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Reflections |
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In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever
Merciful
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The
Keep-it-Simple Rule and Islam
Are God’s
expectations from humans easy to fulfil? If they are, should we not
let others do what they are doing and not get involved in
unnecessarily disturbing them by declaring what they are doing as
un-Islamic? Also, should we not let non-Muslims remain what they
are? Isn’t it an unnatural expectation from them to convert to a
completely new religion? If we are expecting non-Muslims to convert,
why shouldn’t Muslims be expected to conform to the truth within
their own faith? Is changing from one religious view to another not
difficult? If it is, how then is Islam easy to follow? Why can’t we
follow the Keep-It-Simple rule in Islam?
God Almighty wants us to make things easy for us. This is what He
has to say: “Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire hardship
for you.” (2:185) The Prophet (sws) strongly urged his followers to
“make things easy and don’t make them difficult. Give them good news
and don’t scare them away.”1
However, easiness in religion has to be done in the way the
Almighty wants us to do it. It should not be mistaken for
casualness. Here are the outlines of the easy way, as I understand,
the Almighty wants us to follow:
i) One has always got to remain open to truth. It is only in that
way that one acquires true faith. Laziness in matters of truth is an
offence, though hopefully a minor one, but unjustifiable
stubbornness in the matter of truth is an inexcusable crime. By the
latter what I mean is that you refuse to take interest in the truth
simply because you are already attached to some other ideology and
you don’t want a new one to disturb you. In the process of comparing
the contestants for truth, if I am confused, the Almighty would
accept it as a valid excuse, inshā Allah. Ignoring the truth,
however, can never be a part of the otherwise desirable
keep-It-simple formula.
ii) There is no Muslim vs non-Muslim divide in the eyes of God. No
one is at a disadvantage in this trial of life. Muslims are expected
to be open to truth quite as much as the non-Muslims are. Those
non-Muslims who know that the message of Islam is from God and are
still spurning it out of arrogance are criminal kāfir (the condemned
disbelievers) in the eyes of their Creator. Likewise is the case of
Muslims who are guilty of a similar crime in any aspect of the truth
that comes from God. So long as a person is confused about whether a
certain message is from God or not, he is not guilty. The ultimate
decision on all such matters will be taken, thankfully, by the
All-Knowing God Himself.
iii) In matters of practice, the rule is that you are expected to
follow the truth as much as is possible. God has promised that His
expectations are simple. However, we need to understand them in
order to follow them. That strategy would ensure that things are
kept simple.
iv) In matters of new findings on religion, science, or any other
discipline, we again need to remain open. Of course, not everyone is
interested in everything, but if someone tells me that what I am
doing right now is not acceptable to my God, then I cannot take it
lightly. Even in non-religious matters, once we jump into a
discussion, we have to behave like truth-seeking believers and not
like truth-spurning kāfirs.
v) God Almighty has promised that He is not going to make any soul
accountable for anything more than what his potential is. He has
also promised that He will forgive people who repent after realizing
that what they were doing was wrong and that He will only punish
those who were insisting on a wrong, criminal attitude knowingly.
What better keep-it-simple approach could there be than this?
vi) One of the things I am expected to do as a good believer is to
get involved in the process of correcting those who are closely
linked with me. Likewise, I should allow others to influence me
positively whenever I am going wrong. Such an attitude of mutual
correction is a demonstration of the believers’ concern for the
welfare of each other. In no way does it demonstrate an unnecessary
interference in the affairs of others. In fact, not doing so would
be indicative of a lack of interest in the spiritual and moral
welfare of the other person.
Author:
