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Osama: Holy Prophet I most humbly submit to you
and ask you how do you view the jihad I am waging against kafirs and
western imperialists including America and Satanic powers in Iraq, Pakistan and
Afghanistan who are against Islam and are slaves of American imperialism. This
is the only way we can destroy the Satanic designs of imperialistic designs of
the west and their collaborators in the west.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Whoever asked you to wage
such war and bring destruction and mayhem in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and
other countries? Do you know the real meaning of jihad? Are you inspired by
Qur’anic teachings, my sunnah or by your own political designs and
selfish motives?
Osama: Holy Prophet, I am your follower, follower
of Qur’an and your sunnah and have no selfish motives.
Prophet: Can you cite any example from Qur’anic
teachings and my life to show that I killed innocent people including kafirs
for taking revenge?
Osama: Holy Prophet these imperialist forces have
designs against holy places of Islam, they want to subjugate us, they want our
oil and our rulers have become their collaborators. These imperialist forces are
helping Israel to the hilt, arming it to dominate the Arab holy land of
Palestine and indirectly are trying to enslave even holy lands of Mecca and
Madina through their lackeys and collaborators? Should we not destroy them and
inflict maximum damage on them?
Prophet: Why did you collaborate with them then in
Afghanistan for several years? Were you not aware of what game US was playing
through you? You mobilized international support for them for years to defeat
Soviet Union; they used you as a willing instrument to destroy Soviet Union and
then dropped you like hot potato and you did not understand their game and now
you are acting to take revenge. Is this the Islamic way? Is this Allah’s way?
Osama: Should we not take revenge from Allah’s
enemies? Is it not Qur’anic teaching? Should we not teach America a lesson?
Prophet: Allah’s ways of punishing are Allah’s
ways, not human beings. Moreover, you are motivated to kill not for higher cause
but by feeling of revenge and don’t you know Allah does not like revenge and
wants to suppress it?
Osama: But holy Prophet you know America has
killed more than half a million children in Iraq alone by imposing unjust
sanctions and depriving them of even medicines?
Yes, it is true but whoever and on whose authority
did you act? Are there not international fora to approach for redressal?
Osama: But why did they not act? All international
bodies and institutions including UNO are pocket boroughs of USA? It is most
powerful nation on earth and most prosperous one. No one dare go against it, no
one dare defy its will. What the oppressed nations can do except devise their
own ways to stop USA from such actions
Prophet: Osama, did you not help this very nation
in Afghanistan when Soviet Union invaded it and you mobilized several thousand
youths from Muslim world which you named as al-Qaeda and trained these youth
with the help of CIA, the most powerful intelligence agency of most powerful
nation?
Osama: Yes I did, holy Prophet. But what did I
know that it (USA) would bite the very hand which helped it in Afghanistan. I
waned to save Afghanistan from atheism and from ungodly governance and hence I
went to their help.
Prophet: Osama, you were being utterly naive if
you thought that USA will simply act and reciprocate good will and dump all its
interests in Middle East, in particular, and, in the world at large. Even Muslim
rulers throughout history did not act according to Islamic values and my
guidance, let alone a non-Muslim power like USA. Interests are supreme in
politics, not values and principles.
Osama: Indeed O Messenger of Allah I was being
naive.
Prophet: No Osama it was more than your naiveté;
it was strong feeling of revenge mixed with anger and hurt pride that motivated
you to resort to such spiteful violence. I came with Allah’s message in Qur’an
to humanize Arabs in particular, and entire humanity, in general and give them
higher moral and make them what Qur’an calls ahsan-e-taqwim (best of
mould) but, as Allah says in the Qur’an in the same sentence it always descends
into lowest of low depth (asfal al-safilin).
Osama: Yes, O Messenger of Allah, it is very true.
Prophet: But what is the use of having the Qur’an
when you recite it only during prayers, then keeping it away and acting
according to your own interests or feeling of revenge or animosity and
forgetting all other moral and ethical as well as legal obligations?
