'and if any one believes in Allah, ((Allah)) guides his heart (aright): for Allah knows all things'. [Quran:64:11]
Saturday, September 20, 2008
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
سيد الاستغفار
عن شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سيد الاستغفار أن تقول
{ اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت خلقتني وأنا عبدك وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت}
قال ومن قالها من النهار موقنا بها فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة .رواه البخاري
قوله ( سيد الاستغفار )
قال الطيبي : لما كان هذا الدعاء جامعا لمعاني التوبة كلها استعير له اسم السيد , وهو في الأصل الرئيس الذي يقصد في الحوائج , ويرجع إليه في الأمور .
قوله ( أن يقول )
أي العبد , وثبت في رواية أحمد والنسائي " إن سيد الاستغفار أن يقول العبد " وللترمذي من رواية عثمان بن ربيعة عن شداد " ألا أدلك على سيد الاستغفار " وفي حديث جابر عند النسائي " تعلموا سيد الاستغفار " .
قوله ( لا إله إلا أنت خلقتني )
كذا في نسخة معتمدة بتكرير أنت , وسقطت الثانية من معظم الروايات , ووقع عند الطبراني من حديث أبي أمامة " من قال حين يصبح : اللهم لك الحمد لا إله إلا أنت " والباقي نحو حديث شداد وزاد فيه " آمنت لك مخلصا لك ديني " .
قوله ( وأنا عبدك )
قال الطيبي : يجوز أن تكون مؤكدة , ويجوز أن تكون مقدرة , أي أنا عابد لك , ويؤيده عطف قوله " وأنا على عهدك " .
قوله ( وأنا على عهدك )
سقطت الواو في رواية النسائي , قال الخطابي : يريد أنا على ما عهدتك عليه وواعدتك من الإيمان بك وإخلاص الطاعة لك ما استطعت من ذلك . ويحتمل أن يريد أنا مقيم على ما عهدت إلي من أمرك ومتمسك به ومنتجز وعدك في المثوبة والأجر . واشتراط الاستطاعة في ذلك معناه الاعتراف بالعجز والقصور عن كنه الواجب من حقه تعالى . وقال ابن بطال : قوله " وأنا على عهدك ووعدك " يريد العهد الذي أخذه الله على عباده حيث أخرجهم أمثال الذر وأشهدهم على أنفسهم ألست بربكم فأقروا له بالربوبية وأذعنوا له بالوحدانية . وبالوعد ما قال على لسان نبيه " إن من مات لا يشرك بالله شيئا وأدى ما افترض عليه أن يدخله الجنة " . قلت : وقوله وأدى ما افترض عليه زيادة ليست بشرط في هذا المقام لأنه جعل المراد بالعهد الميثاق المأخوذ في عالم الذر وهو التوحيد خاصة , فالوعد هو إدخال من مات على ذلك الجنة .
قال وفي قوله " ما استطعت "
إعلام لأمته أن أحدا لا يقدر على الإتيان بجميع ما يجب عليه لله . ولا الوفاء بكمال الطاعات والشكر على النعم , فرفق الله بعباده فلم يكلفهم من ذلك إلا وسعهم . وقال الطيبي : يحتمل أن يراد بالعهد والوعد ما في الآية المذكورة , كذا قال : والتفريق بين العهد والوعد أوضح .
قوله ( أبوء لك بنعمتك علي )
سقط لفظ لك من رواية النسائي , وأبوء بالموحدة والهمز ممدود معناه أعترف . ووقع في رواية عثمان بن ربيعة عن شداد " وأعترف بذنوبي " وأصله البواء ومعناه اللزوم , ومنه بوأه الله منزلا إذا أسكنه فكأنه ألزمه به .
قوله ( وأبوء لك بذنبي )
أي أعترف أيضا , وقيل معناه أحمله برغمي لا أستطيع صرفه عني . وقال الطيبي : اعترف أولا بأنه أنعم عليه , ولم يقيده لأنه يشمل أنواع الإنعام , ثم اعترف بالتقصير وأنه لم يقم بأداء شكرها , ثم بالغ فعده ذنبا مبالغة في التقصير وهضم النفس . قلت : ويحتمل أن يكون قوله " أبوء لك بذنبي " أعترف بوقوع الذنب مطلقا ليصح الاستغفار منه , لا أنه عد ما قصر فيه من أداء شكر النعم ذنبا.
قوله ( فاغفر لي إنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت )
يؤخذ منه أن من اعترف بذنبه غفر له , وقد وقع صريحا في حديث الإفك الطويل وفيه " العبد إذا اعترف بذنبه وتاب تاب الله عليه " .
قوله ( من قالها موقنا بها )
أي مخلصا من قلبه مصدقا بثوابها , وقال الداودي يحتمل أن يكون هذا من قوله إن الحسنات يذهبن السيئات ومثل قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الوضوء وغيره ; لأنه بشر بالثواب ثم بشر بأفضل منه فثبت الأول وما زيد عليه , وليس يبشر بالشيء ثم يبشر بأقل منه مع ارتفاع الأول , ويحتمل أن يكون ذلك ناسخا وأن يكون هذا فيمن قالها ومات قبل أن يفعل ما يغفر له به ذنوبه , أو يكون ما فعله من الوضوء وغيره لم ينتقل منه بوجه ما , والله سبحانه وتعالى يفعل ما يشاء . كذا حكاه ابن التين عنه , وبعضه يحتاج إلى تأمل .
قوله ( ومن قالها من النهار )
في رواية النسائي " فإن قالها حين يصبح " وفي رواية عثمان بن ربيعة " لا يقولها أحدكم حين يمسي فيأتي عليه قدر قبل أن يصبح , أو حين يصبح فيأتي عليه قدر قبل أن يمسي " .
قوله ( فهو من أهل الجنة )
في رواية النسائي " دخل الجنة " وفي رواية عثمان بن ربيعة " إلا وجبت له الجنة " قال ابن أبي جمرة : جمع صلى الله عليه وسلم في هذا الحديث من بديع المعاني وحسن الألفاظ ما يحق له أنه يسمى سيد الاستغفار , ففيه الإقرار لله وحده بالإلهية والعبودية , والاعتراف بأنه الخالق , والإقرار بالعهد الذي أخذه عليه , والرجاء بما وعده به , والاستعاذة من شر ما جنى العبد على نفسه , وإضافة النعماء إلى موجدها , وإضافة الذنب إلى نفسه , ورغبته في المغفرة , واعترافه بأنه لا يقدر أحد على ذلك إلا هو , وفي كل ذلك الإشارة إلى الجمع بين الشريعة والحقيقة , فإن تكاليف الشريعة لا تحصل إلا إذا كان في ذلك عون من الله تعالى . وهذا القدر الذي يكنى عنه بالحقيقة . فلو اتفق أن العبد خالف حتى يجري عليه ما قدر عليه وقامت الحجة عليه ببيان المخالفة لم يبق إلا أحد أمرين : إما العقوبة بمقتضى العدل أو العفو بمقتضى الفضل , انتهى ملخصا . أيضا : من شروط الاستغفار صحة النية , والتوجه والأدب , فلو أن أحدا حصل الشروط واستغفر بغير هذا اللفظ الوارد واستغفر آخر بهذا اللفظ الوارد لكن أخل بالشروط هل يستويان ؟ فالجواب أن الذي يظهر أن اللفظ المذكور إنما يكون سيد الاستغفار إذا جمع الشروط المذكورة , والله أعلم .
قال شيخ الإسلام - رحمه الله تعالى - : في قوله عليه السلام : " سيد الاستغفار أن يقول العبد : اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت" . قد اشتمل هذا الحديث من المعارف الجليلة ما استحق لأجلها أن يكون سيّد الاستغفار ، فإنه صدره باعتراف العبد بربوبية الله ، ثم ثناها بتوحيد الإلهية بقوله : (( لا إله إلا أنت )). ثم ذكر اعترافه بأن الله هو الذي خلقه وأوجده ولم يكن شيئا ، فهو حقيق بأن يتولى تمام الإحسان إليه بمغفرة ذنوبه ، كما ابتدأ الإحسان إليه بخلقه .
ثم قال : " وأنا عبدك " اعترف له بالعبودية.
فإن الله تعالى خلق ابن آدم لنفسه ولعبادته ، كما جاء في بعض الآثار : (( يقول الله تعالى : ابن آدم ! خلقتك لنفسي ، وخلقت كل شيء لأجلك ، فبحقي عليك لا تشتغل بما خلقته لك عما خلقتك له )). وفي أثر آخر : (( ابن آدم ! خلقتك لعبادتي فلا تلعب ، وتكفلت لك برزقك فلا تتعب. ابن آدم ! اطلبني تجدني ، فإن وجدتني وجدت كل شيء ، وإن فتك فاتك كل شيء ، وأنا أحب إليك من كل شيء )). فالعبد إذا خرج عما خلقه الله له من طاعته ومعرفته ومحبته والإنابة إليه والتوكل عليه ، فقد أبق من سيده ، فإذا تاب إليه ورجع إليه فقد راجع ما يحبه الله منه ، فيفرح الله بهذه المراجعة. ولهذا قال صلى الله عليه وسلم يخبر عن الله : (( لله أشد فرحا بتوبة عبده من واجد راحلته عليها طعامه وشرابه بعد يأسه منها في الأرض المهلكة ، وهو سبحانه هو الذي وفقه لها ، وهو الذي ردها إليه )). وهذا غاية ما يكون من الفضل والإحسان ، وحقيق بمن هذا شأنه أن لا يكون شيء أحب إلى العبد منه.
ثم قال : " وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت" فالله سبحانه وتعالى عهد إلى عباده عهدا أمرهم فيه ونهاهم ، ووعدهم على وفائهم بعهده أن يثيبهم بأعلى المثوبات ، فالعبد يسير بين قيامه بعهد الله إليه وتصديقه بوعده. أي أنا مقيم على عهدك مصدق بوعدك. وهذا المعنى قد ذكره النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، كقوله : (( من صام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه )). والفعل إيمانا هو العهد الذي عهده إلى عباده ، والاحتساب هو رجاؤه ثواب الله له على ذلك ، وهذا لا يليق إلا مع التصديق بوعده. وقوله (( إيمانا واحتسابا )) منصوب على المفعول له ، إنما يحمله على ذلك إيمانه بأن الله شرع ذلك وأوجبه ورضيه وأمر به ، واحتسابه ثوابه عند الله ، أي يفعله خالصا يرجو ثوابه.
وقوله : " ما استطعت " أي إنما أقوم بذلك بحسب استطاعتي ، لا بحسب ما ينبغي لك وتستحقه علي. وفيه دليل على إثبات قوة العبد واستطاعته ، وأنه غير مجبور على ذلك ، بل له استطاعة هي مناط الأمر والنهي والثواب والعقاب. ففيه رد على القدرية المجبرة الذين يقولون : إن العبد لا قدرة له ولا استطاعة ، ولا فعل له البتة ، وإنما يعاقبه الله على فعله هو ، لا على فعل العبد. وفيه رد على طوائف المجوسية وغيرهم.
ثم قال : " أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت " فاستعاذته بالله الالتجاء إليه والتحصن به والهروب إليه من المستعاذ منه ، كما يتحصن الهارب من العدو بالحصن الذي ينجيه منه. وفيه إثبات فعل العبد وكسبه ، وأن الشر مضاف إلى فعله هو ، لا إلى ربه ، فقال : (( أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت )). فالشر إنما هو من العبد ، وأما الرب فله الأسماء الحسنى ، وكل أوصافه صفات كمال ، وكل أفعاله حكمة ومصلحة. ويؤيد هذا قوله عليه السلام : (( والشر ليس إليك )) في الحديث الذي رواه مسلم في دعاء الاستفتاح.
ثم قال : " أبوء لك بنعمتك علي " أي أعترف بأمر كذا ، أي أقر به ، أي فأنا معترف لك بإنعامك علي ، وإني أنا المذنب ، فمنك الإحسان ومني الإساءة. فأنا أحمدك على نعمتك ، وأنت أهل لأن تحمد وأستغفرك لذنوبي. ولذا قال بعض العارفين : ينبغي للعبد أن تكون أنفاسه كلها نفسين : نفسا يحمد فيه ربه ، ونفسا يستغفره من ذنبه. ومن هذا حكاية الحسن مع الشاب الذي كان يجلس في المسجد وحده ولا يجلس إليه ، فمر به يوما فقال : ما بالك لا تجالسنا ؟ فقال : إني أصبح بين نعمة من الله تستوجب علي حمدا ، وبين ذنب مني يستوجب استغفارا ، فأنا مشغول بحمده واستغفاره عن مجالستك. فقال : أنت أفقه عندي من الحسن. ومتى شهد العبد هذين الأمرين استقامت له العبودية ، وترقى في درجات المعرفة والإيمان ، وتصاغرت إليه نفسه ، وتواضع لربه ، وهذا هو كمال العبودية ، وبه يبرأ من العجب والكبر وزينة العمل. والله الموفق الهادي ، والحمد لله وحده ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم ، ورضي الله عن أصحاب رسول الله أجمعين ، وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل.
كتبه
أبو أنس الطائفي
سيد الاستغفار
عن شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سيد الاستغفار أن تقول
{ اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت خلقتني وأنا عبدك وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت}
قال ومن قالها من النهار موقنا بها فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة .رواه البخاري
قوله ( سيد الاستغفار )
قال الطيبي : لما كان هذا الدعاء جامعا لمعاني التوبة كلها استعير له اسم السيد , وهو في الأصل الرئيس الذي يقصد في الحوائج , ويرجع إليه في الأمور .
قوله ( أن يقول )
أي العبد , وثبت في رواية أحمد والنسائي " إن سيد الاستغفار أن يقول العبد " وللترمذي من رواية عثمان بن ربيعة عن شداد " ألا أدلك على سيد الاستغفار " وفي حديث جابر عند النسائي " تعلموا سيد الاستغفار " .
قوله ( لا إله إلا أنت خلقتني )
كذا في نسخة معتمدة بتكرير أنت , وسقطت الثانية من معظم الروايات , ووقع عند الطبراني من حديث أبي أمامة " من قال حين يصبح : اللهم لك الحمد لا إله إلا أنت " والباقي نحو حديث شداد وزاد فيه " آمنت لك مخلصا لك ديني " .
قوله ( وأنا عبدك )
قال الطيبي : يجوز أن تكون مؤكدة , ويجوز أن تكون مقدرة , أي أنا عابد لك , ويؤيده عطف قوله " وأنا على عهدك " .
قوله ( وأنا على عهدك )
سقطت الواو في رواية النسائي , قال الخطابي : يريد أنا على ما عهدتك عليه وواعدتك من الإيمان بك وإخلاص الطاعة لك ما استطعت من ذلك . ويحتمل أن يريد أنا مقيم على ما عهدت إلي من أمرك ومتمسك به ومنتجز وعدك في المثوبة والأجر . واشتراط الاستطاعة في ذلك معناه الاعتراف بالعجز والقصور عن كنه الواجب من حقه تعالى . وقال ابن بطال : قوله " وأنا على عهدك ووعدك " يريد العهد الذي أخذه الله على عباده حيث أخرجهم أمثال الذر وأشهدهم على أنفسهم ألست بربكم فأقروا له بالربوبية وأذعنوا له بالوحدانية . وبالوعد ما قال على لسان نبيه " إن من مات لا يشرك بالله شيئا وأدى ما افترض عليه أن يدخله الجنة " . قلت : وقوله وأدى ما افترض عليه زيادة ليست بشرط في هذا المقام لأنه جعل المراد بالعهد الميثاق المأخوذ في عالم الذر وهو التوحيد خاصة , فالوعد هو إدخال من مات على ذلك الجنة .
قال وفي قوله " ما استطعت "
إعلام لأمته أن أحدا لا يقدر على الإتيان بجميع ما يجب عليه لله . ولا الوفاء بكمال الطاعات والشكر على النعم , فرفق الله بعباده فلم يكلفهم من ذلك إلا وسعهم . وقال الطيبي : يحتمل أن يراد بالعهد والوعد ما في الآية المذكورة , كذا قال : والتفريق بين العهد والوعد أوضح .
قوله ( أبوء لك بنعمتك علي )
سقط لفظ لك من رواية النسائي , وأبوء بالموحدة والهمز ممدود معناه أعترف . ووقع في رواية عثمان بن ربيعة عن شداد " وأعترف بذنوبي " وأصله البواء ومعناه اللزوم , ومنه بوأه الله منزلا إذا أسكنه فكأنه ألزمه به .
قوله ( وأبوء لك بذنبي )
أي أعترف أيضا , وقيل معناه أحمله برغمي لا أستطيع صرفه عني . وقال الطيبي : اعترف أولا بأنه أنعم عليه , ولم يقيده لأنه يشمل أنواع الإنعام , ثم اعترف بالتقصير وأنه لم يقم بأداء شكرها , ثم بالغ فعده ذنبا مبالغة في التقصير وهضم النفس . قلت : ويحتمل أن يكون قوله " أبوء لك بذنبي " أعترف بوقوع الذنب مطلقا ليصح الاستغفار منه , لا أنه عد ما قصر فيه من أداء شكر النعم ذنبا.
قوله ( فاغفر لي إنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت )
يؤخذ منه أن من اعترف بذنبه غفر له , وقد وقع صريحا في حديث الإفك الطويل وفيه " العبد إذا اعترف بذنبه وتاب تاب الله عليه " .
قوله ( من قالها موقنا بها )
أي مخلصا من قلبه مصدقا بثوابها , وقال الداودي يحتمل أن يكون هذا من قوله إن الحسنات يذهبن السيئات ومثل قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الوضوء وغيره ; لأنه بشر بالثواب ثم بشر بأفضل منه فثبت الأول وما زيد عليه , وليس يبشر بالشيء ثم يبشر بأقل منه مع ارتفاع الأول , ويحتمل أن يكون ذلك ناسخا وأن يكون هذا فيمن قالها ومات قبل أن يفعل ما يغفر له به ذنوبه , أو يكون ما فعله من الوضوء وغيره لم ينتقل منه بوجه ما , والله سبحانه وتعالى يفعل ما يشاء . كذا حكاه ابن التين عنه , وبعضه يحتاج إلى تأمل .
قوله ( ومن قالها من النهار )
في رواية النسائي " فإن قالها حين يصبح " وفي رواية عثمان بن ربيعة " لا يقولها أحدكم حين يمسي فيأتي عليه قدر قبل أن يصبح , أو حين يصبح فيأتي عليه قدر قبل أن يمسي " .
