In this historic event there is a great lesson for all those Muslims
who are living in the present situation in Kashmir. In present times
there are many such places where Muslims are faced with similar
situations. This tradition indicates the right course of action for
all these Muslims. They must, without delay, abandon any ideas of
community prestige, and, under the guidance of theProphet of Islam,
they must resolve that at all events they will opt for the way of peace
and reconciliation, rather than that of clash and confrontation. In
the words of Hasan, in such cases, the way of violence leads straight
to hellfire, whereas the way of peace leads straight to Paradise.
We learn from history that in later times Hasan ibn Ali became
unpopular with the Muslims. What was the reason? The reason was
that, when he spoke, he kept a low profile. Those who regard one
who behaves in this way as a degraded person are of a very strange
mentality. The decree of both Islam and reason is that those who
keep a high profile can expect only destruction in this world of God,
whereas those who keep a low profile are destined for success. Those
who follow such leaders as keep a low profile tread the straight path
of Islam. Divine succour is destined for such people.
In the Footsteps of the Jews
Zionism in the present times is the biggest movement of the Jews.
This movement, launched in 1897, is political and cultural and seeks
to re-establish a Jewish national State in Palestine.
In other words, Zionism is another name for land- based politics.
Today, the Jews are expending all their energy, wealth and resources
towards this end. They are ready to make any kind of sacrifice to
achieve their goal.
TheMuslims of present times, according to the prediction made
in the Hadith, are treading the same path as Jews. The activities of
present- dayMuslims, directly or indirectly, are an example of a land-
based movement. Muslims have launched a number of movements
to enable them to occupy particular lands and establish their rule
over them, e.g. in Pakistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia , Chechnya,
Arakan, the Philippines, Sinkiang (China), etc. Muslims all over the
world are either
actively
taking part in this land- based politics or
they theorize along the same lines, expressing their thoughts on this
subject in their speeches and writings.
This is undoubtedly similar to following the path of the Jews.
34
The Dawn Over Kashmir
