During the early years of Islam, many muslims pursued science and wrote great papers, theses and books which served as the foundation for modern science. Unfortunately, when the spirit of inquiry, broad-mindedness and pursuit of knowledge as a sacred duty was replaced by irrational lack of tolerance, the decline of the muslims started, and it is us muslims' fault.... we did not adhere to the great teachings and fell to in-fighting instead, laying the way open for outsiders to profit from our weaknesses. Yes, we have been manipulated and exploited by the powers that be, but only because we are dense enough to not to follow the great wisdom between us, the Holy Book, the Prophet's practice,the history of the Caliphate and the muslim rulers who followed and ruled over a great empire, honesty, fairness and justice for all, the openess of thought and the importance of the pursuit of education, the tolerance and the understanding, and all those attributes that make any nation great.
And as a non-muslim friend noted, back in those days there was no Nobel Prize otherwise many muslim names would have adorned the list!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Jesus
In response to a blog about Early Christianity:
Well, quite a bit of what you write is close to our understanding, but there are certain fundamental differences.
Firstly these verses:
4:157 And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.
3:54 And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.
3:55 (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.
www.searchtruth.com
Then, according to The Gospel of Barnabas, towards the end of the book, section 216 reads as follows:"Judas entered impetuously before all into the chamber whence Jesus had been taken up. And the disciples were sleeping. Whereupon the wonderful God acted wonderfully, insomuch that Judas was so changed in speech and in face to be like Jesus that we believed him to be Jesus. And he, having awakened us was seeking where the Master was. Whereupon we marvelled, and answered: 'Thou, Lord, art our master; hast thou now forgotten us?' And he, smiling, said: 'Now are ye foolish, that know not me to be Judas Iscariot! And as he was saying this the soldiery entered, and laid their hands upon Judas, becase he was in every way like Jesus. We having heard Judas' saying, and seeing the multitude of soldiers, fled as beside ourselves....... "
As you know, we take the arabic Quran to be the 'word of God'... thus we evaluate all other texts in the light of what it says in the Holy Quran... if it is in accordance, then it can be a plausible explanation. Therefore, as you can see in the verse (Quran 4:157), God clearly says that Jesus was not crucified; so when we read this account in the Gospel of Barnabas, we find it a closer explanation to our beliefs.I know that the Gospel of Barnabas is not included in the Biblical canon, and therefore, probably not acceptable to most Christians. As far as researching and getting to 'the truth of the matter' is concerned, I doubt if any text can actually provide any conclusive proof about any historical event... in the end it boils down to faith... believing in a certain text to be absolutely true, and taking it as it is.I have mentioned in earlier posts why and how I'm convinced of the absolute authenticity of the Quran. Thus, for me, it is very easy to accept whatever Allah says about any event. That is the source and the reason for my belief that Jesus was not crucified.
Also, check out this article: http://can-you-answer.com/scripts/miscArticles.asp?artno=100
Well, quite a bit of what you write is close to our understanding, but there are certain fundamental differences.
- We Muslims believe that Jesus was a born messenger and prophet, that is, he started speaking God's message(in defense of his pious and innocent mother) right from the cradle, while the people were accusing her of how she bore a child though not married.
- We believe that God sent Jesus to the Jews (Bani Israel) to guide them, to teach them the wisdom of the Torah, to confirm the Laws and explain how it was in their best interests.
- We believe that Jesus was able to heal the lepers, restore sight to the blind, and perform other miracles with God's help and permission.
- We believe that even though they tried to crucify Jesus, God miraclously saved him, and another person was made to resemble him, who was crucified instead.
- We believe that God raised Jesus to Heaven.
- We do not think that Paul had any right to do away with the laws, as it is against the teachings of Jesus.
- We do not hold Jesus to be divine, he is a revered Prophet and Messenger, a highly respected human being.
- We believe that all messengers and prophets brought to mankind the same message from the same original divine source.
Firstly these verses:
4:157 And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.
3:54 And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.
3:55 (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.
www.searchtruth.com
Then, according to The Gospel of Barnabas, towards the end of the book, section 216 reads as follows:"Judas entered impetuously before all into the chamber whence Jesus had been taken up. And the disciples were sleeping. Whereupon the wonderful God acted wonderfully, insomuch that Judas was so changed in speech and in face to be like Jesus that we believed him to be Jesus. And he, having awakened us was seeking where the Master was. Whereupon we marvelled, and answered: 'Thou, Lord, art our master; hast thou now forgotten us?' And he, smiling, said: 'Now are ye foolish, that know not me to be Judas Iscariot! And as he was saying this the soldiery entered, and laid their hands upon Judas, becase he was in every way like Jesus. We having heard Judas' saying, and seeing the multitude of soldiers, fled as beside ourselves....... "
As you know, we take the arabic Quran to be the 'word of God'... thus we evaluate all other texts in the light of what it says in the Holy Quran... if it is in accordance, then it can be a plausible explanation. Therefore, as you can see in the verse (Quran 4:157), God clearly says that Jesus was not crucified; so when we read this account in the Gospel of Barnabas, we find it a closer explanation to our beliefs.I know that the Gospel of Barnabas is not included in the Biblical canon, and therefore, probably not acceptable to most Christians. As far as researching and getting to 'the truth of the matter' is concerned, I doubt if any text can actually provide any conclusive proof about any historical event... in the end it boils down to faith... believing in a certain text to be absolutely true, and taking it as it is.I have mentioned in earlier posts why and how I'm convinced of the absolute authenticity of the Quran. Thus, for me, it is very easy to accept whatever Allah says about any event. That is the source and the reason for my belief that Jesus was not crucified.
