when the fighting had finished, Imam 'Ali strengthened the side of peace and sent a messenger to 'Aisha56 saying she should return to her house in Madinah in peace. The Imam actually also clothed forty women in the clothes of men and sent them with 'Aisha to take her back to Madinah with her honour intact.

They had donned the clothes of men for the reason that passing caravans would think that they were men and not attack them. Also 'Aisha, being the wife of the Prophet (S), Amir-ul- Mu'mineen (A) was loath to send her with men but preferred to send her with women. And indeed, 'Aisha went to Madinah from Basra in the company of these women. This is truly an example of the highest of morals.

We can also see that Imam 'Ali (A) forgave those who had stirred up the war with him even when there were amongst them those who would come under the category of war criminals in the modern terminology - the likes of Marwan and Ibn Zubeir who he pardoned. He also pardoned the opposing army saying: 'I grant to the people of Basra what the 5 6 'Aisha had led a war against Imam 'Ali, which became known as the War of Jamal.

Messenger of Allah (S) granted to the people of Mecca.' And he set them at liberty and did not take revenge of them and did not return their evil with evil but rather returned it with pardoning and kindness and he ordered that all the belongings that had been taken as spoils from the defeated army be returned.

Everything was returned, even a cooking pot that had been taken and was being used to cook some broth was emptied of broth and returned.

One time the Imam went on a reconnaissance mission to a grand house. He was told that women had gathered in it and were bewailing their dead soldiers from the defeated army and were cursing the Imam and his army. The Imam entered the house which was very large and full of the wives of the defeated army. The Imam said to his companions: 'Do not touch them even if they curse your manhood and your honour.' So he withheld his hands from them and replied to their curses with kindness.

When they saw the Imam they began to shriek: 'This is the murderer of our beloveds!' Meaning Imam 'Ali (A).

The Imam gestured and said: 'If I was the killer of your beloveds I would have killed those who are in these rooms (pointing to the rooms).' At once the women fell silent and did not say a word. The people were amazed at this and wondered what the Imam had said that had silenced the women. Later on the matter was disclosed to the comp anions of Imam 'Ali (A) that the leaders of the defeated army had hidden in tho se rooms and the women had gathered there as a ruse to cover up for them and to distract attention from them. So when the Imam pointed and said if I was the killer of your beloveds I would have killed those who are in these rooms they fell silent.

The life of the Prophet (S) and the life of Imam 'Ali (A) and the lives of the other Imams and great Prophets and the great reformers and great minds are summed up in the word 'peace'

Hence the world Islamic movement must observe peace in all its affairs before, during and after action and on the occasion of victory and establishing the Islamic state by the leave of Allah Almighty. The leaders should also educate the individuals in the Islamic movement about peace in the spoken word, thought, writing and action whatever the cost.

Peace Safeguards Islam

Allah Almighty is He says in the Qur'an: {O you who have faith, enter into a state of peace one and all.} (2:208)

Peace then is the general principle whereas violence is the exception, and exceptions are taken at face value. In the previous chapters we have mentioned the peaceful treatment by the Messenger of Allah (S) with his enemies and friends, his relatives and with strangers, and also that of Imam 'Ali (A). The Messenger of Allah and Imam 'Ali (S) are models for us as are the rest of the prophets and infallibles.

Hence we should follow their lead whether we are in the beginnings of government or we have actually achieved government by the leave of Allah.

A question has been raised here: The Messenger of Allah (S) although he was infallible and will not be questioned about his actions, our task is not like his task. We see that he spared many hypocrites which led to many problems being caused for the Messenger of Allah.

Had he killed Abu Sufyan and Mu'awiya on the day o f the conquest of Mecca then the Umayyad state which ditched Islam completely would not have b een formed, and it would not have caused the innumerable pro blems for the Muslims. Similarly, if Imam 'Ali had killed Marwan on the day of Basra, then he would not have been able to assume power and cause along with his descendants many problems.

Therefore the point is made that we should adopt another task, while we should be aware of their conducts, but as far as their conducts is concerned they know what they are doing. This idea is refuted. Firstly, because the Prophet and the Imam are models, and the model should be followed whether we understand the reasoning behind their actions or not.