Dr Khalid Zaheer
Topic URL:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=294
_______________
1. Bukhārī, No: 5773.
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In this
Issue |
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Reflections
* The Keep-it-Simple
Rule & Islam
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Read & Reflect
* Relationship between
the Qur'an & the
Previous Scriptures
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Debate & Discuss
* Discussion Forum:
Family & Marriage:
Core Issues
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Express & Explain
* General Discussion
Forum: Terrorist vs
Terrorism
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Pause & Ponder
* Jihad
with Muslims
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Announcements
*
Successful
Participants
Recent
Additions
* Articles
* Q n As
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Spot on Site
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Read and Reflect |
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Relationship between the Qur’ān
and the Previous Scriptures
regarding Divine Injunctions
Author
Imam
Hamiddudin Farahi
(Tr. by Tariq Hashmi)
A traveller does not need to turn to
stars for direction in broad daylight. Similarly, after the revelation of the
Holy Qur’ān Muslims abandoned seeking guidance from the previous scriptures
since they are an amalgam of truth and falsehood. However, the previous
scriptures rival the Holy Qur’ān in that the latter is one of God’s revelations
and the prophet who brought it is also a member of the community of the prophets
and messengers of God. All Muslims, from Adam to us, in spite of the great
number of the prophets sent in different times and regions, are one ummah
following a single religion. This makes it imperative for us to know the
teachings of the earlier books. A study of these books can afford us a great
variety of benefits. It will help us appreciate the excellence of the Qur’ān
over the previous scriptures which in turn will lead us to thank God for
blessing us with the unparalleled Book. It will also help us discern the points
lost upon commentators of the later generations which in turn made it impossible
for them to get to the true purport of certain Qur’ānic passages. This will also
avail us with sound proofs to establish arguments against the People of the
Book. This last point alone is a great benefit.
With the earlier scriptures already present, the Holy Qur’ān was revealed to
serve two basic purposes.
First, parts of religion which were not yet revealed in those books were
revealed.
Second, it clarified the matters which were forgotten by the earlier
communities. Many matters were disputed among them and the Holy Qur’ān decided
these differences. Some of the matters did not remain clear to them and they
lost the right course. The Qur’ān revealed the true nature of such matters. Most
importantly, they had manipulated and adulterated many parts of the divine
revelation. The Holy Qur’ān corrected such things. The Almighty says:
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ
هَـذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ لِيَشْتَرُواْ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً (٧٩:٢)
Then woe be
to those who write the book with their own hands and then claim that it is from
God in order to earn some trivial benefit! (2:79)
These are the basic reasons which
called for a fresh divine revelation. Besides fulfilling these purposes, the
Holy Qur’ān helps us remember God, propagate His teachings and disseminate His
message which are characteristics common to all the divine revelations.
Since the Holy Qur’ān was revealed to fulfil a specific purpose, it does not but
discuss teachings of the highest value. It has left out the details of
narratives, dispensable explanations of divine commandments and events of
micro-history. The general addressees of the Qur’ān were fully aware of these
things. Repeating such things would have been futile and wearisome for such an
audience. Therefore, the historical narratives the Holy Qur’ān discusses have
been put very cogently either in order to provide precedence or a historical
allusion (talmīh) or to unveil any hideous cheating by the People of the Book.
Similarly, it has also not dealt with the well-known religious practices the
humans were obligated to carry out except for explicating those aspects which
still needed completion and perfection.
The believers in the call of the Holy Prophet (sws) had either been the People
of the Book or those who had intermingled with them. The latter category too
was, owing to their acquaintance with the former, aware of the teachings of the
earlier books. They did not find it difficult to understand the Qur’ānic
passages which only alluded to the things mentioned in the earlier books leaving
out certain details. They noticed the gulf of difference between the Qur’ānic
style of expression and the earlier books in spite of the unity of purport and
this raised the status of the Holy Qur’ān in their eyes. Regarding such
audience of the Holy Qur’ān, the Almighty says:
وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ
الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُواْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا
فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ (٨٣:٥)
And when they
listen to what has been revealed to the Prophet, you see their eyes fill with
tears as they recognize its truth. They spontaneously say: “Lord! We believe.
Count us among the witnesses.” (5:83)
Topic URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=291
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Debate and Discuss: |
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Discussion Forum: Family and Marriage: Core Issues
Topic:
Marriage to People of the Book
basmar04
I
understand that Muslim men can marry women of the "People of the Book", but
the same does not apply to Muslim women. Does it mean that there is no
obligation for the People of the Book (women) to revert to Islam? For example,
can a Muslim man marry a Christian woman without her having to revert to
Islam? If so, then how do they live together ?Does she continue to lead her
Christian life ?
ibrahim
Yes you are right that Muslim men can marry a
Christian or Jewish women and they will live together more or less in the same
way a Muslim couple live. But this case surely effect some parts of live
especially in the upbringing of kids. That's why Islam allowed this marriage
when it was on the dominant side. So these days a Muslim man should give this
matter a serious thought as he's the responsible person of his family &
answerable to God. I hope that by thinking this way, majority of Muslim men
will avoid indulging in such a case.
atifrafi
Just
wanted to clarify one more thing, why Muslim women are not allowed to marry
"people of the book"?
