 
In the depth of peace, love and compassion religion

Suspicions and Untruths about Islam

**The right answers about: Terrorism, violence, jihad,** **Sharia law, Christian and Jews, human rights, Women Rights...**

COMPILED AND EDITED BY

Mohamed Amine

Suspicions and untruths about Islam

Copyright© 2016 Mohamed Amine

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 9781520377322
Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

WHAT IS ISLAM FIRST?

CHAPTER II

WHAT IS SHARIA LAW?

CHAPTER III

IS ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE?

CHAPTER IV

MUSLIM VOICES AGAINST EXTREMISM AND TERRORISM

CHAPTER V

CHRISTIAN AND JEWS IN ISLAM
CHAPTER VI

HOW ISLAM CONFIRMS HUMAN RIGHTS
CHAPTER VII

HOW ISLAM CONFIRMS WOMEN RIGHTS

CHAPTER VIII

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION

It's not every day that religion appears as a front page story in today's media, particularly on a regular basis. But over the past 20 years one religion has made the front page perhaps more than any other . . . the religion of Islam. Islam claims up to one billion followers worldwide. It is not only the fastest growing religion in the world, but its influence touches virtually every area of life--not only the spiritual, but the political and economic as well.

There are over a billion Muslims worldwide. Muslims represent the majority population in fifty-six countries. Many people are surprised to know that the majority of Muslims are not Arab. Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. Only 20 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims come from Arab countries. There are significant Muslim populations in India, China, Central Asian Republics, Russia, Europe, and America.

Some of those who say that they are members of a particular religion and something is done in the name of that religion may, in fact, misunderstand that religion and as a result, practice it wrongly. For that reason, it would be very wrong to form ideas about a religion or make judgments based on people's actions. The best way of understanding a religion is to study its Divine source.

Islam's Divine source is the Qur'an, which is based on concepts of morality, love, compassion, humility, sacrifice, understanding and peace. A Muslim who lives by those precepts in its true sense will be most polite, careful of thought, modest, decent, noble, just, trustworthy and easy to get on with. He/she will spread love, respect, harmony and the joy of living all around him. Despite this fact, the Qur'an and Islam have been associated with the word "fear" in recent years thus causing Islamophobia to spread even more. However, the real source of the fear in people's hearts isn't Islam; it is the religion of bigotry. The radicals that act in the name of Islam and the Islamophobes who fear those radicals, are making the same mistake. Both parties fail to grasp that Islam has nothing to do with the religion of bigotry, which is a horrid and hateful system devoid of love.

Surely, according to the Qur'an, Muslims are supposed to be loving, compassionate and friendly, and no one has any right whatsoever to impose anything on other people; however the problem is most Muslims today follow not the Qur'an, but their tribal, local or regional traditions and superstitions. Therefore, unless all those superstitions are completely eliminated, unless Muslims completely turn to the Qur'an, it is simply impossible to prevent those violent people that act in the name of Islam or to stop Islamophobia.

For that reasons, we try in this booklet, to understand the real meaning of Islam according to the Qur'an and the practices of Prophet Muhammad, and give the Wright answer to some misconceptions and questions that have been widely propagated about it.

In these books, unlike some other books, you will not find the author's personal views, explanations based on dubious sources, styles that are unobservant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, pessimistic arguments that create doubts in the mind and deviations in the heart.

CHAPTER I

WHAT IS ISLAM FIRST?

"I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a "Muslim" as "one surrendered to God," but I believe that embedded in the Quran and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divine truth from which I and other occidentals have still much to learn, and 'Islam is certainly a strong contender for the supplying of the basic framework of the one religion of the future.'"

\--W. Montgomery Watt,

The word "Islam" is Arabic word which means "submission to the will of God". This word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "Salam", which means "peace". As such, the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, thus all human beings should submit to Him.

Islam is a set of beliefs, rituals of worship, laws, and moral values covering all aspects of life. It is the last version of the Divine message, which was revealed by Allah to all his messengers, starting from Adam through to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad the seal (the last) of the messengers (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all). All these messengers invited to what realizes felicity for all human beings. Each in his own time brought suitable teachings for his people, i.e. a specific time and a group of people.

Then, Islam came to be a message for all accountable beings. Addressing Prophet Muhammad, the Holy Quran reads: we have sent you but a mercy for the whole world.} Holy Quran 21:107.

Who are Muslims?

The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone who is in a state of Islam (submission to the will and law of God)". The message of Islam is meant for the entire world, and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim. There are over a billion Muslims worldwide. Muslims represent the majority population in fifty-six countries. Many people are surprised to know that the majority of Muslims are not Arab. Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. Only 20 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims come from Arab countries. There are significant Muslim populations in India, China, Central Asian Republics, Russia, Europe, and America. If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups, cultures and nationalities. Islam has always been a universal message for all people.

## The message of Islam

Since the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah. Since everything other than Allah, the Creator of all things is Allah's creation; it may be said that Islam, in essence calls man away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its Creator. He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His will that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah who allowed the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious," however, to tree-worshippers it might not be. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, to Saint Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered by them but are answered by Allah. Jesus did not tell his followers to worship him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'an states:

**"And behold Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah He will say-"Glory to you I could never say what I had no right (to say')"** **(5:116)**

Nor did he worship himself when he worshipped but rather he worshipped Allah. This basic principle is enshrined in the opening chapter of the Qur'an, known as Al-Faatihah:

**"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help".**

Elsewhere, in the final book of revelation, the Qur'an, Allah also said:

**And your Lord says:"Call on me and I will answer your (prayer).** (40:60)

It is worth noting that the basic message of Islam is that Allah and His creation are distinctly different entities. Neither is Allah His creation or a part of it, nor is His creation Him or a part of Him.

This might seem obvious, but, man's worship of creation instead of the Creator is to a large degree based on ignorance of this concept. It is the belief that the essence of Allah is everywhere in His creation or that His divine being is or was present in some aspects of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of creation though such worship maybe called the worship of Allah through his creation. However, the message of Islam as brought by the prophets of Allah is to worship only Allah and to avoid the worship of his creation either directly or indirectly. In the Qur'an Allah clearly states:

**"For we assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet, (with the command) worship me and avoid false gods"** **(16:36)**

When the idol worshipper is questioned as to why he or she bows down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshipping the stone image, but Allah who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah's essence and is not in itself Allah! One who has accepted the concept of the presence of God's being within His creation in any way will be obliged to accept this argument of idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never concede to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized. Those who have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often based their claims on the mistaken belief that Allah is present in man. They merely had to assert that although Allah according to their false beliefs is in all of us, He is more present in them than in the rest of us. Hence, they claim, we should submit our will to them and worship them as they are either God in person or God concentrated within the person.

Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their passing have found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man. One who has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being under any circumstances. God's religion in essence is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the motto of Islam:

"Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god but Allah)

It consists in the submission to Allah as one God, yielding to Him by obeying His commandments, and the denial of polytheism and polytheists.

## The universality of Islam

Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable, not confined to any people, place or time. There cannot be conditions like baptism, belief in a man, as a savior etc., for a believer to enter paradise. Within the central principle of Islam and in its definition, (the surrender of one's will to God) lies the roots of Islam's universality.

Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and by turning to Allah (God) alone-It should be noted however, that the recognition of and submission to Allah requires that one chooses between right and wrong and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held responsible for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil.

The ultimate good being the worship of Allah alone and the ultimate evil being the worship of His creation along with or instead of Allah. This fact is expressed in the final revelation as follows:

**"Verily those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), the Christians and the Sabians any who believe In Allah and the last day, and work righteousness *hall have their reward with their Lord; they will not be overcome by fear nor grief** **(2:62).**

**If only they had stood by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There Is from among them a party on the right course; but many of them follow a course that is evil** **."** **(5:66)**

The Basic Beliefs of Islam

There are many aspects of belief in which one who adheres to Islam must have firm conviction. From those aspects, the most important are six, known as the "Six Articles of Belief".

## 1) Belief in God

Islam upholds strict monotheism and belief in God forms the heart of their faith. Islam teaches belief in one God who neither gives birth nor was born Himself, and has no share in His caretaking of the world. He alone gives life, causes death, brings good, causes affliction, and provides sustenance for His creation. God in Islam is the sole Creator, Lord, Sustainer, Ruler, Judge, and Savior of the universe. He has no equal in His qualities and abilities, such as knowledge and power. All worship, veneration and homage is to be directed to God and none else. Any breach of these concepts negates the basis of Islam.

## 2) Belief in the Angels

Adherents to Islam must believe in the Unseen world as mentioned in the Quran. From this world are the angels' emissaries of God, each assigned with a specific task. They have no free-will or ability to disobey; it is their very nature to be God's faithful servants. Angels are not to be taken as demigods or objects of praise or veneration; they are mere servants of God obeying His every command.

## 3) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers

Islam is a universal and inclusive religion. Muslims believe in the prophets, not just the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, but the Hebrew prophets, including Abraham and Moses, as well as the prophets of the New Testament, Jesus, and John the Baptist. Islam teaches God did not send prophets to Jews and Christians alone, rather He sent prophets to all nations in the world with one central message: worship God alone. Muslims must believe in all prophets sent by God mentioned in the Quran, without making any distinction between them. Muhammad was sent with the final message, and there is no prophet to come after him. His message is final and eternal, and through him God completed His Message to humanity.

## 4) Belief in the Sacred Texts

Muslims believe in all books that God has sent down to humanity through His prophets. These books include the Books of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These books all had the same source (God), the same message, and all were revealed in truth. This does not mean that they have been preserved in truth. Muslims (and many other Jewish and Christian scholars and historians) find that the books in existence today are not the original scriptures, which in fact have been lost, changed, and/or translated over and over again, losing the original message.

As Christians view the New Testament to fulfill and complete the Old Testament, Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received revelations from God through the angel Gabriel to correct human error that had entered into the scriptures and doctrine of Judaism, Christianity and all other religions. This revelation is the Quran, revealed in the Arabic language, and found today in its pristine form. It seeks to guide mankind in all walks of life; spiritual, temporal, individual and collective. It contains directions for the conduct of life, relates stories and parables, describes the attributes of God, and speaks of the best rules to govern social life. It has directions for everybody, every place, and for all time. Millions of people today have memorized the Quran, and all copies of the Quran found today and in the past are identical. God has promised that He will guard the Quran from change until the end of times, so that Guidance be clear to humanity and the message of all the prophets be available for those who seek it.

## 5) Belief in Life after Death

Muslims believe that a day will come when all of creation will perish and resurrected in order to be judged for their deeds: The Day of Judgment. On this day, all will gather in the presence of God and each individual will be questioned about their life in the world and how they lived it. Those who held correct beliefs about God and life, and followed their belief with righteous deeds will enter Paradise, even though they may pay for some of their sins in Hell if God out of His Infinite Justice chooses not to forgive them. As for those who fell into polytheism in its many faces, they will enter Hellfire, never to leave there from.

## 6) Belief in the Divine Decree

Islam asserts that God has full power and knowledge of all things, and that nothing happens except by His Will and with His full knowledge. What is known as divine decree, fate, or "destiny" is known in Arabic as al-Qadr. The destiny of every creature is already known to God.

This belief however does not contradict with the idea of man's free will to choose his course of action. God does not force us to do anything; we can choose whether to obey or disobey Him. Our choice is known to God before we even do it. We do not know what our destiny is; but God knows the fate of all things.

Therefore, we should have firm faith that whatever befalls us, it is according to God's will and with His full knowledge. There may be things that happen in this world that we do not understand, but we should trust that God has wisdom in all things.

The Basic Practices of Islam

There are five simple but essential observances that all practicing Muslims accept and follow. These "Pillars of Islam" represent the core that unites all Muslims.

## 1) The 'Declaration of Faith

A Muslim is one who testifies that "none deserves worship but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." This declaration is known as the " _shahada_ " (witness, testimony). Allah is the Arabic name for God, just as Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God. By making this simple proclamation one becomes a Muslim. The proclamation affirms Islam's absolute belief in the oneness of God, His exclusive right to be worshipped, as well as the doctrine that associating anything else with God is the one unforgivable sin as we read in the Koran:

"God does not forgive anyone for associating something with Him, while He does forgive whomever He wishes to for anything else. Anyone who gives God partners has invented an awful sin." (Quran 4:48)

The second part of the testimony of faith states that Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is a prophet of God like Abraham, Moses and Jesus before him. Muhammad brought the last and final revelation. In accepting Muhammad as the "seal of the prophets," Muslims believe that his prophecy confirms and fulfills all of the revealed messages, beginning with Adam's. In addition, Muhammad serves as the role model through his exemplary life. A believer's effort to follow Muhammad's example reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice and action.

## 2) The Prayer (Salah)

Muslims worship five times a day: at daybreak, noon, mid afternoon, sunset, and evening. It helps keep believers mindful of God in the stress of work and family. It resets the spiritual focus, reaffirms total dependence on God, and puts worldly concerns within the perspective of the last judgment and the afterlife. The prayers consist of standing, bowing, kneeling, putting the forehead on the ground, and sitting. The Prayer is a means in which a relationship between God and His creation is maintained. It includes recitations from the Quran, praises of God, prayers for forgiveness and other various supplications. The prayer is an expression of submission, humility, and adoration of God. Prayers can be offered in any clean place, alone or together, in a mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or out. It is preferable to pray with others as one body united in the worship of God, demonstrating discipline, brotherhood, equality, and solidarity. As they pray, Muslims face Mecca, the holy city centered around the Kaaba - the house of God built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

## 3) The Compulsory Charity (Zakah)

In Islam, the true owner of everything is God, not man. People are given wealth as a trust from God. _Zakah_ is worship and thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor, and through it one's wealth is purified. It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual's wealth and assets. Therefore, _Zakah_ is not mere "charity", it is an obligation on those who have received their wealth from God to meet the needs of less fortunate members of the community. _Zakah_ is used to support the poor and the needy, help those in debt, and, in olden times, to free slaves.

## 4) The Fast of Ramadan (Sawm)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar which is spent in fasting. Healthy Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset from food, drink, and sexual activity. Fasting develops spirituality, dependence upon God, and brings identification with the less fortunate. A special evening prayer is also held in mosques in which recitations of the Quran are heard. Families rise before dawn to take their first meal of the day to sustain them till sunset. The month of Ramadan ends with one of the two major Islamic celebrations, the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called Eid al-Fitr, which is marked by joyfulness, family visits, and exchanging of gifts.

## 5) The Pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca

At least once in a lifetime, every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to sacrifice time, wealth, status, and ordinary comforts of life to make the Hajj pilgrimage, putting himself totally at God's service. Every year over two million believers from a diversity of cultures and languages travel from all over the world to the sacred city of Mecca to respond to God's call.

Muslims around the world look to these pillars for guidance in shaping their religious practice. But in addition to these pillars, there are numerous laws and traditions contained in the Hadith-- literature that was compiled after the completion of the Quran that reportedly contains the example and statements of Muhammad on many topics. Because the laws of the Hadith and Koran cover virtually every area of life, Islam has well been referred to as an all-encompassing way of life, as well as a religion.

CHAPTER II

WHAT IS SHARIA LAW?

"The Islamic teachings have left great traditions for equitable and gentle dealings and behavior, and inspire people with nobility and tolerance. These are human teachings of the highest order and at the same time practicable. These teachings brought into existence a society in which hard-heartedness and collective oppression and injustice were the least as compared with all other societies preceding it....Islam is replete with gentleness, courtesy, and fraternity."

– H.G. Wells (English writer).
Most of the information that public receives about Sharia comes from the media, which concentrates on exotic or sensational stories which will grab public attention and sell newspapers or internet advertising. Thus beheadings, lashings, hudud punishments of stoning, and terrorism (especially against western targets) are more interesting to the media than sober explanations of law. In this way the public has learnt to connect Sharia with fear.

There has been a fair bit of anti-Muslim and anti-sharia rhetoric in Europe & the USA, which also influences public opinion. But, do they know what does shaia mean? Concept? sharia objectives? That's what will be detailed in the following.

The word "sharia" literally means "a way." In Islamic terminology, it means the legal system of Islam. It is normally translated as the laws of Islam or the Islamic laws.

Islam is a religion. The word bears a concept wider and more comprehensive than the word `religion'. It means believing in the fundamentals as well as living according to the Islamic laws. This concept of religion is beautifully conveyed in the terms used by Islamic scholars to describe the fundamental beliefs and the practical laws of Islam.

The "beliefs" are described as the roots of religion". The "sharía laws" are described as the branches of religion". Beliefs without practice is incomplete Islam; and practice without belief may be useful in this world but not of much use in the hereafter.

The sharía is a complete way of life; no aspect of human life is outside its domain. Islam expects a Muslim to follow its laws in every aspect of life: personal and familial, religious and social, moral and political, economic and business, etc.

After all, "Muslim" means one who submits to God. The Quran says, "When Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, it is not for any believing man or believing woman to have a choice in their affairs. And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has gone astray into clear error." (33:36)

On a broader level sharia covers a large number of legal branches such as:

  * finance and trade

  * civil law

  * international law

  * constitutional law

  * family law

  * inheritance

  * tort law

  * criminal law

Each area of law has its own specialization, its own highly developed procedures and regulations and a broad range of legal interpretations and understandings. Scholars of Islamic law agree that time; place and social customs impact the law and its rulings.

The vastness and comprehensive nature of Islamic law often eludes simple minded bigots or those "experts" on Islam that would like to reduce sharia to short, fear inspiring sound bites.

For over a thousand years Islamic scholars and jurists have neatly defined the core values and goals of the sharia. Based on their exhaustive understanding of the primary sources of the law, legal experts tell us the objectives of sharia are to protect: religion, life, intellect, progeny and wealth. Contemporary legal scholars are seeking to expand the list to include concepts such as fundamental rights and liberties, economic development and peaceful coexistence among nations.

Sources of the sharia

Within Islam, there are four principle sources of Sharia, which are accepted by consensus. They are:

(1) The Qur'an, Islamic sacred scripture, which Muslims believe God revealed to humanity through the Prophet Muhammad,

(2) The Sunna (or Prophetic model of behavior recorded in a literature called the Hadith),

(3) The consensus of religious scholars,

(4) Analogy. Many regional and local customs are also accepted as a source of the Sharia when they are consistent with the general good. Thus, the Sharia mandates that Muslims follow the good and generally wholesome customs of the lands in which they live.

The revealed and other sources of the Sharia require interpretation for the creation of substantive law. The process of legal interpretation is called "fiqh," which means understanding. It requires trained scholars and is similar to the roles of religious scholars in working out the details of rabbinical law in Judaism. Islam has a number of valid traditional schools of law, each of which constitutes a distinctive methodology in deriving the law from its sources and applying it to concrete situations. Each school offers a vast body of rulings and opinions. Islamic law is one of the richest sources of Islamic civilization through the ages and must be applied appropriately to new times and places.

