Pacifism in Islam

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Different Muslim movements through history had linked pacifism with Muslim theology. [1] [2] [3] However, warfare has been an integral part of Islamic history both for the defense and the spread of the faith since the time of Muhammad. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Peace is an important aspect of Islam, and Muslims are encouraged to strive for peace and peaceful solutions to all problems. However, the teachings in the Qur'an and Hadith allow for wars to be fought if they can be justified. [8] According to James Turner Johnson, there is no normative tradition of pacifism in Islam. [9]

Prior to the Hijra travel Muhammad struggled non-violently against his opposition in Mecca. [10] It was not until after the exile that the Quranic revelations began to adopt a more offensive perspective. [11] Fighting in self-defense is not only legitimate but considered obligatory upon Muslims, according to the Qur'an. The Qur'an, however, says that should the enemy's hostile behavior cease, then the reason for engaging the enemy also lapses. [12]

History

I am going to give you such a weapon that the police and the army will not be able to stand against it. It is the weapon of the Prophet, but you are not aware of it. That weapon is patience and righteousness. No power on earth can stand against it. -- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.jpg
I am going to give you such a weapon that the police and the army will not be able to stand against it. It is the weapon of the Prophet, but you are not aware of it. That weapon is patience and righteousness. No power on earth can stand against it. — Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Abdul Ghaffar Khan with Mahatma Gandhi. Badshah Khan.jpg
Abdul Ghaffar Khan with Mahatma Gandhi.

Prior to the Hijra travel, Muhammad struggled non-violently against his opposition in Mecca, [10] providing a basis for Islamic pacifist schools of thought such as some Sufi orders and the Ahmadiyya movement. [14] Warfare in defense of the faith has also been part of Muslim history since the time of Muhammad, [9] with violence mentioned in Quranic revelations after their exile from Mecca. [15]

In the 13th century, Salim Suwari a philosopher in Islam, came up with a peaceful approach to Islam known as the Suwarian tradition. [1] [2]

The Senegalese sufi sheykh Amadou Bamba (1850–1927) spearheaded a non-violent resistance movement against French colonialism in West Africa. Amadou Bamba repeatedly rejected calls for jihad against the Europeans, preaching hard work, piety and education as the best means to resist the oppression and exploitation of his people.

The earliest massive non-violent implementation of civil disobedience was brought about by Egyptians against British occupation in the Egyptian Revolution of 1919. [16] Zaghloul Pasha, considered the mastermind behind this massive civil disobedience, was a native middle-class, Azhar graduate, political activist, judge, parliamentary and ex-Cabinet Minister whose leadership brought Muslim and Christian communities together as well as women into the massive protests. Along with his companions of Wafd Party, who started campaigning in 1914, they have achieved independence of Egypt and a first constitution in 1923.