The Qur'anic verse says: {And not a messenger have we sent except that he be obeyed by the lea ve o f Allah.} (4:64)

and in another verse: {What the Messenger brings you then adopt it and what he forbids you then leave it.} (59:7)

and in another verse: {No by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they adopt you (the Messenger) as a judge in those matters in which they disagree amongst themselves, then do not find in themselv es any complaint about your judgements and they submit completely.} (4:65)

This is from the point of view of belief and Divine Law. From the point of view of the intellect, we believe that had the Messenger of Allah (S) killed Abu Sufyan and his like then Islam would not have been supported nor would it have taken root and sprouted because the Polytheists would have buried Islam in its cradle. Abu Sufyan was not alone. In the Arabian Peninsula there were a thousand Abu Sufyans and each of then had relatives, friends, family, and clan.

They would have buried Islam in its cradle and we would not even hear any mention today of the Messenger o f Allah (S) in the same way that we do not hear about many of the other prophets of Allah who were killed. The Qur'anic verse says: {Then why do you kill the prophets of Allah if you have faith} (2:91) and this shows that many prophets were killed.

The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (S) was faced with a choice between leaving the hypocrites who, if they caused a few problems would be effaced by time eventually as time has effaced the Umayyad clan and consigned them to the mists of history, or the other choice of raising his swo rd and killing and killing until the tribes arose and killed him and his loyal companions leaving no trace of Islam left.

The same applies to Imam 'Ali (A). Was he to unsheathe his sword and kill them and face the consequences of their tribes and relatives and friends moving against him helped by the Romans, and by this uprooting Imam 'Ali (A) which meant uprooting Islam itself and it being changed into a corrupt religion like Judaism and Christianity as the Qur'anic verse says: {And they change the words from their rightful places.}. (5:13)

Or was it better to spare those people who if they denigrated Islam it would only be for a sho rt time.

This then was the plan of the Messenger and Imam 'Ali, a very wise plan indeed. Hence we find that one of the companions of Imam 'Ali (A) describe him as being: 'Farsighted and with powerful faculties.' We see Imam 'Ali (A) now after almost 1400 years since his martyrdom has more than 1000 million people believing in him, Muslim and non- Muslim alike. Whereas the Umayyads and the 'Abbasids have been consigned to the mists of time and are only mentioned with disdain. So the Messenger of Allah (S) remains and those who opposed him like Ab u Jahl, Abu Sufyan, and Abu Lahab were destroyed.

One of the benefits of peace is that the memory of the peace-maker remains as do his laws, checks and balances and methods whereas memory of the non- peace-maker does not remain even if it is assumed that he was one- hundred percent right. Hence the Messenger of Allah (S) said:

'Whenever the Angel Gabriel descended upon me he ordered me to maintain good relations with people.'

In recent history, we see that Stalin and Hitler and Mussolini and the like inclined to violence as did Yasin al-Hashimi in Iraq , Pahlevi in Iran and Ataturk in Turkey and there are many o thers like them and all of them have gone. Stalin was exhumed and his corpse burned and all the Stalinist principles destroyed.

As for Hitler, up until recently his country was split between the Americans and the Russians. Mussolini's country was in chaos and disruption and the 'Red Brigades' was widespread as was murder, assassination, and theft for more than forty years. The first Pahlevi was expelled and assassinated in Mauritius. Yasin al-Hashemi was expelled from Iraq and killed, and Ataturk was killed.

In addition to these people becoming the accursed of history, they have vanished, as have their principles. History only regards them now as a lesson to be learned from as Pharaoh, Shidad, and Nimrod became lessons, and also Mu'awiya, Yazid, al-Hajjaj, Ibn Ziyad, and Harun.

Those who come after them may learn from them not to incline to dictatorship and violence but rather to right thinking, decisiveness and peace, and conferring freedoms, and looking towards the people with the eye of friendship and brotherhood even if they were infidels. As Imam 'Ali (A) said: 'People are of two types; Either your brother in religion or your equal in creation.'

Allah Exalted is He, in the Qur'an speaks about the believers and the non-believers being brothers when he says: {And to the people of 'Ad we sent their brother Salih.} (6:65). Salih is a messenger and prophet whose tribe 'Ad were infidels but Allah still calls him their brother.

