Islam and Peace by Maulana Waiduddin Khan - page 246

Islam and Peace
Non-Violence and Islam
~ 246 ~
initiated and prolonged with no damage to
tradition.
Generally speaking, attempts to improve or replace
existing systems by violent activism are counter-
productive. One coup d’etat is often the signal for a
series of coups and counter-coups, none of which
benefit the common man. The truly desirable
revolution is that which permits gradual and
beneficial changes. And this can be achieved only
on the basis of non-violence.
SUCCESS THROUGH THE NON-VIOLENT
METHOD
All the great successes of the first phase of Islam as
well as the succeeding periods were achieved by
non-violent methods. Listed below are some
examples of these successes.
1. Of the 23-year period of prophethood, the initial
13 years were spent by the Prophet in Mecca. The
Prophet fully adopted the way of pacifism or non-
violence during this time. There were many such
issues in Mecca at that time which could have been
the subject of clash and confrontation. But,
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