Islam Rediscovered
21. Islam in History
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intents and purposes, the battle was for a good
cause: they wanted to oust these corrupt caliphs
and replace them with men who were virtuous and
just. But, in reality, their actions proved counter-
productive.
The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,
foresaw that the effort at political reform would, in
effect, culminate in nothing but destruction. It
would only replace a lesser evil with a greater evil.
That is why he had issued a stern, prior warning,
expressly commanding his people to confine their
activities to non-political fields and to opt for a
policy of avoidance as regards corruption in
political institutions.
In books of
hadith
a number of traditions have been
recorded on this subject under the heading of
fitna
.
It was thanks to these traditions that, after the
development of the Islamic sciences (in terms of
which commentaries on the traditions were
written), religious scholars arrived at a consensus
that it was totally unlawful to revolt against an
established Muslim government, regardless of how
justified such action might appear to be.
