|
|
|
|
The
Janus* face of Islam (NFB January 16, 2002) By
Abul Kasem Islamists
living in the infidel West are greatly alarmed and deeply perplexed after the
September terrorist attack in America. After
9-11, many of them are doing overtime to search the 'goodies' from the Qur’an
and are desperate to prove that Islam is a religion of unbound mercy to their
host countries. They repeatedly
quote a handful of these 'goldies' from the 'Meccan Verses' of the Qur’an,
which are milder in tone than the ones descended on Medina.
They carefully hide the unconscionable, intolerable, barbaric verses that
litter the almost entire Qur’an by saying that 'those verses are out of
context' and are not applicable to the infidels who have given them a chance for
a better life and have accepted them as their own countrymen.
Nothing can be worse than this hide and seek game of the Islamists living
in the West. It is in the interest
of all the non-Muslims (as well as the innocent Muslims who have very little
knowledge about 'real Islam') that the truth must be told. The
message is very clear. Those
Islamists living in the West quote those 'goodies' from the Qur’an are
actually showing the dead 'Meccan Islam'
to the vast majority of the ignorant non-Muslims (as well as half-informed
Muslims) to camouflage the most up to date version of Islam; i.e. the living and
breathing 'Medina Islam'.
The strategies of these Islamists are also very clear: ·
When
in the West or in the land of the infidels or when weak, then practice 'Meccan
Islam'. ·
When
in Islamic paradises or when the number of Muslims becomes sizable in an
infidels land, then practice 'Medina Islam' or the 'real Islam'. The
sooner the humanity discovers this double face of Islam (a la Roman god Janus)
the quicker will it be saved from the further catastrophe of the like of 9-11. So,
how do we know about the 'living and breathing Medina Islam'? Here is
the answer. In
order to understand the 'real Islam' we must look at Qur’an in chronological
order and not the way it is published. The
chronological order shows which verses are canceled and which verses are
replaced. It is meaningless to
study and to explain Qur’an without the knowledge of its currency. Many verses
in the Qur’an have been replaced by other verses. The
Qur’an itself talks about this in the following verses: God
does not abrogate any verse but substitutes something similar or better...2:106 God
removes (abrogates?) what He wills...13:39 God
substitutes one revelation with another; God has the mother of the Book...16:101 These
verses have created a lot of confusions among many. However, one thing is certain.
It is this. God does change
His mind and that that change can be very dramatic. In many cases, the matter of abrogation may involve life and
death situation. So, it is
extremely important (especially for the ignorant non-Muslims) to know which
verses are applicable to them and which verses are not.
The most important among these verses are the ones containing the
provisions of fighting the infidels. There
was a time when fighting was prohibited and there was (rather is) a time when
fighting became compulsory. Those
verses revealed in Mecca are considered to be the benign and non-violent type.
There are 87 Meccan verse and 27 Medina verses (this may vary slightly
but we shall work with these numbers). Thus,
there are total 114 suras (or chapters) in Qur’an. Medina
verses contain the provisions of fighting because it was in Medina that Mohammad
received the green light (read signal) from God to fight the infidels.
So, as a guide we can conclude that the verses with a chronology order of
87 or more are the replacement for the Meccan verses regarding the treatment of
the unbelievers. In
this short discourse, I shall try to elucidate how we can eliminate the
confusion regarding the 'goodies' from the Islamists and the 'bashings' from the
secularists/freethinkers/infidels. Please
note that the chronology order of the verses are indicated in bold (
). We
can divide the propagation of Islam by Mohammad in four distinct phases.
These phases are: 1.
Peaceful persuasion 2.
Fighting for defense 3.
Limited attack 4.
Open aggression Phase
1: Peaceful persuasion stage. Highlights ·
A policy
of peaceful co-existence with the pagans of Mecca. ·
Give and
take strategy with the pagans and the hypocrites. ·
Jews and
Christians (people of the Book) were considered as friends. ·
Mohammad
was almost like the Buddha preaching love, forgiveness, non-violence, and peace. ·
Only the
pagans of Mecca were considered as enemies (i.e. enemy list contains only one
group). Important
verses (Note:
To save time and space I have given the main messages of the verses omitting the
complete verses. Click HERE
if you want to read the complete verses) 1.
