Fazl-e-Umar — Page 368
Fazle Umar 368 War. Fierce battles were being fought against one another even far from the battlefields. In Iraq, the Iraqis caused a commotion because of Nazi intrigues thereby creating the possibility of the holy places being placed in grave danger. They sided with the Axis Powers against the Allies. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] delivered a speech on Lahore Radio which was full of priceless advice for Iraq. He stated: “The current unrest in Iraq is a cause of great anxiety for the Muslims of the whole world and for the Indians. Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, its port, Basra and the centre of its oil wells, Mosul are places that Muslims are fully acquainted with from their childhood. The achievements in the arts and sciences by the government of Banu Abbas are a happy memory for all Muslims…I can speak for myself and definitely state that in my childhood Baghdad and Basra were far more alluring and charming than London and Paris because they were familiar to me right from the start. As I grew a bit older the study of Hadith introduced me to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Islamic Jurisprudence to Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Yousaf, Sufism to Junaid, Shibli and Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, History to Ibn Qayyim, Art of Lecturing to Nizam Uddin Toosi, Literature to Mubrad, Sibuya, Jarir and Farzooq, Politics to Haroon, Mamoon and Malik Shah. These men, who were and still are peerless in their own disciplines, were introduced to my senses one by one in such a way that contemplating their excellences filled my heart with hopes and expectations and occupied my mind in sublime thought. The appearance of unrest in the land of Iraq with its charming sites, which produced these phenomenal oceans of excellence, should only fill the hearts of Muslims with sadness. Can the possibility of the bombardment of the tombs of thousands of these revered men, who are attached to us not physically but spiritually, leave us indifferent? “Iraq houses the sacred places of the saints of both the Sunnis and the Shias.