Osama: But Qur’an also calls upon believers to
fight against oppression and wrong doings (zulm) and injustices? Am I not
fighting against gross injustices against Afghans, Palestinians, Iraqis and
others? Does Qur’an not invite Muslims to wage jihad when the old, women and
children are being oppressed? Is fighting against injustices and oppression of
the weak not part of higher morals? I thought I am acting according to teachings
of the Qur’an? I am responding to Allah’s call in the holy Book.
Prophet: Osama, Qur’an was revealed to me and who
knows the real meaning of the Qur’anic message more than I do. Other human
beings understand Qur’an more in keeping with their desires and selfish motives
than higher moral and ethical and lofty message of the Allah’s Book.
Qur’an, in the first place does not sue the word
jihad for war or battle, much less for bloodshed. Jihad, in the Qur’anic
terminology means highest efforts morally motivated acts to realize a just
society based on moral values Did you not know my famous hadith that best jihad
is telling truth in the face of a tyrant ruler? You can only fight back when
attacked and that too if it is in the way of Allah, not for any selfish motive
or desire. Qur’an has clearly said fight in the way of Allah against those who
fight against you and do not commit excess or aggression as Allah does not love
aggressors and those who commit excesses.
Osama: Yes, O messenger of Allah I am aware of
your hadith as well as this Qur’anic verse. But my understanding was very
different and I thought countries like USA are drunk with power and great
tyrants would never listen to truth as your hadith says. Moreover, is America
not attacking Palestinians using Israel to protect its own interests in Middle
East and its oil? Does it not constitute aggression against Muslims and is not
al-Qaeda fighting in the way of Allah and against oppression?
Prophet: No, no Osama not only that you have taken
so many things for granted, you have also made decision individually and no one
in al-Qaeda dare differ with you as you are mobilizing finances, weapons and
human resources. A fallible individual like you cannot make decisions even on
behalf of Palestinians or Afghans, let alone whole of umma. You are not
the government of any country, nor umma has elected you as its
representative.
Qur’an was revealed to me and I was taking
decisions as Allah’s Messenger and though I was Allah’s messenger Qur’an asked
me to consult other Muslims (shawirhum) and without consulting all
concerned I never resorted to even fighting defensive war. Moreover, at the time
Islam was restricted to Madina as most of the Muslims were in that city. Now
Islam is spread over the whole world facing much complex political problems.
Like in my time in Arabia enemy was from within the Arabs affecting small number
of Muslims.
It is not so any more. There are today more than
one billion Muslims all over the world and divided in several countries and
these countries have conflicting interests. What makes situation more complex is
more Muslims live as minorities in non-Muslim majority countries and in USA
itself there are more than half a million Muslims and in Europe many more.
Then how you alone can take such vital decisions
which deeply affect future of these Muslim countries and Muslim minorities in
non-Muslim countries. Even when Islam and Muslims were confined to Arabs I did
not take any decision impulsively. I thought, I reflected and I consulted my
companions before I acted on such vital matters like confronting enemy.
Among the fundamental values in Qur’an is
hikmah (wisdom) and that comes from maturity, experience and use of
intellectual qualities gifted by Allah. You abandoned all this and took out your
anger and enacted 9/11 which proved to be disastrous for Islam and Islamic
world. Today Islam is facing hostility from its enemies. You have given them a
chance to attack it. You have gifted them this much sought after opportunity.
Today, thanks to you violence is considered an integral part of Islam and Islam,
a religion of compassion, like Buddhism, is seen as religion of violence.
Osama: O Messenger of Allah, is Islam religion of
compassion? I thought it is religion of jihad and with a mission to establish
justice on earth by fighting all sorts of injustices and oppression and
exploitation.