Sharia's Primary Objective is Mercy

Allah says:

And we did not send you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy for all creation.

And the Prophet (s) said,

"The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who have mercy on others. Show mercy to those on earth, and the One above the heaven will show mercy to you."

From this, and many other source texts, one can summarize the primary objective of the Shariah, as Kamali has done:

The scholars of Islam have, thus, generally considered Mercy to be the all-pervasive objective of the Shariah and have, to all intents and purposes, used it synonymously with benefit in everyday communal life.

Similarly, Schact (Schact, J., Cambridge Encyclopedia of Islam,) observes:

...the underlying tendency of the Quranic legislation was to favor the underprivileged; it started with enunciating ethical principles... This feature of Quranic legislation was preserved by Islamic law, and the purely legal attitude, which attaches legal consequences to relevant acts, is often superseded by the tendency to impose ethical standards on the believer.

Since Mercy is the Sharia's primary goal, it is clear that this cannot be achieved if the believers who implement it are not embued with this essential quality.

When society is informed by spiritual values, the purpose of Sharia, to bring out mercy to mankind, will be natural manifestation of those values. When an individual's faith is informed by spiritual values his psyche and ethical compass will be balanced and his desire for immoral or criminal acts eliminated or reduced. Without such values, essential in removing the psychological illnesses and the societal ailments which afflict people in difficult physical situations, man becomes nothing more than a political animal and law becomes a means and an end, in-and-of itself.

Detailed Objectives of the Law

Schact, in describing the purpose of the Law writes:

In the field of penal law, it is easy to understand that the Quran laid down sanctions for transgressions, but ag'?ain they are essentially moral and only incidentally penal, so much so that the Quran prohibited wine-drinking but did not enact any penalty, and the penalty was determined only at a later stage of Islamic law".

The reasons for Quranic legislation on all these matters were, in the first place, the desire to improve the position of women, of orphans and of the weak in general, to restrict the laxity of sexual morals and to strengthen the marriage tie, to restrict private vengeance and retaliation and to eliminate blood feuds altogether; the prohibition of gambling, of drinking wine and of taking interest are directly aimed at ancient Arabian standards of behavior.

Scholar describes the intent behind Divine Law, something which has been strongly highlighted in the current era as people with various agendas, from apologist to extreme Islamist, seek to define Islamic Law within a Western framework of understanding:

The ultimate worth of actions is based on intention and sincerity, as mentioned by the Prophet (p), who said, "Actions are by intentions, and one shall only get that which one intended." The Sharia covers all aspects of human life. Classical Sharia manuals are often divided into four parts:...personal acts of worship... commercial dealings...marriage and divorce, and penal laws.

The legal philosophers of Islam, such as Ghazali, Shaţibi, explain that the aim of Sharia is to promote human welfare. This is evident in the Quran, and teachings of the Prophet (p).

The scholars explain that the welfare of humans is based on the fulfillment of necessities, needs, and comforts.

Necessities

Necessities are matters that worldly and religious life depends upon. Their omission leads to unbearable hardship in this life, or punishment in the next. There are five necessities: preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth. These ensure individual and social welfare in this life and the hereafter.

The Sharia protects these necessities in two ways: firstly by ensuring their establishment and then by preserving them.

Religion: To ensure the establishment of religion, Allah Most High has made belief and worship obligatory. To ensure its preservation, the rulings relating to the obligation of learning and conveying the religion were legislated.

Life: To ensure the preservation of human life, Allah Most high legislated for marriage, healthy eating and living, and forbid the taking of life and laid down punishments for doing so.

Intellect: Allah has permitted that sound intellect and knowledge be promoted, and forbidden that which corrupts or weakens it, such as alcohol and drugs. He has also imposed preventative punishments in order that people stay away from them, because a sound intellect is the basis of the moral responsibility that humans were given.

Lineage: marriage was legislated for the preservation of lineage, and sex outside marriage was forbidden. Punitive laws were put in placed in order to ensure the preservation of lineage and the continuation of human life.

Wealth: Allah has made it obligatory to support oneself and those one is responsible for, and placed laws to regulate the commerce and transactions between people, in order to ensure fair dealing, economic justice, and to prevent oppression and dispute.

Needs and Comforts: Needs and comforts are things people seek in order to ensure a good life, and avoid hardship, even though they are not essential. The spirit of the Sharia with regards to needs and comforts is summed up in the Quran.

....He has not placed any hardship for you in religion,"

And,

Allah does not seek to place a burden on you, but that He purify you and perfect His grace upon you, that you may give thanks

Therefore, everything that ensures the human happiness, within the spirit of Divine Guidance, is permitted in the Sharia.

Finally, one of the features of Islamic legislation is that it has a moderate approach to issues and problems regarding the relationship between the individual and society. The Shari'a has left particular areas open for scholars to make interpretive judgments according to changing norms and circumstances. It responds to the demands of social progress in a way that keeps it compatible with the practical realities of a changing world and reconciles the issue of progress with that of ideological continuity, striking a balance between progress and continuity in mailers of human life. At the same time, it maintains continuity in its primary goals and objectives. Its religious, moral, economic and social values remain constant, governed by a set of unchanging principles.
CHAPTER III

IS ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE?

It will not be sufficient to say that "Muslims are loving people" or "Islam is the religion of peace" without putting an end to the hateful and violent rhetoric that have been added to Islam over the centuries and that directly contradicts the Qur'an.

Yahya, Harun (Adnan Oktar), from " **Islam denounces terrorism** "

Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it another way, targets of terror are civilians whose only crime, in the eyes of terrorists, is to represent "the other side."

For this reason, terrorism means subjecting innocent people to violence, which is an act bereft of any moral justification. Each and every terrorist act, as in the case of the atrocities committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crime committed against humanity. For a believer, this is clear act of defiance of the orders of God. Those who are trying to associate Islam with terrorism need to remember this important fact.

The Qur'an is a true Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in this Book, God commands men to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon love, compassion, understanding and mercy. The word "Islam" is derived from the word meaning "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the intention of presenting a peaceful life through which the infinite compassion and mercy of God manifest on earth. God calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and love can be experienced all over the world. In the Qur'an, God addresses believers as follows:

O you who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you. (Qur'an, 2:208)

As it is made clear in the verse, security can only be ensured by "entering into Islam", that is, living by the values of the Qur'an. The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and "preventing the dissemination of mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As God says in a verse, "God does not love corruption". (Qur'an, 2:205)

Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed to Jews in the Torah thus:

... if someone kills another person – unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth – it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind... (Qur'an, 5:32)

As the verse states, a person who kills even a single man, "unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind.

This being the case, it is obvious what great sins are the murders, massacres and attacks, popularly known as "suicide attacks", committed by terrorists. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:

There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment. (Qur'an, 42:42)

Organizing acts of terror against innocent people is entirely against Islam and it is unlikely that any sincerely believing Muslim could ever commit such crimes. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for stopping these people, removing "mischief on earth" and bringing peace and security to all people all over the world. Islam cannot be reconciled with terror. Just the contrary, it should be the solution to and the path to the prevention of terror. This is the basis of Islam; peace is the spirit of Islam. However, the bigoted worldview, which practices Islam according to superstitions rather than the Qur'an, believes the opposite is true.

The fanatics' problem is that they regard what they've learned from specious superstition as their faith. However, those who criticize those fanatics are sometimes just as radical as them and believe in the accuracy of that same superstition. The more one produces evidence from the Qur'an, the more they try to produce their own from the superstitions the fanatics subscribe to. That is where they make their gravest mistake: If they want to know the true Islam and find a solution to fanaticism, they must heed the true faith described in the Qur'an.

Until the clear difference between bigotry and Islam is demonstrated, radicalism and Islamophobia is going to continue to plague the world.

For this reason, it is very important to explain the beautiful morals of the Qur'an, in other words Islam all around the world with serious education campaign intended to display the clear difference between bigotry and Islam. Various facts need to be made clear, such as that God prohibits corruption and encourages virtue, and that freedom of thought and the finest democracy are enshrined in the Qur'an:

God Has Condemned Wickedness

God has commanded people to avoid committing evil: oppression, cruelty, murder and bloodshed are all forbidden. A few of the many verses on this matter in the Qur'an read:

Eat and drink of God's provision and do not go about the earth corrupting it. (Qur'an, 2:60)

Do not corrupt the earth after it has been put right. Call on Him fearfully and eagerly. God's mercy is close to the good-doers. (Qur'an, 7:56)

Those who think that they will be successful by causing wickedness, upheaval and oppression, and by killing innocent people are committing a great error. God has forbidden all acts of wickedness involving terrorism and violence and condemned those who engage in such acts.

In the present era, however, acts of terrorism, genocide and various massacres occur all over the world. Innocent people are being savagely killed, and countries where communities are being brought to hate each other for artificial reasons are drowning in blood. These horrors in countries with different histories, cultures and social structures may have causes and sources peculiar to each. However, it is evident that the fundamental cause is a moving away from the Qur'an. As a result of lack of religion, communities emerge that have no love for or fear of God and that are deceived by the lie that they will not be called to account in the hereafter. Since they falsely believe that "I will not have to account for my actions to anyone," they can easily act with no compassion, morality or conscience.

The existence of hypocrites who emerge in the name of God and religion, but actually organise themselves to commit wickedness condemned by God, is indicated in the Qur'an. The fact that some people do things "in the name of God" or even swear in His name, in other words that they use the kind of language designed to show themselves as very religious, does not mean that what they do is in conformity with religion. On the contrary, what they do can be quite against the will of God and the morality of religion. The truth of the matter lies in their actions. If their actions are "causing corruption and not putting things right", as the verse reveals, then you can be sure that these people cannot be truly religious, and that their aim is not to serve religion.

It is quite impossible for someone who fears God and has grasped the morality of Islam to to take part in such actions as violence or wickedness. That is why Islam is the true solution to terrorism. When the sublime morality of the Qur'an is explained in a way purified of superstition, it will be impossible for people to connect true Islam with those who support or join groups that aim at hatred, war and disorder. That is because God has forbidden wickedness:

Whenever he holds the upper hand, he goes about the earth corrupting it, destroying (people's) crops and breeding stock. God does not love corruption. (Qur'an, 2:205)

It is out of the question for someone who fears God to turn a blind eye to even the smallest action that might harm mankind. Someone who does not believe in God and the hereafter, however, can easily do all kinds of evil, since he thinks he will not have to account to anyone.

The first thing that needs to be done to rid the world of the present-day scourge of terrorism is to explain the errors of bigotry that stirs up radicalism, to use education to do away with irreligiousness as well as with deviant beliefs that are put forward in the name of religion, and to teach people true Qur'anic morality and to love and fear God.

Islam Encourages Justice, Kindness and Everything that is Beautiful for Everyone

One of the reasons behind terrorism is the failure to see differences as a source of beauty. Today, all around the world, some people are being treated unfairly and ruthlessly only because of the color of their skin or owing to their ethnicity. However, God orders mankind in the Qur'an to treat everyone equally regardless of language, faith, race or ethnic background.

God informs us in the Qur'an that the purpose in the creation of different tribes and peoples is "that they should come to know each other". Different nations or peoples, all of whom are the servants of God, should get to know one another, that is, learn about their different cultures, languages, traditions and abilities. In brief, one of the purposes of the creation of different races and nations is not conflict and war but richness. Such variation is a bounty of God's creation.

The fact that someone is taller than someone else or that his skin is yellow or white neither makes him superior to others nor is it something to feel ashamed of. Every trait a person has is a result of God's purposeful creation, but in the Sight of God, these variations have no ultimate importance. A believer knows that someone attains superiority only by having fear of God and in the strength of his faith in God. This fact is related in the following verse:

O mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in God's Sight is that one of you who best performs his duty.... (Qur'an, 49:13)

The understanding of justice recommended by God in the Qur'an calls for equal, compassionate and peaceable treatment of everyone, with no discrimination between them. For example, hatred and anger are the major sources of evil, and are likely to prevent people from making just decisions, thinking soundly and conducting themselves rationally.

People in societies where hatred and anger prevail worry that they can fall victim to someone else at any time. Having lost their sense of mutual trust, they also lose their human feelings such as compassion, brotherhood and co-operation and start hating one another.

However, the feelings someone holds in his heart towards a person or community should never influence a believer's decisions. No matter how evil or hostile the person he is considering may be, the believer sets all these feelings aside and acts and makes his decisions justly. His feelings towards that person cast no shadow over his wisdom and conscience. His conscience always inspires him to comply with God's commands and advice, and never to abandon good manners, because this is a command God gives in the Qur'an. it is related as follows:

O you who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to faith. Heed God (alone). God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 5:8)

As is related in the verse, displaying a just attitude is what most complies with having fear of and love for God. A person of faith knows that he will attain the pleasure of God only when he acts justly. Every person who witnesses his or her good manners will trust this person, feel comfortable in their presence and trust them with any responsibility or task.

It is obvious that those who fear and heed God hold spiritual values in high regard and are filled with eagerness to serve people. In general, such people are there to serve humanity and bring with them great benefits to mankind. For this reason, it is very important for people to learn about the true religion and live by the morals explained in the Qur'an – the final Revelation from God.

God Has Commanded Forgiveness and Compassion

In the verses of the Qur'an, God has always described forgiveness as a superior quality, and in one verse, He has given the good news that such behavior will be rewarded: "The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. But if someone pardons and puts things right, his reward is with God. Certainly He does not love wrongdoers." (Qur'an, 42:40)

God has revealed in the Qur'an that it is virtuous behavior to forgive someone even if one has been wronged, and to respond to bad with something better. Verses on the subject read:

... You will never cease to come upon some act of treachery on their part, except for a few of them. Yet pardon them, and overlook. God loves good-doers. (Qur'an, 5:13)

A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Qur'an, 41:34) .

Islam Defends Freedom of Thought

Islam is a religion which provides and guarantees freedom of ideas, thought and life. It prevents tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among people. In the same way that terrorism and all acts of violence are determinedly prohibited in Islam, even the slightest ideological pressure to be put on them is also forbidden:

There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly distinct from error. (Qur'an, 2:256)

So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not in control of them. (Qur'an, 88:21-22)

Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islamic morality. According to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and encourage each other about the features of Qur'anic morality. All believers are charged with explaining Qur'anic morality to people in the nicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion in the light of the verse, "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition..." (Qur'an, 16:125), however, they must also bear in mind the verse, "You are not responsible for their guidance, but God guides whoever He wills." (Qur'an, 2:272)

They will never resort to compulsion to force others to embrace faith, nor any kind of physical or psychological pressure. Neither will they use any worldly privilege to turn someone towards religion. When they receive a negative response to what they say, Muslims will reply along the lines of: "To you your religion, and to me, mine," as revealed in the verse (Qur'an, 109:6). Muslims must respect and be compassionate towards all beliefs they encounter, no matter what they may be, and behave forgivingly, justly and humanely towards everyone, even if they don't believe in any faith at all. This responsibility placed on believers is to live by the beauty of the religion of God by means of peace and compassion. The decision whether or not to implement these truths, whether or not to believe, lies with each individual himself. Forcing that person to believe, or trying to impose anything on him, is a violation of Qur'anic morality. In fact, God issues a reminder to believers in the Qur'an:

If your Lord had willed, all the people on the Earth would have believed. Do you think you can force people to be believers? (Qur'an, 10:99)

A model of society in which people are forced to worship is completely contradictory to Islamic morality. Belief and worship should be directed to God by the free will of the individual. If a system imposes belief and worship on people, then they will act as if they are religious out of fear of that system. This will mean the encouragement of hypocrisy and no Muslim would approve that. From the point of view of Islamic morality, what really counts is that religion should be lived with the love of God, for God's good pleasure, mercy and paradise in an environment where peoples' consciences are totally free.

The history of Islam is full of the compassionate and understanding practices of Muslim rulers who have respected all religions and built religious freedom with their own hands. For example, Thomas Arnold, a British missionary employed in the service of the Indian government, describes that Islamic morality favors freedom in these words:

But of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years. The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom, throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions. So that is the very survival of these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of the Muhammadian governments towards them.

Killing a Person Is One of the Greatest Sins Related in the Qur'an

Killing a person for no reason is one of the greatest sins related in the Qur'an:

... if someone kills another person – unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth – it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind.... (Qur'an, 5:32)

... those who do not call on any other deity together with God and do not kill anyone God has made inviolate, except with the right to do so, and do not fornicate; anyone who does that will receive an evil punishment. (Qur'an, 25:68)

As the verses suggest, a person who kills innocent people for no reason is threatened with a great torment. God informs us that killing even a single person is as evil as murdering all mankind on earth. A person who observes God's limits can do no harm to a single human, let alone massacre thousands of innocent people.

All of this shows that the morality that Islam recommends to mankind brings to the world the virtues of peace, harmony and justice. The horror known as terrorism, that is so preoccupying the world at present, is the work of ignorant and fanatical people, completely estranged from Qur'anic morality, and who have absolutely nothing to do with religion. The solution to these people and groups who try to carry out their savagery under the mask of religion is the teaching of true Qur'anic morality. In other words, demonstrating to them the errors of their bigotry, causing them to completely abandon it; explaining Islam based on the Qur'an will fundamentally destroy the ideology of terrorism and terrorists and therefore is the only solution to save the world from the nightmare of terrorism.

The True Jihad in the Qur'an

There is no killing in the jihad in the Qur'an. There is no raining bomb down in the jihad in the Qur'an. There are no suicide bombers or cowardly attacks on the civilians. There is no hatred or cursing people in the jihad in the Qur'an. The children of the Prophet Abraham, of the Prophet Jacob and the Prophet Moses are not accursed in the jihad in the Qur'an. There are no threats and intimidation in the jihad in the Qur'an. Islam is not that kind of faith.

There is no slaughter, death, hatred and rage in Islam, nor in Christianity or in Judaism. Therefore, if someone says, "I learned from the Qur'an that I must kill, bomb and curse people" then he is lying, or has been mis-taught. A radical who says he is a Muslim follows a faith invented solely for the purpose of killing, bombing and cursing. That invented faith does not stem from the Qur'an.

The Holy Book they kiss and touch to their foreheads and hang on the wall may never actually have been read. That is the kind of faith in which everything is dark. It offers hatred instead of love, anger instead of affection, enmity instead of brotherhood, afflictions instead of beauty and ignorance instead of art, beauty, science and culture. It is easy to put a gun in the hand of someone who believes in such a faith. It is easy to say, "That community are your enemies." It is easy to stir such a person up. It is easy to produce communities of rage. This terrible scourge, which exists not only in Islam but also in all the true faiths and even in Marxism, Satanism and materialism, in short in all religions, ideologies and ways of thinking, is the scourge of radicalism and bigotry.