According to Margaret Chatterjee, Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by Sufi Islam. She states that Gandhi was acquainted with the Sufi Chishti Order, whose Khanqah gatherings he attended, and was influenced by Sufi values such as humility, selfless devotion, identification with the poor, belief in human brotherhood, the oneness of God, and the concept of Fana. [17] David Hardiman notes that Gandhi's garb was similar that of Sufi pirs and fakirs, which was also noted by Winston Churchill when he compared Gandhi to a fakir. [18] According to Amitabh Pal, Gandhi followed a strand of Hinduism that bore similarities to Sufi Islam. [19] During the Indian independence movement, several Muslim organizations played a key role in nonviolent resistance against British colonial rule, including Khān Abdul Ghaffār Khān and his followers, as well as the All-India Muslim League led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Khān Abdul Ghaffār Khān (6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988) (Pashto : خان عبدالغفار خان), nicknamed Bāchā Khān (Pashto: باچا خان, lit. "king of chiefs") or Pāchā Khān (پاچا خان), was a Pashtun independence activist against the rule of the British Raj. He was a political and spiritual leader known for his nonviolent opposition, and a lifelong pacifist and devout Muslim. [20] A close friend of Mohandas Gandhi, Bacha Khan was nicknamed the "Frontier Gandhi" in British India. [21] Bacha Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar ("Servants of God") movement in 1929, whose success triggered a harsh crackdown by the colonial authorities against him and his supporters, and they experienced some of the most severe repression of all Indian independence activists. [22] Khan strongly opposed the All-India Muslim League's demand for the partition of India. [23] [24] When the Indian National Congress declared its acceptance of the partition plan without consulting the Khudai Khidmatgar leaders, he felt very sad and told the Congress "you have thrown us to the wolves." [25] After partition, Badshah Khan pledged allegiance to Pakistan and demanded an autonomous "Pashtunistan" administrative unit within the country, but he was frequently arrested by the Pakistani government between 1948 and 1954. In 1956, he was again arrested for his opposition to the One Unit program, under which the government announced to merge the former provinces of West Punjab, Sindh, North-West Frontier Province, Chief Commissioner's Province of Balochistan, and Baluchistan States Union into one single polity of West Pakistan. Badshah Khan also spent much of the 1960s and 1970s either in jail or in exile. Upon his death in 1988 in Peshawar under house arrest, following his will, he was buried at his house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of mourners attended his funeral, marching through the Khyber Pass from Peshawar to Jalalabad, although it was marred by two bomb explosions killing 15 people. Despite the heavy fighting at the time, both sides of the Soviet–Afghan War, the communist army and the mujahideen, declared a ceasefire to allow his burial. [26]

The Palestinian activist Nafez Assaily has been notable for his bookmobile service in Hebron dubbed "Library on Wheels for Nonviolence and Peace", [27] and hailed as a "creative Muslim exponent of non-violent activism". [28]

The First Intifada began in 1987 initially as a nonviolent civil disobedience movement. [29] [30] It consisted of general strikes, boycotts of Israeli Civil Administration institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, an economic boycott consisting of refusal to work in Israeli settlements on Israeli products, refusal to pay taxes, refusal to drive Palestinian cars with Israeli licenses, graffiti, and barricading. [31] [32] Pearlman attributes the non-violent character of the uprising to the movement's internal organization and its capillary outreach to neighborhood committees that ensured that lethal revenge would not be the response even in the face of Israeli state repression. [33]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahatma Gandhi</span> Indian independence activist (1869–1948)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā, first applied to him in South Africa in 1914, is now used throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacifism</span> Philosophy opposing war or violence

Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism or violence. The word pacifism was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ahimsa, which is a core philosophy in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While modern connotations are recent, having been explicated since the 19th century, ancient references abound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonviolence</span> Principle or practice of not causing harm to others

Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosophy of abstention from violence. It may be based on moral, religious or spiritual principles, or the reasons for it may be strategic or pragmatic. Failure to distinguish between the two types of nonviolent approaches can lead to distortion in the concept's meaning and effectiveness, which can subsequently result in confusion among the audience. Although both principled and pragmatic nonviolent approaches preach for nonviolence, they may have distinct motives, goals, philosophies, and techniques. However, rather than debating the best practice between the two approaches, both can indicate alternative paths for those who do not want to use violence.

Anarcho-pacifism, also referred to as anarchist pacifism and pacifist anarchism, is an anarchist school of thought that advocates for the use of peaceful, non-violent forms of resistance in the struggle for social change. Anarcho-pacifism rejects the principle of violence which is seen as a form of power and therefore as contradictory to key anarchist ideals such as the rejection of hierarchy and dominance. Many anarcho-pacifists are also Christian anarchists, who reject war and the use of violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Ghaffar Khan</span> Pashtun Freedom Fighter

Abdul Ghaffār Khān BR, also known as Bacha Khan or Badshah Khan was a Pashtun independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar resistance movement against British colonial rule in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Movement</span> Movement to establish Pakistan, 1940–1947

The Pakistan Movement was a nationalist and political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the perceived need for self-determination for Muslims under British rule at the time. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a barrister and politician led this movement after the Lahore Resolution was passed by All-India Muslim League on the 23 March 1940 and Ashraf Ali Thanwi as a religious scholar supported it.

