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Reflections |
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In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever Merciful
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Is God an Intellectual
Reality
We certainly
do not perceive God, but we do observe this world. History has recorded the
story of the fashion in which we have beheld it for the last five thousand
years. We have observed it from widely different angles. The Bedouin of
deserts, and the unsophisticated tillers of soil had their share of intimate
observation of this world. The modern scientists and astronomers like
Swedenborg, Herschel, Hubble and Einstein have made this observation from
their very special positions. We saw this world even when our imagination
suggested that a slightly taller structure would literally shake hands with
the sky; we are still watching it now when we know that some of its stars
are so distantly placed from us that their light takes billions of years to
reach us.
There was a time when we fancied our sun to be no more than a big ball
which, if it were to somehow cool down and descend to us, could be
conveniently employed for our benefits. Our modern enlightenment has enabled
us to know its distance from Pluto, a planet, for example, is four billion
and six hundred million miles. Furthermore, we know that this system is only
a small part of a large galaxy which has billions of suns, and that this
galaxy is just one of the millions of spiral nebulae.
This, then, is what we know as yet, we do not know what more is in store,
still eluding us for want of ever further scientific probing.
Throughout this long period of stay in this world, we
have always heard the silent verdict of our intuition that all this
arrangement despite its vast expanse and grandeur, is a creation. Our
intellect unequivocally endorses this verdict. Efforts to form a contrary
opinion not withstanding, human intellect has always ended up with the same
conclusion. The findings of the latest research are, likewise, no different.
Man is, consequently, forced to confirm that this world is undoubtedly a
creation, no more and no less than that.
We conclude from the above that if this world is a creation, it should
definitely have a Creator. A common rebuttal of this argument, based on the
question of identification of a Creator of this deduced Creator, is clearly
illogical, for we do not argue that everything should necessarily have a
Creator. On the contrary, we assert that every creation should indispensably
have a Creator, and because we accept this world to be a creation, it must
logically have a Creator. Everyone should, therefore, submit willingly to
this verdict of our intellect.
We readily yield to this verdict which is unanimously endorsed by our
intuition as well as by our intellect. Our entire existence, in fact, is a
clear testimony to it. Nothing within or external to us can challenge this
contention. We, therefore, believe that the existence of God is an
unquestionable reality which no reasonable person can afford to deny.
Reality does not appear through our observations and experiences only. We
also, at times, infer from evidences of objects and events to arrive at
conclusions. Information gathered through both channels deserve equal right
on the word. A modern physical scientist has rightly remarked that reality
is always reality whether discovered directly or through reasoning. The
major part of man’s best scholarly achievement is based on this process. He
unhesitatingly affirms those facts which he has discovered through logical
reasoning just as he affirms those which he has observed directly.
As the Holy Qur’ān invites man to believe in the facts which belong to the
second category, the unseen facts, it was but logical that it should have
adopted the process of intellectual reasoning to convince its readers. It
first draws the attention of man to the reality which exists in his
intuition. It informs him that the Powerful and Wise Being who
unquestionably exists beyond the domain of his senses was never unknown to
his intuition. Call Him Allah or Rahmān (the Beneficent)’ all good names are
His. The Qur’ān then draws the attention of man’s intellect to the visible
aspects of this world. It presents for his consideration the various
expressions of nature, both within himself and external to him in the
surroundings, which lie within his observable reach, It says:
Your God is one God; there is no
God save Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Lo! in the creation of the
heavens and the earth; and the difference of night and day, and the ships
which run upon the sea with that which is of use to man, and the water which
Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death,
and in the dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of
the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth are signs for
people who ponder. (2:164-165)
It then
implores the intellect to accept the consequential outcome towards which
these expressions inevitably lead, for it is only befitting for it to submit
to truth.
It is the
same process which modern science has adopted to prove many of its claims.
The Holy Qur’ān employed it in a period when the startling achievements of
our times were unknown. Modern science was, no doubt, fortunate in
discovering the process which is the only way of appreciating unseen
realities. It is, however, unfortunate in ignoring the reality which emerges
most prominently after adopting this process: the existence of God.
We do not
know how long will it take to overcome this contradictory attitude.