Also, check out this article: http://can-you-answer.com/scripts/miscArticles.asp?artno=100
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Beyond the Veil
My two cents on a discussion on beyond the veil...
Hi,I just wanted to chip in this interesting discussion with the Islamic perspective. As you know, we muslims definitely believe in after-life. But, we also believe that when we die, we will remain in a sleep-like state(*) till the Day of Reckoning, when all souls will be raised back to life.
Some believe that the dead do have dreams... pleasant dreams for the good people, scary dreams for those who've accumulated many bad deeds in their worldly life. But, no, I don't think they travel in their dreams to our realm. I'm not very clear on this, but I understand the bodies will be reconstructed and perfected for immortal, eternal life. Reason being that
(i) we are told that we will abide their forever
(ii) on judgement day, our own bodies, hands, feet, et all, will testify against ourselves, such that nobody can except to get away with lying.
This brings up the interesting question of how do we explain visions of those who are no more... do they return? Well, the one explanation that most religious scholars seem to concur on is that these are basically dJinns(genies) who
(i) have information of our and other people's past lives
(ii) they appear as that person
How do they have intimate information? It is also believed that there is a dJinn associated with each human throughout our lives, such that they know of all things past. dJinns themselves are a community, and as such, able to exchange notes.
As far as the Holy Quran is concerned, though it acknowledges the existence of dJinns, and speaks of their ability to whisper thoughts in our minds, it nowhere explicitly details the above explanation, at least as far as I know. Nothing can be stated for certain, as none of the living have crossed over and returned to tell the tale; and the few who do, well we really don't know what their source is.
We believe dJinns are another creation, created from smokeless fire; generally invisible to humans. Satan is a dJinn. We also believe that they are communities of dJinn, families, procreation, etc, like any other human or animal community we are able to observe; There are good dJinns and bad dJinns, believer and non-believers, helpers and hinderers; dJinns are known to have served Prophet-King Solomon. Satan(named Iblis) was one of the angels when God created Adam... when God ordered all present to prostrate/submit to Adam, Iblis refused (Holy Quran 2:34); he was haughty, because he took pride in his being created from fire, whereas Adam was from clay; God dislikes arrogance, and thus Iblis was disgraced. Instead of repenting, he vowed to take it upon himself to hinder humans from the path of God, and asked God to grant him permission till the end of this-world time (doomsday) to mislead humans (Holy Quran 4:119). We are told that Iblis and his host of satans have no real power upon us, that it is in our will whether to do their bid or to reject it, and those who remember God and seek guidance will ultimately be the ones who prevail.(Holy Quran 7:200-206)
A question:If the dJinn can "whisper thoughts in our minds," would you describe them as spirit-beings as opposed to material (physical) beings? Do they have gender, form, specific names and identities?
Yes, I'm sure they all must have some names or numbers or codes to interact within their community; spirit-beings as in 'in another dimension? like angels, invisible to us?' yes, if that's what you are trying to ask; material(physical) beings also as they are created from smokeless fire... guess the correct answer is spirit-beings to us, physical beings in their own dimension(world)
(*)except those who have proven beyond doubt that they deserve punishment, for them the torture probably begins in the grave; (Pharoah is one of the examples usually cited).
Hi,I just wanted to chip in this interesting discussion with the Islamic perspective. As you know, we muslims definitely believe in after-life. But, we also believe that when we die, we will remain in a sleep-like state(*) till the Day of Reckoning, when all souls will be raised back to life.
Some believe that the dead do have dreams... pleasant dreams for the good people, scary dreams for those who've accumulated many bad deeds in their worldly life. But, no, I don't think they travel in their dreams to our realm. I'm not very clear on this, but I understand the bodies will be reconstructed and perfected for immortal, eternal life. Reason being that
(i) we are told that we will abide their forever
(ii) on judgement day, our own bodies, hands, feet, et all, will testify against ourselves, such that nobody can except to get away with lying.
