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Originally answered: What is the biggest scam you’ve ever seen?The sad irony of the Kargil Coffin Scam was that not even a single such transfer case was used to carry the slain soldiers during the Kargil war of 1999. Those transfer cases arrived much later.And they were Caskets, not Coffins. Thus ‘Kargil Coffin Scam’ is a misnomer.Caskets are rectangular boxes with hinged lids while the Coffins are tapered at the head and foot with unhinged lids.What Indian govt. at the time ordered was somewhat like this—In 2001, the Opposition, led by SoGa of Congress, disrupted the parliamentary proceedings accusing the BJP led NDA government of a major scam in a Defence equipment deal.The allegations were, primarily, on the basis of a CAG report that claimed that NDA government had purchased the reusable aluminium caskets from the US at an exorbitant rate of $2500 apiece when the actual price is just $172 per casket.The Opposition wasted no time in exploiting the erroneous report to its advantage.The Untold TruthHere’s the step-by-step development of the said (and sad) episode laid out in an in-depth investigative report by Chidanand Rajghatta, the TOI correspondent in Washington, dated Dec 13, 2001.Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.c...Origin:The alleged scam has its roots in Somalia where a large Indian contingent was on a UN peacekeeping mission.In 1994, seven Indian doctors of the said contingent were killed in a mortar attack in Mogadishu.Lt. Col. Danish, an Indian pathologist, and Victor Baiza, a US mortician, were tasked with the autopsies, the embalmment procedure and finally sending the mortal remains back to India.The caskets used for the purpose were US Army standard issue aluminium transfer cases along with the body bags.Here it must be noted that India at that time was, and still is, using wooden (and cardboard) boxes for the mortal remains of its martyrs minus the body bags.During long-distance hauls, the bodies, after the autopsy, would arrive in pretty bad shapes what with the decomposition process already set in owing to the time passed between a soldier’s death and his arrival back in the country. The insides of the wooden boxes, and sometimes the outside too, would become a mess drenched with the bodily fluids oozing out of the bodies.The shipment from Somalia carried a note from Victor Baiza that if the Indian govt. chooses to keep the caskets then the price per case would be $2000.The MoD (Ministry of Defence) sent them back. However, the reusable transfer cases had the curiosity of the Indian officials piqued. They were impressed. Victor Baiza was felicitated by the Brig. M.P. Bhagat for the job well done. He also received a letter of appreciation from the Indian government.Shortly afterwards, the quest for procurement of such transfer cases on a permanent basis began.In the period encompassing 1995-1998, Baiza received several letters from the MoD regarding the purchase of aluminium caskets.The involved officials, here, erred. Victor Baiza was only a retd. soldier-turned-mortician who owned a funeral parlour in Texas. He was not the casket manufacturer. The officials should’ve contacted the actual manufacturers directly.In anticipation of a potential deal on hand, Baiza started a new company, Buitron and Baiza Casket and Funeral Suppliers, with partner Fred Buitron.Baiza was now quoting a price of $2500 instead of the earlier $2000.The Indian end was adamant on the initial quoted price.Baiza argued that the US govt. has stopped all further orders of the caskets as they are overstocked. Now only one company is manufacturing them and it has increased the price at its end too.Baiza, here, was also considering the bureaucratic channels he’d have to navigate through as the Clinton administration has imposed sanctions on India post Pokhran nuclear tests of May 1998.The procurement thus underwent a period of lethargy only to be revived back with vengeance during the Kargil war of 1999. India was fighting a literal uphill battle and was taking in considerable casualties.In August 1999, Baiza finally visited India. The Kargil war had already ended by then. The new price he quoted was $2663 per case.A week of back and forth on the price with the MoD officials in New Delhi, he signed a deal of $1.5 million promising 500 aluminium transfer cases along with 3000 body bags at $2500 per case and $80 per body bag.The first consignment of 150 caskets and 900 body bags was scheduled to arrive on Feb. 22, 2000. The rest within eight months from the date of the contract.The first lot arrived on the said date. By which time, several months had passed since the Kargil war. The caskets, obviously, could not be used for the Kargil martyrs.A hitch in the dealA flaw in the arrived items is discovered soon. The MoD officials found out that each casket weighs 54 kg whereas in the contract the weight mentioned was 18 kg per casket.Baiza admitted it to be a secretarial oversight from his end. The specification offered by him was that all caskets would be made with an 18 gauge thick aluminium sheet. An 18-gauge casket. It erroneously got noted down as an 18-kg casket.The US standard issue casket weighs the same i.e. 54 kg apiece. The caskets sent earlier from Somalia were also of the same weight.Hence, he said it was impossible to bring down the weight to 18 kg.It, however, failed to convince the Indian officials. The entire deal was promptly scrapped.No army official was consulted before scrapping the contract. Otherwise, they would have sided with Baiza as they had better knowledge of the caskets than the obstinate MoD desk jockeys.The UproarThe fake allegation spree commenced in 2001, after the CAG report, with Congress party accusing the NDA govt. of skimming off millions in the said deal which also included hand-held thermal imagers and snowsuits.The major culprits, according to them, were the then Defence Minister George Fernandes and the Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee.They, conveniently, ignored the fact that purchase orders under Rs. 5 crore do not signNow the Defence Minister’s desk for approval. Or that the ambassadors from India and US had already declared in writing that the caskets in question cost $2768 apiece.Kafan Chor (Coffin Thief) they would shout, including SoGa, whenever the Def. Min. tried to put forth the facts in the Parliament.The Case and AcquittalIn June 2006, the CBI registered a case.In August 2009, it filed a charge sheet against the three Army officers—Major General Arun Roye, Colonel SK Malik, and Colonel FB Singh—and the US supplier, Buitron & Baiza.In Dec 2013, a special CBI court found no evidence and discharged all the accused.On Oct 13, 2015, the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the former Defence Minister George Fernandes and the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of any misconduct in the fake Kargil Coffin Scam.ObservationChidanand Rajghatta in his report says—“In fact, the purported price of $172 for a coffin would be unbelievable in a country where death is a costly proportion.”His inquiries had further revealed that the normal casket price ranges from $500 to $2500 depending on the material used i.e. wood or metal.The reusable aluminium caskets India was interested in were the made-to-order ones designed as per US Army specifications. They are in the $2000-$3000 price range.The $172 per casket claim by the CAG in his report could actually be the rental price for a single casket.OutcomeThe entire exercise, over the years, with all its good intentions thus ended in futility as 150 top notch aluminium transfer cases still lie unused in some army warehouse instead of playing a role in imparting dignity to the final journey of a martyr.It is evident that the entire brouhaha over the fake Kargil Coffin Scam was actually the scam played by the SoGa led Congress on the NDA govt. and on the Indian public.The Real ScamCongress knew that by, falsely, dragging the plight of martyred Kargil War Heroes they could play with the sentiments of us Indians.It would tarnish the honest image of Late Shri A.B. Vajpayee and his govt. and thereby polish the image of Congress.It was one of the greatest scams they ever played on the Indian public.Present DayNow replace the word ‘Coffin’ with ‘Rafale’ and go through it again. You will find the beginning of the same false narrative being constructed around the French fighter aircraft deal.The focal point of the Opposition’s 2019 election campaign will be Rafale Scam and Lynchistan like narratives inflated with hot air.SoGa’s son, RaGa, is attempting to lead the charge this time. And failing thus far.As for BJP, it has failed to offer a forceful fact-based counter-narrative, to date even when it claims to have actually saved some Rs. 59 crores per (fully equipped) fighter jet in the deal.Nonetheless, it needs to act fast and sharp.NaMo wouldn’t want to repeat the same mistakes committed by Shri A.B. Vajpayee’s govt. and lose the chair.Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.c...; No scam called ‘coffingate’; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka...

