�And He made you as few in their eyes.� Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem From the Fruits of Jihād � A balanced view Three: �And He made you as few in their eyes.� by Abū Muhammad al-Maqdisī The intelligent person is one who conceals his weaknesses, has patience when his numbers and provisions are sparse, discretely observes his enemy�s weaknesses and discretely makes plans so that his plans remain safe and secure, and he may wait for the opportune moment to see them through. Premature excitement and threats only serve to alert the enemy to the plans and allow him to make his own preparations, thereby making the Muslim become like a man who fires his arrows through the air before their time, or a man who alerts his prey before he shoots at it. Anyone who goes to extremes in threatening or intimidating the enemy has underestimated his enemy, for threats and intimidation do not cause wounds, and going to extremes only decreases their fear and removes his own credibility. If anyone wants to act cleverly, they should not allow the enemy to know that he is clever, for then the enemy will be on guard against him such that he will not even be able to reach the weak among them, let alone the strong. The battle fought by the weak and oppressed is never based on numbers or provisions, but rather it exploits the enemy�s weaknesses, takes advantage of his heedlessness and inattentiveness, and carries out devastating attacks at key moments. But sometimes a man may not understand these realities, and thus fans out is own feathers and makes himself seem bigger than he is. Consequently, the enemy gives him a thousand times more consideration than they would have otherwise, and do not simply suffice with observing and following him with their surveillance equipment, but they will rather also seek the assistance and support of their allies all over the world, to suppress their fear that then magnifies into being an international fear � indeed, a universal fear! If our friend was intelligent, he would not become happy at such exaggerations by the enemy, for it is truly na�ve of him to be gladdened by that which justifies his own suppression. Likewise, it is foolish to reinforce the enemy�s lies that magnify his threat to the world, thereby allowing the enemy to rally the world�s forces against him that they may cooperate to eliminate his threat. In effect, the poor man may become struck with a bout of delusion, forget his true size and believe the exaggerations of the enemy, thus he will begin acting in accordance with his enemy�s descriptions and thereafter issue fiery statements and threats of their destruction, and exaggerate matters while acting as though he is al-Qa�qā� ibn �Amr or Qutaybah ibn Muslim with the forefront of his army in Baghdād and the rear of it crossing the great wall of China! But the matter is verified by one�s eyes not one�s ears, and what will be visible is fire, smoke, confusion and smut. It will endanger his followers and they will begin to act as though they have instigated a world crisis, such that the words of the poet will apply to them: When the starlings flew in flight, I imagined them to be falcons. Thereafter, the dust will settle to reveal bubbles - like the soap bubbles blown by children, that grow and grow then fly up into the sky, and it is not long before they suddenly disappear� If such a person respected the Jihād and da�wah he would not have opened his mouth to speak, but rather he would have sought the assistance of silence to fulfill his aims. It adds to the reverence and credibility of a leader that he does not offer threats unless his hands are able to deliver them, so that his threats do not become like those bubbles. It is a sign of his victory and success that he does not make himself appear bigger than what he really is; and if he was serious in his work and truthful to himself, he would conceal any power he may have and make himself appear as though he had none, so that the enemy would be inadvertent towards him, underestimate his ability, and be unprepared for his attack. It is said, �If a person�s enemy underestimates him, then he will deceive them, and if a person�s enemy is deceived by him, they will not be safe.� When he takes hold of his enemy, he should take hold of him as would a beast of prey. Allāh the Exalted said in description of the state of affairs before the battle of Badr, ﴿وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْفِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللّهُ أَمْراً كَانَ مَفْعُولاً﴾ and He made you as few in their eyes, so that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained [al-Anfāl: 44] This was in the beginning of the war, such that Abū Jahl said in disparagement of the believers, �They are but like camel-fodder [in their numbers], take them fiercely and tie them up with ropes.� When the two ranks faced one another in battle, and the believers demonstrated their strength and steadfastness, they became great and plentiful in the enemy eyes, as Allāh the Exalted said, ﴿يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ﴾ They (the believers) saw them (the disbelievers) with their own eyes twice their number [Āl-�Imrān: 13] O Allāh, grant us understanding of our Religion and insight into our reality, and destroy our enemy. (From the forthcoming Tibyan Publication, From the Fruits of Jihad).
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:39:17 +0000
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