- Turning the pages of history…
By Muhammad Aslam Awan
Islam does not allow its followers the cult of personality. Khalid Bin Waleed was amongst the galaxy of generals who fought their whole life and in every battlefield, while praying before the Almighty to be granted martyrdom. But unfortunately his earnest desire could not be as he prayed. His whole life was devoted to Islam and he fought countless battles for Islam.
It came to the knowledge of the Caliph Umar (R.A) that a large number of Muslims believed that no battle could be won without the leadership of Khalid Bin Waleed. To dispel this assumption. Umar immediately ordered the removal of Khalid from the position of supreme commander, and after his removal from the premier position he fought as an ordinary soldier, still seeking martyrdom. By immediate removal of Khalid Bin Waleed from the top position, Umar proved that the victory is granted by the Almighty, and is not due to any personality. Khalid Bin Waleed did not make even a slightest insinuation that he had been the war supremo and would not fight as an ordinary soldier. Musa Bin Nusayr fought his whole life for Islam, but the then Caliph Sulaiman ibn Abdul Malik called him back and suspended him, and put him in ignominy and kept him with his royal soldiers in a torn-up single dress. The renowned general, the conqueror of a vast territory, including western North Africa and Spain died as a destitute, but he did not disobey the caliph till his death.
Muhammad Bin Qasim is a third example of loyalty to the centralized command. He was assigned the task of kill Raja Dahar of Sindh and recover the detained Muslim girls and family of a Muslim Trader. He invaded Sindh and conquered it within a short span of time, recovered the detainees and sent them safely to the Caliph. After the death of the Caliph Waleed ibn Abdul Malik Abdul Malik, the new King Sulaiman ibn Abdul Malik directed the Muhammad Bin Qasim to get back hurriedly. The generals under the command of Muhammad Bin Qasim opined that he should defy the king because they knew beforehand that Sulaiman will kill Qasim as the Caliph harboured venom against him, but he refused to defy the Caliph and had to meet the same fate as Musa Bin Nusayr. Muhammad Bin Qasim was fully aware of his ill-fate but he exhibited loyalty to the centralized command. For him defiance had the connotation of being a traitor and this was a stigma to the illustrious and proud commander. Khalid Bin Waleed, Musa Bin Nusayr as well as Muhammad Bin Qasim had the authority and command enough to announce their own independence over their conquered territories but they were bound by the chain of command and for them defiance meant the disintegration of Islamic unity. So long as the Muslims followed the spirit of Islam, they were honoured and respected in the whole world, but as soon as they showed personal ego and disrespect to Islamic Teachings, they got shattered and were destined to face ignominy. The Usmanli Caliphate was torn into pieces because it was shorn of centralized unity. The renaissance of Islam remained a dream for centuries and the Muslims even had to see subjugation for long span of time.
Islam abhors distinction and discrimination and the cult of personality. Distinction among persons is primarily based on taqwa, which is the extreme fear of the Almighty. The fear of the Almighty is the prime source of being successful in mundane life. There is no personality cult is Islam. Islam is the name of service to humanity, not self-aggrandizement. Islam recognizes the services and seniority in the true spirit of transparency. To disturb the seniority chain has not been encouraged because it deprives the deserving one of his due right. Constitution and law of the land are vulnerable to intrinsic changes to satiate one’s own whims or the hidden interests of a clique, but the sacred code of life– the divine constitution– bestowed by the Almighty is not changeable in any way. It is an unchangeable Constitution till Doomsday and any attempt to change, alter or hold it in abeyance is a criminal attempt, a sin, leading the violators to Hell.
Having a prima facie glimpse over the era when Muslims ruled over more than 2.2 million square miles, we would have established the undivided opinion that the ever longest state was built on the golden principles of Islam. Islam is a divine blessed religion preaching the principles of equality, peacefulness, tranquillity mercifulness and all-embracing; enveloping the downtrodden, helpless, forlorn, indigent and suppressed into its kind and blessed fold. Islam teaches us that we should be too merciful to all human beings and protect the minorities living within its territorial ambit. Islam is abhorrent of cruelty and injustice towards the humanity
Having a prima facie glimpse over the era when Muslims ruled over more than 2.2 million square miles, we would have established the undivided opinion that the ever longest state was built on the golden principles of Islam. Islam is a divine blessed religion preaching the principles of equality, peacefulness, tranquillity mercifulness and all-embracing; enveloping the downtrodden, helpless, forlorn, indigent and suppressed into its kind and blessed fold. Islam teaches us that we should be too merciful to all human beings and protect the minorities living within its territorial ambit. Islam is abhorrent of cruelty and injustice towards the humanity. Unfortunately some intransigent segments, who are ever incorrigible and antagonistic to state principles, exhibit a derogatory attitude towards humanity only to cause erosion to Islam. State functionaries of Pakistan are bound to hold the Islamic chain of command system in great respect, and digression and disrespect exhibited any way is an attempt tantamount to disintegrate the central unity. The augmentation of one’s own personality by extensions, or otherwise promoting one’s own interests, connote a severe blow to the transparent Islamic system. To smoothly run the state affairs is the prerogative of the mandated party but they are required to ‘also’ observe the principles of Islam in letter and spirit. Promotions must be under strict transparency and, although legitimate, the extensions must be discouraged because the right of seniority is disturbed and Islam abhors the violation of one’s rights. The role of the state is just like that of a mother, and the mother never denies the rights to any one of her offspring, she upholds all in equal affection.
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