- To Associate Others with Allah or "Shirk"
The first cause of apostasy is to commit shirk. Allah said (4:48): "Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives anything else to whomsoever He pleases, and whoever sets up partner with Allah in worship, he has indeed forged a mighty sin."
And He said (5:72): "Verily, whosoever associates with Allah anything, for him Allah has forbidden Paradise, and the Fire will be his abode; and the wrongdoers shall have no helpers."
There are four types of Shirk:
- Shirk through one's prayers (See 29:65)
- Shirk through one's intent in his acts of worship (See 11:15-16)
- Shirk through one's obedience (See 9:31)
- Shirk through one's love (See 2:165)
The fourth type of shirk is explained by Allah's statement (See 9:24): "Say (to them O Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam): 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, and dwellings you love, if these are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and to struggle in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His Command (Punishment). And Allah guides not the wrong-doing people.'"
- To Deny the Finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam
The second cause of apostasy is denial of finality of Prophethood with the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam. Whoever claims Prophethood or believes the claim of a false prophet has left the fold of Islam. For example, in our times, those who believe the claims of prophethood of Ghulam Ahmad, Elijah Poole, or Rashad Khalifa have left the fold of Islam.
- To Deny the Binding Nature of the Sunnah
The third cause of apostasy is denial of the Sunnah. For example, those who claim that Islam is only the Qur'an have left the fold of Islam.
- To Judge by Other than Sharia
The fourth cause of apostasy is to judge by other than the sharia that Allah sent down to the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam. For example those who believe that the systems and laws devised by men are better than the sharia, or that it is permissible to judge by other than the sharia even if one does not believe that judgment to be better than that of the sharia, or that Islam should be restricted to the private relationship between an individual and His Lord without entering into the other aspects of life.
- To Ridicule Any Aspect of Islam
The fifth cause of apostasy is to ridicule or make fun of any aspect of Islam, its rewards or punishments.
Allah said (S9 A65-66): "And if you (O Muhammad) question them, they (the hypocrites) will say: "We were only talking idly and jesting." Say (to them o Muhammad), "What, then were you mocking Allah and His Signs and His Messenger. Make no excuse you have disbelieved after you have believed."
- To Hate Any Aspect of Islam
The sixth cause of apostasy is to hate any aspect of Islam.
Allah said: (S47 A9): "That is because they have been averse to what Allah has sent down, so He has made their deeds to fail."
- To Perform or to be Pleased with Sorcery
The seventh cause of apostasy is to perform sorcery or to be pleased with the performance of sorcery like bringing a man and a woman to love or hate one another.
Allah said (S2 A102): "The devils disbelieved, they teach people sorcery."
- To Believe that One May Obtain Salvation by Following Other than the Sharia of the Prophet
The eighth cause of apostasy is to believe that one may obtain salvation by following other than the religion of Islam or by refusing to cal the infidels, like the Jews and Christians, infidels, or to doubt their unbelief, or to say their religion is still correct.
Allah said: "The true religion with Allah is Islam." (S3 A19)
"Whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him and in the Hereafter he shall be among the losers." (S33 A85)
"And they say, "Be Jews or Christians then you shall be guided." Say: "Nay, rather the religion of Abraham, a man of pure faith, and he was not of idolaters."" (S2 A135)
The Prophet has said: "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, anyone of this community, Jew or Christian, who hears of me and then dies without believing in me, will be among the inhabitants of the Hellfire." [Muslim]
- To Turn Away from Islam by Neither Learning nor Acting Upon its Teachings
The ninth cause of apostasy is to turn away from the religion of Islam by neither learning it or acting upon it.
Allah said (S32 A22): "And who does greater evil than he who is reminded of the signs of His Lord, then turns away from them? We shall take vengeance upon the criminals."
May Allah keep us upon the testimony "There is no god (worthy of worship) but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" in this world and reward us full for it in the Hereafter.
Allah said (S14 A27): "Allah confirms those who believe with the firm word (la ilaha ill Allah), in the present life and in the Hereafter; and Allah leads astray the evil-doers. And Allah does what He will."
Friday, April 24, 2009
Causes that Lead to Apostasy
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Political Islam
What is the nature and function, in the contemporary Muslim world, of the political movements claiming to be the one true Islamic faith? These movements are commonly designated “Islamic fundamentalism” in the West, but I prefer the phrase used in the Arab world: “Political Islam.” We do not have religious movements, per se, here – the various groups are all quite close to one another – but something much more banal: political organizations whose aim is the conquest of state power, nothing more, nothing less. Wrapping such organizations in the flag of Islam is simple, straightforward opportunism.
Political Islam is the adversary of liberation theology.
It advocates submission, not emancipation.
Modern Political Islam was invented by the orientalists serving British colonialism in India and was adopted intact by Mawdudi of Pakistan. It consisted mainly in “proving” that Muslim believers may only live under the rule of an Islamic State – anticipating the partition of India – because Islam cannot permit separation of Church and State. The orientalists conveniently forgot that the English of the 13th Century held precisely such ideas about Christianity.
Merciless Adversary of Liberation
The heralds of “Islamic Renaissance” are not interested in theology and they never refer to classic theological texts. For such thinkers, an Islamic community is defined by inheritance, like ethnicity, rather than by a strong and intimate personal conviction. It is a question of asserting a “collective identity” and nothing more. That is why the phrase “Political Islam” is the appropriate designation for such movements.
Saudi Arabia is a country without a constitution, whose rules claim that the Qur'an is a satisfactory substitute. In actual practice, the House of Saud has the power of an absolute monarchy or tribal chiefdom.
Of Islam, Political Islam retains only the shared habits of contemporary Muslim life – notably rituals for which it demands absolute respect. At the same time, it demands a complete cultural return to public and private rules which were practiced two centuries ago in the Ottoman Empire, in Iran and in Central Asia, by the powers of that time. Political Islam believes, or pretends to believe, that these rules are those of the “real Islam,” the Islam of the age of the Prophet. But this is not important. Certainly Islam permits this interpretation as legitimation for the exercise of power, as it has been used from Islam's origin to modern times.