Why does radicalism or bigotry exist? The answer is evident: Because that is what many people are taught. They know no other faith. That is all the radicals who appear in the name of Islam know as Islam. They have been left in ignorance, in a ghetto. They have been turned away from society, art and science. They have always been misinformed about the concept of "jihad" and have applied it wrongly because that is what they were taught. They have always imagined that by acting on what they were taught they were doing a good thing. They never even imagined they were actually harming themselves, their faith, their own families, their own peoples and, of course, others. However, the "jihad" described in the Qur'an is very much different than the picture of jihad painted by the radicals.

So what does the word "jihad" mean?

The word jihad comes from the Arabic word "jahd." Its meanings are

1) To work, to strive, to exhibit determination and persistence or self-sacrifice and

2) To control one's lowered self. On the basis of these definitions, waging jihad in Islam means to inform the other side, to teach people proper moral values and to turn them away from evil. In doing this, a Muslim must train his own lower self in the direction of moral virtue and train himself to be someone far removed from rage and hatred. In other words, what a Muslim engaged in jihad must do is to train himself on the one hand, and strive to teach people truth and goodness on the other. He must be a role model with his own moral values in order to spread love, peace and affection and to turn people away from evil.

The word "jihad" is never employed in any other sense in the Qur'an. Those who perpetrate slaughter under the name of "jihad" saying "Our point of reference is the Qur'an" are either lying or misinformed.

In the eyes of the Qur'an, those who are now slaughtering people in the name of jihad, suicide bombers taking their own lives as well as lives of defenseless civilians or those who are inciting war are committing a grave sin. The verses of the Qur'an these people misinterpret in the name of war will be set out in detail in the following pages. There is one important point that needs to be remembered here; the great majority of radicals spread violence out of ignorance. They do not know the true faith. Most of them have likely never even read the Qur'an. That is why it is no use to condemn, curse, threaten, imprison or exile someone who kills under the misapprehension he is waging jihad. His problem is that he has not been educated with the Qur'an and has not understood the law of God. Since that is the problem, we have to accept the fact that so long as false education persists, there will also be radicals who are ignorant of what they do. If one properly understands what the problem is, one can also grasp the fact that the only thing that those who spread violence and terror under the name of jihad need is true education.

Killing One self (Committing suicide) is not "Jihad", It Is Forbidden in the Qur'an

The main act of terrorism carried out in the world in the past 20 to 30 years, especially those by terrorist groups originating in the Middle East, usually took up the form of suicide bombing. Killing oneself, or suicide, is a sin in the eyes of the Qur'an. But how can a person strap bombs to his chest and walk into a crowd before blowing himself up, or drive a bomb-laden car right into the middle of a crowd of civilians?

The majority of Arab countries were to some extent touched by post-World War II communism. The Ba'ath Party that became strong in Egypt, Syria and Iraq, the Shanghai block that was established under Chinese auspices and quietly placed Arab countries and Iran under its protection, and al-Fatah, which grew under Yasser Arafat's leadership, never concealed their communist/socialist leanings. It is no secret that much blood was shed by Arab socialism mixed with extreme nationalism in Arab countries. Those who are unaware of that history should have a look at the situation in those countries now or how Hafez Assad's legacy is preserved in Syria.

Such savagery is inevitable in the socialist or communist mindset. In that false world view, putting an end to one's own life is regarded as much a contribution to world progress and to the "cause" as putting an end to someone else's life. Therefore, putting an end to one's own life, regarded as valueless, in order to put an end to other lives also regarded as worthless is an even greater contribution in the eyes of this savage system. This is an extraordinarily false logic, but that is the subject of separate criticism.

Some people, who are misinformed about Islam, wrongly believe that it allows suicide bombings, when in fact it is a religion of peace and love. The most important reason for this misconception is the effort of the said terrorist organizations to legitimize this horrible act, banned by Islam, through various invented sources and interpretations. If a suicide bomber claims to be perpetrating his action in the name of Islam, then that is a disgrace, and a slander against Islam. There are the most profound and terrible errors here.

A Muslim can never kill. This is a sin. God reveals in the Qur'an that "... if someone kills another person – unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth – it is as if he had murdered all mankind." (Qur'an, 5:32)

The verse is explicit. Just like it is a sin and murder to kill someone else, it is also a sin and murder to kill oneself. It is not "jihad," but a sin to blow oneself up in a restaurant. Those who honor and glorify such things and imagine that the person has become a "martyr" are applauding murder, not jihad. Killing defenseless civilians together with himself is not jihad, but murder. As we will explain in detail later on, Islam bans waging a war against a community that is not offensive.

Jihad means to strive through knowledge and science to bring someone to the truth and to establish communication with love and respect; not to kill him.

Martyrdom means losing one's life while striving on the path of God, while seeking to spread the love, friendship and brotherhood demanded by Islam. Killing is a murder and a sin. It is not a virtue to be honored.

But suicide bombers and their supporters spread the propaganda of a religion that commands others' deaths. And their religion is not the religion of God, either. Very few of those who follow that faith may realize that. There are many people who imagine this false religion to be true and who seek to adhere to it.

The real problem is this: People who do not know their own religion are being diverted toward nonsense. And unless they learn their own religion and the true love in the Qur'an, there will continue to be suicide bombers and those who encourage and even honor them. Bombs are not the way to teach them the truth. The only way is correct education. And in order to provide a true education, people of love from among Muslims, Christians and Jews must all come together. Once the power of unity has been established, then those people on the wrong path will begin to listen to us.

There Is No Justification for War in Islam

Those who allege that Islam has spread through war and is a militant religion (surely Islam is beyond that) must realize that such a perspective is in fact diametrically opposed to the teachings of Islam. All the misconceptions regarding Islam stem from fabricated hadiths and superstitions that emerged after the revelation of the Qur'an and the passing of the Prophet Mohammed (p). Some radical groups, based on these fabricated hadiths, misinterpreted Islam and came up with explanations to justify war. That is how they found so-called justification for their attacks on non-Muslims, and even on those Muslims who had different views.

As we explained in detail previously, there is no justification for attacking the other side in the Qur'an. The Qur'an provides the very finest description of democracy and freedoms. In a climate of democracy and freedom there is no question of denouncing the other side as the enemy or seeking to silence it. That climate is one in which everyone is respected and everyone can speak freely and Islamic Sharia describes just that environment. Therefore, there is no justification for offensive warfare in the Qur'an. However, according to the sharia invented by the superstition-followers, there are countless reasons to fight, to attack and to kill. Let us examine this fact through the words of verses of the Qur'an.

War Cannot Be Waged to Enforce Conversion to Islam

Those who employ war, force or coercion to impose Islam on someone are betraying the Qur'an. One of the most explicit statements in the Qur'an is that "there is no compulsion in the religion":

There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned.... (Qur'an, 2:256)

This is an explicit commandment of the Qur'an. No Muslim can disobey that command and force anyone else to be devout. That is expressly forbidden in the Qur'an.

Our Prophet (p) is only an adviser. He has a responsibility to preach and introduce communities to Islam, the last revealed religion. At that time, some of those who heard about Islam from the mouths of our Prophet (p) and other Muslims came to believe, while others did not. As explicitly required by the Qur'an, neither our Prophet (p) nor the other Muslims with him ever resorted to compulsion. Our Prophet (p) is reminded in the Qur'an;

"So remind them! You are only a reminder. You cannot compel them [to believe]." (Qur'an, 88:21-22) Compulsion is therefore absolutely forbidden.

According to the Qur'an, all Muslims have a duty to tell people of the moral values of Islam, but nobody can use compulsion and say, "You must become a Muslim" or "You must perform the religious observances." The purpose of the Qur'an is to bring love and peace to the world. Such pressure is therefore incompatible with the Qur'an.

Other verses in which compulsion is prohibited read:

Say: "It is the truth from your Lord; so let whoever wishes have faith and whoever wishes be irreligious"... (Qur'an, 18:29)

If your Lord had willed, all the people on the earth would have had faith. Do you think you can force people to be believers? (Qur'an, 10:99)

We know best what they say. You are not a dictator over them. So remind, with the Qur'an, whoever fears My threat. (Qur'an, 50:45)

Say: "Unbelievers! I do not worship what you worship and you do not worship what I worship. Nor will I worship what you worship nor will you worship what I worship. You have your religion and I have my religion." (Qur'an, 109:1-6)

Since force and compulsion are prohibited in the Qur'an, there is no justification for war, aggression, enmity or anger. What things, apart from converting, would Muslims compel polytheistic communities to do? It is clear that it is unlawful for someone to be forced to convert. Therefore, according to the Islam of the Qur'an, imposing Islam can never be a pretext for war.

War Cannot Be Waged for Ideological or Ethnic Superiority

Islam respects all ideologies, all nations, all ethnic groups, all ideas and all faiths. Islam is a religion in which all ideas are listened to and that permits the maximum possible freedom of ideas. War due to any clash of ideas or clash of ethnicities is of course impossible in a faith with such an excellent conception of democracy and freedom.

War Cannot Be Waged for the Purpose of Spreading the Rules of Islam to be introduced by A Muslim Leader

According to the Qur'an, a Muslim leader must be someone who also embraces Christians, Jews, atheists, communists, agnostics, Buddhists and people who adhere to other beliefs and ideological systems in the community he leads. He must implement complete freedom of ideas. He must allow people complete liberty.

Conflict, slander and hypocritical people appear where there are no freedoms. He must prevent that and do what the Qur'an requires. As stated in the verse:

"You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for God alone, even against your selves or your parents and relatives." (Qur'an', 4:135)

every believer has a responsibility to maintain justice without regard for individuals, beliefs or origins, even if that works against himself.

War Cannot Be Waged to Eliminate Those Regarded as "Enemies"

How can there be enemies in Islam? Islam is a religion that requires all people to be equal and brothers. According to Islam, no matter what someone's color, language, religion, race, citizenship or social standing, he is worthy of respect simply for the fact that he is an entity with soul. As all the revealed religions say, human beings are brothers as we are all the children of the Prophet Adam (p). This principle of brotherhood is a requirement of religious belief.

Islam is opposed to all fascist-type ideologies and ideas and Darwinist/materialist philosophies that are based on racial superiority and divide people into false categories such as "advanced" and "primitive." It therefore engages in an intellectual and rational struggle against these conflicts that these ideologies bring with them, and has no room for them within itself.

The rule in Islam about all humans being worthy of respect represents the basis of all relations between people. In the view of Islam, even someone who acts wrongly always has the potential to be turned in the direction of goodness. It is therefore impossible for a true Muslim to have any enemies. Every Muslim has a responsibility to treat others with affection and to tell them about moral virtues, not to make enemies with others and plot to bring them down.

While there is no distinction among people on the subject of superiority when they are addressed in the Qur'an, the use of the term "the sons of Adam" shows that in that respect all people are created equal:

...We have honored the sons of Adam and conveyed them on land and sea and provided them with good things and favored them greatly over many we have created. (Qur'an, 17:70)

The way that a religion is heralded by many as a religion of war, even though there are no pretexts as summarized above, stems entirely from the practices of the peddlers of superstition. Some people are generally mistaken about Islam because they are simply unaware of these clarifications regarding it and only witness the practices of the radicals. People with a radical mindset are unaware that they are applying commandments outside the Qur'an and have adopted another faith quite different to the true Islam. However, the religion of Islam and Islamic sharia are based on the Qur'anic verses. Other sources that are based on fabricated hadiths and superstitions have no validity for a true Muslim. So do Muslims desire war?

Considering this, in order for there to be peace, the benefit of all mankind need to be pursued rather than personal advantage, the hunger for land and enmities need to come to an end, and the fanatical mindset has to be eliminated. The true faiths, religious moral values, the believers and the Qur'an are all essential to that end. Conflicts based on a desire for political or material advantage, territory or ideology always grow and assume the most terrible dimensions. What can do away with all this is proper education in the true understanding of faith using the Qur'an as its point of reference. This education can eliminate all these errors and absorb all enmities. Once people's mindset has changed, there will be no grounds for hostility or war and the only way to achieve that change in mindset is through education according to the morality of the Qur'an.

CHAPTER IV

MUSLIM VOICES AGAINST EXTREMISM AND TERRORISM

"Islam does not encourage any kind of terrorism; in fact, it denounces it. Those who use terrorism in the name of Islam, in fact, have no other faculty except ignorance and hatred."

Yahya, Harun (Adnan Oktar), author of " **Islam denounces terrorism** "

Fatwa & Formal Statements by Muslim Scholars & Organizations

20 North American Imams Issue Fatwa Against Terrorists

According to The National Post of Canada: "Syed Soharwardy, an imam at the Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Centre, who organized the initiative, said yesterday that any attack by foreign elements should also be considered a direct affront to the 10 million Muslims who call either Canada or the United States home. "We want Muslims around the world who would dare to commit terrorism on our soil to know that we stand together with all Canadians and Americans. "We are asking Muslims here not only to condemn terrorism but to also see these events as attacks on themselves."

FATWA:

"We, the undersigned Imams, are issuing the following Fatwa in order to guide the Muslims of North America regarding the attacks on Canada and the United States by the terrorists and the extremists,"

"In our view, these attacks are evil and Islam requires from Muslims to stand up against this evil. In the holy Qur'an Almighty Allah (God) orders Muslims:

"Let there among you be a group that summon to all that is beneficial commands what is proper and forbids what is improper; they are the ones who will prosper." (3:104)

"Believing men and believing women are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they perform salat and give zakat..." (9:71)

"Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in a Hadith;

"When people see a wrong-doer and do nothing to stop him, they may well be visited by God with a punishment."

"Therefore, it is an obligation upon us (Imams) to inform all Muslims around the world that Muslims in Canada and the United States have complete freedom to practice Islam.

"There is no single city in Canada and the United States where MASAJIDS (Mosques) are not built. In all major cities Islamic schools provide education to Muslim children about Qur'an and the Islamic traditions.

"Thousands of Muslims perform Hajj every year and travel to Saudi Arabia with complete freedom and respect. In the month of Ramadan, both Canadian and the United States governments recognize the occasion and greet all Muslim citizens.

"Muslims pray five daily prayers in mosques without any fear or restrictions. Muslims have complete freedom to pay Zakat (poor due) to the charity or a person of their choice. Muslims have complete freedom to celebrate their festivals openly, publicly and Islamically. Muslims enjoy freedom of religion just like Christians, Jews and others. No one stops us from obeying Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). No one stops us from preaching Islam and practicing Islam. In many cases, Muslims have more freedom to practice Islam here in Canada and the United States than many Muslim countries."

"In fact, the constitutions of the United States and Canada are very close to the Islamic guiding principles of human rights and freedom. There is no conflict between the Islamic values of freedom and justice and the Canadian /US values of freedom and justice."

"Therefore, any attack on Canada and the United States is an attack on the freedom of Canadian and American Muslims. Any attack on Canada and the United States is an attack on thousands of mosques across North America. It is a duty of every Canadian and American Muslim to safeguard Canada and the USA.

"They must expose any person, Muslim OR non-Muslim, who would cause harm to fellow Canadians OR Americans. We, Canadian and American Muslims, must condemn and stand up against these attacks on Canada and the United States."  
"May Allah (God) save Canada, the United States and the entire world from the evil of wrong doers?"

70,000 Indian Muslim clerics issue fatwa against Isis, the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terror groups

Clerics said the terror groups were 'not Islamic organizations and said they were a threat to humanity

Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori, one of the clerics who signed the fatwa, told the Times of India: "From Sunday onwards, when the annual Urs began, members of Dargah Aala Hazrat have been distributing forms among followers seeking signatures to show that those signing stand against terrorism.

Nearly (1.5m) Muslims have recorded their protest. Around 70,000 clerics from across the world, who was part of the event, passed the fatwa?"

He called on media organizations to stop referring to the groups - including Isis, the Taliban and al-Qaeda - as "Islamic".

Another cleric, Hazrat Subhan Raza Khan, said the decision had been made in the wake of the Paris attacks to spread out the message that the Muslim community condemns Islamist extremism.

The head of the shrine at Ajmer, Mohammed Ehsan Raza Khan said: "It is written in the Quran that killing one innocent person is equivalent to killing all humanity"

A leading Saudi cleric issued a plea today for Muslims not to heed calls to wage terror attacks in the name of Islam.

Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudeis, the state-appointed preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, told pilgrims in a sermon marking the feast of Eid al-Adha that scholars must preach moderation to confront militants, who were using "misguided and void" interpretations to justify violence.

His sermon, dedicated to the 2.5 million Muslims performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, echoed comments made yesterday by Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al Sheik. The kingdom's grand mufti said the greatest test to the nation of Islam came from its sons who were "lured by the devil" to carry out acts of violence.

Sheikh al-Sudeis said militancy was not a valid interpretation of Islam. "Because Muslims have strayed from moderation, we are now suffering from this dangerous phenomenon of branding people infidels and inciting Muslims to rise against their leaders to cause instability," he said.

"The reason for this is a delinquent and void interpretation of Islam based on ignorance ... faith does not mean killing Muslims or non-Muslims who live among us, it does not mean shedding blood, terrorizing or sending body parts flying."

The preacher warned that extremism would ruin the Muslim nation: "This phenomenon has expanded so much that scholars must confront it with concrete proof from Islam to protect our youth from its stench and putridity."

Al-sheikh, Abdel-Aziz bin Abdallah Al sheikh of Saudi Arabia issues fatwa against suicide terrorist attacks 4/2001

"Firstly: the recent developments in the United States including hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts. Secondly: any Muslim who is aware of the teachings of his religion and who adheres to the directives of the Holy Qur'an and the sunnah (the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad) will never involve himself in such acts, because they will invoke the anger of God Almighty and lead to harm and corruption on earth." - Fatwa against terrorism 2004 "You must know Islam's firm position against all these terrible crimes. The world must know that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy and goodness; it is a religion of justice and guidance...Islam has forbidden violence in all its forms. It forbids the hijacking airplanes, ships and other means of transport, and it forbids all acts that undermine the security of the innocent."

Fatwa against London attack 2005 The London attacks, "targeting peaceful people, are not condoned by Islam, and are indeed prohibited by our religion. ... Attributing to Islam acts of individual or collective killings, bombings, destruction of properties and the terrorizing of peaceful people is unfair, because they are alien to the divine religion." - issues fatwa that denounced terror attacks as un-Islamic and condemned the killing of civilians, saying such attacks have nothing to do with the Muslim religion. 2/2010

Fatwah by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Grand Islamic Scholar and Chairman of the Sunna and Sira Council, Qatar:

"All Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who permit the killing of non-combatants without a justifiable reason. Islam has declared the spilling of blood and the destruction of property as absolute prohibitions until the Day of Judgment. God (glory be to He) said:

'Because of that We ordained unto the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a human being -- unless it be in punishment for murder or for spreading mischief on earth -- it would be as though he killed all of humanity; whereas, if anyone saved a life, it would be as though he saved the life of all humanity.' Qur'an: 5:32."