The Khilafat movement (1919–22) was a political campaign launched by Indian Muslims in British India over British policy against Turkey and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I by Allied forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandhism</span> Body of ideas inspired by Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhism is a body of ideas that describes the inspiration, vision, and the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi. It is particularly associated with his contributions to the idea of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslim nationalism in South Asia</span>

From a historical perspective, Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed of the University of Stockholm and Professor Shamsul Islam of the University of Delhi classified the Muslims of the subcontinent into two categories during the era of the Indian independence movement: Indian nationalist Muslims and Indian Muslim nationalists. The All India Azad Muslim Conference represented Indian nationalist Muslims, while the All-India Muslim League represented the Indian Muslim nationalists. One such popular debate was the Madani–Iqbal debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan</span> Pashtun activist against British Raj and Pakistani politician (1883–1958)

Dr. Khan Sahib, mistakenly named as Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan, was a pioneer in the Indian Independence Movement and later, a Pakistani politician. He was the elder brother of the Pashtun activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, both of whom opposed the partition of India. Upon independence, he pledged his allegiance to Pakistan and later served as the First Chief Minister of West Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khudai Khidmatgar</span> Pashtun non-violent movement against the British Empire

Khudai Khidmatgar was a predominantly Pashtun nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's North-West Frontier Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Qayyum Khan</span> 20th-century Pakistani politician

Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri was a major figure in British Indian and later Pakistan politics, in particular in the North-West Frontier Province, where served as the deputy speaker of the provincial assembly, first Chief Minister of North-West Frontier Province and served as Interior Minister of Pakistan in the central government from 1972 to 1977.

The Babrra Massacre was a mass shooting on 12 August 1948 in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. According to official figures, around 15 protestors were killed while around 40 were injured. However, Khudai Khidmatgar sources maintained that around 150 were killed and 400 were injured.

Nafez Assaily, born in 1956 in the West Bank, in the Old City of Jerusalem grew up in Hebron, and is a sociologist and Palestinian peace activist. As early as 1997 he was defined as a Palestinian who had argued for a comprehensive strategy of non-violence through 43 years of the failure to achieve anything by armed struggle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonviolent resistance</span> Act of protest through nonviolent means

Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, constructive program, or other methods, while refraining from violence and the threat of violence. This type of action highlights the desires of an individual or group that feels that something needs to change to improve the current condition of the resisting person or group.

The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace, a documentary released in 2008, is the first full film account of Pashtun leader and nonviolent activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan.

<i>Nonviolent Soldier of Islam</i>

Nonviolent Soldier of Islam is a biography of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988), an ally of Gandhi's in the Indian independence movement. Originally written by Eknath Easwaran in English, foreign editions have also been published in Arabic and several other languages. The book was originally published in the United States in 1984 as A Man to Match His Mountains: Badshah Khan, nonviolent soldier of Islam. A second edition was published in 1999 with the title Nonviolent soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a man to match his mountains. Both editions include an afterword by Timothy Flinders. The 1999 US edition contains a new foreword by Easwaran, and an enlarged section of photographs of Khan. The book has been reviewed in magazines, newspapers, and professional journals. The book inspired the making of the 2008 film The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace.

The Palestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence (PCSN) was founded in 1983 by Mubarak Awad, a Palestinian-American psychologist, and an advocate of nonviolent resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opposition to the Partition of India</span> Political viewpoint in South Asian politics

Opposition to the Partition of India was widespread in British India in the 20th century and it continues to remain a talking point in South Asian politics. Those who opposed it often adhered to the doctrine of composite nationalism in the Indian subcontinent. The Hindu, Christian, Anglo-Indian, Parsi and Sikh communities were largely opposed to the Partition of India, as were many Muslims.

The All India Pakhtoon Jirga-e-Hind, commonly known as the Jirga-e-Hind, is an organisation representing the interests of Pashtuns in India. It is chaired by Yasmin Nigar Khan.