The important thing for the people concerned with the Islamic movement is to be aware of this reality of brotherhood and to remain patient and to pay attention to the p revious nations. {Say, Travel throughout the land . . .} (16:69, 29:20, 30:42), {Walk in the uplands of the earth and eat of what He provides you with . . .} (67:15). One must look and think about the p revious nations and the state of modern nations.

Those who incline to p eace remain well known in their own lands and elsewhere whereas those who tend to violence and coarseness and force if they are known at all are despised and disowned.

Allah says regarding His Prophet: {By the mercy of Allah, you were mild mannered with them. Had you been ill ma nnered and hard hearted they would have deserted you.} (3:159) If we adopt peacefulness as a practical principle always, we will, by the leave of Allah, be able to initiate a general trend towards an authentic Islamic movement which will be a prelude to rescuing the Islamic lands from the colonialists and dictators and to establish the law of Allah for one billion Muslims. For Allah this is not difficult.

Peace Amongst Members of the Movement

We have discussed the principle of peace from a number of viewpoints including peaceful social interaction and peaceful interaction with the enemy. Now we will discuss the same principle but from another angle namely the peaceful interaction amongst the members of the Islamic movement itself.

This means that the members of the movement should be in complete accord and there should not be any differences or disputes. Often there occurs amongst the members of an organisation unhealthy competition and wrangling and disputes and mutual hatreds. This problem has two bases:

The first is that some people seek to exploit others and the second is that those people of higher rank look to the lower ranking members with disgust and the lower ranking member look to the higher ranking members as exploitative and arrivists and opportunists. Islam provides solution to both of these problems:

The decision making process must be that of mutual consultation (Shura) so that every individual has an opinion which must be considered. By this, exp loitation leading to the break-up and death of the movement will cease. As for he who says: I have a greater understanding, or my vision of the future is deeper so I have the right to decide in the matter, this is exactly what is meant by exploitation. This will solve the first problem.

As for the second problem, people should not have contempt for one another or belittle one ano ther. {O you who believe, avoid suspicion, for some suspicion is a crime.} (49:12)

Suspicions must be avoided. Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen (A) said: 'Give your brother the benefit of the doubt', and in another tradition from Imam al-Saadiq (A) who said: 'If fifty people swear to you that he said something and he says that he did not say it then believe him and do not believe them.' Meaning that do not doubt him on the basis of what those traito rs say.

One of the impeccable Imams (A) visited one of the Caliphs during an emergency situation. The Caliph said to the Imam: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah (S), advise me.' The Imam (A) said: 'The Muslims are either older than you in which case you should treat them as you would your father. Or they are younger than you in which case you should treat them as you would your son. Or they are equal to you in age in which case you should treat them as you would treat your brother.

Honour your father, treat your brother equally and have mercy upon your son.' This is the way a person should look towards everyone; with kindness and mercy, sympathy and compassion and if not then he will not be able to progress however powerful he is. These are the foundations upon which the Messenger of Allah (S) built the Islamic state and upo n which the imp eccable Imams built the personalities of the Muslim believers.

It is related that Imam al-Saadiq (A) went to Karbala to visit the grave of Imam al-Hussein (A) and he said to one of his companions: 'Go around and invite whoever you see to visit Imam al-Hussein (A).' The man went but returned without anyone. The Imam said to him: 'Why have you returned alone?' The man said: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah, I didn't think the people I met were good enough.' The Imam said to him:

'Then I think of you what you think of them.' Meaning that if there is a difference in the levels of people then the difference between you and them is the same as the difference between myself and you, and as it is not right for the higher ranking person to reject the middle ranking person, it is also not right for the middle ranking person to reject the lower ranking person.

In the same way, there should be a state of harmony and peace amongst those involved with the Islamic movement, and not a state of exp loitation, antipathy, and contempt.

The Islamic movement will not be able to guide the peop le to the straight path as long as it itself does not follow the straight path. There is a well- known principle in reasoning that says: 'That which lacks something cannot b estow that thing.' If you do not have knowledge how can you bestow knowledge? If you do not own a Dinar how can you give away a Dinar? Similarly, if the building blocks of the Islamic movement are not equality, justice, the love of people, and humility it will not be able to plant these things in other people. It is just not possib le.

