In present day and time; we find that Jihad with pen is more important and a bigger Jihad than by sword. This was told some one hundred years ago by the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed (as); founder of Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. This was a new concept introduced by him in the age and time, when Jihad with sword was the order of the day. In the Muslim world the centuries old concept of war by sword was also thought to be the prime doctrine known in the way of propagation of Islam.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed as a Muslim scholar was well known for his fighting the cause of Muslims against the onslaught of Christianity in Middle East, Asia and western colonial occupation especially in Subcontinent. 1875 is the year known as year of mutiny in British Raj of India. After this incident, the movement for freedom of subcontinent gathered momentum. In 1889 he proclaimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus (as) of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (saw). His scholarly verdict at this stage from a person who claimed to be the divine guide, to put down the sword and take up pen was taken as the announcement of ghastly cowardice. This was against the will and wishes of the peoples. He was mocked, jeered and this has generated lot of opposition against him to the extent that he was declared as an imposter by the Ulemas of the time.
Some hundred years have passed; there were two world wars that this world saw; primarily fought with sword. In both the wars Muslims for their part of wars could only reap an utter humiliation especially in world war one when the Muslim Ottoman Empire fell.
After the fall of Ottoman Empire although Muslims were forced to lay down their arms and swords but new groups came on the surface in Arab world with their philosophy like Satia Al-Husri, Michel Aflaq and Sami shawkat who spawned a whole generation of men who advocated violence. One example is Sami Shawkat who is famous for his 1933 speech “Sina’at al-Mawt” (manufacture of doctrine of death) in which he rationalized mass violence and war as the way to achieve Arab aspirations. Tragically, his speech was widely distributed in Arab schools and in Iraq in particular. It is interesting that Shawkat taught that; ‘There is Honour in the Business of Death’. The “force is the soil which sprouts the seeds of truth” and (suicidal) death the only way left for Arabs to win back the lost glory of Arabs.
Ever since, the doctrinarians of suicide bombing, have been active and hundreds and thousands of Muslim juvenile in almost all the Muslim countries have been doctrine and sent out to kill themselves; supposedly to earn honour for Islam and their families which they are lead to believe that their honour lies in their death as suicide bombers. Palestinian, Iranian, African and lately in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, flocks of such young ones are being bred and used as fodder of war.
But history speaks that this business of death has only brought more destruction, havoc and anarchy in Arabs own lands and other countries of Greater Middle East like Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan and in the Far East. This has increased the Muslim Ummah's humiliation further and defamed the name of divine religion; Islam.
If Muslims they only know that this is 'era of pen and not of sword'. This world belongs to the people who excel in knowledge (of technologies), have the control over economic resources and bear innovative minds. Retrieving the honour and glory through death (suicidal acts) has not worked. It is cowardice in itself and it may never work in the future.
Down the timeline if today we may take the present day example of the warring United States and their mega monster forces at war in Afghanistan: they are also resorting to concept of waging wars by sword rather they be called the ; Brutal Exterminators in use of their lethal weapons.
Their forces are the most ultra Morden forces equipped with most ultra Morden lethal weaponry and equipment; the air power in support is capable of pin point targeting and attacking. Some one quarter million of US lead NATO forces are present in Afghanistan.
But ---do we know that why United States came to Afghanistan? US has only one declared aim: to capture one single person----Osama bin laden...who supposedly sent his suicidal group to attack their home land in New York at trading Centre; Twin Tower known as 9/11 Terrorist attack.
Who can rattle their sabres better than US and her allied forces? But Some 10 years have come to pass---- the entire force after destroying anything coming in their way and bringing utter destruction of the entire Afghanistan. They have reduced it to ruins. Could they find that one single person that they came for? Answer is--- Big NO.
How many trillions of dollars they must have spent on fighting??? Now; very sheepishly; they have announced their retreat and are packing up in humiliation.
This is modern war which may not be won with the sword or by rattling of sabre; How strong they may be.... gone are the days when fighting with the sword was the prime concept of the war. Knowledge, economic resources and innovative minds are the weapons of the day. They say that only fools they don’t change their minds or the doctrine of fighting their war. That is what Messiah Moud (as) said that; No war with sword in the future but Muslim; they must fight with pen. How true he was.