قوله ( فهو من أهل الجنة )
في رواية النسائي " دخل الجنة " وفي رواية عثمان بن ربيعة " إلا وجبت له الجنة " قال ابن أبي جمرة : جمع صلى الله عليه وسلم في هذا الحديث من بديع المعاني وحسن الألفاظ ما يحق له أنه يسمى سيد الاستغفار , ففيه الإقرار لله وحده بالإلهية والعبودية , والاعتراف بأنه الخالق , والإقرار بالعهد الذي أخذه عليه , والرجاء بما وعده به , والاستعاذة من شر ما جنى العبد على نفسه , وإضافة النعماء إلى موجدها , وإضافة الذنب إلى نفسه , ورغبته في المغفرة , واعترافه بأنه لا يقدر أحد على ذلك إلا هو , وفي كل ذلك الإشارة إلى الجمع بين الشريعة والحقيقة , فإن تكاليف الشريعة لا تحصل إلا إذا كان في ذلك عون من الله تعالى . وهذا القدر الذي يكنى عنه بالحقيقة . فلو اتفق أن العبد خالف حتى يجري عليه ما قدر عليه وقامت الحجة عليه ببيان المخالفة لم يبق إلا أحد أمرين : إما العقوبة بمقتضى العدل أو العفو بمقتضى الفضل , انتهى ملخصا . أيضا : من شروط الاستغفار صحة النية , والتوجه والأدب , فلو أن أحدا حصل الشروط واستغفر بغير هذا اللفظ الوارد واستغفر آخر بهذا اللفظ الوارد لكن أخل بالشروط هل يستويان ؟ فالجواب أن الذي يظهر أن اللفظ المذكور إنما يكون سيد الاستغفار إذا جمع الشروط المذكورة , والله أعلم .
قال شيخ الإسلام - رحمه الله تعالى - : في قوله عليه السلام : " سيد الاستغفار أن يقول العبد : اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت" . قد اشتمل هذا الحديث من المعارف الجليلة ما استحق لأجلها أن يكون سيّد الاستغفار ، فإنه صدره باعتراف العبد بربوبية الله ، ثم ثناها بتوحيد الإلهية بقوله : (( لا إله إلا أنت )). ثم ذكر اعترافه بأن الله هو الذي خلقه وأوجده ولم يكن شيئا ، فهو حقيق بأن يتولى تمام الإحسان إليه بمغفرة ذنوبه ، كما ابتدأ الإحسان إليه بخلقه .
ثم قال : " وأنا عبدك " اعترف له بالعبودية.
فإن الله تعالى خلق ابن آدم لنفسه ولعبادته ، كما جاء في بعض الآثار : (( يقول الله تعالى : ابن آدم ! خلقتك لنفسي ، وخلقت كل شيء لأجلك ، فبحقي عليك لا تشتغل بما خلقته لك عما خلقتك له )). وفي أثر آخر : (( ابن آدم ! خلقتك لعبادتي فلا تلعب ، وتكفلت لك برزقك فلا تتعب. ابن آدم ! اطلبني تجدني ، فإن وجدتني وجدت كل شيء ، وإن فتك فاتك كل شيء ، وأنا أحب إليك من كل شيء )). فالعبد إذا خرج عما خلقه الله له من طاعته ومعرفته ومحبته والإنابة إليه والتوكل عليه ، فقد أبق من سيده ، فإذا تاب إليه ورجع إليه فقد راجع ما يحبه الله منه ، فيفرح الله بهذه المراجعة. ولهذا قال صلى الله عليه وسلم يخبر عن الله : (( لله أشد فرحا بتوبة عبده من واجد راحلته عليها طعامه وشرابه بعد يأسه منها في الأرض المهلكة ، وهو سبحانه هو الذي وفقه لها ، وهو الذي ردها إليه )). وهذا غاية ما يكون من الفضل والإحسان ، وحقيق بمن هذا شأنه أن لا يكون شيء أحب إلى العبد منه.
ثم قال : " وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت" فالله سبحانه وتعالى عهد إلى عباده عهدا أمرهم فيه ونهاهم ، ووعدهم على وفائهم بعهده أن يثيبهم بأعلى المثوبات ، فالعبد يسير بين قيامه بعهد الله إليه وتصديقه بوعده. أي أنا مقيم على عهدك مصدق بوعدك. وهذا المعنى قد ذكره النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، كقوله : (( من صام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه )). والفعل إيمانا هو العهد الذي عهده إلى عباده ، والاحتساب هو رجاؤه ثواب الله له على ذلك ، وهذا لا يليق إلا مع التصديق بوعده. وقوله (( إيمانا واحتسابا )) منصوب على المفعول له ، إنما يحمله على ذلك إيمانه بأن الله شرع ذلك وأوجبه ورضيه وأمر به ، واحتسابه ثوابه عند الله ، أي يفعله خالصا يرجو ثوابه.
وقوله : " ما استطعت " أي إنما أقوم بذلك بحسب استطاعتي ، لا بحسب ما ينبغي لك وتستحقه علي. وفيه دليل على إثبات قوة العبد واستطاعته ، وأنه غير مجبور على ذلك ، بل له استطاعة هي مناط الأمر والنهي والثواب والعقاب. ففيه رد على القدرية المجبرة الذين يقولون : إن العبد لا قدرة له ولا استطاعة ، ولا فعل له البتة ، وإنما يعاقبه الله على فعله هو ، لا على فعل العبد. وفيه رد على طوائف المجوسية وغيرهم.
ثم قال : " أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت " فاستعاذته بالله الالتجاء إليه والتحصن به والهروب إليه من المستعاذ منه ، كما يتحصن الهارب من العدو بالحصن الذي ينجيه منه. وفيه إثبات فعل العبد وكسبه ، وأن الشر مضاف إلى فعله هو ، لا إلى ربه ، فقال : (( أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت )). فالشر إنما هو من العبد ، وأما الرب فله الأسماء الحسنى ، وكل أوصافه صفات كمال ، وكل أفعاله حكمة ومصلحة. ويؤيد هذا قوله عليه السلام : (( والشر ليس إليك )) في الحديث الذي رواه مسلم في دعاء الاستفتاح.
ثم قال : " أبوء لك بنعمتك علي " أي أعترف بأمر كذا ، أي أقر به ، أي فأنا معترف لك بإنعامك علي ، وإني أنا المذنب ، فمنك الإحسان ومني الإساءة. فأنا أحمدك على نعمتك ، وأنت أهل لأن تحمد وأستغفرك لذنوبي. ولذا قال بعض العارفين : ينبغي للعبد أن تكون أنفاسه كلها نفسين : نفسا يحمد فيه ربه ، ونفسا يستغفره من ذنبه. ومن هذا حكاية الحسن مع الشاب الذي كان يجلس في المسجد وحده ولا يجلس إليه ، فمر به يوما فقال : ما بالك لا تجالسنا ؟ فقال : إني أصبح بين نعمة من الله تستوجب علي حمدا ، وبين ذنب مني يستوجب استغفارا ، فأنا مشغول بحمده واستغفاره عن مجالستك. فقال : أنت أفقه عندي من الحسن. ومتى شهد العبد هذين الأمرين استقامت له العبودية ، وترقى في درجات المعرفة والإيمان ، وتصاغرت إليه نفسه ، وتواضع لربه ، وهذا هو كمال العبودية ، وبه يبرأ من العجب والكبر وزينة العمل. والله الموفق الهادي ، والحمد لله وحده ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم ، ورضي الله عن أصحاب رسول الله أجمعين ، وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل.
كتبه
أبو أنس الطائفي
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thafheemul Qura'an Digitalization Project
(A Digitalization Project under the Directorate of Islamic Publishing House (IPH), Kozhikode)
Al Jamia AL Islamia Campus, Santapuram, p.o Pattikkad. 679325
Malappuram dist. Kerala. India
Tel: 9946036295 / 9447426247 thafheem@gmail.com
Behind the Digitalization Project
Director
Sheikh Muhammad, Karakkunnu
Chief Editor
T.K.Abdulla
Convener
V.K.Abdu
Asst.Convener
K.A.Naser
Co-ordinators
C.K.Abdul Latheef
P.V.Abdulshukoor
Editorial Board
P.T.Abbdurahman (editor)
C.T.Abu Darr (Executive editor)
O. Abdurahman
.VA.Kabeer
T.K.Ubaid
Ashraf Keezhparamp
Prof. Yaseen Ashraf
V.K. Jaleel
A.A.Haleem
Shihabudheen Ampalappuzha
K.T.Hussain
K.A.Razak
Sadrudheen Vazhakkad
K.Zuhairali
Jafar Elampilakode
Saleem Mundumuzhi
Content management
K.Abdullah Hassan
V.K.Ali
Dr.Salam Vaniyampalam
Haiderali Santapuram
M.U. Abdul Hafeed
P.Z.Ibrahim
K.A.Kader Faizi
K.Abdul Kareem
M.K.Muhammed
C.C.Nurudheen
K.P.Abdullah hayder
V.T.Samad
M.Zainudheen
A. Abdussalam Pulappetta
O.P.Hamza
T.Abdulla Faizi
Bushairudheen Sharqi
Mohammed Ishaq Moideen
K.Alavikutty Moulavi
K.M.Ashraf
Thafheemul Qura'an
Thafheemul Qura'an is the magnum opus of Sayyid Abul A'ALA Al Moududi, the world renowned Islamic scholar and revivalist leader of 20th centuary. The six volume thafseer is a monumental work in the history of Qura'anic exegeses, which he took thirty years to complete. Its chief characteristic lies in presenting the meaning and message of the Qura'an in a language and style that communicate easily with the hearts and minds of the educated men and women of modern era. It shows the relevance of the Qura'an to the individual and social problems of life. When we read the Thafheem we will realize the fact that Islam is a complete code of life, which comprises all walks of human life. It discusses a vast variety of subjects including theological disciplines like Hadith, Fiqh, Ilmul kalaam as well as modern disciplines like History, Philosophy, Sociology etc. It has been translated partially or completely into almost all Indian languages like Arabic, English, Persian, Pushtu, Turkish, Japanese, Thai, Sinhala and Russian. This thafsir has made far reaching impact on contemporary Islamic thinking in the subcontinent and, through its translations, even abroad.
Digital version
>> The first ever Endeavour in Malayalam to disseminate the contents of the Qura'an with the help of modern information/digital technology.
>> A method that will cater to a wide spectrum of users ranging from beginners to researchers.
>> The entire six volumes of Thafheemul Qura'an will now be available on the Malayali's computer screen.
>> A new reading format fully utilizing the versatile potentials of the digital media.
>> A database that can shed light in to the recesses of Qura'anic knowledge and exegesis.
Thafheemul Qura'an Digitalization Project.
Features
Uthmania Script
Index facility and English Translations.
Malayalam and English Translations
Word-by – word meaning
Detailed description of Thafheem words
Easy reading facility of Thafheem
Book marking facility
Thilava of three reciters
Multiple word search options
Copy and paste facility
Subject based search
Thajweed Learning facility
Pictures, Maps, Movie clips and Audio Clips
Qura'an Library
Qura'an Quiz
Al Jamia AL Islamia Campus, Santapuram, p.o Pattikkad. 679325
Malappuram dist. Kerala. India
Tel: 9946036295 / 9447426247 thafheem@gmail.com
Behind the Digitalization Project
Director
Sheikh Muhammad, Karakkunnu
Chief Editor
T.K.Abdulla
Convener
V.K.Abdu
Asst.Convener
K.A.Naser
Co-ordinators
C.K.Abdul Latheef
P.V.Abdulshukoor
Editorial Board
P.T.Abbdurahman (editor)
C.T.Abu Darr (Executive editor)
O. Abdurahman
.VA.Kabeer
T.K.Ubaid
Ashraf Keezhparamp
Prof. Yaseen Ashraf
V.K. Jaleel
A.A.Haleem
Shihabudheen Ampalappuzha
K.T.Hussain
K.A.Razak
Sadrudheen Vazhakkad
K.Zuhairali
Jafar Elampilakode
Saleem Mundumuzhi
Content management
K.Abdullah Hassan
V.K.Ali
Dr.Salam Vaniyampalam
Haiderali Santapuram
M.U. Abdul Hafeed
P.Z.Ibrahim
K.A.Kader Faizi
K.Abdul Kareem
M.K.Muhammed
C.C.Nurudheen
K.P.Abdullah hayder
V.T.Samad
M.Zainudheen
A. Abdussalam Pulappetta
O.P.Hamza
T.Abdulla Faizi
Bushairudheen Sharqi
Mohammed Ishaq Moideen
K.Alavikutty Moulavi
K.M.Ashraf
Thafheemul Qura'an
Thafheemul Qura'an is the magnum opus of Sayyid Abul A'ALA Al Moududi, the world renowned Islamic scholar and revivalist leader of 20th centuary. The six volume thafseer is a monumental work in the history of Qura'anic exegeses, which he took thirty years to complete. Its chief characteristic lies in presenting the meaning and message of the Qura'an in a language and style that communicate easily with the hearts and minds of the educated men and women of modern era. It shows the relevance of the Qura'an to the individual and social problems of life. When we read the Thafheem we will realize the fact that Islam is a complete code of life, which comprises all walks of human life. It discusses a vast variety of subjects including theological disciplines like Hadith, Fiqh, Ilmul kalaam as well as modern disciplines like History, Philosophy, Sociology etc. It has been translated partially or completely into almost all Indian languages like Arabic, English, Persian, Pushtu, Turkish, Japanese, Thai, Sinhala and Russian. This thafsir has made far reaching impact on contemporary Islamic thinking in the subcontinent and, through its translations, even abroad.
Digital version
>> The first ever Endeavour in Malayalam to disseminate the contents of the Qura'an with the help of modern information/digital technology.
>> A method that will cater to a wide spectrum of users ranging from beginners to researchers.
>> The entire six volumes of Thafheemul Qura'an will now be available on the Malayali's computer screen.
>> A new reading format fully utilizing the versatile potentials of the digital media.
>> A database that can shed light in to the recesses of Qura'anic knowledge and exegesis.
Thafheemul Qura'an Digitalization Project.
Features
Uthmania Script
Index facility and English Translations.
Malayalam and English Translations
Word-by – word meaning
Detailed description of Thafheem words
Easy reading facility of Thafheem
Book marking facility
Thilava of three reciters
Multiple word search options
Copy and paste facility
Subject based search
Thajweed Learning facility
Pictures, Maps, Movie clips and Audio Clips
Qura'an Library
Qura'an Quiz
THE SICK NATIONS OF THE MODERN AGE
By
Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
The whole of mankind----Muslims as well as non-Muslims, and the peoples of the East as well as the West----are today beset with a grave evil: their lives are governed by a culture that was born in crass materialism and as now totally steeped in it. The practical policies as well as the theory of this culture are based on perverse and unstable foundations. Its philosophy and science, its ethical values and social system, its law and politics, in short every feature of this culture, made a wrong direction. And it has now reached a critical stage of decline which is not very far from collapse and total ruin.
This culture had its origin among a people who were not blessed with any clear and pure source of divine wisdom. They had their leaders of religion no doubt, but these divine were not endowed with wisdom or knowledge or armed with any law of divine origin. They had no assets or equipment except a fallacious religious concept which was inherently incapable of guiding them along the right lines. On the other hand it could not but act as an obstacle to the progress of science and philosophy. This is precisely what it did, with the result that those who were eager to progress threw religion overboard and adopted a different course where they had no guide except observation, experience, speculation and deduction. And they came to depend entirely upon these undependable guides, which are themselves incapable of functioning rightly without light and wisdom from a higher source of guidance. With the help of these guides, they no doubt made appreciable endeavours in the spheres of thought, research and organization; but in every one of the fields in which they worked, they made a wrong start and set out in the wrong direction. They started from atheism and materialism, and consequently looked upon the universe as an object without a Creator or Master. Similarly, they studied the phenomena of nature and the living creatures with the presumption that there was no reality beyond what could be directly perceived or experienced. With the help of experience and speculation, they studied and comprehended the law of nature, but they could not perceive its maker. They found the world of matter at their feet and began to press the forces into their service. But they had no idea that they were not the masters of rulers of this world in their own right but only the vicegerents of the real sovereign. This ignorance of and indifference to, the divine Creator and Master of the universe made the concept responsibility alien to their minds. And consequently they raised the whole edifice of their civilization and culture on unsound and insecure foundations. They abandoned God and began to worship the self, which, raised to the level of divinity, put them in grave difficulty. And it is the worship of this false and dangerous god that now leading them, in all fields of thought and action to deceptive and dangerous courses. The intermediary stages of these courses are no doubt very attractive, but the last and ultimate stage is total ruin and destruction. It is indeed this false god that has made science a weapon for the destruction of mankind, vitiated morality with self-indulgence, hypocrisy and unfettered freedom, and subjected the economic life of men to crass selfishness and fratricidal conflict. Again, it is this god that had injected the poison of selfishness and self-indulgence and luxuries living into every aspect of social life, and made politics for mankind by corrupting it with nationalism, racial discrimination and the worship of power. In short, this was the pernicious seed that was sown during the European Renaissance and which was grown over the centuries into a massive and deadly tree. Its fruits are sweet but poisonous, its flowers are attractive but full of thorns; its twigs and branches are green and verdant but are exhaling a deadly breeze which is imperceptibly poisoning the blood of all mankind.
The people of the West who themselves planted this pernicious tree, are now disgusted with it. It has created such serious problems in all aspects of their life that every attempt to solve them raises countless new difficulties and complications. Any branch that is lopped off is replaced by several thorny branches that run out to be equally, or even more dangerous. For instance, the attack on capitalism has resulted in the birth and rise of communism. Attempts to cure democracy of its ills have led to the rise of dictator ship. Endeavours to solve social problems have led to feminism and birth control. Efforts to eradicate social evils by law have resulted in large scale law-breaking and crime. In short, an endless crop of troubles has sprung from this pernicious tree of civilization and culture, making life hell for the peoples of the West. These troubles hurt every fiber of their being and they writhe in unbearable pain. Their souls are uneasy and restless and crave for the elixir of life; but they know not where to get it. Most of them still labour under the delusion that their troubles arise from this or that branch of the deadly tree; they are, therefore, wasting their time and energies chopping off the branches that appear harmful to them. It has not yet dawned upon them that all the trouble lies at the root, that their system of civilization and culture is poisoned at the heart, and that it is vain and foolish to expect a healthy branch from a rotten root.