Author:
Shehzad Saleem
URL:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=249
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In this Issue |
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Reflections
* Is God an Intellectual
Reality
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Read & Reflect
* The Shari'ah of Jihad
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Debate & Discuss
* Discussion Forum:
Understanding
Islamic Political
Directives
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Express & Explain
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General Discussion
Forum: Profile of a
True Muslims
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Read and Reflect |
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The
Sharī‘ah of Jihād
Author
Javed Ahmad
Ghamidi
(Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)
Peace and freedom are two
essential requirements of a society. Just as various penal measures help in
protecting a society from the evils and excesses committed by an individual,
resorting to armed offensives sometimes becomes essential to curb the evils
perpetrated by countries and nations. As long as diplomatic relations and
negotiations can be used to resolve matters, no one would endorse the use of
force for settling affairs. However, if a nation threatens to disrupt the peace
and freedom of the world and its arrogance and haughtiness exceed all bounds,
and it no longer remains possible to bring it back on track thorough counsel and
advice, it becomes the inalienable right of humankind to forcibly stop its
subversive activities until peace and freedom of the world are restored. The
Qur’ān asserts that if the use of force had not been allowed in such cases, the
disruption and disorder caused by insurgent nations would have reached the
extent that the places of worship where the name of God is taken day and night
would have become deserted and forsaken, not to mention the disruption of the
society itself.
It is for this purpose that
jihād is undertaken in the Islamic sharī‘ah.1
It must not be undertaken to gratify one’s whims nor to obtain wealth or riches.
It must also not be undertaken to conquer territories and rule them or to
acquire fame or to appease the emotions of communal support, partisanship and
animosity. Jihād cannot be undertaken for a person’s selfish motives nor to
satisfy his ego. This is the war of the Almighty that His servants undertake at
His behest according to the guidelines provided by Him for His cause. They
themselves act as mere agents and instruments of the will of God. They have no
objective of their own before them in this undertaking; rather they have to
fulfill the objectives of the Almighty. Consequently, they cannot deviate in the
least from this capacity:
Following is the sharī‘ah of
jihād.
1.
Directive of Jihād
The directive of using force
is given to Muslims in their collective capacity. All verses of the Qur’ān which
mention this directive do not address Muslims in their individual capacity. Like
the verses which mention punishments, these verses too address the Muslims as a
community. Thus any step which is to be taken for use of force must originate
for their collective system. No person or group among them has the right to take
a step on its own in this regard on behalf of the Muslims.
2.
Objective of Jihād
According to the Qur’ān,
jihād is carried out primarily to root out persecution (to force and oppress a
person to give up his religion). All forms of oppression against the life and
wealth as well as freedom of opinion and expression of Muslims – should be
considered under it in various degrees. Consequently, it can be launched to curb
oppression and injustice whatever be their forms.
3. When
does Jihād become Obligatory?
Jihād does not become
obligatory on Muslims unless their military might reaches a certain extent in
relation to that of their enemies. Thus it is essential that in order to fulfill
this obligation of jihād not only should Muslims develop their moral being, they
should also increase their moral might which in the times of the Prophet keeping
in view the circumstances of those times was regarded by the Qur’ān to be 1:2
between Muslims and their enemies.
4.
Participation in Jihād
Only in that case will a
person be sinning in not participating in jihād when he does not respond to the
appeal of a Muslim state when it calls out to every Muslim to participate in it.
In such situations, it indeed becomes a sin as great as hypocrisy. In the
absence of this situation, taking part in jihād indeed is a means of earning
great reward the desire of which should be in the heart of every Muslim;
however, it does not become an obligation ignoring which can make him a sinner.
5. Running
away the Battlefield
Deserting the battlefield of
jihād is totally forbidden. No believer should show such feebleness. It is
tantamount to showing distrust in Allah, giving priority to this world over the
next and trying to make life and death dependent upon one’s own strategy – all
of which cannot exist with true faith.
6. Moral
Limits
War cannot be waged in the
way of Allah by disregarding ethical limits. Moral values have to be given
priority over everything in all circumstances, and, even in circumstances of
war, the Almighty has not given any person the permission to breach ethical
principles. The most important directive that has been spelled out in this
regard is the fulfillment of promises. Breaking a promise is a great sin in the
eyes of the Almighty. Consequently, even if a nation, with which Muslims are
under obligation of a contract, is guilty of oppressing the Muslims in matters
of their religion, the Islamic state does not have the right to help these
Muslims if this amounts to a breach of contract made with that nation.