Prophet: Look Osama, it is your interpretation and
your interpretation has been deeply influenced by the circumstances you have
faced and lived in. Each person understands and interprets Qur’an and Islamic
teachings under their own circumstances. You helped CIA and fought US war in
Afghanistan to defeat Soviet Union as you thought Soviet Union was ungodly
Satanic regime as CIA told you. Then, when US rulers did not keep their promises
to solve Palestine problem as Israeli support is very vital to them in Middle
East you turned against US and organized 9/11 attack on twin towers in New York
and you legitimized it by invoking concept of jihad.
Osama: Sir, not me even great scholar of Islam
like Ibn Taymiyyah, issues fatwa for jihad after sack of Baghdad in 1258. Was
Ibn Taymiyyah also wrong?
Prophet: As I said each scholar interprets Qur’an
and Islamic teachings according to ones own circumstances and Ibn Taymiyyah was
no exception. Moreover all Muslims did not agree with him as all Muslims do not
agree with you. You must know that some Muslims cooperated with sackers of
Baghdad and two brothers Rashiduddin was Prime Minister and Ala’uddin Juwani
even became office bearers and did much to salvage precious books constituting
great Islamic heritage of knowledge which otherwise would not have survived and
forever .lost to humanity. They also persuaded slowly the greatest tyrant of the
time to soften blow of his attack and thus averted major calamities for the
Islamic world.
As I said retaliation and revenge does not always
help, one has to exercise restraint and wisdom. Islamic morality stresses
suppressing anger and believers are called by Qur’an as those who suppress their
anger (kazimin al-ghayz). Also, the highest quality of Qur’anic morality
is ‘afw to pardon and Allah has been described repeatedly as Ghafur
al-Rahim i.e. Forgiver and Merciful.
These are highest virtues of a Muslim and it all
depends how you respond, through retaliation or through such moral values. You
chose to respond through invoking tribal concept of retaliation, not by invoking
high moral values of Islam. Qur’an has referred to retaliation too when it says
one can retaliate but it was only a concession to tribal morality of the time,
not highest morality which Qur’an indicated through these virtues as represented
by Allah’s names like Pardoner, Forgiver, Merciful, Compassionate and so on. One
has to study the prevailing situation carefully before deciding how to respond
to it and not invoking concept of retaliation as you did by organizing 9/11
which proved to be disastrous for Islam and Islamic world.
Osama: Then, O Messenger of Allah, Peace be Upon
You, what about justice? Can there be peace on earth without justice?
Prophet: No there cannot be but question is how
justice can be realized? Is violence the only way out? Certainly not. Violence
is the worse thing which can happen. It is a curse, not a boon for human
society. It is wrong that I ever advocated violence for justice. On the
contrary. Violence vitiates the process of justice. It releases very complex
forces in the society, among them of revenge, deceit, anger and retaliation.
If there is any mention in the Qur’an it is not
because violence is necessary for bringing about change or for justice. It is
because the powerful vested interests, frustrated by higher Islamic morality and
unable to contain it, resorted to violence to suppress weaker sections of
society Islam stood for. According to me even such violence should be met with
non-violent method. Non-violence is much superior to violence at any time.
Violence is generally resorted to by exploiters, dictators and persecutors, not
by the exploited and persecuted.
However, it is at times, particularly in defence,
becomes necessary. All the battles I fought in Madina, you will observe, were of
defensive nature. I never attacked the enemy but defended only when attacked and
when it was possible to avert war, as at Hudaybiyah, I even accepted peace
apparently on humiliating conditions which all my companions opposed. They could
not understand superiority of non-violence and peace over war and violence even
on rather unfavourable terms. It is non-violence which destroys enemies
strength, violence only gives it opportunity to use more violence. And thus the
vicious cycle goes on.
