BATTLE OF BADR AND LESSONS FOR THE OPPRESSED MUSLIMS OF KASHMIR
Ibne Kashmir
Translated By: Idrees Bhat
Muslims were forced to leave their homeland Makkah by the pagans. The generous people of Madina hosted the Prophet Muhamad (PBUH) and his companions where they established an Islamic state. While leaving Makkah, the Prophet (PBUH) looked back with longing before making his way to Madinah saying,
‘How sweet of a land you are, and how beloved you are to me! If it were not that my people expelled me from you, I would not have lived in other than you.’ [Tirmidhi]
The lesson here is that, there may come a time when Muslims will be forced to leave their homelands. As our beloved Prophet (PBUH) looked back with a longing for Makkah, obviously, everyone loves the homeland where he is born. However, Prophets (PBUH) love for Makkah was not because of the land, property, clan, his memories etc. It was solely because he wanted to establish Islam in this land which was now lost to pagans. The holy Kaaba had become a place of Shirk, which was once built by our forefather Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) did not want to leave this holy place to the idol worshippers. Moreover, Allah says in the Quran,
“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell).’ [Al-Tahrim:6]
The philosophy behind this verse from the Quran is simple, the foremost responsibility of a Muslim is to protect himself, then his family, then the responsibility expands to your relatives, friends, and whosoever is living in your locality. Eventually, it then expands to the society of believers which we call country or state in modern terminology. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) adopted the same strategy as he invited his family, clan and the whole of Makkah to Islam. When the hardships increase beyond your capacity, then you are permitted to do Hijra as Prophet (PBUH) did.
Kashmiri Muslims may face the similar situation in future and there may arise a situation when everyone can not do jihad against the oppressor. However, that should be the last choice of a believer. The reason for this is the same as was for the Muslims of Makkah. Every land where Islam was spread becomes a entrust for the believers. In Kashmir, thousands of our forefathers worked tirelessly to purify the land and people from Brahmin pagan worshipping. Over the centuries, Muslims put a lot of efforts to protect Islam in the land. An assault is underway which may overpower us. And under such circumstances the battle of Badr serves as one of the best lessons to seek inspiration. Let us go through the battle of Badr and its context.
It begins when the Prophet (PBUH) receives the news that Abu Sufiyan is leading a caravan which composed of many Camels, goods, money from the people of Quraish. Thecaravan was arriving back from Syria. Prophet (PBUH) decides to intercept and attack the caravan and take what this caravan was carrying to avenge for his people. In particular for what the Quraish had done to the Muslims in Makkah. They had taken their wealth, occupied their homes and properties and even killed many of them. So, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) marches out of Madina with 313 companions. It is important to mention that the Prophet (PBUH) had no intention to wage a war, therefore they did not have proper arms or one can say equipped well enough to fight a war. The maximum equipment one of the companions had was one sword and one shield. And the entire 313 companions had only two horses, 70 camels. Initially the caravan was composed of 60-70 people. Therefore, Prophet (PBUH) had no intention to wage a war. However, Abu Sufiyan got to know about the attack and he informed the Quraish to send assistance in the form of an army. It is reported that Abu Jahal who was very vindictive and filled with hate towards the Prophet (PBUH) prepared 1300 men to fight. Abu Sufiyan managed to escape and he sent a word to Abu Jahal that there was no need to leave Makkah as the caravan is safe. However, Abu Jahal insisted that he will face the Prophet (PBUH) at the well of Badr and crush the companions of Prophet (PBUH).
Another challenge that Muslims faced was that they had to confront their own kith and kin often brothers, sons or fathers in battle. In addition to the physical odds, the Muslims faced this huge psychological challenge as well. This is where a clear distinction emerges between those committed to Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) and those that take only worldly issues into account. Throughout history, earlier Prophets had to abandon their mushrik relatives. Nuh (AS) was told to abandon his mushrik son, while Ibrahim (AS) abandoned his mushrik father. And Lut (AS) was commanded to leave his deviant wife behind. Untested in battle, some Muslims were apprehensive. This was even reflected in the tearful dua the Prophet (PBUH) offered beseeching Allah’s help in this critical hour.
“O Allah, if these few servants of Yours are defeated today, there will be nobody left to proclaim Your name.”
