Islam Rediscovered
11. Non-Violence and Islam
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have handed this legacy down to us. Had they
adopted the principle of violent activism and
clashed with the ‘oppressive’ rulers, they would all
have been slaughtered by them and the entire
legacy of traditions, instead of finding a place on
the pages of books, would have been buried along
with them in the graveyards. It is by the miracle of
having
adopted
non-violence instead of violence that the precious
sources of traditions have survived in book form
and, till today, adorn our libraries.
POLITICAL REVOLT UNLAWFUL
Despite the blatant perversion in the Muslim rulers
after the pious caliphate, the Muslim
ulema
did not
lead an insurrection against these corrupt
individuals. For about a period of one thousand
years they remained detached in this matter and
continued to engage all their efforts in non-political
fields. This was not a matter of accident but in
obedience to the express injunctions of the shariah.
As we know, in the books of
Hadith
detailed
traditions have been set down in the chapters titled
Kitab al-Fitan
. The Prophet Muhammad, may peace