Be
patient and bear with those who deny the truth; God will deal with them...73:10,
11 (3) 2.
'To you
is your religion, to me is mine'...109:1- 6 (8) 3.
Be
patient with the evil doers...38:15-17 (38) 4.
Show
patience to the pagans...20:130 (42) 5.
Don't be
in a haste to fight...19:83, 84 (44) 6.
Be
patient with the unbelievers (pagans); God's way will prevail...20:134, 135 (45) 7.
Mohammad
is not sent to dispose of people's affairs...17:54 (50) 8.
God
guides those whom He pleases; rewards will be in paradise...10:25, 26 (51) 9.
God will
call into account the pagans who slander the Qur’an...15:91-93 (54) 10.
It is not
God's job to see if people believe the truth or not...6:104 (55) 11.
Turn away
from those rejecting faith and proclaim peace on them...43:88, 89 (69) 12.
Invite
the unbelievers (pagans) with beautiful preaching and gracious arguments; be
patient and do not retaliate...16:125, 126 (70) 13.
Leave the
unbelievers (pagans) alone...23:54 (74) 14.
Repeal
evil with good deeds...23:96 (74) 15.
Leave the
unbelievers alone and wait in patience for God to punish them...52:45, 47, 48 (76) 16.
Mohammad
is only a warner and not an enforcer...67:26 (77) Phase
2: Fighting for defense stage Highlights ·
Mohammed
along with his handful followers migrated to Medina (622 AD). Some tribes of
Medina accepted him as their leader. ·
Mohammed
and his gang started raids on passing caravans of the Meccans to acquire the
wherewithal for survival. ·
Mohammad
won the battle of Badr (same year of migration i.e.622 AD) which bolstered his
morale for further raids on Meccan caravans. ·
After
several years of stay in Medina, God gave Mohammad permission to launch
defensive war. ·
Enemies
were the pagans of Mecca and the hypocrites (note: the enemy list includes two
groups now). Important
verses 1.
Permission
to fight for self defense is granted...22:39-41 (105) 2.
Rewards
for Jihad is announced...22:58 (105) Phase
3: More defensively aggressive stage Highlights
·
Mohammad
expected the Jews of Medina to accept him as their new Moses. ·
The Jews
rejected Mohammad as their new apostle. ·
Mohammad
included the Jews as his enemy and started to raid their sanctuaries. ·
Enemies
of Mohammad now were pagans, hypocrites, and the Jews (note: the enemy list now
contains three). ·
Mohammad
was a little bit forgiving to the defeated Jews. He gave them a chance to live
in their lands provided they paid him fifty percent of their agricultural
produce of land. ·
This way
Mohammad acquired the means of a guaranteed livelihood for his horde of
soldiers. ·
The
battle of Uhud (623 AD) was fought. Muslims suffered a severe beating in the
battle. ·
The
battle of trench (625 AD) took place with huge loss of lives. Mohammad managed
to win this battle. ·
Treaty of
Hudaibiya (626 AD) was signed with the pagans of Mecca ensuring ten years of
peace. Mohammad was allowed to visit Kaba along with his followers during the
pilgrimage season. ·
Battle of
Khaibar (627 AD) took place. The
Jews lost the battle and surrendered unconditionally. Mohmmad ordered the
beheading of around 700 adult male surrendered Jews and took 17 years old Jewess
Safiya as a war booty and made her his wife. Important
verses 1.
Forgive
and overlook the unbelieving Jews; God will take care of them...2:109 (87) 2.
Fight
defensively the Meccan pagans but if they cease hostility then stop fighting
except for the oppressors...2:190-194 (87) 3.
Fighting
against the Meccan pagans is prescribed after the passing of the month of
pilgrimage (Zulhaj)...2:216, 217 (87) 4.
'No
compulsion in religion'; do not force the defeated enemy to embrace Islam; but
they will be thrown in hell...2:256, 257 (87) 5.
