IDEOLOGY OR HISTORY?
Abiding Principle and Practical Strategy
I DEOLOGY is an integral part of any mission. Another part is what can be called ‘practical strategy’. The basic ideology enjoys the status of a permanent principle. In contrast, practical strategy is something that one adopts depending on the prevailing conditions. These two—ideology and practical strategy—are found in every mission, religious or secular.
Take the case of Mahatma Gandhi’s mission. This was a completely secular mission, with its ideology being based on ‘Ahimsa’ or non-violence. Gandhi spearheaded his movement on the basis of this nonviolent secular ideology. Along with this, in accordance with the practical demands of the times he adopted a method known as ‘Civil Disobedience’.
Gandhi's ideology of peace was an integral part of his mission, but Civil Disobedience was a policy that was adopted for a certain limited period of time and purpose which was considered desirable according to the prevailing conditions. When the conditions changed, this method of Civil Disobedience became irrelevant.
The same thing is true in the case of Islam. Islam’s ideology is the ideology of tawheed, or monotheism. It is a completely peaceful ideology, that of a permanent principle.
Islam’s ideology is the ideology of tawheed, or monotheism.
It is a completely peaceful ideology,
that of a permanent principle.
Together with the peaceful mission of tawheed, the early history of Islam also shows that battles were fought in Arabia between Muslims and their opponents. But in Islamic history these battles have the status of practical strategies relevant to the times. They are not an integral part of Islamic ideology.
To understand the Quran, it is essential to consider both types of teachings—ideology and practical strategy—separately. The verses of the Quran that talk of tawheed are part of the eternal ideology of Islam, while the verses that talk of qital or battles should be considered as related to the practical strategy adopted in response to prevailing conditions.
Today, global conditions have completely changed. If earlier the age of war prevailed, now it is the age of peace. In such circumstances, qital or battles must be considered as part of the ephemeral history of Islam, not as a part of the eternal mission of Islam.