Mandi, hello, thanks for your A2A.Due to their singular focus and one track mindedness, narcissists, at times, seem more reptilian than mammalian in nature.The Reptilian/Primitive BrainReptiles live instinctually from moment to moment. Whenever a reptile's instinctual drive pings its primitive reptilian brain, the reptile engages in whatever behavior the ping kicks off.The totality of the reptile's "brain power" is devoted to a reptiles fulfilling its primal base level functions such as.....•eating•drinking•procreating•turf protectingThe reptile never thinks let alone -- reflects on its behavior. Reptiles are in essence automatons with a heart and a nervous system. Reptiles do not think, they just do ---Reptilian Behavioral CharacteristicsReptiles.....•are driven by instinct•live moment to moment•do not indulge in executive functions/complex thinking•are formidable predators•devote virtually all their life energy to the fulfillment of their primal-basic needsIn many ways just as the reptilian brain provides the requisite brain power for reptiles to fulfill their instinctual primal needs, the narcissist similarly engages the reptilian portion of his or her brain regarding the fulfillment of the narcissist's base functions.For lack of a more suitable descriptor, a narcissist's behavior could aptly be designated "narctilian" in nature.Many Narcissists Seemingly Have Reptilian BehaviorsOne reason why some narcissists strike me as having some kind of kinship or connection with reptiles concerns how reptiles devote virtually all of their energy doing what reptiles do best-- predation and procreation.The Narcissist's Preoccupation with Attention ProcurementThe narcissist is not inclined to partake in activities that are not related to his or her be all and end all preoccupation with --- getting a adrenaline high during the pursuit and capture of self-esteem regulating supply, also known as ---attention.In other words, just as reptiles live from moment to moment in order to be fulfill their instinctual drives, narcissists seem to be perpetually on autopilot and virtually all of their life energy is focused on and devoted to supply procurement.Attention is as Important to Narcissists as Oxygen is as Integral to NTs SurvivalIt may be hard for neurotypicals (NTs) to appreciate how all encompassing obtaining attention is to a narcissist. Suffice it to say that supply is as important to narcissists as oxygen is to NTs.Narcissist's are not inclined to emphasize this aspect of their reality as they likely believe such information would somehow be a sign of...•vulnerability•weakness•emotional dependenceReptiles.....•are driven by instinct•live moment to moment•do not indulge executive functions/complex thinking•devote virtually all their life energy to the fulfillment of their primal needs•are Mother Nature's apex predators•prominent features of disposition and demeanor are…••jet black lifeless eyes••a malevolent deadpan look••a deep penetrating stare••muted facial expressions without the slightest hint of animation"Narctiles" too are formidable "supply procurement predators." Once either a shiny object or a prospective signNow other (ProSO) enters the narctile's field of vision, the narctilian brain kicks off a procurement protocol which is manifested by the narctile's penetrating stare."Narctilian" Behavioral CharacteristicsThe narctile.....•puts a premium on not wasting an iota of emotional energy on activities unrelated to attention procurement•is perpetually on “auto-pilot”•lives solely “in the now” — from moment to moment•does not consider desisting from engaging in reckless behaviors that had previously caused signNow wreckage•does not consider future consequences before impulsively acting out.•instant gratification trumps all other considerations•does not consider the emotions and feelings of others before doing whatever whenever•does not consider ethical implications of his or her actions•does not consider issues pertaining to moralityNarctililian Adages on Right Living•"If it feels good, do it!"•"It's a dog eat dog world -- so get as much as you can, as fast as you can."•"The ends justify the means"•"I was screwed over and abused so why should I not inflict the same damage my SO?"•"I take Nike's attitude when it comes to my hurting a SO who has been nothing but good to me -- I just do it."•"My misery loves my SO's company."•"If you need to make a splash to get ahead, who cares if people drown in the process -- poor suckers were in the wrong place at the wrong time!"•"Winning is not everything -- aside from exerting power and control, it's the only thing!"•"True happiness is found on the Dark Triad side of life."•"When it comes to the fulfillment of my needs--- I do so by any means necessary."The Narctile's Primary Life DirectiveThe Narctile does what he or she wants whenever the narctile wants to do it with whomever the narctile want to do it with.If a SO does anything that intrudes on the aforementioned directive, the narctile will deem the SO as being all bad.Thereafter, the SO will be summarily dispatched from the narctile's reality regardless of a history that speaks to a SO not only doing only good by the narctile but also (regardless of inconvenience or hardship) never forsaking the narctile.ConclusionBoth the reptile and narcissist appear to rely on their reptilian primitive brains when it comes it comes to fulfilling base life functions.•Anecdotal evidence supports the contention that the narcissist does not engage in complex thinking that is associated with one's prefrontal cortex.•Just as a snakes have no feelings or complex thoughts relating to the mouse it strangles and then devours, the narctile apparently does not have sentiments or thoughts akin to.....••"Maybe I should not have hooked up with my SO's good friend because on some level it's immoral. Come to think of it if my SO did that to me I would be devastated."••"I think I had an ethical lapse when I told my SO I was loyal to one SO at a time while in reality I was really sucking up to five different prospective SOs in order to see who would give me the best deal."••"If I am honest with myself, maybe it's wrong to pathologically lie to someone at every turn. If I knew somebody lied to me as much as I lie to my loved ones, I would feel like sh*t. Come to think of it , my sh*tty behavior lacks any semblance of integrity or right action. Perhaps, it would behoove me treat others the way I expect to be treated."••"Come to think of it, it was really cold of me to never have thanked my SO for giving me that really nice heartfelt gift which I pawned a few days later. Just thinking about my frighteningly callous behavior makes me feel a really terrible blend of negative emotions."••"I always cognitively knew that what I did behind my SO's back was wrong. Worse yet rather rather than own up to my cowardly and immoral actions, I simply picked a fight with my SO in order to foist the blame for my despicable and deplorable behavior on him or her.Now I am awash in guilt as well as thoughts about my lack of conscience and immoral behavior. I think I better try to do right by him or her because I know there is such a thing as karma so as of this moment I am basically f**ked."

The Indian army could not provide better helmets, bulletproof jackets to its infantry soldiers UPA defence minister ‘Saint Antony’ never purchased these items thinking there should no defence scam during his term. His term was considered as lost decade of Indian defence.Ratnik (the Russian word for warrior) is a system consisting of advanced protective and communication equipment, weapons and ammunition. It comprises some 40 protective and life support elements and allows a soldier to receive continuously updated information about the situation in a combat area. It includes modernized body ...