This brings up the interesting question of how do we explain visions of those who are no more... do they return? Well, the one explanation that most religious scholars seem to concur on is that these are basically dJinns(genies) who
(i) have information of our and other people's past lives
(ii) they appear as that person
How do they have intimate information? It is also believed that there is a dJinn associated with each human throughout our lives, such that they know of all things past. dJinns themselves are a community, and as such, able to exchange notes.
As far as the Holy Quran is concerned, though it acknowledges the existence of dJinns, and speaks of their ability to whisper thoughts in our minds, it nowhere explicitly details the above explanation, at least as far as I know. Nothing can be stated for certain, as none of the living have crossed over and returned to tell the tale; and the few who do, well we really don't know what their source is.
We believe dJinns are another creation, created from smokeless fire; generally invisible to humans. Satan is a dJinn. We also believe that they are communities of dJinn, families, procreation, etc, like any other human or animal community we are able to observe; There are good dJinns and bad dJinns, believer and non-believers, helpers and hinderers; dJinns are known to have served Prophet-King Solomon. Satan(named Iblis) was one of the angels when God created Adam... when God ordered all present to prostrate/submit to Adam, Iblis refused (Holy Quran 2:34); he was haughty, because he took pride in his being created from fire, whereas Adam was from clay; God dislikes arrogance, and thus Iblis was disgraced. Instead of repenting, he vowed to take it upon himself to hinder humans from the path of God, and asked God to grant him permission till the end of this-world time (doomsday) to mislead humans (Holy Quran 4:119). We are told that Iblis and his host of satans have no real power upon us, that it is in our will whether to do their bid or to reject it, and those who remember God and seek guidance will ultimately be the ones who prevail.(Holy Quran 7:200-206)
A question:If the dJinn can "whisper thoughts in our minds," would you describe them as spirit-beings as opposed to material (physical) beings? Do they have gender, form, specific names and identities?
Yes, I'm sure they all must have some names or numbers or codes to interact within their community; spirit-beings as in 'in another dimension? like angels, invisible to us?' yes, if that's what you are trying to ask; material(physical) beings also as they are created from smokeless fire... guess the correct answer is spirit-beings to us, physical beings in their own dimension(world)
(*)except those who have proven beyond doubt that they deserve punishment, for them the torture probably begins in the grave; (Pharoah is one of the examples usually cited).
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
On Love, Hate, Hardened Criminals and Followers of Satan
My thoughts in response to a discussion:
I firmly believe that all have a chance... as we cannot peep into any one's heart, we must continue believing in the latent potential for goodness, and keep spreading love and hope... who knows when what strikes a chord, and a person reverts back to the truth that we are all born with! Easier said than done, I know, but I really admire those who can persevere and hold their ground while spreading hope and light!
May Allah open minds to reason, discussion and tolerance, and may He guide all to the truth. Amen.
I firmly believe that all have a chance... as we cannot peep into any one's heart, we must continue believing in the latent potential for goodness, and keep spreading love and hope... who knows when what strikes a chord, and a person reverts back to the truth that we are all born with! Easier said than done, I know, but I really admire those who can persevere and hold their ground while spreading hope and light!
May Allah open minds to reason, discussion and tolerance, and may He guide all to the truth. Amen.
Verses regarding War (The Holy Quran, Ch 9)
Question: "Are you familiar with the contents of Surah 9 (At-Tauba), and are you comfortable with the implications of many of its verses, especially verse 5?" The 129 verses of this very long Surah contain many verses suggesting an animosity towards other religions and anyone who is not Muslim.
*** Verse Five."Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (5)"*** Verses Thirty thru Thirty-Three."And the Jews say:. Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! (30)"They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no god save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! (31)"Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdaineth (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse. (32)"He it is who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the idolaters may be averse. (33)"*** Verse One Hundred and Twenty-Three."O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him). (123)"
These are some of the verses that suggest intolerance of non-Muslims. Please be aware that I could easily find a number of intolerant verses in passages from the New Testament or the Talmud as well. Abrahamic religions were born in a culture of intolerance, while many of the eastern religions show little sign of such intolerance in their sacred scriptures.Is their anything that can be done, from the Islamic perspective, to help the Abrahamic religions get beyond such expressions of intolerance without sacrificing essential tenets of their faith?
Answer: To answer your question regarding the verses which call on to armed struggle in the name of God, a little background is necessary for a better understanding.
It appears to have been the tradition of God Almighty that whenever He has sent messengers with clear signs for the guidance of humans, He has given them clear victory over their opponents.
Noah was rejected by most of his people, the handful who believed survived the Great Flood.
Lot was disbelieved and rejected, Sodom was destroyed.
Moses was disbelieved, Pharoah met his death, and the enslaved tribes of Israel were able to cross over and escape.
They tried to crucify Jesus, Allah saved Jesus, and decreed that those who believed in Jesus will be above those who disbelieved in him, and thus the Jews, inspite of thier intelligence and brilliance, are always in need of protection. In the medieval times, they sought refuge in Muslim lands, now they need US veto and aid. An abiding punishment for rejecting the Prophet.
