Penulis: Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal
Ibnu Taimiyah, Ibnu Hajar, Shalahuddin Al Ayubi Pro Maulid Nabi?
Sebagian orang selalu mencari-cari dalil untuk membenarkan amalan tanpa tuntunan yang ia lakukan. Di antara cara yang dilakukan adalah menjadikan perkataan ulama Ahlus Sunnah sebagai argumen untuk mendukung bid’ah mereka. Inilah yang terjadi dalam perayaan Maulid Nabi. Di antara perkataan ulama Ahlus Sunnah yaitu Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, disalahpahami oleh sebagian kalangan sehingga beliau pun disangka mendukung perayaan Maulid. Begitu pula ada perkataan lain dari Ibnu Hajar Al ‘Asqolani mengenai hal ini. Ibnu Hajar adalah di antara ulama yang memiliki ketergelinciran dalam masalah Maulid. Nantinya kami juga akan membahas syubhat (kerancuan) lainnya yang sengaja disuarakan oleh para simpatisan Maulid seperti pemutarbalikkan sejarah Maulid yang disangka dipelopori oleh Shalahuddin Al Ayubi. Semoga Allah memudahkan untuk mengungkap yang benar dan yang batil. Allahumma yassir wa a’in (Ya Allah, mudahkan dan tolonglah).
Kerancuan Pertama: Salah Paham dengan Perkataan Ibnu Taimiyah
Di salah satu website yang kami telusuri, ada perkataan Syaikhul Islam sebagai berikut, “Merayakan maulid dan menjadikannya sebagai kegiatan rutin dalam setahun sebagaimana yang telah dilakukan oleh sebagian orang, akan mendapatkan pahala yang besar sebab tujuannya baik dan mengagungkan Rasulullah SAW.”
Perkataan beliau inilah yang menjadi dasar sebagian kalangan yang menyatakan bahwa Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah mendukung Maulid. [1]
Kalimat selengkapnya terdapat dalam kitab Iqtidho’ Ash Shirothil Mustaqim sebagai berikut.
فتعظيم المولد واتخاذه موسما قد يفعله بعض الناس ويكون له فيه أجر عظيم لحسن قصده وتعيظمه لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم كما قدمته لك أنه يحسن من بعض الناس ما يستقبح من المؤمن المسدد ولهذا قيل للامام أحمد عن بعض الأمراء إنه أنفق على مصحف ألف دينار ونحو ذلك فقال دعه فهذا أفضل ما أنفق فيه الذهب أو كما قال مع أن مذهبه أن زخرفة المصاحف مكروهة وقد تأول بعض الأصحاب أنه أنفقها في تجديد الورق والخط وليس مقصود أحمد هذا وإنما قصده أن هذا العمل فيه مصلحة وفيه أيضا مفسدة كره لأجلها فهؤلاء إن لم يفعلوا هذا وإلا اعتاضوا الفساد الذي لا صلاح فيه مثل أن ينفقها في كتاب من كتب الفجور ككتب الأسماء أوالأشعار أو حكمة فارس والروم
“Adapun mengagungkan maulid dan menjadikannya acara tahunan, hal ini terkadang dilakukan oleh sebagian orang. Mereka pun bisa mendapatkan pahala yang besar karena tujuan baik dan pengagungannya kepada Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, sebagaimana yang aku telah jelaskan sebelumnya bahwasanya hal itu dianggap baik oleh sebagian orang tetapi tidak dianggap baik oleh mukmin yang mendapat taufik.
Oleh karena itu, diceritakan kepada imam Ahmad mengenai beberapa pemimpin (umaro’) bahwasanya mereka menginfaqkan 1000 dinar untuk pencetakan Mushaf. Maka beliau berkata, “Biarkan mereka melakukan itu, itulah infaq terbaik yang dapat mereka lakukan dengan emas” atau sebagaimana yang Imam Ahmad katakan. Padahal menurut madzhab Imam Ahmad, makruh hukumnya memperindah mushaf. Namun sebagian pengikut Imam Ahmad menafsirkan maksud Imam Ahmad adalah beliau memakruhkan memperbaharui kertas dan khothnya. Namun sebenarnya maksud Imam Ahmad bukanlah seperti yang ditafsirkan ini. Imam Ahmad memaksudkan bahwa memperindah mushaf ini ada mashlahat (manfaat) di satu sisi dan ada pula mafsadatnya (bahayanya). Inilah yang beliau makruhkan.
Namun perlu diketahui bahwa jika mereka (para umara’) tidak melakukan hal ini (yaitu memperindah mushaf), tentu mereka akan melakukan hal-hal lain yang tidak berfaedah. Misalnya para umara’ tersebut malah menyalurkan infaq mereka untuk mencetak buku-buku tidak bermoral: buku cerita yang hanya menghabiskan waktu, buku sya’ir (yang sia-sia belaka) dan buku filsafat dari Persia dan Romawi.”[2] Demikian perkataan beliau rahimahullah.
Jika seseorang membaca teks di atas secara utuh, insya Allah dia tidak memiliki pemahaman yang keliru. Lihat baik-baik perkataan beliau di atas: ”Mereka pun bisa mendapatkan pahala yang besar karena tujuan baik dan pengagungannya kepada Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, sebagaimana yang aku telah jelaskan sebelumnya bahwasanya hal itu dianggap baik oleh sebagian orang tetapi tidak dianggap baik oleh mukmin yang mendapat taufik”. Dari perkataan beliau ini menunjukkan bahwa perayaan Maulid tidak dianggap baik oleh orang-orang yang mendapat taufik. Jika ada yang menganggap amalan Maulid itu baik, maka dia adalah orang yang keliru. Maka ini menunjukkan bahwa Maulid bukanlah amalan yang baik.
Coba kita lihat kembali perkataan Syaikhul Islam lainnya dalam kitab yang sama (Iqtidho’ Ash Shirothil Mustaqim) agar kita tidak salah keliru dengan perkataan beliau di atas. Dalam beberapa lembaran sebelumnya, Syaikhul Islam mengatakan,
وكذلك ما يحدثه بعض الناس إما مضاهاة للنصارى في ميلاد عيسى عليه السلام وإما محبة للنبي صلى الله عليه و سلم وتعظيما له والله قد يثيبهم على هذه المحبة والاجتهاد لا على البدع من اتخاذ مولد النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم عيدا مع اختلاف الناس في مولده فإن هذا لم يفعله السلف مع قيام المقتضى له وعدم المانع منه ولو كان هذا خيرا محضا أو راجحا لكان السلف رضي الله عنهم أحق به منا فإنهم كانوا أشد محبة لرسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم وتعظيما له منا وهم على الخير أحرص وإنما كمال محبته وتعظيمه في متابعته وطاعته واتباع أمره وإحياء سنته باطنا وظاهرا ونشر ما بعث به والجهاد على ذلك بالقلب واليد واللسان فإن هذه هي طريقة السابقين الأولين من المهاجرين والأنصار والذين اتبعوهم بإحسا
“Begitu pula halnya dengan kebiasaan yang dilakukan oleh sebagian orang. Boleh jadi perbuatan mereka menyerupai tingkah laku Nashrani sebagaimana Nashrani pun memperingati kelahiran (milad) ‘Isa ‘alaihis salam. Boleh jadi maksud mereka adalah mencintai dan mengagungkan Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Boleh jadi Allah memberi ganjaran kepada mereka dikarenakan kecintaan dan kesungguhan mereka, dan bukan bid’ah maulid Nabi yang mereka ada-adakan sebagai perayaan. Padahal perlu diketahui bahwa para ulama telah berselisih pendapat mengenai tanggal kelahiran beliau. Apalagi merayakan maulid sama sekali tidak pernah dilakukan oleh para salaf (sahabat, tabi’in dan tabi’ut tabi’in). Padahal ada faktor pendorong (untuk memuliakan nabi) dan tidak ada faktor penghalang di kala itu. Seandainya merayakan maulid terdapat maslahat murni atau maslahat yang lebih besar, maka para salaf tentu lebih pantas melakukannya daripada kita. Karena sudah kita ketahui bahwa mereka adalah orang yang paling mencintai dan mengagungkan Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam daripada kita. Mereka juga tentu lebih semangat dalam kebaikan dibandingkan kita. Dan perlu dipahami pula bahwa cinta dan pengagungan pada Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam yang sempurna adalah dengan ittiba’ (mengikuti) dan mentaati beliau yaitu dengan mengikuti setiap perintah, menghidupkan ajaran beliau secara lahir dan batin, menyebarkan ajaran beliau dan berjuang (berjihad) untuk itu semua dengan hati, tangan dan lisan. Inilah jalan hidup para generasi utama dari umat ini, yaitu kalangan Muhajirin, Anshor dan orang-orang yang mengikuti mereka dengan baik.”[3]
Kami rasa sudah jelas jika kita memperhatikan penjelasan beliau yang kedua ini. Jelas sekali beliau menyatakan perayaan Maulid itu tidak ada salafnya (pendahulunya) artinya amalan yang tidak ada tuntunannya, bahkan merayakan Maulid sama halnya dengan Natal yang dirayakan oleh Nashrani. Lantas dengan penjelasan beliau ini apakah masih menuduh beliau rahimahullah mendukung maulid?!
Mohon jangan menukil perkataan beliau sebagian saja, cobalah pahami perkataan beliau secara utuh di halaman-halaman lainnya dalam kitab Iqtidho’. Simak baik-baik perkataan beliau di atas: “Boleh jadi Allah memberi ganjaran kepada mereka dikarenakan kecintaan dan kesungguhan mereka, dan bukan bid’ah maulid Nabi yang mereka ada-adakan sebagai perayaan.” Dari sini, beliau menggolongkan maulid sebagai bid’ah karena memang tidak pernah diadakan oleh para salaf dahulu (sahabat, tabi’in dan tabi’ut tabi’in). Namun perayaan ini dihidupkan dan diada-adakan oleh Dinasti ‘Ubaidiyyun[4]. Dan ingat, beliau katakan bahwa mudah-mudahan mereka mendapat pahala karena mengangungkan dan mencintai beliau, namun bukan pada acara bid’ah maulid yang mereka ada-adakan. Mohon pahami baik-baik perkataan beliau ini. Semoga Allah beri kepahaman.
Lebih tegas lagi Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah mengatakan mengenai Maulid Nabi dapat dilihat dalam Majmu’ Al Fatawa sebagai berikut.
وَأَمَّا اتِّخَاذُ مَوْسِمٍ غَيْرِ الْمَوَاسِمِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ كَبَعْضِ لَيَالِي شَهْرِ رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ الَّتِي يُقَالُ : إنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ الْمَوْلِدِ أَوْ بَعْضِ لَيَالِيِ رَجَبٍ أَوْ ثَامِنَ عَشَرَ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ أَوْ أَوَّلِ جُمْعَةٍ مِنْ رَجَبٍ أَوْ ثَامِنِ شَوَّالٍ الَّذِي يُسَمِّيهِ الْجُهَّالُ عِيدَ الْأَبْرَارِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ الْبِدَعِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَسْتَحِبَّهَا السَّلَفُ وَلَمْ يَفْعَلُوهَا وَاَللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ .
“Adapun melaksanakan perayaan tertentu selain dari hari raya yang disyari’atkan (yaitu Idul Fithri dan Idul Adha) seperti perayaan pada sebagian malam dari bulan Rabi’ul Awwal (yang disebut dengan malam Maulid Nabi), perayaan pada sebagian malam Rojab, hari ke-8 Dzulhijjah, awal Jum’at dari bulan Rojab atau perayaan hari ke-8 Syawal -yang dinamakan orang yang sok pintar (alias bodoh) dengan ‘Idul Abror (lebaran ketupat)-; ini semua adalah bid’ah yang tidak dianjurkan oleh para salaf (sahabat yang merupakan generasi terbaik umat ini) dan mereka juga tidak pernah melaksanakannya. Wallahu subhanahu wa ta’ala a’lam.”[5]
Renungkan perkataan beliau baik-baik. Apakah bisa dipahami dari perkataan terakhir ini bahwa beliau mendukung Maulid? Semoga Allah memberikan taufiknya kepada kita sekalian agar bisa membedakan mana yang benar dan mana yang keliru.
Kerancuan Kedua: Ibnu Hajar Al ‘Asqolani Membolehkan Maulid Nabi
Perkataan berikut kami nukil dari kitab Al Hawiy yang ditulis oleh Imam As Suyuthi.[6]
وقد سئل شيخ الإسلام حافظ العصر أبو الفضل بن حجر عن عمل المولد فأجاب بما نصه: أصل عمل المولد بدعة لم تنقل عن أحد من السلف الصالح من القرون الثلاثة ولكنها مع ذلك قد اشتملت على محاسن وضدها فمن تحرى في عملها المحاسن وتجنب ضدها كان بدعة حسنة وإلا فلا قال وقد ظهر لي تخريجها على أصل ثابت وهو ما ثبت في الصحيحين من أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قدم المدينة فوجد اليهود يصومون يوم عاشوراء فسألهم فقالوا هو يوم أغرق الله فيه فرعون ونجى موسى فنحن نصومه شكرا لله تعالى فيستفاد منه فعل الشكر لله على ما من به في يوم معين من إسداء نعمة أو دفع نقمة ويعاد ذلك في نظير ذلك اليوم من كل سنة والشكر لله يحصل بأنواع العبادة كالسجود والصيام والصدقة والتلاوة وأي نعمة أعظم من النعمة ببروز هذا النبي نبي الرحمة في ذلك اليوم وعلى هذا فينبغي أن يتحرى اليوم بعينه حتى يطابق قصة موسى في يوم عاشوراء ومن لم يلاحظ ذلك لا يبالي بعمل المولد في أي يوم من الشهر بل توسع قوم فنقلوه إلى يوم من السنة وفيه ما فيه – فهذا ما يتعلق بأصل عمله، وأما ما يعمل فيه فينبغي أن يقتصر فيه على ما يفهم الشكر لله تعالى من نحو ما تقدم ذكره من التلاوة والإطعام والصدقة وإنشاد شيء من المدائح النبوية والزهدية المحركة للقلوب إلى فعل الخير والعمل للآخرة وأما ما يتبع ذلك من السماع واللهو وغير ذلك فينبغي أن يقال ما كان من ذلك مباحا بحيث يقتضي السرور بذلك اليوم لا بأس بإلحاقه به وما كان حراما أو مكروها فيمنع وكذا ما كان خلاف الأولى
Syaikhul Islam Hafizh di masa ini, Abul Fadhl Ibnu Hajar ditanya mengenai amalan Maulid, beliau pun menjawab dengan redaksi sebagai berikut:
“Asal melakukan maulid adalah bid’ah, tidak diriwayatkan dari ulama salaf dalam tiga abad pertama, akan tetapi didalamnya terkandung kebaikan-kebaikan dan juga kesalahan-kesalahan. Barangsiapa melakukan kebaikan di dalamnya dan menjauhi kesalahan-kesalahan, maka ia telah melakukan buid’ah yang baik (bid’ah hasanah). Saya telah melihat landasan yang kuat dalam hadist sahih Bukhari dan Muslim bahwa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam datang ke Madinah, beliau menemukan orang Yahudi berpuasa pada hari ‘Asyura, maka beliau bertanya kepada mereka, dan mereka menjawab, “Itu hari dimana Allah menenggelamkan Firaun, menyelamatkan Musa, kami berpuasa untuk mensyukuri itu semua.” Dari situ dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa boleh melakukan syukur pada hari tertentu di situ terjadi nikmat yang besar atau terjadi penyelamatan dari mara bahaya, dan dilakukan itu tiap bertepatan pada hari itu. Syukur bisa dilakukan dengan berbagai macam ibadah, seperti sujud, puasa, sedekah, membaca al-Qur’an dll. Apa nikmat paling besar selain kehadiran Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam di muka bumi ini. Maka sebaiknya merayakan maulid dengan melakukan syukur berupa membaca Qur’an, memberi makan fakir miskin, menceritakan keutamaan dan kebaikan Rasulullah yang bisa menggerakkan hati untuk berbuat baik dan amal sholih. Adapun yang dilakukan dengan mendengarkan musik dan memainkan alat musik, maka hukumnya dikembalikan kepada hukum pekerjaan itu. Kalau perkara yang dilakukan ketika itu mubah maka hukum merayakannya mubah, kalau itu haram maka hukumnya haram dan kalau itu kurang baik maka begitu seterusnya”.[7]
Sanggahan untuk kerancuan di atas:
Pertama: Yang harus dipahami dari setiap perkataan ulama bahwa mereka tidaklah ma’shum, artinya mereka tidaklah luput dari kesalahan dan ketergelinciran. Oleh karenanya, seharusnya yang jadi pegangan adalah dalil. Janganlah bersikap mengambil pendapat mereka yang ganjil berdasarkan selera dan hawa nafsu. Jika ketergelinciran dan kekeliruan mereka yang diambil, maka pasti kita pun akan menuai kejelekan.