On the other hand, there is a small group of right minded men who have realized that the tree of their civilization is rotten down to its roots. But, since they have lived under the shadow of that tree for generations, and its fruits have become a part of their being and lives, they fail to see what other kind of roots could be capable of growing into a sound tree and yielding wholesome fruits.
In the event, both these groups are in practically the same position. They both badly need a panacea for their ills and troubles, but do not know what that panacea is and where it can be had.
This is indeed the time when the way of life enunciated by the Qur’an and preached by the Prophet of Islam should be presented to the West. Its people should be told that this is the panacea and the elixir for which their souls are thirsting; this is the tree whose roots as well as branches are sound and healthy, whose flowers are fragrant and without any thorns, whose breeze is pleasant and life-giving. They should be informed that Islam offers pure practical wisdom and provides a perfectly sound starting point for thinking and theorization. It offers the knowledge that is capable of shaping individual character in the most perfect way. It offers to men a spiritualism that is not meant for monks or other recluses but constitutes a source of solace and peace of mind for men of the world who are involved in the struggle for life. It offers to mankind sublime and stable rules of law and morality which are based upon comprehensive knowledge of human nature and cannot be distorted in the pursuit of selfish ends. It offers sound and salutary principles of culture and civilization which override the unnatural distinctions of class and the artificial ethnic division and seek to organize mankind on purely rational foundations. Moreover, these principles help to bring about a sound and peaceful atmosphere of justice, equality, generosity and fair mutual dealings. This atmosphere rules out any conflict among individual or classes over their respective rights or interests: on the other hand it ensures ready and wholehearted cooperation among all groups and individuals in the promotion and private happiness and public welfare.
It is time that the nations of the West were warned of the impending catastrophe and told, that, if they want to avert the disaster and save their culture from destruction, they should rid themselves of all the prejudices and hatreds that they have inherited from the religious bigots of medieval Christendom, and which they have retained in spite of having discarded all the other legacies of the Middle Ages. They should approach the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet of Islam with an open mind, grasp and assimilate them, and accept them.
The Muslim nations are in a different stage from that of the Western peoples. Their maladies as well as the cause of their maladies are different; but the remedy that they need is the same as that indicated for the West. They must return to the kind of life and the course of conduct that God has presented in His Last Book through the agency of His Last Prophet.
The conditions in which Islam came into conflict with Western culture in the preceding century were very different from those in which it had clashed in its heyday with earlier civilizations. Islam came into conflict with the civilization of Rome, Persia, India and China at a time when it governed and effectively directed the intellectual capacities and practical abilities of its followers. They were an active and vigorous people surcharged with the spirit of Jihad---pooling down all their energies and capabilities to uphold the Word of Allah and were prepared to sacrifice even their lives for the sake of their mission and causes. At the same time they possessed superb intellectual powers and through their wisdom and sagacity were able to understand and explain the law of Islam to meet the requirements of changing times. Spiritually as well as materially, they were powerful and dominant people and were in fact the leaders of civilized mankind. None of the contemporary civilizations could resist their advance. Wherever they went, they revolutionized the people’s ideas and way of thinking their pet theories and ideologies, their morals and habits, their behaviour and outlook of life—in fact, they changed the entire fabric of their being. They were a dynamic people and had an extraordinary capacity of influence others but were not themselves easily susceptible to external influence. No doubt they did adopt what was good in others but their own culture and civilization, was so superior and virile that whatever was adopted by them from outside adopted itself to the genius and character of their own civilizations, and no external factor could produce any undesirable effect. On the other hand, their impact on other civilizations proved to be revolutionary. Some of the non-Muslim civilizations were totally absorbed by Islam and they lost even their separate identity; others, that had a stronger fibre, were so overwhelmingly influenced by Islam that their basic postulates and doctrines underwent considerable changes.
But that was in the heyday of Islamic civilization. For centuries, the Muslims continued to hold sway over a large part of the world. Their sword as well as their pen ruled supreme. (Military as well as intellectually they were the greater power on the surface of the planet). But ultimately their zeal began to waive and their energies began to flag. Their spirit of endeavour declined and they lost the ability to interpret the Shariah in the changing conditions. The Book that had for centuries the source of all knowledge and the fountain-head of all their power and dynamic existence was forsaken and began to treated merely as an object of veneration and formal respect. The precepts and life example of the greatest of men that ever walked over the earth had given their civilization the best of forms possible, a comprehensive and complete system of thought and action, was ignored and abandoned. Consequently, their progress was retarded and the running stream of their life and civilization turned into a stagnant pool. They lost the leadership of civilized mankind, and the deep and far-reaching influence of their thoughts, sciences, civilization and political supremacy on the other nations of the world began to wane. And then another civilization came on the scene and began to advance rapidly. The principles of endeavour and struggle and intellectual discernment which had been abandoned by the Muslims were taken over by the Western nations. While the Muslims fall into a stupor, the West started for going acting upon those very principles to achieve progress which the Muslims had forsaken. They marched on until they captured the leadership of mankind which the better part of the globe. Their thoughts and ideas, arts and sciences, and principles of civilization and culture dominated their lives and engulfed completely their minds and souls. And when, after many long centuries, the Muslims woke up from their slumber, they found that they lost the field and that their leadership and eminence in all fields and that their leadership and eminence in all fields of life was a matter of past and nations of the west were ruling the roost. They realized that they were equipped with all the knowledge essential for progress and their ideas and sciences dominated the world of learning. Their culture prevailed, their law held the filed. They were the rulers of the best part of the world. The Muslims had lost everything.
Today, Islam and Western civilization are in conflict with each other in very different conditions and circumstances. Western civilization is of course no match for Islam: indeed, if the conflict had been with Islam as such no other civilization could possibly have the better of Islam. But the tragedy is that Islam with which Western civilization happens to be in conflict today is a mere shadow of the real Islam. The Muslims are devoid of Islamic character and morals, ideas, and ideology, and have lost the Islamic spirit. The true spirit of Islam is neither in their mosques nor schools neither in their private lives nor in the public affairs. Their practical life has lost all its association with Islam. The Law of Islam does now govern their private or collective conduct. No aspect of their civilization or culture has remained firmly embedded to truly Islamic pattern. In the circumstances, the conflict is not between Western civilization and Islam as such: the struggle is between the stagnant and backward cultural position of the present-day Muslims and the civilization of the West which is throbbing with life and zeal, with the light of knowledge and the vigour of activity. The results of this highly unequal struggle are only natural: the Muslims are in retreat; their civilization and culture are being worsted, and they are gradually losing themselves in the rising tide of Western civilization. Their minds and souls have passed under the sway of the West. Their thinking is being moulded by Western thought. Their ideas and morals, their economy and social life, their law and politics---all are dominated by the West and rapidly adopting its complexion and character. The new generations of Muslims are growing in the belief that the law of life that they have learnt from the West is the true law of life. This is, in fact, the defeat of the Muslims; but unfortunately, it is being treated at the discomfiture of Islam itself.
The Problem is not confined to any single Muslim nation; the entire world of Islam is passing through this critical revolution. And much of the blame for this dangerous situation must be accepted by our leaders of religion. It was their duty, right at the outset of the revolution, to bestir themselves and try to comprehend the principles and essential features of the new civilization of the West and to go out to the Western lands to study the intellectual and scientific foundations on which the edifice of that civilization was being raised. With the help of ijtihad they should have striven to persuade the Muslims to accept and press into service the useful practical knowledge and press into service the useful practical knowledge and scientific discoveries that had enabled the Western nations to achieve such remarkable progress. And they should have sought to fit these new instruments of progress, in keeping with the principles of Islam, into the educational system and social life of the Muslims. They could thus have helped the Muslims to make up the loss that they had suffered as a result of centuries of stagnation and to catch up with the times. Unfortunately, however, most of the ulema had themselves lost the true spirit of Islam. They did not have the ability to interpret the principles and laws of Islam in the light of the changing conditions. They had little juristic insight or practical wisdom. They had lost the power of action and were utterly incapable of deducing the eternal and flexible principles of Islam from the Book of God and the teachings of the Prophet, and applying them to the changed conditions of life. On the contrary, they were obsessed with the past and addicted uncritical acceptance and blind imitation of our dead elders. With the consequence that whenever any problem arose they did not turn to Divine Book, which is above the limitations of time and space, but, instead, devoted their attention to books produced by men who were not Apostles of God and whose wisdom and foresight could never transcend the limitations of time and conditions and varying circumstances of life. The teachings of these persons however wise and pious were, therefore not all the capable of guiding the Muslims at a time when the conditions of life had changed radically, and the world of knowledge as well as the practical fields of human activity had undergone revolutionary changes which only God Almighty could know and which could not possibly have been foreseen, centuries earlier, by any person not endowed with prophetic insight and powers. It is true that the ulema did try to meet the challenge of the new civilization; but they were not equipped with the instruments required for effective resistance. The sweeping tide of a new civilization cannot possibly be stemmed with inertia and at a best some out-dated stagnant ideas. Dynamic forces cannot be defeated with inertia and inaction. The trend of events cannot be altered with out-dated logic and outworn arguments. New and up to date weapons cannot be met with old and rusty ones. The lines on, and the methods by, which the ulema sought to organize Muslim resistance to the new civilization were inherently incapable of achieving success. It was obviously impossible for a nation that had been overtaken by the tide of Western civilization to shut its eyes to the reality and escape the effects of the tide. Nor could a nation that had passed under the sway of modern civilization, backed by political supremacy, protect its life from its inevitable influences. What ultimately happened was, in the circumstances, practically unavoidable. After having been worsted on the field of battle, the Muslims were naturally defeated in the spheres of civilization and culture also. And today, we find the tide of western civilization and culture rising rapidly in all parts of the world of Islam, sweeping the new generations of Muslims farther and farther away from Islam.
Unfortunately, most of our ulema are not yet able to see their fault. In almost all the Islamic countries, a large section of leaders of religion still stick to the old attitude that was initially responsible for their failure. With a few exceptions, the ulema just do not try, seriously to comprehend the prevailing trends and the mental make up of modern men and women. Of course, they never tire of denouncing and decrying the factors and forces that tend to alienate the new generation from the fundamental principles of Islam; but they are not prepared to take the trouble of providing the necessary remedies. They have proved incapable of solving the various complicated intellectual and practical problems that the new conditions of life have created for the Muslims of the present age. These problems can be solved only through the interpretation of the principle of Islamic theology and law in the light of the changed conditions (ijtihad), but our ulema seem to shun any such endeavour. The manner in which they are trying to explain the teachings and laws of Islam is calculated to repel rather than attract the modern-educated mind. Indeed some of their explanations are so crude and unacceptable that one earnestly wishes that they were never heard or read by any non-Muslim or a misguided Muslim. These ulema are still living in the eighteenth century, they still breathe, live and think in that old world, and talk in terms that could have meaning and relevance only in that world. In fairness to these ulema is must be conceded that Islamic learning’s survives in the present-day world largely due to their efforts; they must also be given credit for whatever religious education we find amongst the Muslims today. Nevertheless, the two centuries that stand between them and modern times practically rules out any effective association between Islam and the present day world. Consequently, a young man who devotees himself to Islamic education, as it is imparted today, is ill equipped for the struggle of life and the race for progress. On the other hand, one who wants to succeed in worldly life remains indifferent to the teachings of Islam. This explains why everywhere in the Muslims world we find two groups and school of thought diametrically opposed to and often at loggerheads with each other. One of these is the standard bearer of Islamic learning and culture, but is incapable of leading guiding the Muslims in all spheres of life. The other group is controlling the intellectual, literary and political affairs of the Muslims, but is ignorant of the principles and essential features of Islam, alien to the spirit of Islamic culture, and unaware of the character of the communal organization of Islam and its social laws. Except for a spark of faith in the recess of his mind, a Muslim belonging to this latter group does not at all differ from a non-Muslim. But it is this group that possesses intellectual and practical power, and it alone has the capacity and the strength to run the affairs of the community. Accordingly, this group is misleading the nation and taking it farther and farther along the path of perdition, and there is no opposite force to stop it and show the right path to the people.
I can foresee the disastrous consequences of this situation, and shudder at prospect. Unfortunately, I cannot claim the high degree of learning and knowledge that one would need to guide the community back to the path of redemption; nor do I have the power to reform such a large community out of such hopeless degeneration. But God has endowed me with a sensitive and sympathetic mind which prompts me to press into service the little knowledge and insight that I have, and call both these groups to revert to the principle source of Islamic teachings and the mainspring of Islamic civilization. In view of my awareness of my own limitations and the immensity and difficult nature of the task that I have undertaken, my endeavour seems rather insignificant to me; but even an insignificant effort is better than inaction, and final success or failure can be determined to extend the scope of my endeavour as far as I can.
Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
The whole of mankind----Muslims as well as non-Muslims, and the peoples of the East as well as the West----are today beset with a grave evil: their lives are governed by a culture that was born in crass materialism and as now totally steeped in it. The practical policies as well as the theory of this culture are based on perverse and unstable foundations. Its philosophy and science, its ethical values and social system, its law and politics, in short every feature of this culture, made a wrong direction. And it has now reached a critical stage of decline which is not very far from collapse and total ruin.
This culture had its origin among a people who were not blessed with any clear and pure source of divine wisdom. They had their leaders of religion no doubt, but these divine were not endowed with wisdom or knowledge or armed with any law of divine origin. They had no assets or equipment except a fallacious religious concept which was inherently incapable of guiding them along the right lines. On the other hand it could not but act as an obstacle to the progress of science and philosophy. This is precisely what it did, with the result that those who were eager to progress threw religion overboard and adopted a different course where they had no guide except observation, experience, speculation and deduction. And they came to depend entirely upon these undependable guides, which are themselves incapable of functioning rightly without light and wisdom from a higher source of guidance. With the help of these guides, they no doubt made appreciable endeavours in the spheres of thought, research and organization; but in every one of the fields in which they worked, they made a wrong start and set out in the wrong direction. They started from atheism and materialism, and consequently looked upon the universe as an object without a Creator or Master. Similarly, they studied the phenomena of nature and the living creatures with the presumption that there was no reality beyond what could be directly perceived or experienced. With the help of experience and speculation, they studied and comprehended the law of nature, but they could not perceive its maker. They found the world of matter at their feet and began to press the forces into their service. But they had no idea that they were not the masters of rulers of this world in their own right but only the vicegerents of the real sovereign. This ignorance of and indifference to, the divine Creator and Master of the universe made the concept responsibility alien to their minds. And consequently they raised the whole edifice of their civilization and culture on unsound and insecure foundations. They abandoned God and began to worship the self, which, raised to the level of divinity, put them in grave difficulty. And it is the worship of this false and dangerous god that now leading them, in all fields of thought and action to deceptive and dangerous courses. The intermediary stages of these courses are no doubt very attractive, but the last and ultimate stage is total ruin and destruction. It is indeed this false god that has made science a weapon for the destruction of mankind, vitiated morality with self-indulgence, hypocrisy and unfettered freedom, and subjected the economic life of men to crass selfishness and fratricidal conflict. Again, it is this god that had injected the poison of selfishness and self-indulgence and luxuries living into every aspect of social life, and made politics for mankind by corrupting it with nationalism, racial discrimination and the worship of power. In short, this was the pernicious seed that was sown during the European Renaissance and which was grown over the centuries into a massive and deadly tree. Its fruits are sweet but poisonous, its flowers are attractive but full of thorns; its twigs and branches are green and verdant but are exhaling a deadly breeze which is imperceptibly poisoning the blood of all mankind.
The people of the West who themselves planted this pernicious tree, are now disgusted with it. It has created such serious problems in all aspects of their life that every attempt to solve them raises countless new difficulties and complications. Any branch that is lopped off is replaced by several thorny branches that run out to be equally, or even more dangerous. For instance, the attack on capitalism has resulted in the birth and rise of communism. Attempts to cure democracy of its ills have led to the rise of dictator ship. Endeavours to solve social problems have led to feminism and birth control. Efforts to eradicate social evils by law have resulted in large scale law-breaking and crime. In short, an endless crop of troubles has sprung from this pernicious tree of civilization and culture, making life hell for the peoples of the West. These troubles hurt every fiber of their being and they writhe in unbearable pain. Their souls are uneasy and restless and crave for the elixir of life; but they know not where to get it. Most of them still labour under the delusion that their troubles arise from this or that branch of the deadly tree; they are, therefore, wasting their time and energies chopping off the branches that appear harmful to them. It has not yet dawned upon them that all the trouble lies at the root, that their system of civilization and culture is poisoned at the heart, and that it is vain and foolish to expect a healthy branch from a rotten root.
On the other hand, there is a small group of right minded men who have realized that the tree of their civilization is rotten down to its roots. But, since they have lived under the shadow of that tree for generations, and its fruits have become a part of their being and lives, they fail to see what other kind of roots could be capable of growing into a sound tree and yielding wholesome fruits.
In the event, both these groups are in practically the same position. They both badly need a panacea for their ills and troubles, but do not know what that panacea is and where it can be had.
This is indeed the time when the way of life enunciated by the Qur’an and preached by the Prophet of Islam should be presented to the West. Its people should be told that this is the panacea and the elixir for which their souls are thirsting; this is the tree whose roots as well as branches are sound and healthy, whose flowers are fragrant and without any thorns, whose breeze is pleasant and life-giving. They should be informed that Islam offers pure practical wisdom and provides a perfectly sound starting point for thinking and theorization. It offers the knowledge that is capable of shaping individual character in the most perfect way. It offers to men a spiritualism that is not meant for monks or other recluses but constitutes a source of solace and peace of mind for men of the world who are involved in the struggle for life. It offers to mankind sublime and stable rules of law and morality which are based upon comprehensive knowledge of human nature and cannot be distorted in the pursuit of selfish ends. It offers sound and salutary principles of culture and civilization which override the unnatural distinctions of class and the artificial ethnic division and seek to organize mankind on purely rational foundations. Moreover, these principles help to bring about a sound and peaceful atmosphere of justice, equality, generosity and fair mutual dealings. This atmosphere rules out any conflict among individual or classes over their respective rights or interests: on the other hand it ensures ready and wholehearted cooperation among all groups and individuals in the promotion and private happiness and public welfare.
It is time that the nations of the West were warned of the impending catastrophe and told, that, if they want to avert the disaster and save their culture from destruction, they should rid themselves of all the prejudices and hatreds that they have inherited from the religious bigots of medieval Christendom, and which they have retained in spite of having discarded all the other legacies of the Middle Ages. They should approach the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet of Islam with an open mind, grasp and assimilate them, and accept them.