Similarly, people who want to remain neutral in war should be left alone and not
be troubled in any way.
A display of pomp and
arrogance should be avoided when an army sets out for a battle. Vanity and
conceit are not befitting for the believers. Whether in the battlefield or
outside it, the humility of servitude to the Almighty should always be their
hallmark.
7. Divine
Help
Muslims indeed wage such war
by reposing their trust in the Almighty; however, the Qur’ān has made it clear
that what entitles people to Divine Help is perseverance and resolution. No
group of Muslims becomes entitled to it unless it has this quality in it.
8.
Prisoners of War
Muslims have to set free
prisoners of war at all costs whether with ransom or without; however, according
to the Qur’ān, they can neither kill them nor keep them as slaves come what may.
9. Spoils
of War
The
spoils of war are essentially reserved for the collective requirements of the
Muslims. The combatants of the Muslim army have not been granted any fixed share
in the spoils of war by the Almighty. In this regard, a state has discretionary
powers which it can exercise keeping in view their circumstances and the society
they live in.
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/viewissue.aspx?id=138
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Debate and Discuss: |
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Course Forums:
Understanding Islamic
Political Directives
Module 2 : Muslim Government and Maruf
Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator)
How should a Muslim
government discharge its responsibility enjoining Maruf (the good) and
forbidding of Munkar (evil)?
When you talk about a
Muslim government? Does it has the shar'iah as its legal system? If not
How can we then differentiate between Maruf and Munkar. Every legal system
and every government will have different views whether it is Maruf or
Munkar.
A Muslim Govt.,
should discharge its responsibility by following the moral code as
outlined in the Quran. The will of people should always prevail. If
majority of people reject the moral guidance of the Quran, then the Govt
no longer represents a Muslim community and the stated question becomes
irrelevant.
As long as the
majority can agree on what is maaruf and what is munkar, and in many
societies this will be obvious in most cases, then the government can keep
record of the opinions, and enforce certain things as law, offering the
punishments or HUDUD if these are broken.
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Express and Explain: |
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Profile of a True Muslim
waseem
I see the
current discussions on Qur'an sunnah and hadith and then ask myself, among all
these diversifications where lies the true Islam and the true Muslim. I confess
that my knowledge is very limited, but the desire runs high to learn and to
serve.
I ask myself, what does religion mean to me and what is its importance ? why is
it necessary? I think of it as a beacon, energy and force of guidance to
succeed. For me According to religion, the purpose of our lives is to please
God; which leads us to Paradise. To attain this we need to develop purification.
This encompasses positive enhancement and moulding of the good in our soul, and
purification and purging of the bad. The purpose of religion is to help us
attain purification; both in our individual and collective lives. In the Qur'an,
God states, successful is he, who has cleansed himself (87:14). Simply cut out
the bad and enhance the good.
I ask myself how did Islam spread at the time of Prophet (sws) and Sahabha
(rta)
? By
dialogue, lengthy debates or discussions, munaazarah, by sword, by force? I look
at the personality of Prophet (sws) the Qur'an addresses him as 'We sent you
thee not, but as a mercy for all creations" 21:107.As I understand the sahabha (rta)
were not the biggest scholars of religion but believed in "sameena wa attanah"
listened and obeyed. Whatever they learned the practically applied and
demonstrated in their lives. The Qur'an was completed in over 20 years and we
must remember they did not have e-mails, computers to spread it. The Prophet (sws)
was called sadiq and ameen by the non believers.
In Qur'an I have the guidance and in Prophet's (sws) life I have the practical
demonstration to succeed. How did the prophet react with the nasranees in
Madinah, allowing them to pray on Sunday in Masjid i Nabwi. What did the Prophet
(sws) say to aal i Yasser when they were torchered in Makkah? did he say he will
resort to suicide bombing and avenge them? his response was," patience ! Allah
has promised Paradise".
For Muslims of today, what has become important is to say namaz and fast for a
month and follow a particular sect and accumulate knowledge as stipulated by
that school of thought and negate all the other views, sometimes accusing them
of being misguided and also warning them of serious consequences in their
eternal future. Why do we forget that we are a Muslim 24/7. We are a Muslim
every time we say or do anything. Accountability is for everything. Only Allah
knows our eternal fate. The Qur'an says
Indeed, those who have believed [in this Prophet] and those, who became Jews and
the Nasaaraa and the Sabians, whoever [truly] believes in God and the Day of
Judgment and does good deeds; they shall have their reward with their Lord and
they shall neither have fear [for the future] nor any remorse [for the past].