THE PARADOX OF MUSLIM NATION-STATES MUSLIM WORLD HAS FAILED GAZA
Idrees Bhat
The religious obligation upon Muslims to defend the honour of fellow Muslims is of utmost importance. It’s a well defined principle in Islam about which there’s not even a slightest doubt, but unfortunately the most forgotten one. The whole world adopted nation-state as a dominant form of sovereign units and so did Muslims, especially in 20th century. But for Muslims the adoption of nation-states wasn’t a matter of choice, the majority of these nation states were carved by the same people who had colonized them. The divisions enforced by colonizers played upon the ethnic and linguistic identities of people. Eventually, Muslims unfortunately, preferred loyalty to their language and ethnicity and gave legitimacy and acceptance to these newly carved nation-states.
It may seem harmless to have Muslim lands divided on the basis of ethnicity and language, after all people strongly associate with these aspects of identity. But it was also a severe blow to the sentiment of belonging to one Ummah, which has been emphasized throughout Islamic history in Quran as well as prophetic traditions.
I am not arguing there weren’t issues in different parts of the Muslim world before, but when we look at modern history, the root of every calamity that has befallen upon Muslims has been the adoption of western imposed secular-liberal nation state in one form or the other.
The double whammy of ethnic/linguistic identitarian aspirations followed by the imposition of secular-liberal politics that were espoused as a standard by western nations did severe damage to the notion of Muslims having a common ground to stand their feet on.
Even a state like Pakistan which has its very genesis in Muslim cause eventually adopted a very nation-state centric philosophy with a significant influence of liberal-secular values.
This has led to fragmentation of Muslim collective power, there’s no true unified Muslim block to uphold the interests of Muslims, like there’s a western block that always upholds its self-perceived liberal-secular interests and even using military force to the effect.
The current situation in Gaza shows clearly what I just argued. All of the Muslim nation-states have failed to do anything concrete to stop the bloodshed of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, let alone support the Palestinian resistance materially. Whereas the western block continues to provide huge amounts of military aid to Israel in its genocidal campaign and takes a firm stand with Israel with proper material support. Muslim nation-states on the other hand aren’t even able to show clear moral support for Gaza and are only seen spouting empty, weightless words.
In the context of the above discussion, let’s now take a deeper look at Pakistan. It was supposed to be a Muslim state but it ended up adopting the framework of a typical nation-state, which eventually has become its undoing, almost. It would not be far-fetched to say that Pakistan turned itself into a western vassal state, with USA and western block steering its political corridors as much as it willed.
If Pakistan had instead adopted a framework that wasn’t a typical nation-state based and truly adopted the Islamic character, it wouldn’t have split into two countries and would never have been in the dire situation as it is today with significant armed conflicts in its various provinces.
Islamic character brings with itself proper conflict resolution and a leadership that doesn’t sell the soul of nation for personal gains, which has been a problem that has taken Pakistan to the brink of destruction multiple times.
Although Pakistan is supposed to be an Islamic state, it sent itself into ‘war-on-terror’ on behalf of USA, the irony of it is explained through the fact that Pakistan essentially follows the western liberal-secular nation-state character to the dot, irrespective of what it likes to call itself officially. And even after doing the bidding of western block, they still imposed sanctions on Pakistan whenever it pleased them. Every Muslim country that espouses western liberal-secular order, has to be subservient to western block.
The pertinent question here is, what good has adopting such a framework brought to Muslim world? It can’t even stand against the western block for Gaza.
This now brings us to the most significant Pakistani cause that seems to have been wrapped up for now: Kashmir. As it seems, the Kashmir cause has been put into a deep sleep. The so-called jugular vein has been abandoned because the western block doesn’t want it to antagonize India, because they need India as a bulwark against Chinese dominance. Think about it, Pakistan has been made to abandon its jugular vein.
This fragmentation of Muslim power isn’t an accident. This is by design and we need a counter-design as soon as possible. The Muslim world needs to rethink seriously on what it has done to itself and allowed others to do with it. A complete overhaul of the political system is the need of the hour. It should be obvious that western liberal-secular order will only benefit the western block and it will do Muslim world no good. We have clear principles laid down for every aspect of our lives. We have the Quran, the Sunnah and the comprehensive scholarship of more than 1400 years. Why do we need to look at others for a model to follow when we have such a treasure already with us? It’s never too late. It’s time to do what needs to be done. Muslim world should be the dominant force, not this meek entity that it is today. Gaza shouldn’t have been abandoned the way it has been. For every conscious Muslim, this should be the final wake up call. We shouldn’t have to live with this shame of inaction. A conscious Muslim who values honour, dignity and sanctity of Muslim blood can never feel at ease with what we have been reduced to, how cheap our blood has been made in every part of the Muslim world. We have the greatest minds amongst us, if we come together and act, the tides will definitely change. We just need to instill some sincerity in ourselves.