Those involved in the Islamic movement therefore should look to one ano ther with equality, fraternity and justice so that they might progress by the leave of Allah. If not then the people will say: If there were any good in their movement they themselves would have adopted what they were calling for.

Many Islamic movements have failed in the past because of a failure to adopt the ethics of action and peace. These failed movements should be a lesson to us so that we act in a way that will make the movement righteous so we can achieve, by the leave of Allah, the international Islamic state of more than one billion Muslims.

The Results of Peace

Peace results in the best outcome. Those who make peace remain, however many enemies they have. Even if they stumble and fall it will only be temporary. Those involved in the Islamic movement if th ey surround themselves with an air of peace they will firstly halt their enemies and they will not be able to destroy them, and secondly, if their enemy is able to get to them this will only be tempo rary and will eventually end in advancement for the peace-makers.

We can see that the Prophets and Imams (A) always inclined to peace. The Messenger of Allah (S) used to make peace with his enemies even when he was at the height of his power and his wars were all defensive in nature as history shows. The Messenger of Allah (S) did not initiate a single war ever and if he did do battle, his battles were characterised by peace except to the amount that was necessary.

Because of this the Messenger of Allah (S) made great advances and still does to this very day. Not a day goes by but the number of Muslims increases despite what the Islamic state has had to face in the way of plots and ploys from the first d ay of its existence until now.

Also Imam 'Ali (A) inclined to peace to the utmost of his capacity. He did not make war on the people of the Jamal but they made war on him and solely because the war ended he dealt with those who remained as if they were friends and b rothers and as if nothing had hap pened. This was also the case with the battle of Nahrawan where the Kharijites had made war against the Imam and spread rumours and insulted him until the Imam made a beautiful speech (to be found in Nahj al-Balagha) while around him were his companions.

A Kharijite heard the speech and commented on it saying: 'Allah curse him for his infidelity how wise he is.' Meaning that Imam 'Ali is an infidel but he is wise. His companions wanted to punish the Kharijite but the Imam said: 'Leave him for the rule is a curse for a curse or forgiveness of sin and I prefer to forgive.' Meaning that he has cursed me so I am entitled to curse him back or forgive and I am more worthy of the second so he pardoned him. In fact Imam 'Ali (A) was able to gain control over the Kharijite movement which was a corrupt movement with his calmness and flexibility.

The chronicles show that when the war with the Kharijites had ended, the Imam (A) forgave what remained of them and did not imprison them or punish them in any other way.

They were in Kufa and elsewhere denigrating the Imam (A) but he remained silent for he knew that the peace-maker will eventually make progress. The Kharijites were making life difficult for the Imam in many ways like attending the mosque but not praying with him the congregational prayer.

Once a Kharijite read

the following Qur'anic verse in front of the Imam: {And it was revealed to you and to those before you that if you associate partners with Allah your actions will be in vain.} (39:65). Implying by this that the Imam (A) was a Mush rik (one who associates partners with Allah) and that his actions were in vain. Still the Imam pardoned him. This was the nature of the Imam; patient in the face of criticism even oppressive criticism, and patient in the face of pressure even if this pressure came from corrupt people for he knew that peace provides the most noble consequences and that the peace-maker survives as we indeed see ourselves that he has survived for 1400 years and he will survive until the end of history no matter what the circumstances.

In the battle of Siffin, one of the most violent battles against the Imam (A) the chronicles report that when the Imam defeated a soldier from the army of Mu'awiya he would ask him to swear not to assist Mu'awiya again then he would leave him to his own devices. This is unheard of in history except in the history of the Imams and the Prophets and the great reformers who followed their footsteps.

Because of this, we see that the Imam (A) has remained like a lofty mountain despite the fact that the Umayyad Clan put pressure upon him and cursed him from seventy thousand pulp its for almost one-hundred years, and despite the fact that the 'Abbasid Clan oppressed him including the Caliph Mutawakkil who made war upon him and killed his sons and imprisoned them and desecrated the grave of Hussein (A) and destroyed Karbala twice as is to be found in the chronicles. A man called 'Ubadah al-Mukhnath used to come to meetings and put a pillow between his shirt and stomach and walk around the gathering saying: "I am Amir-ul-Mu'mineen." Making fun of Imam 'Ali (A) while everyone present laughed.