Sulaiman At Taimi mengatakan,
لَوْ أَخَذْتَ بِرُخْصَةِ كُلِّ عَالِمٍ اِجْتَمَعَ فِيْكَ الشَّرُّ كُلُّهُ
“Seandainya engkau mengambil setiap ketergelinciran ulama, maka pasti akan terkumpul padamu kejelekan.” Setelah mengemukakan perkataan ini, Ibnu ‘Abdil Barr mengatakan, ”Ini adalah ijma’ (kesepakatan) para ulama, saya tidak mengetahui adanya perselisihan dalam hal ini.”
Al Auza’i mengatakan,
مَنْ أَخَذَ بِنَوَادِرِ العُلَمَاءِ خَرَجَ مِنَ الإِسْلاَمِ
“Barangsiapa yang mengambil pendapat yang ganjil dari para ulama, maka ia bisa jadi keluar dari Islam.” Asy Syatibi menyampaikan adanya ijma’ (kesepakatan para ulama) bahwa mencari-cari pendapat yang ganjil dari para ulama tanpa ada pegangan dalil syar’i adalah suatu kefasikan dan hal ini jelas tidak dibolehkan.[8]
Kedua: Ibnu Hajar rahimahullah telah mengatakan di atas: “Asal melakukan maulid adalah bid’ah, tidak diriwayatkan dari ulama salaf dalam tiga abad pertama”, maka sebenarnya perkataan beliau ini sudah cukup untuk menyatakan tercelanya perayaan Maulid. Cukup sebagai sanggahannya,
لَوْ كَانَ خَيرْاً لَسَبَقُوْنَا إِلَيْهِ
“Seandainya amalan tersebut (perayaan maulid) baik, tentu mereka (para sahabat dan tabi’in) sudah mendahului kita untuk melakukannya.”
Ketiga: Justru dalil puasa Asyura di atas bisa berbalik pada orang yang pro Maulid. Jika puasa Asyura adalah dalil untuk memperingati Maulid, maka tentu para salaf dahulu akan menjadikannya sebagai dalil. Sudah dipastikan bahwa mereka telah berijma’ (bersepakat) tidak merayakan maulid karena tidak satu pun di antara generasi awal Islam yang merayakannya. Argumen yang dikemukakan oleh Ibnu Hajar rahimahullah sebenarnya telah menyelisihi ijma’ (kesepakatan) para ulama salaf dari sisi pemahaman dan pengamalan. Siapa saja yang menyelisihi ijma’ salaf, berarti ia telah keliru. Karena para salaf tidaklah mungkin bersatu melainkan dalam petunjuk.
Keempat: Menyimpulkan dibolehkannya perayaan Maulid dari puasa Asyura adalah pendalilan yang terlalu memberat-beratkan diri dan pendalilan semacam ini tertolak. Karena ingatlah bahwa Maulid adalah ibadah dan bukan amalan sosial sebagaimana kata sebagian orang. Buktinya adalah yang merayakan maulid ingin merealisasikan cinta Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, namun lewat jalan yang keliru. Dan juga setiap yang merayakannya pasti ingin cari pahala. Bagaimana mungkin ini dikatakan bukan ibadah?! Jika perayaan tersebut adalah ibadah, maka landasannya adalah dalil dan mengikuti tuntunan Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, bukan hanya sangkaan baik semata. Jika masih mengklaim bahwa Maulid adalah bid’ah hasanah, maka cukup kami sanggah dengan perkataan Ibnu Mas’ud radhiyallahu ‘anhu,
وَكَمْ مِنْ مُرِيدٍ لِلْخَيْرِ لَنْ يُصِيبَهُ
“Betapa banyak orang yang menginginkan kebaikan, namun tidak mendapatkannya.”[9]
Ibnu ‘Umar mengatakan,
كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ ، وَإِنْ رَآهَا النَّاسُ حَسَنَةً
“Setiap bid’ah adalah sesat, walaupun manusia menganggapnya baik.”[10]
Kelima: Ingatlah bahwa mengenai puasa Asyura ada dorongan dari Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam untuk melakukannya. Hal ini jauh berbeda dengan perayaan Maulid yang Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam sama sekali tidak mendorong untuk melakukannya.[11]
Kerancuan Ketiga: Shalahuddin Al Ayubi Mempelopori Peringatan Maulid
Di negeri ini lebih terkenal kalau Shalahuddin Al Ayubi adalah pelopor Maulid Nabi dalam rangka menyemangati para pemuda.
Kami merasa aneh kenapa pejuang Sunnah yang anti Rafidhah (Syi’ah) malah diklaim sebagai pemrakarsa perayaan Maulid. Perlu diketahui bahwa Shalahuddin Al Ayubi adalah seorang raja dan panglima Islam. Beliau bahkan yang melenyapkan perayaan Maulid yang sebenarnya diprakarsai oleh Dinasti Fatimiyyun sebagaimana dinyatakan oleh banyak ahli sejarah. Berikut perkataan ahli sejarah mengenai Maulid Nabi.
Al Maqriziy, seorang pakar sejarah mengatakan, “Para khalifah Fatimiyyun memiliki banyak perayaan sepanjang tahun. Ada perayaan tahun baru, hari ‘Asyura, maulid (hari kelahiran) Nabi, maulid Ali bin Abi Thalib, maulid Hasan dan Husain, maulid Fatimah al Zahra, maulid khalifah yang sedang berkuasa, perayaan malam pertama bulan Rajab, perayaan malam pertengahan bulan Rajab, perayaan malam pertama bulan Sya’ban, perayaan malam pertengahan bulan Rajab, perayaan malam pertama bulan Ramadhan, perayaan malam penutup Ramadhan, perayaan ‘Idul Fithri, perayaan ‘Idul Adha, perayaan ‘Idul Ghadir, perayaan musim dingin dan musim panas, perayaan malam Al Kholij, hari Nauruz (Tahun Baru Persia), hari Al Ghottos, hari Milad (Natal), hari Al Khomisul ‘Adas (3 hari sebelum paskah), dan hari Rukubaat.”[12]
Asy Syaikh Bakhit Al Muti’iy, mufti negeri Mesir dalam kitabnya Ahsanul Kalam (hal. 44) mengatakan bahwa yang pertama kali mengadakan enam perayaan maulid yaitu: perayaan Maulid (hari kelahiran) Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, maulid ‘Ali, maulid Fatimah, maulid Al Hasan, maulid Al Husain –radhiyallahu ‘anhum- dan maulid khalifah yang berkuasa saat itu yaitu Al Mu’izh Lidinillah (keturunan ‘Ubaidillah dari dinasti Fatimiyyun) pada tahun 362 H.
Begitu pula Asy Syaikh ‘Ali Mahfuzh dalam kitabnya Al Ibda’ fi Madhoril Ibtida’ (hal. 251) dan Al Ustadz ‘Ali Fikriy dalam Al Muhadhorot Al Fikriyah (hal. 84) juga mengatakan bahwa yang mengadakan perayaan Maulid pertama kali adalah ‘Ubaidiyyun (Fatimiyyun).[13]
Lalu siapakah sebenarnya ‘Ubaidiyyun (Fatimiyyun)?
Al Qodhi Al Baqillaniy menulis kitab khusus untuk membantah Fatimiyyun yang beliau namakan “Kasyful Asror wa Hatkul Astar (Menyingkap rahasia dan mengoyak tirai)”. Dalam kitab tersebut, beliau membuka kedok Fatimiyyun dengan mengatakan, “Mereka adalah suatu kaum yang menampakkan pemahaman Rafidhah (Syi’ah) dan menyembunyikan kekufuran semata.”
Ahmad bin ‘Abdul Halim Al Haroni Ad Dimasqiy mengatakan, “Tidak disangsikan lagi, jika kita melihat pada sejarah kerajaan Fatimiyyun, kebanyakan dari raja (penguasa) mereka adalah orang-orang yang zholim, sering menerjang perkara yang haram, jauh dari melakukan perkara yang wajib, paling semangat dalam menampakkan bid’ah yang menyelisihi Al Kitab dan As Sunnah, dan menjadi pendukung orang munafik dan ahli bid’ah. Perlu diketahui, para ulama telah sepakat bahwa Daulah Bani Umayyah, Bani Al ‘Abbas (‘Abbasiyah) lebih dekat pada ajaran Allah dan Rasul-Nya, lebih berilmu, lebih unggul dalam keimanan daripada Daulah Fatimiyyun. Dua daulah tadi lebih sedikit berbuat bid’ah dan maksiat daripada Daulah Fatimiyyun. Begitu pula khalifah kedua daulah tadi lebih utama daripada Daulah Fatimiyyun.”
Beliau rahimahullah juga mengatakan, “Bani Fatimiyyun adalah di antara manusia yang paling fasik (banyak bermaksiat) dan paling kufur.”[14]
Bani Fatimiyyun atau ‘Ubaidiyyun juga menyatakan bahwa mereka memiliki nasab (silsilah keturunan) sampai Fatimah. Ini hanyalah suatu kedustaan. Tidak ada satu pun ulama yang menyatakan demikian.
Ahmad bin ‘Abdul Halim juga mengatakan dalam halaman yang sama, “Sudah diketahui bersama dan tidak bisa disangsikan lagi bahwa siapa yang menganggap mereka di atas keimanan dan ketakwaan atau menganggap mereka memiliki silsilah keturunan sampai Fatimah, sungguh ini adalah suatu anggapan tanpa dasar ilmu sama sekali. Allah Ta’ala berfirman (yang artinya), “Dan janganlah kamu mengikuti apa yang kamu tidak mempunyai pengetahuan tentangnya.” (QS. Al Israa’: 36). Begitu juga Allah Ta’ala berfirman (yang artinya), “Kecuali orang yang bersaksi pada kebenaran sedangkan mereka mengetahuinya.” (QS. Az Zukhruf: 86). Allah Ta’ala juga mengatakan saudara Yusuf (yang artinya), “Dan kami hanya menyaksikan apa yang kami ketahui.” (QS. Yusuf: 81). Perlu diketahui bahwa tidak ada satu pun ulama yang menyatakan benarnya silsilah keturunan mereka sampai pada Fatimah.”[15]
Begitu pula Ibnu Khallikan mengatakan, “Para ulama peneliti nasab mengingkari klaim mereka dalam nasab [yang katanya sampai pada Fatimah].”[16]
‘Abdullah At Tuwaijiriy mengatakan, “Al Qodhi Abu Bakr Al Baqillaniy dalam kitabnya ‘yang menyingkap rahasia dan mengoyak tirai Bani ‘Ubaidiyyun’, beliau menyebutkan bahwa Bani Fatimiyyun adalah keturunan Majusi. Cara beragama mereka lebih parah dari Yahudi dan Nashrani. Bahkan yang paling ekstrim di antara mereka mengklaim ‘Ali sebagai ilah (Tuhan yang disembah) atau ada sebagian mereka yang mengklaim ‘Ali memiliki kenabian. Sungguh Bani Fatimiyyun ini lebih kufur dari Yahudi dan Nashrani.
Al Qodhi Abu Ya’la dalam kitabnya Al Mu’tamad menjelaskan panjang lebar mengenai kemunafikan dan kekufuran Bani Fatimiyyun. Begitu pula Abu Hamid Al Ghozali membantah aqidah mereka dalam kitabnya Fadho-ihul Bathiniyyah (Mengungkap kesalahan aliran Batiniyyah).”[17]
Bagaimana mungkin Shalahuddin menghidupkan perayaan Maulid sedangkan beliau sendiri yang menumpas ‘Ubaidiyyun?! Ahmad bin ‘Abdul Halim Al Haroni rahimahullah mengatakan,
صَلَاحِ الدِّينِ الَّذِي فَتَحَ مِصْرَ ؛ فَأَزَالَ عَنْهَا دَعْوَةَ العبيديين مِنْ الْقَرَامِطَةِ الْبَاطِنِيَّةِ وَأَظْهَرَ فِيهَا شَرَائِعَ الْإِسْلَامِ
“Sholahuddin-lah yang menaklukkan Mesir. Beliau menghapus dakwah ‘Ubaidiyyun yang menganut aliran Qoromithoh Bathiniyyah (aliran yang jelas sesatnya, pen). Shalahuddin-lah yang menghidupkan syari’at Islam di kala itu.”[18]
Dalam perkataan lainnya, Ahmad bin ‘Abdul Halim Al Haroni rahimahullah mengatakan,
فَتَحَهَا مُلُوكُ السُّنَّة مِثْلُ صَلَاحِ الدِّينِ وَظَهَرَتْ فِيهَا كَلِمَةُ السُّنَّةِ الْمُخَالِفَةُ لِلرَّافِضَةِ ثُمَّ صَارَ الْعِلْمُ وَالسُّنَّةُ يَكْثُرُ بِهَا وَيَظْهَرُ
“Negeri Mesir kemudian ditaklukkan oleh raja yang berpegang teguh dengan Sunnah yaitu Shalahuddin. Beliau yang menampakkan ajaran Nabi yang shahih di kala itu, berseberangan dengan ajaran Rafidhah (Syi’ah). Di masa beliau, akhirnya ilmu dan ajaran Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam semakin terbesar luas.”[19][20]
Dari penjelasan ini, sangat mustahil jika kita katakan bahwa Shalahuddin Al Ayubi yang menjadi pelopor perayaan Maulid, padahal beliau sendiri yang menumpas ‘Ubaidiyyun. Sungguh, jika ada yang menyatakan bahwa Shalahuddin sebagai pelopor Maulid, maka ini sama saja memutar balikkan sejarah. Sejarah yang benar, Shalahuddin itu menumpas ‘Ubaidiyyun sebelum diadakan perang salib karena ‘Ubaidiyyun yang sebenarnya melemahkan kaum muslimin dengan maulid yang mereka ada-adakan. Namun inilah kenyataan sejarah yang direkayasa yang diputarbalik dan disebar di negeri ini. Hanya Allah yang beri taufik.
Kerancuan Keempat: Argumen Peringatan Maulid dengan Puasa Senin Kamis
Berikut adalah kerancuan lainnya dari kalangan pro Maulid. Mereka mengatakan, “Rasulullah SAW sendiri mensyukuri atas kelahirannya. Dalam sebuah hadits dinyatakan:
عَنْ أَبِيْ قَتَادَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ الْإِثْنَيْنِ فَقَالَ فِيْهِ وُلِدْتُ وَفِيْهِ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيَّ . رواه مسلم
“Dari Abi Qotadah al-Anshori RA sesungguhnya Rasulullah SAW pernah ditanya mengenai puasa hari senin. Rasulullah SAW menjawab: Pada hari itu aku dilahirkan dan wahyu diturunkan kepadaku”. (H.R. Muslim, Abud Dawud, Tirmidzi, Nasa’I, Ibnu Majah, Ahmad, Ibnu Khuzaimah, Ibnu Hibban, Ibnu Abi Syaibah dan Baghawi).”[21]
Sanggahan terhadap syubhat di atas:
Pertama: Bagaimana mungkin dalil di atas menjadi pendukung untuk merayakan hari kelahiran beliau[?] Ini sungguh tidak tepat dalam berdalil. Lihatlah Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam tidak pernah melaksanakan puasa pada tanggal kelahirannya yaitu tanggal 12 Rabiul Awwal, dan itu kalau benar pada tanggal tersebut beliau lahir. Karena dalam masalah tanggal kelahiran beliau masih terdapat perselisihan. Yang beliau shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam lakukan adalah puasa pada hari Senin bukan pada 12 Rabiul Awwal[!] Seharusnya kalau mau mengenang hari kelahiran Nabi dengan dalil di atas, maka perayaan Maulid harus setiap pekan bukan setiap tahun.
