The British Government and Jihad — Page 15
15 making his children orphans, and turning his house into a funeral parlour? Which h ad i th or verse of the Holy Qur’ a n authorizes such behaviour? Is there any maulav i who can respond? Foolish people hear the word jihad , and make it an excuse for the fulfilment of their own selfish desires. Or perhaps it is sheer madness that inclines them towards bloodshed. I have just mentioned that Islam employed the sword during the time of our Holy Prophet sa , with God’s permission, only after the disbeliever’s swords had already sent many Muslims to their graves. Then God’s honour willed that those who kill by the sword should also perish by the sword. God is very Noble, Ever Merciful and Forbearing. He shows great patience but, in the end, He protects the honour of the righteous. Muslims are not being killed today by anyone because of their faith. What authority do they have to justify the killing of innocents, I wonder? Why do their maulav i s not stop them from these awful actions which bring Islam into disrepute? One cannot enumerate the comforts which the Muslims have under this British Government. Many who lived under Sikh rule are still with us today. They should come forward and tell others about the circumstances of Islam and the Muslims at that time. The adh a n [Call for Prayer], which is a mandatory tenet of Islam, was considered a crime. No one who called the adh a n could survive the hatchets and spears of the Sikhs. Did God err in freeing the Muslims from the Sikhs’ transgressions and in deliv- ering them to the sanctuary of British rule? As soon as this government took power, the Muslims of Punjab were, for all practical purposes, granted their faith anew. Since a good deed