Murder in the Name of Allah — Page 41
Prophets and Troopers. Quran describes their lot:. Those who were guilty used to laugh at those who believed; and when they passed by them, they winked at each other. When they came back to their families, they exulted over them; and when they saw them they exclaimed: 'These indeed are the lost ones. '. But they were not appointed keepers over them. (83. 30-4). The verses quoted above explain why the Maulana would not follow the path of the reformers sent by God. People laugh at reformers and say: 'Look at these people whose only weapon is persuasion! They are so weak we can crush them whenever we wish; and yet they claim to win people over by their reasoning and advice. ' So the Maulana rejected peaceful argument and said instead:. Anyone who wants to uproot mischief and disorder from this world and wants to reform mankind should realise that he cannot do so by mere sermonising and counselling. It is useless. He should rise against the government of false principles, he should seize power, remove the wrongdoers from authority and set up a government based on sound principles and just administration. 13. But the Maududian method of reform, which is modelled on Marxism, is not the divine way of saving mankind. In God's plan, persuasion is so important that, even in an age of general moral decline, only pious believers 'who exhort one another with truth and steadfastness' (103. 4) will succeed. Even a cursory glance at history will reveal that for spiritual and moral revolutions God asks his servants to win over the people with truth and patience. Patience and prayer are the integral part of religious revolution and they should continue to be exhorted till God's promise is fulfilled. It is foretold that 'the [pleasing] end is for the righteous'. (7. 129). All God's messengers have followed this method of religious reform, one which is totally opposed to the Marxist use of force. The Quran preserves the account of many prophets and evangelists. According to this divine account, Noah's as instrument of revolution was persuasion and Abraham's as was also. It was the instrument of Shuaibas and Salehas. Lotas was also sent as a counsellor and so was Mosesas. Jesusªs caused a revolution with his sermons. And, above all, the Seal of the Prophets, the leading reformer of all time, our Master Muhammad was sent to bring about a universal spiritual revolution with nothing but persuasion and reasoning. But the Maulana not only ignores this tradition of God's holy messengers; he also contradicts it in the following words: 'Anyone who wants to uproot mischief and disorder from this world and wants to 41