But what was the outcome? Those people only hurt themselves and not the Imam except superficially. The Imam (A) said once: 'I have not been kind to anyone and no-one has harmed me.' Those around him said: 'O Commander of the Faithful, you have been kind to many and many have harmed you.' He said: 'Have you not heard Allah's words: {If you do good you do it to yourselves and if you do harm then you do it against yourselves.}57 , for I have done good to myself by doing good to others and the people have done ill to themselves by doing ill to me.'

In fact, those who put pressure upon the Imam (A) from the Umayyad and Abb asid Clans and their ilk only injured themselves. Mutawakkil was killed along with his vizier al-Fath ibn al-Khaqan as were those who came before him and after him. The Imam remains like a lofty mo untain, or a shining sun that illuminates more than one billion people on earth. All of this was due to the nature of the movement of the Imam (A) and his peacefulness that he adopted as a motto in his personal, family, and social life.

The hadith reports that Ibn Muljim, when he struck the Imam (A), the Imam said to him: 'Have I not been good to you, did I not give to you generously?' The Imam despite having knowledge given to him by the Messenger of Allah (S) that Ibn Muljim would kill him, he continued to favour him and treat him kindly. After Ibn Muljim had struck by his sword on his head, Imam Ali still ordered that he b e treated well. When he drank milk he would leave some and say: 'Feed your prisoner.' The Imam had also said to his sons: 'If I recover from this blow of his I will pardon him. If I do not recover then you have the right of retaliation but do not mutilate the man for I heard the Messenger of Allah (S ) saying: 'Do n ot mutilate even a rabid dog.' However he recommended that his sons pardon the man.

Likewise, Mu'awiya has gone and the Kharijites have perished and the people of the Jamal have passed away as have Haroun and Mutawakkil and Ma'moun and others like them who used to oppose the Imam (A). They have all gone and the Imam remains as a minaret illuminating travellers.

5 7 The Holy Qur'an: The Ascension (17): 7.

The Islamic movement which seeks a resurgence in order to establish the government of a billion Muslims must also adopt peace as its watchword so that it might b e able to attract the people and repel the enemy. And if the Islamic movement were to stumble and fall then it would inevitably arise again. And because it is human nature to support peace-makers and to exact revenge upon the war makers, then if the Islamic movement adopts peace as its mantra properly and not just as an empty sl ogan, in word , deed, thought, writing, speech, and in gatherings then it will be able to expand until it encompasses all the lands of Islam. This will be the beginning of the government of a billion Muslims by the leave of Allah.

Equilibrium of Thought and Deed Results in Peace

Peace cannot happen, nor can it be realised in the external reality unless the thought-processes and actions of the human being are in eq uilibrium and far from guesses and arbitrariness, exaggerations and negligence. If a person sees in himself and his group all the good and virtue, and sees others as being devoid of virtue and immersed in vice, this type of thinking will only lead to other than peace, to enmity and hatred, attacks and innuendo. It is well known that there are three things, a little of which is considered great; fire, enmity, and illness. A single match can set light to a whole timber store of tens of tons of wood. A small illness can lead to death. A minor enmity like a nasty word can lead to bloodshed.

The chroniclers have reported that the war of the Busus, which lasted around one hundred years, began when a man from one tribe shot an arrow into the side of a camel of another tribe. The owner of the camel killed the man who had shot the arrow whose family killed the o wner of the camel and so on and so forth. The poet has said: Most of the fire is made of mere sparks.

Hence it is imperative that a person thinks in a balanced way so that balanced actions will result from it. If he were to think in an exaggerated manner, then this will only result in corrupt action and from there to enmity and hatred.

If a person wishes to undertake an international Islamic movement resulting in the government of one billion Muslims then he must adopt peace as his watchword in his speech, action, writing, and movement. The prophet Jesus (A) alluded to this when he said: 'When someone strikes your right cheek then turn the left cheek to him.'

