The Gulf Crisis and New World Order — Page 129
The Gulf Crisis & The New World Order THE FLAMES OF WAR ARE FLARED BY DISCORD Now in this second part of the verse, just quoted above, 11 1s mentioned that mutual discord necessarily leads to the fire. People generally think that by the word "fire" is meant the fire of hell. In the Quranic idiom the word "fire" does not only mean the fire of the Hereafter but also means horrifying wars. The fundamental cause of wars among the nations of the world is division and discord. When the intensity of discord and division exceeds all limits then such nations are plunged into the "fire" of war. This is another touchstone given to us to identify our malady. God says, if you are really Muslims, i. e. , if you are truly obedient to Allah the Exalted, and continue to cling to the "hablellah" (rope of Allah) then it is inconceivable that you will fight among yourselves, and it is impossible that you will be thrust into the blaze of war. Allah has taken you far away from this fire. That is, as a consequence of holding on to the "hablellah ", you have been distanced from the ledge of this fire-pit. If you had been standing at the brink of this pit of fire, a strong gust of wind or a push given by an enemy could have thrown you into the pit of fire. Those who are taken farther away from the brink are saved from the fire and they are not vulnerable to a few gusts of wind or a little shoving by the enemy. Indeed, whoever clings to the "hablellah" (rope of Allah), he is taken so far away from the brink of fire that no worldly power can thrust him into it. Having explored this subject at length, let us now revert to the unfortunate condition of the Muslims of this age. During the Iran - Iraq war, Muslims continued to shed the blood of their brethren-in faith for 8 long years. Can we, in the light of this injunction of the Holy Quran, have any doubt that they were standing at the brink of fire? Considering this verse, can anyone claim that they were holding fast to the "rope of Allah"? And were they collectively clinging to this "rope"? This verse is not just presenting a philosophical ideal; it is making us aware of the profound realities of the world. These are hard, cold, realities that mankind cannot evade. These realities encompass nations in their entirety. You may choose to ignore them, but you cannot escape from their inevitable repercussions. 129