It is necessary to apprehend the true perpetrators of these crimes, as well as those who aid and abet them through incitement, financing or other support. They must be brought to justice in an impartial court of law and [punished] appropriately. ... [It is] a duty of Muslims to participate in this effort with all possible means." -

Al-Qaradawi, sheikh Yusuf – condemns Bali attacks 10/02 "Islam not only prohibits attacking non-Muslims who do not launch attacks against Muslims, but it also urges Muslims to treat those non-Muslims with due respect and kindness, especially non-Muslims who live along with Muslims within the Islamic territories.

Al-Qaradawi, sheikh Yusuf - against London bombings 2005

"We were dumbfounded by the grave news of the London bombings which killed tens and wounded hundreds of innocent people who committed no crime. Even at the time of war when state armies battle face to face, it is not permissible to kill women, children, elders, priests, farmers and merchants; people we nowadays call civilians.

Shaykh Muhammed Sayyid al-Tantawi, Imam of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt:

"Attacking innocent people is not courageous; it is stupid and will be punished on the Day of Judgment. ... It's not courageous to attack innocent children, women and civilians. It is courageous to protect freedom. It is courageous to defend oneself and not to attack."

"Al-Azhar is against terrorism, regardless of its source or target. The killing of innocent men, women, and children is a horrible and ugly act that is against all religions and against rational thinking.

Saudi's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh at a Hajj sermon, 2013-OCT:

"Islam does not allow terrorism at any cost. Islam condemns all violence and terrorism plaguing the world today. Muslims should demonstrate a love for peace and unity. ... Oh Muslims be God-fearing; adopt the taqwa (fear of Allah); shun from earning money through un-Islamic means; hold fast the rope of Allah; don't be divided into diverse schools of thoughts; and get united against injustice,

Statements by international Islamic organizations

The undersigned, leaders of Islamic movements, are horrified by the events of Tuesday 11 September 2001 in the United States which resulted in massive killing, destruction and attack on innocent lives. We express our deepest sympathies and sorrow. We condemn, in the strongest terms, the incidents, which are against all human and Islamic norms. This is grounded in the Noble Laws of Islam which forbid all forms of attacks on innocents. God Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an: 'No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another' (17:15). (MSANews, September 14, 2001

OIC - Organization of the Islamic Conference, Summit Conference.

"We are determined to fight terrorism in all its forms. ... Islam is the religion of moderation. It rejects extremism and isolation. There is a need to confront deviant ideology where it appears, including in school curricula. Islam is the religion of diversity and tolerance." Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon), December 9, 2001

Statement rejecting terrorism

Washington, DC (September 9, 2002) Several prominent American Muslims, organizations, and scholars issued the following statement denouncing violence and terrorism, especially in the name of Islam, a religion of peace and justice.

The statement was issued on the eve of the first anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, and has been signed by 199 prominent American Muslims, and scholars of Islam from all over the world.

As American Muslims and scholars of Islam, we wish to restate our conviction that peace and justice constitute the basic principles of the Muslim faith. We wish again to state unequivocally that neither the al-Qaeda organization nor Usama bin Laden represents Islam or reflects Muslim beliefs and practice. Rather, groups like al-Qaeda have misused and abused Islam in order to fit their own radical and indeed anti-Islamic agenda. Usama bin Laden and al-Qaeda's actions are criminal, misguided and counter to the true teachings of Islam. We call on people of all faiths not to judge Islam by the actions of a few.

We believe in justice and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. We are convinced that security for Israel can only be achieved by justice for Palestinians. Today, a modicum of justice requires the establishment of an independent Palestinian state through the exercise of Palestinian self-determination. We believe that the continued occupation of Palestinian territories, and Israel's repeated disregard of international law, have made life in the occupied territories unbearable. We say most clearly, however, that the killing of innocent civilians, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, is always wrong and is forbidden in Islamic law and ethics. Illegitimate means can never be justified by a desirable or noble goal.

On this first anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, we call on all people of conscience to denounce violence and to work peacefully for the creation of a better world. We also urge our government leaders to work for peace, justice, liberty, and democracy around the globe.

A Muslim Voice Against Terrorism

Imam Plemon T. El-Amin

Muslim voices against terrorism have not been silent, but it is the trend, perhaps even the policy of major media, to downplay the voice of reason, the voice of faith, and the voice of principle, in favor of the shouts of the extreme, the wails of the grief-stricken, and the threats of the treacherous. The voices of peace, justice, mercy, and tolerance are not difficult to find among Muslims and Islamic media, who consistently denounce acts of terrorism and reject them as illegitimate and unacceptable Islamic strategies or methods.

Imam W. Deen Mohammed, internationally and nationally recognized leader of the largest identifiable Muslim-American community, explained recently that: `Islam insists that the best human behavior be demonstrated even when engaging an enemy in war, Our Prophet Muhammed (prayers and peace be on him) ordered that civilians not be made the victims of war. He (the Prophet) cautioned the Muslims to take care not to attack those who were not bearing arms against them. Islam and the Prophet's life require of us that we uphold justice and be a peace-seeking people.'

Muslims are guided and obligated by the Qur'an, which reveals to us that we must not wage war for self-interest, material gain, or mere retaliation. Muslims are to fight or wage war only when someone hinders them from the worship and work of God. And when we fight, we must reject barbaric methods of warfare and doing any harm to women, children, the elderly, the sick or wounded, and even to animals or vegetation.

Muslims are commanded by God to do justice to all, irrespective of whether they are friend or enemy, under all circumstances.

God says in the Qur'an, `O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice even as against   
yourselves or your parents or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor.' (4:135)

`O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God as 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 be regardful of God, for God is well-acquainted with all that you do.' (5:9)

The definition of jihad is not Holy War, nor can it be used to justify terrorism. Imam W. Deen Mohammed has stated that `Jihad means struggle in everything that God has established for Muslims to do. The emphasis on jihad in the Qur'an and in the life of Prophet Muhammad was not for the purpose of conquering lands or overthrowing nations, it was for the purpose of liberating the higher instincts, the higher aspirations in man.'

Cowardly acts of terrorism upon innocent men, women, and children are not a doorway to Heaven, but a gateway to Hell. Blind aggression and retaliation are sins, and as Muslims we reject these practices by ourselves, our kin, our foes, the rich, or the poor. Past and recent acts of terrorism that victimize innocent human beings, such as the World Trade Center bombing, the mosque assault by Baruch Goldstein, and the recent suicide bombing in Tel Aviv are deplored by our community and must be condemned by all God-conscious and civilized communities, both Muslim and others. We must all stand up for peace and toleration. Among both the Palestinians and the Israelis are those guilty and responsible for the many women and children left maimed and dead. Each side has produced both perpetrators of violence and victims of injustice.

In Islam, one injustice, or even many, does not justify another. Man's law and rule has failed both peoples. It is time to embrace the law and rule of God, especially since both people identify themselves as people who hold the rule of God above the law of man.

The voice of the Muslim is not mute. Our voice is that of the Qur'an, and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Both ring with clarity that peace is to be loved and sought, and terrorism is to be hated and rejected.

This statement appeared in the Congressional Record

Islam, Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens), prominent British Muslim, singer, songwriter, BRITAIN

"I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist attacks committed against innocent people of the United States yesterday. While it is still not clear who carried out the attack, it must be stated that no right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action: the Qur'an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity. We pray for the families of all those who lost their lives in this unthinkable act of violence as well as all those injured; I hope to reflect the feelings of all Muslims and people around the world whose sympathies go out to the victims at this sorrowful moment." [On singing a cappella version of "Peace Train" for the Concert for New York City:] "After the tragedy, my heart was heavy with sadness and shock, and I was determined to help in some way. Organizers asked me to take part in a message for tolerance and sing 'Peace Train.' Of course, I agreed. ... As a Muslim from the West, it is important to me to let people know that these acts of mass murder have nothing to do with Islam and the beliefs of Muslims."

Ramadan, Tariq (Islamic thinker)

The situation is far too serious for one to be satisfied by simple explanations based on current frustrations. In the name of their faith and their conscience, Muslims must take a clear position so that a pernicious atmosphere does not take hold in the Western countries. Nothing in Islam can legitimize xenophobia or the rejection of a human being due to his/her religious creed or ethnicity. One must say unequivocally, with force, that anti-Semitism is unacceptable and indefensible. The message of Islam requires respect of Jewish faith and spirituality as noble expressions of "The People of the Book".

Sullivan, Dr. Antony T. RITAIN

My fundamental argument is that terrorism and Jihad are not identical twins but historic enemies. I will maintain that a new vocabulary is essential to demonstrate the radical antipathy that has separated these concepts until very recent decades. Terrorism is not only un-Islamic but anti-Islamic, and those who commit terrorism should be designated as criminals rather than as holy warriors or resistance fighters. Moreover, this paper will suggest that a new focus by Muslims on the Holy Quran, at the expense of medieval fiqh, is now very much in order (I frequently suggest to Muslim fundamentalists that their only problem is that they are not fundamentalist enough). In addition, an argument will be made that the meaning of Jihad must be reassessed through analysis of its linguistic roots, and re-conceptualized to incorporate the phenomenon of culturally traditionalist and interreligious efforts designed to address some of the most difficult problems of modernity. Indeed, ecumenical Jihad is today not an oxymoron, but a necessity. If the perceived linkage between terrorism and Jihad can be ruptured, and Jihad re- conceptualized as constituting a means by which all of the children of Abraham may strive to create a better world, the foundations for a brighter future will surely have been laid. This paper will conclude with a discussion of one ecumenical effort already underway which seeks to join Muslims and Christians who are culturally traditionalist and truly religious in a common effort to oppose the radical secularism so characteristic of contemporary Western modernity.

Quotation from Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's book: "What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West:"

The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong — and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right. No religion on earth condones the killing of innocent people; no faith tradition tolerates the random killing of our brothers and sisters on this earth. ... Islamic law is clearly against terrorism, against any kind of deliberate killing of civilians or similar 'collateral damage'."

Nasser Judeh, Foreign Minister of Jordon: After a terrorist attack on a church in Iraq 2010-NOV:

"We condemn the criminal and terrorist act that targeted a church in Baghdad. We condemn all forms of terrorism, particularly targeting civilians. Jordan supports all efforts seeking to enhance Iraq's security

Judeh said that King Abdullah II had expressed his sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the victims of the attack and wished the injured a speedy recovery."

Imam Benjamin Abdul-Haqq of Washington's Masjid Muhammad mosque, shortly after the bombing at the Boston marathon on 2013-APR:

"Just because they say they're Muslim doesn't make them Muslim. These are criminal acts, not religious acts." 
CHAPTER V

CHRISTIAN AND JEWS IN ISLAM

In the Qur'an, Christians and Jews are defined as the People of the Book, and there is a command to show respect, mercy and kindness to them. Both Christians and Jews believe in God and share the same moral values as Muslims.

Prophet Muhammad's Charter of Privileges to Christians

(Letter to the Monks of St. Catherin Monastry)

This is a message from Muhammad İbn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.

Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them because

Christians are my citizens; and by Allah I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them.

Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one it to destroy a house of their religion, to damage, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.

Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to obligate them to fight.

The Muslims are to fight for them.

If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval, she is to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.

No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of World).

Common Beliefs and Values Shared by Muslims and the People of the Book

Christian and Muslim beliefs have many aspects in common. Judaism too shares many beliefs with Islam. In the Qur'an, God relates that Muslims share the same faith with the People of the Book and that they say to them "We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29:46)

All true adherents of these three great religions:

Believe that God has created the entire universe out of nothing and that He dominates all that exists with His omnipotence.

Believe that God has created man and living things in a miraculous way and that man possesses a soul granted him by God.

Believe in resurrection, heaven and hell and angels, and that God has created our lives with a certain destiny.

Believe that God sent many prophets such as the Prophet Noah, the Prophet Abraham , the Prophet Isaac, the Prophet Joseph and the Prophet Moses throughout history, and they love all these prophets.

In one verse, that Muslims make no distinction among prophets is related as follows:

The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him by his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers. They say, "We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord! You are our journey's end." (Qur'an, 2:285)

The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honor, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love.

Even though such concepts like "The End of History" and the "Clash of Civilizations" started to be popular from the 90's onwards, one fact looms in these harsh times; these concepts have no validity whatsoever and they fail to deliver any solutions. Experience has taught us that we cannot build bliss upon the misery of others. This being the case, we need to find the way of binding up these wounds together and "recovering" as soon as possible. One means to this is to understand the value that the Qur'an attaches to the People of the Book.

The Value Placed on the People of the Book in the Qur'an

Today all good things have been made halal [lawful] for you. And the food of those given the Book [Jews and Christians] is also halal for you and your food is halal for them. So are chaste women from among the believers and chaste women of those given the Book before you [Jews and Christians], once you have given them their dowries in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers. But as for anyone who rejects faith, his actions will come to nothing and in the hereafter he will be among the losers. (Qur'an, 5:5)

This verse describes the value that Muslims place on the People of the Book with various pieces of important detail. According to this verse, a Muslim man is allowed to marry a woman of the People of the Book. This is a significant permission, because as commanded in the verse, "Corrupt women are for corrupt men and corrupt men are for corrupt women, good women are for good men and good men are for good women..." (Qur'an, 24:26), Muslims have a responsibility to marry good, clean people. This indicates that Jews and Christians are also good, clean people.

In addition, there is a very important criterion in this verse. A Muslim will intend to take a Jewish or Christian woman as his wife, to call her "darling" or "beloved," to start a family with her, to spend his life with her and even to spend eternal life with her. This is the sole person throughout his life with whom he will share all his troubles and all his happiness. These two look after one another when they are ill, and trust one another.

According to the fanatics' way of thinking, however, a person should feel enmity toward the woman he calls "beloved," with whom he spends his life and entrusts his own life to, the mother of his children, and declare her to be cursed only because she is a Christian or a Jew. One would have to be profoundly psychologically disturbed to do that. This verse describes the love to be shown to a Jew or Christian by a rational Muslim who heads the Qur'an.

The verse also bestows a special authorization on Muslims: the authority to eat food prepared by the People of the Book. This is very important. As we know, Muslims have to pay great attention to certain prohibitions when preparing food; pork, and meat from an animal that has not been slaughtered in the name of God, is prohibited in Islam. The fact that food prepared by Jews and Christians is made lawful shows that these people are to be trusted. The same thing also applies to Christians and Jews, and the verse makes food prepared by Muslims lawful for them.

It will also be useful to refer to another expression of friendship here. The People of the Book and Muslims can eat together under the same roof, be one another's guests, sit down at the same table and play host to one another. This is a description of friendship. What is being described is not an environment based on hatred and killing, but one of love, friendship and brotherhood.

This is not the only verse to set out the position of the People of the Book. God praises the People of the Book in many of the Qur'an's verses. The related verses include:

Among the people of Moses there is a group who guides by the truth and act justly in accordance with it. (Qur'an, 7:159)

They are not all the same. There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite God's signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. They have faith in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous ones. They will not be denied the reward for any good thing they do. God knows those who have fear of God. (Qur'an, 3:113-115)

Among the people of the Book there are some who have faith in God and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before God. They do not sell God's signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And God is swift at reckoning. (Qur'an, 3:199)

As these verses clearly show, pure and sincere Jews and Christians are praised with fine words in the Qur'an and are promised a fine reward by God; God says that He will take these people into paradise. This is an expression of His love. How can a Muslim be the enemy of someone, whom God loves, is pleased with and welcomes into paradise? That is impossible according to the Qur'an. Such enmity is a crime according to the Qur'an. Therefore, the fanatics who adopt false hadiths as their guide – despite the verses of the Qur'an clearly demonstrating the contrary – are committing an offense in the view of Islam by spreading hostility toward the People of the Book.

What needs to be done is to invite the People of the Book to Islam using pleasant words, and then to leave the decision up to them.

Muslims Invite the People of the Book to the "Oneness of God"

Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way – except in the case of those of them who do wrong – saying, "We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are One and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29:46)

Say, "People of the Book! Come to a proposition which is the same for us and you – that we should worship none but God and not associate any partners with Him and not take one another as lords besides God." If they turn away, say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims." (Qur'an, 3:64)

These verses show that the duty of Muslims is not to disparage the People of the Book, force them into a corner, feel hatred for or kill them, as some fabricated hadiths suggest. It is simply to summon them to the oneness of God in the most pleasant manner. Monotheism is the fundamental doctrine in all three faiths. Muslims can meet with and speak to the People of the Book, preach to them and call on them to believe in the oneness of God and all the sacred scriptures that have been sent down. Communication, preaching and friendship exist among them. According to the Qur'an, a Muslim has a responsibility to speak kindly to a Jew or a Christian when he sees one and to invite him to believe in the oneness of God using very kind words, rather than jostling him into a corner.

The Jews Enjoy the Right to Live in the Holy Land in the Qur'an

Since some Muslim communities are unaware of the verses of the Qur'an and are exceedingly ignorant on the subject of Islam, they strive to remove the Jews from the Holy Land or to wipe the state of Israel off the map. They are unaware that in doing this they are rebelling against the Qur'an.

According to the Qur'an, the Jews have the right to live in the Holy Land. Verses on the subject read:

Remember when Moses said to his people, "My people! Remember God's blessing to you when He appointed prophets among you and appointed kings for you, and gave you what He had not given to anyone else in all the worlds! My people! Enter the Holy Land which God has ordained for you. Do not turn back in your tracks and so become transformed into losers." (Qur'an, 5:20-21)

We said to the tribe of Israel after that, "Inhabit the land and, when the promise of the hereafter comes, We will produce you as a motley crowd." (Qur'an, 17:104)

As clearly shown in the verses of the Qur'an, both the Torah and the Qur'an state that Jews must exist in the Holy Land. Indeed it is a good thing for there to be Jews in the Holy Land, and that is a source of joy for true Muslims. It is an exceedingly fine thing to see a promise made by God 3,000 years ago coming true and witnessing what was foretold by the Prophet Abraham and the Prophet Moses. God revealed that, "The Jews will be in those lands" thousands of years ago, and we can see that miracle manifested now. This is a wonderful state of affairs to be observed with fervor and joy.

It is of great importance to state that God imposes one essential condition on sincere believers, both in the Qur'an and the Torah – "Peace." There will be Jews in the Holy Land; there will also be Muslims and Christians there, and they will altogether ensure that love and peace prevail across the region. They will live in brotherhood. There is plenty of room for all. Nobody will be forced from his home or driven away. That will not happen. This is a religious service for Jews, Christians and Muslims all. God always wants peace for all of us.