Okay, let's answer your question.Iran's Contribution to the WorldToday's civilization is the product of the genius and contributions of many nations. Some nations lived for a span of time, contributed to the world and vanished completely from the face of the earth. Others stopped making any new offerings after a period of time, while some started very early and still continue contributing to the modem civilization.  AgricultureIran has helped the development of agriculture in two ways: first by controlling the forces of nature and domesticating animals and plants existing in the wild state in the plateau, and secondly by inventing ways and means of procuring water and diverting it to the places where it was needed. According to Professor Ernest Hertzfeld and Sir Arthur Keith, the Caspians i.e. the original inhabitants of the plateau of Iran, were the original agriculturists and that their knowledge of agriculture spread from the Caspian plateau to the three adjoining alluvial plains which later became the site of early urban civilizations. This theory was later corroborated by later excavations in Iran. The oldest human settlement to be identified on the plain is at Siyalk near the city of Kashan, south of Tehran. Among the tools used by these early settlers, that were all of stone, one could distinguish flint knife-blades and sickle-blades. Per Professor Girshman, stockbreeding and cultivation of land followed, and in the fourth millennium B.C. man already used the plough and was cultivating wheat and barley. Charred grains found at the excavated Neolithic village of Geoy Tepe (tappeh) near Lake Oroomieh in the northwestern part of Iran prove that wheat must have been grown there more than 5000 years ago.Grape Vine and Wine - The laboratory analysis of a 4,500 year old clay pot excavated in the northwestern part of Iran showed that it was used for storing wine. To date, this is the oldest wine container found.The grape-vine, which is indigenous to Iran, was introduced to China by Can K'ien in 128 B.C. at the time of the Chinese Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.). The introduction of the vine from Iran to China is well attested. The word for wine the Chinese envoy carried with him to his country was budo, which apparently came from the Persian badeh.Rose- Clement Hurat and Louis Delaporte in their book "L'Iran Antique" state that the name of rose in Indo-European and Aramean and Arab languages shows its origin to be Iran because in all these languages the word for it is derived from Zand "Varedha", the perfect plant. In Persian "Vard" means the rose. In Syria the rose is called Vard Juri. The whole district of Jur, or Firoozabad, in the province of Fars in Iran was noted for its air (scent) of red roses. Fars included in its Kharaj (to the Caliph of Baghdad) 30,000 bottles of the essence of rose. Rose was introduced to Spain in the 7th century A.D. hence it was propagated all over Europe.Spinach- A. de Candolle believes that it was in Persia where the spinach was first raised as a vegetable. The Spaniards, who spread it throughout Europe, received it through Arabs from Iran. Additional evidence is afforded by the very name of the plant which is of Persian origin. Its name in Persian is aspanah, aspanag or asfinaj; Arabic isfenah or isbenah. Hence Medieval Latin Spinachium, Spanish espinoca, Italian spinaci.... The Chinese name for it means "Persian vegetable".Early Environmentalists! From ancient times, Persians have shown great respect for flowers, plants and trees. From times unknown to present day, Persians have advocated planting trees, and there is even a special Derakht Kari (tree planting) day when thousands of trees are plated throughout the country. Another sign of the significance of trees in Persian culture is evidenced in the ruins of Persepolis- the 2,500 year old Achaemenid palace- where numerous flowers and cypress trees are found in the bas-reliefs throughout the palace.Crafts and IndustriesPottery and Ceramics- Professor Pope states in the Masterpieces of Iranian Art: "In light of the data recently discovered it has been proved that agriculture and perhaps the crafts attached to it i.e. pottery making and weaving originated in Iranian plateau. From several essential points, the civilization in this area began 500 years before Egypt, 1,000 years before India and 7,000 years before China."Professor Girshman corroborates this theory by stating that between 15,000 and 10,000 B.C. prehistoric men lived on the Iranian plateau. He mentions that in 1949 traces of human remains were found in the Bakhtiyari mountains. These men used a coarse, poorly baked pottery.Textile Industry- Textile in Iran can be traced back to the beginning of the Neolithic times. Professor Pope believes that textile industry originated in Iranian plateau. Excavations in the early 1950's in a cave near the Caspian Sea produced evidence of woven sheep's wool and goat hair, dated by the carbon 14 method to about 6,500 B.C.From 4th or possibly 5th millennium B.C. traces of skillful fine plain linen cloth and signs of tablet weaving at the end of the 4th or early in the 3d millennium B.C. were recovered by the French Mission at Susa (Shoosh). Pierre Amiet in his book Elam, states that tablet weaving in the Susian civilization is proved by the discovery of a miniature weaving tablet in the foundation deposits of one of the Susa temples. Also a seal tablet belonging to the second half of the 4th millennium B.C. shows a weaving loom.ArchitectureAccording to Professor Arthur Pope (Persian Architecture), Iran has a continuous history of architecture from at least 5,000 B.C. to the present , and characteristic examples of this architecture are distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar.First Bricks- Professor Girshman very clearly shows the gradual evolution of molded and baked bricks in different layers of Siyalk- near Kashan- and by doing so proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that brick was first made in Iran.Iran, the Origin of the First Christian Architecture- M.A. Choisy in his "Histoire de I'Architecture" prints a map on which he shows that the point of origin of the first Christian architecture is Iran. He declares: "the starting point of this movement could not be neither the Latin countries, nor the purely Greek regions, because the 4h A.D. was a time of complete decadence of the Roman Empire. Most of Latin provinces had nothing new to offer but an out-of-date civilization which was on the wane. Only one nation was guarding amid all this turmoil and general enfeeblement a vigorous upsurge of vitality based on the souvenirs of ancient grandeur and superiority and that nation was Iran." He further states that Iran was the center from which emanated three rays leading via (1) Asia Minor and Constantinople, (2) Armenia and Transcaucasian regions, and (3) Syria and the southern coast of Mediterranean Sea, towards Europe and Africa to introduce Iranian architecture and arts and crafts to these regions.Iran's Influence on the Architecture of Italy- The idea of a double roof with a void in between, according to Coisy, is Iranian. The double roofing in the dome of St. Marie de Fleurs is an example. The oldest Persian application of a double dome still in existence is seen in the Mausoleum of Oljaytu in Soltanieh, near the city of Zanjan, which dates back to the 14th century. However, the knowledge and expertise used in the construction of this dome, shows that this type of double must have been in style for a long time. Coisy further states that there is no doubt that the architects of Florence and Bologne have conceived the domes of their cathedrals in imitation of a Persian type.TransportationThe Wheel- Will Durant, in his famous work; "The History of Civilization" states that the wheel was first used for transport in Elam, in Iran. By about 2,000 B.C. wheeled vehicles were in use from Indian valley to the Syrian coast. But Gordon Childe states that in Egypt no wheeled vehicles were in use before 1,600 B.C.Roads- According to Professor Girshman, Iranians in Achaemenid times had developed a method of road building that consisted of paving the softer parts of the road, and even of making artificial ruts for wheeled vehicles. The Greek historian, Herodotus, states that the Persian Royal Road anticipated the Roman road by several centuries.Post and couriers- Herodotus, the Greek historian, attributes the creation of post and couriers to the Achaemenid Persians. He states:" The entire plan is a Persian innovation." In order to facilitate communications within the vast Persian Empire, Post stations were built along all routes to provide rest stations for the caravans and fresh horses for couriers on government business. Post stations were precisely spaced at intervals equaling one day's ride connecting the royal road stretching 2000 miles. Strong, skilled men riding fast, muscular horses carried royal messages as far as 1600 miles in one week. Herodotus marveled, "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these messengers.... They will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night" This system of communications was unmatched in speed until the telegraph doomed the horse to obsolescence.FinanceFirst Banks- During the Achaemenian period private banks were established. The most famous was Bank of Egibi which carried on the business of pawn-brokers floating loans and accepting deposits. Its capital was invested in house property, fields, cattle, and in the boats that carried the merchandise. Current accounts were operated and checks were in use. Bank of Murashshu and Sons was founded later in Nippur. It held leases, dug canals and sold water to the farmers, secured monopolies, such as brewing or fisheries which were farmed out at a profit.Per Professor Girshman, Greeks followed the example of these banks and similar institutions appeared there, particularly in the temples of Delos, Olympia and Delphia. He adds: "how many financiers and bankers know, for example, that the word 'check' or the word 'avaliser' come from the Pahlavi language and were invented by the Iranian banking institutions of this remote age? The Christian traders of Syria borrowed the bill from Iran, and introduced it into the West."FashionPants and long coats- the trousers that we wear today along coats that was customary until very recently in Europe is a Persian heirloom. None of the nations of the old world except Iranians wore trousers and long tunics coming to the knee. The pants that were called in old Persian Sharval (modem Persian Shalvar) were accepted later by the Greeks with its name in the form of Saraballa, in Latin Sarabara. It was accepted by Arabs and was called Serbal and Serval, in Spanish it is called Ceroulas and in Hungary it is called Schalwary and in Turkish Sharval.Gloves- Xenophon in his Cyropaedia speaks of Iranians covering their hands with thick leather and their fingers in frames thereby explaining how he came to know for the first time what Iranians used in order to protect their hands against cold and frosty winds. This shows that the Greeks did not know what gloves were. Excavations in Ziwieh in Iran have produced a kind of a glove used as adornment belonging to the 7th century B.C.Games and SportsPolo (Chowgan) - is an ancient Persian game. Iranians call it Chowgan (chow to be pronounced like tow, and gan like gun). The oldest mention of this game is in Ferdosi's Shahnameh (composed about 1,000 years ago) where the game played between Siyavash and his Persian retinue in one side and Afrasiyab, the Tooranian King and his brother Garsivaz, on the other is described in the form of poetry. Many Europeans have written their accounts of Shah Abbas Safavi either playing polo or watching the game from the balcony of the Ali Ghapoo palace, in Esfahan, while drinking snow-chilled Shiraz wine with his courtiers.Polo was carried to India by the Mongol rulers. The Mongol emperor Akbar, is said to judge the suitability of a candidate for the position of the Minister of State by observing his behavior on the polo field. Later, the British army officers assigned to India, brought polo to England and from there, it was propagated throughout the world.Early forks, spoons and knivesAccording to the Journal of British Institute of Iranian Studies, Volume III published in 1965 in Iran, two very beautifully proportioned silver spoons were found in 1964 in Iran belonging to the second half of the 5th century B.C. One spoon has a duck or swan's head handle. The other, a zoomorphic handle ending in a cloven hoof. The same publication noted that among Achaemenian works of art, other spoons or ladles terminating in swan's handles had been recovered.Also according to Byzantine and Christian sources, the Iranian nobility in Sassanian times, had special knives to serve fruit with, and used gold forks and spoons and special gold cups at their dinner tables.PerfumesThe art of obtaining the essence of various flowers and preserving them in small containers was for the first time invented by the Zoroastrians in Iran as perfume played a great role in Zoroastrian religious ceremonies.From the Old Testament we learn how the ancient Persians considered perfume of utmost importance. It is stated in Esther that the virgins who were being prepared to be presented to Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, were obliged to be purified with oil of myrrh and for the next six months with sweet scents and other things.BathsIn excavations headed by Professor Girshman in Shoosh (Susa), in a layer attributed to 2,000 years B.C., bathrooms were found in the houses of the richer classes in the Susian community. Also in the book of Esther we have a description of the way the girls who were brought from the country being prepared to meet the King of Persia, had to be bathed in hot baths for the period of a year.World's First OrchestraExcavations in Chogha Mish, about 15 miles south-east of Dezful in the province of Khoozestan have provided evidence that it was a city of considerable size in the Protoliterate period (about 5,500 years ago) when writing was probably first invented. Most signNow of the items found are the cylinder seal impressions on clay. Per Sylvia Matheson in Persia: An Archeological Guide, "one of these gives the earliest known evidence of music as an organized art-form, showing an orchestra and a vocalist."