Let’s end this discussion with the words of Almighty Allah whose wisdom we always seek and who has promised us glory if we pay heed to them and a severe warning if we don’t.
ففروا إلى الله
DOMESTICATING RELIGION CONTINUES . . .
Gowhar Farooq
Our tormentors have yet again decided to not open Eidgah for Eid prayers. The chairperson of the Waqf Board or what can best be described as the Department of Domesticating and Reinterpreting Religion in Kashmir, Darakhsahn Andrabi has conveyed the message from Nagpur to Kashmiris. One single statement and Eidgah Srinagar is closed for congregational Eid prayers!
So, tell me my people, had you ever imagined that a pimp would control our religious affairs and our congregational prayers would be subject to her orders? Had you imagined that our Imaam’s and Khateeb’s would deliver scripted sermons in line with Nagpur’s policy? Yet, in the face of this onslaught, we find ourselves paralyzed and watch helplessly as our religious identity is eroded day by day. Our silence, our inaction, are complicity in the desecration of all that we hold sacred. They have already identified numerous Masajid’s to be bulldozed and plan to build temples over their ruins.
A recent report mentions that RSS runs 1250 schools across Kashmir. These indoctrination centers are used to brainwash children, teach them “Bharatiyata”, “Desh premi”, and distorted histories. While India cracked down on FAT schools and those who ran them, they have opened their own schools to cut off our children from their roots and brainwash them into becoming anti-Islamic, anti-Kashmir, and pro-India.
But it is not too late. We must rise, united in our resolve to reclaim our faith from those who seek to defile it. We must stand firm against the tide of oppression and refuse to be cowed into submission.We must not forget the strength of our faith and the resilience of our spirit. In the darkest of times, it is our unity, our unshakable belief, that will make us survive and succeed.
We must join hands and let our voices ring out in defiance against those who are seeking to rob us of our heritage.
May Allah grant us the strength to stand firm in the face of adversity and may He guide us on the path of righteousness.
TREATY OF AMRITSAR: LESSONS FROM THE SALE
Muhammad Saqib
Historical Context
Jammu and Kashmir as we now think of it, came into existence as a singular political unit only inthe mid-19th century. Gulab Singh, who had gained favor in the Sikh Empire under MaharajaRanjit Singh, was given the title of the Raja of Jammu in 1820. Around the same time, Ranjit Singhalso granted Dhyan Singh, Gulab Singh’s younger brother, the district of Poonch as a Jāgīr. Bythe early 1840s, Gulab Singh had added Ladakh and Baltistan to his Jammu-based principality. Atthe culmination of the first Anglo-Sikh in British victory in February 1846, Gulab Singh hadremained neutral, to the detriment of the Sikh Empire. He was by far the most experienced generalin the Sikh Empire but also commanded a large force himself. “In Gulab Singh’s self-imposedstrategic absence, Sikh forces were hindered by some poor or half-hearted generalship.”1 TheBritish received his neutrality (which in fact was part of an agreement between him and British)very well. Gulab Singh offered his offices in Lahore on 9th March 1846 to conclude the Treaty ofLahore between British officials and Maharaja Dhalip Singh, Ranjeet Singh’s youngest son andruler of the defeated Sikh Empire.2
The Treaty of Lahore compelled the Sikh Maharaja to not only accept Gulab Singh’ssovereignty in his existing territories but also to “to admit [Gulab Singh] to the privileges of a separate Treaty with the British Government.”3 A week later, this separate treaty—called the Treaty of Amritsar—was indeed signed between the British and Gulab Singh on 16th of March 1846. As concluded in The Treaty of Amritsar, Raja Gulab Singh—who had already acquired Jammu from Maharaja Ranjit Singh and annexed Ladakh in 1834—had to pay the British Government a total of 75 lakh Nanak Shahi rupees and an annual tribute of “one horse, twelve perfect shawl goats of approved breed (six male and six female) and three pairs of Kashmir shawls.”4 Kashmir and Kashmiris were, thus, “sold like a mere chattel” in “a cold, hard real estate transaction” to a “veritable economic vampire.”5atte
Aftermath
In July 1846, Gulab Singh marched his army into Kashmir to claim his new possession and impose his will over Kashmiris. However, Kashmiris—fighting under the leadership of Sheikh Imam- udDin—defeated the Dogra ruler and his army and embarrassingly forced them out. Imam-ud-din had inherited the administration of Kashmir from his father Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din who was appointed by the Sikh Empire as the administrator of Kashmir. The Sikh Empire had been particularly oppressive towards Kashmiri Muslims. This oppression also included the closing down of Mosques, leaving them in disrepair or converting them into stables. Jama Masjid in Srinagar, valley’s central mosque, also suffered the same fate. It was Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din who reopened this Mosque in 1941. His administration was, therefore, a period of relief for Muslims in the valley in comparison with the previous two decades of Sikh rule. Owing to this, he and his son, Imam-ud-Din enjoyed considerable popularity among the people in Kashmir. It was only after the British swiftly dispatched an army