I was watching the movie "Khuda ke Liye" ( In the name of GOD) which has
created many debated in Pakistan. I found many things are in accordance of
Islam, but this is the one confusing point for me. It was said that it is not
NOT LIKED in Islam that Muslim women marry someone non Muslim but we cannot
say that if a women marries some non Muslim men, she is out of Islam.
I just wanted to clarify what kind of restriction
is there in Islam and whats the basis of this restriction.
As it is normally said that Muslim women are not
allowed to marry non Muslim men, whats the basis for this argument.
I once heard Dr. Shakeel Auj (I hope I am able to
spell correctly) in a TV program, and he was saying that Quran is silent on
this issue. If that is the case, then whats the basis of this belief and why
Muslims do not allow women to marry non Muslim men.
I hope I am able to clarify.
StudentAffairs
Nice to have your comments Atif,
As a matter of fact even Muslim men are allowed
to marry non-Muslim women in a state where there is a supportive environment
for Islam and where the threat that rather the man himself or his future
children would turn away from Islam because of the non-Islamic pressures does
not exist.
For understandable reasons Muslim women are
therefore discouraged to marry non-Muslim men because in almost all cultures
and societies, be it East or West, women are still not on the fore-front and
as always still a weaker gender to effect the in-laws or the husband's culture
and society compared to what he can do. Although it is agreed that once in a
protected household environment, she will always be more capable to influence
the training of her children than her husband.
atifrafi
Thanks for your comments on the issue. As you
have stated, Muslim women are "discouraged" to marry non-Muslim men. Does that
means that it is not HARAAM for Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men and if
they do so, maximum we can say that it is NOT LIKED but we cannot say that its
PROHIBITED. And, one more, if some women do so, what will be status of the
marriage and children.
StudentAffairs
Dear Atif, you seem to have understood this
right. However we have sent your further queries to the moderator and you may
also contact him on
sbukhary@hotmail.com
Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator)
Following is the basic directive regarding this issue:
"This day are [all] good things made lawful for
you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and
your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers
and the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful
for you) when ye give them their marriage portions and live with them in
honor, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denies
the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter."
(5:5)
It is evident from the context of the above verse
that this permission was granted when no confusion remained regarding tawheed
(monotheism) and it prevailed over the polytheistic Arab society in every
manner. The verse quoted above begins with the word
اَلْيَوْم (this day). This word shows
that the permission given was also very much dependent on the circumstances of
those times: It was expected that if Muslim men would marry among the People
of the Book these women would be positively influenced by Islam.
The reason and wisdom behind this directive seems
to be that women would be positively influenced by Islam and if it seems
otherwise as today then this allowance in case of men will also not be
applicable as Sayyedna Umar forbade in his Khilafah. As no one can ever know
if the husband will be influenced or not therefore such marriage is forbidden.
The “Tawatur” and consensus of Muslim Ummah also supports this point of view.
atifrafi
Thanks sir
for your valuable remarks. Does that means that now a days, according to the
current circumstances even Muslim men should avoid marrying a non-Muslim women?
Secondly, at the time, when it was allowed for men
to marry non Muslim women, what was the rule for women. Were they allowed at
that time? The above verse of the Holy Quran, quoted by you, is silent about the
Muslim women.
What I understand is that if something is not
prohibited, it MAY BE termed as "NOT LIKED" but it cannot be termed as a SIN or
something prohibited. Please clarify
URL :
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2605&lang=&forumid=42
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Express and Explain: |
General
Discussion Forum:
Terrorist vs Terrorism
According to British
writer and lecturer, Karen Armstrong, the west is deeply Islamophobic and the
Islamophobia is the result of a long process of prejudice, dating back to the
Crusades. The recent events have strengthened the prejudiced belief that “Islam
is the religion of the sword”. Islamophobia can manifest itself directly in
verbal or physical attacks on Muslims but also indirectly in negative images of
Muslims presented by the media. Islamophobia was worsened by anti-Islamic
policies, publications and activities in Europe and the US. Islamophobia is not
only a cause of discrimination against Muslims but also an open threat to world
peace. The western media and intellectuals play a significant role in spreading
Islamophobia. Hate-mongers have come out of the woodworks in full force. Now,
not a day passes without the newspapers, magazines, radio and TV talk shows,
Hollywood movies, computer games and even children’s cartoons and the myriad of
internet websites and chat rooms, attacking Islam and Muslims. Muslim
communities in the western world and its so called leaders have taken the
Ostrich-approach. They have buried their heads in the sand hoping the problems
would go away. It is not going to go away. The neck of the Ostrich will be cut.