The Quran is full of repeated examples of nations to whom prophets came, were disbelieved in, and thus, after proving their persistent rejection of truth, finally incurred the wrath of the Almighty. The key words here are 'rejecting clear signs'_ the people knew that this was the truth and yet they insisted upon rejecting it, hence they established the case against their own souls. God does not do injustice, He sent signs and messengers bearing truth and glad tidings, prophets who told of the hereafter, of what was to become of those who insisted on rejecting what they knew to be the truth, and what was to be the outcome of those who embraced faith with all their heart.
The people of Prophet Muhammad's time are repeatedly being invited to faith, throughout the Quran, as well as reminded of the end of those nations which rejected God's message, so that they have no argument against it when it befalls them. The verses you quote are time-specific, as they are directives during those periods when the muslims were in a state of war with the non-believers. They had treaties with some of them which were being violated time and again. Also, bear in mind that most of these wars were defensive, as the muslims had migrated to Medina with little or no material belongings, and the Muslims of Medina were hosting and sharing with them, thus the muslims were fighting more on faith whereas the opponents were far stronger militarily. These were special times, events and circumstances in the Prophet's time. These verses do not mean that we can take the licence and, go and kill. A proper declaration was made to those with whom Muslims had entered in treaty, only to see them repeatedly breached, that hence the treaty stood revoked and dissolved, and a warning of 4 months time was given to them to either mend their ways or prepare for war.
Specifically, these verses are set in the backdrop of 9 and 10AH (AH means after migration to Medina. 8AH is the year the Muslims conquered Makkah).Also, please remember that Muslims were required to follow strict rules during war, such as not attacking women and children, if a non-believer combatant would, on coming under a sword, say that he believed in Islam, killing him was prohibited. Once, in such a situation, a companion of the Prophet went ahead and killed such a person, on the plea that he only said that to save his life, yet was severely reprimanded and questioned how he could say such a thing with any certainty when he couldn't peep into peoples' hearts! Unlike regular armies, which loot and plunder and rape when victors, Muslims are strictly prohibited from any such acts.
When Makkah was conquered, it was declared that all people are safe and no one will be done any injustice with. The religion of Islam carries the message of peace, and strives to lift humanity out of the sufferings and injustices that we humans unwittingly allow to be perpetrated upon us by other humans, it seeks to establish social justice and freedom, and states: "There is no compulsion in religion (2:256)".
There are many verses in the Quran which tell us that there are people among the Jews and the Christians and Sabians( and others), who are pious and doers of good, and will be rewarded by the Almighty for their beliefs and good deeds. In Surah Maida, we are told that we are permitted to share meals with the people of the book... you don't invite sworn enemies over feasts, do you? Allah does not contradict Himself, therefore, it is important to understand the verses with reference to context. God forbid, if you are in a state of war with somebody, what would you advice your soldiers? And would your directives be applicable for quoting in peace-time with friendly nations, or be equally applicable to peaceful or innocent citizens?
Another great tragedy of our times is the mis-reporting in the media. Evil people with criminal agendas exist in all societies. When a non-muslim does some such act, his or her religion is never dragged into the limelight. But when a muslim does some such act, the religion is highlighted to make it appear as the fault of the teachings of the religion rather than the person's own crime. Besides, people who have been oppressed and robbed of their land and belongings, their people killed, if they are throwing stones out of frustration at big tanks which threaten their very existence, who bears the bigger blame? These can be understood as desperate reactions. Whereas, as far as suicide bombings, etc are concerned, as muslims, we are not allowed to hurt innocent, unarmed people; these are organized crimes perpetrated on unarmed people, must have a source of funding and proper planning, and thus must be seen as deliberate criminal acts and the perpetrators dealt with accordingly.
As far as the relevance to today's wars are concerned, as one scholar explained to me, after the Prophet's demise, the Muslim Caliphs only conquered the lands that had been sent invitations to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad, and inspite of knowing that he was the messenger of God, yet chose to reject the message. They stopped short of going any further than those lands, inspite of favourble conditions for conquest. The scholar was of the opinion that we should not try to apply those verses to today's wars, as the Prophet is no longer between us.
You may wish to read this introduction, summary and explanation of Ch 9 by Abdullah Yusuf Ali: http://www.quran4u.com/Tafsiraya/009%20Tawbah.htm
*** Verse Five."Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (5)"*** Verses Thirty thru Thirty-Three."And the Jews say:. Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! (30)"They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no god save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! (31)"Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdaineth (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse. (32)"He it is who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the idolaters may be averse. (33)"*** Verse One Hundred and Twenty-Three."O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him). (123)"
These are some of the verses that suggest intolerance of non-Muslims. Please be aware that I could easily find a number of intolerant verses in passages from the New Testament or the Talmud as well. Abrahamic religions were born in a culture of intolerance, while many of the eastern religions show little sign of such intolerance in their sacred scriptures.Is their anything that can be done, from the Islamic perspective, to help the Abrahamic religions get beyond such expressions of intolerance without sacrificing essential tenets of their faith?
