Everytime Pakistan’s conflict with India heats up, Pakistani
nationalists and hawks throw around the term Ghazwa al-Hind to rally the
troops. It is based on Prophet Muhammad’s (sall Allahu alayhi wasallam) prediction:
عِصَابَتَانِ
مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَحْرَزَهُمَا اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ عِصَابَةٌ تَغْزُو الْهِنْدَ وَعِصَابَةٌ
تَكُونُ مَعَ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ
There are two groups of my Umma whom Allah will free from
the Fire: The group that invades India, and the group that will be with Jesus
son of Mary peace be upon them both. (Sunan an-Nasa’i #3177)
As I have explained, the so-called “Islamic” Republic of
Pakistan is not at all Islamic and cannot conceivably be considered as favored
by Allah. If anything, it can be reasonably argued that Pakistan is a cursed
nation that is under the wrath of Allah. The Pakistani state simply invokes the
name of Islam for its own convenience but is not at all sincere to Islam.
Therefore, it is difficult to see how the prophecy of the armed expedition to
conquer India shall be fulfilled through corrupt and un-Islamic Pakistan. In
reality, the Republic of India is far superior to Pakistan in terms of military
and economic might. I tend to believe that the prophecy regarding the Ghazwat
ul-Hind already came to pass. Historically, various Muslim kings and forces
invaded India, such as Muhammad bin Qasim who conquered Sindh, Muhammad of Ghor,
Mahmud of Ghazni, Babur and the Mughals, and others. Any one of those historic
conquests of India could arguably be the fulfilment of the prophecy of Ghazwat
ul-Hind. It is not necessary that this prophecy be fulfilled in a future war
between Pakistan and India as some deluded Pakistani nationalists imagine to be
the only possible scenario.
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This Hadith, in fact, cannot be interpreted as referring to any kind of military invasion or conquest bacuase if there is any group of the Ummah whom Allah will free from the Fire of the hereafter, it ought to be, foremost, the Holy Prophet and the Sahaba(ra) and also because invasions are against the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Since the word "naar" (fire) has been used in the Holy Qur'an for war as well (5:64), a better interpretation would be that Allah would save two groups of the Ummah from war and conflict, those who who will strive/campaign ("ghazwa" does not linguistically have to involve actual miltary conflict) in India, meaning those sufi missionaries and saints who had spread Islam in India and Greater India; and those who will be with Jesus(as) meaning that the Messiah will not fight physical wars but will propagate Islam through peaceful means.
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