The True Jihad
Non-Violence and Islam
~ 55 ~
political confrontation. This history, beginning with
the Umayyad caliphate, continued for several
centuries. This was possible because the
tabi‘un
(companions of the Prophet’s companions) and
their succeeding generations, consisting of
traditionists, jurists,
‘ulama
, sufis and other great
religious scholars, all scrupulously avoided any
clash or confrontation with the rulers.
It was during this period that, on the one hand,
peaceful
da‘wah
work was started in various
countries, while on the other, the disciplines of
Hadith,
fiqh
and other Islamic sciences came into
existence on a large scale after a long period of great
struggle. All the precious books which adorn our
libraries, all the classical literature of Islam, are the
result of these peaceful activities.
For instance, the Hadith as a source of
Shari’ah
is
second only to the Qur’an in Islam. These traditions
now exist in the form of printed books. These books
are so precious that, without them, it would not
have been possible to develop Islam into a complete
system as it exists today. Under the rule of the
Umayyads and Abbasids, when the political system