Jesus does not mean by this that the oppressed should submit to the oppressors but rather he means something else which the Holy Qur'an also points to in the verse: { . . . but to pardon is closer to piety.} (2:237). Jesus wanted success for his followers and to attract the people. Therefore he taught them peace to this extent. Jesus was successful in this and we can see that more than two billion peo ple in the wo rld today respect him, half of whom are Christians and the other half Muslims.

In another piece of wisdom related about the Messiah (A) is that he and a group of his disciples passed by a group of Jews who said some unkind words to him. He replied with kind words. Naturally he spoke the truth when he spoke good about them as most evil people have at least some aspect of good in them. He was asked: 'Why do you speak kindly of them when the speak unkindly of you.' He said: 'Each person spends of that which he owns.' Meaning that whoever harbours evil will speak in evil terms and vice versa. One who owns a dinar may give away that dinar whereas one who has nothing but a poisonous scorpion can only give away a scorpion.

This is also the case with one who harbours good or evil. The faculties o f hearing sight, and writing and the like if they emanate from a heart full of goodness and mercy, then these faculties will be characterised by goodness and mercy. The opposite is also the case. If the heart is full of evil and lies, then the tongue and the rest of the faculties will only be able to express what is in that heart. This is what Jesus (A) teaches us; if the other party is not good then at least be good yourself.

In the supplication for the month of Rajab are the words: 'O He who I beg of him for every good and seek sanctuary from His displeasure for every evil. O He who gives much in exchange for little. O He who gives to he who asks Him and he who does not ask Him or know Him, out of his kindness and mercy.'

Allah gives to the believers and also to those who do not know Him or oppose Him. He gives even to those who oppose Him. The Holy Qur'an alludes to this in the verse: {Nay We will provide for those people and those from the gift of your Lord.} (17:20)

If we wish to adopt the ethics of Allah Almighty, then we must be balanced in thought and in deed and not raise our friends to th e highest heaven and neglect those who are impartial. Everything should be in equilibrium. Among the b enefits of a person who is in equilibrium in his thoughts and actions is that peop le will approve of his judgements and will join his camp. However this is something that requires self-control and the ability to bear criticisms, which are difficult matters, but out of difficulties a good result can arise.

In a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (S) that when he saw Fatima (A) toiling and tiring herself he said: 'Take now the bitterness of this world for the sweetness of the next.' Bitter things only produce a sweet outcome.

Any engineer, doctor, lawyer, sportsman, or gifted speaker or writer will not have reached his station except through hard work and toil. So must we if we want to reach the goal of a government of one billion Muslims. This requires self-control and a balance in thought and the cap acity to bear criticism and the ability to convince people without any despotic or dictatorial means. Despotism and dictatorship, and extremism in thought, word and deed, and in the administrative system will only result in bad consequences.

There is a hadith that Jesus (A) passed by a murdered person and he said: 'Who killed you?, there will come a day when they will kill your killer.' This is almost a natural law, that the person who kills another will see a day in which he himself will be killed. In another hadith come the words: 'Give the killer tidings that he will be killed and the adulterer that he will be poor.'

One of the conditions of the international Islamic movement is that it should adopt peace from the viewpoint of equilibrium in thought and deed and giving everything its due. In the Holy Qur'an: { . . . and do not withhold from the people their belongings.} (7:85, 11:85, 26:183) This means that if you write a book and praise yourself for doing so and someone else writes ten good books and you do not praise him to the amount of your book then this will result in you being left behind in life in ad dition to the fact that the people will desert you and will know you for being immodest.

Hence it is well known amongst our scholars that a source of religious knowledge or the Imam of a congregation or the judge must distance themselves from arbitrary love and hate. We have previously mentioned that a man said to Shaikh Murtada al- Ansari: 'It is easy for a human being to become a scholar, but it is impossible for him to become a human being.' Meaning by this that you the Sheikh are a scholar and this is something easy but you are not a human being and that this is impossible for you to achieve. The Sheikh said : 'On the contrary, for a human being to become a scholar is difficult and for him to become a human being is even more difficult.'

This is true, for a person must strive for fifty or sixty years day and night in order to become a scholar. If he wants to become a human being then his striving must be deeper in order to achieve his goal.