Depends what you call negotiating. Several friends of mine had contracts with Trump. When they presented the bill, he refused to pay, stating the work was not up to his standards. To him, that seems to be a typical negotiation. and several other people I do not know well have told me similar stories about personal experiences they had with him.I knew a banker in New York who he dealt with just before he went bankrupt. His argument when the bank said they were going to sue was that they stood to lose more by cutting him lose than by hanging in there with him. Then he declared bankruptcy.He is non traditional. He thinks nothing of screwing anyone he can. If by negotiating, you mean does he get what he wants and the other guy gets the Bronx cheer, the answer is yes. If by negotiating, you mean does everyone walk away feeling there was a fair compromise, the answer is no.There is such a thing as ethical business practices. When an ethical person negotiates, success results in everyone feeling alright about the arrangement. When an unethical practitioner negotiates, the terms are not set because the negotiation is just a step toward an end result that was in the back of their mind and unrelated to the agreement.An unethical person knows negotiating techniques as well as their ethical counterpart. These basic concepts are common to many instructional works that teach negotiating.keep as much information to yourself until the opponent exposes their vulnerabilities.small print is king. Obscure as much information as possible. Let your opponent commit and do what they committed to do, then offer less for a quick payout, using overlooked details to strengthen your position.when a dispute arises, be prepared to sue or countersue based on the small print or implied agreement. Rather than spend the money in court, most will settle for less.discover the needs and fears of your prospect. Balloon the fears and share how you will eliminate the reason for their fears while meeting and exceeding their needsAll of these are useful tools. But when not entered into in good faith, the positive results are often short-lived and bad things happen to good people.i know a number of business people who swear by these principles of negotiation. If they are unethical, I won’t do business with then. But in some cases, the other party has no choice and may agree to the negotiation out of weakness.Trump has so much predatory experience, he will come out a winner even when everyone else loses. But in the long run, the proverbial hen always comes home to roost. Meaning: there will be a price to pay, and our grandchildren will pay it. But for now, if you don’t mind the stench, Trump is a good negotiator, but he is also a predator who preys on the good faith of others. The common term for someone like that isn’t “good negotiator.” Its “con-man.”Not that a con-man can’t also be a good negotiator. It’s the aftermath of the negotiation that I worry about.

Oh boy, where do I start….-Once while I was working for Walmart, my zone manager told me he wanted to make a display for lettuce (his words were, "I want the lettuce to OVERFLOW!", as he gesticulated like he was summoning forth a lettuce monster). I made this display with no less than 40 heads of lettuce. It stuck out from the main cooler area in a very conspicuous way. Literally impossible to miss, unless you're blind.I'm going about my work and this woman comes over to me, outraged, and demands, "how are ya'll out of lettuce?! I can't believe this! I'm gonna report this!" I eyeball the impossible to miss lettuce display and say, "uhh… lettuce is right here….?" She stops and says, "oh… Well, I'm gonna report you for not making it more noticeable!" Queue "are you serious?" look. "What else do you expect?! A flashing sign that says 'lettuce here!'?!" She stuck up her nose, got her lettuce and quickly walked off.-While I was working at Dollar general, we'd have people use us as essentially their main grocery store. We were the only store in the middle of BFE, the closest actual supermarket being about a 20 minute drive away. So, we'd easily get backed up, because we'd have people coming in, buying tons of stuff.one particular day, I got super backed up, while cashiering. The register was down, the AC was on the fritz and everyone and their mom was shopping. This one lady (that I constantly had issues with) came in and bought a whole huge buggy of frozen foods. Pizza, corn dogs, ice cream… the works. I yelled for the manager to help cashier (which she begrudgingly did, since she hated being bothered while she sat in the office, doing nothing). The lady in question got mad that we weren't going any faster, cussed us out and swore (as she always did) that she'd take her business elsewhere. She left her cart in line, blocking everyone else from moving and left the store. Being we had to tend to customers, it took a good 45 minutes to get all caught up. And all her stuff had melted….-another time, at DG, there was a lady that came in as I was stocking. Seemed like the type of bitch that just got out of jail, on parole. Seemed to be drunk and/or on drugs. She rounds my aisle and says, "excuse me; EXCUSE ME!" I turn, smile and say, "yes ma'am, how can I help you?" She gives me some stank eye and says, "are those SHITTY toys really ALL you guys HAVE?!" I tell her, "yes ma'am, they are. I'm sorry we don't have a better selection. There's a Walmart about 20 minutes away, if you're unable to fin-" "I'M NOT DRIVING ALL THE ****ING WAY TO ****ING WALMART, YOU STUPID. ****ING. ****!!! I want a better toy NOW!" I'm like, "I'm sorry ma'am, that's all we have." She gets pissed off and storms away. No sweat off my back.it cones time to check her out. She's still pissed and I ring up her total. She goes off about the *very cheap* price. I tell her I don't make the prices. She slams her money on the counter. I have to retrieve some that fell off. Bag the item, get the change and try handing it to her. She's refusing to take it, so I throw it in her bag and ask her to leave. She snatches the bag, throws it at the door and kicks the door open, calling me every name u see the sun. The woman behind her says, "WOW…. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that… her boyfriend tried fighting my husband for not moving fast enough…" I wasn't even surprised.the next day, I get called into the office. I'm told a lady complained that I was really rude to her, didn't hand her her money, broke the toy she'd bought and was demanding a refund. I told them to watch the surveillance tapes.-yet ANOTHER time I worked at DG (I seriously have so many stories from here), a woman came in and bought a bunch of stuff. I started bagging things and she says, "uh… I'd like everything to have its own bag" I look at her huge cart of items, some being something as small as a tube of eyeliner and legit said, "are you kidding me…?" She seemed surprised I'd say such a thing. I tried explaining we didn't have the bags for that, but she didn't care. So, I have to give EVERY. SINGLE. THING. it's own bag.I ring up her total and she says, "oh, I have coupons!" I give her a tired look of disbelief. Everything she bought had a coupon. However, some of the things were for out of date coupons or coupons from other stores. So, she decided she wanted to completely rescan everything…..I take everything from the bags and rescan. Go to put them in the bags again, and she decides she wants "fresh" bags…… I can hardly believe what I'm hearing…. so I save the old bags and give her new ones. Have the manager take care of her wonky ass coupons. Final total is like $7. She tells me I need to scan again, because it's supposed to equal *some smaller number*. I tell her I refuse to go thru that again. She tries complaining, but I tell her to either pay or leave, as she's procured quite a line. She begrudgingly agrees. Asks if she can have what's left of the bags that I still have (but not the "old" bags). I tell her no. She FINALLY leaves….next day, I'm called into the office. This woman complained that I didn't seem very kind, while I was checking her out….-Also DG. the lady I mentioned about the frozen stuff comes in. Tries buying cigarettes. Knows I can't sell to her without an ID. "I shouldn't NEED an ID! I'm old enough to buy and you KNOW it!" I reply, "ma'am…. I can tell you're like 60 years old… but I still need an ID to sell" she gets mad, tells me she's like 38 and vows to never shop with us again.-working at a place that does political surveys, got constant unsavory types. One guy asked me what kind of underwear I had on, then asked me if I could do something for him. I told him I wasn't sure, but he kept pushing, trying to make me promise I'd do something for him, if he did our survey. I didn't agree but asked what it was. "Can you go **** yourself?" "No sir, not right now. Maybe later" he asked again, and I have the same reply. Then tried continuing on with the survey, but he hung up.