Monasteries, Churches and Synagogues Must Be Respected according to the Qur'an

Another important fact we learn from the Qur'an is that Muslims must respect Jewish and Christian places of worship. In the Qur'an, the places of worship of the People of the Book, ie. monasteries, churches and synagogues, are mentioned as places of worship protected by God.

... if God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God's name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him – God is All-Strong, Almighty. (Qur'an, 22:40)

This verse shows every Muslim the importance of respecting and protecting the holy places of the People of the Book.

Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad (p) also made contracts with pagans as well as the People of the Book. Pagans were always treated with justice, and when they asked to be taken under protection, their requests were readily accepted by the Prophet (p). This meant that these communities sought the protection of the Messenger of God (p) in the face of an attack or a wrongful accusation. Throughout his life, many non-Muslims and pagans requested protection from the Prophet Muhammad (p), and he took them under his protection and ensured their security. In the Qur'an God advises that requests of pagans seeking protection be accepted by believers. Of this, God says the following:

If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe... (Qur'an, 9:6)

Jews and Christians, due to their shared commonalities with Muslims are much closer to Muslims than those who have no faith in God. Each of these religions has its book, that is, they are subject to a book sent down by God. They know what is right and what is wrong, what is lawful and what is unlawful according to their scriptures, and all revere the prophets and messengers that accompanied them. They all believe in a hereafter, and afterlife where they will have to give an account to God for all their actions. So, there is a shared foundation from where we all can unite upon.

Rallying to a Common Formula

Concerning the People of the Book, God gives Muslims a command in the Qur'an; to rally to a common formula:

Say, "O People of the Book! Let us rally to a common formula to be binding on both us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God." (Qur'an, 3:64)

This is indeed our call to Christians and Jews: As people who believe in God and follow His revelations, let us rally to a common formula – "faith". Let us love God, Who is our Creator and Lord, and follow His commands. And let us pray to God to lead us to an even straighter path.

When Muslims, Christians and Jews rally to a common formula this way; when they understand that they are friends not enemies, then the world will become a very different place. The wars in many parts of the world, enmities, fears and terrorist attacks will come to an end, and a new civilization based on love, respect and peace will be established upon this "common formula" once an intellectual struggle is waged against radical ideas and ideologies that lead to denial of God.

There are important facts to consider for Muslims. What God teaches us in the Qur'an about different peoples and creeds is clear: The morality of the Qur'an excludes every kind of racism.

It is evident that some of the Jews who lived in the past have committed many errors which are stated and criticized in the Qur'an. But all this must not be taken by Muslims as a cause to feel hostility against all Jews. The crime committed by some Jews cannot be ascribed to Judaism and the Jewish nation.

Again a basic vantage point prescribed in the Qur'an is not to make judgments about people just because they belong to a particular race, nation or religion. In every community, there are good people as well as wicked people. This differentiation is stated in the Qur'an. For instance, right after mentioning the rebellious nature – against God and His religion – of some people among Jews and Christians, there is reference to an exception and, said thus:

[However] They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book there is an upright community who recites the revelation of God during the night and fall prostrate before Him. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil, and vie with one another in good works. They are of the righteous and whatever good they do, its reward will not be denied them. God knows those who fear [Him]. (Qur'an, 3:113-115)

God revealed to all messengers that He is the Unique and that there is no one but Him Whom people must worship, serve and obey. The Divine message, conveyed to the people by God through His messengers, has been communicated to people since the creation of man. Some societies have accepted the message and followed the right path while others have denied and swerved from it. This also holds true for the present day. Some people will side with the righteous, whereas some others will plunge into mischief. This is the law of God. Those who believe should also adopt such an outlook and never forget that there may be sincere, pious people who have fear of God among the members of all religions as well as those who are far removed from the religious tenets.

Our hope is that a world will be established in which people will be able to live together in peace, no matter what race or religion they belong to, in which every racist perversion will be rejected, everyone's rights will be safeguarded and everyone will be respected. The struggle that will have to take place on intellectual grounds against radicalism and anti-religious ideologies will hopefully establish the peace that has been longed for. Of this God relates the following in the Qur'an:

Those who disbelieve are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way (be friends and protectors of one another) there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption. (Qur'an, 8:73)

Would that there had been more people with a vestige of good among the generations of those who came before you, who forbade corruption in the earth, other than the few among them whom We saved.... (Qur'an, 11:116)

Why Should the Muslims and the People of the Book Act Together?

Another important fact that draws Christianity, Judaism and Islam together and necessitates them to act together is the atheist philosophies that are so influential in our time. There is also the damage caused by various radical notions that were later made a part of the three Divine religions.

Among the best-known and most harmful philosophies of our age can be cited materialism, communism, fascism, anarchism, racism, nihilism and existentialism. Many people who believed in the false diagnoses, deceptive descriptions and explanations of these ideas on the universe, society and man, have lost their faith or doubted it. What is more, these ideologies have dragged people, societies and nations into great crises, conflicts and wars. Their share of the blame for the pain and troubles that humanity suffers from today is immense.

While they deny God and creation, all the above-mentioned ideologies are based on a so-called scientific basis; Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Darwinism constitutes the basis of atheist philosophies. This theory briefly claims – without having any scientific basis – that living beings have evolved as a result of coincidences and by means of a struggle for life. Therefore, Darwinism sends this deceptive message to people:

"You are not responsible to anyone, you owe your life to coincidences, you need to struggle, and if necessary to oppress others to succeed. This world is one of conflict and self-interest".

The social messages put across by Darwinist concepts such as "Natural selection", "struggle for life", "survival of the fittest" are a means of dangerous indoctrination. This evil morality advises people to be egoistical, self-seeking, cruel and oppressive. It destroys such virtues as mercy, compassion, self-sacrifice and humility, the moral values of the three great monotheistic religions and presents this as if it is a necessity of "the rules of life."

This Darwinist indoctrination is just the opposite of the beliefs of the People of the Book and the morality of the Qur'an. Consequently, the Darwinist indoctrination constitutes the foundation of a world which inherently opposes all the three Divine religions.

This being the case, it is necessary for the People of the Book and Muslims to co-operate, since they believe in God and accept the morality that He teaches. The followers of these three religions should expose to the world the fallacy of Darwinism, which has no scientific basis, but which people are trying to preserve for the sake of materialist philosophy. They should co-operatively carry out an intellectual struggle against all other deceptive ideas (communism, fascism, racism) that serve atheism. They need to make an effort to explain that the radical ideas that were later made a part of every religion are wrong and tell the truth instead. Once these are realized, the world will, in a very short time, embrace peace, tranquility and justice.

##

CHAPTER VI

HOW ISLAM CONFIRMS HUMAN RIGHTS

"It (Islam) replaced monkishness by manliness. It gives hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind, and recognition of the fundamental facts of human nature."

Canon Taylor, Paper read before the Church Congress at WALVERHAMTON

The holy Qur'an emphasizes on the full alignment of religion and humanity:

So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith, the origination of Allah according to which He originated mankind; there is no altering Allah's creation; that is the upright religion... (30:30)

Also, the following hadith suggests that Islam is in harmony with the human's nature: "All the born are born with the God-given nature."

When it is said that Islam means to surrender to God, it means whenever something or someone is put in its or his real position in creation, it or he will be a Muslim. Thus, the position for which God has created human being is to achieve humanity and the human being's humanity equals his Islam, i.e., his level of submission to God.

A human being is related with God, his own kind, nature, and the whole creation from that natural position. So, a human being's Islam is his humanity. The holy Qur'an emphasizes on the full alignment of religion and humanity. The following verses demonstrate this truth:

So if they believe in the like of what you believe in, then they are certainly guided; and if they turn away, then they are only [steeped] in defiance. Allah shall suffice you against them, and He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. The baptism of Allah, and who baptizes better than Allah? And Him do we worship.(2:137-138)

Who can define characteristics of man?

Defining man and his characteristics cannot be carried out by man himself. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which are listed below:

Firstly, people's understanding of themselves and their feelings is influenced by their social and cultural standpoints, their unique situations, and their worldly interests.

Secondly, people are at various stages of continued development and therefore, they never exactly understand existential dimensions of human beings as they progress and make efforts to reach them.

Thus, if a human being wants to define human dimensions, features and virtues, his definition will be limited or biased to some extent. This leads to a multiplicity of definitions of humanness which causes a human being's goals and purposes to go into a halo of imaginations.

But, Allah, the Creator of the human being and the entire universe, is the only Able One to define the human being's characteristics. These characteristics are, in fact, dimensions of one perfect humanity. This is the meaning of necessity of heavenliness, unseen's (ghaybi), and absoluteness of religion. To emphasize on the truth of this issue, we need to refer to the opinions of Islamic scholars.

We are also guided by principles such as 'legislative obligations are graceful indicators of intellectual obligations' and 'whatever judgments is made by reason is made by religion and vice versa.'

Thus, we can conclude that Islam is identical with humanity and human values and vice versa.

General Rights

The first thing that we find in Islam in this connection is that it lays down some rights for man as a human being. In other words it means that every man whether he belongs to this country or that, whether he is a believer or unbeliever, whether he lives in some forest or is found in some desert, whatever be the case, he has some basic human rights simply because he is a human being, which should be recognized by every Muslim. In fact it will be his duty to fulfill these obligations.

A. Right to Life

The Qur'an upholds the sanctity and absolute value of human life and points out that, in essence, the life of each individual is comparable to that of an entire community and, therefore, should be treated with the utmost care. A few of the many verses on this matter in the Qur'an read:

## Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason."(6:151)

Whosoever kills a human being without (any reason like) man slaughter, or corruption on earth, it is as though he had killed all mankind ... (5:32)

In all these verses of the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet the word 'soul' (nafs) has been used in general terms without any distinction or particularization which might have lent itself to the elucidation that the persons belonging to one's nation, the citizens of one's country, the people of a particular race or religion should not be killed. The injunction applies to all human beings and the destruction of human life in itself has been prohibited.

'The Right to Life' has been given to man only by Islam. You will observe that the people who talk about human rights if they have ever mentioned them in their Constitutions or Declarations, then it is clearly implied in them that these rights are applicable only to their citizens or they have been framed for the white race alone. This can clearly be gleaned by the fact that human beings were hunted down like animals in Australia and the land was cleared of the aborigines for the white man. Similarly the aboriginal population of America was systematically destroyed and the Red Indians who somehow survived this genocide were confined to specified areas called Reservations.

They also penetrated into Africa and hunted down human beings like wild animals. All these instances go to prove that they have no respect for human life as such and if they have, it is only on the basis of their nationality, color or race. Contrary to this, Islam recognizes this right for all human beings. If a man belongs to a primitive or savage tribe, even then Islam regards him as a human being.

Immediately after the verse of the Holy Quran which has been mentioned in connection with the right to life, God has said:

**"And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved the lives of all mankind" (5:32).**

There can be several forms of saving man from death. A man may be ill or wounded, irrespective of his nationality, race or color. If you know that he is in need of your help, then it is your duty that you should arrange for his treatment for disease or wound. If he is dying of starvation, then it is your duty to feed him so that he can ward off death. If he is drowning or his life is at stake, then it is your duty to save him.

B. Right to Respect

The Qur'an deems all human beings to be worthy of respect because of all creation they alone chose to accept the "trust" of freedom of the will. Human beings can exercise freedom of the will because they possess the rational faculty, which is what distinguishes them from all other creatures. Though human beings can become "the lowest of the lowest", the Qur'an declares that they have been made "in the best of moulds", having the ability to think, to have knowledge of right and wrong, to do the good and to avoid the evil. Thus, on account of the promise which is contained in being human, namely, the potential to be God's vicegerent on earth, the humanness of all human beings is to be respected and considered to be an end in itself.

C. Right to Justice

The Qur'an puts great emphasis on the right to seek justice and the duty to do justice Verses on the subject read:

## O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.(5:8).

In the context of justice, the Qur'an uses two concepts: "'adl" and "ihsan". Both are enjoined and both are related to the idea of "balance", but they are not identical in meaning.

"'Adl" is defined by A.A.A. Fyzee, a well-known scholar of Islam, as "to be equal, neither more nor less." Explaining this concept, Fyzee wrote: "...in a Court of Justice the claims of the two parties must be considered evenly, without undue stress being laid upon one side or the other. Justice introduces the balance in the form of scales that are evenly balanced." "'Adl" was described in similar terms by Abu'l Kalam Azad, a famous translator of the Qur'an and a noted writer, who stated: "What is justice but the avoiding of excess? There should be neither too much nor too little; hence the use of scales as the emblems of justice" Lest anyone try to do too much or too little, the Qur'an points out that no human being can carry another's burden or attain anything without striving for it:

That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another;And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives. (53:38-39)

##

Recognizing individual merit is a part of "'adl", The Qur'an teaches that merit is not determined by lineage, sex, wealth, worldly success or religion, but by righteousness, which consists of both right "belief" ("iman") and just "action" (" 'amal") in the following verse:

## Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (2:177)

Further, the Qur'an distinguishes between passive believers and those who strive in the cause of God pointing out that though all believers are promised good by God, the latter will be exalted above the former:

## Not equal are those believers remaining [at home] - other than the disabled - and the mujahideen, [who strive and fight] in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred the mujahideen through their wealth and their lives over those who remain [behind], by degrees. And to both Allah has promised the best [reward]. But Allah has preferred the mujahideen over those who remain [behind] with a great reward - Degrees [of high position] from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is ever forgiving and Merciful. (4:95-96)

Just as it is in the spirit of "'adl" that special merit be considered in the matter of rewards, so also special circumstances are to be considered in the matter of punishments. For instance, for crimes of unchastely the Qur'an prescribes identical punishments for a man or a woman, who is proved guilty in the following verse:

The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not be taken by pity for them in the religion of Allah, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness their punishment. (24:2).

But it differentiates between different classes of women: for the same crime, a slave woman would receive half, and the Prophet's consort double, the punishment given to a "free" Muslim woman, the verse (3:79) read:

## But once they are sheltered in marriage, if they should commit adultery, then for them is half the punishment for free [unmarried] women. This [allowance] is for him among you who fears sin, but to be patient is better for you. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

In making such a distinction, the Qur'an while upholding high moral standards, particularly in the case of the Prophet's wives whose actions have a normative significance for the community, reflects God's compassion for women slaves who were socially disadvantaged.

While constantly enjoining "'adl", the Qur'an goes beyond this concept to "ihsan", which literally means, "restoring the balance by making up a loss or deficiency" In order to understand this concept, it is necessary to understand the nature of the ideal society or community ("ummah") envisaged by the Qur'an. The word "ummah" comes from the root "umm", or "mother". The symbols of a mother and motherly love and compassion are also linked with the two attributes most characteristic of God, namely, "Rahim" and "Rahman", both of which are derived from the root "rahm", meaning "womb". The ideal "ummah" cares about all its members just as an ideal mother cares about all her children, knowing that all are not equal and that each has different needs. While showing undue favors to any child would be unjust, a mother who gives to a "handicapped" child more than she does to her other child or children is not acting unjustly but exemplifying the spirit of "ihsan" by helping to make up the deficiency of a child who need special assistance in meeting the requirements of life. "Ihsan", thus, shows God's sympathy for the disadvantaged segments of human society (such as women, orphans, slaves, the poor, the infirm, and the minorities)

D. Right to Freedom

As stated earlier, the Qur'an is deeply concerned about liberating human beings from every kind of bondage. Recognizing the human tendency toward dictatorship and despotism, the Qur'an says with clarity and emphasis in (3:79):

It is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and Wisdom, And the Prophetic Office, Should say to people:"Be ye my worshippers Rather than Allah's" On the contrary  
(He would say):"Be ye worshippers Of Him who is truly The Cherisher of all." (3:79)

The institution of human slavery is, of course, extremely important in the context of human freedom. Slavery was widely prevalent in Arabia at the time of the advent of Islam, and the Arab economy was based on it. Not only did the Qur'an insist that slaves be treated in a just and humane way, Verses on the subject read:

Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful. (4:36)

But it continually urged the freeing of slaves As God says in a verse: And never is it for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And whoever kills a believer by mistake - then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to the deceased's family [is required] unless they give [up their right as] charity. But if the deceased was from a people at war with you and he was a believer - then [only] the freeing of a believing slave; and if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty - then a compensation payment presented to his family and the freeing of a believing slave. And whoever does not find [one or cannot afford to buy one] - then [instead], a fast for two months consecutively, [seeking] acceptance of repentance from Allah . And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. (4:92).

By laying down, in verse (47: 4), that prisoners of war were to be set free, "either by an act of grace or against ransom", the Qur'an virtually abolished slavery since "The major source of slaves - men and women - was prisoners of war". Because the Qur'an does not state explicitly that slavery is abolished, it does not follow that it is to be continued, particularly in view of the numerous ways in which the Qur'an seeks to eliminate this absolute evil. A Book which does not give a king or a prophet the right to command absolute obedience from another human being could not possibly sanction slavery in any sense of the word.

## The greatest guarantee of personal freedom for a Muslim lies in the Qur'anic decree that no one other than God can limit human freedom and in the statement that "Judgment (as to what is right and what is wrong) rests with God alone"

##... Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. (12: 40)

As pointed out by Khalid M. Ishaque, an eminent Pakistani jurist:

The Qur'an gives to responsible dissent the status of a fundamental right.  
In exercise of their powers, therefore, neither the legislature nor the executive can demand  
unquestioning obedience...The Prophet, even though he was the recipient of Divine revelation, was required to consult the Muslims in public affairs. Allah addressing the Prophet says:  
"...and consult with them upon the conduct of affairs. And...when thou art resolved, then put thy trust in Allah".

Since the principle of mutual consultation ("shura") is mandatory As God says in a verse:

## And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend. (42: 38).

It is a Muslim's fundamental right, as well as responsibility, to participate in as many aspects of the community's life as possible. The Qur'anic proclamation in (2: 256), "There shall be no coercion in matters of faith" guarantees freedom of religion and worship. This means that, according to Qur'anic teaching, non-Muslims living in Muslim territories should have the freedom to follow their own faith-traditions without fear or harassment. A number of Qur'anic passages state clearly that the responsibility of the Prophet Muhammad is to communicate the message of God and not to compel anyone to believe. The right to exercise free choice in matters of belief is unambiguously endorsed by the Qur'an: But if they turn away - then We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], over them as a guardian; upon you is only [the duty of] notification. (42: 48).

This also states clearly that God will judge human beings not on the basis of what they profess but on the basis of their belief and righteous conduct, as indicated by the verse (2: 62) which says:

Those who believe (in the Qur'an) And those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), And the Christians and the Sabians, Any who believe in God And the Last Day, And work righteousness, Shall have their reward With the Lord: on them Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2: 62)

The Qur'an recognizes the right to religious freedom not only in the case of other believers in God, but also in the case of not-believers in God (if they are not aggressing upon Muslims):

## And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus we have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return and He will inform them about what they used to do. (6:108).