Kedua: Ingatlah bahwa Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bukan hanya menjadikan hari Senin untuk berpuasa namun juga hari kamis. Dari ‘Aisyah radhiyallahu ‘anha, beliau mengatakan,
إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- كَانَ يَتَحَرَّى صِيَامَ الاِثْنَيْنِ وَالْخَمِيسِ.
“Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam biasa menaruh pilihan berpuasa pada hari senin dan kamis.”[22] Sehingga hadits yang dikemukakan kalangan pro Maulid bukan menunjukkan bahwa beliau ingin memperingati hari kelahirannya.
Ketiga: Jika memperingati maulid adalah dalam rangka bersyukur kepada Allah atas kelahiran Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, maka cara memperingatinya adalah dengan berpuasa sebagaimana yang beliau contohkan. Namun kami belum ketahui ada yang bersyukur dengan cara seperti ini. Yang ada bentuk syukurnya adalah dengan membaca shalawat tanpa tuntunan, bahkan ada pula yang memperingatinya dengan bermusik ria.[23]
Demikian pembahasan kami mengenai beberapa syubhat yang ada dari para simpatisan Maulid. Namun masih banyak syubhat dan kerancuan lainnya, moga-moga lain waktu bisa kami lengkapi insya Allah. Kerancuan dan jawaban lainnya bisa dilihat di artikel kami sebelumnya di sini. Intinya, syubhat yang dimunculkan tidak terlepas dari dua kemungkinan, yaitu boleh jadi dengan anggapan baik semata (tanpa dalil) dan boleh jadi dengan dalil namun salah dalam memahami.
Semoga apa yang kami sajikan ini bermanfaat bagi kaum muslimin sekalian. Cukuplah maksud kami ini sebagaimanan yang dikatakan oleh Nabi Syu’aib,
إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ
“Aku tidak bermaksud kecuali (mendatangkan) perbaikan selama aku masih berkesanggupan. Dan tidak ada taufik bagiku melainkan dengan (pertolongan) Allah. Hanya kepada Allah aku bertawakkal dan hanya kepada-Nya-lah aku kembali.” (QS. Huud: 88)
Segala puji bagi Allah yang dengan nikmat-Nya segala kebaikan menjadi sempurna.
[1] Syubhat ini dikemukakan di salah satu web pro Maulid Nabi. Silakan lihat link berikut >> http://www.pesantrenvirtual.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1150&Itemid=1 . Begitu pula Syubhat ini dilontarkan oleh pemilik blog Salafytobat di sini >> http://salafytobat.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/sunnah-maulid-nabi-allah-pun-merayakan-maulid-nabi-nabi/ .
[2] Lihat Iqtidho’ Ash Shirothil Mustaqim li Mukholafati Ash-haabil Jahiim, Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, Tahqiq & Ta’liq: Dr. Nashir ‘Abdul Karim Al ‘Aql, 2/126-127, Wizarotusy Syu’un Al Islamiyah, cetakan ketujuh, tahun 1419 H
[3] Lihat Iqtidho’ Ash Shirothil Mustaqim, 2/123-124.
[4] Coba lihat pembahasan tentang “Sejarah Kelam Maulid Nabi” di sini >> http://rumaysho.com/belajar-islam/jalan-kebenaran/2925-sejarah-kelam-maulid-nabi.html atau di sini >> http://muslim.or.id/manhaj/antara-cinta-nabi-dan-perayaan-maulid-nabi-2.html . Insya Allah akan kami singgung pula dalam penjelasan selanjutnya.
[5] Majmu’ Al Fatawa, Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, 25/298, Darul Wafa’,
[6] Lihat Al Hawi Lil Fatawa, As Suyuthi, 1/282, Asy Syamilah
[7] Syubhat ini disampaikan dari web pro Maulid Nabi di link berikut >> http://www.pesantrenvirtual.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1150&Itemid=1
[8] Lihat Kasyful Jaani, Muhammad At Tiijani, hal. 96, Asy Syamilah.
[9] HR. Ad Darimi. Dikatakan oleh Husain Salim Asad bahwa sanad hadits ini jayid.
[10] Lihat Al Ibanah Al Kubro li Ibni Baththoh, 1/219, Asy Syamilah
[11] Sanggahan ini kami olah dengan beberapa tambahan dari Al Bida’ Al Hawliyah, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdil ‘Aziz bin Ahmad At Tuwaijiri, hal. 159-161, Darul Fadhilah, cetakan pertama, tahun 1421 H.
[12] Al Mawa’izh wal I’tibar bi Dzikril Khutoti wal Atsar, 1/490. Dinukil dari Al Maulid, hal. 20 dan Al Bida’ Al Hawliyah, hal. 145-146
[13] Dinukil dari Al Maulid, hal. 20
[14] Majmu’ Al Fatawa, 35/127
[15] Idem.
[16] Wafayatul A’yan, 3/117-118
[17] Al Bida’ Al Hawliyah, 142-143
[18] Majmu’ Al Fatawa, 35/138
[19] Majmu’ Al Fatawa, 3/281.
[20] Untuk mengetahui selengkapnya mengenai Shalahuddin Al Ayubi apakah mendukung Maulid, silakan baca di buku “Benarkan Shalahudin Al Ayubi mengerjakan Maulid Nabi?”, yang ditulis oleh Al Ustadz Ibnu Saini bin Muhammad bin Musa, Maktabah Muawiyah bin Abi Sofyan.
[21] Syubhat ini dijadikan dalil bolehnya perayaan Maulid Nabi di web pada link berikut >> http://www.pesantrenvirtual.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1150&Itemid=1 .
[22] HR. An Nasai no. 2360 dan Ibnu Majah no. 1739. Syaikh Al Albani mengatakan bahwa hadits ini shahih. Lihat Shahihul Jaami’ no. 4897.
[23] Lihat sanggahan dalam kitab Al Bida’ Al Hawliyah, hal. 176.
Source: www.muslim.or.id
Friday 26 February 2010
Tuesday 16 February 2010
Islam Is Not The Source Of Terrorism, But Its Solution
Introduction
During the last two decades in particular, the concept of "Islamic terror" has been often discussed. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on targets in New York and Washington which caused the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, this concept has once again returned to the top of the international agenda.
As Muslims, we completely condemn these attacks and offer our condolences to the American people.
In this article, we will explain that Islam is by no means the source of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam.
We strongly condemn the cruel terrorist acts which targeted the innocent people of the United States.
One point that should be stressed at the outset is that the identities of the perpetrators of the acts of terrorism which targeted the United States are not yet determined. There is a chance that these horrible attackers are linked to quite different centres. It may well be a communist organization harboring rage and hatred against American values, a fascist organization opposing federal administration or a secret faction in another state. Even though the hijackers have Muslim identities, the questions regarding by whom and for what purposes these people were used will probably remain to be a mystery.
The fact remains however, that even if the terrorists have Muslim identities, the terror they perpetrated cannot be labelled "Islamic terror", just as it would not be called "Jewish terror" if the perpetrators were Jews or "Christian terror" if they were Christians.
That is because, as we will examine in the following pages, murdering innocent people in the name of religion is unacceptable. We need to keep in mind that, among those who were killed in Washington or New York, there were people who loved Jesus (Christians), Prophet Moses (Jews) and Muslims. According to Islam, murdering innocent people is a great sin that, unless forgiven by God, brings torment in Hell.
Thus, a religious person who has fear of God can never commit such an act.
In fact, the aggressors can commit such violence only with the intention of attacking religion itself. It may well be that they carried out this violence to present religion as evil in the eyes of people, to divorce people from religion and to generate hatred and reaction against pious people. Consequently, every attack having a "religious" facade on American citizens or other innocent people is actually an attack made against religion.
All the three Theistic religions command love, mercy and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is the opposite of religion; it is cruel, merciless and it demands bloodshed and misery. This being the case, while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, its origins should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion. People with a fascist, communist, racist or materialist outlook on life should be suspected as potential perpetrators. The name or the identity of the triggerman is not important. If he can kill innocent people without blinking an eye, whatever his label is, then he is a disbeliever, not a believer. He is a murderer with no fear of God, whose main ambition is to shed blood and to give harm.
For this reason, "Islamic terror" is quite a erroneous concept which contradicts Islam's message. That is because, the religion of Islam can by no means concur with terror. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for preventing terrorist acts and bringing peace and justice to the world.
The Values of the Qur'an demands Goodness, Justice and Peace
Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it in another way, the targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime is, in the eyes of terrorists, to represent "the other".
This is an act bereft of any moral justification. This, as in the case of murders committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crime committed against "mankind".
The Qur'an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in this Book, God commands man to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. God calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and tolerance can be experienced all over the world:
You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. (Surat al-Baqara :208)
The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and preventing the "dissemination of mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As God says in a verse, "God does not love mischief makers". (Surat al-Qasas: 77)
Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed to Jews in the Old Testament thus:
So We decreed for the tribe of Israel that if someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32)
As the verse suggests, a person who kills even a single man, "unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind on earth.
This being the case, it is obvious what great sins are the murders, massacres and, attacks, popularly known as "suicide attacks", committed by terrorists are. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:
There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment. (Surat ash-Shura: 42)
All these reveal that organizing acts of terror against innocent people is utterly against Islam and it is unlikely that any Muslim could ever commit such crime. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for stopping these people, removing "mischief on earth" and bringing peace and security to all people all over the world. Being a Muslim cannot be reconciled with terror. Just the contrary, it is the solution and prevention of terror.
This being the case, how did the popular term "Islamic terror" emerge?
What has been examined so far reveals that it is not possible to talk about an "Islamic" terror. Indeed, a closer look at the characteristics of the perpetrators explicitly reveals that this terror is not a religious but a social phenomenon.
Crusaders: Barbarians Who Trampled Their Own Religion
A helmet used by the Crusaders.
The true message of a religion or another system of belief can be at times exposed to distortion by its pseudo-adherents. The Crusaders, who constitute a dark episode of Christian history, set a good example of this.
Crusaders were European Christians who undertook the expeditions at the end of the 11th century to recover the Holy Land (the area around Palestine) from the Muslims. They set out with a so-called religious goal, yet they laid waste each acre of land they entered with fear and violence. They subjected civilians to mass executions and plundered many villages and towns.
Their conquest of Jerusalem, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived under Islamic rule in peace, became the scene of immense bloodshed. They violently killed all Muslims and Jews. The Crusaders' barbarism was so excessive that, during the Fourth Crusade, they plundered Istanbul, also a Christian city, and stole the golden objects from the churches.
Despite the fact that Christianity is a religion of love and pacifism, the Crusaders slaughtered innocent people in the name of Christ. They misunderstood their religion.
No doubt, all this barbarism was utterly against Christian political doctrine. That is because, Christianity, in the words of the Bible, is a "gospel of love". In the Gospel according to Matthew, it is said that Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" to his followers (Matthew, 5/44) In the Gospel according to Luke, it is said that Jesus said "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." (Luke, 6/29) No doubt, in no part of the New Testament, is there reference to the legitimacy of violence; murdering innocent people, on the other hand, is unimaginable. You can find the concept of "massacre of the innocents" in the Bible; yet, only in the cruel Jewish King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus while he was a baby.
While Christianity is a religion based on love that accommodates no violence, how did Christian Crusaders carry out the most violent acts of history? The major reason for this is that, Crusaders were mainly made up of ignorant people who could better be defined as "rabble". These masses, who knew almost nothing about their religion, who had never read or even seen the Bible once in their lifetime, and who were therefore completely unaware of the moral values of the Bible, were led into barbarism under the conditioning of Crusaders' slogans as "God wills it".
It is worth mentioning that in that period, Eastern Christians - the people of Byzantium, for instance - who were culturally far ahead of Western Christians, espoused more humane values. Both before and after the Crusaders' conquests, Orthodox Christians managed to live together with Muslims. According to Terry Johns, the BBC commentator, with the withdrawal of the Crusaders from Middle East, "civilized life started again and members of the three monotheistic faith returned to peaceful coexistence." [1] The example of the Crusaders is indicative of a general phenomenon: The more the adherents of an ideology are uncivilized, intellectually underdeveloped and "ignorant", the more likely they are to resort to violence. This also holds true for ideologies that have nothing to do with religion. All communist movements around the world are prone to violence. Yet the most savage and blood-thirsty of them was the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia. That is because they were the most ignorant.
Just as ignorant people may take a violence-ridden opinion to the point of insanity, so they may confuse violence with an opinion against violence (or to religion). The Islamic world also experienced such cases.
The Bedouin Character in the Qur'an
In the period of our Prophet, there existed two basic social structures in Arabia. City-dwellers and Bedouins (Desert Arabs). A sophisticated culture prevailed in Arab towns. Commercial relations linked the towns to the outer world, which contributed to the formation of "civilized life" among Arabs dwelling in cities. They had refined aesthetic values, enjoyed literature and, especially poetry. Desert Arabs, on the other hand, were the nomad tribes living in the desert who had a very crude culture. Utterly unaware of arts and literature, they developed an unrefined, harsh character.
Islam was born and developed among the inhabitants of Mecca, the most important city of the peninsula. However, as Islam spread to the peninsula, all tribes in Arabia embraced it. Among these tribes were also Desert Arabs, who were somehow problematic: their poor intellectual and cultural background prevented them from grasping the profundity and noble spirit of Islam. Of this God states the following in a verse:
The Desert Arabs are more obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy and more likely not to know the limits which God has sent down to His Messenger. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 97)
The Desert Arabs, that is, social groups who were "obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy" and prone to disobey God's commands, became a part of the Islamic world in the Prophet's lifetime. In latter periods, they became a source of trouble for the Islamic world. The sect called "Kharijis" that emerged among Bedouins was an example. The most distinctive trait of this perverse sect (which was called "Kharijis" the rebels because they greatly deviated from Sunni practises), was their extremely vulgar, wild and fanatical nature. The "Kharijis", who had no comprehension whatsoever of the essence of Islam or of the virtues and the values of the Qur'an, waged war against all other Muslims and based this war on a few Qur'anic verses about which they made distorted interpretations. Furthermore, they carried out "acts of terrorism". Caliph Ali, who was one of the closest companions of the Prophet and was described by him as the "gate of the city of knowledge", was assassinated by a Kharijite.
In latter periods, "Hashashis" (Assassins), another brutal organization, emerged; this was a "terrorist organization" made up of ignorant and fanatical militants bereft of a profound understanding of the essence of Islam and thus who could be readily influenced by simple slogans and promises.
In other words, just as the Crusaders distorted and misinterpreted Christianity as a teaching of brutality, some perverted groups emerging in the Islamic world misinterpreted Islam and resorted to brutality. What is common to these sects and the Crusaders was their "Bedouin" nature. That is, they were ignorant, unrefined, uncultivated, vulgar, and isolated people. The violence they resorted resulted from this social structure, rather than the religion to which they claimed to adhere.
The Actual Source of Terrorism: The Third World Fanaticism
These examples from history are enlightening for a better understanding of the phenomenon, the so-called "Islamic terror", which is nowadays on the top of the international agenda. That is because those who emerge and carry out acts of terrorism in the name of Islam or those who back such acts -these people, no doubt, represent a minority in the world of Islam- stem from this "Bedouin character", not from Islam. Failing to understand the essence of Islam, they try to make Islam, essentially a religion of peace and justice, a tool of barbarism, which is simply an outcome of their social and cultural structure. The origin of this barbarism, which may well be called the "Third World Fanaticism", is the benighted initiatives of people who are devoid of love for humans.