Entire Muslim communities living in the west are under attack. According to a
survey, 70% of Americans do not want to see Muslims living in their
neighborhood. There is not a single day when Islam and Muslims are not attacked
by the mainstream news media outlets. Muslims are referred barbarians who must
either be civilised or banished before they pollute the egalitarian societies in
which they were born or now live. According to a survey in Scotland, half of
Scots see Muslims as a ‘cultural threat’. Scotland would lose its identity if
more Muslims went to live there. According to DEMOS, British public is more
worried about violent crime and immigration, but the British establishment has
focused too heavily on terrorism.
Masajid and Muslim organizations are regarded as
training centers for terrorists. Thousands of innocent Muslim youths are being
searched in streets and hundreds of them are behind the bar with out any trial.
No religion advocates terrorism. However, West has directed its anger against
Islam and Muslims by inventing Islamic Terrorism. It is the western extremism
which is portraying Islam as an evil. It is the extremism in France, Turkey and
other European countries where Muslim women are not allowed to cover their
heads. Now the Turkish education chief wants headscarf ban lifted. In Britain,
there is a social and economic pressure on Muslim women not to cover their
heads. Despite international outrage and the US authorities’ own stated wish to
close Camp Guantanamo is still holding detainees illegally… in cruel, inhuman
and degrading conditions.
There is an undeclared World War III going on in
the name of War on Terrorism. The fact of the matter is that Islam is all peace
and hence this war is war of terrorism and not against terrorism. Deception and
lies are frequently part of the wars and with powerful Hollywood film tools and
other media communications devices people of the world are thoroughly fooled,
deceived and made confused. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is an unmitigated
disaster that had brought the west generally into disrepute. Inter Milan, the
Italian foot-ball team played with an Istanbul team, wearing a strip with
“Crusader-Style” red crosses which is offensive to Muslims. The red-cross brings
to mind one thing: the symbol of the “Templar Knights”. The cross also
symbolised “western racist superiority over Islam”. Inter Milan had manifested
in the most explicit manner the superiority of one religion over another. Many
EU countries are against Turkey joining EU on the ground that majority of Turks
are Muslims with secular constitution. Widespread ignorance and Right-wing
groups is the main culprit behind the demonized image of Islam in the west.
Islamophobic west has become politically motivated. Western media and
politicians are portraying Muslims as “satanic figures”. A recent British study
has found that a torrent of negative and imbalance stories in the British media
demonize the sizeable Muslim minority and their faith by spreading prejudices
and portraying them as the enemy within. Many people in the west, including
researchers and those working in the media, unintentionally provide a blemished
image of Islam because they are ignorant about Islam and Muslims. The
republication of Danish cartoons clearly shows the prevalent ignorance about
Islam. The United Nation wanted to introduce a universal law to protect Muslims
from Islamophobia, which is spreading like wildfire, but the so-called civilised
western establishments, voted against it. It is the fundamental duty of Muslims
settled in the west to raise awareness of the spirit and core of Islam.
One by one all Muslim Organizations are going to be
classified as ‘Terrorists’. BBC Newsnight has already branded world Assembly of
Muslim Youth (WAMY) as terrorist. According to TES, dated 1st Feb2002, Muslim
teacher’s website has been condemned for links to militant Islamic groups. It is
absurd to brand Muslim teachers website as a terrorist. Its aim is to provide
guidance, share experience and discuss every day issues and problems facing
Muslim teachers. It is also going to help British teachers to learn to respect
and understand Islamic culture and most misunderstood British Muslim community.