Thus after sack of Baghdad Ibn Taymiyyah’s fatwa
for jihad could not achieve what Rashiduddin and Alauddin Juwani brothers could
achieve, more security and preservation of entire Islamic heritage of knowledge
which otherwise would have been destroyed. Look what your attack on 9/11
brought? More violence and destruction for Afghanistan and Iraq? And as
retaliation your al-Qaeda people are killing hundreds of innocent Muslims in
addition to few US soldiers. Was your attack worthwhile? So many innocent
Muslims would not have died, had you not killed 3000 innocent citizens of
America on 9/11.
And how those 3000 innocent Americans were anyway
responsible for whatever America was doing in the Islamic world? This is what
happens when we use violence for revenge, the lowest instinct of human beings.
Have you not read in the Qur’an that Allah created human beings in the best of
mould (ahsan al-taqwim)but he descended into lowest of low (asfal al-safilin).
Osama you descended to this asfal al-safilin and have become cause of
death and destruction in many Islamic countries today. Thousands of innocent
Muslims would not have died through your suicide bombers had you resisted
temptation to take revenge by organizing 9/11.
Osama: O Messenger of Allah (PBUH) I do not think
USA could be taught a lesson by using persuasive and non-violent methods. It is
too arrogant and powerful to yield to forces of higher morality? I am sorry O
Messenger of Allah to differ from you as your worthy companions differed from
you at Hudaibyah when you entered into peace agreement with Meccans kafirs.
Prophet: I do not mind Osama you differing from me
but tell me who proved to be right? Me or my companions? Peace with Meccans at
Hudaiybiyah won what battle with them would not have won. Also, it would have
meant so much bloodshed. You as an Arab tribal fail to understand higher moral
resources offer to humanity. You know when I entered Mecca finally I entered
without shedding a drop of blood and forgave even Hinda, the worst of my enemy
who had chewed liver of my dear uncle Hamza. I forgave all my enemies and this
higher moral act did what sword could never have done. They were all convinced
of truth of Islam and its higher morality and all of them accepted Islam without
exception. If I had sought revenge they also would have drawn swords and there
would have been long bloody strife.
It is true America is very powerful and arrogant.
But did you not read in Qur’an that when Allah wants to destroy any nation it
makes it very powerful and arrogant? Are you not familiar with stories of Nimrod
and Pharoah? Did Abraham and Moses use force to destroy them and to liberate
their people? Moses was great liberator of the nation of Israel and you know how
powerful Pharoah was but Moses never used any force against him and still Allah
destroyed him. Moses became the peaceful cause.
America may be very powerful and arrogant but
Allah has His own inscrutable ways to punish the powerful and arrogant provided
the victims also a bide by peaceful struggle and remain deeply moral and
spiritual in their approach. Qur’an which Allah revealed through me has
expressed its sympathy for poor, needy and weak (mustad’ifun) repeatedly
and condemned the powerful and arrogant (mustakbirun). Not only that,
Qur’an has promised that it is mustad’ifun who will become leaders and
inherit this earth. Have you not read this? Don’t you have faith in Allah?
Osama: I do have faith in Allah O Messenger of
Allah and all I am doing is for exalted name of Allah, for victory of Islam and
Muslims. I am man of faith and Islam is my religion, my culture, my nation, my
life.
Prophet: No, no Osama, you are an Arab and a
tribal first and Muslim then. What you are doing is not bringing any exalted
name to Islam. It is because of you that Islam is being equated with violence
and basically a religion of compassion has become a religion of violence. You
are basically motivated by tribal qisas (revenge) than exalted morality of
Qur’an. How can you bring glory to Islam? That is why many Ulama in Islamic
world are rejecting your concept of jihad which is un-Islamic. The Ulama have
also rejected Ibn Taymiyyah’s fatwa on jihad as irrelevant in modern context.
If you care for Islam and its exalted morality
please give up violence and obsession to teach lesson to America. You work for
justice and peace in democratic ways, promote dialogue between peoples of
different faiths, bring awareness among weaker sections about their rights,
organize them for democratic struggles and leave rest to Allah. He will punish
the wrong doers.
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