The Engine of Ignorance and Fanaticism:

The Taliban’s (and other fundamentalists’) Intellectual Pabulum

The French writer and philosopher, Pascal, is quoted as having said, "No crime is too heinous to commit, and no heinous crime is as gleefully committed as when the perpetration thereof is sanctioned and justified by religious belief." He must have been talking about Islamic fundamentalists and their deeds in places like Algeria and Afghanistan. These semi-wild people who until yesterday were making a living on aliens and in mosques and know nothing about science, history, economy, etc. are trying to seize power. Is there a more unfortunate nation in the world where such creatures dare to claim themselves leaders of the people? The Taliban of Afghanistan, like their brethren in Algeria, are the acme of superstition, ignorance, obscurantism and pious cruelty. They thrive on all that is backward; their arrogance is based on ignorance, their drive and stamina on superstition (and dollars). With superstition (as with dollars) every now and then a shot in the arm is needed to keep the adrenalin flowing. Such a shot in the arm was recently concocted in Kabul: posters entitled "Grand Felicitations to the Taliban of Afghanistan" were recently (late summer 1997, just before the unsuccessful push towards Mazar-i-Sharif) posted around the city, proclaiming an inspiring dream providing enlightenment to all what the Taliban’s primitive intellects could possibly ponder over. The content and message of the dream is officially and in all solemnity regarded as authoritative as a scientific symposium’s final report. Below we give a translation of the proclamation:

Grand Felicitations to the Taliban of Afghanistan

I, Faqir Mohammad son of Mohammad Amin, hail from Mardan Ghamushin and am the Imam of the Karachi Abad cathedral mosque. On Thursday night 13th of Shawal, I saw a dream. In the dream I went to pay my respects to the Sacred Sepulchre of the Messenger of Allah. The Sacred Tomb was lying on the ground like a casket. When I raised the lid of the casket I saw bedclothes laid out but the Holy Messenger of Allah was not reposing there. I laid my head beside the Tomb and wept, and kept repeating to myself:

My beloved has departed
The beloved of my beloved has summoned him.

It was thus when a group of people arrived. These were very respectable persons. They asked me, "Why are you weeping?" I told them, "I came here to call on the Messenger of Allah but His Eminence is not there." They told me, "The Messenger of God has gone to Afghanistan to bless Taliban martyrs and to take up the command of the Taliban fighters." From the Sepulchre I came to Afghanistan. I found the Messenger of Allah standing in an open area, surrounded by Taliban fighters. Some he was ordering to go to such-and-such a place and others he was commanding to another position. Whoever he gave a command to was borne off to the designated place as fast as the wind, and whichever road the Taliban took people came out to cheer them on. The Taliban greeted the people with "Assalam alaikum" and the people rejoined with "Alaikum assalam". Then I saw the Messenger of Allah in another place, reposing on a bedstead, wearing robes of dazzling white. I took his hand in greeting and asked "Ya Rasul Allah (O Messenger of Allah), how is it that we find you here?" The Messenger of Allah responded "A number of the ulema have succeeded [in seizing power], I have come to congratulate them and to bring the word that Qiyamat (the Day of Reckoning) is near, therefore to be alert and not to be inattentive." Then I woke up. The time was exactly 2:32 in the morning. From the dream it is evident that the Taliban have a grave undertaking. Even enemies admit that the Taliban have promulgated Allah’s Law in its veritable essence in Afghanistan and have in the first place conformed themselves to its injunctions. Therefore the Messenger of Allah’s succour to the Taliban is proof that the Taliban wish to proclaim and promulgate Allah’s Law on Allah’s Earth and are inwardly truthful in their quest to revive the era of the Righteous Caliphs in Afghanistan. Therefore, by the grace of this sacred dream, I poor sinner beseech the Muslims of the whole world and in particular the Muslims of Afghanistan to show their support and affection for the Taliban from the depths of their hearts; whoever ventures to oppose them and to fight with them fights no less than Allah and His Apostle, al-ayaz-o billah (may Allah deliver us from such sacrilege)!

There are many reasons [doctrinal credentials] to seeing the Messenger of Allah in a dream, but I shall suffice with this one hadith:

Qaala Abu Horaira same’to Rasul Allahi yaqulo "Man ra-ani fil manami faqad ra-ani khafan; fa-ennash Shaitano la tomassel bi". Alhamdu lillahi wa kafa wa salamon ala ebad allazina almustafa. [Recounted Abu Horaira: I heard the Messenger of Allah say "Whoever sees me in a dream veritably sees me in profile, for Satan does not dissemble me." Thank Allah for this and peace to His servants whom He has selected.]

But enough. This dream is felicitation to the Taliban, Soldiers of God. Lam yabqi min annubuwati ellal mobashsheran. [The heirs to the prophethood are none but those who bring glad tidings.]

Whatever pronouncements my devoted pupil and doctor of religion in theory and practice, pious and sincere in disseminating the Faith, Maulavi Faqir Mohammad Sahib has given is totally true guidance. From these glad tidings it is evident that the Taliban are completely righteous in Afghanistan’s holy war and in repulsing corruptions; Seeing Hazrat Mohammad in a dream and the Hazrat’s utterances to a believing, righteous person are all true and are a great felicitation to the dreamer. Together with the dreamer, uphold a true Islamic government under Islamic Sharia law. Qiyamat is also close. May Almighty God grant us the strength and the privilege to do righteous deeds.

Certifiers:

Sheikh al-Quran wal Hadith, Hamdullah Jan Daki
Sheikh al-Quran wal Hadith, Maulana Abdur Razaq
(may God forgive him), lecturer in Faiz-ul-Islam seminary.

The dreamer of this dream is righteous and a doctor of religion, and this dream is a felicitation. We have great faith and belief in this dream, and that Almighty Allah will render victory to Taliban arms.

Hazrat Maulana Abdul Salam, The Truthful Pir, may Allah forgive him.

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