The Muslim nations are in a different stage from that of the Western peoples. Their maladies as well as the cause of their maladies are different; but the remedy that they need is the same as that indicated for the West. They must return to the kind of life and the course of conduct that God has presented in His Last Book through the agency of His Last Prophet.
The conditions in which Islam came into conflict with Western culture in the preceding century were very different from those in which it had clashed in its heyday with earlier civilizations. Islam came into conflict with the civilization of Rome, Persia, India and China at a time when it governed and effectively directed the intellectual capacities and practical abilities of its followers. They were an active and vigorous people surcharged with the spirit of Jihad---pooling down all their energies and capabilities to uphold the Word of Allah and were prepared to sacrifice even their lives for the sake of their mission and causes. At the same time they possessed superb intellectual powers and through their wisdom and sagacity were able to understand and explain the law of Islam to meet the requirements of changing times. Spiritually as well as materially, they were powerful and dominant people and were in fact the leaders of civilized mankind. None of the contemporary civilizations could resist their advance. Wherever they went, they revolutionized the people’s ideas and way of thinking their pet theories and ideologies, their morals and habits, their behaviour and outlook of life—in fact, they changed the entire fabric of their being. They were a dynamic people and had an extraordinary capacity of influence others but were not themselves easily susceptible to external influence. No doubt they did adopt what was good in others but their own culture and civilization, was so superior and virile that whatever was adopted by them from outside adopted itself to the genius and character of their own civilizations, and no external factor could produce any undesirable effect. On the other hand, their impact on other civilizations proved to be revolutionary. Some of the non-Muslim civilizations were totally absorbed by Islam and they lost even their separate identity; others, that had a stronger fibre, were so overwhelmingly influenced by Islam that their basic postulates and doctrines underwent considerable changes.
But that was in the heyday of Islamic civilization. For centuries, the Muslims continued to hold sway over a large part of the world. Their sword as well as their pen ruled supreme. (Military as well as intellectually they were the greater power on the surface of the planet). But ultimately their zeal began to waive and their energies began to flag. Their spirit of endeavour declined and they lost the ability to interpret the Shariah in the changing conditions. The Book that had for centuries the source of all knowledge and the fountain-head of all their power and dynamic existence was forsaken and began to treated merely as an object of veneration and formal respect. The precepts and life example of the greatest of men that ever walked over the earth had given their civilization the best of forms possible, a comprehensive and complete system of thought and action, was ignored and abandoned. Consequently, their progress was retarded and the running stream of their life and civilization turned into a stagnant pool. They lost the leadership of civilized mankind, and the deep and far-reaching influence of their thoughts, sciences, civilization and political supremacy on the other nations of the world began to wane. And then another civilization came on the scene and began to advance rapidly. The principles of endeavour and struggle and intellectual discernment which had been abandoned by the Muslims were taken over by the Western nations. While the Muslims fall into a stupor, the West started for going acting upon those very principles to achieve progress which the Muslims had forsaken. They marched on until they captured the leadership of mankind which the better part of the globe. Their thoughts and ideas, arts and sciences, and principles of civilization and culture dominated their lives and engulfed completely their minds and souls. And when, after many long centuries, the Muslims woke up from their slumber, they found that they lost the field and that their leadership and eminence in all fields and that their leadership and eminence in all fields of life was a matter of past and nations of the west were ruling the roost. They realized that they were equipped with all the knowledge essential for progress and their ideas and sciences dominated the world of learning. Their culture prevailed, their law held the filed. They were the rulers of the best part of the world. The Muslims had lost everything.
Today, Islam and Western civilization are in conflict with each other in very different conditions and circumstances. Western civilization is of course no match for Islam: indeed, if the conflict had been with Islam as such no other civilization could possibly have the better of Islam. But the tragedy is that Islam with which Western civilization happens to be in conflict today is a mere shadow of the real Islam. The Muslims are devoid of Islamic character and morals, ideas, and ideology, and have lost the Islamic spirit. The true spirit of Islam is neither in their mosques nor schools neither in their private lives nor in the public affairs. Their practical life has lost all its association with Islam. The Law of Islam does now govern their private or collective conduct. No aspect of their civilization or culture has remained firmly embedded to truly Islamic pattern. In the circumstances, the conflict is not between Western civilization and Islam as such: the struggle is between the stagnant and backward cultural position of the present-day Muslims and the civilization of the West which is throbbing with life and zeal, with the light of knowledge and the vigour of activity. The results of this highly unequal struggle are only natural: the Muslims are in retreat; their civilization and culture are being worsted, and they are gradually losing themselves in the rising tide of Western civilization. Their minds and souls have passed under the sway of the West. Their thinking is being moulded by Western thought. Their ideas and morals, their economy and social life, their law and politics---all are dominated by the West and rapidly adopting its complexion and character. The new generations of Muslims are growing in the belief that the law of life that they have learnt from the West is the true law of life. This is, in fact, the defeat of the Muslims; but unfortunately, it is being treated at the discomfiture of Islam itself.
The Problem is not confined to any single Muslim nation; the entire world of Islam is passing through this critical revolution. And much of the blame for this dangerous situation must be accepted by our leaders of religion. It was their duty, right at the outset of the revolution, to bestir themselves and try to comprehend the principles and essential features of the new civilization of the West and to go out to the Western lands to study the intellectual and scientific foundations on which the edifice of that civilization was being raised. With the help of ijtihad they should have striven to persuade the Muslims to accept and press into service the useful practical knowledge and press into service the useful practical knowledge and scientific discoveries that had enabled the Western nations to achieve such remarkable progress. And they should have sought to fit these new instruments of progress, in keeping with the principles of Islam, into the educational system and social life of the Muslims. They could thus have helped the Muslims to make up the loss that they had suffered as a result of centuries of stagnation and to catch up with the times. Unfortunately, however, most of the ulema had themselves lost the true spirit of Islam. They did not have the ability to interpret the principles and laws of Islam in the light of the changing conditions. They had little juristic insight or practical wisdom. They had lost the power of action and were utterly incapable of deducing the eternal and flexible principles of Islam from the Book of God and the teachings of the Prophet, and applying them to the changed conditions of life. On the contrary, they were obsessed with the past and addicted uncritical acceptance and blind imitation of our dead elders. With the consequence that whenever any problem arose they did not turn to Divine Book, which is above the limitations of time and space, but, instead, devoted their attention to books produced by men who were not Apostles of God and whose wisdom and foresight could never transcend the limitations of time and conditions and varying circumstances of life. The teachings of these persons however wise and pious were, therefore not all the capable of guiding the Muslims at a time when the conditions of life had changed radically, and the world of knowledge as well as the practical fields of human activity had undergone revolutionary changes which only God Almighty could know and which could not possibly have been foreseen, centuries earlier, by any person not endowed with prophetic insight and powers. It is true that the ulema did try to meet the challenge of the new civilization; but they were not equipped with the instruments required for effective resistance. The sweeping tide of a new civilization cannot possibly be stemmed with inertia and at a best some out-dated stagnant ideas. Dynamic forces cannot be defeated with inertia and inaction. The trend of events cannot be altered with out-dated logic and outworn arguments. New and up to date weapons cannot be met with old and rusty ones. The lines on, and the methods by, which the ulema sought to organize Muslim resistance to the new civilization were inherently incapable of achieving success. It was obviously impossible for a nation that had been overtaken by the tide of Western civilization to shut its eyes to the reality and escape the effects of the tide. Nor could a nation that had passed under the sway of modern civilization, backed by political supremacy, protect its life from its inevitable influences. What ultimately happened was, in the circumstances, practically unavoidable. After having been worsted on the field of battle, the Muslims were naturally defeated in the spheres of civilization and culture also. And today, we find the tide of western civilization and culture rising rapidly in all parts of the world of Islam, sweeping the new generations of Muslims farther and farther away from Islam.
Unfortunately, most of our ulema are not yet able to see their fault. In almost all the Islamic countries, a large section of leaders of religion still stick to the old attitude that was initially responsible for their failure. With a few exceptions, the ulema just do not try, seriously to comprehend the prevailing trends and the mental make up of modern men and women. Of course, they never tire of denouncing and decrying the factors and forces that tend to alienate the new generation from the fundamental principles of Islam; but they are not prepared to take the trouble of providing the necessary remedies. They have proved incapable of solving the various complicated intellectual and practical problems that the new conditions of life have created for the Muslims of the present age. These problems can be solved only through the interpretation of the principle of Islamic theology and law in the light of the changed conditions (ijtihad), but our ulema seem to shun any such endeavour. The manner in which they are trying to explain the teachings and laws of Islam is calculated to repel rather than attract the modern-educated mind. Indeed some of their explanations are so crude and unacceptable that one earnestly wishes that they were never heard or read by any non-Muslim or a misguided Muslim. These ulema are still living in the eighteenth century, they still breathe, live and think in that old world, and talk in terms that could have meaning and relevance only in that world. In fairness to these ulema is must be conceded that Islamic learning’s survives in the present-day world largely due to their efforts; they must also be given credit for whatever religious education we find amongst the Muslims today. Nevertheless, the two centuries that stand between them and modern times practically rules out any effective association between Islam and the present day world. Consequently, a young man who devotees himself to Islamic education, as it is imparted today, is ill equipped for the struggle of life and the race for progress. On the other hand, one who wants to succeed in worldly life remains indifferent to the teachings of Islam. This explains why everywhere in the Muslims world we find two groups and school of thought diametrically opposed to and often at loggerheads with each other. One of these is the standard bearer of Islamic learning and culture, but is incapable of leading guiding the Muslims in all spheres of life. The other group is controlling the intellectual, literary and political affairs of the Muslims, but is ignorant of the principles and essential features of Islam, alien to the spirit of Islamic culture, and unaware of the character of the communal organization of Islam and its social laws. Except for a spark of faith in the recess of his mind, a Muslim belonging to this latter group does not at all differ from a non-Muslim. But it is this group that possesses intellectual and practical power, and it alone has the capacity and the strength to run the affairs of the community. Accordingly, this group is misleading the nation and taking it farther and farther along the path of perdition, and there is no opposite force to stop it and show the right path to the people.
I can foresee the disastrous consequences of this situation, and shudder at prospect. Unfortunately, I cannot claim the high degree of learning and knowledge that one would need to guide the community back to the path of redemption; nor do I have the power to reform such a large community out of such hopeless degeneration. But God has endowed me with a sensitive and sympathetic mind which prompts me to press into service the little knowledge and insight that I have, and call both these groups to revert to the principle source of Islamic teachings and the mainspring of Islamic civilization. In view of my awareness of my own limitations and the immensity and difficult nature of the task that I have undertaken, my endeavour seems rather insignificant to me; but even an insignificant effort is better than inaction, and final success or failure can be determined to extend the scope of my endeavour as far as I can.
Battle of Badr
During the first decade or so of the Prophethood at Makkah the Message had proved its firmness and stability. This was the result of two things. First the Messenger who possessed the highest qualities of character was performing his Mission with wisdom foresight and magnanimity. He had shown by his conduct that he had made up his mind to carry the movement to a successful end and therefore was ready to face all sorts of dangers and obstacles in the way. Secondly the Message was so charming that it attracted the minds and hearts of the people irresistibly towards itself. So much so that all obstacles of ignorance superstition and petty prejudices failed to check its advance. That is why the Arab upholders of the ways of "ignorance ' who looked down upon it in its initial stages had' begun to reckon it as a serious menace during the last period of the stay of the Holy Prophet at Makkah and were bent on crushing it with all the force at their command. But in spite of the above-mentioned strength the movement still lacked certain things to lead it to victory.
First, it had not yet been fully proved that it had gathered round it a sufficient number of such followers who not only believed in its truth but also had such an intense devotion to its principles that they were ready to expend all their energies and all that they possessed in the struggle for its success and establishment. So much so that they were ready to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the whole world itself even though they should be their own nearest relative. It is true that the followers of Islam had endured the severest persecutions at the hands of the Quraish of Makkah and had given a good proof of the firmness of their faith and their strong relation with Islam yet further trials were required to show that Islam had succeeded in acquiring such a band of followers which considered nothing dearer than its ideal and was ready to sacrifice life for it.
Secondly though the voice of Islam had reached' every part of the country its effects were yet scattered and its acquired strength was spread here and there: it had not yet gathered sufficient force essential for a decisive conflict with the old established order of "ignorance".
Thirdly Islam had yet no home of its own and had not established itself firmly anywhere in the land where it could consolidate its power and make it a base for further action. For the Muslims were scattered all over the country and were living among the unbelievers as aliens whom their bloodthirsty enemies wanted to uproot from their own homes.
Fourthly, the Muslims had not yet had an opportunity to demonstrate practically the blessings of the system of life based on Islam. There was neither any Islamic culture, nor any social, economic or political system; nor were there any established principles of war and peace for their guidance. Therefore the Muslims had no opportunity for demonstrating those moral principles on which they intended to build their entire system of life; nor had it been proved on the touchstone of trial that the Muslims as a community were sincere in the proclamation of the Message. Allah created opportunities for making up these deficiencies. During the last four years or so of the Prophet's stay at Makkah, the voice of Islam had been proving effective at Yathrab and the people for various reasons had been accepting the message more readily than other clans of Arabia. So much so that in the twelfth year of Prophethood on the occasion of Hajj a deputation of 75 people met the Holy Prophet in the darkness of night. These people not only accepted Islam, but also offered to give him and his followers a home. As this was a most epoch making opportunity provided by Allah, the Holy Prophet took advantage of it. The significance of this offer was quite clear to the people of Yathrab, and they fully realized that this was not an invitation to a mere fugitive, but to the Messenger of Allah so that he should become their leader and ruler. Likewise they knew that they were not inviting the Muslim refugees to give them shelter from persecution but to assemble them from all over the country for their integration with themselves to form an organized community. Thus the offer of the people of Yathrab was to make Yathrab the "City of Islam." Accordingly the Holy Prophet accepted their invitation and made it the first "City of Islam" in Arabia. And the people of Yathrab were fully aware of the implications of this offer. It was indeed a declaration of war against the whole of Arabia, and an invitation to their own social and economic boycott as well. And when the Ansar from Yathrab declared their allegiance to the Holy Prophet at Aqabah, they knew fully well its consequences. During the course of the formal declaration of allegiance, Asad-bin- Zurarah, the youngest of all the delegates from Yathrab, stood up and said, "O people of Yathrab! Just listen to me and consider the matter carefully in all its aspects. Though we have come to him, regarding him only as a Messenger of Allah, we should know that we shall be inviting the enmity of the whole of Arabia. For when we take him away to Yathrab, we shall be attacked and our children may be put to the sword. Therefore if you have the courage in your hearts to face it, then and then only, you should declare your allegiance to him and Allah will give you its reward. But if you love your lives more than him and his Message, then leave this matter and frankly excuse yourselves, for at this time Allah may accept your excuses."
Abbas bin Ubadah bin Naalah, another member of the delegation, reiterated the same thing, saying, Do you understand the implication of the declaration of your allegiance to this person?" (Voices, "Yes, we know it.") "You are challenging the whole world to war by your declaration of allegiance to him. There is every likelihood of a serious menace to your lives and properties. Therefore consider it well. If you have any idea lurking in your minds that you will then hand him over to his enemies, it is much better to leave him alone now, because that conduct shall bring shame and disgrace to you in this world and the next. On the other hand, if you have sincerely resolved that you will endure all kinds of consequences that will follow as a result of this invitation, then it would be the best thing to take the oath of allegiance to him because, by God, this will surely bring good to you in this world as well as in the next world." At this all the members of the delegation cried with one voice, "We are ready and prepared to risk all our wealth and our noble kith and kin for his sake." It was then that the famous oath of allegiance, which is known as the "Second Oath of Allegiance at Aqabah" was taken.
On the other side, the people of Makkah also understood fully well the implications of this matter from their own point of view. They realized that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), who, they knew well, had a great personality and possessed extraordinary abilities, was going to gain a strong footing, by this allegiance. For this would help integrate his followers, whose constancy, determination, and unwavering fidelity to the Messenger had been tried, into a disciplined community under his wise leadership and guidance. And they knew that this would spell death for their old ways of life. They also realized the strategic importance of Al-Madinah to their trade, which was their chief means of livelihood. Its geographical position was such that the Muslims could strike with advantage at the caravans traveling on the trade route between Yaman and Syria, and thus strike at the root of their economy and that of other pagan clans very effectively. The value of the trade done by the people of Makkah alone on this route, not to count that of raif and other places, amounted to about two hundred thousand dinars annually. As the Quraish were fully aware of the implications of the oath of allegiance at Aqabah, they were greatly perturbed when they got wind of it the same night. At first they tried to win over the people of Al-Madinah to their side. But when they saw that the Muslims were migrating to Al- Madinah in small groups, they realized that the Holy Prophet was also going to emigrate soon from there. Then they decided to adopt an extreme measure to prevent this danger. A few days before his migration, the Quraish held a council to consider the matter. After a good deal of argument; they decided that one person should be taken from each of the families of Quraish other than that of Banu Hashim to put an end to the life of the Holy Prophet. This was to make it difficult for the family of the Holy Prophet to fight alone with all the other families of the Quraish and thus to force them to accept blood-money for his murder instead of taking revenge from them, but by the grace of Allah their plot against the life of the Holy Prophet failed because of his admirable foresight and full trust in Allah, and he reached Al-Madinah safe and sound. When they could not prevent his emigration, it occurred to them to exploit Abdullah bin Ub who had begun to cherish a grievance against the Holy Prophet since his arrival at Al-Madinah. He was an influential chief of Al-Madinah and the people had agreed to make him their king. But when the majority of Aus and Khazraj clan became Muslims and acknowledged the Holy Prophet as their leader, guide and ruler, all his hopes of becoming a king came to an end. Therefore the Quraish wrote to him, "As you have given shelter to our enemy, we tell you plainly that you should either fight with him yourself or exile him from your city otherwise we swear by God that we will invade your city, kill your males and make your females our slave girls." This letter added fuel to the flames of his jealousy and he was inclined to do some mischief, but the Holy Prophet took timely precautions and defeated his evil designs. The Quraish got another opportunity to hold out a threat. When Sa'ad bin Mu'az, another chief of Al-Madinah, went to Makkah to perform Umrah, Abu Jahl interrupted him at the very door of the Kaabah, saying, "Do you think we will let you perform Umrah in peace when you give shelter and help to renegades from us? Had you not been a guest of Ummayyah bin Khalf, you would not have gone alive from here." Sa'ad replied, "By Allah, if you prevent me from this, I will retaliate in a worse manner and block your route near Al-Madinah." This incident virtually led to a declaration from the people of Makkah that they would prevent the Muslims from a pilgrimage to the Kaabah, and from the people of Al-Madinah that as a retaliation they would block their trade route to Syria against the opponents of Islam. As a matter of fact there was no other alternative for the Muslims than to keep a strong hold on this route so as to force the Quraish, and the other clans, whose interests were vitally bound with this route, to reconsider their inimical and antagonistic attitude towards them. That is why the Holy Prophet attached the greatest importance to this problem. As soon as he was free from making the preliminary arrangements for organizing the newly formed Muslim Community and settling peace terms with the neighboring Jewish habitations, he adopted two measures in this connection
First, he entered into negotiations with those clans who lived between the Red Sea and this route so as to make alliances with them or at east to persuade them to make treaties of neutrality with the Muslims. He was successful in this, and he entered into a treaty of non-alignment with Juhainah, which was a very important clan of the hilly tract near the sea coast. Then, at the end of the first year of Hijrah, he made a treaty of defensive alliance with Bani Damrah, who lived near Yanb'u and Zawal Ushairah. In 2 A. H. Bani Mudlij also joined the alliance, as they were the neighbours and allies of Bani Damrah. Then it so happened that quite a large number of these people were converted to Islam as a result of the missionary work done by the Muslims.