Jihad is a fact of life. What is called ‘effort' or ‘struggle' in English is called ‘jihad' in Arabic. Jihad is not some mysterious thing. Nor is it synonymous with violence. It simply means making great efforts or striving for a particular purpose.The root word of jihad is juhd, which connotes making much effort for something. According to the famous Arabic dictionary Lisan al-Arab, the word juhd means utmost effort. Juhd and related words appear in different forms to indicate this meaning. For instance, the phrase jahada al-labn, which means, ‘Making efforts and taking out all the butter'. In Arabic, one says bazala juhdahu, that is, ‘He exerted his utmost power or ability'. Likewise, it is said, jahada ar-rajulu fi kaza ay jadda fihi wa balagha , which means, ‘The man made every effort and tried his best for the cause'. This is precisely what the terms jihad and mujahid (one who engages in jihad) mean.Striving hard for a particular purpose is something that all human beings do. It is a human characteristic. There are words in every language to denote such effort, and the word for this in Arabic is ‘jihad'. This is the basic meaning of the word ‘jihad'.There is one difference, though, that must be noted in this regard. The term ‘effort' or ‘struggle' ordinarily does not also connote Divine reward or worship. But when the term jihad is used in the Islamic context, these are implied. Thus, jihad refers to a particular sort of effort or struggle that is also a form of worship and that earns Divine reward for the person who engages in it. As the Quran says: Jahidu fillah haqqa jihadihi (22:78). It means: “Strive for the cause of God as it behoves you to strive for it.” (22:78)In some situations, the act of jihad or struggle might take the form of facing one's opponents. On such occasions, in terms of usage, and not in the literal sense, jihad can also take on the sense of war. Hence, Imam al-Raghib al-Isfahani, an eleventh century Muslim scholar of Quranic exegesis and the Arabic language, mentions three types of jihad:a. Fighting one's external enemies.b. Fighting Satan.c. Fighting one's own selfJihad in the QuranIn the Quran, the word ‘jihad' or its derivatives have been used in the same sense as it is used in the Arabic lexicon—that is, in the sense of engaging in great efforts for some purpose. The word ‘jihad' appears four times in the Quran, and every time it is used in the sense of effort and struggle, and not directly as a synonym for war.In this regard, the translation of the first relevant Quranic verse (9:24) is as follows:Say, “If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses and your tribe, and the worldly goods which you have acquired, and the commerce which you fear will decline, and the homes you love are dearer to you than God and His Messenger and the struggle for His cause, then wait until God fulfills His decree. God does not guide the disobedient people.”In this verse, followers of Islam are commanded to support the Prophet, at the level of sacrifice, in the in the Islamic mission of dawah, or inviting people to God. They must do this even if their personal interests are affected, if they suffer commercial loss, and if they are forced to undergo physical hardship. In every situation, they must be with the Prophet in this dawah mission. In this verse, the phrase ‘jihad in the path of God' has been used in reference to the Prophet's dawah mission, and not war.The word jihad appears in the Quran for the second time (25:52) in this way:…so do not yield to those who deny the truth, but strive with the utmost strenuousness by means of this [Quran, to convey its message to them].In this verse, the term jihad very clearly refers to the jihad of dawah, because there can be no other meaning of engaging in jihad through the Quran.The term jihad appears for the third time in the Quran in the following verse (60:1):If you have left your homes to strive for My cause and out of a desire to seek My goodwill [...]This verse was revealed a short time before the victory over Makkah.The Prophet's journey from Madinah to Makkah in 630 CE was not for war. It was actually a peaceful march, engaged in order to obtain the peaceful results that followed from the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty. The treaty was signed between the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh of Makkah in the year 628 CE. The Prophet, along with 1,400 companions, was journeying to Makkah from Madinah to perform the Umrah, or the minor pilgrimage. However, when they signNowed a place called Hudaybiyyah, ten miles from Makkah, the leaders of Quraysh stopped the Prophet from going forward. To resolve the deadlock, the Prophet entered into negotiations with the Quraysh and unilaterally accepted the conditions laid down by them. This resulted in a ten-year no-war pact, known as the Hudaybiyyah Treaty. Two years after the treaty, when the Prophet and his companions were peacefully marching towards Makkah, a Muslim remarked “This day is the day of war”, but the Prophet replied: “This day is the day of mercy.”In the fourth verse (22:78), the word jihad appears in this way:Strive for the cause of God as it behoves you to strive for it.In this verse, by jihad is meant the jihad of dawah, as is clear from the context in which it appears.What is Jihad?To better understand what jihad is, the first thing one must know is that whatever Muslims are doing today in the name of jihad is not jihad. These are all wars unleashed by communal sentiments, and have been wrongly named as jihads.Jihad actually means peaceful struggle. It is not synonymous with war. However, sometimes, the word jihad is used in an extended sense to refer to war. But in the literal sense, jihad and war, or what is called qital in Arabic, are not synonymous terms.Consider the following Quranic verses and hadith reports, or sayings about or attributed to the Prophet of Islam, to appreciate some usages of the term ‘jihad':1. The Quran (29:69) says:We will surely guide in Our ways those who strive hard for Our cause […]In this verse, the search for the truth has been called jihad—that is to say, making efforts to discover God, to attain God-realisation and to search for ways to develop closeness with God. Clearly, this jihad has no relation with war or confrontation.2. In the same way, the Quran (49:15) speaks of true believers as those who strive with their wealth for the cause of God. It says:The believers are only those who have faith in God and His Messenger and then doubt not, but strive, hard with their wealth and their persons for the cause of God. Such are the truthful ones.According to this verse, to spend one's wealth in God's path is an act of jihad.3. Likewise, the Quran (25:52) says:[…] so do not yield to those who deny the truth, but strive with the utmost strenuousness by means of this [Quran, to convey its message to them].In other words, this is an instruction to engage in peaceful struggle or efforts to spread the teachings of the Quran.4. Similarly, the Prophet is reported to have said: Al-mujahid man jahada nafsahu fi ta?atillah. It means that a mujahid is one who strives against himself for the sake of obeying God.From this we learn that to fight against the promptings of one's self and to persevere on the path of truth is a jihad. Obviously, this struggle takes place inside oneself, in the realm of one's psyche, and not on a battlefield in the external world.5. The Prophet is reported to have said: Al-hajj jihad. That is, “Haj is a jihad.” From this we learn that undertaking Haj pilgrimage is an act of jihad. In performing the Haj in the desirable way the haji or Haj pilgrim has to make great efforts.6. According to a tradition, the Prophet of Islam is reported to have said about serving one's parents: fafihima fajahid (Sahih al-Bukhari). It means, ‘Do jihad with regard to your parents.' From this we learn that serving one's parents is an act of jihad.The Concept of Jihad in IslamAs noted earlier, the word ‘jihad' is derived from the root juhd, which means ‘to strive' or ‘to struggle'. It denotes the exertion of oneself to the utmost, to the limits of one's capacity, in some activity or for some purpose. Thus, the Quran says, “And strive for the cause of God as it behoves you to strive for it.” (22:78)In the Arabic language, the word ‘jihad' actually denotes effort or all-out effort for something. Because fighting one's enemies is also one form of such effort or striving, it is also referred to as a jihad, in an extended sense. However, the actual Arabic word for this is qital, and not jihad.Fighting with one's enemies is something that might happen by chance, and only occasionally. However, jihad is a continuous process, and one that animates every day and night of the life of the true believer. It never ceases. This continuous jihad is the ceaseless efforts a believer makes at every moment to abide by, and remain established in, God's will in every aspect of his life. Such a person does not let any obstructions affect his life, such as the desires of the self, the allure of gain and personal aggrandisement, the power of culture and the pressure of tradition, the promptings of opportunism, the lust for wealth, and so on. All such things are obstacles in leading a God-oriented life and doing good deeds. Overcoming all such obstacles and abiding by the commandments of God is the real jihad, and this is what jihad's basic meaning is.There are many references to this jihad in the sayings attributed to the Prophet in the books of Hadith. For instance, in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, there are several traditions, such as:1. Al-mujahid man jahada nafsahu lillahThat is, ‘A mujahid is one who struggles with his own self for the sake of God.' (6/20)2. Al-mujahid man jahada nafsahu fi sabilillahThat is, ‘A mujahid is he who exerts himself for the cause of God.' (6/22)3. Al-mujahid man jahada nafsahu fi ta?atillahThat is, ‘A mujahid is he who struggles with his own self in submission to the will of