Answer: To answer your question regarding the verses which call on to armed struggle in the name of God, a little background is necessary for a better understanding.
It appears to have been the tradition of God Almighty that whenever He has sent messengers with clear signs for the guidance of humans, He has given them clear victory over their opponents.
Noah was rejected by most of his people, the handful who believed survived the Great Flood.
Lot was disbelieved and rejected, Sodom was destroyed.
Moses was disbelieved, Pharoah met his death, and the enslaved tribes of Israel were able to cross over and escape.
They tried to crucify Jesus, Allah saved Jesus, and decreed that those who believed in Jesus will be above those who disbelieved in him, and thus the Jews, inspite of thier intelligence and brilliance, are always in need of protection. In the medieval times, they sought refuge in Muslim lands, now they need US veto and aid. An abiding punishment for rejecting the Prophet.
The Quran is full of repeated examples of nations to whom prophets came, were disbelieved in, and thus, after proving their persistent rejection of truth, finally incurred the wrath of the Almighty. The key words here are 'rejecting clear signs'_ the people knew that this was the truth and yet they insisted upon rejecting it, hence they established the case against their own souls. God does not do injustice, He sent signs and messengers bearing truth and glad tidings, prophets who told of the hereafter, of what was to become of those who insisted on rejecting what they knew to be the truth, and what was to be the outcome of those who embraced faith with all their heart.
The people of Prophet Muhammad's time are repeatedly being invited to faith, throughout the Quran, as well as reminded of the end of those nations which rejected God's message, so that they have no argument against it when it befalls them. The verses you quote are time-specific, as they are directives during those periods when the muslims were in a state of war with the non-believers. They had treaties with some of them which were being violated time and again. Also, bear in mind that most of these wars were defensive, as the muslims had migrated to Medina with little or no material belongings, and the Muslims of Medina were hosting and sharing with them, thus the muslims were fighting more on faith whereas the opponents were far stronger militarily. These were special times, events and circumstances in the Prophet's time. These verses do not mean that we can take the licence and, go and kill. A proper declaration was made to those with whom Muslims had entered in treaty, only to see them repeatedly breached, that hence the treaty stood revoked and dissolved, and a warning of 4 months time was given to them to either mend their ways or prepare for war.
Specifically, these verses are set in the backdrop of 9 and 10AH (AH means after migration to Medina. 8AH is the year the Muslims conquered Makkah).Also, please remember that Muslims were required to follow strict rules during war, such as not attacking women and children, if a non-believer combatant would, on coming under a sword, say that he believed in Islam, killing him was prohibited. Once, in such a situation, a companion of the Prophet went ahead and killed such a person, on the plea that he only said that to save his life, yet was severely reprimanded and questioned how he could say such a thing with any certainty when he couldn't peep into peoples' hearts! Unlike regular armies, which loot and plunder and rape when victors, Muslims are strictly prohibited from any such acts.
When Makkah was conquered, it was declared that all people are safe and no one will be done any injustice with. The religion of Islam carries the message of peace, and strives to lift humanity out of the sufferings and injustices that we humans unwittingly allow to be perpetrated upon us by other humans, it seeks to establish social justice and freedom, and states: "There is no compulsion in religion (2:256)".
There are many verses in the Quran which tell us that there are people among the Jews and the Christians and Sabians( and others), who are pious and doers of good, and will be rewarded by the Almighty for their beliefs and good deeds. In Surah Maida, we are told that we are permitted to share meals with the people of the book... you don't invite sworn enemies over feasts, do you? Allah does not contradict Himself, therefore, it is important to understand the verses with reference to context. God forbid, if you are in a state of war with somebody, what would you advice your soldiers? And would your directives be applicable for quoting in peace-time with friendly nations, or be equally applicable to peaceful or innocent citizens?
Another great tragedy of our times is the mis-reporting in the media. Evil people with criminal agendas exist in all societies. When a non-muslim does some such act, his or her religion is never dragged into the limelight. But when a muslim does some such act, the religion is highlighted to make it appear as the fault of the teachings of the religion rather than the person's own crime. Besides, people who have been oppressed and robbed of their land and belongings, their people killed, if they are throwing stones out of frustration at big tanks which threaten their very existence, who bears the bigger blame? These can be understood as desperate reactions. Whereas, as far as suicide bombings, etc are concerned, as muslims, we are not allowed to hurt innocent, unarmed people; these are organized crimes perpetrated on unarmed people, must have a source of funding and proper planning, and thus must be seen as deliberate criminal acts and the perpetrators dealt with accordingly.