Secondly, he successively sent small bands of his men on this route to serve as a warning to the Quraish, and himself accompanied some of them. In the first year of Hijrah, four expeditions were sent there, that is, the expedition under Hamzah, the expedition under Ubaidah bin Harith, the expedition under Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas and the Al-Abwa' expedition under the Holy Prophet himself. In the first month of the second year two more incursions were made on the same route. These are known as Buwat Expedition and Zawal Ushairah Expedition. Two things about all these expeditions are noteworthy. First, no blood was shed and no caravans were plundered in any of these expeditions. This proves that the real object of these expeditions was to show to the Quraish which way the wind was blowing. Secondly, not a single man from the people of Al-Madinah was sent by the Holy Prophet on any of these incursions. All the bands consisted purely of the immigrants from Makkah so that the conflict should remain between the people of the Quraish themselves and should not further spread by the involvement of other clans. On the other side, the Quraish of Makkah tried to involve others also in the conflict. When they sent bands towards Al-Madinah, they did not hesitate to plunder the people. For instance, an expedition under the leadership of Kurz bin Jabir al-Fihrl plundered the cattle of the people of Al-Madinah from the very vicinity of the city to show what their real intentions were.
This was the state of affairs when, in Sha'aban, 2 A.H. (February or March, 623 A.D.) a big trade caravan of the Quraish, carrying goods worth $50,000 or so, with only a guard of thirty to forty men, on its way back from Syria to Makkah, reached the territory from where it could be easily attacked from Al-Madinah. As the caravan was carrying trade goods worth thousands of pounds, and was scantily guarded, naturally Abu Sufyan, who was in charge of it, from his past experience feared an attach from the Muslims. Accordingly, as soon as he entered the dangerous territory, he despatched a camel rider to Makkah with a frantic appeal for help. When the rider reached Makkah, he, following an old custom of Arabia, tore open the ears of his camel, cut open his nose and overturned the saddle. Then rending his shirt from front and behind, he began to cry aloud at the top of his voice, "O people of Quraish despatch help to protect your caravan from Syria under the charge of Abu Sufyan, for Muhammad with his followers is in pursuit of it; otherwise I don't think you will ever get your goods. Run, run for help." This caused great excitement and anger in the whole of Makkah and all the big chiefs of the Quraish got ready for war. An army, consisting of 600 armored soldiers and cavalry of 100 riders with great pomp and show marched out for a fight. They intended not only to rescue the caravan but also to put to an end, once for all, the new menace from the Muslims who had consolidated themselves at Al-Madinah. They wanted to crush that rising power and overawe the clans surrounding the route so as to make it absolutely secure for future trade. Now the Holy Prophet, who always kept himself well informed of the state of affairs, felt that the decisive hour has come and that was the right time when he must take a bold step; otherwise the Islamic Movement would become lifeless for ever and no chance would be left for it to rise again. For if the Quraish invaded Al-Madinah, the odds would be against the Muslims. The condition of the Muslim Community was still very shaky because the immigrants Muhajirin had not been able to stabilize their economy during the short period (less than two years) of their stay at Al-Madinah; their helpers, the Ansar had not yet been tried; and the neighbouring Jewish clans were antagonistic. Then there was a strong group of hypocrites and mushriks in Al-Madinah itself; above all, the surrounding clans lived in awe of the Quraish and had all their religious sympathies with them. The Holy Prophet, therefore, felt that the consequences of this possible invasion would not be favorable to the Muslims. The second possibility was that they would not invade Al-Madinah but try only to escort their caravan safely and securely by a mere show of force. In that case, too, if the Muslims remained inactive, it would affect their reputation adversely. Obviously, this weak stand in the conflict would embolden the other Arabs also and make the position of the Muslims very insecure in the country and the surrounding clans would, at the instance of the Quraish, start hostilities against them, and the Jews, the hypocrites and the mushriks of Al- Madinah would openly rise against them and not only endanger their security of life, property and honor but make it difficult for them even to live there. The Muslims would not be able to inspire the enemy with awe so as to keep safe from them their life, property and honor. A careful study of the situation led the Holy Prophet to make up his mind to take a decisive step and go into the battle with whatever little strength he could muster, for thus and thus only could he show whether the Muslim Community had the right to survive or was doomed to perish.
When he arrived at this momentous decision, he called the Muhajirin and the Ansar together and placed the whole position before them, without any reservation. He said, "Allah has promised that you will confront one of the two, the trade caravan coming from the north or the army of the Quraish marching from the south. Now tell me which of the two you want to attack!" A large majority of the people replied that they wanted to attack the caravan. But the Holy Prophet who had something else before him, repeated the same question. At this Miqdad bin 'Amr, a Muhajir, stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Please march to the side to which your Lord commands you; we will accompany you wherever you go. We will not say like the Israelites, 'Go and let you and your Lord fight we will wait'. In contrast to them we say, 'Let you and your Lord fight; we will fight by your side to our last breath'." Even then he did not announce any decision but waited for a reply from the Ansar who had not yet taken any part in any battle of Islam. As this was the first opportunity for them to prove that they were ready to fulfill their promise of fighting for the cause of Islam, he repeated the question without directly addressing them. At this, Sa'ad bin Mu'az, an Ansar, stood up and said, "Sir, it appears that you are putting the question to us." When the Holy Prophet said, "Yes", the Ansar replied, "We have believed in you and confirmed that what you have brought is the Truth, and have made a solemn pledge with you that we will listen to you and obey you. Therefore, O Messenger of Allah, do whatever you intend to do. We swear by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth that we are ready to accompany you to the sea shore and if you enter it, we will plunge into it. We assure you that not a single one of us will remain behind or forsake you, for we will not hesitate at all to go to fight, even if you should lead us to the battlefield tomorrow. We will remain steadfast in the battle and sacrifice our lives in the fight. We do hope that by the grace of Allah our behavior will gladden your heart. So, trusting in Allah's blessing, take us to the battlefield." After these speeches it was decided that they should march towards the army of the Quraish and not towards the trade caravan. But it should be noted that the decision was of an ordinary nature. For the number of people, who came forward to go to the battlefield, was only a little more than three hundred (86 Muhajirs, 62 from Aus and 170 from Khazraj). Then the little army was ill-armed and hardly equipped for battle. Only a couple of them had horses to ride and the others had to take their turn in threes and fours on the back of a camel, out of the 70 they had in all. Above all, they had not got enough weapons for the battle; only 60 of them had armors. It is, therefore, no wonder that with the exception of those who were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam, the majority of those who had joined the expedition, were so filled with fear that they felt as if they were knowingly going into the jaws of death. Then there were people who always looked at things from a selfish point of view. Though they had embraced Islam, they did not realize that their faith would demand the sacrifice of their lives and properties from them; they were of the opinion that it was a mad expedition prompted by irrational enthusiasm for religion. But the Holy Prophet and the true Believers had realized the urgency of that critical hour which required the risk of life: therefore they marched straight to the south-west, wherefrom the army of the Quraish was coming. This is a clear proof of the fact that from the very beginning they had gone out to fight with the army and not to plunder the caravan. For if they had aimed at plundering the caravan they would have taken the north-westerly direction and not the south-westerly one.
The two parties met in combat at Badr on the seventeenth of Ramadan. When the two armies confronted each other and the Holy Prophet noticed that the Quraish army outnumbered the Muslims by three to one and was much better equipped, he raised his hands up in supplication and made this earnest prayer with great humility: "O Allah! Here are the Quraish proud of their war material: they have come to prove that Thy Messenger is false. O Allah! now send that succor that Thou hast promised to give me. O Allah! If this little army of Thy servants is destroyed, then there will be left none in the land to worship Thee." In this combat the emigrants from Makkah were put to the hardest test for they had to fight against their own near and dear relatives and put to the sword their fathers, their sons, their paternal and maternal uncles and their brothers. It is obvious that only such people could have come out successful in this hardest of tests as had accepted the Truth sincerely and cut off all relations with falsehood. And in another way the test to which the Ansar were put was not less hard. So far they had only alienated the powerful Quraish and their allies by giving shelter to the Muslims against their wishes but now, for the first time, they were going to give fight to them and to sow the seeds of a long and bitter war with them. This was indeed a very hard test for it meant that a small town with a population of a few thousand inhabitants was going to wage a war with the whole of Arabia. It is obvious that only such people could take this bold step who believed in the Truth of Islam so firmly that they were ready to sacrifice every personal interest for its sake. So Allah accepted the self-sacrifices of the Muhajirin and the Ansar because of their true faith, and rewarded them with His succor. The proud, well-armed Quraish were routed by these ill-equipped devotees of Islam. Seventy men of their army were killed and seventy captured as prisoners and their arms and equipment came into the hands of the Muslims as spoils of war. All their big chiefs, who were their best soldiers and who had led the opposition to Islam, were killed in this Battle. No wonder that this decisive victory made Islam a power to be reckoned with. A Western research scholar says that before the Battle of Badr, Islam was merely a religion and a state but after the Battle it became the state religion, nay, the state itself.
Topics of Discussion
It is this great Battle that has been reviewed in this Sura. But let it be noted that in some respects this review is quite different from the reviews that are usually made by the worldly commanders after a great victory Instead of gloating over the victory the moral weaknesses that had come to the surface in that expedition have been pointed out so that the Muslims should try their best to reform themselves. It has been impressed upon them that the victory was due to the success of Allah rather -than to their own valor and bravery so that the Muslims should learn to rely on Him and obey Allah and His Messenger alone. The moral lesson of the conflict between the Truth and falsehood has been enunciated and the qualities which lead to success in a conflict have been explained. Then the Sura addresses the mushriks the hypocrites the Jews and the prisoners of this war in a very impressive manner that should teach them a good lesson. It also gives instructions in regard to the spoils of war. The Muslims have bean told not to regard these as their right but as a bounty from Allah. Therefore they should accept with gratitude the share that is granted to them out of it and willingly accede to the share which Allah sets apart for His cause and for the help of the needy. Then it also gives normal instructions concerning the laws of peace and war for these were urgently needed to be explained at the stage which the Islamic Movement had entered. It enjoined that the Muslims should refrain from ways of "ignorance" in peace and war and thus should establish their moral superiority in the world. It also meant to demonstrate to the world in actual practical life the morality which it had been preaching to the world from the very beginning of Islam and had been enjoining that practical life should be based on the same. It also states some articles of the Islamic Constitution which help differentiate the status of the Muslims living within the limits of Dar-ul-Islam (the Abode of Islam) from that of the Muslims living beyond its limits.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
How to Train your WillPower to Work for You?
Abdur Rauf Shakir
Many people fail to get ahead because they have no willpower to do what they know they should be doing. Nor can they help themselves to avoid the things which they know will ruin them. Many such people would like to give up smoking, to stop using drugs, or to avoid affairs outside of marriage. Many find that gambling or alcohol addiction is wrecking their lives. Yet these people have no willpower to set their life on the right course. They feel helpless. And have to deal with a nagging conscience the pricks them with what they would have done, or should have done.
Yet there are some strong-willed people who seem to be able to do what they know is right and avoid what they know is wrong. Such people experience peace of mind knowing that they are doing the right thing. Their willpower is obviously working for them.
But how do they do it? What is the secret? The secret is that you can train your willpower. Suppose you made a resolution to skip lunch for a month and actually stuck to your decision. You may save your lunch money, lose a few pounds, develop sympathy for the poor, and give your digestive system a much-needed rest. More importantly, you will strengthen your willpower.
The reason this works is that you teach yourself to avoid lunch even when you know you could have it if you decide. Your stomach may growl, but you won’t listen. Thus you train yourself to ignore the calling of your lower physical self and reach for the higher goals of real human achievement. Doing the right thing even when your desires are calling for something else.
Every year, for one month, able Muslims go through a similar fasting exercise. They observe the fast as a compulsory practice which God prescribed in His revealed messages, especially in the final revealed book. One of the many benefits they experience from fasting is its training aspect.
The willpower they develop in that one month helps them to continue doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong throughout the year. They find the fast such an effective method of spiritual training and of achieving closeness with their creator that many Muslims also keep some additional, optional fasts on other days of the year.
They eat an early breakfast before dawn and a late dinner after sunset. From dawn to sunset they would have no food or drink; they would also refrain from sexual activity. Whereas the baser selves regularly call for these things, Muslims train themselves with the help of God to fulfill their natural needs in the time and manner that God declared suitable for human dignity and well being.
During the fast Muslims also train themselves to always avoid lying, cheating, backbiting, and all manner of false speech and immoral actions
Many people fail to get ahead because they have no willpower to do what they know they should be doing. Nor can they help themselves to avoid the things which they know will ruin them. Many such people would like to give up smoking, to stop using drugs, or to avoid affairs outside of marriage. Many find that gambling or alcohol addiction is wrecking their lives. Yet these people have no willpower to set their life on the right course. They feel helpless. And have to deal with a nagging conscience the pricks them with what they would have done, or should have done.
Yet there are some strong-willed people who seem to be able to do what they know is right and avoid what they know is wrong. Such people experience peace of mind knowing that they are doing the right thing. Their willpower is obviously working for them.
But how do they do it? What is the secret? The secret is that you can train your willpower. Suppose you made a resolution to skip lunch for a month and actually stuck to your decision. You may save your lunch money, lose a few pounds, develop sympathy for the poor, and give your digestive system a much-needed rest. More importantly, you will strengthen your willpower.
The reason this works is that you teach yourself to avoid lunch even when you know you could have it if you decide. Your stomach may growl, but you won’t listen. Thus you train yourself to ignore the calling of your lower physical self and reach for the higher goals of real human achievement. Doing the right thing even when your desires are calling for something else.
Every year, for one month, able Muslims go through a similar fasting exercise. They observe the fast as a compulsory practice which God prescribed in His revealed messages, especially in the final revealed book. One of the many benefits they experience from fasting is its training aspect.
The willpower they develop in that one month helps them to continue doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong throughout the year. They find the fast such an effective method of spiritual training and of achieving closeness with their creator that many Muslims also keep some additional, optional fasts on other days of the year.
They eat an early breakfast before dawn and a late dinner after sunset. From dawn to sunset they would have no food or drink; they would also refrain from sexual activity. Whereas the baser selves regularly call for these things, Muslims train themselves with the help of God to fulfill their natural needs in the time and manner that God declared suitable for human dignity and well being.
During the fast Muslims also train themselves to always avoid lying, cheating, backbiting, and all manner of false speech and immoral actions
A sister from the Gulf embraces Islam
Alsalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatu Allah Wa Barakatuh(Peace and blessings by upon you all )
Praise be to Allah for lighting my heart with the light of Islam, made it possible for me to find the right path, Peace and blessing be upon the prophet of Allah. .
At first I would like to indicate that the situation I ended up in was a natural result of negligence and carelessness. My story started before I was even born, my father is a Muslim from the (Arabian) Gulf, he married my Christian Arabic mother on a condition that she embraces Islam after getting married. My father and mother both got married In a European country –where they had studied-.
After six months of the marriage my mother refused the idea of accepting Islam, therefore my father decided to divorce her for breaking a major condition of their marriage. At that time my mother was pregnant of me, however that didn’t stop the divorce to take place. My mother then went back to here home country where I was born. Soon after, Dad asked her to take me back, but Mom refused for maternal emotions and insisted that I stay with her, Dad accepted her opinion and left me with my Christian mother. As for my dad, my relationship with him was based on his monthly money transfer that he was committed to me, as well as some occasional calls, I was to meet him once every two years or maybe more… even though I was carrying documents stating that I am a Muslim from the Gulf, however, I didn’t know anything about Islam and the Gulf except what I used to take in geography and history classes, or through what I had observed from the Muslims that I used to see in my mother’s country.
I used to study in a catholic school and go with my Mom to church; I lived like that for 18 years…I was Muslim by name that used to practice Christian rituals. It is true that I was sluggish in my worship, and hated going to church, but I was blaming myself and always promised myself to become a better Christian in the nearest future..
I used to live the careless teen life, I was out all the time spending the nights. I had friends from both genders. My mother used to advice me on some things, but after I had finished high school I didn’t earn a great GPA that will permit me to enter a university that I liked in my mother’s country, so I decided to study in my father’s country.
When I told my father about my plan to study in his place, he didn’t care much, all he asked me was “ where will you live?! I understood that he didn’t want me to live with him, I suggested to have my Mom and maternal step brother to travel and live with me, since my step father had passed away ‘who I used to call Father’.
Dad had accepted this idea, and decided to carry out all the costs associated with this trip including the apartment rent, food, and to increase my monthly salary.
This tripe was a major turnover in my life, I started learning about Islam from the Muslims themselves. The most thing that had attracted me was, the young girls who covered their heads with ‘Hijab’ scarf, I felt so jealous from them, because I have imagined them as saved diamonds by a piece of black velvet, but I was almost half naked just like an advertisement in a newspaper that attracts a few people, even those few don’t last, soon they would use this newspaper for their kitchen or throw it in the trash.
During my first year in the university I asked my mother about Islam,- I was so attached to her- but she gave me an answer that I’ll never forget… She said: “I was impressed about Islam before you and married your father, I was a believer of that religion, but after getting to know it closer I became sure that it is not a religion from God… it was just rubbish things from an ignorant Arabic man who didn’t know how to read or write… so how can an educated person like you allow an ignorant man play with her mind and try to adjust here life?...”