It is a fact that, for the last few centuries, Muslims in all corners of the Islamic world, are being subjected to violence by Western forces and their affiliates. The colonialist European states, local oppressive regimes or colonialists backed by the West (Israel, for instance) caused great suffering for Muslims at large. However, for Muslims, this is a situation that has to be approached and responded to from a purely Qur'anic stance.
In no part of the Qur'an does God command believers to "respond to violence with violence". On the contrary, God commands Muslims to "respond to evil with goodness":
A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)
It is no doubt a legitimate right of Muslims to react against cruelty. However, these reactions should never turn into a blind hatred, an unjust enmity. God warns about this in the following verse: "... Do not let hatred for a people who debar you from the Masjid al-Haram incite you into going beyond the limits. Help each other to goodness and heedfulness. Do not help each other to wrongdoing and enmity. Heed God Allah (alone)..." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 2)
Consequently, carrying out terrorist acts under the pretence of "representing the oppressed nations of the world", against the innocent people of other nations is by no means compatible with Islam.
Another point that deserves a special mention here is that all the Western world cannot be held responsible for the aforementioned colonialist (or "neo-colonialist) violence and oppression against Muslims. Actually, the materialist, irreligious philosophies and ideologies that prevailed in the 19th century are responsible for these dismal acts. European colonialism did not originate from Christianity. On the contrary, anti-religious movements opposing the values of Christianity led the way to colonialism. At the roots of the greatest brutalities of the 19th century lies the Social Darwinist ideology.
In the Western world today, there are still cruel, mischievous and opposing elements as well as a culture dominated by peaceful and just elements that have its roots in Judeo-Christian faith. As a matter of fact, the main disagreement is not between the West and Islam. Contrary to the general opinion, it is between the religious people of the West and of the Muslim world on the one hand, and the people opposing religion (like materialists and atheists.) on the other.
Another indication that Third World Fanaticism has nothing to do with Islam is that, until recently, this fanaticism has been identified with communist ideology. As is known, similar anti-Western acts of terror were carried out in 1960s and 70s by Soviet-backed communist organizations. As the impact of the communist ideology faded, some of the social structures which gave birth to communist organizations have turned their attention to Islam. This "brutality presented under the guise of religion", which is formulated by the incorporation of some Islamic concepts and symbols into the former communist rhetoric are entirely against the moral values constituting the essence of Islam.
Anti-Western radicalism once used the communist ideology to support its violence. Now it is trying to use religious concepts.
A last remark about this issue is that Islam is not peculiar to a particular nation or geography. Contrary to the dominant Western perception, Islam is not an "Eastern culture". Islam is the last religion revealed to mankind as a guide to the true path that recommends itself to all humanity. Muslims are responsible for communicating the true religion they believe in to all people of all nations and cultures and making them feel closer to Islam.
Consequently, there is a unique solution for people and groups who, in the name of Islam, resort to terror or establish oppressive regimes and turn this world into a dreadful place instead of beautifying it: revealing the true Islam and communicating it so that the masses can understand and live by it.
Conclusion: Recommendations to the Western World
Today, the Western world is concerned about the organizations that use terror under the guise of Islam and this concern is not misplaced. It is obvious that those carrying out terror and their supporters should be punished according to international judicial criteria. However, a more important point to consider is the long-term strategies that have to be pursued for viable solutions to these problems.
The assessments above reveal that terror has no place in Islam. They further show the inherently contradictory nature of the concept of "Islamic terror". This provides us with an important vantage point:
1) The Western world, especially the United States, will surely take the most dissuasive measures to cope with terror and it has the right to do that. However, it has to state explicitly that this is not a war waged against Islam and Muslims but, on the contrary, a measure serving the best interests of Islam. The "Clash of civilizations", the dangerous scenario envisioned in the 90's should be at all costs prevented.
2) Support should be provided for the spread of "True Islam", which is a religion of love, friendship, peace and brotherhood, and for its true understanding by Islamic societies. The solution for radical factions in Islamic countries should not be "forced secularization". On the contrary, such a policy will incite more reaction from the masses and feed radicalism. The solution is the dissemination of true Islam and the appearance of a Muslim role-model who embraces Qur'anic values such as human rights, democracy, freedom, good morals, science and aesthetics, and who offers happiness and bliss to humanity.
3) The source of terrorism is ignorance and bigotry and the solution is education. To the circles who feel sympathy with terror, it should be said that terror is utterly against Islam, that terror only does harm to Islam, Muslims and to humanity at large. Besides, these people have to be provided with education in order to be purified of this barbarism. The United States' support to such an education policy will yield very positive results.
Our hope is that these measures will help to the world get rid of terrorism and all other bigoted, brutal, barbarous structures. With its Christian-dominated culture and population, the United States, which defines itself as "a nation under God", is in fact a real friend of the Muslims. In the Qur'an, God draws attention to this fact and informs us that Christians are those who are "most affectionate to those who believe". (Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)
In history, some ignorant people (for instance, Crusaders) failed to understand this fact and caused conflicts between these two great religions. To prevent the repetition of this scenario, true Christians and Muslims need to come together and co-operate.
Source: www.harunyahya.com
During the last two decades in particular, the concept of "Islamic terror" has been often discussed. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on targets in New York and Washington which caused the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, this concept has once again returned to the top of the international agenda.
As Muslims, we completely condemn these attacks and offer our condolences to the American people.
In this article, we will explain that Islam is by no means the source of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam.
We strongly condemn the cruel terrorist acts which targeted the innocent people of the United States.
One point that should be stressed at the outset is that the identities of the perpetrators of the acts of terrorism which targeted the United States are not yet determined. There is a chance that these horrible attackers are linked to quite different centres. It may well be a communist organization harboring rage and hatred against American values, a fascist organization opposing federal administration or a secret faction in another state. Even though the hijackers have Muslim identities, the questions regarding by whom and for what purposes these people were used will probably remain to be a mystery.
The fact remains however, that even if the terrorists have Muslim identities, the terror they perpetrated cannot be labelled "Islamic terror", just as it would not be called "Jewish terror" if the perpetrators were Jews or "Christian terror" if they were Christians.
That is because, as we will examine in the following pages, murdering innocent people in the name of religion is unacceptable. We need to keep in mind that, among those who were killed in Washington or New York, there were people who loved Jesus (Christians), Prophet Moses (Jews) and Muslims. According to Islam, murdering innocent people is a great sin that, unless forgiven by God, brings torment in Hell.
Thus, a religious person who has fear of God can never commit such an act.
In fact, the aggressors can commit such violence only with the intention of attacking religion itself. It may well be that they carried out this violence to present religion as evil in the eyes of people, to divorce people from religion and to generate hatred and reaction against pious people. Consequently, every attack having a "religious" facade on American citizens or other innocent people is actually an attack made against religion.
All the three Theistic religions command love, mercy and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is the opposite of religion; it is cruel, merciless and it demands bloodshed and misery. This being the case, while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, its origins should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion. People with a fascist, communist, racist or materialist outlook on life should be suspected as potential perpetrators. The name or the identity of the triggerman is not important. If he can kill innocent people without blinking an eye, whatever his label is, then he is a disbeliever, not a believer. He is a murderer with no fear of God, whose main ambition is to shed blood and to give harm.
For this reason, "Islamic terror" is quite a erroneous concept which contradicts Islam's message. That is because, the religion of Islam can by no means concur with terror. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for preventing terrorist acts and bringing peace and justice to the world.
The Values of the Qur'an demands Goodness, Justice and Peace
Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it in another way, the targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime is, in the eyes of terrorists, to represent "the other".
This is an act bereft of any moral justification. This, as in the case of murders committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crime committed against "mankind".
The Qur'an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in this Book, God commands man to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. God calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and tolerance can be experienced all over the world:
You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. (Surat al-Baqara :208)
The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and preventing the "dissemination of mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As God says in a verse, "God does not love mischief makers". (Surat al-Qasas: 77)
Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed to Jews in the Old Testament thus:
So We decreed for the tribe of Israel that if someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32)
As the verse suggests, a person who kills even a single man, "unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind on earth.
This being the case, it is obvious what great sins are the murders, massacres and, attacks, popularly known as "suicide attacks", committed by terrorists are. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:
There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment. (Surat ash-Shura: 42)
All these reveal that organizing acts of terror against innocent people is utterly against Islam and it is unlikely that any Muslim could ever commit such crime. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for stopping these people, removing "mischief on earth" and bringing peace and security to all people all over the world. Being a Muslim cannot be reconciled with terror. Just the contrary, it is the solution and prevention of terror.
This being the case, how did the popular term "Islamic terror" emerge?
What has been examined so far reveals that it is not possible to talk about an "Islamic" terror. Indeed, a closer look at the characteristics of the perpetrators explicitly reveals that this terror is not a religious but a social phenomenon.
Crusaders: Barbarians Who Trampled Their Own Religion
A helmet used by the Crusaders.
The true message of a religion or another system of belief can be at times exposed to distortion by its pseudo-adherents. The Crusaders, who constitute a dark episode of Christian history, set a good example of this.
Crusaders were European Christians who undertook the expeditions at the end of the 11th century to recover the Holy Land (the area around Palestine) from the Muslims. They set out with a so-called religious goal, yet they laid waste each acre of land they entered with fear and violence. They subjected civilians to mass executions and plundered many villages and towns.
Their conquest of Jerusalem, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived under Islamic rule in peace, became the scene of immense bloodshed. They violently killed all Muslims and Jews. The Crusaders' barbarism was so excessive that, during the Fourth Crusade, they plundered Istanbul, also a Christian city, and stole the golden objects from the churches.
Despite the fact that Christianity is a religion of love and pacifism, the Crusaders slaughtered innocent people in the name of Christ. They misunderstood their religion.
No doubt, all this barbarism was utterly against Christian political doctrine. That is because, Christianity, in the words of the Bible, is a "gospel of love". In the Gospel according to Matthew, it is said that Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" to his followers (Matthew, 5/44) In the Gospel according to Luke, it is said that Jesus said "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." (Luke, 6/29) No doubt, in no part of the New Testament, is there reference to the legitimacy of violence; murdering innocent people, on the other hand, is unimaginable. You can find the concept of "massacre of the innocents" in the Bible; yet, only in the cruel Jewish King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus while he was a baby.
While Christianity is a religion based on love that accommodates no violence, how did Christian Crusaders carry out the most violent acts of history? The major reason for this is that, Crusaders were mainly made up of ignorant people who could better be defined as "rabble". These masses, who knew almost nothing about their religion, who had never read or even seen the Bible once in their lifetime, and who were therefore completely unaware of the moral values of the Bible, were led into barbarism under the conditioning of Crusaders' slogans as "God wills it".
It is worth mentioning that in that period, Eastern Christians - the people of Byzantium, for instance - who were culturally far ahead of Western Christians, espoused more humane values. Both before and after the Crusaders' conquests, Orthodox Christians managed to live together with Muslims. According to Terry Johns, the BBC commentator, with the withdrawal of the Crusaders from Middle East, "civilized life started again and members of the three monotheistic faith returned to peaceful coexistence." [1] The example of the Crusaders is indicative of a general phenomenon: The more the adherents of an ideology are uncivilized, intellectually underdeveloped and "ignorant", the more likely they are to resort to violence. This also holds true for ideologies that have nothing to do with religion. All communist movements around the world are prone to violence. Yet the most savage and blood-thirsty of them was the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia. That is because they were the most ignorant.
Just as ignorant people may take a violence-ridden opinion to the point of insanity, so they may confuse violence with an opinion against violence (or to religion). The Islamic world also experienced such cases.
The Bedouin Character in the Qur'an
In the period of our Prophet, there existed two basic social structures in Arabia. City-dwellers and Bedouins (Desert Arabs). A sophisticated culture prevailed in Arab towns. Commercial relations linked the towns to the outer world, which contributed to the formation of "civilized life" among Arabs dwelling in cities. They had refined aesthetic values, enjoyed literature and, especially poetry. Desert Arabs, on the other hand, were the nomad tribes living in the desert who had a very crude culture. Utterly unaware of arts and literature, they developed an unrefined, harsh character.
Islam was born and developed among the inhabitants of Mecca, the most important city of the peninsula. However, as Islam spread to the peninsula, all tribes in Arabia embraced it. Among these tribes were also Desert Arabs, who were somehow problematic: their poor intellectual and cultural background prevented them from grasping the profundity and noble spirit of Islam. Of this God states the following in a verse:
The Desert Arabs are more obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy and more likely not to know the limits which God has sent down to His Messenger. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 97)
The Desert Arabs, that is, social groups who were "obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy" and prone to disobey God's commands, became a part of the Islamic world in the Prophet's lifetime. In latter periods, they became a source of trouble for the Islamic world. The sect called "Kharijis" that emerged among Bedouins was an example. The most distinctive trait of this perverse sect (which was called "Kharijis" the rebels because they greatly deviated from Sunni practises), was their extremely vulgar, wild and fanatical nature. The "Kharijis", who had no comprehension whatsoever of the essence of Islam or of the virtues and the values of the Qur'an, waged war against all other Muslims and based this war on a few Qur'anic verses about which they made distorted interpretations. Furthermore, they carried out "acts of terrorism". Caliph Ali, who was one of the closest companions of the Prophet and was described by him as the "gate of the city of knowledge", was assassinated by a Kharijite.
In latter periods, "Hashashis" (Assassins), another brutal organization, emerged; this was a "terrorist organization" made up of ignorant and fanatical militants bereft of a profound understanding of the essence of Islam and thus who could be readily influenced by simple slogans and promises.
In other words, just as the Crusaders distorted and misinterpreted Christianity as a teaching of brutality, some perverted groups emerging in the Islamic world misinterpreted Islam and resorted to brutality. What is common to these sects and the Crusaders was their "Bedouin" nature. That is, they were ignorant, unrefined, uncultivated, vulgar, and isolated people. The violence they resorted resulted from this social structure, rather than the religion to which they claimed to adhere.
The Actual Source of Terrorism: The Third World Fanaticism
These examples from history are enlightening for a better understanding of the phenomenon, the so-called "Islamic terror", which is nowadays on the top of the international agenda. That is because those who emerge and carry out acts of terrorism in the name of Islam or those who back such acts -these people, no doubt, represent a minority in the world of Islam- stem from this "Bedouin character", not from Islam. Failing to understand the essence of Islam, they try to make Islam, essentially a religion of peace and justice, a tool of barbarism, which is simply an outcome of their social and cultural structure. The origin of this barbarism, which may well be called the "Third World Fanaticism", is the benighted initiatives of people who are devoid of love for humans.
It is a fact that, for the last few centuries, Muslims in all corners of the Islamic world, are being subjected to violence by Western forces and their affiliates. The colonialist European states, local oppressive regimes or colonialists backed by the West (Israel, for instance) caused great suffering for Muslims at large. However, for Muslims, this is a situation that has to be approached and responded to from a purely Qur'anic stance.
In no part of the Qur'an does God command believers to "respond to violence with violence". On the contrary, God commands Muslims to "respond to evil with goodness":
A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)
It is no doubt a legitimate right of Muslims to react against cruelty. However, these reactions should never turn into a blind hatred, an unjust enmity. God warns about this in the following verse: "... Do not let hatred for a people who debar you from the Masjid al-Haram incite you into going beyond the limits. Help each other to goodness and heedfulness. Do not help each other to wrongdoing and enmity. Heed God Allah (alone)..." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 2)
Consequently, carrying out terrorist acts under the pretence of "representing the oppressed nations of the world", against the innocent people of other nations is by no means compatible with Islam.
Another point that deserves a special mention here is that all the Western world cannot be held responsible for the aforementioned colonialist (or "neo-colonialist) violence and oppression against Muslims. Actually, the materialist, irreligious philosophies and ideologies that prevailed in the 19th century are responsible for these dismal acts. European colonialism did not originate from Christianity. On the contrary, anti-religious movements opposing the values of Christianity led the way to colonialism. At the roots of the greatest brutalities of the 19th century lies the Social Darwinist ideology.
