page 2 Nature of their difference: I have consciously stressed the word politics again and again. Actually I mean to drive home the fact that no serious religious difference exited between them that could be dubbed a difference between belief and disbelief. Hadhrat Ali (r.a) himself acknowledged the absence of a religious difference between the two parties. He had addressed his army to enlighten them to Muawiyah (r.a) and his army: O creature of the Lord! I exhort you to cultivate piety. The best counsel we can give one another is that we should continue to fear God. Piety is ultimately the best of all acts in the eyes of Gods. I regret to say that war has started between the Ahl-e-Qibla (followers of the same direction). Hadhrat Ali (r.a) had explained the matter at greater length and with sharper clarity in a letter that was widely circulated in all the cities. He gave details of what had transpired between him and the resident of Safeen. He also issued a clear verdict about those who had indulged in sword-playing and arrow shooting against him. He observes in defense of his stand on the issue: We and the residents of Syria waged wars against each other in this world. But we in the same God, we follow the same prophet and we extend the same invitation to people about Islam. We have faith in Allah and His Prophet. Nether they claim to have stronger faith than us nor do we claim to be superior Muslims to them. We have consensus on all issues. The only difference id about the murder of Hadhrat Usman (r.a) but we are absolved from it. This is the reason that during the days of the battle of Safeen, Hazrat Ali (r.a) had ticked off his companions and strictly forbidden them to lampoon the residents of Syria and the companions of Hadhrat Muawiyah (r.a). He said: I dislike you to become abusers and lampooners. If you cant help talking about them, you should talk about their acts and deeds-that is, you should say that they are unjustified in fighting with us. This is both nearer to virtue and justice . Therefore, instead of indulging in invective, you should say: Oh Allah! protect us against mutual blood shedding and straighten out our affairs ( Ibid, p. 323.) .These words are reinforced by a Shia Hadith recorded by Muhammad Bin Yaqoob Kulayni in his Al-Kaafi which he attributes to Jaffar bin Muhammad Baqar who is the sixth innocent Imam of the Shias. He observes: In the early part of the day a drummer drums out that verily Hadhrat Ali (r.a) and the Shias of Ali and the Shias if Ali are the victorious and the elevated; (al-Kamil fil furu vol. 8, p.209) Abu al-Aliyyag had embraced Islam during the reign of Abu Bakr Siddiq (r.a). Siddiq (r.a) though he had directly witnessed the prophetic era during his adolescence. Abu Khaldah has reported from him : I was young during the reigns of Hadhrat Ali (r.a) and Hadhrat Muawiyah (r.a) , I preferred brave feats on the battlefield to delicious food ( on the table). I thoroughly prepared myself for jihad and I went over to them. I saw that there were two giant parties which were immeasurably stretched across the battlefield. When one party came out with the slogan of God is great , the other party retaliated with the articulation of the same slogan, and when one party chanted out there is no God but Allah, the other party chanted back the same words with the same intensity. When I witnessed the spectacle I wondered which party should I pronounce to be a party of disbelievers, and who has forced me to participate in the battle ? So before evening I left them and returned home . (Sair alam-un-nabla by zahabi, vol. 4, p. 210, tabaqat ibn saad: vol, 7, p.114.) I also do not deny the fact that there were people who had been influenced by Jewish perversities and un-Islamic ideologies. They had strayed away from the straight path and, in their state of perversion, they had launched a campaign to put a religious complexion on this fundamentally non-religious difference. Among them the Sabais were in the fore-front who had fallen into the trap of anti-Islamic Judaism. These were the people who never allowed the fires of war to be extinguished; When ever the flames of war died down, they again prodded the half-dead ambers and fanned them into a bright blaze. This matter shall be discussed at length in the appropriate context. However it was an exception rather than a rule because the common people did not confirm to this pattern of behavior.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 02:59:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015