19 Jan 2018/Wednesday.   The recent 46 min long video of HM operating commander Riyaz Naikoo is a clear misinterpretation of jihad. The deviation of which is construed as hypocrisy or ”munafiq”. This repeated outpour of defeat, defeat not at the hands of security agencies but defeat fighting a cause “jihad” which the holy book nor its preachers comply with. In the video he is repeatedly threatening the ulemas~the learned of Islam. An act which itself reflects his character and questions his own faith.   Historically, the ulemā have been a powerful class, and in early Islam it was their consensus(ijmā) on theological and juridical problems that determined the communal practices of future generations. 

Jihad as described in Quran

The above is taken from the holy book Quran and is a good description of Jihad. It may require fighting in Allah’s cause, as a form of self-sacrifice. But its essence consists in  a true and sincere Faith, which so fixes its gaze on Allah, that all selfish or worldly motives seem paltry and fade away, and an earnest and ceaseless activity, involving the sacrifice (if need be) of life, person or property, in the service of Allah. Mere brutal fighting is opposed to the whole spirit of Jihad, while the sincere scholar’s and preacher’s voice may the most valuable forms of Jihad.

Jihad only to protect Ummah, not to kill own people

The declaration of jihad in the Islamic tradition is viewed as a serious deliberation on the Islamic interpretation of ‘religious war’, which has to be waged to protect the right to faith of the ‘Ummah‘.  Therefore, the declaration of jihad was only sanctioned in an extreme situation and was an open act of taking recourse to force in defense of the faith and was waged only against the kafirs, jahils, and societies and orders restricting the growth of the ‘Ummah.’ In Hadees, this has been considered as an extreme step and can be sanctioned and executed by the Muslims only in defense of the faith and not in mere matters of political expediency.

Ulemas say, Jihad an extreme step not in consonance with situation in Kashmir

Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband  regards India as Dar al-Aman or a “Muslim-friendly country”. It ceased to be Dar al-Harb or hostile for Muslims with the end of British rule. As  per the seminary’s vice-rector Abdul Khaleque Madrasi  “How can a country where you choose your own government be Dar al-Harb?”

The unflinching support of the Kashmiri youth to their belief is understandable, however it is for ‘we’~ the youth of Kashmir to appreciate that there is a larger community of Islamic thinkers and scholars who think otherwise and have the right to ikhtilaf.

Not all Kashmiri parents think like Muzaffar Ahmad Wani (Burhan’s father). They dont want their sons to turn into militants and often plead on social media for their safe return home.

Excerpt from interviews

Burhan’s father said “Yes, I do get a bit disturbed but our Islam says that God, Quran and the Prophet are bigger than anything, even bigger and more important than our sons. It’s not the other way round. If our God is not happy with us then we don’t need our sons. Our God should be happy with us even if my son’s or my sacrifice is needed for that.

Family and friends of a Ph.D. scholar Mannan Bashir Wani are in a state of a deep shock after a photo surfaced on social media, showing him armed with an automatic rifle, having reportedly joined the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. ” I never expected that my son would make any decision without discussing with me said his father. His mother cried expressing shock as it has brought shame to the family. Through social media they appealed for his  safe return home.

The father of footballer-turned-militant Majid Khan who had recently joined militant outfit and his photograph with an assault rifle had gone viral on social media thanked people and media and said “I got a new lease of life. Now I can stand back on my legs and I have got well.” He had suffered a mild heart attack after learning that his lone son had joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Wonder why Riyaz Naikoo in his video thinks that Kashmiri youth should join militant outfits and  not seek permission from parents to join this crusade which is not only against the preaching of Quran but has a devastating affect on the family. 

Previous to this in another video he threatened people contesting panchayat elections in Kashmir saying acid will be poured into their eyes so that the families suffer.  How can he qualify for a youth icon? Does Kashmir need such youth icons? 

Indian and Pakistani Muslim scholars reject Jihad in Kashmir

It is important to know that Pakistani Islamic scholar and son of the Late Maulana Sayed-ul-Ala Mawdudi, founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami(JEI) had also  refuted ‘Jihad’ in Kashmir on the grounds that it is against the tenets of the Quran as Islam does not permit a covert war.

While militant organizations continue to advocate and justify a strong case for jihad in Kashmir, a greater number of Muslims including very respected Islamic scholars reject the idea. Amongst the 57 Muslim countries in the world, it is only India which has around 350,000 functioning mosques for the believers, probably the highest in any part of the world. It is this state of affairs which prompts Indian Muslims  to have both peace and freedom vis-a-vis their faith in India.

In 1965, also notwithstanding Ayub Khan’s open appeal to Maulana Mawdudi to support his war efforts against India by declaring a jihad, Mawdudi refused to comply. It is important that the Kashmiri youth does some serious reading into our rich history and Quran which preaches peaceful co-existence and brotherhood.

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