In the Western world today, there are still cruel, mischievous and opposing elements as well as a culture dominated by peaceful and just elements that have its roots in Judeo-Christian faith. As a matter of fact, the main disagreement is not between the West and Islam. Contrary to the general opinion, it is between the religious people of the West and of the Muslim world on the one hand, and the people opposing religion (like materialists and atheists.) on the other.
Another indication that Third World Fanaticism has nothing to do with Islam is that, until recently, this fanaticism has been identified with communist ideology. As is known, similar anti-Western acts of terror were carried out in 1960s and 70s by Soviet-backed communist organizations. As the impact of the communist ideology faded, some of the social structures which gave birth to communist organizations have turned their attention to Islam. This "brutality presented under the guise of religion", which is formulated by the incorporation of some Islamic concepts and symbols into the former communist rhetoric are entirely against the moral values constituting the essence of Islam.
Anti-Western radicalism once used the communist ideology to support its violence. Now it is trying to use religious concepts.
A last remark about this issue is that Islam is not peculiar to a particular nation or geography. Contrary to the dominant Western perception, Islam is not an "Eastern culture". Islam is the last religion revealed to mankind as a guide to the true path that recommends itself to all humanity. Muslims are responsible for communicating the true religion they believe in to all people of all nations and cultures and making them feel closer to Islam.
Consequently, there is a unique solution for people and groups who, in the name of Islam, resort to terror or establish oppressive regimes and turn this world into a dreadful place instead of beautifying it: revealing the true Islam and communicating it so that the masses can understand and live by it.
Conclusion: Recommendations to the Western World
Today, the Western world is concerned about the organizations that use terror under the guise of Islam and this concern is not misplaced. It is obvious that those carrying out terror and their supporters should be punished according to international judicial criteria. However, a more important point to consider is the long-term strategies that have to be pursued for viable solutions to these problems.
The assessments above reveal that terror has no place in Islam. They further show the inherently contradictory nature of the concept of "Islamic terror". This provides us with an important vantage point:
1) The Western world, especially the United States, will surely take the most dissuasive measures to cope with terror and it has the right to do that. However, it has to state explicitly that this is not a war waged against Islam and Muslims but, on the contrary, a measure serving the best interests of Islam. The "Clash of civilizations", the dangerous scenario envisioned in the 90's should be at all costs prevented.
2) Support should be provided for the spread of "True Islam", which is a religion of love, friendship, peace and brotherhood, and for its true understanding by Islamic societies. The solution for radical factions in Islamic countries should not be "forced secularization". On the contrary, such a policy will incite more reaction from the masses and feed radicalism. The solution is the dissemination of true Islam and the appearance of a Muslim role-model who embraces Qur'anic values such as human rights, democracy, freedom, good morals, science and aesthetics, and who offers happiness and bliss to humanity.
3) The source of terrorism is ignorance and bigotry and the solution is education. To the circles who feel sympathy with terror, it should be said that terror is utterly against Islam, that terror only does harm to Islam, Muslims and to humanity at large. Besides, these people have to be provided with education in order to be purified of this barbarism. The United States' support to such an education policy will yield very positive results.
Our hope is that these measures will help to the world get rid of terrorism and all other bigoted, brutal, barbarous structures. With its Christian-dominated culture and population, the United States, which defines itself as "a nation under God", is in fact a real friend of the Muslims. In the Qur'an, God draws attention to this fact and informs us that Christians are those who are "most affectionate to those who believe". (Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)
In history, some ignorant people (for instance, Crusaders) failed to understand this fact and caused conflicts between these two great religions. To prevent the repetition of this scenario, true Christians and Muslims need to come together and co-operate.
Source: www.harunyahya.com
What Does Islam Say About Terrorism?
One of the distinctive characteristics of the times we live in is the overwhelming presence of violence in our societies. Whether it is a bomb going off in a market place, or the hijacking of an aircraft where innocent people are held at ransom to achieve political ends, we live in an age, where the manipulation and loss of innocent lives has become commonplace.
Such is the all-pervasive nature of indiscriminate violence, that “terrorism” is considered as one of the prime threats to peace and security in our societies.
The word terrorism came into wide usage only a few decades ago. One of the unfortunate results of this new terminology is that it limits the definition of terrorism to that perpetrated by small groups or individuals. Terrorism, in fact, spans the entire world, and manifests itself in various forms. Its perpetrators do not fit any stereotype. Those who hold human lives cheap, and have the power to expend human lives, appear at different levels in our societies. The frustrated employee who kills his colleagues in cold-blood or the oppressed citizen of an occupied land who vents his anger by blowing up a school bus are terrorists who provoke our anger and revulsion. Ironically however, the politician who uses age-old ethnic animosities between peoples to consolidate his position, the head of state who orders “carpet bombing” of entire cities, the exalted councils that choke millions of civilians to death by wielding the insidious weapon of sanctions, are rarely punished for their crimes against humanity.
It is this narrow definition of terrorism that implicates only individuals and groups, that has caused Muslims to be associated with acts of destruction and terror, and as a result, to become victims of hate violence and terror themselves. Sometimes the religion of Islam is held responsible for the acts of a handful of Muslims, and often for the acts of non-Muslims!
Could it be possible that Islam, whose light ended the Dark Ages in Europe, now propound the advent of an age of terror? Could a faith that has over 1.2 billion followers the world over, and over 7 million in America, actually advocate the killing and maiming of innocent people? Could Islam, whose name itself stands for “peace” and “submission to God”, encourage its adherents to work for death and destruction?
For too long, have we relied on popular images in the media and in Hollywood films, for answers to these pertinent questions. It is now time to look at the sources of Islam, and its history to determine whether Islam does indeed advocate violence.
SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
The Glorious Qur’an says:
“…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.”
[Al-Qur’an 6:151]
Islam considers all life forms as sacred. However, the sanctity of human life is accorded a special place. The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is the right to live. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“…if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”
[Al-Qur’an 5:32]
Such is the value of a single human life, that the Qur’an equates the taking of even one human life unjustly, with killing all of humanity. Thus, the Qur’an prohibits homicide in clear terms. The taking of a criminal’s life by the state in order to administer justice is required to uphold the rule of law, and the peace and security of the society. Only a proper and competent court can decide whether an individual has forfeited his right to life by disregarding the right to life and peace of other human beings.
ETHICS OF WAR
Even in a state of war, Islam enjoins that one deals with the enemy nobly on the battlefield. Islam has drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the non-combatants of the enemy country. As far as the non-combatant population is concerned such as women, children, the old and the infirm, etc., the instructions of the Prophet are as follows: "Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman"[1]. "Do not kill the monks in monasteries" or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship."[2] During a war, the Prophet saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: "She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?" Thus non-combatants are guaranteed security of life even if their state is at war with an Islamic state.
JIHAD
While Islam in general is misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word ‘jihad’. The term ‘jihad’ has been much abused, to conjure up bizarre images of violent Muslims, forcing people to submit at the point of the sword. This myth was perpetuated throughout the centuries of mistrust during and after the Crusades. Unfortunately, it survives to this day.
The word Jihad comes from the root word jahada, which means to struggle. So jihad is literally an act of struggling. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that the greatest jihad is to struggle with the insidious suggestions of one’s own soul. Thus jihad primarily refers to the inner struggle of being a person of virtue and submission to God in all aspects of life.
Secondarily, jihad refers to struggle against injustice. Islam, like many other religions, allows for armed self-defense, or retribution against tyranny, exploitation, and oppression. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“And why should ye not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? - Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!"
[Al-Qur’an 4:75]
Thus Islam enjoins upon its believers to strive utmost, in purifying themselves, as well as in establishing peace and justice in the society. A Muslim can never be at rest when she sees injustice and oppression around her. As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Islam enjoins upon all Muslims to work actively to maintain the balance in which God created everything. However, regardless of how legitimate the cause may be, the Glorious Qur’an never condones the killing of innocent people. Terrorizing the civilian population can never be termed as jihad and can never be reconciled with the teachings of Islam.
HISTORY OF TOLERANCE
Even Western scholars have repudiated the myth of Muslims coercing others to convert. The great historian De Lacy O'Leary wrote:
"History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated."[3]
Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up until they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan all have significant Christian and/or Jewish populations.
This is not surprising to a Muslim, for his faith prohibits him from forcing others to see his point of view. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.”
[Al-Qur’an 2:256]
ISLAM - THE GREAT UNIFIER
Far from being a militant dogma, Islam is a way of life that transcends race and ethnicity. The Glorious Qur’an repeatedly reminds us of our common origin:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
[Al-Qur’an 49:13]
Thus, it is the universality of its teachings that makes Islam the fastest growing religion in the world. In a world full of conflicts and deep schisms between human beings, a world that is threatened with terrorism, perpetrated by individuals and states, Islam is a beacon of light that offers hope for the future.
----------
[1] Narrated in the collection of traditions of Abu Dawud
[2] Narrated in the Musnad of Imam Ibn Hanbal
[3] Islam At Crossroads, London, 1923, page 8
Source: whyislam.org
Such is the all-pervasive nature of indiscriminate violence, that “terrorism” is considered as one of the prime threats to peace and security in our societies.
The word terrorism came into wide usage only a few decades ago. One of the unfortunate results of this new terminology is that it limits the definition of terrorism to that perpetrated by small groups or individuals. Terrorism, in fact, spans the entire world, and manifests itself in various forms. Its perpetrators do not fit any stereotype. Those who hold human lives cheap, and have the power to expend human lives, appear at different levels in our societies. The frustrated employee who kills his colleagues in cold-blood or the oppressed citizen of an occupied land who vents his anger by blowing up a school bus are terrorists who provoke our anger and revulsion. Ironically however, the politician who uses age-old ethnic animosities between peoples to consolidate his position, the head of state who orders “carpet bombing” of entire cities, the exalted councils that choke millions of civilians to death by wielding the insidious weapon of sanctions, are rarely punished for their crimes against humanity.
It is this narrow definition of terrorism that implicates only individuals and groups, that has caused Muslims to be associated with acts of destruction and terror, and as a result, to become victims of hate violence and terror themselves. Sometimes the religion of Islam is held responsible for the acts of a handful of Muslims, and often for the acts of non-Muslims!
Could it be possible that Islam, whose light ended the Dark Ages in Europe, now propound the advent of an age of terror? Could a faith that has over 1.2 billion followers the world over, and over 7 million in America, actually advocate the killing and maiming of innocent people? Could Islam, whose name itself stands for “peace” and “submission to God”, encourage its adherents to work for death and destruction?
For too long, have we relied on popular images in the media and in Hollywood films, for answers to these pertinent questions. It is now time to look at the sources of Islam, and its history to determine whether Islam does indeed advocate violence.
SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
The Glorious Qur’an says:
“…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.”
[Al-Qur’an 6:151]
Islam considers all life forms as sacred. However, the sanctity of human life is accorded a special place. The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is the right to live. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“…if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”
[Al-Qur’an 5:32]
Such is the value of a single human life, that the Qur’an equates the taking of even one human life unjustly, with killing all of humanity. Thus, the Qur’an prohibits homicide in clear terms. The taking of a criminal’s life by the state in order to administer justice is required to uphold the rule of law, and the peace and security of the society. Only a proper and competent court can decide whether an individual has forfeited his right to life by disregarding the right to life and peace of other human beings.
ETHICS OF WAR
Even in a state of war, Islam enjoins that one deals with the enemy nobly on the battlefield. Islam has drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the non-combatants of the enemy country. As far as the non-combatant population is concerned such as women, children, the old and the infirm, etc., the instructions of the Prophet are as follows: "Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman"[1]. "Do not kill the monks in monasteries" or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship."[2] During a war, the Prophet saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: "She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?" Thus non-combatants are guaranteed security of life even if their state is at war with an Islamic state.
JIHAD
While Islam in general is misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word ‘jihad’. The term ‘jihad’ has been much abused, to conjure up bizarre images of violent Muslims, forcing people to submit at the point of the sword. This myth was perpetuated throughout the centuries of mistrust during and after the Crusades. Unfortunately, it survives to this day.
The word Jihad comes from the root word jahada, which means to struggle. So jihad is literally an act of struggling. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that the greatest jihad is to struggle with the insidious suggestions of one’s own soul. Thus jihad primarily refers to the inner struggle of being a person of virtue and submission to God in all aspects of life.
Secondarily, jihad refers to struggle against injustice. Islam, like many other religions, allows for armed self-defense, or retribution against tyranny, exploitation, and oppression. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“And why should ye not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? - Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!"
[Al-Qur’an 4:75]
Thus Islam enjoins upon its believers to strive utmost, in purifying themselves, as well as in establishing peace and justice in the society. A Muslim can never be at rest when she sees injustice and oppression around her. As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Islam enjoins upon all Muslims to work actively to maintain the balance in which God created everything. However, regardless of how legitimate the cause may be, the Glorious Qur’an never condones the killing of innocent people. Terrorizing the civilian population can never be termed as jihad and can never be reconciled with the teachings of Islam.
HISTORY OF TOLERANCE
Even Western scholars have repudiated the myth of Muslims coercing others to convert. The great historian De Lacy O'Leary wrote:
"History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated."[3]
Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up until they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan all have significant Christian and/or Jewish populations.
This is not surprising to a Muslim, for his faith prohibits him from forcing others to see his point of view. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.”
[Al-Qur’an 2:256]
ISLAM - THE GREAT UNIFIER
Far from being a militant dogma, Islam is a way of life that transcends race and ethnicity. The Glorious Qur’an repeatedly reminds us of our common origin:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
[Al-Qur’an 49:13]
Thus, it is the universality of its teachings that makes Islam the fastest growing religion in the world. In a world full of conflicts and deep schisms between human beings, a world that is threatened with terrorism, perpetrated by individuals and states, Islam is a beacon of light that offers hope for the future.
----------
[1] Narrated in the collection of traditions of Abu Dawud
[2] Narrated in the Musnad of Imam Ibn Hanbal
[3] Islam At Crossroads, London, 1923, page 8
Source: whyislam.org
Monday 15 February 2010
Islam - A Religion of Terror ?
A bomb goes off in a marketplace in Jerusalem. A suicide bomber launches himself into a bus full of women and children in Tel Aviv. Foreign tourists get massacred at a holiday resort in Luxor, Egypt. Villages upon villages get annihilated in Algeria. The list of events worldwide which have come to symbolise the 'Islamic terror' are endless. From the times in the 70's and 80's when Pan Am and TWA aeroplanes would be highjacked, to the mid 80's in war torn Lebanon where Americans and Europeans would be held as hostages for years; all such incidents have come to be identified with the religion of Islam. Such incidents from past and present have undoubtedly affected Muslims worldwide and more so in the West. Any Muslim, who wants to practice his/her religion and expresses the pious desire to live under the banner of Islam, is labelled a fundamentalist or extremist. Any Muslim man who walks down a busy street in London or Paris (and Paris moreso) with a beard and a scarf on his head, is looked upon as being a terrorist who's probably got an AK47 stashed somewhere on his person. Muslim women who are veiled can't go anywhere in the Western world without being taunted as being oppressed or being mad (for covering up). However, are such beliefs and opinions about Islam really justified?
Exploring the myth
One of the many short comings which has arisen in the West, is judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of its people. By doing this, segments of Western society have deliberately played off the desperate actions of many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam. Such behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to distort the reality of Islam. For if such a thing was done Judge a religion by the conduct of its people) then we too could say that all Christianity is about is child molesting and homosexuality [1] whilst Hinduism was all about looting and breaking up mosques [2]. Generalising in such a manner is not seen as being objective, yet we find that the Western world is foremost in propagating this outlook on Islam. So what is the reality of Islam? How does one dispel the myths which have been created and spread so viciously? The only way to examine Islam is to simply examine its belief system. Look at its sources, the Qur'an and Sunna, and see what they have to say. This is the way to find the truth about what Islam says about terror, terrorism and terrorists. One who is sincerely searching for the truth, will do it no other way. The very name Islam comes from the Arabic root word 'salama' which means peace. Islam is a religion which is based upon achieving peace through the submission to the will of Allah. Thus, by this very simple linguistic definition, one can ascertain as to what the nature of this religion is. If such a religion is based on the notion of peace, then how is it that so many acts done by its adherents are contrary to peace? The answer is simple. Such actions, if not sanctioned by the religion, have no place with it. They are not Islamic and should not be thought of as Islamic.