In this sense Islam is not original. Christianity has done the same to sustain the structures of political and social power in pre-modern Europe, for example. Anyone with a minimum of awareness and critical sense recognizes that behind legitimizing discourse stand real social systems, with real histories. Political Islam is not interested in this. It does not propose any analysis or critique of these systems. Contemporary Islam is only an ideology based on the past, an ideology which proposes a pure and simple return to the past, and more precisely, to the period immediately preceding the submission of the Muslim world to the expansion of capitalism and Western imperialism. That religions – Islam, Christianity, and others – are thus interpreted in a reactionary, obscurantist way, does not exclude other interpretations, reformist or even revolutionary. Not only is the return to the past not desirable (nor actually desired by the peoples in whose name Political Islam pretends to be speaking); it is, quite simply, impossible. That is why the movements which constitute Political Islam refuse to offer a precise program, contrary to what is customary in political life. For its answer to concrete questions of social and economic life, Political Islam repeats the empty slogan: Islam is the solution. When pushed to the wall, the spokesmen for Political Islam never fail to choose an answer harmonious with liberal capitalism, as when the Egyptian parliament grants absolute freedom of maneuver to landowners and nothing whatsoever to the peasant farmers who work their land. In their unhappy effort to produce an “Islamic Political Economy,” the authors of manuals on the subject (financed by Saudi Arabia) have only succeeded in applying a coat of religious whitewash to the most banal tenets of American liberalism.
A Turbaned Dictatorship In Iran
The indifference of the regime's hard right wing to the social problems facing the country's working class gave rise to the “reformers” whose aim has been to moderate the harshness of the theocratic dictatorship, but without renouncing its basic principle – the monopoly of political power. Recognizing the extent of the Islamic Republic's economic disaster, the “reformers” have made the pragmatic decision to gradually revise their “anti-imperialist” postures. They are in the process of reintegrating Iran into the commonplace comprador world of capitalism on the peripheries. The system of Political Islam in Iran has reached deadlock. The political and social struggles into which the Iranian people have now been plunged might soon lead to rejection of the very principle of “wilaya al faquih” which places the clergy above all other institutions of political and civil society.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has conceived no other political system than that of a one-party dictatorship monopolized by the Mullahs. False comparisons are frequently made between the Islamist parties and the Christian Democratic parties of Europe (i.e., if the Christian Democrats have governed Italy for 50 years, why shouldn't an Islamist party govern Algeria and Egypt?). But once in power, an Islamist government immediately and definitively abolishes any form of legal political opposition.
Neoliberal Theocracy
Contemporary Political Islam is not the outcome of a reaction to the so-called abuses of secularism, as often purported, unfortunately. No Muslim society of modern times, except in the former Soviet Union, has ever been truly secular, let alone offended by the daring innovations of any atheistic and aggressive power. The semi-modern States of Kemal's Turkey, Nasser's Egypt, Baathist Syria and Iraq, merely subjugated the men of religion (as often happened in former times) to impose on them concepts aimed solely at legitimizing the State's political options.
Western support for Political Islam has thus gone to grotesque extreme of furnishing weapons, financial backing and military training to the agents of Political Islam. In the case of Afghanistan, the pretext was “fighting communism,” but the odious behavior of these Islamists (closing schools for girls opened by the terrible “communists”) apparently gave no cause for regret – neither to the Western governments supporting them, nor to Western feminist organizations.
Political Islam is in fact nothing other than an adaptation to the subordinate status of comprador capitalism. Its so-called “moderate” form therefore probably constitutes the principal danger threatening the people concerned since the violence of the “radicals” only serves to destabilize the State, impeding the installation of a new comprador power suitable to the designs of the “moderates” beloved by the West (those of Iran are a good example). The constant support offered by the pro-American diplomacies of the Triad countries (U.S., Europe and Japan) toward finding this “solution” to the problem is absolutely consistent with their desire to impose the globalized neoliberal order in the service of dominant transnational capital.
The combination of neoliberal economy and political autocracy is perfectly suited to the dominant comprador class charged with management of societies at the contemporary capitalist periphery. The Islamist parties are all instruments of this class. This is true not only of the Muslim Brotherhood and other organizations considered moderate, and whose close ties to the bourgeoisie are well known. It is equally true of the small clandestine organizations which practice “terrorism.” Both are useful tools of Political Islam, and the division of labor is highly complimentary between those using violence and those infiltrating state institutions (especially education, the judiciary, the mass media and, if possible, the police and military). For all such groups and activities, there is one objective: seizure of state power, although on the morning after the anticipated victory, the “moderates” will put an end to the excesses of the “radicals.” Immediately after the Iranian revolution, the Mullahs massacred the left-wing militants (Fedayin and Mojahedin) who had attempted to make common cause between their populist, revolutionary aims inspired by Socialism and the deeper mobilization of Political Islam. Without the Fedayin and Mojahedin, the triumph of the “Islamic” revolution would not have been possible. Since then, the Mullahs have recruited and trained millions of political terrorists from among the lumpen proletariat in order to enforce its rule.*
The existing power structures against which the movements of Political Islam are hurling themselves are the compradors, the national bourgeoisie of the region, fully subordinate to the diktats of neoliberal globalization. The comprador classes are not particularly democratic, even when they offer the gift of parliamentary elections which they call “multi-party,” and they often rely on the pretext of Islamic terrorism to justify their refusal of meaningful democracy (as in Algeria).
What this means is that the contest between the compradors and the Islamists is only a conflict between factions of the ruling class – a struggle for power, nothing more, between opposing leaders and their clients. Depending on the circumstances, the shape of the conflict varies from extreme violence, as in the case of Algeria, to dialogue, as in Egypt, where the government holds direct talks with the Muslim Brotherhood. Both sides in the conflict utilize Islamic demagogy in their attempts to capture for their own benefit the allegiance of the politically confused populace. Contemporary popular political confusion closely resembles that which followed the failure of hopes based on the populist nationalisms of the previous era (Nasser, Boumedienne, Le Bass). This time it results from widespread recognition of the social destruction wrought by the neoliberalism of the ruling comprador classes.
Popular political confusion in the Islamic world is in no small part due to the extreme timidity of the critique that the left had addressed in the previous period to the ruling forces of national populism. Yet the bourgeoisie in power is by no means secular. It pretends to be as “Islamic” as its adversaries, for example by enforcing many of the precepts of Islamic law – especially in the domain of the family – thus gradually making the ruse into reality. The resulting “compromise” solutions inevitably augment the dominant neoliberal and antidemocratic order. Thus the dominant international political and economic powers, led primarily by the U.S., see no inconvenience in the exercise of power by Political Islam. This says a great deal about the hypocrisy of Western advocacy of “democracy” and demonstrates that, contrary to the Western ideological equation of “market” and “democracy,” the two principles are in fact in direct conflict.