On one side the sunni's and shiat's are fighting on the other side some negate
hadith others make it a source of religion. So where lies the deen i haq? I ask.
Is it just coincidence that Muslims everywhere are being humiliated and are the
laughing stock of the entire world. The word Muslim has become almost synonymous
with terror, anger , rage and disruption?
It is not about just knowledge but its practical application. How we conduct
ourselves, how we present our religion to other Muslims and non Muslims. I find
abundunt knowledge and big scholars but alas! I struggle to find a true Muslim
Why?
imran776
Moderator
AOA Brother Waseem,
I really appreciate for a very thought provoking article trying to hit the root
cause of all the problems without being fooled by the symptoms.
Why do we need religion? Why should we be Muslims? I guess this is the basic
question that all the scholars must be focusing on.
Is religion an external thing being imposed by us on ourselves? or its the sound
of nature from within ourselves, as claimed by the Muslims (they say that every
child is born on his fitrah and hence is Muslim). If religion is the answer or
sound of our inner selves then we first need to identify the basic questions
that rise from within? We should not only determine those but finding an answer
of those questions must also hold a significant place within our lives. This is
described in Quran as Noor upon Noor. If we don't feel any sound from within
ourselves then this religion is just an external thing and will merely be used
for specific occasions, slogans, demands from government etc etc etc, while the
daily life will be empty from it. Pakistan is a classic example of it.
The only thing religion does, in my humble and extremely limited knowledge is
that it makes the life after death an issue for humans in a way that this issue
not only encompasses his whole life but also becomes the top most priority.
(Quran says that Allah has sent his messengers as Bashirs and Nazirs).
Secondly it tells us that purification is the only way you can succeed in life
hereafter. Thats what the whole philosophy of religion revolves around. And
while giving his Shariah Allah doesn't give a comprehensive list of all the
things that we need to do it only picks up a handful of issues and gives his
guidance. Why is that? If we had to be purified then we of course need a long
and big list of things we need to do to be successful. From Quran we know that
Allah hasn't created humans without any guidance. Rather humans have built-in
not only concept of good and bad but also the details of them upon which the
collective human history itself is the biggest evidence.
So keeping above and the issues faced by Muslims in mind, what we need to do is:
a) Get rid of the fancy and hallucinative glasses of Islam that we use to betray
ourselves and hide from the ground realities.
b) Just start thinking that we are a natural and normal human beings and what
should we do. This will not only help us look at and accept the ground realities
but will also help us understands the laws governing the success of individuals
and the rise/falls of nations. There will be some question also to which the
Islam has the answers.
May Allah show us the right path and give us the courage to accept and follow
it.
waseem
enclosed is a response from another web site which in my opinion is the correct
reflection of Muslims
Just wanted to add an observation. We Muslims wail for progress, talk about the
glorious past of our ancestors. Wish there was a scholar that would work to that
end, salvage our past and lead us in a new direction. We wait for messiahs, for
Imams, for leaders.
But when we get some, we spend no time in ripping that person to pieces.
It's the same when people were waiting for leaders in the Age of Prophets, but
as soon as a Prophet would reach them, they'd turn around and persecute them.
It's like we have made up our minds already on what Islam should be or should
not be. We talk of women rights against a back drop of honor killings, foul
hudood laws on rape, and wish they were changed, Yet when someone does aim at
them, we critique those very scholars.
We want to return to pristine Islam, to the older scholars, but we refuse to
believe the allowance of the Prophet on women leading prayers, we say to hell
with Ibn Rushd who emphasized reason. We refuse to even talk on controversial
issues, while at the same time emphasize Islam's tradition of dialogue.
We are mired with contradictions as a people.
waseem
In
my humble opinion, at every step of life when I encounter a scenario, I have two
options, to react like myself, or to think how my religion would expect me to
react.
Not surprisingly my way is always different, emotional, impulsive and reactive
to situation. Whenever I have distanced myself and thought about the Islamic
way, it is invariably the correct way. Foe me the journey of life is to try and
make these two ways amalgamate somewhere.
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2558&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: 232
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
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=691
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