I was silent and accepted here talk, to be honest I didn’t bother myself anymore, because I was enjoying my free open life…
Three years passed during which I had flashes of thought about my religion…
I was addicted to the Internet and a frequent visitor to the PalTalk rooms for a full year. One day I entered the room of “Izhar Alhaq”(i.e showing the truth) by mistake, in which I found people showing the dark side of the Christianity, and I had known that a different room was talking bad about Islam. I lost my feelings between both religions between Islam that I’ve been labeled with in my documents plus it is my father’s religion, and Christianity that I was raised with plus it is my mother’s religion… Since my feelings go towards both religions, I decided to find myself in this religion issue… so I stayed for two months shifting and listening to both the Islamic and the Christian room, I gave each room two hours ‘listening only’. After knowing the two religions I started having questions… so I began asking the administrators of both rooms for a whole month. I found warm welcomes and a listening ear from the Muslims more than the Christians, which had amazed me. The only answers I used to get from the Christians when I asked them about the ideas I got from the “Izhar Alhaq” room, is that they are lyres or that it is in the old testament… Old Testament??????? How can a holy book be for a certain period and then get replaced with new book, written by a created person which they call the new testament???? However, the Qur’an is one book! I have compared between both religions and found that Islam is the one that my mind and natural feelings move towards, where the cleanness, justice, and dignity lay . So after three months I chose Islam as my religion, I then visited ‘Hamel Almesk’ room “in PalTalk” to learn more about my new religion. I noticed that the people there were competing to help me especially brother ‘Muslim’ and brother ‘Albalsam Alshafee’ Jazahum Allah Khair…
Through them, I was introduced to some books, and websites on Islam. I have not faced any difficulties with this religion since its the religion of fitrah (i.e. nature). I announced the ‘Shahadatain’ in ‘Hamel Almesk’ room, then I took a shower, followed by two ‘Rak’ah’ prayers. After three days I wore ‘Alhijab’ (i.e. the head cover), through which my mother knew about my Islam… I can’t say nor describe what she said and did to bring me back to Christianity -because I am making my story brief - she even offered to allow me live a secular life without any limits… can you imagine this call from a mother to her daughter. She even tried to tear up the Qur’an once, but I showed up at the right time.. She tried in various ways, but couldn’t defeat my determination on Islam , I promised her that my religion would not affect her life, so she would leave me live freely…
Now after three months of being a Muslim, I know about Islam more than those who were born Muslim. Do you know why? Because I chose to enter Islam, and left out my friends and my free life according to the western definition of the free life, all that for the sake of Allah, Allah has become my lover whom I work sincerely for, I knew by being a Muslim I am pleasing my Lord...
I looked after my religion and ‘all praise are due to Allah’ I became very good in “Tajweed” and have memorized chapters of the Qur’an. I didn’t leave nor delay a single prayer…
Brothers and sisters I hope you get to know Islam the way I did, so think and ponder into Allah’s rulings that way you’ll get attached and closer to it. Thanks and sorry for the lengthy story, even though I haven’t mentioned many parts of my story. I am 21 years old now, in my last year at the university.
Regards, Your sister: Muslimah.
Praise be to Allah for lighting my heart with the light of Islam, made it possible for me to find the right path, Peace and blessing be upon the prophet of Allah. .
At first I would like to indicate that the situation I ended up in was a natural result of negligence and carelessness. My story started before I was even born, my father is a Muslim from the (Arabian) Gulf, he married my Christian Arabic mother on a condition that she embraces Islam after getting married. My father and mother both got married In a European country –where they had studied-.
After six months of the marriage my mother refused the idea of accepting Islam, therefore my father decided to divorce her for breaking a major condition of their marriage. At that time my mother was pregnant of me, however that didn’t stop the divorce to take place. My mother then went back to here home country where I was born. Soon after, Dad asked her to take me back, but Mom refused for maternal emotions and insisted that I stay with her, Dad accepted her opinion and left me with my Christian mother. As for my dad, my relationship with him was based on his monthly money transfer that he was committed to me, as well as some occasional calls, I was to meet him once every two years or maybe more… even though I was carrying documents stating that I am a Muslim from the Gulf, however, I didn’t know anything about Islam and the Gulf except what I used to take in geography and history classes, or through what I had observed from the Muslims that I used to see in my mother’s country.
I used to study in a catholic school and go with my Mom to church; I lived like that for 18 years…I was Muslim by name that used to practice Christian rituals. It is true that I was sluggish in my worship, and hated going to church, but I was blaming myself and always promised myself to become a better Christian in the nearest future..
I used to live the careless teen life, I was out all the time spending the nights. I had friends from both genders. My mother used to advice me on some things, but after I had finished high school I didn’t earn a great GPA that will permit me to enter a university that I liked in my mother’s country, so I decided to study in my father’s country.
When I told my father about my plan to study in his place, he didn’t care much, all he asked me was “ where will you live?! I understood that he didn’t want me to live with him, I suggested to have my Mom and maternal step brother to travel and live with me, since my step father had passed away ‘who I used to call Father’.
Dad had accepted this idea, and decided to carry out all the costs associated with this trip including the apartment rent, food, and to increase my monthly salary.
This tripe was a major turnover in my life, I started learning about Islam from the Muslims themselves. The most thing that had attracted me was, the young girls who covered their heads with ‘Hijab’ scarf, I felt so jealous from them, because I have imagined them as saved diamonds by a piece of black velvet, but I was almost half naked just like an advertisement in a newspaper that attracts a few people, even those few don’t last, soon they would use this newspaper for their kitchen or throw it in the trash.
During my first year in the university I asked my mother about Islam,- I was so attached to her- but she gave me an answer that I’ll never forget… She said: “I was impressed about Islam before you and married your father, I was a believer of that religion, but after getting to know it closer I became sure that it is not a religion from God… it was just rubbish things from an ignorant Arabic man who didn’t know how to read or write… so how can an educated person like you allow an ignorant man play with her mind and try to adjust here life?...”
I was silent and accepted here talk, to be honest I didn’t bother myself anymore, because I was enjoying my free open life…
Three years passed during which I had flashes of thought about my religion…
I was addicted to the Internet and a frequent visitor to the PalTalk rooms for a full year. One day I entered the room of “Izhar Alhaq”(i.e showing the truth) by mistake, in which I found people showing the dark side of the Christianity, and I had known that a different room was talking bad about Islam. I lost my feelings between both religions between Islam that I’ve been labeled with in my documents plus it is my father’s religion, and Christianity that I was raised with plus it is my mother’s religion… Since my feelings go towards both religions, I decided to find myself in this religion issue… so I stayed for two months shifting and listening to both the Islamic and the Christian room, I gave each room two hours ‘listening only’. After knowing the two religions I started having questions… so I began asking the administrators of both rooms for a whole month. I found warm welcomes and a listening ear from the Muslims more than the Christians, which had amazed me. The only answers I used to get from the Christians when I asked them about the ideas I got from the “Izhar Alhaq” room, is that they are lyres or that it is in the old testament… Old Testament??????? How can a holy book be for a certain period and then get replaced with new book, written by a created person which they call the new testament???? However, the Qur’an is one book! I have compared between both religions and found that Islam is the one that my mind and natural feelings move towards, where the cleanness, justice, and dignity lay . So after three months I chose Islam as my religion, I then visited ‘Hamel Almesk’ room “in PalTalk” to learn more about my new religion. I noticed that the people there were competing to help me especially brother ‘Muslim’ and brother ‘Albalsam Alshafee’ Jazahum Allah Khair…
Through them, I was introduced to some books, and websites on Islam. I have not faced any difficulties with this religion since its the religion of fitrah (i.e. nature). I announced the ‘Shahadatain’ in ‘Hamel Almesk’ room, then I took a shower, followed by two ‘Rak’ah’ prayers. After three days I wore ‘Alhijab’ (i.e. the head cover), through which my mother knew about my Islam… I can’t say nor describe what she said and did to bring me back to Christianity -because I am making my story brief - she even offered to allow me live a secular life without any limits… can you imagine this call from a mother to her daughter. She even tried to tear up the Qur’an once, but I showed up at the right time.. She tried in various ways, but couldn’t defeat my determination on Islam , I promised her that my religion would not affect her life, so she would leave me live freely…
Now after three months of being a Muslim, I know about Islam more than those who were born Muslim. Do you know why? Because I chose to enter Islam, and left out my friends and my free life according to the western definition of the free life, all that for the sake of Allah, Allah has become my lover whom I work sincerely for, I knew by being a Muslim I am pleasing my Lord...
I looked after my religion and ‘all praise are due to Allah’ I became very good in “Tajweed” and have memorized chapters of the Qur’an. I didn’t leave nor delay a single prayer…
Brothers and sisters I hope you get to know Islam the way I did, so think and ponder into Allah’s rulings that way you’ll get attached and closer to it. Thanks and sorry for the lengthy story, even though I haven’t mentioned many parts of my story. I am 21 years old now, in my last year at the university.
Regards, Your sister: Muslimah.
A Call for Reassessment
A Call for Reassessment
A Letter Addressed to Intellectual and Opinion Leaders in the 'West'
From the Conference on
Glorification of the Sanctities of Islam
Held in Kuwait city, Kuwait, January 22-24, 2007
- Preamble
In the name of Allah, the Unique One, who is no God but He, and no one deserves to be worshiped but He, the Lord of the prophets: Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, the seal of all prophets, (Peace be upon all of them).
This letter was drafted by a group of Muslim scholars and intellectuals who recently gathered to discuss development in the relationship with the 'West', and the best and most logical manner to deal with the acceleration of infringements on the sanctities of Islam and Muslims by individuals, and by governmental, religious, and media organizations in the 'West'.
We, the signatories to this letter, address western thinkers, intellectuals, and decision makers as well as the leaders of grass-root movements and religious institutions. To all of them we state the following regarding this current phenomenon:
When an entire nation faces repeated and accelerated aggressions directed towards what is respected and holy to its people by groups from other nations, reactions will emerge and questions will be raised as to the rationale behind these transgressions, and the environment which created the milieu for these continued attacks. Nonetheless, it is for the benefit of all humanity that these transgressions and attacks come to an end.
No other community on the face of the earth today suffers from occupation, injustice and transgression from certain western forces more than Muslim world. No other peoples or nations are currently mocked, ridiculed, and hence suffered because of the western attacks on their religion and their holy symbols as much as the Muslim world. This phenomenon has reached an unacceptable level of infringement and injustice considering that these actions are directed at a worldwide culture and exceptional civilization with an immense history and against a divine religion representing more than a quarter of the world population. For this reason, we believe it is important to draw attention to our position concerning this phenomenon to allow for mistakes to be addressed and path to be rectified.
- Present Relationship
We realize that the western perspective regarding Islam was not initially positive for several reasons, the most important of which is that Europeans did not deal directly with Islamic culture which led to a continuing sense of unease and apprehension. Disunited Europeans eventually attempted to create a Christian front against Islam. Islam became the exterior enemy capable of unifying a Europe which was until then no more than scattered groups killing one another.
There is no doubt that generalizations may lead to misjudgments. In this regard, we are aware of how Europe and America have attempted over past centuries to rid themselves of the western civilization’s deficiencies in dealing with the concept of ‘Others’. However, incidents during the past few years have totally shattered these attempts.
In this letter, when we address the 'West', we mean western society in general. We are not only addressing the forces antagonistic to Islam, but also those who are fair, and we realize that the 'West' is diverse.
- Examples of Aggressions
We draw the attention of the intellectuals and opinion leaders of the 'West' to the gravity of the increasing and accelerating attacks. It is unconceivable and unacceptable to witness - in less than three years - a series of attacks on what is sacred to us beginning with an assault on our Lord's holy book (the Noble Quran) by the authoring, publication and distribution of a parody of the Quran in which the beliefs, legislations, ethics, and history of our religion are ridiculed. This was followed by a prejudiced and malicious campaign against the person of our Prophet (peace be upon him) describing him with the most repulsive attributes and picturing him with the most mocking and ridiculing caricatures.
The source of these attacks emerged from a Danish newspaper spreading to several European countries where certain news outlets supported and others encouraged the spread of these caricatures. The situation grew even worse when the Roman Catholic Pope described Islam, the Quran, and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in a prepared public speech with attributes that are unjust, to say the least.
Muslims worldwide are also closely following the repeated assaults on the noble Quran at the hands of American soldiers in detention centers of Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo in Cuba where the degradation of human beings was coupled with the humiliations of the Quran.
It continues to surprise Muslims worldwide to follow the news about infringements of personal freedoms of Muslim citizens and residents in the largest capitals of western countries. Let us also not forget the repeated attacks on mosques in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan sometimes through direct destruction, or by other means such as forced entry into mosques under the pretext of rooting out and killing militants, which, in turn, leads to the killing of innocent people inside these mosques.
There is also an air of superiority transpiring from the sayings of many leaders and politicians, the writings of some thinkers, and also in diverse media productions such as movies, series and novels that made it a habit of stigmatizing Islam with defects, violence and terrorism.
We are perplexed by the continued lack of public outcry from the majority of intellectual and opinion leaders against these repeated acts of aggression which occur in your countries in the 'West'. It leads us to question which side you belong to: the side of freedom for all, protecting human rights of others, and supporting the global ethic of respect, or the side of repression and curbing other people’s desires to preserve their own identities? We indeed ask: Are you siding with the insolence and mockery of the prophets in the name of the freedom of expression, or siding with freedom against the phenomenon of repression and suppression?
- The Attack on the Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him)
Although some civilizations have engaged in wars against Muslims in the past, most have not retained the hatred heritage toward the Prophet of Islam when compared with the small countries of Europe and their churches at the same time. Furthermore, Christian animosity toward Islam and the Prophet of Islam outside of western Europe were never transformed into what has been observed in western Europe; an historical abhorrence which was celebrated and emphasized during religious occasions and was portrayed on the walls and ceilings of cathedrals and houses of worship. It is a phenomenon worth studying and it is more important to limit its negative impact.
We question the reasons behind the endeavors of certain people in the 'West' to destroy the reputation of historical and contemporary role models. For those who live with no role models, we believe they will have no future; and a nation with no sense of history is like a building with no foundation.
Is this, perhaps, the fundamental raison d’etre for the focused attack on our Prophet? Do certain movements in the 'West' - calling for materialism and decadence - want human beings in general, and Muslims in particular, to abandon their desire to follow the steps of enlightened historical role models?
We are convinced that attacks such as these recent ones on the best role models in our tradition are nothing but a clarion call in a chain of events attempting to eradicate the historical value of these exemplars.
We remain confident that the Muslim world will never waver when it comes to defending the Prophet of Islam and all other Prophets. This is a dividing line which we will never allow it to be crossed on the false pretext of free expression of opinions or views. Furthermore, the Muslim world can not be forced to accept all the outcomes of freedom of expression in the 'West' just as the 'West' does not want to accept some of the outcomes of other human freedoms in the ‘East’.
We call upon western intellectuals to take a strong stance in dealing with these attacks. We expect they will be more concerned with protecting the accomplishments of the western civilization rather than protecting the ‘rights’ claimed by some in the 'West' to scorn others and ridicule Prophets.
- The Aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque (The Mosque of all the Prophets)
We consider the occupation and repeated attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque to be yet another example of aggressive behavior on what is considered sacred and holy to Muslims everywhere. These transgressions are happening with the support or silence of most western governments and the approval of some western religious movements as well.
It is worth noting that the Veto right of United States of America is rarely used in the United Nations for any purpose but to defend repeated Zionist attacks on occupied Palestinian land and to protect Jewish domination on Al-Aqsa mosque, which Muslims worldwide will never forfeit.
We reiterate our inquiries to the intellectual and opinion leaders: What is your position regarding these transgressions on what is sacred to Muslims in Palestine, and regarding injustices incurred by the Palestinian people who are deprived of their most basic rights.
We observe the blatant contradiction of the 'West' when it calls upon Muslims to adopt western forms of democracy while the same western governments agonize over what kind of free elections and what form of government Palestinians can be free to choose.
The silence of western intellectuals and thinkers about these transgressions on what is sacred to Muslims in Palestine is humiliating; it is a stain on the foreheads of those who champion freedom and democracy in the 'West'.
We call upon you to remove this stain by joining forces with many impartial intellectuals worldwide who are actively defending the rights of peoples and nations to liberate their occupied lands, to recover their holy sites, to fight for their rights to freely choose their representatives and those who would manage their political and social affairs, to retain their human dignity and their ability to resist humiliation and occupation, and to stand against injustice using all legitimate means.
- Mocking the Islamic Veil
Personal freedom is central to western democracies. It can be seen in western contemporary social life and also in intellectual literature. It should then be one of the fundamental rights of women in a democracy to have the personal freedom to choose their own clothes as far as they are not contradicting any general moral or social value.
The Muslim world is astonished to watch the increased attacks and mockery of the veil of Muslim women in the 'West'. These attacks directly contradict democratic principles which are currently being promoted in the Muslim world. The world's women-rights groups have not taken any concerted steps to defend the rights of Muslim Women. We cannot help but wonder how the right of nudity is accepted and defended while the right of decency is attacked and questioned?
One of the basic human rights in the 'West' is the right for one’s identity to be preserved and even protected and not attacked. How can the 'West' allow attacks on its own Muslim citizens for exercising the right to wear what suit them? Furthermore, we ask: what happened to the religious, social, and intellectual heritage of the western world? Modest western women would –and still do– wear decent clothing which closely resemble the Islamic dress code as in the cases of nuns and countryside women?
If the 'West' has abandoned this legacy of decency, does it mean the rest of the world must follow suit? We reject the 'war on decency' in today's world. We also do not accept the notion that this is the price to be paid for modernity and prosperity. Could the attacks on the veil of Muslim women result from the fact that, in itself, it represents just another symbol of decency?
The laws and regulations that were passed recently by several European countries to limit the rights of women to wear the veil appear to be a clear negation of their civil liberties. We wonder: is this happening because of a continued sense of animosity toward Islam by some, or because of the anti-decency position of some liberal supporters, or is it simply to please supporters of social and moral decadence? These are questions directed at western thinkers and intellectuals by the Muslim world. Our expectation is that they must stand firm against double standards in western intellectual norms which this phenomenon points to.
- Confrontation of Ideas
Islam has been stained with numerous accusations in the last few years by a group of thinkers and religious and political personalities in the 'West'. The accusations range from allegations that Islam has spread by the sword, that 'Reason' has no place in the Islamic intellect, that Islam is a religion of terrorism and backwardness, and other false accusations.
