only when they throw their weapons into the river and announce
to the world loud and clear – that they have abandoned the culture
of violence, and that they have opted for a peaceful course of
action as a well-considered initiative – something which is entirely
in consonance with the method of the true Islam. This decision
on the part of the people of Kashmir will immediately become
breaking news for the world media. This is potentially a great source
of credit which awaits any group who may be held deserving of it.
And undoubtedly the people of Kashmir can earn great credit by
performing this great task.
In the situation that prevailed after the death of the Prophet
(632AD) the image of Islam became different from what it had been
during the time of the Prophet of Islam. At that time, Abu Bakr
Siddiq, the first rightly guided Caliph of Islam, rose to the occasion
and asked: “Will people make holes in the religion and I am still
alive?” (Hadith No. 3031). Then God’s succour came in full force and
a situation that had deteriorated was normalized. Now the time has
come for the people of Kashmir to rise and say – we cannot tolerate
Islam being regarded as a religion of violence. We will make every
effort to tell the world that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy.
The day the Kashmiri people are united in their resolve upon this,
God’s succour will be showered upon them and Islam will regain its
place as a religion of peace at an international level.
The Kashmir Explosion
The Prophet of Islam emigrated from Makkah to Madinah in 622
AD. Before this emigration, he said to his companions: “I have
been commanded to migrate to a town which will lead all towns. It
is known as Yasrib, that is, Madinah (
Sahih
Al Bukhari, Hadith no.
1748).
In other words, it was destined by God for Madinah to become
a flash point for the divine call. This did become a reality. After the
Prophet’s emigration toMadinah, Islam, the religion ofmonotheism,
very soon became a global religion.
In present times, the image of Islam has become one of violence.
This negative image spread all over the world in the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries. Now the time has finally come in the 21
st
century for the
peaceful image of Islam to be brought before the world. In the age
of the media, “breaking news” is required for this purpose. It is only
Going Against the Sunnah (Way) of the Prophet 11
