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Quran is responsible for Iraq's destruction:


By: Mohammad Asghar
 


Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States of America spent a lot of time and money in building a fighting force that could take on, and defeat, the Communist nations anywhere in the world. It also prepared itself to fight the Third World War.

During the development of our modern history, America faced the Soviet Union on the issue of its missiles on Cuba. Faced with its determination, the Soviets caved in, and withdrew its missiles from the Island.

America fought a long-drawn war in Vietnam. Here, it faced a few difficult situations. First, America faced logistical problems in refurbishing its forces. Secondly, the communists in Vietnam were fighting a guerilla war, in which the Americans had little or no prior experience. Thirdly, China and the Soviet Union helped the Vietnamese with all sinews of war together with giving them their moral support.

Faced with a huge loss in human lives, and of prestige, the Americans withdrew from Vietnam. But they (Americans) never forgot the humiliation it suffered there due to the Soviet Union's involvement on the side of their adversary. To avenge their defeat, they sided with the Afghan fighters when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The Soviet Union had to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan after losing a large number of its soldiers. Its withdrawal from Afghanistan was a slap at the Soviet Union's international prestige.

After its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Soviet Union faced internal dissentions. One of the causes behind the dissentions were the Soviet Union's economic weaknesses, and the American efforts. In a short period of time, the mighty Soviet Union disintegrated. All its component states became independent nations. Russia, which was the fountainhead of the Soviet Union, reverted back to its former borders. Though it still holds a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons, Russia is like 'another country' of the world that depends today on America for eliciting economic help from her as well as from others in order to support her existence.

Simply speaking, the United States of America is the only Super-power that rules the world today.

This superpower became embroiled with Iraq after it invaded Kuwait. America demanded its withdrawal. Saddam Hussain refused. In spite of being able to fight a global war alone, America formed a coalition of twenty-eight like-minded nations with the intention to oust Iraq from Kuwait. Russia was one of America's coalition partners.

To Saddam Hussain, America's formation of the coalition meant nothing. He was confident that he would be able to defeat the combined might of the twenty-eight nations. The Quran was the source of his inspiration and confidence. Having familiarized himself with the life stories of the Prophet Muhammad, he came to the conclusion that no matter how many crimes he might have committed in his own life, God would always help him so long as he remained a Muslim!

The Quran describes how a contingent of three hundred Muslim fighters had defeated an infidel force of seven hundred at the grounds of Badr. It also describes how Allah helped the smaller number of the believers with one thousand angels.

To understand how Saddam's mind might have worked prior to the gulf war of 1991, we need to go back to the time when the battle of Badr was fought.

Muhammad migrated to Medina in 622 A. D. Finding himself and his followers in dire economic straits; he decided to rob his Meccan enemy. Soon an opportunity came his way and he decided to seize it without wasting any time.

Abu Sofian, a cousin of Muhammad and a pagan, was leading a richly laden Quraish caravan from Syria to Mecca. It was being escorted by forty unarmed men.  Told by his intelligence of the caravan and its defenselessness, Muhammad assembled his men to ambush it at Badr.

Muhammad had three hundred armed cadres at his disposal. He and his army reached Badr and installed themselves at the top of a hill.   He knew that the caravan would have to stop for a drink at the stream that passed through the hill's foot.

The assembly of Muhammad's army at Badr drew other travelers' attention. While crossing each other on their way, they shared their sighting with Abu Sofian. He sensed danger and in order to secure help, he dispatched his emissary to Mecca. Made known of the danger that Abu Sofian faced, the Meccans took their arms and proceeded towards Badr to face the Muslim army.  Abu Jahl was the leader of the Meccan rescuers.

Not knowing if he was going to receive help from his people, Abu Sofian changed the course of his caravan. Turning right, he came on to the highway by the side of the Red Sea. This passageway to Mecca was beyond Muhammad's reach.

Halfway to Badr, Abu Jahl learned that the caravan was out of danger. Immediately, he held a meeting to decide, under the changed situation, his course of action. A group of people among the Meccans opposed shedding blood of their kindred, even though Muhammad had sown the seed of enmity among themselves and killed their people. Another group was in favor of fighting the Muslims. They wanted to avenge for the death Muslims had caused previously to their men at Nakhla. Abu Jahl sided with the latter group and about seven hundred of the Meccans proceeded towards Badr.

Told of the marching Meccans, the hearts of Muhammad's followers began to sink. Their expectations were the culprits that created their condition: They had joined the foray expecting a little fight, and much plunder. The prospect of fighting an overwhelming Meccan army created panic in them. Muhammad consoled them with God's assurance to send them a thousand angels to fight and win the battle.