As far as the relevance to today's wars are concerned, as one scholar explained to me, after the Prophet's demise, the Muslim Caliphs only conquered the lands that had been sent invitations to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad, and inspite of knowing that he was the messenger of God, yet chose to reject the message. They stopped short of going any further than those lands, inspite of favourble conditions for conquest. The scholar was of the opinion that we should not try to apply those verses to today's wars, as the Prophet is no longer between us.
You may wish to read this introduction, summary and explanation of Ch 9 by Abdullah Yusuf Ali: http://www.quran4u.com/Tafsiraya/009%20Tawbah.htm
Shariah Law
Question: "What is Sharia Law?" What authority does it have in Islam? Is it based upon the Quran or upon some other holy scripture? Is it Sharia Law that dictates theocratic rule of nations?
Answer: The Quran contains very few direct laws which basically comprise the Shariah of Allah. Other than that, based on the recorded practice of the Prophet and the new legal situations as they arose, jurists tried to formulate laws based on their knowledge of the Quran, Hadith and Law itself. These have, over the years, come to be regarded as the Shariah Laws. There is a debate among Muslims as to whether these jurists' laws, as formulated centuries ago, are directly applicable to all people at all times, or whether they are open to further improvement based on the fundamental directives in the Quran, and the current situations specific to our time and age. The Shariah Laws thus have various versions depending on the works of different jurists, and thus the Shariah Laws in use in Saudi Arabia are slightly different from the ones in Iran.
Also, for a broader perspective on Shariah, check out http://khalidzaheer.com/essays/kzaheer/islamic%20shariah/what_is_islamic_and_what_is_not.html
Answer: The Quran contains very few direct laws which basically comprise the Shariah of Allah. Other than that, based on the recorded practice of the Prophet and the new legal situations as they arose, jurists tried to formulate laws based on their knowledge of the Quran, Hadith and Law itself. These have, over the years, come to be regarded as the Shariah Laws. There is a debate among Muslims as to whether these jurists' laws, as formulated centuries ago, are directly applicable to all people at all times, or whether they are open to further improvement based on the fundamental directives in the Quran, and the current situations specific to our time and age. The Shariah Laws thus have various versions depending on the works of different jurists, and thus the Shariah Laws in use in Saudi Arabia are slightly different from the ones in Iran.
Also, for a broader perspective on Shariah, check out http://khalidzaheer.com/essays/kzaheer/islamic%20shariah/what_is_islamic_and_what_is_not.html
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
What it says about money in the Qur'an?
Question: For some reason I have been thinking about the issue of money and what has been written about it in the OT and NT. (I'm also curious what it says about money in the Qur'an.) ...I know the bible says the *love* of money is the root of all evil; then there is the story about the rich man and the camel and the eye of a needle. My question is: does the bible differentiate between those who have money and use it wisely, and those who have money and use it only to live lavishly? My money does not come from family, but from some fortunate financial decisions I made in my youth. I do not live lavishly; in fact I live decidedly below my means. I sure hope that the bible doesn't say that God will exclude all rich people from heaven. If that is so, I have a problem.
Answer: Very briefly, money/wealth is a means of trial. We are not encouraged to hoard money, rather it is seen as a societal economic tool which should stay in circulation for the benefit of all rather than in coffers to rot. We are advised that wealth is among the things of this world and will be left behind upon death. The best we can do is use it, and if we use it for good causes, we earn rewards which we carry with us to the Hereafter. We are encouraged to spend, whatever is left after fulfilling our needs, on the poor, the needy and in the way of God (helping the society and promoting the religion). As far as spending on the poor and needy is concerned, we are advised to first look to our immediate relatives, and then move out towards others. Thus, depending on whatever one’s financial status, one can help as many as possible. Most jurists agree that the recommended minimum amount of charity is 2.5% of our wealth (only after one is able to meet one’s basic needs) which is known as zakat, which must be distributed annually among those who need it. Quoting a relevant passage below:
Holy Quran Chapter 2 Verses 261- 284 Translation by M Pickthal
261 The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah's way is as the likeness of a grain which groweth seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah giveth increase manifold to whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.
262 Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and afterward make not reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent; their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve.
263 A kind word with forgiveness is better than almsgiving followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement.
264 O ye who believe! Render not vain your almsgiving by reproach and injury, like him who spendeth his wealth only to be seen of men and believeth not in Allah and the Last Day. His likeness is as the likeness of a rock whereon is dust of earth; a rainstorm smiteth it, leaving it smooth and bare. They have no control of aught of that which they have gained. Allah guideth not the disbelieving folk.
265 And the likeness of those who spend their wealth in search of Allah's pleasure, and for the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden on a height. The rainstorm smiteth it and it bringeth forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what ye do.
266 Would any of you like to have a garden of palm-trees and vines, with rivers flowing underneath it, with all kinds of fruit for him therein; and old age hath stricken him and he hath feeble offspring; and a fiery whirlwind striketh it and it is (all) consumed by fire. Thus Allah maketh plain His revelations unto you, in order that ye may give thought.