Jihad
The word jihad sends shivers down the spines of many Westerners. They readily equate this term with violence and oppression. However, it must be said that the meaning of jihad, as a 'holy war', is something which is totally foreign and not from Islam. If anything, such a description belongs more so to Christianity and its adherents. It was terms like this which were used to justify the slaughter and pillage of towns and cities during the crusades by the Christians. By simply looking into the sources of Islam, one is able to know that the true meaning of jihad is to strive/make effort in the way of Allah. Thus striving in the way of Allah can be both peaceful and physical. The Prophet Muhammed (saws) said:
"The best jihad is (by) the one who strives against his own self for Allah, The Mighty and Majestic" [3]
In the Qur'an, Allah also says:
"So obey not the disbelievers, but make a great jihad (effort) against them (by preaching) with it (the Qur'an)"
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:52)
By controlling and fighting against ones desires, the Muslims can then also physically exert themselves in the path of Allah. It is this physical or combative jihad which receives so much criticism. Because of the sheer ignorance of this type of jihad Islam is regarded as terror, and Muslims are regarded as terrorists. However, the very purpose of this physical jihad is to raise the word of Allah uppermost. By doing this, it liberates and emancipates all those who are crying out for freedom all over the world. If the likes of the pacifists of this world had their way, then the world would indeed be full of anarchy and mischief. The combative jihad seeks to correct this as Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the Earth would be full of mischief. But Allah is full of bounty to the worlds"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:251)
Such would be the corruption on this Earth if there had never been a combative jihad that Allah says:
"For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely have been pulled down. Indeed Allah will help those who help His (cause). Truly Allah is All strong, All mighty"
(Surah Al-Hajj 22:40)
This combative jihad being both defensive and offensive, is something which is commanded by Allah upon the Muslims. Through this command the oppressed and weak are rescued from the tyranny of the world:
"And what is the matter with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and for those weak, ill treated and oppressed among men, women and children whose only cry is; 'Our Lord, rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise for us from you one who will protect and raise for us from you one who will help"
(Surah An-Nisa 4:75)
Anyone who knows the early history of Islam, will know that all those nations and empires which came under the fold of Islam were indeed previously oppressed. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) went out for the offensive jihad against the Egyptians, the Persians and the Romans, we find that the people did not resist against them at all. Rather, they accepted Islam on such a scale, that it is inconceivable that the jihad of Islam could be anything other then a liberation for these people; a liberation from centuries of tyranny. In fact, with the Byzantine Egyptians and the people of Spain, the Muslims were even beckoned to come and liberate these lands from the oppression of their kings. This is the glorious track record of the Muslim jihad Compare this with the brutal track record of warfare in the Western world over the centuries. From the crusades against the Muslims to the days of colonial warfare, the Western world has killed, destroyed and plundered everything which has come in its way. Even today this merciless killing goes on by the Western nations. While claiming to be about world peace and security, Western nations are ready to bomb innocent civilians at the drop of a hat. The classic example of this is the recent bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Whilst claiming that Sudan and Afghanistan were havens for Islamic terrorists, the bombings of these two nations could not have come at a better time for the American president Bill Clinton. The destruction of innocent lives which were a result of these bombings clearly seem to have been an attempt by Clinton to avert attention away from his sexual misdemeanours; [4] something which he so often gets caught up in. Without doubt this was the reason for such terror from the American military upon innocent people. This is the same American military which claims to enter the worlds trouble spots under the guise of being peace keepers. But
"… when it is said to them; 'Make not mischief on the Earth', they say; 'We are only peace makers'. Indeed they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)
The hypocrisy of the West is indeed astounding.
By looking at the rules and regulations of this combative jihad it will be clear to any sincere person that this is indeed the religion of truth. When fighting an unjust enemy, no matter how unjust they are, it is forbidden by Islam that their retreating forces are mutilated, tortured or slaughtered. The treacherous violation of treaties and carrying out assassinations after a cease fire, are also prohibited. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you. But do not transgress the limits. Truly Allah loves not the transgressors"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190)
Not transgressing the limits means not to kill women and children, for the Messenger of Allah (saws) "forbade the killing of women and children" [5]. Not transgressing the limits means that the elderly, the sick, monks, worshippers and hired labourers are not attacked. Not transgressing the limits means not killing animals wantonly, burning crops and vegetation, polluting waters and destroying homes, monasteries, churches and synagogues:
"Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity"
(Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8)
After reading such passages from the Qur'an and knowing about what Islam commands and prohibits in jihad, the rules of warfare are given a new meaning; a meaning of justice. How sad it is then, that whilst Islam is condemned for striking terror into the hearts of the people, the likes of the Serbs, the Indian army in Kashmir and the Israeli soldiers in Palestine are left untarnished for the atrocities they have committed in the name of warfare.
So what about suicide bombing, is this too a part of jihad in Allah's path? From what has already been stated above, it can be deduced that this is not from the religion. However, unfortunately many Muslims have taken suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by which one receives reward. This could not be further from the truth. The Prophet (saws) said: "Those who go to extremes are destroyed" [6]. Suicide bombing is undoubtedly an extremity which has reached the ranks of the Muslims. In the rules of warfare, we find no sanction for such an act from the behaviour and words of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) and his companions. Unfortunately, today (some misguided) Muslims believe that such acts are paving the way for an Islamic revival and a return to the rule of Islam's glorious law. However, we fail to bear in mind that the Prophet (saws) said:
"Do not be delighted by the action of anyone, until you see how he ends up" [7]
So, for example what is the end of a suicide bomber in Palestine?, a leg here, an arm there. Massive retaliation by the Israeli's in the West Bank and Gaza. More Muslims killed and persecuted. How can we be delighted with such an end? What really hammers the final nail in the coffin of this act, is that it is suicide; something which is clearly forbidden in Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"He who kills himself with anything, Allah will torment him with that in the fire of Hell" [8]
Some are under the misconception that by killing oneself for an Islamic cause, one commits an act which deserves Paradise. Once when a man killed himself, the Prophet (saws) said: "He is a dweller of the Fire". When the people were surprised at this, the Prophet (saws) said:
"A person performs the deeds which to the people appears to be the deeds befitting the dweller of Paradise, but he is in fact one of the dwellers of the Fire" [9]
The taking of ones life which Allah has given as a trust to the human, is a great sin. Likewise the taking of other lives (which is so often the case with suicide bombing) is also forbidden, as human life is indeed precious:
"...If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind"
(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32)
Thus, all other types of extremities such as hostage taking, hijacking and planting bombs in public places, are clearly forbidden in Islam.
The Media
By going through the teachings of Islam, it is clear that such a religion has only come to benefit mankind - not to destroy it. So why is there so much hatred for this noble religion in the West? The answer is simple, the media. It is the Jewish influenced media of the West which has portrayed Islam to be something that it is not. During the 70's and 80's when the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) were carrying out daring highjacks on the worlds airways, the media in the West portrayed it as being Islamic. When the Shi'ite suicide bombers of the 80's were causing so much havoc in the Lebanon and in the Gulf region, the media in the West portrayed it as a part of Islam. However, it is known by the heads of the media that the likes of the PLO were not an Islamic organisation, and that according to Islam, Shi'ites are outside the fold of Islam [10]. Yet such facts are never portrayed by a media which seeks to cover the truth of this religion. A number of years ago, when the Oklahoma City bomb went off, a headline in one of the newspapers, 'Today' [11], summed up this attitude. With a picture of a fire fighter holding a dead child in his arms, the headline read: "In The Name of Islam" Time has of course proven that this bigoted assumption was incorrect, as Timothy McVeigh, a right wing radical now faces the death penalty for the crime [12]. Likewise the bombs which went off in the Paris metro in 1995, were also blamed on Muslim fanatics. It has now emerged that the Algerian secret service who having routinely bribed many European journalists and MPs, were actually behind it. The desire to throw a veil over Islam is immense by these people:
"They intend to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will complete His light even though the disbelievers hate (it)"
(Surah As-Saff 61:8)
With such immense pressure against it, it is indeed a blessing from Allah that Islam goes from strength to strength. It continues to grow faster then any other religion in the Western world, conquering the hearts and minds of thousands. All this should not even surprise us though, for Allah has promised us that this religion will prevail:
"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it victorious over all other religions, even though the disbelievers detest it"
(Surah As-Saff 61:9)
It is a must that humanity comes towards the religion of Islam. Without it, we will continue to slip down the road of inequity and darkness. With it we can establish a society of justice and peace. Religion of terror? ... no. The way forward? ... yes.
"There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All Hearing, All Knowing"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)
Footnotes
1 By using the many cases of child abuse and homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about Christianity could be made
2 By using the incident of the destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodya, India in December 1992 by Hindu zealots, such generalisations could be made about Hinduism
3 Authentic - Reported by At-Tabaranee
4 Years of sexual liaison with a White House aide, Monica Lewinski, has been proved against Mr Clinton. Since this time, a number of other women have also claimed that they have had affairs with the president. And this is the same man who propagates family values and to whom millions look up to!
5 Reported by Bukhari - Eng. Trans, Vol.4, p. 160, No. 258
6 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
7 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
8 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.62, No.203
9 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.64, No.206
10 The beliefs which are contained in the books of the Shi'ites places them outside of the fold of Islam generally. However, upon the individual Shi'ite, the proofs need to be established before one can say that he or she is a disbeliever
11 This newspaper no longer exists
12 It is strange indeed that whilst the Western media criticises Islamic law for being barbaric and harsh, not a word is said about the fact that McVeigh too will be executed just as someone would in an Islamic state
13 These two groups killed Arabs, Jews and the British. They are accredited with the massacre at the village of Deir Yassin, in which many innocent people were butchered
14 Despite the fact that the UN has even made a resolution against Israel for this illegal occupation, no 'democratic peace loving nation' (like the USA!!) has bothered to implement it
Sourec:www.beconvinced.com
Exploring the myth
One of the many short comings which has arisen in the West, is judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of its people. By doing this, segments of Western society have deliberately played off the desperate actions of many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam. Such behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to distort the reality of Islam. For if such a thing was done Judge a religion by the conduct of its people) then we too could say that all Christianity is about is child molesting and homosexuality [1] whilst Hinduism was all about looting and breaking up mosques [2]. Generalising in such a manner is not seen as being objective, yet we find that the Western world is foremost in propagating this outlook on Islam. So what is the reality of Islam? How does one dispel the myths which have been created and spread so viciously? The only way to examine Islam is to simply examine its belief system. Look at its sources, the Qur'an and Sunna, and see what they have to say. This is the way to find the truth about what Islam says about terror, terrorism and terrorists. One who is sincerely searching for the truth, will do it no other way. The very name Islam comes from the Arabic root word 'salama' which means peace. Islam is a religion which is based upon achieving peace through the submission to the will of Allah. Thus, by this very simple linguistic definition, one can ascertain as to what the nature of this religion is. If such a religion is based on the notion of peace, then how is it that so many acts done by its adherents are contrary to peace? The answer is simple. Such actions, if not sanctioned by the religion, have no place with it. They are not Islamic and should not be thought of as Islamic.
Jihad
The word jihad sends shivers down the spines of many Westerners. They readily equate this term with violence and oppression. However, it must be said that the meaning of jihad, as a 'holy war', is something which is totally foreign and not from Islam. If anything, such a description belongs more so to Christianity and its adherents. It was terms like this which were used to justify the slaughter and pillage of towns and cities during the crusades by the Christians. By simply looking into the sources of Islam, one is able to know that the true meaning of jihad is to strive/make effort in the way of Allah. Thus striving in the way of Allah can be both peaceful and physical. The Prophet Muhammed (saws) said:
"The best jihad is (by) the one who strives against his own self for Allah, The Mighty and Majestic" [3]
In the Qur'an, Allah also says:
"So obey not the disbelievers, but make a great jihad (effort) against them (by preaching) with it (the Qur'an)"
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:52)
By controlling and fighting against ones desires, the Muslims can then also physically exert themselves in the path of Allah. It is this physical or combative jihad which receives so much criticism. Because of the sheer ignorance of this type of jihad Islam is regarded as terror, and Muslims are regarded as terrorists. However, the very purpose of this physical jihad is to raise the word of Allah uppermost. By doing this, it liberates and emancipates all those who are crying out for freedom all over the world. If the likes of the pacifists of this world had their way, then the world would indeed be full of anarchy and mischief. The combative jihad seeks to correct this as Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the Earth would be full of mischief. But Allah is full of bounty to the worlds"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:251)
Such would be the corruption on this Earth if there had never been a combative jihad that Allah says:
"For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely have been pulled down. Indeed Allah will help those who help His (cause). Truly Allah is All strong, All mighty"
(Surah Al-Hajj 22:40)
This combative jihad being both defensive and offensive, is something which is commanded by Allah upon the Muslims. Through this command the oppressed and weak are rescued from the tyranny of the world:
"And what is the matter with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and for those weak, ill treated and oppressed among men, women and children whose only cry is; 'Our Lord, rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise for us from you one who will protect and raise for us from you one who will help"
(Surah An-Nisa 4:75)
Anyone who knows the early history of Islam, will know that all those nations and empires which came under the fold of Islam were indeed previously oppressed. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) went out for the offensive jihad against the Egyptians, the Persians and the Romans, we find that the people did not resist against them at all. Rather, they accepted Islam on such a scale, that it is inconceivable that the jihad of Islam could be anything other then a liberation for these people; a liberation from centuries of tyranny. In fact, with the Byzantine Egyptians and the people of Spain, the Muslims were even beckoned to come and liberate these lands from the oppression of their kings. This is the glorious track record of the Muslim jihad Compare this with the brutal track record of warfare in the Western world over the centuries. From the crusades against the Muslims to the days of colonial warfare, the Western world has killed, destroyed and plundered everything which has come in its way. Even today this merciless killing goes on by the Western nations. While claiming to be about world peace and security, Western nations are ready to bomb innocent civilians at the drop of a hat. The classic example of this is the recent bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Whilst claiming that Sudan and Afghanistan were havens for Islamic terrorists, the bombings of these two nations could not have come at a better time for the American president Bill Clinton. The destruction of innocent lives which were a result of these bombings clearly seem to have been an attempt by Clinton to avert attention away from his sexual misdemeanours; [4] something which he so often gets caught up in. Without doubt this was the reason for such terror from the American military upon innocent people. This is the same American military which claims to enter the worlds trouble spots under the guise of being peace keepers. But
"… when it is said to them; 'Make not mischief on the Earth', they say; 'We are only peace makers'. Indeed they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)
The hypocrisy of the West is indeed astounding.
By looking at the rules and regulations of this combative jihad it will be clear to any sincere person that this is indeed the religion of truth. When fighting an unjust enemy, no matter how unjust they are, it is forbidden by Islam that their retreating forces are mutilated, tortured or slaughtered. The treacherous violation of treaties and carrying out assassinations after a cease fire, are also prohibited. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you. But do not transgress the limits. Truly Allah loves not the transgressors"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190)
Not transgressing the limits means not to kill women and children, for the Messenger of Allah (saws) "forbade the killing of women and children" [5]. Not transgressing the limits means that the elderly, the sick, monks, worshippers and hired labourers are not attacked. Not transgressing the limits means not killing animals wantonly, burning crops and vegetation, polluting waters and destroying homes, monasteries, churches and synagogues:
"Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity"
(Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8)
After reading such passages from the Qur'an and knowing about what Islam commands and prohibits in jihad, the rules of warfare are given a new meaning; a meaning of justice. How sad it is then, that whilst Islam is condemned for striking terror into the hearts of the people, the likes of the Serbs, the Indian army in Kashmir and the Israeli soldiers in Palestine are left untarnished for the atrocities they have committed in the name of warfare.
