Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 127
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 127 possible, as is said: 'Whenever they kindle a fire to start a war, Allah puts it out. They strive to create disorder in the land and Allah loves not those who create disorder' (5:65). On returning from an expedition when the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and his companions approached Medina, he reminded them of the priority of values in the matter of striving in the cause of Allah by admonishing them: 'Weare returning from the lesser striving to the greater striving'; meaning that striving after self-improvement and righteous- ness was higher in value than fighting in the cause of Allah. By the time of the advent of the Promised Messiah the concept of jehad had been thoroughly vitiated by the Muslim divines and had become a reproach to Islam. A prominent religio-political figure has laid down the preposterous doc- trine that it is obligatory on a Muslim state to call on non- Muslim states of neighbouring countries to accept Islam, and in case of their failure to do so to go to war with them to compel compliance with its demand. If this utterly false notion were to find favour with Muslim governments, or with any of them, it would constitute the gravest single threat to the maintenance of international peace, and would eventually destroy the independence of all Muslim states. This erroneous and destructive concept was not confined in its application to states alone, but was put into effect by and against individuals also. Incidents occurred frequently in the territories designated as tribal areas along the Nprth West Frontier of India in which a tribesman coming upon a peace- ful non-Muslim, in a situation in which he was at a disadvan- tage, would insist upon his formal acceptance of Islam in default of which his life would be forfeit. Often in such a case the threat was carried into effect and the innocent non-Mus- lim, was despatched on the spot. Raids were carried out against Indian territory from time to time under the cloak ofjehad, so that life in the rieighbour- ing areas had become most insecure not only for the non- Muslims but for the Muslims also. The government of India had to maintain a large force along the frontier to check and