The Prophet Muhammad A simple Guide to his Life
Sunnah Hudaybiya
~ 144 ~
and solving problems wisely by giving concessions
to the other party.
This policy can also be termed status quoism. This
does not simply mean accepting the status quo
without attempting to change it. Status quoism is
not passivity or inaction, but rather the highest form
of action. Whenever a confrontational situation
builds up between two parties, the controversy
comes to a standstill at a certain point. Now
apparently there is only one way to proceed for
both the parties, and that is, to break the status quo
and find a way to go ahead.
On such occasions, the foolish turn such matters into
a prestige issue. They believe that accepting the
status quo would amount to losing face. To protect
their egos they take to the path of confrontation. But
one who is God-fearing never turns anything into a
prestige issue.
Taqwa
for him becomes a guarantee of
keeping himself away from any such confrontation
as will result in nothing but destruction.
When the individual refrains from making a
controversial matter into one of prestige, this gives
rise to serious thinking. This non-emotional thinking