So what about suicide bombing, is this too a part of jihad in Allah's path? From what has already been stated above, it can be deduced that this is not from the religion. However, unfortunately many Muslims have taken suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by which one receives reward. This could not be further from the truth. The Prophet (saws) said: "Those who go to extremes are destroyed" [6]. Suicide bombing is undoubtedly an extremity which has reached the ranks of the Muslims. In the rules of warfare, we find no sanction for such an act from the behaviour and words of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) and his companions. Unfortunately, today (some misguided) Muslims believe that such acts are paving the way for an Islamic revival and a return to the rule of Islam's glorious law. However, we fail to bear in mind that the Prophet (saws) said:
"Do not be delighted by the action of anyone, until you see how he ends up" [7]
So, for example what is the end of a suicide bomber in Palestine?, a leg here, an arm there. Massive retaliation by the Israeli's in the West Bank and Gaza. More Muslims killed and persecuted. How can we be delighted with such an end? What really hammers the final nail in the coffin of this act, is that it is suicide; something which is clearly forbidden in Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"He who kills himself with anything, Allah will torment him with that in the fire of Hell" [8]
Some are under the misconception that by killing oneself for an Islamic cause, one commits an act which deserves Paradise. Once when a man killed himself, the Prophet (saws) said: "He is a dweller of the Fire". When the people were surprised at this, the Prophet (saws) said:
"A person performs the deeds which to the people appears to be the deeds befitting the dweller of Paradise, but he is in fact one of the dwellers of the Fire" [9]
The taking of ones life which Allah has given as a trust to the human, is a great sin. Likewise the taking of other lives (which is so often the case with suicide bombing) is also forbidden, as human life is indeed precious:
"...If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind"
(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32)
Thus, all other types of extremities such as hostage taking, hijacking and planting bombs in public places, are clearly forbidden in Islam.
The Media
By going through the teachings of Islam, it is clear that such a religion has only come to benefit mankind - not to destroy it. So why is there so much hatred for this noble religion in the West? The answer is simple, the media. It is the Jewish influenced media of the West which has portrayed Islam to be something that it is not. During the 70's and 80's when the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) were carrying out daring highjacks on the worlds airways, the media in the West portrayed it as being Islamic. When the Shi'ite suicide bombers of the 80's were causing so much havoc in the Lebanon and in the Gulf region, the media in the West portrayed it as a part of Islam. However, it is known by the heads of the media that the likes of the PLO were not an Islamic organisation, and that according to Islam, Shi'ites are outside the fold of Islam [10]. Yet such facts are never portrayed by a media which seeks to cover the truth of this religion. A number of years ago, when the Oklahoma City bomb went off, a headline in one of the newspapers, 'Today' [11], summed up this attitude. With a picture of a fire fighter holding a dead child in his arms, the headline read: "In The Name of Islam" Time has of course proven that this bigoted assumption was incorrect, as Timothy McVeigh, a right wing radical now faces the death penalty for the crime [12]. Likewise the bombs which went off in the Paris metro in 1995, were also blamed on Muslim fanatics. It has now emerged that the Algerian secret service who having routinely bribed many European journalists and MPs, were actually behind it. The desire to throw a veil over Islam is immense by these people:
"They intend to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will complete His light even though the disbelievers hate (it)"
(Surah As-Saff 61:8)
With such immense pressure against it, it is indeed a blessing from Allah that Islam goes from strength to strength. It continues to grow faster then any other religion in the Western world, conquering the hearts and minds of thousands. All this should not even surprise us though, for Allah has promised us that this religion will prevail:
"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it victorious over all other religions, even though the disbelievers detest it"
(Surah As-Saff 61:9)
It is a must that humanity comes towards the religion of Islam. Without it, we will continue to slip down the road of inequity and darkness. With it we can establish a society of justice and peace. Religion of terror? ... no. The way forward? ... yes.
"There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All Hearing, All Knowing"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)
Footnotes
1 By using the many cases of child abuse and homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about Christianity could be made
2 By using the incident of the destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodya, India in December 1992 by Hindu zealots, such generalisations could be made about Hinduism
3 Authentic - Reported by At-Tabaranee
4 Years of sexual liaison with a White House aide, Monica Lewinski, has been proved against Mr Clinton. Since this time, a number of other women have also claimed that they have had affairs with the president. And this is the same man who propagates family values and to whom millions look up to!
5 Reported by Bukhari - Eng. Trans, Vol.4, p. 160, No. 258
6 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
7 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
8 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.62, No.203
9 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.64, No.206
10 The beliefs which are contained in the books of the Shi'ites places them outside of the fold of Islam generally. However, upon the individual Shi'ite, the proofs need to be established before one can say that he or she is a disbeliever
11 This newspaper no longer exists
12 It is strange indeed that whilst the Western media criticises Islamic law for being barbaric and harsh, not a word is said about the fact that McVeigh too will be executed just as someone would in an Islamic state
13 These two groups killed Arabs, Jews and the British. They are accredited with the massacre at the village of Deir Yassin, in which many innocent people were butchered
14 Despite the fact that the UN has even made a resolution against Israel for this illegal occupation, no 'democratic peace loving nation' (like the USA!!) has bothered to implement it
Sourec:www.beconvinced.com
Islam & Terrorism
Every time speculation arises that a bomb is responsible for a tragedy, such as the TWA Flight 800 crash, we in America (including Muslims) suspect the Islamic connection. Of course the disclaimers abound, but a lingering suspicion about Muslims is left in the general views of terrorism, even if other groups are identified as the main culprits for any particular incident.
This perception is not due to any intrinsic resentment of Islam by the American people. It is understood that the mainstream of Muslims, the vast majority of them, like in every other faith, is peaceful and pay their taxes, trying to make America a better society, trying to improve relations with neighbors and colleaguees.
But images and terminology influence public opinion, and a bitter taste is left when Islam is reported in the daily headlines. The term "Islamic fundamentalism", whatever it means, has been repeated enough times in relation to violent incidents that naturally, any thinking human being has to be uncomfortable with the fact that America is home to a vibrant Muslim community. The problem stems from negative images about Islam. In the court of public opinion, Islam is guilty until proven innocent.
Even though the Middle East was home to fewer terrorist incidents than Latin America and Europe, for example, it is still regarded as the region where terrorism is rooted. According to a recent US State Department report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, issued earlier this year, 272 terrorist events occurred in Europe, 92 in Latin America and 45 in the Middle East. Sixty-two anti-US attacks occurred in Latin America last year, 21 in Europe and 6 in the Middle East. These numbers represent the terrorist trend and not an anomaly, whereby the majority of perpetrators are not linked to the Middle East or Islam. The Red Army Faction in Germany, the Basque Separatists in Spain, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Shining Path in Peru and the National Liberation Army in Columbia are not viewed with the same horror as terrorist groups of Muslim background.
There is no moral justification for terrorism regardless of the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrator or the victim, but the factual basis of terrorism has been either hidden or twisted in the public's perception of this policy problem, especially in congressional hearings on terrorism. The countries with the worst terrorist records in the world are not in the Middle East either. They are not even Muslim countries outside the Middle East. They are Columbia and Germany, havens for drug lords and neo-Nazis.
The negative association of Islam with terrorism exists, but no one has ever asked "Why?” Could it be that American society cannot overcome the Khomeini phobia, even though he is dead? The US Congress found it necessary to push $20 million towards covert operations in toppling the Iranian government even at the dissent of people in the CIA. The Arab countries, both friend and foe, are run by tyrants who kill more of their own people than those outside their countries. The presumption that these countries represent a threat to American interests or that any one of them can dominate the region or even rival the only remaining superpower is indeed generous. So the issue is not these countries' hegemony in their region or the world, but about who can dominate their people and exploit their resources.
The perception in the Middle East is that US policy does not serve the peoples interests; it protects Israel and friendly Arab dictators even when they violate human rights, while it slaps sanctions on and takes military actions against countries whose dictators misbehave, resulting in suffering, starvation and even slaughter, all in the name of teaching the tyrants a lesson. The priorities in the Middle East for the US are not human rights and democracy, but rather oil and Israeli superiority. Consequently, anti-American sentiment increases. This mood of the general public is then characterized as "Islamic fundamentalism", even though the resentment is not rooted in religion. When it turns violent, it is termed "radical Islamic fundamentalism" or "Islamic terrorism." The various "terrorism experts" promote linkage to the Middle East before any other possibility every time terrorism is speculated. They exploit the human suffering of the victims, their families, and the fears of the American public.
Indeed, extremists of Muslim backgrounds are violating the norms of Islamic justice and should be held accountable for their criminal behavior, but we in America should not be held hostage to the politics of the Middle East or biased reporting.
An Israeli journalist, Yo'av Karny, reporting on the events in Chechnya made a striking observation about this development: "The West will be told--and will be inclined to believe--that the oppression of the Chechens is part and parcel of a cosmic struggle against 'Islamic extremism' that rages from Gaza to Algeria, from Tehran to Khartoum. Russians will seek Western sympathy. They should not be given it." The issue is not Chechnya, and it is not even about Islam and the West. Debates about religious wars and cultural clashes only distract us from the real issue: the powerful want to continue dominating the powerless, manipulating facts to influence public opinion, hence maintaining the status quo.
Source: www.beconvinced.com
This perception is not due to any intrinsic resentment of Islam by the American people. It is understood that the mainstream of Muslims, the vast majority of them, like in every other faith, is peaceful and pay their taxes, trying to make America a better society, trying to improve relations with neighbors and colleaguees.
But images and terminology influence public opinion, and a bitter taste is left when Islam is reported in the daily headlines. The term "Islamic fundamentalism", whatever it means, has been repeated enough times in relation to violent incidents that naturally, any thinking human being has to be uncomfortable with the fact that America is home to a vibrant Muslim community. The problem stems from negative images about Islam. In the court of public opinion, Islam is guilty until proven innocent.
Even though the Middle East was home to fewer terrorist incidents than Latin America and Europe, for example, it is still regarded as the region where terrorism is rooted. According to a recent US State Department report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, issued earlier this year, 272 terrorist events occurred in Europe, 92 in Latin America and 45 in the Middle East. Sixty-two anti-US attacks occurred in Latin America last year, 21 in Europe and 6 in the Middle East. These numbers represent the terrorist trend and not an anomaly, whereby the majority of perpetrators are not linked to the Middle East or Islam. The Red Army Faction in Germany, the Basque Separatists in Spain, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Shining Path in Peru and the National Liberation Army in Columbia are not viewed with the same horror as terrorist groups of Muslim background.
There is no moral justification for terrorism regardless of the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrator or the victim, but the factual basis of terrorism has been either hidden or twisted in the public's perception of this policy problem, especially in congressional hearings on terrorism. The countries with the worst terrorist records in the world are not in the Middle East either. They are not even Muslim countries outside the Middle East. They are Columbia and Germany, havens for drug lords and neo-Nazis.
The negative association of Islam with terrorism exists, but no one has ever asked "Why?” Could it be that American society cannot overcome the Khomeini phobia, even though he is dead? The US Congress found it necessary to push $20 million towards covert operations in toppling the Iranian government even at the dissent of people in the CIA. The Arab countries, both friend and foe, are run by tyrants who kill more of their own people than those outside their countries. The presumption that these countries represent a threat to American interests or that any one of them can dominate the region or even rival the only remaining superpower is indeed generous. So the issue is not these countries' hegemony in their region or the world, but about who can dominate their people and exploit their resources.
The perception in the Middle East is that US policy does not serve the peoples interests; it protects Israel and friendly Arab dictators even when they violate human rights, while it slaps sanctions on and takes military actions against countries whose dictators misbehave, resulting in suffering, starvation and even slaughter, all in the name of teaching the tyrants a lesson. The priorities in the Middle East for the US are not human rights and democracy, but rather oil and Israeli superiority. Consequently, anti-American sentiment increases. This mood of the general public is then characterized as "Islamic fundamentalism", even though the resentment is not rooted in religion. When it turns violent, it is termed "radical Islamic fundamentalism" or "Islamic terrorism." The various "terrorism experts" promote linkage to the Middle East before any other possibility every time terrorism is speculated. They exploit the human suffering of the victims, their families, and the fears of the American public.
Indeed, extremists of Muslim backgrounds are violating the norms of Islamic justice and should be held accountable for their criminal behavior, but we in America should not be held hostage to the politics of the Middle East or biased reporting.
An Israeli journalist, Yo'av Karny, reporting on the events in Chechnya made a striking observation about this development: "The West will be told--and will be inclined to believe--that the oppression of the Chechens is part and parcel of a cosmic struggle against 'Islamic extremism' that rages from Gaza to Algeria, from Tehran to Khartoum. Russians will seek Western sympathy. They should not be given it." The issue is not Chechnya, and it is not even about Islam and the West. Debates about religious wars and cultural clashes only distract us from the real issue: the powerful want to continue dominating the powerless, manipulating facts to influence public opinion, hence maintaining the status quo.
Source: www.beconvinced.com
Who is Allah
slam is the complete submission and obedience to Allah (God). The name Allah (God) in Islam never refers to Muhammad (peace be upon him), as many Christians may think; Allah is the personal name of God.
What do Muslims believe about Allah?
1. He is the one God, Who has no partner.
2. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator, not created, nor a part of His creation.
3. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just.
4. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him.
5. He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and will be when nothing else remains.
6. He is the All-Knowing, and All-Merciful,the Supreme, the Sovereign.
7. It is only He Who is capable of granting life to anything.
8. He sent His Messengers (peace be upon them) to guide all of mankind.
9. He sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last Prophet and Messenger for all mankind.
10. His book is the Holy Qur'an, the only authentic revealed book in the world that has been kept without change.
11. Allah knows what is in our hearts.
These are some of the basic guidelines Muslims follow in their knowledge of God:
1. Eliminate any anthropomorphism (human qualities) from their conception of Allah. His attributes are not like human attributes, despite similar labels or appellations.
2. Have unwavering faith in exactly what Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described Allah to be, no more, no less.
3. Eradicate any hope or desire of learning or knowing the modality of His names and attributes.
4. Believe totally in all the names and attributes of Allah; one cannot believe in some and disbelieve the others.
5. One cannot accept the names of Allah without their associated attributes, i.e. one cannot say He is Al-Hayy - 'The Living' and then say that He is without life.
6. Similarity in names (or meanings) does not imply similarity in what is being described (referents). As a robotics arm differs from a human arm, so the "hand" of Allah is nothing like a human hand, His speech is nothing like human speech, etc.
7. Certain words are ambiguous or vague in their meanings, and thus may be susceptible to misinterpretation. Only those meanings that are in accordance with what is specified by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) are acceptable.
What do Muslims believe about Allah?
1. He is the one God, Who has no partner.
2. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator, not created, nor a part of His creation.
3. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just.
4. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him.
5. He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and will be when nothing else remains.
6. He is the All-Knowing, and All-Merciful,the Supreme, the Sovereign.
7. It is only He Who is capable of granting life to anything.
8. He sent His Messengers (peace be upon them) to guide all of mankind.
9. He sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last Prophet and Messenger for all mankind.
10. His book is the Holy Qur'an, the only authentic revealed book in the world that has been kept without change.
11. Allah knows what is in our hearts.
These are some of the basic guidelines Muslims follow in their knowledge of God:
1. Eliminate any anthropomorphism (human qualities) from their conception of Allah. His attributes are not like human attributes, despite similar labels or appellations.
2. Have unwavering faith in exactly what Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described Allah to be, no more, no less.
3. Eradicate any hope or desire of learning or knowing the modality of His names and attributes.
4. Believe totally in all the names and attributes of Allah; one cannot believe in some and disbelieve the others.
5. One cannot accept the names of Allah without their associated attributes, i.e. one cannot say He is Al-Hayy - 'The Living' and then say that He is without life.