In the context of the human right to exercise religious freedom, it is important to mention that the Qur'anic dictum, "Let there be no compulsion in religion" (2: 256) applies not only to non- Muslims but also to Muslims. While those who renounced Islam after professing it and then engaged in "acts of war" against Muslims were to be treated as enemies and aggressors, the Qur'an does not prescribe any punishment for non-profession or renunciation of faith. The decision regarding a person's ultimate destiny in the hereafter rests with God.

The right to freedom includes the right to be free to tell the truth. The Qur'anic term for truth is "Haqq" which is also one of God's most important attributes. Standing up for the truth is a right and a responsibility which a Muslim may not disclaim even in the face of the greatest danger or difficulty. While the Qur'an commands believers to testify to the truth, it also instructs society not to harm persons so testifying.

As God says in a verse,

## O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted. (4: 135)

E. Right to Acquire Knowledge

The Qur'an puts the highest emphasis on the importance of acquiring knowledge. That knowledge has been at the core of the Islamic world-view from the very beginning is attested to by the following verse: (96:1-5), which Muslims believe to the first revelation received by the Prophet Muhammad.

## Recite in the name of your Lord who created -Created man from a clinging substance. Recite and your Lord is the most Generous -Who taught by the pen -Taught man that which he knew not. (96:1-5)

##

Asking rhetorically if those without knowledge can be equal to those with knowledge, Verses on the subject read:

##.... Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding. (39: 9)

The Qur'an exhorts believers to pray for advancement in knowledge as the following verse:

##...and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." (20: 114)

The famous prayer of the Prophet Muhammad was "Allah grants me Knowledge of the ultimate nature of things" and one of the best known of all traditions ("ahadith") is "Seek knowledge even though it be in China."

According to Qur'anic perspective, knowledge is a prerequisite for the creation of a just world in which authentic peace can prevail. The Qur'an emphasizes the importance of the pursuit of learning even at the time, and in the midst, of war:

## And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious. (9:122)

F. Right to Sustenance

## As pointed out by the verse (11:6):

## And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register. (11:6)

Every living creature depends for its sustenance upon God. A cardinal concept in the Qur'an - which underlies the socio-economic-political system of Islam - is that the ownership of everything belongs, not to any person, but to God. Since God is the universal creator, every creature has the right to partake of what belongs to God, Verses on the subject read:

## It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection. (67:15)

## And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful. (6:165)

This means that every human being has the right to a means of living and that those who hold economic or political power do not have the right to deprive others of the basic necessities of life by misappropriating or misusing resources which have been created by God for the benefit of humanity in general.

G. Right to Work

According to Qur'anic teaching every man and woman has the right to work, whether the work consists of gainful employment or voluntary service. The fruits of labor belong to the one who has worked for them - regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. Qur'an states:

...to men is allotted what they earn, And to women what they earn (4: 32)

H. Right to Privacy

The Qur'an recognizes the need for privacy as a human right and lays down rules for protecting an individual's life in the home from undue intrusion from within or without. Of this, God says the following:

## O you, who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants. That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded. And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you, "Go back," then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is knowing of what you do. (24:27-28)

I. Right to Protection from Slander, Backbiting, and Ridicule

The Qur'an recognizes the right of human beings to be protected from defamation, sarcasm, offensive nicknames, and backbiting, God addresses believers as follows: O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (49: 11-12)

It also states that no person is to be maligned on grounds of assumed guilt and that those who engage in malicious scandal-mongering will be grievously punished in both this world and the next. Verses on the subject read:

## And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are you, [O Allah]; this is a great slander"? And Allah makes clear to you the verses, and Allah is Knowing and Wise. Indeed, those who like that immorality should be spread [or publicized] among those who have believed will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows and you do not know. (24: 16-19)

J. Right to Develop One's Aesthetic Sensibilities and Enjoy the Bounties Created by God

As pointed out Muhammad Asad, "By declaring that all good and beautiful things to the believers, the Qu'ran condemns, by implication, all forms of life-denying asceticism, world- renunciation and self-mortification. In fact, it can be stated that the right to develop one's aesthetic sensibilities so that one can appreciate beauty in all its forms, and the right to enjoy what God has provided for the nurture of humankind, are rooted in the life-affirming vision of the Qur'an.

## Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do we detail the verses for a people who know. (7: 32)

K. Right to Leave One's Homeland under Oppressive Conditions

According to Qur'anic teaching, a Muslim's ultimate loyalty must be to God and not to any territory. To fulfill his Prophetic mission, the Prophet Muhammad decided to leave his place of birth, Mecca, and immigrated to Medina. This event ("Hijrah") has great historical and spiritual significance for Muslims who are called upon to move away from their place of origin of it becomes an abode of evil and oppression where they cannot fulfill their obligations to God or establish justice This fact is related in the following verse:

## Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." The angels will say, "Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination. Except for the oppressed among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan nor are they directed to a way – (4: 97-98).

## And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him - his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever forgiving and Merciful. – (4: 100).

L. Right to "The Good Life"

The Qur'an upholds the right of the human being only to life but to "the good life ". This good life, made up of many elements, becomes possible when a human being is living in a just environment. According to Qur'anic teaching, justice is a prerequisite for peace, and peace is a prerequisite for human development. In a just society, all the earlier-mentioned human rights may be exercised without difficulty. In such a society other basic rights such as the right to a secure place of residence, the right to the protection of one's personal possessions, the right to protection of one's covenants, the right to move freely, the right to social and judicial autonomy for minorities, the right to the protection of one's holy places and the right to return to one's spiritual center, also exist A few of the many verses on this matter in the Qur'an read: O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. (2:172)

## Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (3:14)

## It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection. (67:15)
CHAPTER VII

HOW ISLAM CONFIRMS WOMEN RIGHTS

Sir Hamilton, the well-known English thinker and philosopher, stated in his book on Islam and Arab Civilization:

"The rules, regulations and verdicts concerning women in Islam are clear, frank and open. Islam capitalizes on the complete care that should be given to the protection of a woman against anything that may harm her personally, or cause ill-fame to her reputation or character."

Gustave Le Bon, the well-known French thinker stated in his book "The Arab Civilization":

"Islamic virtuous deeds are not limited to honoring and respecting women, but rather, we can add that Islam is the first religion to honor and respect women. We can easily prove this by illustrating that all religions and nations, prior to the advent of Islam, caused much harm and insult to women."
The issue of women in Islam is topic of great misunderstanding and distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the teachings of Islam. We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that is that standard according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such, our basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah, and the sayings of the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation.

## The Relationship between Women's Natural Structure and Her Rights

Here, as we enter the main subject itself, we shall discuss the question of women's rights from the Islamic point of view, setting aside all fanaticism and keeping ourselves aloof from the pressures of the environment and the uproar of the supporters of `civilization'. Let us first of all briefly consider men and women from the point of view of physical structure, biological and psychological make up and see whether or not these two creatures have any difference from these points of view. If they have, do these differences demand that each of them should have a particular limitation or special rights? Also, whether or not these legal differences in such special circumstances are incompatible or inconsistent with the human personality and social status of either of them?

The world is full of different objects and phenomena, each having its own peculiarities as different from the others. Each has its own limitations and special features that bring elegance and grace to them. There is variety amongst animals, the fauna and flora, and similarly between individuals of the same species.

Similarly, human beings are different and have particular characteristics. Whereas differences between species are deep, the differences amongst individuals are superficial. However two persons are not the same in all respects, so much so that even the fingerprints of two persons are sufficient to distinguish one from another, leave alone other aspects. One notices differences amongst people in their thoughts, capabilities, sentiments, mental and physical abilities, the intensity of instincts, outward appearance, height and weight and other internal and external factors.

The effect of these superficial differences is witnessed in the status and ranks these individuals obtain in society. Each according to his capabilities and circumstances shares the burden of the society: It is this variety that fulfils all the requirements of the society and perpetuates the movement of life.

In regard to men and women, there are some deeper observable differences that make the two sexes separate from each other and call for special duties and status for each of them. As far as the physiological structure is concerned, the male is on an average endowed with stronger nerves, physical structure, greater weight, height, and brain quantity. This by itself indicates that he is made for hard and difficult jobs.'

The part of the brain that is related to emotions is more in a female, whereas the portion of the brain dealing with thought and deliberation is greater in a male. As against this one notes that a female's body is equipped with organs to carry a child and feed it with her milk. This is a special feature bestowed upon her, indicating that a child's training is her obligation.

Training a child needs strength and richness of feelings so that the child's growing and ever changing demands are catered to. Undoubtedly, women, with her special physical features meant to bring up children, have also been equipped by nature with the required emotions and strong feelings of love and affection for the child. This maintains the discipline and order in human life.

The very fact that the woman is endowed with great affection and tender sentiments as compared with a man goes to prove her special responsibilities towards human society and there is no need for any elaborate argument in this respect

Equality of Men and Woman in Islam, and their complementary nature to one another

In one sense, equality between men and women is possible and reasonable because they are both human, with similar souls, brains, hearts, lungs, limbs, etc. In another sense, equality between men and women is impossible and an absurdity due to their natural differences in physical, mental, emotional and psychological qualities, inclinations and abilities. Between these two we must tread to illuminate how they are equal, and how they are complimentary.

If total equality between all members of the same gender is impossible due to natural differences in strengths and other qualities, regardless of whether the gender is masculine or feminine, then it is definitely impossible between the two genders. Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says in the Glorious Qur'an:

(And of everything we have created pairs, that you may remember (the Grace of Allah).) [51:49]

Even atoms exhibit this dual quality with inter-related and complementary roles played by the positive and negative particles and ions, yet each is an integral part of the whole system of the so called binary basis of all life. Most living beings have male and female sexes for reproduction. As the science of biology teaches us, all mammals have similar traits in their molecular and glandular structures that determine differences in gender. These basic physical, psychological and sexual traits have their definite effects on other spheres of life.

It is natural for a man to need and find fulfillment with a woman and for a woman with a man, since they are created one from the other and for one another. They both are inseparably bound to each other. Neither can they find fulfillment except when in the company of the other as legal and honorable mate and spouse, as Allah says in His Majestic Book, the Qur'an, mentioned in the two verses cited in the preface:

(O Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the Sight of Allah is the believer who has Taqwa (piety and righteousness). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.) [49:13]

Both the male and the female are equal in terms of their humanity. Islam does not categorize women, for instance, as the source of evil in the world for some "original sin" that caused Adam to be dismissed from Paradise, or to be the cause of evil in the world by setting loose a Pandora's Box of vices, as some other religious doctrines and fables teach.

Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, states in the Glorious Qur'an:

(O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women...) [4:1]

Allah also states in the Glorious Qur'an:

(Does man think that he will be left neglected without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him? Was he not a mixed male and female discharge of semen pouring forth? Then he became a clot; then (Allah) shaped and fashioned (him) in due proportion, and made him into two sexes, male and female. Is He not able to raise to life those who are dead?) [75:36-40]

Allah illustrated in the verses that He created both sexes from one single source. There is no difference between the two sexes in terms of qualifications in humanity, and each complements the other as the two genders of the species. Islam has abolished and abrogated all the previous unjust laws that demoted women as inferior in quality and nature. The Prophet of Allah () said:

"Verily, women are the twin halves of men."

Both males and females have similar rewards for obedience and penalties for disobedience in this world and the Hereafter. As stated by Allah in the Glorious Qur'an:

(Whoever does righteous acts, whether male or female, while he is a believer, verily, to him We will give a good life, and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do.) [16:97]

And the Lord Most Majestic says:

( _Surely for men who submit to Allah and for women who submit to Allah, for believing men and for 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 fasting men and fasting women, for men who guard their chastity and women who guard their chastity, for men who remember Allah much and for women who remember Allah much, for all of them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a mighty reward_.) [33:35]

Moreover, Women have the same moral obligations and are entitled to the same general rights as men in guarding chastity, integrity and personal honor and respect, etc. No double standards are allowed. For instance, those who falsely accuse a chaste woman of adultery or fornication are publicly punished, just as if a man is slandered. Allah, the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur'an:

(And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty lashes, and reject their testimony forever. Indeed, they are those who are disobedient to Allah.) [24:4]

Islam entitles women to the same rights as men in terms of education and cultivation. The Prophet said, as reported and authenticated by the scholars of prophetic traditions:

"Seeking knowledge is compulsory for each and every Muslim (i.e. both male and female)."

In addition, Muslim scholars collectively agreed that the word "Muslim" when used in revealed scriptures includes both male and female, as we indicated in parenthesis. Thus, Islam entitles women to the same right of education in order to understand the religious and social obligations, and obligated them both to raise their children in the best manner, in accordance with the right Islamic guidance. Of course women have certain obligations in bringing up their children that are commensurate to their abilities and men have complementary obligations to finance, protect and maintain according to their added responsibilities in the family unit.

The Prophet () said:

"Whoever takes care of two girls until they reach puberty, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this." The Messenger of Allah () then joined his fingers to illustrate this. [Muslim #2631]

About female slave girls, the Prophet () said:

"Whoever has a female child with him (under his guardianship from slavery), and trains her in the best behavior, and teaches her well, and then frees and marries her, will have a double reward."

Men and women have similar obligations and responsibilities to reform and correct the society to the best of their capability. Men and women shoulder the responsibility of enjoining good and forbidding evil equally, as Allah, the Exalted, states in the Qur'an:

(The believers, men and women, are helpers, supporters, friends and protectors of one another, they enjoin all that is good, and forbid all that is evil, they offer their prayers perfectly, and give Zakah (Obligatory Charity) and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will bestow Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) [9:71]

Women right throughout her life

Islam deals with women in a comprehensive way in the context of her relationship with Allah, her Creator and Lord, with herself as a part of humanity, and with man, her partner and natural spouse in the family. During the presentation below, keep in mind the rights that other societies grant them in comparison to the rights to which Islam has entitled women. It is noteworthy that Islamic teachings are attentive to the needs and rights of the weaker gender throughout her life: as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and as a member of the Islamic society.

As a child and an adolescent:

Despite the social acceptance of female infanticide among some Arabian tribes, the Qur'an forbade this custom, and considered it a crime like any other murder.

"And when the female (infant) buried alive - is questioned, for what crime she was killed." (Qur'an 81:8-9).

Criticizing the attitudes of such parents who reject their female children, the Qur'an states:

When news is brought to one of them, of (the Birth of) a female (child), his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on (sufferance) and contempt, or bury her in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on? (Qur'an16: 58-59).

Far from saving the girl's life so that she may later suffer injustice and inequality, Islam requires kind and just treatment for her. Among the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (P.) in this regard are the following:

Whosoever has a daughter and he does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, God will enter him into Paradise. (Ibn Hanbal, No.1957).

Whosoever supports two daughters till they mature, he and I will come in the Day of Judgment as this (and he pointed with his two fingers held together).

A similar Hadeeth deals in like manner with one who supports two sisters.(Ibn-Hanbal, No. 104).

The right of females to seek knowledge is not different from that of males.

Prophet Muhammad (P.) said:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim". (AlBayhaqi).

Muslim as used here including both males and females.

As a wife:

The Qur'an clearly indicates that marriage is sharing between the two halves of the society, and that its objectives, besides perpetuating human life, are emotional well-being and spiritual harmony. Its bases are love and mercy.

Among the most impressive verses in the Qur'an about marriage is the following.

"And among His signs is this: That He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." (Qur'an 30:21).

According to Islamic Law, women cannot be forced to marry anyone without their consent.

Ibn Abbas reported that a girl came to the Messenger of God, Muhammad (P.), and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent. The Messenger of God gave her the choice . . . (between accepting the marriage or invalidating it). (Ibn Hanbal No. 2469).

In another version, the girl said: "Actually I accept this marriage but I wanted to let women know that parents have no right (to force a husband on them)" (Ibn Maja, No. 1873).

Besides all other provisions for her protection at the time of marriage, it was specifically decreed that woman has the full right to her Mahr, a marriage gift, which is presented to her by her husband and is included in the nuptial contract, and that such ownership does not transfer to

her father or husband. The concept of Mahr in Islam is neither an actual nor symbolic price for the woman, as was the case in certain cultures, but rather it is a gift symbolizing love and affection.

The rules for married life in Islam are clear and in harmony with upright human nature. In consideration of the physiological and psychological make-up of man and woman, both have equal rights and claims on one another, except for one responsibility, that of leadership.

This is a matter nature of Islamic duties in applying equally to males and females unless special exemptions are specified. Which is natural in any collective life and which is consistent with the nature of man?

The Qur'an thus states:"And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, and men are a degree above them." (Qur'an 2:228).

Such degree is Quiwama (maintenance and protection). This refers to that natural difference between the sexes which entitles the weaker sex to protection. It implies no superiority or advantage before the law. Yet, man's role of leadership in relation to his family does not mean the husband's dictatorship over his wife. Islam emphasizes the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions. The Qur'an gives us an example:

"...If they (husband wife) desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, there is no blame on them..." (Qur'an 2:233).

Over and above her basic rights as a wife come the right which is emphasized by the Qur'an and is strongly recommended by the Prophet (P); kind treatment and companionship.

The Qur'an states:

"...But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein God has placed much good."(Qur'an 4: l9).

Prophet Muhammad. (P) Said:

The best of you is the best to his family and I am the best among you to my family.

The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and best of you are those who are best to their wives. (Ibn-Hanbal, No. 7396)

As the woman's right to decide about her marriage is recognized, so also her right to seek an end for an unsuccessful marriage is recognized. To provide for the stability of the family, however, and in order to protect it from hasty decisions under temporary emotional stress, certain steps and waiting periods should be observed by men and women seeking divorce.

Considering the relatively more emotional nature of women, a good reason for asking for divorce should be brought before the judge.

Like the man, however, the woman can divorce her husband without resorting to the court, if the nuptial contract allows that. When the continuation of the marriage relationship is impossible for any reason, men are still taught to seek a gracious end for it.

The Qur'an states about such cases:

When you divorce women and they reach their prescribed term, then retain them in kindness and retain them not for injury so that you transgress (the limits). (Qur'an 2:231). (See also Qur'an 2:229 and 33:49).

Finally, we say that Islam honors women as wives. Islam urges the husband to treat his wife in a good and kind manner, and says that the wife has rights over the husband like his rights over her, except that he has a degree over her, because of his responsibility of spending and taking care of the family's affairs. Islam states that the best of the Muslim men is the one who treats his wife in the best manner, and the man is forbidden to take his wife's money without her approval. Allah says: **"and live with them honorably" [4:19]**

**"And they (women) have rights (over their husbands) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise" [2:228]**

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: **"I urge you to treat women well." [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 331; Muslim, 1468]**

As a mother:

Islam considered kindness to parents next to the worship of God.

"And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to his parents: His mother bears him in Weakness upon weakness..." (Qur'an 31:14) (See also Qur'an 46:15, 29:8).