Ideological Complementarity
The diplomacy of the G7 powers, particularly that of the U.S., knowingly chooses to support Political Islam. The G7 lends such aid and assistance from Egypt to Algeria. In Afghanistan, U.S. support took the form of describing Afghan Islamists as “freedom fighters” against the horrible dictatorship of communism, which was in fact an enlightened, modernist, national and populist despotism that had the audacity to open schools for girls. Western leaders know that Political Islam has the virtue – for them – of making the peoples concerned helpless and consequently ensuring their compradorization without difficulty.
Given its inherent cynicism, the American Establishment knows how to take a second advantage of Political Islam. The barbaric “drifts” of the regimes that Political Islam inspires – the Taliban, for instance – are not drifts at all, but actually fall within the logic of their programs, and can be exploited whenever imperialism finds it expedient to intervene brutally, if necessary. The “savagery” attributed to the peoples who are the first victims of Political Islam is likely to encourage “Islamophobia” which may facilitate the acceptance of a “global apartheid,” the logical and necessary outcome of an ever-polarizing capitalist expansion.
Those the West called “Afghan freedom fighters” (in fact, hoodlums trained by the CIA) and “volunteers” (Algerian, Egyptian and other Muslims), nowadays fill decisive roles in military-terrorist actions around the globe, including major U.S. cities.
Western support for Political Islam has thus gone to the grotesque extreme of furnishing weapons, financial backing and military training to the agents of Political Islam. In the case of Afghanistan, the pretext was “fighting communism,” but the odious behavior of these Islamists (closing schools for girls opened by the terrible “communists”) apparently gave no cause for regret – neither to the Western governments supporting them, nor to Western feminist organizations. Those the West called “Afghan freedom fighters” (in fact, hoodlums trained by the CIA) and “volunteers” (Algerian, Egyptian and other Muslims), nowadays fill decisive roles in military-terrorist actions around the globe, including major U.S. cities. Support for Political Islam has included the illusory rubric of “political refugee” status, offered by the U.S., Britain and Germany, which has given the militants of Political Islam the power to organize and command their operations from abroad, thus maximizing efficiency and minimizing risk.
The ideological accompaniment to this alliance between the Western powers and Political Islam is an endless campaign of legitimation in the Western mass media, usually turning on an illusory distinction between “moderates” and “radicals,” or a pious chant of praise for the virtues of multi-cultural diversity, so dear to Americans, as everyone knows.
The ideological accompaniment to this alliance between the Western powers and Political Islam is an endless campaign of legitimation in the Western mass media, usually turning on an illusory distinction between “moderates” and “radicals,” or a pious chant of praise for the virtues of multi-cultural diversity, so dear to Americans, as everyone knows. Such forms of “respect” for diverse “communities” are very useful for the management purposes of neoliberalism and globalization, because they do not imply any confrontation on the terrain of real challenges. The “communities” in question play the game of neoliberalism, shifting the debate, if and when it occurs, from the real and practical problems of the here and now into the harmless celestial regions of the cultural imaginary.
Political Islam is thus in no way the adversary of imperialism, but is, quite the contrary, its perfect servant. This fact does not prevent Western ideologues and opinion-managers from resorting, whenever necessary, to the fairytale formulae of Islam as an implacable enemy of Western modernity, the “clash of cultures” so dear to Samuel Huntington and his CIA patrons. Such wars occur only on the imaginary plane, whereas in the real world, the victims of the “communities” represented by Political Islam suffer terribly under very real blows. The ideological war, furthermore, provides yet another cover for military-political intervention by the U.S. and its subaltern “allies” when and wherever the need might arise.
We should not be surprised that the U.S. is pleased by the services that Political Islam renders to its project of world hegemony. With the exception of Hamas in Palestine and Hizbollah in Lebanon (pre-911) and the Taliban (post-911), no movement of Political Islam is designated as an enemy by Washington. The pre-911 designation of Hamas and Hizbollah by the U.S. State Department as “terrorist organizations” was clearly an accident of political geography, since both are opposed to the state of Israel, which evidently takes precedence in U.S. considerations over everything else. Hamas and Hizbollah are the only manifestations of Political Islam fighting foreign military occupation, whereas the others direct their violence only at their compatriots. Double standards and hypocrisy – can we expect anything else from the imperialists?
911 and Beyond
POLYGAMY
Polygamy was a way of life until the Quran was revealed 1400 years ago. When the earth was young and under-populated, polygamy was one way of populating it and bringing in the human beings needed to carry out God's plan. By the time the Quran was revealed, the world had been sufficiently populated, and the Quran put down the first limitations against polygamy.
Polygamy is permitted in the Quran, but under strictly observed circumstances. Any abuse of this divine permission incurs severe retribution. Thus, although polygamy is permitted by God, it behooves us to examine our circumstances carefully before saying that a particular polygamous relationship is permissible.
Our perfect example here is the prophet Muhammad. He was married to one wife, Khadijah, until she died. He had all his children, except one, from Khadijah. Thus, she and her children enjoyed the Prophet's full attention for as long as she was married to him; twenty-five years. For all practical purposes, Muhammad had one wife - from the age of 25 to 50. During the remaining 13 years of his life, he married the aged widows of his friends who left many children. The children needed a complete home, with a fatherly figure, and the Prophet provided that. Providing a fatherly figure for orphans is the only specific circumstance in support of polygamy mentioned in the Quran (4:3).
Other than marrying widowed mothers of orphans, there were three political marriages in the Prophet's life. His close friends Abu Bakr and Omar insisted that he marry their daughters, Aisha and Hafsah, to establish traditional family ties among them. The third marriage was to Maria the Egyptian; she was given to him as a political gesture of friendship from the ruler of Egypt.
This perfect example tells us that a man must give his full attention and loyalty in marriage to his wife and children in order to raise a happy and wholesome family.