Racism in schools is alive and well was recognized by the Focus Institute on
Rights. Staff in many schools is unwittingly racist but in my view, all British
teachers are chicken racist. Racism is rife in National Curriculum. There is no
mention of Muslim contribution in the world. Schools reinforce the racism that
has been promulgated for centuries. The curriculum is supposed to encourage
respect for different nationals, religious and ethnic identities and encourage
pupils to challenge injustice. A report on teachers from the minority
communities found that racism coupled with a lack of support and career
progression is holding some back. Even teacher trainees were encountering racism
at placement schools. They would like to discuss their worries more, but only if
the senior management team was visibly open and supportive. The management at
schools was very defensive about any mention of racism, so the issue could not
be discussed in any meaningful way. If a teacher in English school calls a teddy
bear Jesus Christ, there would be seriously hostile comments in much of the
media. While in Sudan a British teacher was tried and imprisoned for insulting
Islam for fifteen days but was pardoned by the President and released after
eight days. She said after her release that she encountered nothing but kindness
and generosity from Sudanese people. She was treated well in a Government Villa
instead of a prison cell. She could have been imprisoned for six months and
forty lashes. It is a fact that British teachers have no respect for Islamic
faith and subsequently Muslim community, according to research by the University
of Derby.
All the Masajid and Muslim organizations are there
for humanitarian, educational and youth works. None of them promotes acts of
terrorism or support so called Islamic Terrorism. They are busy in those aspects
of education, which are neglected by state schools. They satisfy the needs and
demands of the Muslim children and teenagers, which were denied by state schools
and LEAs. Without their support and guidance the young generation of Muslim
would have lost its Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and
personality development. Their contribution will be more effective if all Muslim
pupils attend Muslim schools with Muslim teachers. It will help to develop
positive co-relation between school and home resulting in raising the standard
of education of future Muslim generations. For this purpose, I have a
proposition that those state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority may be
designated as Muslim Community Schools, managed and controlled by Muslim
Educational Trusts and Charities. They are in a better position to educate
Muslim children according to their needs and demands. A study by the National
Foundation for Educational Research confirmed that all faith schools had better
results than their secular counterparts. Conservative spokesman on education has
praised schools affiliated to religious groups, saying Muslim schools deserved
“support” not suspicion.
student1
It is true brother
because their are extremist elements in the US and UK government that hate Islam
and their aim is to misguide the people of the West about Islam because they are
scared that one day this religion will take over their countries and their
position will be in danger.
This same "Islam" is the one that brought positive
changes in the world during Medival Times and showed a new direction to the
world and now this unfortunate religion is under attack.
One of the main problems is that we should work on
our side to promote the true teachings of Islam and should convince Westerns and
explain them the true teachings of Islam.
Let me tell you brother, West has the potention to
convert to Islam but all we need is to become a symbol of Islam for them because
they themselves are fed-up of their corrupt and free society and offcourse they
are looking for solutions and Islam is the only solution for them.
Don't think that all the Westerns are against Islam
,their are many sensible people who know about Islam and do not believe what
their media propagates about Islam.
imran776 (Moderator)
If we leave aside
these westerners, even we Pakistanis including myself are moved by the current
situation in Pakistan.
Leaving aside all the outside/foreign elements we
need to bring our house in order first and everything will be all right
inshallah.
See:
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2875&lang=&forumid=1
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Pause
and Ponder: |
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Jihad with Muslims
Question asked by
Anonymous.
Posted on: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 - Hits: 89
Question:
If a Muslim
state attacks another Muslim state then defending the country obviously is Jihad
for the Muslims of invaded country. In such a situation, what should be the
stance of the Muslim soldiers of the invading army? What are they supposed to do
if they find before them their Muslim brethren?
Answer:
Today, the only
basis of Jihad endorsed by Islam is one that is against oppression and
persecution. This is irrespective of the fact whether this oppression is being
perpetrated by Muslims or non-Muslims.
As regards the situation you have referred to, it
bears many possibilities. A Muslim is supposed to support the truth and support
any move against oppression. It is obvious that a Muslim country is not always
on the right. When the invaded Muslim country is not on the right and the
soldiers of the invading army know that the country in question has a wrong
standing, then their fight should be considered Jihad. If, however, they know
that the other country is fighting for a just cause and their leadership is
forcing them into committing oppression, they can leave their service in favor
of the right cause. They must be ready in this case to face the consequences as
well.
Regards,
Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Research Assistant, Studying Islam
see: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=691
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