6. Similarity in names (or meanings) does not imply similarity in what is being described (referents). As a robotics arm differs from a human arm, so the "hand" of Allah is nothing like a human hand, His speech is nothing like human speech, etc.
7. Certain words are ambiguous or vague in their meanings, and thus may be susceptible to misinterpretation. Only those meanings that are in accordance with what is specified by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) are acceptable.
What Did Jesus Say About Christmas?
The Christmas Experience
The perfect Christmas tree is bought. Adorned with ornaments and glittering with tinsel, it stands by the window. The stores are crammed with shoppers hunting for presents and the little ones anxiously waiting for Santa
Busy with Christmas fever, wonder did you ever, did the Bible or Jesus made any injunction on Christmas ever?
Ponder upon the following analysis on Christmas, and the Truth will become clearer and clearer.
Does Christmas have Biblical Evidence?
The word 'Christmas' does not exist in the Bible. The Bible has closed lips on the entire feast of Christmas, with one exception, the decoration of a tree. The Bible itself criticizes the decoration of the (Christmas) trees:
"The customs of the people are worthless, they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel, they adore it with silver and gold, they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter" (Jeremiah 10-3,4).
European Pre-Christian pagans superstitiously believed that the green trees had special protective powers. In fact the use of the Christmas tree began only in the 17th century in Strasbourg, France and from there it spread to Germany, Britain and then to the U.S. "Tree worship was a common feature of religion among the Teutonic and Scandinavian peoples of northern Europe before their conversion to Christianity…German settlers brought the Christmas tree custom to the American colonies in the 17th century. By the 19th century its use was quite widespread". (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1998 Edition)
Was Jesus born on Dec. 25?
Neither the date 25th Dec. nor any other date on Jesus' birth is mentioned in the Bible. It was not until the year 530 C.E. that a monk, Dionysus Exigus, fixed the date of Jesus' birth on Dec. 25th. . "He wrongly dated the birth of Christ according to the Roman system (i.e., 754 years after the founding of Rome) as Dec. 25, 753". (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998 ed.) This date was chosen in keeping with the holidays already indoctrinated into pagans beliefs.
Roman pagans celebrated Dec. 25th as the birth of their 'god' of light, Mithra.
"In the 2nd century A..D., it (Mithraism) was more general in the Roman Empire than Christianity, to which it bore many similarities" (The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, 1995 ed.)
Other pagan 'gods' born on Dec. 25th are: Hercules the son of Zeus (Greeks); Bacchus, 'god' of wine (Romans); Adonis, 'god' of Greeks, and 'god' Freyr of Greek-Roman pagans.
What about Santa Claus?
If aliens descended on earth during the Christmas season, they would undoubtedly believe Christmas as being Santa's birthday. The words 'Santa Claus', appear nowhere in the Bible.
However, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) was a real person, a bishop, who was born 300 years after Jesus. According to legend, he was extremely kind and set out at night to bring presents to the needy. After his death on 6th of Dec., school boys in Europe began celebrating a feast day each year.
Queen Victoria later changed the celebration date from Dec. 6th to Dec. 24th eve.
Did Jesus or his Companions Celebrate Christmas?
If Jesus meant his followers to celebrate Christmas, he would have practiced it himself and enjoined it on his followers. There is no mention in the entire Bible that any of his followers ever celebrated Jesus' birthday like Christians do today.
"The church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event of Christmas until the 4th century" (Grolier's Encyclopedia)
Thus we see that neither the Bible nor Jesus and his companions say anything about the celebration of Christmas which currently involves fanfare, commercialization, and extravagent spending, devoid of any spiritual relevance.
We'll now analyze the real person of Jesus (peace be upon him), in the light of the Bible and Islam.
What did Jesus Say about Himself?
In many places in the Bible, Jesus, referring to himself as a Prophet said:
"A Prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house" (Matthew 13:57),
"Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a Prophet persists out of Jerusalem". (Luke 13:33).
Jesus Received God's Revelation
Similarly, Jesus Christ too, as a Prophet, received revelations from God: "But now you seek to kill me, a man that had told you the truth, which I heard of God" (John 8:40)
Jesus Prayed to his God
"And when he (Jesus) had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray" (Matthew 14:23)
Obvious question: If Jesus was God, who was he praying to?
Jesus put himself Equal to other Humans
Jesus put himself equal to other humans in the eyes of God.
"My father and your father, my God and your God" (John 20:17)
God does not have a God, But Jesus had a God! Moreover, the gospel writers referred to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as the 'son of man' about 85 times in the Gospels, and never once did he explicitly called himself 'God', or 'God the Son', or 'The Begotton Son of God'.
Jesus Preached God's Oneness
Jesus Christ, as a true Prophet of God, taught monotheism. When asked, 'What is the first of all commandments', Jesus replied:
"...The first of all the Commandments is, Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord" (Mark 12:29)
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (John 17:3)
Prophets of God
God, by his mercy, sent numerous Prophets throughout history to all nations as guides and role models. Some of the prophets were Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and the Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be on all of them). They all came with the same basic message, which is the Oneness of God, without any partners, sons or daughters.
This Oneness of God in its complete essence, preached by all prophets, was later distorted by some segments of humanity and naming these 'distortions' as 'religions', they left the worship of one true God and replaced it with worshiping humans, cows and fire. To purify humanity, God sent His last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guide for all mankind and through him revealed in His last Messge, The Quran:
"They have adopted their scholars and monks as lords besides God and (also) Christ, the son of Mary, although they have been ordered to serve only God alone. There is no god but Him. Glory be to Him ! He is beyond what they associate (with Him)...." (Quran 9:31)
This utmost obedience and worship to one God, in its truest sense forms the basis of Islam. The entire Quran has been committed to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and preserved by God Himself from any interpolations, unlike previous scriptures, to provide guidance for all ages.
What Does Islam Teach?
Islam calls humanity to the service of the One, Omnipotent Creator ('Allah' in Arabic). Islam teaches the oneness of mankind in the eyes of God regardless of superficial differences such as race & nationality. In Islam there is no superiority of whites over blacks or vice versa. Anything that disrupts society's harmony and deviates humans from worshiping one true God is disliked in Islam. Thus Islam recognizes the evils of alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, gambling etc. and advises humans to stay sway from these Satan's handiwork. Islam further provides detailed instruction about a person's relationship with God, with his family and the society. Thus no aspect of a person's life is outside of the guidance provided by God.
Born Sinless!
Islam teaches that every child is born sinless with a pure heart and an inner instinct to realize the oneness of God. It is the parents or the environment that deviates this child to associate partners with God (in the form of multiple gods) or to reject God altogether.
No Mediator
There is no mediator between God and man. There is no need of one, for God, the All knowing, can listen and answer our sincere prayers regardless of our state and place.
Salvation comes through submitting to the pure belief in One God and following His guidance as revealed in the Quran, and not through the vicarious sacrifice (murder) of an innocent human being. Thus Islam is a rational religion based on justice and self accountability, and not on unjust and mysterious doctrines formulated by humans. Islam provides solutions to all the ills plaguing humanity. An example of Islam's stand on racial justice is provided below.
Islam Dispels Racism
One person's superiority over another is not based on his race, economic status or nationality but on his God-Consciousness and purity of character. God proclaims in the Quran:
" O mankind ! We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other and not that you may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous..." (49:13).
Likewise Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proclaimed:
"No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over a black man, or the black man any superiority over the white man. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from clay".
After studying Islam, Malcolm X, became a true Muslim. He remarks:
"...America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem..."
The Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, but translations of its meaning are available in English and other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all of mankind.
We invite all sincere humans to study Islam with an unbiased mind. Don't blindly follow the whims and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't delay your salvation.
Welcome to Islam!
Suggested Readings
1. The Holy Quran, tr. Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
2. Muhammad Haykal, Life of Muhammed.
3. Abul Ala Maududi, Towards Understanding Islam.
4. M. Ataur Rahim, Jesus: A Prophet of Islam.
5. Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the Quran and Science.
Sabeel Ahmed
November 1997.
-----------------------------
[Currently, he is the co-chairman of the Da'wa Committee and Board of Director at the Muslim Community Center, Illinois. A student of Ahmed Deedat and now works for the 1-800-662-islam hotline of ICNA. His main interest is in comparative religion.]
Source: http://ireland.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Sabeel/sabeel7.htm
The perfect Christmas tree is bought. Adorned with ornaments and glittering with tinsel, it stands by the window. The stores are crammed with shoppers hunting for presents and the little ones anxiously waiting for Santa
Busy with Christmas fever, wonder did you ever, did the Bible or Jesus made any injunction on Christmas ever?
Ponder upon the following analysis on Christmas, and the Truth will become clearer and clearer.
Does Christmas have Biblical Evidence?
The word 'Christmas' does not exist in the Bible. The Bible has closed lips on the entire feast of Christmas, with one exception, the decoration of a tree. The Bible itself criticizes the decoration of the (Christmas) trees:
"The customs of the people are worthless, they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel, they adore it with silver and gold, they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter" (Jeremiah 10-3,4).
European Pre-Christian pagans superstitiously believed that the green trees had special protective powers. In fact the use of the Christmas tree began only in the 17th century in Strasbourg, France and from there it spread to Germany, Britain and then to the U.S. "Tree worship was a common feature of religion among the Teutonic and Scandinavian peoples of northern Europe before their conversion to Christianity…German settlers brought the Christmas tree custom to the American colonies in the 17th century. By the 19th century its use was quite widespread". (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1998 Edition)
Was Jesus born on Dec. 25?
Neither the date 25th Dec. nor any other date on Jesus' birth is mentioned in the Bible. It was not until the year 530 C.E. that a monk, Dionysus Exigus, fixed the date of Jesus' birth on Dec. 25th. . "He wrongly dated the birth of Christ according to the Roman system (i.e., 754 years after the founding of Rome) as Dec. 25, 753". (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998 ed.) This date was chosen in keeping with the holidays already indoctrinated into pagans beliefs.
Roman pagans celebrated Dec. 25th as the birth of their 'god' of light, Mithra.
"In the 2nd century A..D., it (Mithraism) was more general in the Roman Empire than Christianity, to which it bore many similarities" (The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, 1995 ed.)
Other pagan 'gods' born on Dec. 25th are: Hercules the son of Zeus (Greeks); Bacchus, 'god' of wine (Romans); Adonis, 'god' of Greeks, and 'god' Freyr of Greek-Roman pagans.
What about Santa Claus?
If aliens descended on earth during the Christmas season, they would undoubtedly believe Christmas as being Santa's birthday. The words 'Santa Claus', appear nowhere in the Bible.
However, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) was a real person, a bishop, who was born 300 years after Jesus. According to legend, he was extremely kind and set out at night to bring presents to the needy. After his death on 6th of Dec., school boys in Europe began celebrating a feast day each year.
Queen Victoria later changed the celebration date from Dec. 6th to Dec. 24th eve.
Did Jesus or his Companions Celebrate Christmas?
If Jesus meant his followers to celebrate Christmas, he would have practiced it himself and enjoined it on his followers. There is no mention in the entire Bible that any of his followers ever celebrated Jesus' birthday like Christians do today.
"The church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event of Christmas until the 4th century" (Grolier's Encyclopedia)
Thus we see that neither the Bible nor Jesus and his companions say anything about the celebration of Christmas which currently involves fanfare, commercialization, and extravagent spending, devoid of any spiritual relevance.
We'll now analyze the real person of Jesus (peace be upon him), in the light of the Bible and Islam.
What did Jesus Say about Himself?
In many places in the Bible, Jesus, referring to himself as a Prophet said:
"A Prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house" (Matthew 13:57),
"Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a Prophet persists out of Jerusalem". (Luke 13:33).
Jesus Received God's Revelation
Similarly, Jesus Christ too, as a Prophet, received revelations from God: "But now you seek to kill me, a man that had told you the truth, which I heard of God" (John 8:40)
Jesus Prayed to his God
"And when he (Jesus) had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray" (Matthew 14:23)
Obvious question: If Jesus was God, who was he praying to?
Jesus put himself Equal to other Humans
Jesus put himself equal to other humans in the eyes of God.
"My father and your father, my God and your God" (John 20:17)
God does not have a God, But Jesus had a God! Moreover, the gospel writers referred to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as the 'son of man' about 85 times in the Gospels, and never once did he explicitly called himself 'God', or 'God the Son', or 'The Begotton Son of God'.
Jesus Preached God's Oneness
Jesus Christ, as a true Prophet of God, taught monotheism. When asked, 'What is the first of all commandments', Jesus replied:
"...The first of all the Commandments is, Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord" (Mark 12:29)
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (John 17:3)
Prophets of God
God, by his mercy, sent numerous Prophets throughout history to all nations as guides and role models. Some of the prophets were Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and the Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be on all of them). They all came with the same basic message, which is the Oneness of God, without any partners, sons or daughters.
This Oneness of God in its complete essence, preached by all prophets, was later distorted by some segments of humanity and naming these 'distortions' as 'religions', they left the worship of one true God and replaced it with worshiping humans, cows and fire. To purify humanity, God sent His last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guide for all mankind and through him revealed in His last Messge, The Quran:
"They have adopted their scholars and monks as lords besides God and (also) Christ, the son of Mary, although they have been ordered to serve only God alone. There is no god but Him. Glory be to Him ! He is beyond what they associate (with Him)...." (Quran 9:31)
This utmost obedience and worship to one God, in its truest sense forms the basis of Islam. The entire Quran has been committed to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and preserved by God Himself from any interpolations, unlike previous scriptures, to provide guidance for all ages.
What Does Islam Teach?
Islam calls humanity to the service of the One, Omnipotent Creator ('Allah' in Arabic). Islam teaches the oneness of mankind in the eyes of God regardless of superficial differences such as race & nationality. In Islam there is no superiority of whites over blacks or vice versa. Anything that disrupts society's harmony and deviates humans from worshiping one true God is disliked in Islam. Thus Islam recognizes the evils of alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, gambling etc. and advises humans to stay sway from these Satan's handiwork. Islam further provides detailed instruction about a person's relationship with God, with his family and the society. Thus no aspect of a person's life is outside of the guidance provided by God.
Born Sinless!
Islam teaches that every child is born sinless with a pure heart and an inner instinct to realize the oneness of God. It is the parents or the environment that deviates this child to associate partners with God (in the form of multiple gods) or to reject God altogether.
No Mediator
There is no mediator between God and man. There is no need of one, for God, the All knowing, can listen and answer our sincere prayers regardless of our state and place.
Salvation comes through submitting to the pure belief in One God and following His guidance as revealed in the Quran, and not through the vicarious sacrifice (murder) of an innocent human being. Thus Islam is a rational religion based on justice and self accountability, and not on unjust and mysterious doctrines formulated by humans. Islam provides solutions to all the ills plaguing humanity. An example of Islam's stand on racial justice is provided below.
Islam Dispels Racism
One person's superiority over another is not based on his race, economic status or nationality but on his God-Consciousness and purity of character. God proclaims in the Quran:
" O mankind ! We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other and not that you may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous..." (49:13).
Likewise Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proclaimed:
"No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over a black man, or the black man any superiority over the white man. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from clay".
After studying Islam, Malcolm X, became a true Muslim. He remarks:
"...America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem..."
The Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, but translations of its meaning are available in English and other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all of mankind.
We invite all sincere humans to study Islam with an unbiased mind. Don't blindly follow the whims and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't delay your salvation.
Welcome to Islam!
Suggested Readings
1. The Holy Quran, tr. Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
2. Muhammad Haykal, Life of Muhammed.
3. Abul Ala Maududi, Towards Understanding Islam.
4. M. Ataur Rahim, Jesus: A Prophet of Islam.
5. Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the Quran and Science.
Sabeel Ahmed
November 1997.
-----------------------------
[Currently, he is the co-chairman of the Da'wa Committee and Board of Director at the Muslim Community Center, Illinois. A student of Ahmed Deedat and now works for the 1-800-662-islam hotline of ICNA. His main interest is in comparative religion.]
Source: http://ireland.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Sabeel/sabeel7.htm
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