God.' (6/22)This present world is a testing ground. It has been fashioned in such a way that human beings are constantly faced challenging situations that are tests for them. In the course of these tests, people have to face various hurdles. So, for instance, you might face a situation where you are confronted with something, but you feel that acknowledging it might lower your status. You might have in your possession something that actually belongs to someone else and you feel that returning it to its rightful owner would damage your interests. Or, you think that leading a modest life is tantamount to suppressing your desires and ego. At times, you might think that if you do not give vent to feelings of anger and revenge, you would negate yourself. You might hesitate to uphold justice, for fear of losing your popularity. You might feel that if you act in a principled manner, instead of selfishly, you might lose certain facilities. And so on.In this way, on various occasions you have to repeatedly suppress or deny your desires. If you are willing to sacrifice your ego totally and surmount all hurdles and face all sorts of difficulties and losses but still remain firmly established on the Truth—this is the actual jihad, or the primary meaning of jihad. It is those who remain steadfast in this jihad who will be eligible for Paradise in the Hereafter.Jihad is essentially a sort of peaceful struggle. One form of this peaceful struggle is dawah, inviting people to God. As mentioned earlier, the Quran (25:52) says:[…] so do not yield to those who deny the truth, but strive with the utmost strenuousness by means of this [Quran, to convey its message to them].The jihad that this Quranic verse refers to is not about military action. Rather, it refers to an entirely intellectual and ideological task. In short, it means refuting falsehood and affirming the truth.In its primary sense, jihad in the form of qital or war, too, is another name for peaceful struggle. That is to say, if an enemy challenges one militarily, even then, one should initially strive, to the utmost extent possible, to respond to this challenge through peaceful means. Peaceful means can be abandoned only when it is no longer possible to use them, when war becomes the only possible option left to respond to war initiated by others.In this regard, a statement recorded in the Sahih al-Bukhari, and attributed to Aisha, wife of the Prophet, serves as a guiding principle. According to this report, whenever the Prophet was faced with two alternatives, he would always opt for the easier one. This means that whenever he had to choose between two options, he would always leave the harder option and choose the easier one.This practice, or sunnat, of the Prophet applies not only to the routine affairs of life but also to serious matters such as war, which by its very nature is a difficult option. A study of the life of the Prophet reveals that he never initiated war himself. Whenever his opponents sought to entangle him in fighting, he would always adopt some way to try to avoid it and stave off war. He engaged in war only when there was no other way left. Thus, going by the Prophet's method, wars of aggression are forbidden in Islam. Islam allows only for defensive war, and that, too, only when it becomes absolutely unavoidable.In life, one is always faced with the problem of having to choose between two options: peaceful means, on the one hand, and violent means, on the other. The accounts of the Prophet's life tell us that always, and in every matter, he shunned violence and adopted peaceful methods. His whole life was a successful model of this principle.Here are some instances that illustrate this point:1. Soon after being appointed as a prophet, the Prophet of Islam was faced with choosing between the above-mentioned two options—peaceful and violent methods. As a prophet, his mission was to end polytheism and establish tawhid, faith in and surrender to the one God. The Kaaba in Makkah had been established as a centre of tawhid, but at the time when the Prophet received his prophethood, 360 idols had been installed therein. Hence, one might think that the Prophet should first have been instructed in the Quran to purify the Kaaba of idols and remake it as a centre of tawhid, thus advancing his mission. But had this been the case and had he started his work in this way, it would have been tantamount to warring with the Quraysh of Makkah, who enjoyed leadership among the Arabs precisely because they had become the custodians of the Kaaba.History tells us that at this stage, the Prophet completely abstained from practically purifying the Kaaba of idols, and limited himself only to the ideological dawah of tawhid.This was, thus, an early example set by the Prophet of choosing a peaceful method over a violent one.2. Firmly abiding by this peaceful principle, the Prophet carried on his psignNowing work in Makkah for 13 years. Yet, despite this, the Quraysh turned into his fierce opponents, so much so that their leaders plotted to kill him. Accordingly, they armed themselves with swords and surrounded his house.This was, in effect, an open challenge to war issued to the Prophet and his companions. However, following God's guidance, the Prophet decided to avoid armed confrontation. And so, in the silence of the night, he left Makkah and secretly travelled to Madinah. This incident is known in Islamic history as the Hijrah.The Hijrah clearly exemplifies the choice of a peaceful method, as opposed to a violent one.3. The ‘Battle of the Trench', also known as the Battle of Ahzab, is another illustration of this sunnat of the Prophet. On this occasion, a vast number of the Prophet's opponents from different tribes assembled and marched towards Madinah in order to attack it. This was an open challenge to war on their part. However, in order to avoid war, the Prophet arranged for a trench to be dug around the town. This served as a buffer against the attackers. And so, the Quraysh army, having spent just a few days on the other side of the trench, turned back in retreat.Making this trench, too, was an example of the Prophet's choosing a peaceful option, as opposed to a violent one.4. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is also an example of this policy of the Prophet. The Prophet and his companions wanted to enter Makkah and perform the Umrah or minor pilgrimage, but they were stopped by the leaders of Makkah at a place called Hudaybiyyah and were told to go back to Madinah. The Quraysh said that they would not allow them to enter Makkah at any cost.This was, in other words, a challenge to war on the part of the Quraysh. Had the Prophet proceeded towards Makkah in accordance with his plan of performing the Umrah, it was certain that armed confrontation with the Quraysh would have broken out. However, he ended his journey at Hudaybiyyah. There, he entered into a peace treaty with the Quraysh by unilaterally accepting their conditions, and then he returned to Madinah.This is yet another clear example of the Prophet choosing a peaceful method over a violent one.5. This same sunnat or practice of the Prophet was also exemplified in the victory over Makkah. On this occasion, he was accompanied by 10,000 devoted companions. They could certainly have successfully fought the Quraysh. However, instead of using force, the Prophet chose to give a demonstration of force. He did not set out with this 10,000-strong army by making an announcement and then set about fighting the Quraysh and capturing Makkah. Instead, what he did was that he made preparations for the journey in complete secrecy and travelled along with his companions to Makkah and silently entered the town. His entry into Makkah was so sudden that the Quraysh were unable to make any preparations against him, and so Makkah was won over without any bloody confrontation.This, too, is an example of the Prophet's choice of a peaceful, over a violent, method.These examples prove that not only in ordinary conditions, but also in extreme emergency situations, the Prophet adopted the principle of peace, as opposed to war. All his successes are practical examples of this very sunnat of peace.As indicated above, in Islam peace is the general commandment, while war is only a rare exception, to be resorted to only when it becomes an absolutely unavoidable compulsion. Keep this principle in mind and survey the world today. You will find that the modern age is completely different from the world of ancient times in this regard. In the past, the use of violent methods was a common or general practice, while adopting peaceful methods was an extremely difficult thing to do. However, today the situation has completely changed. In today's world, violent methods have become completely undesirable and unacceptable. In contrast, peaceful methods are now the only acceptable option. Moreover, today, peaceful methods now enjoy very strong intellectual and practical supports, that have made them extremely powerful and effective.These supports for peaceful methods are very many—for instance, the right to express one's views, the possibilities of widely disseminating one's views using modern means of communications, employing the power of the media in one's favour, and so on. These modern transformations have made peaceful methods both much more popular, and, at the same time, much more effective, options.As mentioned earlier, the Prophet's sunnat or practice was that when peaceful methods are available in practice, these methods alone must be used for the Islamic movement, and violent struggle should be abandoned. In today's context, because of the vast transformations that have taken place, not only are peaceful methods now freely available, but also, on the basis of the supporting factors mentioned above, they have become much more effective. It can be safely said, without any fear of exaggeration, that today, violent methods have not only become difficult but that they are also completely useless in practical terms. In contrast, peaceful