The Quran emphasizes the limitations against polygamy in very strong words:
"If you fear lest you may not be perfectly equitable in treating more than one wife, then you shall be content with one." (4:3)
"You cannot be equitable in a polygamous relationship, no matter how hard you try." (4:129)
The Quranic limitations against polygamy point out the possibility of abusing God's law. Therefore, unless we are absolutely sure that God's law will not be abused, we had better resist our lust and stay away from polygamy. If the circumstances do not dictate polygamy, we had better give our full attention to one wife and one set of children. The children's psychological and social well-being, especially in countries where polygamy is prohibited, almost invariably dictate monogamy. A few basic criteria must be observed in contemplating polygamy:
1. It must alleviate pain and suffering and not cause any pain or suffering.
2. If you have a young family, it is almost certain that polygamy is an abuse.
3. Polygamy to substitute a younger wife is an abuse of God's law (4:19).
Why Moslem shoud be Rich..........?
The first thing that they said to that sister was . “Alhamdulillah Allah give you chance to give more for charity…”
Subhanallah…..
There is a beautiful hadist that was narrated by Abu Dharr radiyallahuan [1] [one of companion who was very poor]… Abu Dharr said some of Companions [poor companions] came to Rasulullah sallahu alahi wassalam… they want to share their complaint/their envy about the rich people [among the other companions]…
They said :
“They [their rich brothers] observe prayer as we do, they keep the fasts as we keep them, and they give sadaqah from their surplus riches. “
At this point those poor companions felt some steps behind the rich companions because they do not have money to do charity like Rich companions do…..
Upon this Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam said:
“Has Allah not prescribed for you (a course) by following which you can (also) do sadaqah?
In every declaration of the glorification of Allah (i.e. saying SubhanAllah) there is a sadaqah,
every Takbir (i.e. saying AllahuAkbar) is a sadaqah,
every praise of Him (saying Alhamdulillah) is a sadaqah,
every declaration that He is One (La ilaha illallah) is sadaqah,
enjoining of good is a sadaqah,
forbidding of that which is evil is a Sadaqah,
and in man's sexual intercourse (with his wife) there is a Sadaqah.
According to sharah of this hadist [the tafseer of the hadist], after heard that hadith Prophet companions were very happy… They went home and practice what Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam advised…. They increase did tasbih, takbir, tahmid wish Allah account them as Sadaqah.
Somehow rich companions knew this hadith… they hastily practice what poor companions had been practicing too…
Those poor companions came to met Rasulullah again. They said Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam that rich companions also practice his advice…
Upon this matter… Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam was smiled and said that the benefit .. that Allah bless toward the rich people… [2]
Subhanallah
It was wonderful.. long time ago.. at the time of Rasulullah.. the companions always race to do righteous deeds..They competed in the good way, tried to find ways how to please Allah more.
The poor asked Rasulullah how to be equal like the rich companions in the sight of Allah…. When the Rich companions knew the advice of Rasulullah to their fellow poor brothers, they also didn’t want to lost the chance to do more righteous deeds that can make them better in the sight of Allah subhana wata'ala…
The spirit to race in the goodness made the poor companions met Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam again... wish Rasulullah could say any other advice to make them leading in righteous deeds… wallahu alam…
They raced to do righteous deeds as much as possible… it’s not strange at that time ....rich companions gave most of their wealth for charity….Abu Bakr As Siddiq gave all his wealth, Ustman bin Afan bought the well for Moslem…Abdurrahman bin Auf donated all his merchandise….They were conglomerate who always spend their wealth in the way of Allah…
Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam never disappointed the poor companions from Abu Huraira radiyallahuan was reported Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam said
"Every bone of men's fingers and toes must give sadaqa every day the sun rises.
If one gives justice between two men it is sadaqa;
if one helps a man with his beast, loading or lifting his goods on it, it is sadaqa;
a good word is sadaqa;
every step one takes towards prayer is sadaqa;
and if anyone removes anything injurious from the road it is sadaqa." [3]
Poor companions..... at that time...... never use their poverty as the reason to left behind in righteous deeds.. They asked Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalm what kind righteous deeds that they can do to please Allah subhana wata’ala..
So...one of the reason why Moslem should be rich… to give more charity… to be able to do more of things with his money to please Allah.. to spend it in the way of Allah… To spend our money first to help our close people….like what Allah says : “They ask thee what they should spend (In charity). Say: Whatever ye spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is good, -(Allah) knoweth it well “.[4]
There is a hadist that record by Iman Al Bukhari [5]. One of beloved companion Rasulullah sallahu alihiwassalm - Saad bin Abi Waqqas was striken by an ailment that lead him to the verge of death. The prophet sallahu alaihi wassalam came to visit him. When Saad Radiyallah an saw Rasulullah there was an interesting conversation between them…
Saad said : "O Allah's Apostle! I have much property and no heir except my single daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity?"
Rasuluallah sallahu alaihi wassalam said : "No."
Saad said : "Half of it?"
Rasuluallah sallahu alaihi wassalam said : "No."
Saat said, "One-third of it?"
Rasuluallah sallahu alaihi wassalam said: "You may do so, though one-third is also too much, for it is better for you to leave your offspring wealthy than to leave them poor, asking others for help. And whatever you spend (for Allah's sake) you will be rewarded for it, even for a morsel of food which you may put in the mouth of your wife."
The last answer of prophet sallahu alaihi wassalam is another reason why Moslem should be rich….. that was said it’s better we leave our offspring wealthy than to leave them poor asking other for help….
The rich people lead forward than the poor. Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam forbid us to be envy except to the rich people who spend their money in the way of Allah.. and people who have knowledge and they teach it to other.
May Allah subhana wata’ala help all of us always to be strong financially then we can follow our role model salafussholeh who always race in the good deeds….
May Allah open our heart to feel the same joy like our role model salafus sholeh when we see the bigger amount of money that we have to spend for the zakah and infaq.
May Allah help us to get rid our greedy to keep money just to enrich ourselves when there are many people who direly need them.
May Allah guide our heart to spent our wealth in the way of Allah to safe us from the grievous Penalty "O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?- That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew! [6]
Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds:[7]
Wallahu alam bishshowab….
Subhanakallahumma wabihamdika ashadu ala ilaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaika
Wassallammu’alaikum warohmatullahi wabarokatuh
ISLAMIC TRADITIONS AND THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT: CONFRONTATION OR COOPERATION?
Whether living in the Middle East or Africa, in Central Asia, in
Pakistan, in Southeast Asia, or in Europe and the Americas, Muslim
women tend to view the feminist movement with some apprehension.