comprising of 10,000 soldiers that Imam-ud-Din was forced into a surrender. Thus, by November 1846, the Valley of Kashmir had been politically integrated into the Dogra principality, creating what would thereafter be called as The State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Though, politically Kashmir was integrated into the Dogra state in November 1846, it took Gulab Singh another two years “to establish himself in his new possession where his presence was not welcome by the local population [and] some of his opponents he caused to be flayed alive, one of his favourite punishments.”6 Thus creating public spectacles to deter any resistance whatsoever against his rule. With the conquest of Gilgit in the extreme north of the state in early 1860s by Gulab Singh’s heir, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the Dogras largely consolidated the territory as it would exist in 1947 on the eve of the partition of the subcontinent.Sir Owen Dixon in his report to the United Nations Security Council more than a century later in 1950 correctly observed that “The State of Jammu and Kashmir is not really a unit geographically, demographically, or economically. It is an agglomeration of territories brought under the political power of one Maharajah. That is the unity it possesses.”7 Internally as well, the Jammu province and the Frontier Districts were diverse in terms of language, ethnicity and geography, artificially stitched together into the Dogra principality. The valley of Kashmir province did enjoy some homogeneity, yet even there one could find diversity on multiple levels, though not as pronounced as in the Jammu province.
Lessons
History is a lesson, and there are two that we can derive from that of the Treaty of Amritsar. Firstly, it is important to remember that the dynasty that purportedly signed the instrument of our accession to the newly found Indian nation-state, came to possess the territory through treachery and deceit and did not have any legitimacy among Muslim inhabitants of this region. To harken onto the mere territorial ensemble for our identity that came into existence through this sale, as some ill-informed nationalists in Azad as well as occupied Kashmir do, is then paradoxical to say the least. It legitimizes the sale of Kashmir as well as the Dogra rule. Furthermore, it overlooks the rupture that the Treaty of Amritsar brings about in our history. This rupture, among other things, marks the beginning of capitalist forms of extraction through enslaved labor in Kashmir. It is not within the scope of this essay to discuss this further, but scholars should take it up for a sustained enquiry.
One might question: who then is ‘us’ in ‘our’ history? Here is our second lesson. Dixon’s poignant remark, which was mentioned earlier, misses something very crucial. The last census before the Partition tells us that in all the three provinces in which the State of Jammu and Kashmir was divided, Muslims formed a majority. The only three districts where Muslims where numerically less than Hindus—Jammu (39.5%), Kathua (3.9%), and Udhampur (43%)—where all in the Jammu province and here too, overall, Muslims formed a majority (61%). 8 That the Dogra rule was particularly oppressive towards the Muslims is an argument well made by academics already.9 Thus, the only thing that these diverse people had in common was Islam and their historical experience because of it. This nexus is what creates ‘us’ in ‘our’ history. While on one hand, Islam connects us with the larger Muslim world beyond the territorial boundaries of the nation-state, our historical experience since the Treaty of Amritsar gives a distinctive form to our politics. It is not therefore the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir that binds us together as one people, but Islam and our collective memory of oppression that has molded our historical and political trajectory even after the beginning of Indian Occupation—which is a continuation of the sale at Amritsar on 18th March.
Conclusion
FROM THE PEN OF MARTYRS : REMEMBERING SHAHEED FIRDOUS KERMANI
Abu Muslim
Since the beginning of creation, the world has been observing the fact that countless people are born from the mother’s womb, complete their lifetime and then migrate to a world that is unseen but eternal and enduring. Each individual traverses the ebbs and flows of existence upon entering this world and ultimately returning to the embrace of their creator upon fulfilling their allotted time on Earth. If life signifies the beginning, then death marks its conclusion, yet it doesn’t signify an end but rather initiates a long and arduous journey ahead. Man, whether a ruler or ruled, a shepherd or a laborer, a believer or a disbeliever, obedient to Allah’s command or rebellious, has to taste death. Though seemingly, the phenomena of death may appear the same for all but results vary. The angel of death visits everyone after they complete their promised time in the world. It is same for everyone but outcomes and consequences vary. Those who sacrifice their lives in the path of Allah are not dead but alive. They transit from a transient life to an eternal and enduring one, blessed by Allah. What can be more rational evidence of their immortality than the fact that they are buried in the clothes they are wearing during their martyrdom instead of a shroud. Martyrs will rise on Judgment Day in the same state in which they sacrificed their beloved lives.