The vanguard of the Meccan troops entered the valley of Badr, panting with thirst, and hastened to the stream for a drink. Hamza, Muhammad's uncle, set a number of his men upon them and slew their commander with his own hand.

The main body of the Meccan forces now arrived at the venue of the last massacre, challenging the bravest of the Muslim fighters to equal combat. A number of individual fights took place in which all of the Meccan challengers were defeated and slain. The battle then turned into a general melee.

The Muslims, aware of their strength, at first adopted a defensive posture from their strategic position on top of the hill. From the upper ground, they assailed the Meccans with flights of arrows, whenever they sought to quench their intolerable thirst at the stream below. Muhammad, during all this time, remained within his hut, engaging himself ostensively in prayer.

In the fight, the Meccans suffered a number of tactical disadvantages. They had advanced against the Muslims across soft sand dunes, which left them victims of exhaustion, whereas the Muslims awaited them standing on a firm soil, precluding any exertion whatsoever. Moreover, the Muslims controlled the most essential commodity: The water. The Meccans had none of this, and without it, no army-no matter how strong - could win a battle even against a nominal enemy, let alone the highly charged and motivated Muslim force the Meccans were faced with in the battle of Badr.

In spite of their setback, the Meccans were engaging the Muslims in a fierce fight when a violent squall whipped the sand in their faces, which almost blinded them. "Gabriel," cried Muhammad ecstatically, "with a thousand angels is falling upon the enemy."  As if to bolster the faith of his fighters, he rushed out of his hut, and picking up a handful of dust, cast it at the Meccans, crying out, "Confusion on their faces." Then ordering his men to charge down upon the enemy, he cried: "Fight, and fear not," for "the gates of Paradise are under the shade of swords. He will assuredly find instant admission who falls fighting for the faith." 

For some time, the battle swayed back and forth, without either side gaining a clear advantage. At long last, the Meccans began wavering and lose ground. Then suddenly, they broke and fled. Seventy of them remained dead, and nearly the same number was taken prisoners. Of the Muslims, fourteen were slain, whose names remain on records as martyrs to the faith.

Muslim ascribes attribute the success in the battle of Badr to invisible angelic participation, noting that a thousand of them, clad in long dazzling robes with white and yellow turbans, mounted on black and white horses, came rushing like a blast and swept the Meccans before them. They mention a pagan shepherd who had witnessed the miracle taking place and he, in this connection, is believed to have made the following statement:

"I was with a companion, a cousin," said the witness, "upon the fold of the mountain, watching the conflict, and waiting to join the victors to share the spoil. Suddenly we saw a great cloud moving toward us, and within it were the neighing of steeds and sound of trumpets. As it approached, we heard the terrific voice of the archangel as he urged his mare Haizum, "Speed! Speed! Oh Haizum!" At which awful sound the hears of my companion burst with terror, and he died on the spot. I, too, had almost shared his fate."

The pagan's statement was corroborated by Ibn Abbas who had testified to the occurrence, his statement having been confirmed by none other than Muhammad himself.

A shrewd man as Muhammad was, he knew that he had a long way to go before achieving his objectives. He also knew that he would have to face unknown trials and travails on his journey to success. He knew his people well; he also knew how they thought and acted. Not knowing the outcome of his future efforts, he decided that he would credit the divine Will and help for all of his successes. This decision he took to protect his prophethood from ever being challenged.

Had he taken the credit for success at Badr, his followers would also have held him responsible for any defeat that they might have had suffered in future. His calculation proved correct: Despite being helped by Allah with five thousand angels,   Muhammad lost the battle of Uhud to his Meccan enemy. He had no other reasons to explain this debacle other than to have it attributed to his followers' lack of steadfastness, and to the Will of God!

Saddam took all the Quranic statements to be true. He believed that if he remained steadfast in his purpose, and sought divine help, God would help him with invisible angels. In fact, he claimed of such a divine help during an interview on CNN. He told the interviewer that he was sure that he would win the "Mother of All Battles," not by the dint of his firepower and military strength, but with the help of angels from heaven.

With a view to drawing God to his cause, Saddam added "Allah-o-Akbar" to Iraq's National Flag. He urged his people to have faith in God and in His help. He foresaw success in the face of massive use of machineguns, tanks, mortars, and fighter planes etcetera by the Coalition Forces.

In the just concluded war, Saddam Hussain also depended on help from God. Otherwise, he would not have decided to fight a war at a time when his air force remained incapacitated, his army and fighting machines geatly outnumbered by the Coalition Forces.

It was his belief in the Quranic exhortations that drove him to war. It was its false narratives and promises that brought his country's as well as his own destruction.
 

 

 

 

 

 

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