Although there are some features of the feminist cause with which we
as Muslims would wish to join hands, other features generate our
disappointment and even opposition. There is therefore no simple or
"pat" answer to the question of the future cooperation or competition
which feminism may meet in an Islamic environment.
There are however a number of social, psychological, and economic
traditions which govern the thinking of most Muslims and which are
particularly affective of woman's status and role in Islamic society.
Understanding these can help us understand the issues which affect
male and female status and roles, and how we should react to
movements which seek to improve the situation of women in any of the
countries where Muslims live.
THE FAMILY SYSTEM: One of the Islamic traditions which will affect the
way in which Muslim women respond to feminist ideas is the advocacy in
Islamic culture of an extended rather than a nuclear family system.
Some Muslim families are "residentially extended" - that is, their
members live communally with three or more generations of relatives
(grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and their offspring) in a
single building or compound. Even when this residential version of
the extended family is not possible or adhered to, family connections
reaching far beyond the nuclear unit are evident in strong
psychological, social, economic, and even political ties. Mutual
supports and responsibilities affecting these larger consanguine groups
are not just considered desirable, but they are made legally incumbent
on members of the society by Islamic law. The Holy Quran itself
exhorts to extended family solidarity; in addition it specifies the
extent of such responsibilities and contains prescriptive measures for
inheritance, support, and other close interdependencies within the
extended family.[1]
Our Islamic traditions also prescribe a much stronger participation of
the family in the contracting and preservation of marriages. While
most Western feminists would decry family participation or arranged
marriage as a negative influence because of its apparent restriction
of individualistic freedom and responsibility, as Muslims we would
argue that such participation is advantageous for both individuals and
groups within the society. Not only does it ensure marriages based on
sounder principles than physical attraction and sexual infatuation,
but it provides other safeguards for successful marital continuity.
Members of the family provide diverse companionship as well as ready
sources of advice and sympathy for the newly married as they adjust to
each others' way. One party of the marriage cannot easily pursue an
eccentric course at the expense of the spouse since such behavior
would rally opposition from the larger group. Quarrels are never so
devastating to the marriage bond since other adult family members act
as mediators and provide alternative sources of companionship and
counsel following disagreements. The problems of parenting and
generational incompatibility are also alleviated, and singles clubs
and dating bureaus would be unnecessary props for social interaction.
There is no need in the extended family for children of working
parents to be unguarded, unattended, or inadequately loved and
socialized because the extended family home is never empty. There is
therefore no feeling of guilt which the working parent often feels in
a nuclear or single-parent organization. Tragedy, even divorce, is
not so debilitating to either adults or children since the larger
social unit absorbs the residual numbers with much greater ease than a
nuclear family organization can ever provide.
The move away from the cohesiveness which the family formerly enjoyed
in Western society, the rise of usually smaller alternative family
styles, and the accompanying rise in individualism which many
feminists advocate or at least practice, are at odds with these
deep-rooted Islamic customs and traditions. If feminism in the Muslim
world chooses to espouse the Western family models, it should and
would certainly be strongly challenged by Muslim women's groups and by
Islamic society as a whole.
INDIVIDUALISM VS. THE LARGER ORGANIZATION: The traditional support of
the large and intricately interrelated family organization is
correlative to another Islamic tradition which seems to run counter to
recent Western trends and to feminist ideology. Islam and Muslim women
generally advocate molding of individual goals and interests to accord
with the welfare of the larger group and its members. Instead of
holding the goals of the individual supreme, Islam instills in the
adherent a sense of his or her place within the family and of a
responsibility to that group. This is not perceived or experienced by
Muslims as repression of the individual. Other traditions which will
be discussed later guarantee his or her legal personality. Feminism,
therefore, would not be espoused by Muslim women as a goal to be
pursued without regard for the relation of the female to the other
members of her family. The Muslim woman regards her goals as
necessitating a balance with, or even subordination to, those of the
family group. The rampant individualism often experienced in
contemporary life, that which treats the goals of the individual in
isolation from other factors, or as utterly supreme, runs against a
deep Islamic commitment to social interdependence.
DIFFERENTIATION OF SEX ROLES: A third Islamic tradition which affects
the future of any feminist movement in an Islamic environment is that
it specifies a differentiation of male and female roles and
responsibilities in society. Feminism, as represented in Western
society, has generally denied any such differentiation and has
demanded a move toward a unisex society in order to achieve equal
rights for women. By "unisex society," I mean one in which a single
set of roles and concerns are given preference and esteem by both
sexes and are pursued by all members of the society regardless of sex
and age differentials. In the case of Western feminism, the preferred
goals have been those traditionally fulfilled by the male members of
society. The roles of providing financial support, of success in
career, and of decision making have been given overwhelming respect
and concern while those dealing with domestic matters, with child
care, with aesthetic and psychological refreshment, with social
interrelationships, were devalued and even despised. Both men and
women have been forced into a single mold which is perhaps more
restrictive, rigid and coercive than that which formerly assigned men
to one type of role and women to another.
This is a new brand of male chauvenism with which Islamic traditions
cannot conform. Islam instead maintains that both types of roles are
equally deserving of pursuit and respect and that when accompanied by
the equity demanded by the religion, a division of labor along sex
lines is generally beneficial to all members of the society.
This might be regarded by the feminist as opening the door to
discrimination, but as Muslims we regard Islamic traditions as standing
clearly and unequivocally for the support of male-female equity. In
the Quran, no difference whatever is made between the sexes in
relation to God. "For men who submit [to God] and for women who submit
[to God], for believing men and believing women, for devout men and
devout women, for truthful men and truthful women, for steadfast men
and steadfast women, for humble men and humble women, for charitable
men and charitable women, for men who fast and women who fast, for men
who guard their chastity and women who guard, for men who remember God
much and for women who remember - for them God has prepared
forgiveness and a mighty reward" (33:35). "Whoever performs good
deeds, whether male or female and is a believer, We shall surely make
him live a good life and We will certainly reward them for the best of
what they did" (16:97).[2]
It is only in relation to each other and society that a difference is
made - a difference of role or function. The rights and
responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man, but they are
not necessarily identical with them. Equality and identity are two
different things, Islamic traditions maintain - the former desirable,
the latter not. Men and women should therefore be complementary to
each other in a multi-function organization rather than competitive
with each other in a uni-function society.