methods are far easier to adopt and also very effective.No longer is the use of peaceful methods a question of choosing between two possible options—peaceful versus violent. Rather, the peaceful method is now the only possible and effective option. And so, it is absolutely correct to say that violent methods must now be abandoned in practice. They should be, in the language of the Shariah, regarded as mansukh, or abrogated. The followers of Islam are now left, at the practical level, with only one method to adopt—and that, without any doubt whatsoever, is the peaceful method, unless such changes take place in prevailing conditions that once again change the rules that apply in this regard.It is true that in the past, violent methods were used on some occasions, but these were only a choice compelled by the conditions of the age in which the Prophet lived. But since, as a result of changes in the age, no longer does any such compulsion exist, the choice of violent methods must now be considered to be unnecessary and not in consonance with the Prophet's sunnat. In the changed conditions of today, only peaceful methods must be used.An instructive example from recent times in this regard is the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Because of the changes our times have witnessed that are referred to here, it was possible for Mahatma Gandhi to engage in a full-fledged political struggle and succeed. And all of this happened by adhering, from start to finish, to non-violent methods and peaceful activism.According to a well-known principle of fiqh or Muslim jurisprudence, certain rules can or should be modified to suit the change of time and place. This accepted principle of fiqh demands that when times have changed, one must, if need be, seek the re-application of relevant Shariah commandments in accordance with the prevailing conditions. This principle of fiqh applies as much to issues of war as it does to many other matters. It, too, demands that violent methods should now be abandoned and that peaceful methods alone be considered legitimate according to the Shariah.Contemporary Self-Styled Jihadi MovementsToday, in many countries across the world, Muslims are engaged in violent movements in the name of jihad. But the fact is that no movement can become a jihad simply because its flag-bearers give it that name. An action can be considered an Islamic jihad only if and when it completely fulfills the conditions that Islam has established for jihad. Without these conditions of jihad being fulfilled, a movement cannot be a jihad in actual fact. Rather, it is what is condemned in the Quran as fasad, or corruption and chaos. Those who are engaged in such activities will not gain the rewards meant for those who participate in jihad. Instead, they will deserve only punishment.I have discussed in considerable detail in several of my books the various conditions for jihad in the sense of qital or war. Here, I wish to clarify just one point. And that is that jihad in the sense of war does not have the same status as individual actions such as prayer and fasting. Instead, it is an action that has wholly to do with the state.This status of jihad in the sense of war is very clearly explained in the Quran and Hadith. For instance, the Quran (4:83) ordains that if an atmosphere of fear is created because of an enemy, people should not launch action against it on their own. Instead, they should turn to those who are in authority—that is, people who are in-charge of the government, so that the latter can properly understand the situation and take appropriate and necessary steps.This Quranic verse tells us that in the event of fear (a situation of war), it is not permissible for members of the general public to act on their own. The only thing they can do is to leave the matter with the rulers and assist the latter in the actions they may take.According to a hadith report in the Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet is said to have declared that the leader is a shield; war is undertaken under his leadership; and protection is procured through him. From this we learn that military defence must always be conducted under the ruler's leadership. The general Muslim public must obey their rulers in this regard. Lending them their support, they must help them in their efforts.This issue is one on which there is a consensus among the fuqaha or scholars of Muslim jurisprudence. Perhaps no noted scholar of Muslim jurisprudence has any objection to it. According to the unanimous consensus of the fuqaha, only an established government can declare war. Or, as it is said in Arabic, ar-raheelu lil-imam, that is to say, the declaration of war is the sole prerogative of the ruler. Non-governmental actors, including groups and individual members of the general public, do not have the right to make such a declaration.The fact of the matter is that war is something that requires great organisation. It is only an established state that can engage in such an organised action. This is why only states can engage in war. It is not at all legitimate for members of the public to initiate war.In present times, in numerous countries Muslims are engaged in violent confrontation. But almost without exception, these are not Islamic jihads, but, rather, what is called fasad, or anarchy. This is because none of these so-called jihads has been launched by an established government. All of them have been launched and are being carried out by what in today's parlance are called non-governmental organisations. If some of their so-called jihadi activities enjoy the support of some Muslim government, this support is being provided in a clandestine and undeclared manner. According to the Shariah, a Muslim government has the right to engage in jihad only if it openly and explicitly announces this. According to Islam, it is unlawful for a Muslim government to engage in war without an open declaration of it.The violent activities presently engaged in by Muslims in the name of jihad in various parts of the world are of two types: guerilla war and proxy war. Both of these are, without any doubt, wholly illegitimate in Islam. Guerilla war is illegitimate in Islam because it is conducted by non-governmental actors, and not an established government. And proxy war is illegitimate because it is engaged in by a government without making an open declaration of hostilities, which is not legitimate in Islam.Three Types of JihadIslamic jihad, properly understood, is a constructive and continuous action or process. It continues uninterrupted throughout the life of a true believer. It has three aspects:1. Jihad-e Nafs: This is the struggle against one's negative feelings and improper desires and persevering to remain steadfast on the path that is pleasing to God.2. Jihad-e Dawah: This is the struggle to convey the message of God to all of humankind and to make utmost effort for this cause with feelings of compassion and well-wishing for all. This is an exalted task, and so it is called jihad-e kabir or ‘great jihad' in the Quran (25:52).3. Jihad in the face of enmity: In the past, this jihad was actually a peaceful one, and so it remains now as well.In this sense, then, jihad is a peaceful struggle, and not a violent one.There are numerous similar Quranic verses and hadith reports that clearly tell us that the act of jihad is basically a peaceful action. It is a form of struggle for a Divine task that is conducted within peaceful limits. The correct translation of jihad, then, would be ‘peaceful struggle'.The Importance of PeaceThe Quran (4:128) says:[…] reconciliation is best.What is reconciliation? It is but another name for the results of peace. Where there is reconciliation, there is peace. Where there is no reconciliation, there is no peace. In this sense, then, it can be said that in Islam peace is the summum bonum, or the greatest good.Generally, people think that justice is very important. But in fact justice is just a concept or notion. The real question is how this concept should be made a reality. There is only one way for this—and that is through peace. If peace is established, numerous opportunities can be opened up, which, when availed of, can lead to justice. An individual or group can secure justice only when it recognises available opportunities and wisely avails of them.Across the world today, there are people who are engaged in violent conflicts in order to secure justice. Yet, all of them have failed to get the justice that they seek. There is only one reason for this—and that is because their methods are wrong. In this world, the question of the method you use to get what you want is of utmost importance. Even if your goal or purpose is good, you cannot achieve it if the means you adopt are wrong. This is a universal rule, and no individual or group is an exception as far as this is concerned.A group or community that seeks justice must first establish peace among its own members. Peace is so important that it must be established at any cost. It can never be established on a bilateral basis. Rather, it is always on the basis of unilateral patience. There is simply no other way to establish peace.The scheme of nature is based on opportunities. Nature provides us with plenty of opportunities. An atmosphere of hate and violence closes off these opportunities. Hate and violence act as trapdoors. To avail of the many opportunities that nature provides us, one needs to first put an end to hate and violence, to seal these trapdoors. And when this happens, one is deluged with a flood of all sorts of opportunities that one can avail of in order to achieve one's goals.These opportunities can help you in both the secular and the religious spheres. They can enable you to engage in efforts to advance educationally and economically. You can also avail of these opportunities for religious purposes—to invite people to God. Engaging in this work of dawah, you can become eligible for Divine reward.The ‘Beautification' of ViolenceViolence is in every