Believe me! Either you have been misguided or fallen prey to religious, racial, or national prejudice. You have ignored your own laws for international justice and been precipitate in judging a great majority of the human race. If ever you find the time to read through the pages of history impartially, you will be forced to revise your opinion.
There is no doubt that once we were a force to be reckoned with and now we are nothing but dust, but terrorist? Never! From Makkah to Taif, from Europe to Africa, from India to Kosove, from Kashmir to Palestine, from Iraq to Afghanistan, from Russia to America, whichever country or city you look at you will definitely concede that the Muslims have always been a target for terrorists but as a Muslim nation they have never been a terror themselves.
They were laid on burning coals, dragged through rough streets with ropes round their necks, stoned till the blood ran to their feet, held captive in small, dark cells; their land was seized from them, the right to live was snatched from them; they took all but did not answer terror with terrorism.
After long years of torture when they were finally allowed to raise their hands to the enemy, yes, they did perform jihad but not terrorism. And who is the person who does not know that there is a world of difference between terrorism and jihad? Both have the same difference as sin and prayer; as blessing and damnation; as bowing to the will of God and bowing to Self; as justice and injustice. The reason for jihad is to raise aloft the name of Allah; the mujahid fights to establish the principles that make peace and justice reign supreme; that lead the oppressed to freedom; where the leaders feel no shame in sitting down with the common man; where the human race feels free of the slavery of men to become the true slaves of Allah.
The mujahid fights no for worldly goods or personal glory, nor for fame or name, nor for national or racial superiority; nor for capturing land, mountains, rivers, or forests: his only reason is glorifying the word of Allah. The true mujahid is the one who knows the art of controlling his self; who has stepped out of the shell of self-worship; whose life, death, love and hate, peace and war are all for the sake of Allah. Even if there is no soul but him he will go out alone to perform his duty towards Allah. He hears the sweet songs of the houris of paradise in the clank and crash of swords and burning fires seem like a corner of Eden.The aim of jihad is not to exterminate people of a certain religion or their places of worship; rather, both get the freedom to run with the victory of jihad. This is the wisdom behind jihad that Allah Ta`ala revealed 1400 years ago in His Book:
who have been expelled from their homes, without right, except that they say, `our Lord is God.' And had God not repelled people some by others, there had been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein God's Name is mentioned much; and God will surely help him who helps Him; God is Surely Strong and Mighty. (Surah Hajj 40)
In the jihads done in the light of Nubuwwah, not even a rival could point out any such incident where any place of worship of either the Christians or Jews was torched or forcibly taken. Let alone such drastic steps, the Muslim leaders did not like to pray even once in these places so that their one-off action would not become an excuse for the common Muslims himself arrive for the occasion. Hazrat `Umar (radhiallahu `anhu) was the caliph at the time. He underwent the long journey to prevent any more bloodshed and signed the treaty with his own hand.
When he reached the gates, he was welcomed by the citys priests, bishops, generals, and respectable. After entering he went to see the famous cathedral Kanisa tul Qiyamah. While there, the time for prayer began. The bishop courteously said that he could offer his prayers in the cathedral but he declined and came out of the building to say his prayers. A mosque with the name, Jamiah `Umar was made at the spot. The reason he gave for not praying inside was that he did not want the common Muslims to make his act an excuse to seize the cathedral and change it into a mosque.
This concession to the feelings of people of other religions, the protection extended to their elderly, disabled, women, children, and spiritual leaders; the recognition of the sanctity of their places of worship, avoidance of torture and repulsion to the untamed behavior of the civilized nations of today, were the outstanding features of the Muslims in every jihad and battle.
Before the coming of the Muslims when the Romans and Persians used to attack their neighbors they left in their wake a trail of plunder, pillage, and bloodshed. They found pleasure in burning towns, ravaging settlements, unsparingly killing the inhabitants of captured towns, raping the women and torturing the rest. But when the Muslim armies reached the same places they treated the populace with courtesy and respect. The result was that the people who had been suffering at the hands of their own rulers and whose bodies and minds were crushed with their wrongs raised up to welcome the Muslims and helped them as much as they could.
The mujahideen of Islam never shed blood for thrill, only which was necessary to put breaks on loot and plunder and cruelty. Whereas terrorists get a kick out of shedding as much blood as they can. They burn living cities to cinders and hack off a harvest of human heads just to secure their fear and terror in peoples hearts.
The enlightened know that the casualties of the First World War, which continue from 1914 to 1918, were, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 6.4 million. The casualties of the Second World War were between 30 to 60 million. These wars neither served humanity in any way nor were they able to establish any kind of fear or honor in human hearts.
In contrast to this international terrorism lets now have a look at the 27 jihads of Rasoolullah (sallallahu `alaihe wasallam): the total number of casualties of these 27 jihads was not more than 1018 on both sides. But the result of these battles was the reign of peace and security in and around Arabia. A lone woman from Hairah traveled to the Ka`abah in Makkah without fear of anyone or anything except Allah. The mushriks, hypocrites, robbers, looters, and usurpers were so in awe of the men who wore date-palm thongs and patched clothes that they did not dare to lift even an eye towards any widow, orphan, traveler, poor or unsheltered Muslim.
This awe was not due to terror of the sword, or towers of skulls, or seas of human blood; but the reason was their courtesy, help to the poor and needy, humane sympathy, the unity and harmony among themselves, the strength of their Faith, and their will to fight for the sake of Allah without doubt up until these traits lived among the Muslims they continued to be a blessing fore the weak and a terror for the oppressor... but ever since they have lost this precious heritage, they have been no more than they dust trampled under feet that any breeze may blow from here to there. The amazing thing is that in their era of firm hold they were never called terrorists but now, when their princes, shayookh, and presidents have become no more than dirt they have been labeled with the tag of terrorist by those international thugs who have the blood of millions of innocent human on their hands and those who are guilty of snatching the honor of hundreds Wonders will never cease!!
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