The equality demanded by Islamic traditions must, however, be seen in
its larger context if it is to be understood properly. Since Muslims
regard a differentiation of sexual roles to be natural and desirable
in the majority of cases, the economic responsibilities of male and
female members differ to provide a balance for the physical
differences between men and women and for the greater responsibility
which women carry in the reproductive and rearing activities so
necessary to the well-being of the society. To maintain, therefore,
that the men of the family are responsible for providing economically
for the women or that women are not equally responsible, is not a
dislocation or denial of sexual equity. It is instead a duty to be
fulfilled by men as compensation for another responsibility which
involves the special ability of women. Likewise the different
inheritance rates for males and females, which is so often sited as an
example of discrimination against women, must not be seen as an
isolated prescription.[3] It is but one part of a comprehensive system
in which women carry no legal responsibility to support other members
of the family, but in which men are bound by law as well as custom to
provide for all their female relatives.
Does this mean that Islamic traditions necessarily prescribe
maintaining the status quo in the Islamic societies that exist today?
The answer is a definite "No." Many thinking Muslims - both men and
women - would agree that their societies do not fulfill the Islamic
ideals and traditions laid down in the Quran and reinforced by the
example and directives of the Prophet Muhammad, salallahu alehi
wasallam. It is reported in the Quran and from history that women not
only expressed their opinions freely in the Prophet's presence but
also argued and participated in serious discussions with the Prophet
himself and with other Muslim leaders of the time (58:1). Muslim women
are known to have even stood in opposition to certain caliphs, who
later accepted the sound arguments of those women. A specific example
took place during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn al Khattab.[4] The Quran
reproached those who believed woman to be inferior to men (16:57-59)
and repeatedly gives expression to the need for treating men and women
with equity (2:228, 231; 4:19, and so on). Therefore, if Muslim women
experience discrimination in any place or time, they do not and should
not lay the blame on Islam, but on the un-Islamic nature of their
societies and the failure of Muslims to fulfill its directives.
SEPARATE LEGAL STATUS FOR WOMEN: A fourth Islamic tradition affecting
the future of feminism in Muslim societies is the separate legal status
for women which is demanded by the Quran and the Shari'ah. Every
Muslim individual, whether male of female, retains a separate identity
from cradle to grave. This separate legal personality prescribes for
every woman the right to contract, to conduct business, to earn and
possess property independently. Marriage has no effect on her legal
status, her property, her earnings - or even on her name. If she
commits any civil offense, her penalty is no less or no more than a
man's in a similar case (5:83; 24:2). If she is wronged or harmed,
she is entitled to compensation just like a man (4:92-93; see also
Mustafa al Siba'i 1976:38; Darwazah n.d.:78). The feminist demand for
separate legal status for women is therefore one that is equally
espoused by Islamic traditions.
POLYGYNY: Although the taking of plural wives by a man is commonly
called polygamy, the more correct sociological designation is
polygyny. This institution is probably the Islamic tradition most
misunderstood and vehemently condemned by non-Muslims. It is one
which the Hollywood stereotypes "play upon" in their ridicule of
Islamic society. The first image conjured up in the mind of the
Westerner when the subject of Islam and marriage is approached is that
of a religion which advocates the sexual indulgence of the male
members of the society and the subjugation of its females through this
institution.
Islamic tradition does indeed allow a man to marry more than one woman
at a time. This leniency is even established by the Quran (4:3).[5]
But the use and perception of that institution is far from the
Hollywood stereotype. Polygyny is certainly not imposed by Islam; nor
is it a universal practice. It is instead regarded as the exception
to the norm of monogamy , and its exercise is strongly controlled by
social pressures.[6] If utilized by Muslim men to facilitate or
condone sexual promiscuity, it is not less Islamically condemnable
than serial polygyny and adultery, and no less detrimental to the
society. Muslims view polygyny as an institution which is to be
called into use only under extraordinary circumstances. As such, it
has not been generally regarded by Muslim women as a threat. Attempts
by the feminist movement to focus on eradication of this institution
in order to improve the status of women would therefore meet with
little sympathy or support.
II. DIRECTIVES FOR THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT IN AN ISLAMIC ENVIRONMENT
What can be learned about the future compatibility or incongruity of
feminism in a Muslim environment from these facts about Islamic
traditions? Are there any general principles to be gained, any
directives to be taken, by those who work for women's rights and human
rights in the world?
INTERCULTURAL INCOMPATIBILITY OF WESTERN FEMINISM: The first and
foremost principle would seem to be that many of the goals of feminism
as conceived in Western society are not necessarily relevant or
exportable across cultural boundaries. Feminism as a Western movement
originated in England during the 18th century and had as one of its
main goals the eradication of legal disabilities imposed upon women by
English common law. These laws were especially discriminatory of
married women. They derived in part from Biblical sources (e.g., the
idea of man and woman becoming "one flesh," and the attribution of an
inferior and even evil nature to Eve and all her female descendants)
and in part from feudal customs (e.g., the importance of carrying and
supplying arms for battle and the concomitant devaluation of the
female contributions to society). The Industrial Revolution and its
need for women's contribution to the work force brought strength to
the feminist movement and helped its advocates gradually break down
most of those discriminatory laws.
Since the history and heritage of Muslim peoples have been radically
different from that of Western Europe and America, the feminism which
would appeal to Muslim women and to the society generally must be
correspondingly different. Those legal rights which Western women
sought in reform of English common law were already granted to Muslim
women in the 7th century. Such a struggle therefore holds little
interest for the Muslim woman. In addition, it would be useless to
try to interest us in ideas or reforms that run in diametrical
opposition to those traditions which form an important part of our
cultural and religious heritage. There has been a good deal of
opposition to any changes in Muslim personal status laws since these
embody and reinforce the very traditions which we have been discussing.
In other words, if feminism is to succeed in an Islamic environment,
it must be an indigenous form of feminism, rather than one conceived
and nurtured in an alien environment with different problems and
different solutions and goals.
THE FORM OF AN ISLAMIC FEMINISM: If the goals of Western feminism are
not viable for Muslim women, what form should a feminist movement take
to ensure success?