sense a destructive action. The whole of human history is a testimony to the fact that no individual or group has ever secured any positive success through violence. Whenever an individual or group has taken to violence, it has only met with destruction, and not with any real benefit or progress. Yet, despite this, why is it that some people routinely resort to violence? This is because of what is called ‘Satanic beautification'. The Quran (15:39) tells us that Satan has a special method—of portraying a wrong action in seemingly beautiful words. Satan gives strife the name of ‘reform'. In this way, he influences peoples' minds. He entangles them in the false belief that whatever they are doing is not violence, but, rather, a holy jihad. It is the path to martyrdom that will take them straight to heaven, he tells them.Falling prey in this way to Satanic ‘beautification', people take to violence. They engage in wrong actions, and Satan deludes them into believing that what they are doing is good.There is only one way to save oneself from this Satanic ‘beautification'—and that is, to judge one's actions in terms of their results. One should realise that violent actions that lead to destruction and that destroy available opportunities are a result of Satan's ‘beautification'. One must, therefore, implore God for His forgiveness and abandon this path.Violence in itself is completely undesirable. It can never bring about any reform. It only works to inflict more damage. It always emerges from hate and enmity. One must cleanse one's mind of hate and enmity, and then Satan will not be able to exercise control over you.No Reaction in IslamIf you ask people who are engaged in violence, whether as individuals or as members of groups, why they are involved in destructive activities, they will answer that their violence is a ‘natural reaction'. If an individual or group is oppressed or denied justice, they will say, there is bound to be a reaction. And in so reacting, they will explain, they might even go to the extent of taking to arms and even suicide-bombing. If their violence is to end, they will tell you, the oppression by, and injustice of, the other party must first cease. Otherwise, they will contend, their violence will continue. If this reaction of theirs is to stop, they will say, the action of the other party must stop first. There is no use, they will argue, psignNowing only to them to give up violence.This philosophy of reaction is completely unnatural. The fundamental error people who argue like this make is that they have adopted a wrong yardstick for their actions. The proper yardstick to evaluate an action is to evaluate the results that emerge from it. A proper or appropriate action is one is that produces beneficial results for the one who engages in it. If it does not produce such results, it must definitely be given up.Actions can either produce beneficial results or prove to be counter-productive for those who engage in them. There is no third alternative. The best form of action is one that produces positive results. An action that does not produce such results only further magnifies your problem. And magnifying one's problem is not something that a wise person would want to do.To emotionally react to something, including someone else's actions, is, then, not the proper response to it. The proper response is to take stock of the prevailing situation, and, guided by a positive mindset, to plan one's course of action in a manner geared to producing positive results. Instead of reacting through confrontation and violence, one should respond in a constructive manner. This is the proper Islamic approach and method.The Lesser and the Greater JihadAccording to a hadith, when the Prophet and his companions returned to Madinah from a battle, the Prophet said: raja?na min al-jihad il-asghar ila al-jihad il-akbar. (Kanz al-Ummal) That is, “We have returned from a lesser jihad towards a greater jihad.” In other words, it was an announcement that the believers had come back from temporary jihad to permanent jihad. By temporary jihad is meant defensive jihad, whose necessity might arise only occasionally. By permanent jihad is meant spiritual jihad, which continues non-stop in every person's life.This point is narrated in another hadith report in this way: jahidu ahwa?akum kama tujahiduna a?da?akum. That is, “Do jihad with your desires as you do jihad with your opponents.”In Islam, fighting against one's enemy is an extremely temporary act, whose need arises when someone has attacked a Muslim state. This is a defensive jihad, and only some trained people participate in it, not the entire Muslim community. In contrast to this, jihad against one's nafs or self is something that pertains to an individual, and goes on throughout the life of a true believer.For instance, it is an act of merit that when a Muslim meets someone, he greets him with the phrase Assalamu Alaikum, which means ‘peace be upon you.' These words are so lofty that according to a hadith, one who greets another this way is given the good tidings of Paradise. But in this world, where we live along with many other people, we are repeatedly face bitter experiences. On account of this, every person develops complaints against, and negative feelings for, others, which he nurses in his heart. In such a situation, only a person who has already purified his heart of all negative emotions and is genuinely concerned for the well-being of others can genuinely wish Assalamu Alaikum to someone else. This task is very difficult. It requires the enormous efforts that are termed as ‘jihad'.There is a tradition, recorded in the Sahih Muslim, according to which the Prophet said: Alhamdulillah tamla ul-mizan. This means, “The word Alhamdulillah (‘Thanks be to God') fills up the scale.”On the Day of Judgment, one's good deeds and bad deeds will be weighed on the scale set up by God. According to the above-mentioned tradition, the scale will be filled up for a person who says the word Alhamdulillah. That is, his good deeds will outweigh his bad deeds.This is no simple matter. To genuinely say Alhamdulillah requires a great intellectual effort. To say Alhamdulillah is to express gratitude for God's blessings. Man receives these blessings in various forms all the time. Every person receives them without any effort on his part. People generally become habituated to them, because of which they do not consciously recognise them as blessings.In such a situation, to genuinely say Alhamdulillah requires one to engage in an intellectual jihad. One has to bring into action one's powers of thinking and bring what is in the subconscious into the conscious mind. One needs to give a new direction to one's feelings. One needs to struggle as a mujahid, or one who engages in jihad, to awaken one's intellectual powers. Only after this can he utter such words as can fill up the scale on the Day of Judgment.Human beings have various kinds of desires and mental states, such as greed, superiority complex, scorn, impatience, anger, revenge, and so on. Often, people remain dominated by these negative states. In addition to this, they get deeply attached to certain things—for example, wealth, fame, their children, and so on.People oscillate between negative and positive emotions, hate and love. Their thinking is shaped by these emotions. Consciously or otherwise, they mould their lives according to these emotions. Given this, it is undoubtedly an act of jihad for someone to continuously make God the focus of his or her attention and to not deviate from the straight path. This is the immensely difficult task that is called in the Hadith as jihad-e nafs, or jihad against one's self.SummaryThe Arabic word ‘jihad' means precisely what is called ‘peaceful struggle' in English. And what is meant by this peaceful struggle is basically the dawah effort, as the Quran (25:52) says:[…] so do not yield to those who deny the truth, but strive with the utmost strenuousness by means of this [Quran, to convey its message to them].This verse refers to communicating the message of the Quran to people through peaceful efforts.Dawah is essentially an ideological struggle. It is a very wide-ranging effort. It has various demands. When efforts are made to engage in dawah together with all its necessary demands, it becomes a major struggle. This is why dawah work is called ‘jihad'.Jihad means precisely this. However, sometimes the word ‘jihad' is also used in an extended sense to denote war. But this is only an extended meaning. The commandments and etiquette of jihad and war are totally different. The actual aim of the jihad of dawah is to transform the other party's thinking, whereas, in contrast, war aims at the extermination of the other party.A basic difference between jihad and war is that jihad in the sense of dawah is a general commandment. The dawah jihad has to be engaged in at all times and under all circumstances. The objective of the jihad of dawah is to convey the message of God to all people. Dawah is a constructive action, based on wishing well for others, and this must carry on at all times, in every generation. In contrast to this, jihad in the sense of war is a temporary action, engaged in only when another country militarily attacks a Muslim country. The responsibility for countering this attack does not lie with individuals. Rather, it is the sole responsibility of an established state that makes necessary arrangements for this purpose.Most Islamic acts are governed by conditions. Jihad in the sense of war is also subject to certain conditions. Present-day Muslim movements that are fighting in the name of jihad do not fulfill these conditions. Merely labeling one's actions as jihad does not mean that they qualify as jihad. In this matter, it is important to refer to Islamic teachings about jihad, rather than form an opinion through the actions of certain Muslims. Muslims should be judged in the light of Islamic teachings, and not vice versa.

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