This letter does not aim at providing a detailed refutation of each of these allegations. We, nevertheless, highlight the fact that they contradict rational discussions and also breach basic research principles accepted worldwide. It seems, however, that these allegations correspond well with the policy of ‘War of Ideas’ which some American influential institutions are calling for in order to alter Islam.
We recognize that Islam has propagated through Jihad for the cause of Allah and it also has spread by other peaceful means. In fact, all civilizations have acquired and used force to preserve and defend their accomplishments and values. Moreover, we draw your attention to the fact that the concept of ‘Just War’ was accepted by the European Church and the secular movements in order to preserve the interests of the western civilization. Why then deny the same philosophical position when it comes to Islam?
Any person studying world history would realize that millions of people in many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines as well as some Asian and African nations have accepted Islam even though they were never invaded or attacked by any Muslim military force.
Another question: Why does Islam continue to grow worldwide nowadays and more particularly in the 'West' with no use of any military force to propagate it? It is happening, we believe, because of Islam's inherited influence and its harmony with the best of human nature.
As for the fundamental place of Reason in Islamic civilization in comparison with other civilizations, we must begin by stressing that historians unanimously agree that western history is full of incidents which either disregard the role of reason or idolize it; thus in fact, moving from one extreme to the opposite.
On the other hand, the Muslim world has been known for its moderation in the use of reason to properly serve humanity. We ask: why do certain religious leaders in the 'West' try to attack the role of reason in Islam? Is it to conceal deficiencies they encounter within their own faith, or to align forces with the secular movement in its confrontation with Islam?
We call upon Church leaders to reexamine their own beliefs beginning with the concept of divinity. Upon rigorous introspection and research, they will perhaps recognize the more-than-ample rational contradictions that this concept holds. The overpowering domination of Church leaders and their hostility towards science and reason could have been the main reason for the revolution against the Church in the past, and could also have inspired the materialistic and atheist wave which has developed throughout western countries.
We invite western intellectuals and thinkers to unshackle themselves from an intellectual position that was inherited from unjust religious wars, which the 'West' itself called ‘Crusades’; wars that perfectly fit today’s definition of ‘terrorist warfare’. As for those who accuse us today of terrorism, they were and still are the cause of most of the horrors and catastrophes of wars that have decimated tens of millions of persons in our contemporary world, especially the two World Wars, which the Muslims had no role in igniting.
Intellectuals in the Islamic world continue to notice the changes taking place in the tactics used by some adversaries in the 'West' who are shifting their position from attacking Muslims to attacking Islam, and from efforts to change Muslims to attempts to 'reform' Islam. We pronounce: Islam is in no need for a contemporary Protestantism, which would corrupt it, because Islam is well known for its ability to renew itself. Furthermore, Islam is spreading with no need to modify it. We question then, why some in the 'West' demand to alter Islam?
It is interesting for us to note that extreme egoism has caused some western intellectuals and decision makers to call for intellectual and religious reforms in a faith in which they barely know. They call for the reform of Islam simply because it is different from what was agreed upon in contemporary Christianity when it merged with western liberalism to form a new religion whose followers are arrogant enough to demand that others must change their own positions to match and adhere to the norms of this new religion.
We are confident that our religion, which will never be altered, is quite capable of healing the problems of western civilization. This may explain the uphill struggle of some opponents in the 'West' who are trying to get rid of the pure form of Islam. Furthermore, we believe that to maintain an unaltered Islam would obliterate for some the ‘End of History’ myth.
We strongly reject any attempt to repress the right of our community to adhere to its own intellectual reasoning system. We affirm at the same time our interest to get acquainted with other civilizations and to benefit from what they have, and is useful to us.
It is important to stress that the western thoughts in the domain of values, morals, legislation, and creeds are neither universal nor sacred. Attempts to make them as such will never succeed. Muslim societies in general are beginning to believe that attacks on Islam by some westerners under the banner of ‘War of Ideas’ only reflect their own fear of the enlightened message of Islam which stands firm against western domination.
What you are accustomed to call the ‘War of Ideas’ is a preference which we do not approve of. Nevertheless, we will never hesitate to face up to whatever hurts our sentiments. The theatre of war in the field of ideas is our own battleground. We will excel in this war not necessarily because of the superiority of our intellectuals or decision makers, but rather because of our unwavering confidence and certainty in our fundamental principles. We are confident of our ability not only to reveal, but also to cure the severe contradictions western civilization has in the domain of ideas, intellect, and beliefs.
- How to Explain the Attacks on our Sanctities?
It appears from the official statements of some western leaders and from verbal or written opinions representing the prevailing intellectual trend today that the attack on the Islamic world is not an isolated event or in response to a specific incident. It rather appears to be the outcome of a master plan that was carefully constructed to eclipse the impact of the Islamic community on the world.
The development of this master plan could be detected in the use of the word ‘Crusade’ used by U.S. President George W. Bush in describing his open war on what is being called ‘terrorism’ in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
It could also explain statements by the former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who claimed that western civilization was superior to that of Islam. Berlusconi said that Islam was ‘racist, inflammatory, and uneducated’ ignoring Islam’s long history of accomplishments. Such statements were also echoed by the former German Chancellor who remarked that he would not allow Islam to become a threat to the European civilization. An important question comes to mind here: What is the real purpose of this multifaceted attack on Islam?
If the explanation is the freedom of expression in criticizing other religions, then we do not see in contemporary western literature similar attacks on other religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism. We only observe continuous attacks on Islam. We also wonder: could this campaign of aggression be in response to recent political incidents? We must also disagree with this reasoning because aggressions against Islam have long preceded the recent events when a small group of Muslims has been accused of initiating aggression.
Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals perceive current attacks on Islamic rituals and sanctities as a direct result of the realization of some western leaders and intellectuals that the Islamic world is experiencing a revival, and is going through a fundamental renaissance. It also appears they realize that the Islamic world is resuming its mission to reform humanity to bring real happiness, and that Islam is becoming a real contender in intellectual and civilizational areas.
We examine with interest the report published by the ‘Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance’ which estimated the number of Muslims in 2003 to be 1.226 billions representing 19% of the world population that year. The report also confirms that Islam is the only religion whose adherents’ proportion is increasing while the proportion of the other major religions’ adherents is decreasing. The organization also predicts that before 2023, Islam will be the world’s first religion. Could these and other similar statistics be the driving factor behind the return of the fear of the Islamic world among certain western thinkers and leaders? The question is directed to you.
We are convinced of double-standards when we witness western leaders and intellectuals stress upon the value of individual liberty and democratic processes while at the same time they suppress freedom rights for Muslims in western countries. They promote the intolerance of Islamic symbols appearing in the daily lives of Muslims in the 'West', and even attempt to harm Muslims in their own homelands. Moreover, they continuously export oppression and colonial domination to the Islamic world.
We notice that the atmosphere of hostility from some western leaders has permeated some populations under the effect of the media and the hostile policies which are being falsely justified both culturally and intellectually. We believe the western media is no longer completely independent from policymaking. It rather appears sharing roles with decision makers. As a result of the media’s ability to incite people and disseminate policies, a more dangerous effect is also developing: It is the deterrence of nations from accepting the divine guidance.
It is interesting to note that the religious movement in the 'West' has strongly participated in this campaign by either concealing the truth about Islam, attempting to defame it and alienate people away from it, or by hiding the explicit ‘Good News’ pointing to of the prophet-hood of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the Old and New Testaments.
There is another trend of concerted political and media attacks on any impartial western writing which appears to be unbiased towards Muslims. This trend confirms to us that certain western political and intellectual forces consider it in their best interest that people in the 'West' get a somber image of Muslims and the religion of Islam.
- In Conclusion
We affirm the importance of proper inter-cultural dialogue in reaching the truth and limiting unjust aggression on others. Nonetheless, we are certain that talking about dialogue for some people is nothing more than a way to justify actions of the 'West' and to suppress the dissenting opinions and the authentic Islamic thinking and ideals. We stress the fact that communication between civilizations is quite possible in today's world but on the condition of establishing justice and fairness.
The contemporary western civilization is an outcome of the accumulation of the accomplishments of all previous world civilizations and their civic and progressive creativities. Nevertheless, the 'West' desires to monopolize its benefits for itself, and only for those who circle in its orbit. The 'West' appears to be adamant about depriving the Muslim world of the means of technological and materialistic progress to keep it occupied with inter-fighting and struggles fueled and instigated by the 'West' itself.
The stagnation of Muslims in development and creativity - due to many reasons - is an exception to the norms of the history of the Islamic civilization. This stagnation does not indicate that we are a backward community in terms of civilization or values. On the contrary, the Muslim world community encompasses a wealth of morals, ideals, values, and sources of guidance and enlightenment, and it will never abandon them. It will always carry the responsibility of calling humanity to these virtues.
We call upon you to reconsider the position of claiming civilizational supremacy over others. We further urge intellectual and opinion leaders among you to maintain neutrality and fairness with regard to Islam, its noble values, and its good virtues which has bequeathed humanity over ages.
The current situation of our Islamic world might not be great, but the foundations of Islam in creed, legislation, civilization, and ethics are nonetheless magnificent and applicable to every time and place. Furthermore, it is important to state that while the 'West' has achieved strong materialistic progress and technological innovation, the foundations of its civilization as they currently stand are not beneficial to humanity in the long run.
The defects of our current situation do not affect our conviction of the value of our religion and our civilization for humanity. This is why we are addressing you, the opinion leaders and decision makers, and we address through you the silent majority of the western peoples as well as those who are implicated in the campaigns of aggression on our sanctities and our resources and we demand from all the following:
First: Stop inflicting injustice upon us. Bring to an end the interference in our affairs, and stop attacking what is sacred and holy to our Muslim world community. Continuing these acts of aggression will not serve your vital economic interests in our countries. The only way to preserve these interests is through justice and fairness.
Second: We call upon you to join forces with us to stop media and cultural campaigns which insult what is sacred to us, ridicule our noble Quran, and attack the character of our Prophet. Otherwise, the Muslim community will have no choice but to continue exercising its legitimate right to resist the western oppression in all its forms: cultural, civilizational, political, and military.
Third: Rather than allocating resources and efforts on current campaigns aiming at containing and dominating us culturally, economically, politically and militarily, we urge you to allocate some of your intellectual and research efforts to determine the real causes of the rising civilizational conflict between us. We also urge you to research and study the real essence of the message of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We call upon you to open your minds and hearts to comprehend and appreciate the universality of Islam and the realities of our religion before attacking them, or calling people away from them.
Fourth: It is more important for western intellectuals and leaders to focus on reforming their own countries before interfering in the affairs of other nations and civilizations. The 'West' is undeniably in need of several fundamental reforms. It is far more imperative to tackle these reforms than to impose western reform projects on the Muslim world. We are confident that western nations and societies are heading towards a grievous abyss of incoherence, deterioration, and cultural bankruptcy if their leaders continue their approach of exporting corruption and inequalities to the rest of the world. All these mounting abuses will eventually return back as arrows hitting the hearts of those who spread and propagate them.
To reiterate: This letter is a call to the intellectual leaders in western countries to implement a ‘Western Reform Initiative’ to rekindle the true virtues of faith which all Prophets called for, to pay due respect to these Prophets (Peace be upon them), to aid the innocent, and to prevent injustice and aggression in the entire world and not just in the 'West'.
Before making calls to reform the Islamic world (or the Greater Middle East as they call it), the thinkers and leaders of the 'West' should adopt a project to reform their own societies with regard to family values, marriage and virtue. We also call for a western economic reform, which will protect people and individuals from being ‘terrorized’ by corporations and capitalistic market forces. This reform will bring back respect and appreciation to moral values rather than market values. It is a reform project which will enable the 'West' to join global forces working together in order to stop the alienation of the underprivileged, and to reinstate intrinsic value to real education.
Now is the right time to launch this initiative to rescue the 'West' from the dominance of an atheist minority seeking to destroy all contemporary religious values and moral standards.
Fifth: The 'West' must apologize for its repeated assaults on Islam. Furthermore, it must apologize for the numerous crimes that were committed in its name against Muslims during, before, and after the colonial era.
Our message to those who are determined to continue their aggression against our Muslim community is this: The propagation of Islam never ceased when it was attacked at any time in the past nor will it come to an end if it is harassed in this era or until the end of age. The Muslim world has a unique resiliency; a capacity to rebound after setbacks as witnessed throughout history.
The role of our Muslim community will not be limited to defending our religion and what is sacred to us. It will also extend to expose the tactics of the enemies of humanity. Citizens of the western world will come to recognize that what the enemies of Muslims in the 'West' are doing will harm the western world far more than it will harm the Muslim community.
The 'West' could possibly lose the advantages of economic trade with 1.25 billion people representing an overwhelming market share of world consumers. It will risk trade relationships with many Muslim countries, which retain a vast wealth of all current natural energy resources needed to fuel the wheel of modernity and development. These are the same Muslims who carry the largest share of the burden of sustaining human fairness and justice.
We believe that welcoming the western technological advancements, which are beneficial to humanity, does neither indicate nor necessitate trading our own values in order to merge into western cultures. We reject blind adherence to the 'West' or anyone else. At the same time, we do not object to trade and exchange benefits with the 'West' or to make use of its technological and industrial innovations.
We call upon the intellectual and opinion leaders in the 'West' to truly understand the religion of Islam, and the Muslim community. What motivates us to do so, and our evidence to it, is the divine order in the Book of Allah – The Noble Quran, which we find to be the very best way to conclude our letter to you. The glorious God states: "Say: 'O people of the Scripture: Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but God, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides God.' Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" [Quran,3:64]
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A Letter Addressed to Intellectual and Opinion Leaders in the 'West'
From the Conference on
Glorification of the Sanctities of Islam
Held in Kuwait city, Kuwait, January 22-24, 2007
- Preamble
In the name of Allah, the Unique One, who is no God but He, and no one deserves to be worshiped but He, the Lord of the prophets: Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, the seal of all prophets, (Peace be upon all of them).
This letter was drafted by a group of Muslim scholars and intellectuals who recently gathered to discuss development in the relationship with the 'West', and the best and most logical manner to deal with the acceleration of infringements on the sanctities of Islam and Muslims by individuals, and by governmental, religious, and media organizations in the 'West'.
We, the signatories to this letter, address western thinkers, intellectuals, and decision makers as well as the leaders of grass-root movements and religious institutions. To all of them we state the following regarding this current phenomenon:
When an entire nation faces repeated and accelerated aggressions directed towards what is respected and holy to its people by groups from other nations, reactions will emerge and questions will be raised as to the rationale behind these transgressions, and the environment which created the milieu for these continued attacks. Nonetheless, it is for the benefit of all humanity that these transgressions and attacks come to an end.
No other community on the face of the earth today suffers from occupation, injustice and transgression from certain western forces more than Muslim world. No other peoples or nations are currently mocked, ridiculed, and hence suffered because of the western attacks on their religion and their holy symbols as much as the Muslim world. This phenomenon has reached an unacceptable level of infringement and injustice considering that these actions are directed at a worldwide culture and exceptional civilization with an immense history and against a divine religion representing more than a quarter of the world population. For this reason, we believe it is important to draw attention to our position concerning this phenomenon to allow for mistakes to be addressed and path to be rectified.
- Present Relationship
We realize that the western perspective regarding Islam was not initially positive for several reasons, the most important of which is that Europeans did not deal directly with Islamic culture which led to a continuing sense of unease and apprehension. Disunited Europeans eventually attempted to create a Christian front against Islam. Islam became the exterior enemy capable of unifying a Europe which was until then no more than scattered groups killing one another.
There is no doubt that generalizations may lead to misjudgments. In this regard, we are aware of how Europe and America have attempted over past centuries to rid themselves of the western civilization’s deficiencies in dealing with the concept of ‘Others’. However, incidents during the past few years have totally shattered these attempts.
In this letter, when we address the 'West', we mean western society in general. We are not only addressing the forces antagonistic to Islam, but also those who are fair, and we realize that the 'West' is diverse.
- Examples of Aggressions
We draw the attention of the intellectuals and opinion leaders of the 'West' to the gravity of the increasing and accelerating attacks. It is unconceivable and unacceptable to witness - in less than three years - a series of attacks on what is sacred to us beginning with an assault on our Lord's holy book (the Noble Quran) by the authoring, publication and distribution of a parody of the Quran in which the beliefs, legislations, ethics, and history of our religion are ridiculed. This was followed by a prejudiced and malicious campaign against the person of our Prophet (peace be upon him) describing him with the most repulsive attributes and picturing him with the most mocking and ridiculing caricatures.
The source of these attacks emerged from a Danish newspaper spreading to several European countries where certain news outlets supported and others encouraged the spread of these caricatures. The situation grew even worse when the Roman Catholic Pope described Islam, the Quran, and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in a prepared public speech with attributes that are unjust, to say the least.
Muslims worldwide are also closely following the repeated assaults on the noble Quran at the hands of American soldiers in detention centers of Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo in Cuba where the degradation of human beings was coupled with the humiliations of the Quran.
It continues to surprise Muslims worldwide to follow the news about infringements of personal freedoms of Muslim citizens and residents in the largest capitals of western countries. Let us also not forget the repeated attacks on mosques in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan sometimes through direct destruction, or by other means such as forced entry into mosques under the pretext of rooting out and killing militants, which, in turn, leads to the killing of innocent people inside these mosques.
There is also an air of superiority transpiring from the sayings of many leaders and politicians, the writings of some thinkers, and also in diverse media productions such as movies, series and novels that made it a habit of stigmatizing Islam with defects, violence and terrorism.
We are perplexed by the continued lack of public outcry from the majority of intellectual and opinion leaders against these repeated acts of aggression which occur in your countries in the 'West'. It leads us to question which side you belong to: the side of freedom for all, protecting human rights of others, and supporting the global ethic of respect, or the side of repression and curbing other people’s desires to preserve their own identities? We indeed ask: Are you siding with the insolence and mockery of the prophets in the name of the freedom of expression, or siding with freedom against the phenomenon of repression and suppression?
- The Attack on the Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him)
Although some civilizations have engaged in wars against Muslims in the past, most have not retained the hatred heritage toward the Prophet of Islam when compared with the small countries of Europe and their churches at the same time. Furthermore, Christian animosity toward Islam and the Prophet of Islam outside of western Europe were never transformed into what has been observed in western Europe; an historical abhorrence which was celebrated and emphasized during religious occasions and was portrayed on the walls and ceilings of cathedrals and houses of worship. It is a phenomenon worth studying and it is more important to limit its negative impact.