Above all, the movement must recognize that, whereas in the West, the
mainstream of the women's movement has viewed religion as one of the
chief enemies of its progress and well-being, Muslim women view the
teachings of Islam as their best friend and supporter. The
prescriptions that are found in the Quran and in the example of the
Prophet Muhammad, salallahu alehi wasallam, are regarded as the ideal
to which contemporary women wish to return. As far as Muslim women
are concerned, the source of any difficulties experienced today is not
Islam and its traditions, but certain alien ideological intrusions on
our societies, ignorance, and distortion of the true Islam, or
exploitation by individuals within the society. It is a lack of an
appreciation for this fact that caused such misunderstanding and
mutual distress when women's movement representatives from the West
visited Iran both before and after the Islamic Revolution.
Second, any feminism which is to succeed in an Islamic environment
must be one which does not work chauvenistically for women's interest
alone. Islamic traditions would dictate that women's progress be
achieved in tandem with the wider struggle to benefit all members of
the society. The good of the group or totality is always more crucial
than the good of any one sector of the society. In fact, the society
is seen as an organic whole in which the welfare of each member or
organ is necessary for the health and well being of every other part.
Disadventagous circumstances of women therefore should always be
countered in conjunction with attempt to alleviate those factors which
adversely affect men and other segments of the society.
Third, Islam is an ideology which influences much more than the ritual
life of a people. It is equally affective of their social, political,
economic, psychological, and aesthetic life. "Din," which is usually
regarded as an equivalent for the English term "religion," is a
concept which includes, in addition to those ideas and practices
customarily associated in our minds with religion, a wide spectrum of
practices and ideas which affect almost every aspect of the daily life
of the Muslim individual. Islam and Islamic traditions therefore are
seen today by many Muslims as the main source of cohesiveness for
nurturing an identity and stability to confront intruding alien
influences and the cooperation needed to solve their numerous
contemporary problems. To fail to note this fact, or to fail to be
fully appreciative of its importance for the average Muslim - whether
male or female - would be to commit any movement advocating
improvement of women's position in Islamic hands to certain failure.
It is only through establishing that identity and stability that
self-respect can be achieved and a more healthy climate for both
Muslim men and Muslim women will emerge.
NOTES
[1]. For example, see Quran 2:177; 4:7,176; 8:41; 16:90; 17:26; 24:22.
[2]. See also Quran 2:195; 4:124,32; 9:71-72.
[3]. "God (thus) directs you as regards your children's (inheritance):
to the male, a proportion equal to that of two females..." (Quran
4:11).
[4]. Kamal 'Awn 1955:129.
[5]. "... Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if
you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then
only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess. That will be
more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice."
[6]. It should be remembered that any woman who wants her marriage to
remain monogamous can provide for this condition under Islamic law.
REFERENCES
Kamal Ahmad 'Awn, Al Mar'ah fi al Islam (Tanta: Sha'raw Press, 1955)
Muhammad 'Izzat Darwazah, Al Dastur al Quran fi Shu'un al Hayat
(Cairo: 'Isa al Babi al Halabi, n.d.).
Mustafa al Siba'i, Al Mar'ah baynal Fiqh wal Qanun (Aleppo: Al
Maktabah al 'Arabiyyah, first pub. 1962).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
JIHAD EXPLAINED
For Muslims the term JIHAD is applied to all forms of STRIVING and has developed some special meanings over time. The sources of this development are the Qur'an (the Word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) [(S) denotes Sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, meaning peace and blessings of Allah be upon him]. The Qur'an and the Hadith use the word "jihad" in several different contexts which are given below:
1. RECOGNIZING THE CREATOR AND LOVING HIM MOST:
It is human nature to love what is seen with the eyes and felt with the senses more than the UNSEEN REALITY. The Creator of the Universe and the One God is Allah. He is the Unseen Reality which we tend to ignore and not recognize. The Qur'an addresses those who claim to be believers:
"O you who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for protectors if they love disbelief over belief; whoever of you takes them for protectors, such are wrong-doers. Say: if your fathers, and your children, and your brethren, and your spouses, and your tribe, and the wealth you have acquired, and business for which you fear shrinkage, and houses you are pleased with are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and STRIVING in His way: then wait till Allah brings His command to pass. Allah does not guide disobedient folk." (9:23, 24)
It is indeed a struggle to put Allah ahead of our loved ones, our wealth, our worldly ambitions and our own lives. Especially for a non-Muslim who embraces Islam, it may be a tough struggle due to the opposition of his family, peers and society.
2. RESISTING PRESSURE OF PARENTS, PEERS, AND SOCIETY:
Once a person has made up his mind to put the Creator of the Universe above all else, he often comes under intense pressures. It is not easy to resist such pressures and STRIVE to maintain dedication and love of Allah over all else. A person who has turned to Islam from another religion may be subjected to pressures designed to turn him back to the religion of the family. We read in the Qur'an:
"So obey not the rejecters of faith, but strive (jahidhum) against them by it (the Qur'an) with a great endeavor." (25:52)
3. STAYING ON THE STRAIGHT PATH STEADFASTLY:
Allah says in the Qur'an: "And STRIVE (JADIHU) for Allah with the endeavor (JIHADIHI) which is His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in the DEEN (religion) any hardship..." (22:78) "And whosoever STRIVES (JAHADA), STRIVES (YUJAHIDU) only for himself, for lo! Allah is altogether independent of the universe." (29:6)
As for those who strive and struggle to live as true Muslims whose lives are made difficult due to persecution by their opponents, they are advised to migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land and continue with their struggle in the cause of Allah. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Lo! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they wronged themselves, (the angels) will ask: 'In what you were engaged?' They will way: 'We were oppressed in the land.' (The angels) will say: 'Was not Allah's earth spacious that you could have migrated therein?'" (4:97) "Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and STRIVE (JAHADU) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy..." (2:218)
Allah tests the believers in their faith and their steadfastness:
"Or did you think that you would enter Paradise while yet Allah knows not those of you who really STRIVE (JAHADU), nor knows those (of you) who are steadfast." (3:142) "And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruits; but give tidings to the steadfast." (2:155)
We find that the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his clan were boycotted socially and economically for three years to force him to stop his message and compromise with the pagans but he resisted and realized a moral victory (2).
