their own co-believers...

their own co-believers, on the principle of necessity, because without that a combat with the warring and aggressive enemy will not be possible. In such circumstances in the larger interest of Islam the killing of the Muslims has been held to be justified. They are also the soldiers of Islam. They are martyrs of the Divine cause. At the most their relatives bereft may be paid blood money from the Islamic budget. This rule is not peculiar to Islam.

In the International Law of Belligerency and Armed forces, it is a recognised rule that if the enemy want to utilise the captive forces, they (parent army of the captives) may destroy such prisoners of war to get hold of the enemy and to repulse them. ( 99 ) In these circumstances when Islam says "Kill and do away with a living Muslim so as to achieve triumph of Islam", the paper and the binding cover are no exception to it.

The leaves and the volume are sacred only for their significance and substance. Today the war is war of survival of the message of the Quran. They have taken its paper as an instrument to obliterate its significance and the substance. However, ignorance and idiocy had blindfolded them. They could not comprehend truth.

They said, "not only that we ourselves do not fight with the Quran but also, because fighting with the Quran is itself a vice, we must try to enforce prohibition against it, and those who fight with the Quran we must fight against them". The ultimate victory of Ali was just a few moments ahead. Malik-ul-Ashtar, a loyal, devoted and venturesome officer, was about to reach the commanding tentage ofMo'awiyah and to raze it to the ground so as to remove the thorn from the pious body of Islam.

In these very moments this group staged their revolt against Ali and said, "We will assault you from behind". All that Ali could do was to convince them but they had become more obstinate in their refusal and insisted upon refraction. Ali sent a message to Malik to cease-fire and return from the battlefield. He, in reply to Ali's message, said: "If I am given some moments more the war will end and the enemy will be completely annihilated".

They drew their swords saying: "Either order him to come back or we will cut you to pieces". He again sent a message "If you want to see me alive suspend the battle and come back". He returned and the enemy was happy that his fraud had worked.