267 O ye who believe! Spend of the good things which ye have earned, and of that which We bring forth from the earth for you, and seek not the bad (with intent) to spend thereof (in charity) when ye would not take it for yourselves save with disdain; and know that Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise.
268 The devil promiseth you destitution and enjoineth on you lewdness. But Allah promiseth you forgiveness from Himself with bounty. Allah is All-Embracing, All-knowing.
269 He giveth wisdom unto whom He will, and he unto whom wisdom is given, he truly hath received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding.
270 Whatever alms ye spend or vow ye vow, lo! Allah knoweth it. Wrong-doers have no helpers.
271 If ye publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if ye hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds. Allah is Informed of what ye do.
272 The guiding of them is not thy duty (O Muhammad), but Allah guideth whom He will. And whatsoever good thing ye spend, it is for yourselves, when ye spend not save in search of Allah's Countenance; and whatsoever good thing ye spend, it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.
273 (Alms are) for the poor who are straitened for the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land (for trade). The unthinking man accounteth them wealthy because of their restraint. Thou shalt know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. And whatsoever good thing ye spend, lo! Allah knoweth it.
274 Those who spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward is with their Lord, and their shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
275 Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch. That is because they say: Trade is just like usury; whereas Allah permitteth trading and forbiddeth usury. He unto whom an admonition from his Lord cometh, and (he) refraineth (in obedience thereto), he shall keep (the profits of) that which is past, and his affair (henceforth) is with Allah. As for him who returneth (to usury) - Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.
276 Allah hath blighted usury and made almsgiving fruitful. Allah loveth not the impious and guilty.
277 Lo! those who believe and do good works and establish worship and pay the poor-due, their reward is with their Lord and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. 278 O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah, and give up what remaineth (due to you) from usury, if ye are (in truth) believers.
279 And if ye do not, then be warned of war (against you) from Allah and His messenger. And if ye repent, then ye have your principal (without interest). Wrong not, and ye shall not be wronged.
280 And if the debtor is in straitened circumstances, then (let there be) postponement to (the time of) ease; and that ye remit the debt as almsgiving would be better for you if ye did but know.
281 And guard yourselves against a day in which ye will be brought back to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it hath earned, and they will not be wronged.
282 O ye who believe! When ye contract a debt for a fixed term, record it in writing. Let a scribe record it in writing between you in (terms of) equity. No scribe should refuse to write as Allah hath taught him, so let him write, and let him who incurreth the debt dictate, and let him observe his duty to Allah his Lord, and diminish naught thereof. But if he who oweth the debt is of low understanding, or weak, or unable himself to dictate, then let the guardian of his interests dictate in (terms of) equity. And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not (at hand) then a man and two women, of such as ye approve as witnesses, so that if the one erreth (through forgetfulness) the other will remember. And the witnesses must not refuse when they are summoned. Be not averse to writing down (the contract) whether it be small or great, with (record of) the term thereof. That is more equitable in the sight of Allah and more sure for testimony, and the best way of avoiding doubt between you; save only in the case when it is actual merchandise which ye transfer among yourselves from hand to hand. In that case it is no sin for you if ye write it not. And have witnesses when ye sell one to another, and let no harm be done to scribe or witness. If ye do (harm to them) lo! it is a sin in you. Observe your duty to Allah. Allah is teaching you. And Allah is knower of all things.
283 If ye be on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a pledge in hand (shall suffice). And if one of you entrusteth to another let him who is trusted deliver up that which is entrusted to him (according to the pact between them) and let him observe his duty to Allah his Lord. Hide not testimony. He who hideth it, verily his heart is sinful. Allah is Aware of what ye do.
284 Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things.
The last two verses of this chapter which follow the above injunctions are beautiful:
Holy Quran Chapter 2 Verse 285-286 Translation by A Yusuf Ali
285 The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."
286 On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."
Answer: Very briefly, money/wealth is a means of trial. We are not encouraged to hoard money, rather it is seen as a societal economic tool which should stay in circulation for the benefit of all rather than in coffers to rot. We are advised that wealth is among the things of this world and will be left behind upon death. The best we can do is use it, and if we use it for good causes, we earn rewards which we carry with us to the Hereafter. We are encouraged to spend, whatever is left after fulfilling our needs, on the poor, the needy and in the way of God (helping the society and promoting the religion). As far as spending on the poor and needy is concerned, we are advised to first look to our immediate relatives, and then move out towards others. Thus, depending on whatever one’s financial status, one can help as many as possible. Most jurists agree that the recommended minimum amount of charity is 2.5% of our wealth (only after one is able to meet one’s basic needs) which is known as zakat, which must be distributed annually among those who need it. Quoting a relevant passage below:
Holy Quran Chapter 2 Verses 261- 284 Translation by M Pickthal
261 The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah's way is as the likeness of a grain which groweth seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah giveth increase manifold to whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.