Mothers are given priority over fathers in terms of special kindness, care, duty, help, and obedience. Both parents, in accordance with Islamic teachings and principles, are to be obeyed, respected and not differed with as long as they do not command or order their children to disobey their Creator. If they order their children to perform an act of disobedience to Allah then they are to be disobeyed in that particular matter only and a son or daughter must continue to fulfill their normal duties towards parents in other matters. They are expected to serve them, help them in their worldly affairs, and come to their rescue when they need them. Allah, the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur'an:

(And if parents strive with you to make you join in worship with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not, but behave with them in the worldly (affairs) kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and obedience. Then to me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you did throughout your life.) [31:15]

Parents must be respected, obeyed and offered financial assistance by their children, even if they have a different religion or faith, other than Islam, as long as they do not demand that their son or daughter do any act of disobedience to Allah. Asma bint Abu-Bakr said:

My mother, who was still a pagan, came to visit. I went to the Messenger of Allah () seeking his verdict. I said, "She has come to visit and she is interested in Islam, should I maintain my relationship with her?"

The Messenger of Allah () said: "Yes, indeed, stay connected to your mother." [Bukhari #2477 & Muslim#1003]

Moreover, the Qur'an has a special recommendation for the good treatment of mothers:

"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none save Him, and that you be kind to your parents. . ." (Qur'an 17:23).

A man came to Prophet Muhammad (P) asking:

O Messenger of God, who among the people is the most worthy of my good company,? The Prophet (P) said, your mother.

The man said then who else: The Prophet (P) said, your mother, the man asked, Then who else? Only then did the Prophet (P) say, your father.

A famous saying of The Prophet is "Paradise is at the feet of mothers."

Islam teaches that seeking the pleasure of the parents, and being good, kind, helpful, considerate to them, respecting and caring for them throughout their life, is a major way to expiate and remove the burden of our sins in this world. Abdullah Ibn Umar () said:

"A man came to Allah's Prophet () and said: 'O Prophet! I have committed a major sin. Do you think that I can atone for it?'

He asked: "Do you have a mother living?"

The man answered in the negative.

The Prophet () asked the man: "Do you have a maternal aunt living?"

The man answered in the positive. Allah's Prophet () said to him: "Be good and kind to her."

This tradition indicates her right since the maternal aunt, in Islamic jurisprudence, has a similar status in some respects as of the mother, since the Prophet of Allah () said:

"The sister of the mother has a status similar to the mother." [Bukhari #2552]

These broad guidelines show the major rights of parents in general, and mothers in particular, and illustrate that mothers remain uniquely respected in Islamic teachings.
CHAPTER VIII

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

And in no way did we send (even) before you, except men to whom we revealed. "So ask the population of the Remembrance, in case you do not know".

Holy Qur'an
Does Jihad mean fighting who rejects Islam?

This concept of Jihad contradicts the correct meaning of the word in Arabic: jaahad, (resisted) yujaahid (resist). As we all know resistance is usually is a continuous reaction triggered by a preceding action. It does not mean to initiate attack.

In fact this concept of Jihad is rejected by common sense. Therefore, it was natural for Muslims (scholars, common people and officials), to protest the accusation that Islam was spread by sword i.e. initiating war against those who reject Islam, regardless of their way of rejection.

Furthermore, in Islam, fighting those who reject invitation to our faith, contradicts Divine and cultural and international laws.

For example, this understanding of jihad contradicts numerous plain verses in the Holy Quraan such as {There is no compulsion in religion, the truth stands out clear from error.}(2) It also contradicts countless verses confirming that the duty of the Prophet is only to convey the message. Among these are: {But if they are averse we have not sent you as a guard for them. Yours is only to convey the message}, and {But if you deny, [people of Mecca] then nations have denied before you. The Messenger is only to convey the (message) plainly} and {If your Lord willed, all who are in the earth would have believed together}.(2)

What Does Islam Say about the Day of Judgment?

Like Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. This life is a test for each individual for the life after death. A day will come when

the whole universe will be destroyed and the dead will be resur-rected for judgment by God. This day will be the beginning of a life that will never end. This day is the Day of Judgment. On that

day, all people will be rewarded by God according to their beliefs and deeds. Those who die while believing that "There is no true god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) ofGod"and are Muslim will be rewarded on that day and will be admitted to Paradise forever, as God has said:

(And those who believe and do good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell therein forever.)(Qur'an, 2:82)

But those who die while not believing that

"There is no true god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of

God" or are not Muslim will lose Paradise forever and will be sent

to Hellfire, as God has said:

(And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter.)(Qur'an, 3:85)

And as He has said:

(Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if it were offered as a ransom. They will have a painful

Punishment and they will have no helpers.)(Qur'an, 3:91)

One may ask, 'I think Islam is a good religion, but if I were to convert to Islam, my family, friends, and other people would persecute me and make fun of me. So if I don't convert to Islam,

will I enter Paradise and be saved from Hellfire?'

The answer is what God has said in the preceding verse:

"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter."

After having sent the Prophet Muhammad to call people to Islam, God does not accept adherence to any religion other than Islam. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He created for us whatever is in the earth. All the blessings and good things we have are from Him. So after all this, when someone rejects belief in

God, His Prophet Muhammad, or His religion of Islam, it is just that he or she be punished in the Hereafter. Actually, the main purpose of our creation is to worship God alone and to obey Him, as God has said in the Holy Qur'an (51:56).

This life we live today is a very short life. The unbelievers on the Day of Judgment will think that the life they lived on earth was only a day or part of a day, as God has said:

(He (God) will say: "How many years didyou stay on the earth?" They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day....")(Qur'an,23:112-113)

And He has said:

(Did you then think that we had created you in jest (without any purpose), and that you would not be returned to us (in the Hereafter)? So, God is exalted, the True King. None has the right to be worshipped but Him...)(Qur'an, 23:115-116)

The life in the Hereafter is a real life. It is not only spiritual, but physical as well. We will live there with our souls and bodies.

In comparing this world with the Hereafter, Muhammad said:

{ The value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like what your finger brings from the sea when you put it in and then take it out. }

That is, the value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like a few drops of water compared to the sea.

What Do Muslims Believe about Jesus?

Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him). They consider him one of the greatest of God's messengers to mankind.

The Qur'an confirms his virgin birth, and a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled 'Maryam' (Mary). The Qur'an describes the birth of Jesus as follows:

((Remember) when the angels said: "O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the right-eous." She said: "My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?" He said: "So (it will be). God creates what He wills. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, 'Be!' and it is.")(Qur'an, 3:45-47)

Jesus was born miraculously by the command of God which had brought Adam into being without a father. God has said:

(The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then

He said to him, "Be!" and he came into being.)(Qur'an, 3:59)

During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles.

God tells us that Jesus said:

("I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. And I bring the dead to life by God's permission. And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses....")(Qur'an, 3:49)

Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus' enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus' enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus. God has said:

(...They said: "We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God." They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)...)(Qur'an, 4:157)

Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God, brought by earlier prophets but rather to confirm and renew it.

Why is alcohol prohibited?

In Islam all things which are harmful or whose harm exceeds Ilu-ir benefit are unlawful. This includes every substance that affects the mind, damages it or decreases its abilities.

Therefore, alcohol would be deemed unlawful even if it were not clearly prohibited in the Qur'an and prophetic traditions. For anything that causes harm in any way is considered unlawful. [Some people claim that they can exercise self-control and never get intoxicated.

But investigations reveal that every alcoholic began as a social drinker. No one initially starts drinking with the intention of becoming an addict. It just happens along the way]

There are a number of medical reasons for the prohibition of alcohol consumption. Alcohol has been the scourge of human society since time immemorial. It continues to take countless human lives and cause misery to millions throughout the world. And it affects the mind, diminishing the individual's menial powers and making him accustomed to running away from his problems. It affects his finances as well, due to the expenditure that his generally expensive habit forces upon him. There is no need to go into detail about all the ill effects of alcohol since most of them are commonly known.

Because alcohol incapacitates the inhibitory centre in the brain, an inebriated person is often found to be indulging in behaviour that is completely uncharacteristic - using abusive language, becoming aggressive and violent, or committing shameful acts. Statistics showing a rising number of deaths, soaring crime rates, increasing instances of mental illness, and millions of broken homes throughout the world bear witness to the destructive effect of drinking alcohol.

The harm that results from alcohol is not limited only to the one who drinks; it is also damaging to others. The diseases caused by alcohol weaken society as a whole. Productivity is decreased due to its effects, and crimes result from addiction. According to a World Health Organization report on violent crimes in 30 countries, 86% of murders and 50% of rapes are carried out under the influence of alcohol. There are similar statistics in most countries around the world.

Additionally, public health officials have estimated that half of the road accidents resulting in deaths and permanent disabilities are caused by people under the influence of alcohol.

Islam agrees that prevention is the best treatment. However, Muslims do not abstain from drugs and intoxicants due to its detrimental effects, but rather, because God has prohibited them. So abstention is a form of worship and obedience for which they are rewarded by God in the Hereafter, as well as protecting them from harm in the present life.

Why is pork prohibited?

Again, obedience to God in this matter is the primary motivation, while prohibition is based on the principle of avoiding harm. In the Qur'an as well as the Bible, pig flesh has been forbidden and declared unclean. Regarding the physical harm caused by eating it, modern medicine has confirmed a number of facts, such as the following:

Pork is a kind of meat that contains much cholesterol, which is known to increase the likelihood of blocked arteries.

The pig's meat and fat have been found to contribute to the spread of cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate and blood. Bating it has been connected to scabies, allergies, stomach ulcers and lung infections.

1. Eating pig flesh has been connected to no less than fifty other diseases. Among them are the infections caused by roundworms, pinworms, hookworms and tapeworms, whose eggs, when present in the meat, are ingested by humans, enter their blood stream, and can reach and damage almost all organs of the body.

2. A common misconception is that if pork is cooked well, the worm eggs are destroyed. But in a research project undertaken in America, it was found that the ova present in pork do not die under normal cooking temperatures. [In particular, the trichinosis worm is not destroyed by cooking. Its growth in the body can cause infection of the cerebral membrane and brain, the heart muscle, the lungs, kidneys or nerves]

3. It is also known that some diseases such as rheumatism and joint pain are unique to humans and pigs, and are not shared by any other animals.

Muslims accept whatever legislation has been issued by God out of conviction and complete trust in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lawmaker.

What is halal?

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. While the term is used in relation to many aspects of life, when specifically used in relationship to food, halal refers to any food product that is not prohibited. In reference to meat products, halal means that the animal was slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, which include reciting God's name over the animal before slaughter and draining all the blood from the animal. This practice is similar to the guidelines set by Jewish law that classify meat prepared in this manner as kosher, except that Jewish practice does not include the invocation of God's name. It is common to find halal butcher shops or restaurants in most major cities in the U.S.

Why do Muslims slaughter the animal in a ruthless manner by torturing it and slowly and painfully killing it?

The Islamic method of slaughtering animals, known as Zabiha has been the object of much criticism from a large number of people.

One may consider the following points, which prove that the Zabiha method is

not only humane but also scientifically the best:

1. Islamic method of slaughtering animal

Zakkaytum is a verb derived from the root word Zakah (to purify). Its infinitive is Tazkiyah which means purification. The Islamic mode of slaughtering an animal requires the following conditions to be met:

  1. Animal should be slaughtered with sharp object (knife)

The animal has to be slaughtered with a sharp object (knife) and in a fast way so that the pain of slaughter is minimized.

  2. Cut wind pipe, throat and vessels of neck

Zabiha is an Arabic word which means 'slaughtered'. The 'slaughtering' is to be done by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck causing the animal's death without cutting the spinal cord.

  3. Blood should be drained

The blood has to be drained completely before the head is removed. The purpose is to drain out most of the blood which would serve as a good culture medium for micro organisms. The spinal cord must not be cut because the nerve fibers to the heart could be damaged during the process causing cardiac arrest, stagnating the blood in the blood vessels.

2. Blood is a good medium for germs and bacteria

Blood is a good media of germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. Therefore the Muslim way of slaughtering is more hygienic as most of the blood containing germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. that are the cause of several diseases are eliminated.

3. Meat remains fresh for a longer time

Meat slaughtered by Islamic way remains fresh for a longer time due to deficiency of blood in the meat as compared to other methods of slaughtering.

4. Animal does not feel pain

The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the nerve of the brain responsible for pain. Thus the animal does not feel pain. While dying, the animal struggles, writhers, shakes and kicks, not due to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood and due to the flow of blood out of the body.

What factors contributed to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism?

The word "fundamentalism" was actually first used in reference to an American Protestant movement that arose in the early part of the 20th century in reaction to modernism. If we accept this term at face value, however, Islamic fundamentalism was to a great extent a reaction to the modernization and Westernization policies in many Muslim-populated countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries that viewed Islam as backwards, outdated, and a barrier to progress. In the name of modernity, governments in places like Turkey, Iran, and Egypt outlawed or discouraged Islamic schooling, dress, and traditions. In Turkey, the Arabic alphabet was replaced with the Latin alphabet, in the belief that the only way to modernize was to adopt Western culture and tradition. Traditional values and practices were replaced with Western modes of dress, culture, economics, and even language, often without the accompanying benefits of such Western values as democracy and civil liberties.

In response to these trends, some 20th-century Muslim groups espoused a return to the original practices of Islam as they understood them to have been practiced during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and his immediate successors. The movement generally ignored the traditions and ideological developments, including that of the four schools of Islamic thought, over the previous thirteen centuries. As a result, they promoted an often narrow, unrealistic, and sometimes puritanical vision of Islam. This movement has often taken on political overtones or issued calls for an "Islamic state" (see question 68 above) and sometimes, but not always, involves a strict or literal interpretation of Islam, or extreme positions, as is often the case with reactionary or "restorationist" movements.

If Islam is considered to be a religion of peace, why is there so much conflict among Muslims?

This question makes two assumptions: first, that there is more conflict among Muslims than among followers of other religions, and, second, that conflicts involving Muslims result primarily from their religion.

The first assumption is a false perception. Of the 50 Muslim-majority countries, the vast majority are at peace. Furthermore, many countries with non-Muslim majorities are involved in conflict. The United States, for instance, a Christian-majority country, is the world's largest arms exporter and is involved currently in several armed conflicts. The two largest world wars in history were fought mostly between Christian-majority countries (i.e., World Wars I and II).

The second assumption is likewise misleading. While religion is sometimes invoked by parties to support a war, religion is at most one factor among many in producing conflict, and usually not the most important one. Ethnic, economic, and political issues are generally the underlying causes behind most conflicts, including those involving Muslims.

Why is there so much conflict between Arabs/Muslims and Jews?

Which Arabs and Muslims and which Jews are you referring to? Throughout the world where Arabs, Muslims and Jews are living as minorities in Christian populated countries, they tend to be allies on shared interests and concerns such as the promotion of religious literacy and the fight against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Muslims and Jews are also often allied on questions of social justice.

Where Jews live today as minorities in Muslim majority countries, such as Iran, the views are mixed. Some say they live in harmony with their Muslim compatriots, and others say that Jews are discriminated against.

And historically, Jews and Muslims generally lived in harmony in many Muslim-populated countries, such as Morocco, Iraq, and Egypt (and, at least until the mass migration of Jews to Palestine in the early 1900s, in Palestine itself). Jews refer to Muslim rule in Spain in their history books as a period of renaissance for Jewish life. During the Spanish Inquisition, when both Muslims and Jews in Spain were forced to convert or leave, many Jews fled to Muslim countries where they lived for centuries in security and prosperity. These Muslim countries, with rare and short-lived exceptions, never propagated the anti-Jewish sentiment that resulted in pogroms and other forms of persecution known in Europe.

If the question is about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, then this is a recent conflict which began with the twentieth-century mass settlement of Jews in Palestine, and the subsequent creation of the state of Israel. In the eyes of most Muslims, this is less about religion than about the displacement and dispossession of many Palestinians, both Muslim and Christian, as the state of Israel was formed, which is why Christian Palestinians such as Hanan Ashrawi have been active about this issue.

It must be understood, however, that most Jews have a different view of Israel's birth; the different narratives accepted by both sides are part of the challenge of bringing peace to the area.

How do extremists justify their actions using the Qur'an?

While one cannot speak for their motivations or methodology, Muslim extremists use the Qur'an the same way that Christian extremists such as the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nations or Jewish extremists such as Meir Kahane and Baruch Goldstein in Israel use the Bible: by taking phrases out of context and developing interpretations that serve their agenda.

They also ignore principles of the interpretation of texts followed by legitimate scholars of religion, above all the principle that a text must be understood with reference to the time, place, and situation in which it was given. The Qur'an, like other seminal religious texts, has a dual nature: one that is specific (particular or transitional) to the occasion, time, and place, and another that is universal and permanent, dealing with principles that apply for all times and places. The specific cannot be made to apply universally, while the universal always informs the specific. Ignoring this principle leads to arbitrary interpretations tailored to fit political agendas.

Does Islam support individual rights?

It depends on whom you are talking to and what rights you're talking about. Muslims differ on this as they do on other questions, and are in more agreement about some rights than others, such as the right to life, or freedom from persecution and oppression.

There is precedent for such affirmation of individual rights in Islamic tradition. The principle of individual rights was established in one of Islam's earliest documents, the Medina Constitution, which was drafted by the Prophet Muhammad when he migrated with his followers to Medina. The agreement laid out certain rights and responsibilities between the Muslims and the major tribes in Medina and guaranteed the security and religious freedom of the diverse religious and tribal groups who made up the new community. In the context of its time, it embodied a remarkably strong affirmation of human rights.

Some rights s such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion which some Muslims view as fundamental Islamic principles, have been challenged in recent times by other Muslims or groups who see limits to these rights. The question of how to deal with material that offends religious sensibilities is a particularly contentious issue, not only for Muslims but for many others also.

A Pew poll taken in 2013 showed a substantial majority of Muslims worldwide in favor of democracy and of freedom of religion. While the poll did not ask questions specifically about freedom of expression, it is likely, in view of their answers to the aforementioned questions, that a substantial majority would favor these rights as well.

There is, nonetheless, a minority among Muslims that does not embrace, or does not embrace fully, the affirmation of individual rights that we consider basic to Islam.

Is Islam opposed to modernity?

This depends on both what is meant by "modernity" and the varied interpretations by Muslims on this subject. If by modernity one means science, the scientific method and technological advances, then we know that scientific exploration and technological innovation flourished in the Islamic cultures of the Middle Ages, commonly known as the Golden Age of Islam. And today, millions of Muslims are involved, often in leading positions, in the fields of science, mathematics, medicine, engineering and other scientific fields.

If by modernity one means democracy and individual rights such as freedom of thought, expression religion, and conscience, then Muslim attitudes vary.