Our freedom movement is filled with such blessed souls who sacrificed their lives for the noble cause. Among these noble souls is the name of Engineer Firdous Ahmed Kermani, who remained anonymous in the ranks of Jihad until the moment of his martyrdom. A skilled and capable young engineer, he devoted nearly eight years to the rigorous activities in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and contributed his part diligently. He kept a very low profile and remained unknown in resistance circles, a reason the whole occupational apparatus could not find him for eight long years.
Shaheed Kermani, a mechanical engineer by profession, was a government employee the purpose of which was to divert the attention of the occupational military and their auxiliaries from his real job. Born into a religious and spiritually rich family in the picturesque Aabi Guzar area in Srinagar, Shaheed Kermani inherited a religious temperament. Association with the Tehreek-e-Islami strengthened the family’s devotion to Allah, love for the hereafter, and humanistic ideals to such an extent that both father and son emerged as staunch supporters of truth and both left a mark of martyrdom on the battlefield of truth. In 1992, Kermani’s father, Mehboob Kermani, was martyred while going for Fajar prayers in a local Masjid. Just a few months later, Engineer Firdous Kermani, upholding his father’s tradition, embraced martyrdom at the hands of these same STF terrorists in Humhama while giving the call for Fajar prayer and reunited with Allah amidst the echo of the call to prayer. We are indebted to these noble souls who sacrificed their present for our future. We will remain steadfast and follow in the footsteps of these blessed people until our last breath, InshaAllah.
WALKING WITH THE MUJAHIDEEN : THE CLIMATE OF FEAR SHALL PASS-II
Hameem Hussain
It was indeed surprising that the young boy chose to visit physically and did not communicate via cell phone. He could have used any safe method to convey the message but he chose otherwise. I let him in and asked my sister to make some fries and Nun-Chai for the guest. While sipping tea, I politely asked him the reason for his arrival while not choosing to drop a message. “The months when Kashmir was turned into an information black hole taught me many valuable lessons, among them the importance of manual communication with comrades rather than relying solely on technology.” he replied. It was convincing. He further explained as to how he was now doing things in an altogether new way that may sound traditional but is actually more secure and fascinating. Resistance needs men who are intelligent to work under any circumstances, he further added. After he was done with explaining the details of some assignment, he left for his home. As he started to walk towards his destination down the bustling main road, my gaze lingered upon him from the vantage point of my second-story window, tracing his every step until he faded away and slipped beyond the grasp of my watchful eyes, leaving only the echo of his presence lingering in the recesses of my mind.
I remembered how my uncle used to tell stories of men clandestinely working with the Mujahideen in 1990’s and how they used to first rely on walkie talkies and after the military installed machinery to detect wireless signals, they almost stopped using them and walked miles to convey highly sensitive information among each other. He used to tell how they immediately left the spot where they used their wireless sets to communicate with each other and other surprising tricks to evade being detected by the enemy forces. Over the years, India heavily invested in curbing the movement of Mujahideen and installed technologies to detect their conversations and locations. However, Kashmir resistance too adopted novel methods to counter and never ceased. Resistance continues till day and will, without any iota of doubt, continue till the last soldier leaves and our homeland gets free from the shackles of slavery, InshaAllah.
ARCHIVES : STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
Abu Muslim
It was August 8th, 1991. Fighters of the Albadar Battalion were present in Zaffar Khanni area of the Kupwara district. Indian forces abruptly cordoned off the area and sealed all entry and exit points. Now, there was no other option other than laying a meticulous ambush and wait for the enemy forces to come and the fighters of this battalion did the same. As the enemy forces approached, the first bullet was fired from the Mujahideen side. With barrages of bullets blazing out from automatic guns, more than 24 Indian army personnel were killed and as many injured. This fierce battle also claimed the lives of five freedom fighters. District commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Muhammad Dilawar alias Abu Jihad and his four companions were martyred in this day-long gunfight. Renowned Hizb commanders Abdul Qadir alias Fazili Sahab and Imtiyaz Alam were arrested in injured condition. Upon their release from the Indian jail, Abdul Qadir was martyred in a battle while Imtiyaz Alam rejoined Tehreek-e-Azadi and continued serving the war of liberation. He was later martyred in Islamabad Pakistan when was returning home after offering evening prayers.
Back