We question the reasons behind the endeavors of certain people in the 'West' to destroy the reputation of historical and contemporary role models. For those who live with no role models, we believe they will have no future; and a nation with no sense of history is like a building with no foundation.
Is this, perhaps, the fundamental raison d’etre for the focused attack on our Prophet? Do certain movements in the 'West' - calling for materialism and decadence - want human beings in general, and Muslims in particular, to abandon their desire to follow the steps of enlightened historical role models?
We are convinced that attacks such as these recent ones on the best role models in our tradition are nothing but a clarion call in a chain of events attempting to eradicate the historical value of these exemplars.
We remain confident that the Muslim world will never waver when it comes to defending the Prophet of Islam and all other Prophets. This is a dividing line which we will never allow it to be crossed on the false pretext of free expression of opinions or views. Furthermore, the Muslim world can not be forced to accept all the outcomes of freedom of expression in the 'West' just as the 'West' does not want to accept some of the outcomes of other human freedoms in the ‘East’.
We call upon western intellectuals to take a strong stance in dealing with these attacks. We expect they will be more concerned with protecting the accomplishments of the western civilization rather than protecting the ‘rights’ claimed by some in the 'West' to scorn others and ridicule Prophets.
- The Aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque (The Mosque of all the Prophets)
We consider the occupation and repeated attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque to be yet another example of aggressive behavior on what is considered sacred and holy to Muslims everywhere. These transgressions are happening with the support or silence of most western governments and the approval of some western religious movements as well.
It is worth noting that the Veto right of United States of America is rarely used in the United Nations for any purpose but to defend repeated Zionist attacks on occupied Palestinian land and to protect Jewish domination on Al-Aqsa mosque, which Muslims worldwide will never forfeit.
We reiterate our inquiries to the intellectual and opinion leaders: What is your position regarding these transgressions on what is sacred to Muslims in Palestine, and regarding injustices incurred by the Palestinian people who are deprived of their most basic rights.
We observe the blatant contradiction of the 'West' when it calls upon Muslims to adopt western forms of democracy while the same western governments agonize over what kind of free elections and what form of government Palestinians can be free to choose.
The silence of western intellectuals and thinkers about these transgressions on what is sacred to Muslims in Palestine is humiliating; it is a stain on the foreheads of those who champion freedom and democracy in the 'West'.
We call upon you to remove this stain by joining forces with many impartial intellectuals worldwide who are actively defending the rights of peoples and nations to liberate their occupied lands, to recover their holy sites, to fight for their rights to freely choose their representatives and those who would manage their political and social affairs, to retain their human dignity and their ability to resist humiliation and occupation, and to stand against injustice using all legitimate means.
- Mocking the Islamic Veil
Personal freedom is central to western democracies. It can be seen in western contemporary social life and also in intellectual literature. It should then be one of the fundamental rights of women in a democracy to have the personal freedom to choose their own clothes as far as they are not contradicting any general moral or social value.
The Muslim world is astonished to watch the increased attacks and mockery of the veil of Muslim women in the 'West'. These attacks directly contradict democratic principles which are currently being promoted in the Muslim world. The world's women-rights groups have not taken any concerted steps to defend the rights of Muslim Women. We cannot help but wonder how the right of nudity is accepted and defended while the right of decency is attacked and questioned?
One of the basic human rights in the 'West' is the right for one’s identity to be preserved and even protected and not attacked. How can the 'West' allow attacks on its own Muslim citizens for exercising the right to wear what suit them? Furthermore, we ask: what happened to the religious, social, and intellectual heritage of the western world? Modest western women would –and still do– wear decent clothing which closely resemble the Islamic dress code as in the cases of nuns and countryside women?
If the 'West' has abandoned this legacy of decency, does it mean the rest of the world must follow suit? We reject the 'war on decency' in today's world. We also do not accept the notion that this is the price to be paid for modernity and prosperity. Could the attacks on the veil of Muslim women result from the fact that, in itself, it represents just another symbol of decency?
The laws and regulations that were passed recently by several European countries to limit the rights of women to wear the veil appear to be a clear negation of their civil liberties. We wonder: is this happening because of a continued sense of animosity toward Islam by some, or because of the anti-decency position of some liberal supporters, or is it simply to please supporters of social and moral decadence? These are questions directed at western thinkers and intellectuals by the Muslim world. Our expectation is that they must stand firm against double standards in western intellectual norms which this phenomenon points to.
- Confrontation of Ideas
Islam has been stained with numerous accusations in the last few years by a group of thinkers and religious and political personalities in the 'West'. The accusations range from allegations that Islam has spread by the sword, that 'Reason' has no place in the Islamic intellect, that Islam is a religion of terrorism and backwardness, and other false accusations.
This letter does not aim at providing a detailed refutation of each of these allegations. We, nevertheless, highlight the fact that they contradict rational discussions and also breach basic research principles accepted worldwide. It seems, however, that these allegations correspond well with the policy of ‘War of Ideas’ which some American influential institutions are calling for in order to alter Islam.
We recognize that Islam has propagated through Jihad for the cause of Allah and it also has spread by other peaceful means. In fact, all civilizations have acquired and used force to preserve and defend their accomplishments and values. Moreover, we draw your attention to the fact that the concept of ‘Just War’ was accepted by the European Church and the secular movements in order to preserve the interests of the western civilization. Why then deny the same philosophical position when it comes to Islam?
Any person studying world history would realize that millions of people in many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines as well as some Asian and African nations have accepted Islam even though they were never invaded or attacked by any Muslim military force.
Another question: Why does Islam continue to grow worldwide nowadays and more particularly in the 'West' with no use of any military force to propagate it? It is happening, we believe, because of Islam's inherited influence and its harmony with the best of human nature.
As for the fundamental place of Reason in Islamic civilization in comparison with other civilizations, we must begin by stressing that historians unanimously agree that western history is full of incidents which either disregard the role of reason or idolize it; thus in fact, moving from one extreme to the opposite.
On the other hand, the Muslim world has been known for its moderation in the use of reason to properly serve humanity. We ask: why do certain religious leaders in the 'West' try to attack the role of reason in Islam? Is it to conceal deficiencies they encounter within their own faith, or to align forces with the secular movement in its confrontation with Islam?
We call upon Church leaders to reexamine their own beliefs beginning with the concept of divinity. Upon rigorous introspection and research, they will perhaps recognize the more-than-ample rational contradictions that this concept holds. The overpowering domination of Church leaders and their hostility towards science and reason could have been the main reason for the revolution against the Church in the past, and could also have inspired the materialistic and atheist wave which has developed throughout western countries.
We invite western intellectuals and thinkers to unshackle themselves from an intellectual position that was inherited from unjust religious wars, which the 'West' itself called ‘Crusades’; wars that perfectly fit today’s definition of ‘terrorist warfare’. As for those who accuse us today of terrorism, they were and still are the cause of most of the horrors and catastrophes of wars that have decimated tens of millions of persons in our contemporary world, especially the two World Wars, which the Muslims had no role in igniting.
Intellectuals in the Islamic world continue to notice the changes taking place in the tactics used by some adversaries in the 'West' who are shifting their position from attacking Muslims to attacking Islam, and from efforts to change Muslims to attempts to 'reform' Islam. We pronounce: Islam is in no need for a contemporary Protestantism, which would corrupt it, because Islam is well known for its ability to renew itself. Furthermore, Islam is spreading with no need to modify it. We question then, why some in the 'West' demand to alter Islam?
It is interesting for us to note that extreme egoism has caused some western intellectuals and decision makers to call for intellectual and religious reforms in a faith in which they barely know. They call for the reform of Islam simply because it is different from what was agreed upon in contemporary Christianity when it merged with western liberalism to form a new religion whose followers are arrogant enough to demand that others must change their own positions to match and adhere to the norms of this new religion.
We are confident that our religion, which will never be altered, is quite capable of healing the problems of western civilization. This may explain the uphill struggle of some opponents in the 'West' who are trying to get rid of the pure form of Islam. Furthermore, we believe that to maintain an unaltered Islam would obliterate for some the ‘End of History’ myth.
We strongly reject any attempt to repress the right of our community to adhere to its own intellectual reasoning system. We affirm at the same time our interest to get acquainted with other civilizations and to benefit from what they have, and is useful to us.
It is important to stress that the western thoughts in the domain of values, morals, legislation, and creeds are neither universal nor sacred. Attempts to make them as such will never succeed. Muslim societies in general are beginning to believe that attacks on Islam by some westerners under the banner of ‘War of Ideas’ only reflect their own fear of the enlightened message of Islam which stands firm against western domination.
What you are accustomed to call the ‘War of Ideas’ is a preference which we do not approve of. Nevertheless, we will never hesitate to face up to whatever hurts our sentiments. The theatre of war in the field of ideas is our own battleground. We will excel in this war not necessarily because of the superiority of our intellectuals or decision makers, but rather because of our unwavering confidence and certainty in our fundamental principles. We are confident of our ability not only to reveal, but also to cure the severe contradictions western civilization has in the domain of ideas, intellect, and beliefs.
- How to Explain the Attacks on our Sanctities?
It appears from the official statements of some western leaders and from verbal or written opinions representing the prevailing intellectual trend today that the attack on the Islamic world is not an isolated event or in response to a specific incident. It rather appears to be the outcome of a master plan that was carefully constructed to eclipse the impact of the Islamic community on the world.
The development of this master plan could be detected in the use of the word ‘Crusade’ used by U.S. President George W. Bush in describing his open war on what is being called ‘terrorism’ in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
It could also explain statements by the former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who claimed that western civilization was superior to that of Islam. Berlusconi said that Islam was ‘racist, inflammatory, and uneducated’ ignoring Islam’s long history of accomplishments. Such statements were also echoed by the former German Chancellor who remarked that he would not allow Islam to become a threat to the European civilization. An important question comes to mind here: What is the real purpose of this multifaceted attack on Islam?
If the explanation is the freedom of expression in criticizing other religions, then we do not see in contemporary western literature similar attacks on other religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism. We only observe continuous attacks on Islam. We also wonder: could this campaign of aggression be in response to recent political incidents? We must also disagree with this reasoning because aggressions against Islam have long preceded the recent events when a small group of Muslims has been accused of initiating aggression.
Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals perceive current attacks on Islamic rituals and sanctities as a direct result of the realization of some western leaders and intellectuals that the Islamic world is experiencing a revival, and is going through a fundamental renaissance. It also appears they realize that the Islamic world is resuming its mission to reform humanity to bring real happiness, and that Islam is becoming a real contender in intellectual and civilizational areas.
We examine with interest the report published by the ‘Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance’ which estimated the number of Muslims in 2003 to be 1.226 billions representing 19% of the world population that year. The report also confirms that Islam is the only religion whose adherents’ proportion is increasing while the proportion of the other major religions’ adherents is decreasing. The organization also predicts that before 2023, Islam will be the world’s first religion. Could these and other similar statistics be the driving factor behind the return of the fear of the Islamic world among certain western thinkers and leaders? The question is directed to you.
We are convinced of double-standards when we witness western leaders and intellectuals stress upon the value of individual liberty and democratic processes while at the same time they suppress freedom rights for Muslims in western countries. They promote the intolerance of Islamic symbols appearing in the daily lives of Muslims in the 'West', and even attempt to harm Muslims in their own homelands. Moreover, they continuously export oppression and colonial domination to the Islamic world.
We notice that the atmosphere of hostility from some western leaders has permeated some populations under the effect of the media and the hostile policies which are being falsely justified both culturally and intellectually. We believe the western media is no longer completely independent from policymaking. It rather appears sharing roles with decision makers. As a result of the media’s ability to incite people and disseminate policies, a more dangerous effect is also developing: It is the deterrence of nations from accepting the divine guidance.
It is interesting to note that the religious movement in the 'West' has strongly participated in this campaign by either concealing the truth about Islam, attempting to defame it and alienate people away from it, or by hiding the explicit ‘Good News’ pointing to of the prophet-hood of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the Old and New Testaments.
There is another trend of concerted political and media attacks on any impartial western writing which appears to be unbiased towards Muslims. This trend confirms to us that certain western political and intellectual forces consider it in their best interest that people in the 'West' get a somber image of Muslims and the religion of Islam.
- In Conclusion
We affirm the importance of proper inter-cultural dialogue in reaching the truth and limiting unjust aggression on others. Nonetheless, we are certain that talking about dialogue for some people is nothing more than a way to justify actions of the 'West' and to suppress the dissenting opinions and the authentic Islamic thinking and ideals. We stress the fact that communication between civilizations is quite possible in today's world but on the condition of establishing justice and fairness.
The contemporary western civilization is an outcome of the accumulation of the accomplishments of all previous world civilizations and their civic and progressive creativities. Nevertheless, the 'West' desires to monopolize its benefits for itself, and only for those who circle in its orbit. The 'West' appears to be adamant about depriving the Muslim world of the means of technological and materialistic progress to keep it occupied with inter-fighting and struggles fueled and instigated by the 'West' itself.
The stagnation of Muslims in development and creativity - due to many reasons - is an exception to the norms of the history of the Islamic civilization. This stagnation does not indicate that we are a backward community in terms of civilization or values. On the contrary, the Muslim world community encompasses a wealth of morals, ideals, values, and sources of guidance and enlightenment, and it will never abandon them. It will always carry the responsibility of calling humanity to these virtues.
We call upon you to reconsider the position of claiming civilizational supremacy over others. We further urge intellectual and opinion leaders among you to maintain neutrality and fairness with regard to Islam, its noble values, and its good virtues which has bequeathed humanity over ages.
The current situation of our Islamic world might not be great, but the foundations of Islam in creed, legislation, civilization, and ethics are nonetheless magnificent and applicable to every time and place. Furthermore, it is important to state that while the 'West' has achieved strong materialistic progress and technological innovation, the foundations of its civilization as they currently stand are not beneficial to humanity in the long run.
The defects of our current situation do not affect our conviction of the value of our religion and our civilization for humanity. This is why we are addressing you, the opinion leaders and decision makers, and we address through you the silent majority of the western peoples as well as those who are implicated in the campaigns of aggression on our sanctities and our resources and we demand from all the following:
First: Stop inflicting injustice upon us. Bring to an end the interference in our affairs, and stop attacking what is sacred and holy to our Muslim world community. Continuing these acts of aggression will not serve your vital economic interests in our countries. The only way to preserve these interests is through justice and fairness.
Second: We call upon you to join forces with us to stop media and cultural campaigns which insult what is sacred to us, ridicule our noble Quran, and attack the character of our Prophet. Otherwise, the Muslim community will have no choice but to continue exercising its legitimate right to resist the western oppression in all its forms: cultural, civilizational, political, and military.
Third: Rather than allocating resources and efforts on current campaigns aiming at containing and dominating us culturally, economically, politically and militarily, we urge you to allocate some of your intellectual and research efforts to determine the real causes of the rising civilizational conflict between us. We also urge you to research and study the real essence of the message of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We call upon you to open your minds and hearts to comprehend and appreciate the universality of Islam and the realities of our religion before attacking them, or calling people away from them.
Fourth: It is more important for western intellectuals and leaders to focus on reforming their own countries before interfering in the affairs of other nations and civilizations. The 'West' is undeniably in need of several fundamental reforms. It is far more imperative to tackle these reforms than to impose western reform projects on the Muslim world. We are confident that western nations and societies are heading towards a grievous abyss of incoherence, deterioration, and cultural bankruptcy if their leaders continue their approach of exporting corruption and inequalities to the rest of the world. All these mounting abuses will eventually return back as arrows hitting the hearts of those who spread and propagate them.
To reiterate: This letter is a call to the intellectual leaders in western countries to implement a ‘Western Reform Initiative’ to rekindle the true virtues of faith which all Prophets called for, to pay due respect to these Prophets (Peace be upon them), to aid the innocent, and to prevent injustice and aggression in the entire world and not just in the 'West'.
Before making calls to reform the Islamic world (or the Greater Middle East as they call it), the thinkers and leaders of the 'West' should adopt a project to reform their own societies with regard to family values, marriage and virtue. We also call for a western economic reform, which will protect people and individuals from being ‘terrorized’ by corporations and capitalistic market forces. This reform will bring back respect and appreciation to moral values rather than market values. It is a reform project which will enable the 'West' to join global forces working together in order to stop the alienation of the underprivileged, and to reinstate intrinsic value to real education.
Now is the right time to launch this initiative to rescue the 'West' from the dominance of an atheist minority seeking to destroy all contemporary religious values and moral standards.
Fifth: The 'West' must apologize for its repeated assaults on Islam. Furthermore, it must apologize for the numerous crimes that were committed in its name against Muslims during, before, and after the colonial era.
Our message to those who are determined to continue their aggression against our Muslim community is this: The propagation of Islam never ceased when it was attacked at any time in the past nor will it come to an end if it is harassed in this era or until the end of age. The Muslim world has a unique resiliency; a capacity to rebound after setbacks as witnessed throughout history.
The role of our Muslim community will not be limited to defending our religion and what is sacred to us. It will also extend to expose the tactics of the enemies of humanity. Citizens of the western world will come to recognize that what the enemies of Muslims in the 'West' are doing will harm the western world far more than it will harm the Muslim community.
The 'West' could possibly lose the advantages of economic trade with 1.25 billion people representing an overwhelming market share of world consumers. It will risk trade relationships with many Muslim countries, which retain a vast wealth of all current natural energy resources needed to fuel the wheel of modernity and development. These are the same Muslims who carry the largest share of the burden of sustaining human fairness and justice.
We believe that welcoming the western technological advancements, which are beneficial to humanity, does neither indicate nor necessitate trading our own values in order to merge into western cultures. We reject blind adherence to the 'West' or anyone else. At the same time, we do not object to trade and exchange benefits with the 'West' or to make use of its technological and industrial innovations.
We call upon the intellectual and opinion leaders in the 'West' to truly understand the religion of Islam, and the Muslim community. What motivates us to do so, and our evidence to it, is the divine order in the Book of Allah – The Noble Quran, which we find to be the very best way to conclude our letter to you. The glorious God states: "Say: 'O people of the Scripture: Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but God, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides God.' Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" [Quran,3:64]
Contact Us | Learning rulings of Tajweed | Learning Arabic Language | Islam Q&A | Quran Recitations | Link to Us | Holy Quran Radio | Upload | Become a Muslim | Translations of Quran | Online BookStore | Privacy policy
All islamhouse.com rights are open, you can use the content of the website and spread it in any distribution means
Last Update : Sep 14,2008 - 22:09:46
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