4. STRIVING FOR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS:
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
"As for those who STRIVE (JAHADU) in Us (the cause of Allah), We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good doers." (29:69)
When we are faced with two competing interests, it becomes jihad to choose the right one, as the following Hadith exemplify: "Aisha, wife of the Prophet (S) asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, we see jihad as the best of deeds, so shouldn't we join it?' He replied, 'But the best of jihad is a perfect Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari #2784) At another occasion, a man asked the Prophet Muhammad (S): "'Should I join the jihad?' He asked, 'Do you have parents?' The man said, 'Yes!' The Prophet (S) said, 'Then strive by serving them!'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari #5972) Yet another man asked the Messenger of Allah (S): "'What kind of jihad is better?' He replied, 'A word of truth in front of an oppressive ruler!'" (Sunan Al-Nasa'i #4209) The Messenger of Allah (S) said: "...the MUJAHID (one who carries out jihad) is he who STRIVES against himself for the sake of Allah, and the MUHAJIR (one who emigrates) is he who abandons evil deeds and sin." (Sahih Ibn Hibban #4862)
5. HAVING COURAGE AND STEADFASTNESS TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM:
The Qur'an narrates the experiences of a large number of Prophets and good people who suffered a great deal trying to convey the message of Allah to mankind. For examples, see the Qur'an 26:1-190, 36:13-32. In the Qur'an, Allah specifically praises those who strive to convey His message: "Who is better in speech than one who calls (other people) to Allah, works righteous, and declares that he is from the Muslims." (41:33) Under adverse conditions it takes great courage to remain a Muslim, declare oneself to be a Muslim and call others to Islam. We read in the Qur'an:
"The (true) believers are only those who believe in Allah and his messenger and afterward doubt not, but STRIVE with their wealth and their selves for the cause of Allah. Such are the truthful." (49:15)
6. DEFENDING ISLAM AND THE COMMUNITY:
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
"To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to defend themselves), because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most Powerful to give them victory - (they are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right - (for no cause) except that they say, 'Our Lord is Allah'..." (22:39-40)
The Qur'an permits fighting to defend the religion of Islam and the Muslims. This permission includes fighting in self-defense and for the protection of family and property. The early Muslims fought many battles against their enemies under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (S) or his representatives. For example, when the pagans of Quraysh brought armies against Prophet Muhammad (S), the Muslims fought to defend their faith and community (3). The Qur'an adds:
"Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight against you, but do not transgress limits. Lo! Allah loves not aggressors. ...And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against transgressors." (2:190, 193)
7. HELPING ALLIED PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE MUSLIM:
In the late period of the Prophet Muhammad's (S) life, the tribe of Banu Khuza'ah became his ally. They were living near Makkah which was under the rule of the pagan Quraysh, Prophet Muhammad's (S) own tribe. The tribe of Banu Bakr, an ally of Quraysh, with the help of some elements of Quraysh, attacked Banu Khuza'ah invoked the treaty and demanded Prophet Muhammad (S) to come to their help and punish Quraysh. The Prophet Muhammad (S) organized a campaign against Quraysh of Makkah which resulted in the conquest of Makkah which occurred without any battle (4).
8. REMOVING TREACHEROUS PEOPLE FROM POWER:
Allah orders the Muslims in the Qur'an: "If you fear treachery from any group, throw back (their treaty) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms. Lo! Allah loves not the treacherous." (8:58) Prophet Muhammad (S) undertook a number of armed campaigns to remove treacherous people from power and their lodgings. He had entered into pacts with several tribes, however, some of them proved themselves treacherous. Prophet Muhammad (S) launched armed campaigns against these tribes, defeated and exiled them from Medina and its surroundings (5).
9. DEFENDING THROUGH PREEMPTIVE STRIKES:
Indeed, it is difficult to mobilize people to fight when they see no invaders in their territory; however, those who are charged with responsibility see dangers ahead of time and must provide leadership. The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S), had the responsibility to protect his people and the religion he established in Arabia. Whenever he received intelligence reports about enemies gathering near his borders he carried out preemptive strikes, broke their power and dispersed them (6). Allah ordered Muslims in the Qur'an: "Fighting is prescribed upon you, and you dislike it. But it may happen that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. And Allah knows and you know not." (2:216)
10. GAINING FREEDOM TO INFORM, EDUCATE AND CONVEY THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM IN AN OPEN AND FREE ENVIRONMENT:
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
"They ask you (Muhammad) concerning fighting in the Sacred Month. Say, 'Fighting therein is a grave (offense) but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its inhabitants. Persecution is worse than killing. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith, if they can..." (2:217) "And those who, when an oppressive wrong is inflicted on them, (are not cowed but) fight back." (42:39)
11. FREEING PEOPLE FROM TYRANNY:
Allah admonishes Muslims in the Qur'an:
"And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah 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 You, one who will protect; and raise for us from You, one who will help.'" (4:75)
The mission of the Prophet Muhammad (S) was to free people from tyranny and exploitation by oppressive systems. Once free, individuals in the society were then free to chose Islam or not. Prophet Muhammad's (S) successors continued in his footsteps and went to help oppressed people. For example, after the repeated call by the oppressed people of Spain to the Muslims for help, Spain was liberated by Muslim forces and the tyrant rulers removed. After the conquest of Syria and Iraq by the Muslims, the Christian population of Hims reportedly said to the Muslims: "We like your rule and justice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny under which we have been living." (7) The defeated rulers of Syria were Roman Christians, and Iraq was ruled by Zoarastrian Persians.
WHAT SHOULD MUSLIMS DO WHEN THEY ARE VICTORIOUS?
Muslims should remove tyranny, treachery, bigotry, and ignorance and replace them with justice and equity. We should provide truthful knowledge and free people from the bondage of 'associationism' (SHIRK, or multiple gods), prejudice, superstition and mythology. Muslims remove immorality, fear, crime, exploitation and replace them with divine morality, peace and education. The Qur'an declares:
"Lo! Allah commands you that you restore deposits to their owners, and if you judge between mankind that you judge justly. Lo! It is proper that Allah admonishes you. Lo! Allah is ever Hearer, Seer." (4:58)
"O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah's witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety and fear Allah. And Allah is well acquainted with all that you do." (5:8)
"And of those whom We have created there is a nation who guides with the Truth and establishes justice with it." (7:181)
"Lo! Allah enjoins justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbids lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorts you in order that you may take heed." (16:90)
"Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish prescribed prayers (SALAH) and pay the poor-due (ZAKAH) and enjoin right conduct and forbid evil. And with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs." (22:41)