The Holy Prophet had to confront with very great hardships. Quite a number
of his dear ones and most loyal followers became the victims of the arrows
and spears of the enemies - the cruel disbelievers. These followers of the
Holy Prophet were tortured in a shameless way, and they included men as
well as women. The limit was reached when the enemy planned to put the Holy
Prophet's life to an end. He was chased. The man who followed him was promised
great reward. The Holy Prophet had to hide in a cave. The chaser left no
stone unturned to get hold of him but as God had willed it, the Holy Prophet,
despite the fact that he was within the reach of their sight could not be
sighted by the chasers and thus he was very miraculously saved by God. When
the cruelty of the Disbelievers reached its extreme limit and even the emigration
of the Muslims did not satisfy them, God the Almighty permitted the Muslims
to fight back. The Holy Quran says.....; that is to say that God has permitted
the Muslims to take up the sword and the very fact that God had to give
them the permission to fight proves conclusively that the Disbelievers were
the wrongdoers, and their mischief and insolence had crossed all the bounds.
Also, that the patience that was exercised by the Muslims had reached its
limits. That being the case, God told the Muslims to put down those who
had fought them with the sword, by using the sword. God the Almighty promised
that He would show to the enemy that the Muslims being the oppressed party
would be helped by Him; and the enemy would be destroyed at their hands.
The result was that those who were considered to be weak and helpless and
who were tortured by the Disbelievers, became known as strong people in
the East as well as in the West. Thus God helped them and showed to the
world that they were really oppressed.
You may look at them from any angle you like, you will find that they
were really oppressed. Had God the almighty not permitted them even in
these circumstances to take up the sword against the oppressors, they
would have been wiped out; would that have been justified? The bigoted
people are accusing them upto this day for having recourse to the sword
- whereas no worldly or religious law could tenably demand that they should
get themselves annihilated, instead of defending themselves. Those who
are waiting for a bloody Reformer in this Age wish to revive and strength
the accusation and to create a sort of hatred in the hearts of the people,
for the Muslims. Don't you read the Hadith which says that he (the one
to appear in this Age) would put an end to the religious wars. He would
make the true religion supreme and distinctive through ever-fresh signs
from the unseen.
It is not enough to say that we have a splendid record of heavenly signs
with us. You don't have as many 'signs' as the Jews and the Hindus have
got in their books. If you will just present stories, they will do the
same and in a larger number. If the truth of Islam has to be deduced from
the stories of the past, then you must know that nothing has been left
and the truth has become confused.
(Malfoozat vol. 10, pg 310)