While some Muslims view these rights as secondary to religious principles conveyed by Islam, others, including, as we explain in the introduction to these questions, consider these rights to be fundamental principles of Islam; a Pew poll of Muslims worldwide taken in 2013 showed substantial majorities in favor of democracy and religious freedom. Some Muslims cite the tradition of ijtihad (independent thinking) as an essential aspect of Islamic scholarly tradition that fosters reform, reinterpretation, and the exploration and advocacy of new ideas.

However many Muslims, like members of other religious groups, are concerned about the devastating effects that modernity and its accompanying technological advances, when influenced only by factors relating to economic profit and short-term gain, have had upon our environment and the world.

How does Islam view science?

There are numerous verses in the Qur'an that reference scientific phenomena, including discussions of astronomy, geography, biology, and other aspects of nature and the universe. The Qur'an includes, for instance, a detailed description of the different stages that the embryo goes through in the womb, as well as descriptions of the creation of the earth and of the interaction between fresh and salt water.

These repeated Qur'anic references to nature and injunctions to seek knowledge helped create a fruitful environment for science in Islamic history when during the "Golden Age of Islam" in the Middle Ages, Muslims were in the forefront of such fields as mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, and medicine. Unfortunately, the economic and political decline of the Muslim world in later centuries brought about a decline in scientific and technological endeavor until recent decades.

However, today, many American Muslims and Muslims worldwide work in science-based professions such as medicine, dentistry, and various fields of engineering, and many are leaders in their fields.

What does Islam say about democracy?

On this as on other questions, there is no monolithic Muslim position. Pew polls in 2011 and 2013 have shown that a substantial majority of Muslims worldwide favor democracy. And as we have witnessed during the 2011 Arab Spring and beyond, people throughout the Arab world in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria have risked their lives, and in some places are still risking them, in their struggle for freedom and democratic change in their countries.

Additionally the Islamic principle of shura, or "mutual consensus," is eminently compatible with democracy.

Are Muslims allowed to marry people of other faiths?

Today there is great diversity in both thinking and practice on this question.

Traditionally, Muslim men may marry women who are of the "People of the Book," generally defined as Christians and Jews. In this case, a Muslim husband must guarantee the right of his Christian or Jewish wife to worship God according to her religious beliefs.

The reverse, i.e., a Muslim woman marrying a man outside her religion, has traditionally not been allowed, on the grounds that her husband might not guarantee her the right to practice her religion, since he may not to have the same obligation to respect her religion that a Muslim has towards his Christian or Jewish wife. Therefore, for the protection of her freedom of religion, a Muslim woman has traditionally been required to marry a man who will give her the right to practice her faith—that is, a Muslim. This view is based on the patriarchal assumption that the man wields the dominant power in the household and has, therefore, been called into question by some contemporary Muslims, who also cite the absence of a specific text prohibiting such a marriage.

How are women treated in Muslim countries?

There are 50 Muslim-majority countries in the world. They differ widely on women's rights, depending on a variety of factors, including political development, social and economic circumstances, and cultural views and practices; even within a single country, there may be considerable differences because of region (urban or rural), education, and even family circumstances. Religion may or may not play a significant role in the rights women have.

So, for example, in many Muslim-majority countries women are involved at the highest levels of education, employment, and politics, with many female physicians, engineers, lawyers, and other professionals. Muslim women have been heads of state in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Kosovo, and Pakistan.

In other countries, women's freedoms are seriously inhibited due to oppressive patriarchal attitudes and practices.

Do Muslim women have to stay at home or can they work?

This depends on the family's culture and circumstances; it is not necessarily based on religion. According to the scholars we rely on, nothing in the Qur'an or hadith (prophetic saying) prohibits women from working. In fact, in most Muslim communities, Muslim women work outside the home. Increasing numbers of Muslim women throughout the world are employed in various high-level professions, including those that are male dominated, such as medicine and engineering. This is true even in countries known to have a conservative understanding of Islam, such as Saudi Arabia.

How do Muslims define modesty?

The Oxford Dictionary defines modesty as "behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency." What constitutes modesty is understood differently by Muslims in different cultures, and can include the type of dress as well as the level of interaction with the opposite gender. For some Muslims, modesty also includes humility towards God and other people.

What is hijab?

The Arabic word hijab literally means "curtain." When used to refer to dress, it either implies modest dress that includes a head scarf or refers only to a head scarf.

"Hijab" is often incorrectly used interchangeably with the terms burqa and niqab. "Hijab" is generally used to refer to a headscarf, "burqa" to a covering of the entire body including the face, while "niqab" refers to a face covering that conceals most of the face but exposes the eyes. Some Muslim women wear hijab while others do not and expressions of hijab vary greatly by culture, individual taste, and conviction.

Do Muslim women have to wear hijab (cover their hair)?

The answer to this question depends on whom you're talking to.

Some Muslim women accept an interpretation of the Qur'an established in the formative period of Islam that references Quranic verses and hadith (prophetic sayings) as obligating women to cover their hair and much of their body for the sake of modesty.

The wearing of hijab is, however, a matter of free choice by women in most of the Muslim world. Women who choose to wear it do so for a variety of reasons: as a sign of identity, as an act of devotion to their faith, or to indicate that they do not want to be judged by their physical characteristics.

Why do some Muslim women cover their faces?

Women in some Muslim cultures understand modesty to require covering their whole body including their faces and therefore when in public wear a burqa (which covers the body and face) or niqab (a covering for the face that leaves the eyes exposed)

What is the difference between the Nation of Islam and the religion of Islam?

The Nation of Islam is a nationalistic movement that began in the early 20th century, whereas Islam is a religion that was revealed in the 7th century. The original Nation of Islam was also a single, hierarchical organization. However, in 1975 Elijah Muhammad's son W.D. Muhammad disbanded the organization and moved his followers towards traditional Islam. The Nation of Islam was revived within a few years by various individuals, with the organization headed by Louis Farrakhan being the most prominent of these.

Today, followers of his organization number less than 100,000 people, far fewer than the number of African-Americans who follow Islam.

In ideology the Nation of Islam differs from the beliefs of the majority of Muslims in two major ways: the founder of the movement, W.D. Fard, is considered God incarnate, and Elijah Muhammad is considered a prophet. While there are other differences between the two, the Nation has adopted many Islamic traditions, such as women's dress, holidays, and some Islamic terms.

God's love for humanity is a central theme in many religions. Are there similar teachings in Islam?

We believe that God's love for humanity is indeed central to our faith. The Qur'an mentions God's compassion and mercy 192 times, as opposed to God's wrath, which is mentioned only 17 times. Two of God's main attributes are the "Compassionate" and the "Merciful." Both of these names denote God's love and care for all creation. These are the two most often mentioned names of God, since all but one of the 114 chapters in the Qur'an begin with "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful." The Qur'an cites 99 different names or attributes of God, many of which also emphasize these characteristics, including "the Loving," "the Giving," "the Forgiving," and "the Kind."

How do we know Islam is the truth?

  1. It is the only religion that holds Allah as One, Unique, and Perfect.

  2. It is the only religion that believes in the sole worship of Allah, not Jesus, not an idol, and not an 8 angel, only Allah.

  3. The Quran does not contain contradictions.

  4. The Quran contains scientific facts, which are 1300 years ahead of their time. The Quran, while revealed 1400 years ago contains scientific facts, which are only now being discovered. It is not in contradiction to science.

  5. Allah has challenged the world to produce the like of the Quran. And He says they won't be able to.

  6. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most influential man in history. In the book "The 100 most influential men in History", written by non Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (p) was #1. Prophet Jesus (p) was #3. It should be noted that even the Prophet Jesus (p) was a prophet sent by Allah.

Does Islam tolerate other beliefs?

The Qur'an says: Allah does not forbid you with regards to those who do not fight you for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for Allah loves those who are just. (Qur'an, 60:8)

There is no compulsion in religion. (2:214)

It is one of the functions of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non- Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths. For example, when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, he granted amnesty to all and sanctioned freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city. Another example is Muslims who ruled the Spain had such tolerance of other beliefs that the Golden Age of Jewish Civilization flourished under the Muslim rule. Not only that, Islamic law permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts thus allowing them the autonomy to be judged according to their family law.

Was Islam spread by the sword?

According to the Quran, "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), thus, no one can be forced to become a Muslim. While it is true that in many places where Muslim armies went to liberate people or the land, they did carry the sword as that was the weapon used at that time. However, Islam did not spread by the sword because in many places where 15 there are Muslims now, in the Far East like Indonesia, in China, and many parts of Africa, there are no records of any Muslim armies going there. To say that Islam was spread by the sword would be to say that Christianity was spread by guns, F-16's and atomic bombs, etc., which is not true. Christianity spread by the missionary works of Christians. Ten percent of all Arabs are Christians. The "Sword of Islam" could not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. In India, where Muslims ruled for 700 years, they are still a minority. In the U.S.A., Islam is the fastest growing religion and has 6 million followers without any sword around.

Can anyone become a Muslim?

Yes anyone can. There are two declarations, which are necessary: 1- To bear witness that no one deserves to be worshiped except Allah. 2- To bear witness that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. This makes a person Muslim. But it should be said in Arabic. Next a person takes a shower is recommendable. Then what? After a person becomes Muslim s/he is taught about prayers, fasting, and alms to the poor, and pilgrimage. These are the pillars of Islam. Then what? Muslims are brothers and sisters. A Muslim should love for his brother or sister what s/he loves for him/herself. Allah's wealth does not run out and Allah can provide for us all. We pray for each other, and love each other, and love for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves.

What is the Islamic Concept of Justice and Equality?

Islam differentiates between justice and equality, because it considers justice as an absolute concept, but equality could be relative or absolute. Only when it is relative can it be equivalent to

justice.

God created human beings and distinguished some of them with better natural gifts, such as intelligence, and better chances to acquire acquirable gifts, such as wealth or dedication or sincerity.

This distinction is to facilitate the complementary and competitive relations between different groups. In the light of the Divine system of accountability, this does not mean exclusion of justice.

For absolute equality is different from justice. In fact, sometimes it contradicts justice.

An example of this is the equality between the diligent and the lazy, the sincere and the insincere, the intelligent and the dull, the father and the son, the teacher and the student, or the citizen and the non-citizen. This is why we have tests and contests, the legal ways of distinction between people. For the same reason, it was necessary for some to obey others. Without this arrangement, communities, countries, and the universe itself cannot survive, regardless of whose perspective it is, the secular or the religious.

On the other hand, the opportunity for improvement in the area of the innate gifts is limited, but the opportunity for improvement in the area of the acquired gifts is wide open. Nevertheless, in both areas, the more gifts one has, the greater his responsibility towards himself and the community at large.

Only relative equality can be equivalent to justice, because justice means to give everyone what he or she deserves or what is suitable for each person.

Just or fair equality is also to judge a person according to his accomplishment or his effort in the light of his innate gifts. Justice in Islam also means that there should be sufficient reward and punishment, and a just settlement of their rights between creatures. Therefore, in Islam this life is not the whole story, but it is completed by the life in the Hereafter. In this world, the lucky person enjoys his luck, which he did not create himself; and the diligent would die without receiving his fair reward. The oppressor may not only escape punishment but would enjoy the resultant injustice; and the oppressed may perish without fair compensation.

From these facts springs the need to a fair and comprehensive accounting where each will receive his deserved punishment, unless God forgives him, while the diligent person receives his rewards multiplied endlessly. Therefore, in the Hereafter the final settlement of the rights between creatures shall take place.

What is the Islamic Concept of Freedom?

Freedom in Islam does not mean the absolute freedom of the secular cry. Islam is a realistic religion, comprehensive in perspective. Therefore, freedom in Islam is a relative thing because

human beings are connected with a perfect and gigantic system of natural laws that run the universe, with the permission of Allah. God created the universe and runs it by His direct command (i.e., "be and it will be") and the natural laws that He created. Furthermore, nothing can occur without his permission for He has full control over His creation, and everything that will happen is prerecorded.

Certainly, this does not mean that God destined people to live the way they will live, as some of us like to perceive the concept of alqadar (fate). Alqadar, as it was explained before, is a prerecording of what will occur, based on the absolute knowledge of the Creator, which is not limited by time or space nor by limited senses.

The freedom of man is also limited by his responsibility towards his Creator, Who made him a vicegerent on earth and made many creatures available for him to enjoy and to invest for the Hereafter.

This responsibility is based on three special gifts: the gift of thinking, the guidance (the holy books) and the relative freedom to choose between the causes of imminent results (laws of nature).

It is evident that man cannot normally free himself from the effect of laws of nature. However, he has the choice of neglecting Divine guidance and commands, with the knowledge of God. But he then has to face the consequences of his disobedience.

In addition to that, man is chained within his frame of reference: his family his community, his country. What is applicable to the individual is applicable to the minority; and what is applicable to any group within a country is applicable to any country in the international community.

Among the other constraints is that, when a person willingly joins a group, to benefit from the membership advantages, he will certainly have to commit himself to their rules, including doing his duties as a member until the membership expires; otherwise, he will be subject to punishment.

Nevertheless, with all these constraints man has a wide range of freedom in many affairs. In addition to the relative freedom to choose between good and evil according to the Divine teachings, he has numerous types of freedom incorporated under the different grades of acceptable or rejected multiplicity.

In Islam equality means equality of the efforts exerted in the investment of God's gifts.

Multiplicity and diversity are an essential factor for human happiness. Without it, there would not be the competition that motivates people to exploit nature to its utmost in order to secure their needs and welfare.

If Islam is such a good religion, why do we find many Muslims dishonest, unreliable and lazy?

Islam came as a message of guidance from God to all creation at a time when ignorance and corruption were universal. It opened peoples' minds and souls to learning, development, refinement and morality. The achievements of Islamic thought in that early period were sufficient to bring light, guidance and knowledge to humanity.

However, as among every other people, there are indeed some Muslims who are heedless, undependable, corrupt and selfish, and the media projects this stereotype about Muslims in particular. It can be readily noted that whenever an adherent to any other faith commits a crime, the media seldom brings up the issue of religion, but when a Muslim is involved, it is Islam that is blamed and portrayed in a negative light before public opinion.

The fact cannot be denied that many Muslims today are unmindful of the teachings of their religion, due either to a lack of religious knowledge or to various worldly inducements and attractions. But even if one recognizes that some Muslims may be dishonest, immoral or impulsive, he should not judge Islam by its nonconforming or disobedient members but rather by those who conscientiously adhere to its teachings. Since Islam categorically forbids such evils as lying, cheating and negligence, the wrongdoer must be blamed for his crimes rather than the religion. One should instead examine the system itself, understand its principles, and disregard the acts of those who have serious deficiencies in their knowledge, beliefs and practice.

While today's Muslim societies are not model ones by any means, they still enjoy a comparatively stable family life, absence of delinquency, low crime rates, greater freedom from drugs and alcoholism, as well as the warmth of brotherhood, generosity and mutual aid.

It may be observed that taken as a whole, the Muslim community produces the best citizens in any society. As a matter of religious observance, the majority avoids the consumption of alcohol and drugs, eliminating many intoxicant-related crimes. Collectively, Muslims are the community which gives the maximum amount of charity in the world. And no community can equal Muslims where modesty, sobriety and human ethics are concerned.

Islam may be fairly and justly assessed not by negative stereotypes portrayed by the media but by what its authentic sources contain and by the practice of the most excellent follower of the religion, Prophet Muhammad. There have been a number of unbiased non-Muslim historians who have declared that Muhammad was an exemplary human being. It is his pattern of life that demonstrates the true Islamic ideal and example to be followed by Muslims

Why is the family so important to Muslims?

The family is the foundation of Islamic society. The peace and security offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued, and seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members. A harmonious social order is created by the existence of extended families; children are treasured, and rarely leave home until the time they marry.

What about Marriage and Divorce?

In general, a woman is married through her guardian, but there are exceptions. This is because, in Islam, her father, her brother, or her son takes care of her before marriage, including all her living expenses. If the marriage fails, she goes back to her guardian's care. Furthermore, if the divorced husband fails to pay for his children, the burden goes back to her guardian too.

However, there are scholars who permit a woman to marry without a male guardian, in certain cases.

Divorce is in the hand of the man because the man is the one, who normally proposes marriage, pays the marriage expenses, including gifts for his wife and the wedding feast. The woman receives a dowry, which ranges from a symbolic amount to thousands of US dollars or Euros. On the top of that, the husband should provide her with decent living conditions, including clothing, housing, and medical expenses. And if marriage fails, he has to pay for his children's support, which includes their educational expenses. In addition to that, the more emotional person is the less thoughtful and sensitive to the end results of a wrong decision, whether it is the marriage or the divorce.

Furthermore, the man of the house is like the government in a country and held responsible for the misconduct of his household.

Therefore, Islam has given him the authority and means to discipline family members who go astray and endanger the peace of the house.

Among these means is, as the last resort, some types of physical punishment, but not a slap on the face or grievous bodily harm,which would cause humiliation and resentment and contradicts the mutual love and care that naturally exist between married couples and their children.

In the light of all these facts, the husband usually looks at divorce more seriously than the wife, especially if he is aware that divorce is the most hateful act to Allah among the permissible things.

On the other hand, a wife can acquire divorce through the courts, if necessary, and would keep the dowry for her husband's failure to fulfill his essential duties, if that is the verdict. She can also buy her way out by paying back her dowry or, sometimes, by paying part of the marriage expenses too.

Why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.

Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than one wife?

The Qur'an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase 'marry only one'. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it is the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wish. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one. Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.

As mentioned earlier, Qur'an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says 'marry only one'. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur'an:

"Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one."[4:3]

Before the Qur'an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.

In the same chapter i.e. verse 129 says:

"Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...." [4:129]

Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.

In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however wife, in which women retain their honorable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life.

Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become 'public property'. Islam prefers giving women the honorable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second.

There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny it is mainly to protect the modesty of women.

References

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Sahih International: Clear your Doubts about Islam.

The Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA): Understanding Islamic Law.

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Schact, J. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Islam,

Imām Abū Zahra, History of Islāmīc Schools of Thought,

Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Oxford History of Islam, "Law and Society: The Interplay of Revelation and Reason in the Shariah",

Sharia : A Flexible Notion- Maurits Berger.

INPROL, Islamic Law July 2013. Hamid Khan, J.D.

Naik, Zakir abdul Karim: Common Questions about Islam, Answers to Non-Muslims,

Saheeh International, The Qur'an: Arabic Text with Corresponding English meanings,

Sieny, Saeed I., Muslim and non-Muslim Relations,

_Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips:_ the religion of Islam

Yahya, Harun (Adnan Oktar), "Islam denounces terrorism"

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Riffat Hassan, Ph.D. Are Human Rights Compatible with Islam?www.religiousconsultation.org/

http://www.islamreligion.com/

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