262 Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and afterward make not reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent; their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve.
263 A kind word with forgiveness is better than almsgiving followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement.
264 O ye who believe! Render not vain your almsgiving by reproach and injury, like him who spendeth his wealth only to be seen of men and believeth not in Allah and the Last Day. His likeness is as the likeness of a rock whereon is dust of earth; a rainstorm smiteth it, leaving it smooth and bare. They have no control of aught of that which they have gained. Allah guideth not the disbelieving folk.
265 And the likeness of those who spend their wealth in search of Allah's pleasure, and for the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden on a height. The rainstorm smiteth it and it bringeth forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what ye do.
266 Would any of you like to have a garden of palm-trees and vines, with rivers flowing underneath it, with all kinds of fruit for him therein; and old age hath stricken him and he hath feeble offspring; and a fiery whirlwind striketh it and it is (all) consumed by fire. Thus Allah maketh plain His revelations unto you, in order that ye may give thought.
267 O ye who believe! Spend of the good things which ye have earned, and of that which We bring forth from the earth for you, and seek not the bad (with intent) to spend thereof (in charity) when ye would not take it for yourselves save with disdain; and know that Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise.
268 The devil promiseth you destitution and enjoineth on you lewdness. But Allah promiseth you forgiveness from Himself with bounty. Allah is All-Embracing, All-knowing.
269 He giveth wisdom unto whom He will, and he unto whom wisdom is given, he truly hath received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding.
270 Whatever alms ye spend or vow ye vow, lo! Allah knoweth it. Wrong-doers have no helpers.
271 If ye publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if ye hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds. Allah is Informed of what ye do.
272 The guiding of them is not thy duty (O Muhammad), but Allah guideth whom He will. And whatsoever good thing ye spend, it is for yourselves, when ye spend not save in search of Allah's Countenance; and whatsoever good thing ye spend, it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.
273 (Alms are) for the poor who are straitened for the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land (for trade). The unthinking man accounteth them wealthy because of their restraint. Thou shalt know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. And whatsoever good thing ye spend, lo! Allah knoweth it.
274 Those who spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward is with their Lord, and their shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
275 Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch. That is because they say: Trade is just like usury; whereas Allah permitteth trading and forbiddeth usury. He unto whom an admonition from his Lord cometh, and (he) refraineth (in obedience thereto), he shall keep (the profits of) that which is past, and his affair (henceforth) is with Allah. As for him who returneth (to usury) - Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.
276 Allah hath blighted usury and made almsgiving fruitful. Allah loveth not the impious and guilty.
277 Lo! those who believe and do good works and establish worship and pay the poor-due, their reward is with their Lord and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. 278 O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah, and give up what remaineth (due to you) from usury, if ye are (in truth) believers.
279 And if ye do not, then be warned of war (against you) from Allah and His messenger. And if ye repent, then ye have your principal (without interest). Wrong not, and ye shall not be wronged.
280 And if the debtor is in straitened circumstances, then (let there be) postponement to (the time of) ease; and that ye remit the debt as almsgiving would be better for you if ye did but know.
281 And guard yourselves against a day in which ye will be brought back to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it hath earned, and they will not be wronged.
282 O ye who believe! When ye contract a debt for a fixed term, record it in writing. Let a scribe record it in writing between you in (terms of) equity. No scribe should refuse to write as Allah hath taught him, so let him write, and let him who incurreth the debt dictate, and let him observe his duty to Allah his Lord, and diminish naught thereof. But if he who oweth the debt is of low understanding, or weak, or unable himself to dictate, then let the guardian of his interests dictate in (terms of) equity. And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not (at hand) then a man and two women, of such as ye approve as witnesses, so that if the one erreth (through forgetfulness) the other will remember. And the witnesses must not refuse when they are summoned. Be not averse to writing down (the contract) whether it be small or great, with (record of) the term thereof. That is more equitable in the sight of Allah and more sure for testimony, and the best way of avoiding doubt between you; save only in the case when it is actual merchandise which ye transfer among yourselves from hand to hand. In that case it is no sin for you if ye write it not. And have witnesses when ye sell one to another, and let no harm be done to scribe or witness. If ye do (harm to them) lo! it is a sin in you. Observe your duty to Allah. Allah is teaching you. And Allah is knower of all things.
283 If ye be on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a pledge in hand (shall suffice). And if one of you entrusteth to another let him who is trusted deliver up that which is entrusted to him (according to the pact between them) and let him observe his duty to Allah his Lord. Hide not testimony. He who hideth it, verily his heart is sinful. Allah is Aware of what ye do.
284 Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things.
The last two verses of this chapter which follow the above injunctions are beautiful:
Holy Quran Chapter 2 Verse 285-286 Translation by A Yusuf Ali
285 The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."
286 On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."
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