Jihad, War, Caliph Ali and the sword Zulfiqar, Futuwat Code of Chivalry and Armchair Generals

The Caliph Ali is a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. He is a man of beautiful passions and a warrior of great valour. His sword, Zulfiqar is almost equally as famous. Some say that the code of chivalry known as futuwat (or futuwwa) is inspired by or originates from Ali.

159. Zulfikar I
Victory without chivalry is not victory.
Defeat with chivalry is not defeat.

As often is the case, Ali was chosen to be the champion of the army for a one-on-one duel with the opposing side's best warrior. In the melee, his opponent was thrown to the ground and disarmed. Ali raised his sword, the famed Zulfiqar, to smite his foe, when suddenly the man spit on Ali’s face. A dark shadow drifted over his countenance and Ali was temporarily stunned. Then he lowered Zulfiqar and said to his enemy, “Get up, pick up your sword, and let’s resume our duel!”

The man was stupified, he stood up and asked, “Hey, why did you not kill me when you had the chance?"

Ali replied, “When you spit on my face, I felt my anger rise up like the flaming ash of a volcano. And had I struck you then, I would have been motivated by my anger, and not by my love for God and His Prophet. I would have done a great wrong.”

160. Zulfikar II
Oh, noble Zulfikar who was never wielded in anger!
Who shall wield you now that for every man who fights for his Lord,
100,000 men fight for their egos?

Faith is a plant that flourishes in the soil of love, the sunlight of truth and the rain of mercy. Ego will empty any soil of love, it will be block out the sun, and cause a thousand years of draught. Ride and control your ego before it annihilates you and all that you hold dear.

161. Zulfikar III
As your ego grows,
Incrementally does the price of your admission
Into His Presence.

The condition of war is a special condition. It is not the natural condition of Islam. Those who talk of a thousand years of Jihad are madmen, fixated with swords and guns. But the truth is, if Zulfiqar had a voice, it will say, “I want nothing to do with such men. And if I must concern myself with them, verily, let someone wield me against them!”

Really, people should stop bandying the clash of civilization (Islam East vs Christian-Judeo West) fad and quit the warmongering bandwagon. The much anticipated clash has nothing to do with civility nor civilization. It is a clash of egos, a blood feud perpetuated by the dim-witted ‘faithfuls’. A game for bigots, armchair generals and psychopaths.

4. War
War should not be a game.
Nor for glory or fame.
It is mercy, tempered with courage,
It is acting with love
Though besieged by hate.

And if they ask, who says this,
Tell them, it is I,
Zulfiqar!

So next time anyone mentions jihad or crusade to you, tell them what Zulfiqar has shared with you here today. I will love you for that…

Well, that’s it. Have a great day, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa

Footnotes – The 3 ‘Zulfikar’ poems are from the 1st Chapter entitled ‘The Dam.SunSun.Ana’, circa June 2004. The poem ‘War’ is from 28th Chapter entitled ‘A Celestial History, circa February 2008.