|
|
|
Author
MJ Akbar tackles the issue of Jihad in his latest book.
|
Title:
The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict Between Islam and
Christianity
Author: M. J. Akbar
Publisher: Routledge, New York
Pages: 192 pp.
ISBN: 0415284708
The
Islamic concept of Jihad has been the focus of widespread public
attention all over the world these days. The mere use of the word
even in purely esoteric terms – as in the convocation speech by a
Muslim student at Harvard – draws intense criticism. The true
notion of Jihad as a just war has been overlooked and it is often
wrongly viewed as synonymous with terrorism. Also lost is the fact
that in the Islamic faith the greatest Jihad is to cleanse the
impurity within. In The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict
Between Islam and Christianity, veteran Indian Muslim journalist
M. J. Akbar concentrates on the lesser Jihad and provides an
engrossing account of the historic conflict between the world’s
two major faiths.
Akbar
is the editor of several newspapers in India including the
prestigious Asian Age. He is also the author of four
internationally acclaimed books that include Nehru: The Making of
India, India: The Siege Within, Riot after Riot and Kashmir: Behind
the Vale. In 1989 he was elected to the Indian Parliament and
returned to writing and editing in 1993.
In
his introduction to The Shade of Swords, Akbar writes that
peace is the avowed aim of Islam, but that faith also demands
“from time to time, in a holy war defined by specific
circumstances, the blood of the faithful in the defense of their
faith. This is Jihad.”
Building
on this premise he argues that Islam recognizes war as a reality and
sets its moral and ethical guidelines. Criticizing those who try to
unfaithfully re-interpret Islamic texts and history in order to be
“politically correct”, Akbar writes that such individuals have
converted Jihad into a “holy bath”, rather than a “holy
war”.
He
begins his account in Arabia with the battle of Badr in 624 AD when
he says that the spirit of Jihad entered Islam. “It is a spirit
that inspires among believers,” write Akbar, “a heroism beyond
the bounds of reason; equally, it inspires dread among those outside
the fold of Allah.”(p.2)
The
miraculous victory at Badr despite the numerical superiority of the
Quraysh tribe is an incident that should be familiar to Jews and
Christians, for it is in one sense a reenactment of that famous
battle between David and Goliath.
Akbar
makes only brief mentions of the atrocities perpetrated upon Muslims
before the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (saaws) and his
followers to Medina. During this time all sorts of crimes were
committed against the Muslims including a total economic and social
boycott by the Quraysh. The Prophet Muhammad (saaws) and his
companions faced these trying times with perseverance, dignity and
non-violence.
The
overlooking of this important historical period by Akbar leads him
to conclude, later on in the book, “ the Muslim mind could not
understand the sanctity of non-violence.” Contrary to his
position, Muslims find a rich legacy of non-violent resistance
against tyranny and injustice during the life of the Prophet
Muhammad (saaws). That the holy city of Mecca was liberated from
pagans without any bloodshed is but one important testament to this
fact.
The
first generation of Muslims avoided war wherever it was possible but
left no stone unturned when forced into it. Their attitude is
reflected in the following dictum of the Caliph Muawiya (raa): “I
apply not my lash where my tongue suffices, nor my sword where my
whip is enough. And if there be one hair binding me to my fellow
men, I let it not break. If they pull, I loosen and if they loosen I
pull.” (p.31)
In
his characteristic narrative style Akbar takes the reader on tour de
force of Muslim military encounters walking a fine line balancing
his faith as a Muslim and his objectivity as a journalist. He turns
out to be quite successful in this attempt.
His
treatment of the Crusades stands out as an example of his
objectivity as he presents the humanity of both the Christians and
the Muslims. In 1229 AD, Sultan al-Malik al-Adil and his Christian
counterpart Frederick II reached an accord for a truce of 10 years,
five months, and 40 days. The Christians got their holy sites;
Muslims retained their scared mosque complex in Jerusalem known as
the Haram al-Shareef. When Frederick entered Jerusalem he visited
the mosque and found a Christian priest flaunting a Bible inside. He
walked up the priest and cried, “Swine! The Sultan has done us the
honor of allowing us to visit his place, and you sit here behaving
like this! If any of you comes in here again in this way I shall
kill him!”
Shams
al Din, the Qadi, or chief judge, of Nablus, who received the
Emperor, asked the Muezzins (callers to prayer) not to recite the
Adhaan (call to prayer) during Frederick’s visit as a gesture of
courtesy. When Frederick learned of this he reportedly said, “You
did wrong Qadi, would you alter your rites and law and faith for my
sake? If you were staying in my country, would I order the bells to
be silenced for your sake? By God, do not do this; this is the first
time we have found fault with you!” (p.55) He later gave 10 dinars
every man in the mosque. The book is replete with such incidents.
Turning
to contemporary times Akbar writes that the Islamic world is
yearning for another hero like Sultan Saladin who revived the
Islamic Ummah. “There is no such hero on the horizon now,”
writes Akbar. “Despair can become a breeding ground for mavericks
who believe in themselves and their vision of faith” (p.195)
Akbar
contends that Osama bin Laden is one such maverick preying on Muslim
despair. Akbar compares him to the leader of the heretical
Assassins, Hasan I Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain.
In
The Shade of Swords, Akbar has unleashed his remarkable
literary talents, which will keep the reader engaged until he
finishes the book. There are however, a few transliteration,
spelling, and factual errors. Banu Abbas is written “Abul Abbas”(p.65)
Jesus is translated as Yahya whereas it should be Isa. He
incorrectly writes, "Joseph (Zakaria) is old and grey"
when it should read Zechariah (Zakaria) (p.41)
It
is a well-known fact that Islam prohibits the rendering of images of
any of the Prophets. Akbar on page 27 of the book writes that during
the conquest of Makkah by the Prophet Muhammad (saaws), “All the
pictures were erased, except two; those of Jesus and Mary.” No
reference is provided for this obviously false report. It is hoped
that these errors will be corrected in the future editions of the
book. 
|