References

  1. 1 2 Emily Lynn Osborn (10 October 2011). Our New Husbands Are Here: Households, Gender, and Politics in a West African State from the Slave Trade to Colonial Rule. Ohio University Press. pp. 18–. ISBN   978-0-8214-4397-2.
  2. 1 2 Louise Müller (2013). Religion and Chieftaincy in Ghana: An Explanation of the Persistence of a Traditional Political Institution in West Africa. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 207–. ISBN   978-3-643-90360-0.
  3. ↑ An American Witness to India's Partition by Phillips Talbot Year (2007)
  4. ↑ "Islamic Imperialism | Yale University Press".
  5. ↑ Lews, Bernard, Islam and the West, Oxford University Press, 1993, pp. 9–10
  6. ↑ Hoyland, Robert G. (2014). In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-991636-8.
  7. ↑ Kaegi, Walter E. (1995). Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521484558.
  8. ↑ "What does pacifism mean in Islam?". BBC . Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Johnson, James Turner (1 November 2010). "1". Holy War Idea in Western and Islamic Traditions. Penn State Press. pp. 20–25. ISBN   978-0-271-04214-5.
  10. 1 2 Boulding, Elise. "Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History", p. 57
  11. ↑ Howard, Lawrence. "Terrorism: Roots, Impact, Responses", p. 48
  12. ↑ Afsaruddin, Asma (2007). Views of Jihad Throughout History. Religion Compass 1 (1), pp. 165–69.
  13. ↑ Nonviolence in the Islamic Context by Mohammed Abu Nimer 2004
  14. ↑ Hafez, Kai (2010). Radicalism and Political Reform in the Islamic and Western Worlds. Cambridge University Press. p. 208. ISBN   978-1-139-48904-1.
  15. ↑ Howard, Lawrence. Terrorism: Roots, Impact, Responses, p. 48
  16. ↑ Zunes, Stephen (1999:42), Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective, Blackwell Publishing{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Chatterjee, Margaret (2005). Gandhi and the Challenge of Religious Diversity: Religious Pluralism Revisited. Bibliophile South Asia. p. 119. ISBN   9788185002460.
  18. ↑ Hardiman, David (2003). Gandhi in His Time and Ours: The Global Legacy of His Ideas. C. Hurst. p. 171. ISBN   978-1-85065-711-8.
  19. ↑ Fiala, Andrew (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Pacifism and Nonviolence. Routledge. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-317-27197-0.
  20. ↑ An American Witness to India's Partition by Phillips Talbot Year (2007) Sage Publications ISBN   978-0-7619-3618-3
  21. ↑ Raza, Moonis; Ahmad, Aijazuddin (1990). An Atlas of Tribal India: With Computed Tables of District-level Data and Its Geographical Interpretation. Concept Publishing Company. p. 1. ISBN   9788170222866.
  22. ↑ Zartman, I. William (2007). Peacemaking in International Conflict: Methods & Techniques. US Institute of Peace Press. p. 284. ISBN   978-1-929223-66-4 . Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  23. ↑ "Abdul Ghaffar Khan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  24. ↑ "Abdul Ghaffar Khan". I Love India. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  25. ↑ "Partition and Military Succession Documents from the U.S. National Archives". Icdc.com. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  26. ↑ January 23, 1988 edition of the New York Times
  27. ↑ Minke De Vries, Verso una gratuità feconda. L'avventura ecumenica di Grandchamp, Paoline, 2008 p.173
  28. ↑ Jerry Levin,West Bank Diary: Middle East Violence as Reported by a Former American Hostage, Hope Publishing House, Pasadena, California 2005 p.xx
  29. ↑ Ruth Margolies Beitler, The Path to Mass Rebellion: An Analysis of Two Intifadas, Lexington Books, 2004 p.xi.
  30. ↑ Roberts, Adam; Garton Ash, Timothy, eds. (2009). Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present. Oxford: University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-955201-6.
  31. ↑ BBC: A History of Conflict
  32. ↑ Walid Salem, 'Human Security from Below: Palestinian Citizens Protection Strategies, 1988–2005,' in Monica den Boer, Jaap de Wilde (eds.), The Viability of Human Security, Amsterdam University Press, 2008 pp. 179–201 p. 190.
  33. ↑ Wendy Pearlman, Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement, Cambridge University Press 2011, p. 107.
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