Tackling Islamic Militancy

In order for our government to effectively tackle the problem of Islamic militancy it is imperative that it develops an understanding of the ideology that drives it. Rebelling against the state is not sanctioned by Islam. The last thing Islam wants is for mischief to spread on Earth. Yet there are certain groups of Muslims that believe rebelling against a government that does not rule by what Allah has revealed is a duty in Islam. The militant ideology is based on a Quranic verse in which Allah says that those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are “kafir”. Since the government does just that hence it termed as a “kafir” government and it is “wajib” to fight against it according to the proponents of militant Islam. However it doesn’t stop there, anyone and everyone who is working for the government is also a “kafir” and consequently it is “wajib” to fight against them as well. That’s why you have innocent police trainees in Lahore and FC rangers in Islamabad attacked by these so called Islamic militants. Without a doubt militant Islam is one of the biggest fitna of our time. Yet this ideology is not a new one. The roots of this ideology were laid down by the kharjis at the time of Hazrat Ali’s caliphate. A group of Muslims staged a rebellion against Hazrat Ali’s rule charging him with the same accusation i.e. not ruling according to what Allah has revealed. It is this same ideology that militant Islam is built up on today, and the whole world, Muslim and non-Muslim is suffering its consequences. So what does Islam have to say about living under corrupt governments? What is the way out, if it’s not through rebellion and revolt? The Prophet PBUH forewarned us in a hadith about such a situation. He declared in a hadith ash-Sharif, “After me, there will be such governments that will leave my path. Their hearts are the home of the Satan. Obey them, too! Do not revolt against them! Do not revolt even if you are beaten and your property is taken!” That is, do not rise against the cruel government that attacks at your property and lives; do not cause fitna; be patient and busy with your ‘ibadat; if you cannot protect yourselves against fitna in the town, take refuge in the forest; if you go into the forest and have to eat grass and leaves in order not to be among the holders of fitna, stay in the forest so you should not join them! He declared, ‘Listen well and obey.’ This last order means that we should be very careful not to rise against the government and not to cause fitna.” Had the lal Masjid masterminds this hadith in front of them before they stood up to face Musharraf’s mighty forces they would have surely thought twice. What was achieved out of that act of theirs but loss of innocent lives, of sincere students of knowledge, corruption in the land and further bad repo for Islam? If we are not supposed to take up arms against a corrupt government then we are not supposed to sit idle either. Rather the way forward, the way to attain power is to busy yourself with studying religious and scientific knowledge and spreading it, this is our Jihad, not taking up arms against the government. Our objective should be to revive the true ideology of Islam, the one upon which this nation of ours was founded, and to put an end to all deviant ideologies that give birth to fitnahs like militant Islam. Having said this, we must realize that the path ahead is anything but smooth. True Islam has its own enemies. Hence we need to arm ourselves adequately but not with sticks, guns and suicide jackets rather with the right kind of knowledge, the knowledge that is power.