FROM MAULANA’S DESK
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims1 . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.
UN-ISLAMIC CULTURE IN THE NAME OF ISLAM
JULY 1, 2016, six militants burst into the Holy Artisan Bakery, in an affluent area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The assailants took several people hostage and attacked them with bombs, blades and pistols. Twenty hostages were killed in the ensuing terror attack.
Survivors of the onslaught said the killers made the hostages recite verses from the Quran to identify who among them were Muslims. Those who could recite verses from the Islamic scriptures were spared, the rest were killed. Reports state that the six militants chanted Allahu Akbar (God is great) as they stormed into the cafe and began wildly spraying bullets.
This kind of killing, a heinous crime, for which there is no justification, is most barbarous in nature. Even predatory animals do not make such a cruel attack on any creature, man or animal.
Labelling this act ‘Satanic’, would be an underestimation and its brutality cannot thus be properly expressed, because Satan never killed anybody. The way of Satan is only to deceive people by misleading them. This act of killing was worse than any act of Satan. The Prophet once said that a time would come when Muslims would engage in unlawful acts. When his Companions asked him how this would happen, the Prophet replied, saying, ‘Muslims of that time would make a forbidden act lawful for themselves, justifying it by another name.’ (Sunan al Darimi)
It is evident that this prophetic prediction has come true. Today, Muslims have set out on a course of violence on a vast scale describing it as ‘holy jihad’, although jihad essentially means a peaceful struggle. Muslims wantonly indulge in acts which they preface by the phrase ‘Allahu Akbar’; whereas a precise heralding of their wrongdoing would be to praise Satan who has deceived them into this brutality.
The incident that occurred in Bangladesh is a clear confirmation of the prediction set forth in the tradition of the Prophet. This act was wholly un-Islamic and no religious nomenclature or explanation can justify the atrocity.
The terror attack in Dhaka was both inhuman and un-Islamic act. It was also a very grave sin—tantamount to killing Islam itself. The true mission of Islam is that of peaceful dawah, namely, conveying to people the message of God by peaceful means. A violent act against innocent people is bound to distort the image of Islam to the extent that nobody would think of Islam as being worthy of consideration. Their rejoinder would be: ‘Sorry, we need a religion of peace, whereas your religion is one of violence.’
The true mission of Islam is that of peaceful dawah, namely, conveying to people the message of God by peaceful means.
Historical accounts show that Islam spread in Bangladesh through the peaceful activities of the Sufis, who had a tremendous influence upon the populations of that region. It was as a direct result of the peaceful preaching of the Sufi masters that the people of Bangladesh embraced Islam. It is ironic that those who entered the fold of Islam as a consequence of such peaceful activities are now involved in the most brutal kind of violence.
This attack targeting foreign nationals was an extremely shameful act. The atonement for such a deed should be that the Bangladeshi people sincerely repent for it and never ever allow such an incident to recur in their country. Undoubtedly, the attack carried out by the terrorists was unforgivable. According to God’s law, however, there is always room for repentance. Therefore, those who have committed this crime must show repentance for their deeds and openly declare that by committing them, they were grievously in the wrong.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Conferred
'Mahatma Gandhi Seva Medal'
CPS founder and Islamic scholar Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan was awarded the 'Mahatma
Gandhi Seva Medal' in New Delhi on 11 July 2016. The
award was conferred by the Gandhi Global Family, an
organisation based in New Delhi. The Vice President of
Gandhi Global Family, Mr. S. P. Verma, highlighted the
decades-long work for peace done by the Maulana,
both nationally and internationally. He stressed
the importance of following Maulana's conciliatory
approach to tackle the problem of violence and
terrorism in the present times. The Maulana delivered
his message on peace, saying that today we have to
revive the nonviolent tradition of Mahatma Gandhi.
He further said that it was his dream to see India
become a spiritual lighthouse for the whole world.