Spoils of
war belongs to God and Mohammad...8:1 (88) 6.
Strike
terror in the hearts of the unbelievers; cut the necks and finger tips of those
who oppose God and Mohammad...8:12, 13 (88) 7.
When you
meet, the unbelievers in hostility attack them and never turn back from them.
If you retreat except for a strategic reason then God will punish you and
will send you to hell...8:15-16 (88) 8.
Keep on
fighting until the persecution stops and Islam is established; one-fifth of
booty belongs to God and Mohammad...8:39-41 (88) 9.
Obey
Mohammad, be united and persevere in fighting...8:45, 46 (88) 10.
If you
defeat the enemy then teach them with treachery and terror; if they ask for
peace then give them peace...8:57-61 (88) 11.
Rouse the
believers to fight with perseverance, God will help by increasing your
strength...8:65 (88) 12.
Continue
killing and do not take prisoners until the land is subdued then enjoy the war
booty...8:67-69 (88) 13.
Martyr's
sins are blotted out and they go to paradise...3:157, 169-171, 195 (89) 14.
Can take
women captives as concubines in addition to wives...33:50 (90) 15.
There is
a great reward for fighting against the friends of Satan...4:74-78 (92) 16.
Fight and
rouse other believers to fight; God will restrain the fury of the
unbelievers...4:84 (92) 17.
Kill the
hypocrites if they turn renegades...4:89 (92) 18.
Higher
grade for fighting for God...4:95, 96 (92) 19.
Guaranteed
reward for fighting in the cause of God...4:100 (92) 20.
Whether a
fighter kills or is killed, he is admitted in paradise to reside there
permanently...22:58, 59 (103) 21.
Struggle
for God's cause...22:78 (103) 22.
Can't lag
behind in fighting for God...48:15-16 (111) 23.
Muslims
are compassionate with each other but are strong to fight against the
unbelievers...48:29 (111) Phase
4: Offensive war or open declaration of attack to spread Islam This
phase is the stage of open offensive war against all the unbelievers.
This phase started in 630 AD after Mohammad re-entered Mecca and captured
Kaba from the pagans. This is the phase,
which is currently valid for all Muslims. Highlights ·
Permission
was granted by God to declare offensive war against all non-Muslims. ·
Kill the
pagans and humble the Jews and the Christians through Jizya tax. ·
Tabuk
expedition (late 630 AD) is the first war against the Christians. ·
The world
is divided into two houses, viz. House of
Islam (Darul Islam) and the House of
war (Darul Harb). ·
All
Muslims must fight to convert the Darul
Harb into Darul Islam. ·
This is
the final teaching of Qur’an and so it is valid today and for future (that is,
for eternity). ·
Christians
are included in the list of enemies (that is, the list now grows to four). ·
Verse 9:5
(also called the verse of the sword) replaces all verses showing mercy, love,
tolerance and forgiveness to all non-Muslims. Important
verses 1.
Any
religion other than Islam is not acceptable...3:85 (89) 2.
Kill
(execute by beheading)/crucify/torture who opposes Mohammad...5:33 (112) 3.
Do not
make friendship with the Jews and the Christians...5:51 (112) 4.
After
giving four months notice break all treaties with the pagans that they did not
keep; those treaties with the pagans that they kept are to be honored to their
full term; in future make no more peace treaties with the pagans and kill all
pagans who do not accept Islam...9:1-6 (113) 5.
Pagans
who accept Islam are brothers of Muslims; those who break the agreement fight
them...9:11, 12, 14, 15 (113) 6.
Do not
make friend or seek protection from the unbelievers (includes pagans,
hypocrites, Jews and the Christians)...9:16 (113) 7.
Unbelievers
should not visit mosques or maintain the mosques of God; they will go to
hell...9:17 (113) 8.
Those who
do Jihad are the highest in rank; they will dwell in paradise...9:19-22 (113) 9.
The
unbelievers are unclean, forbid them to enter Kaba...9:28 (113) 10.
Fight
against the Jews and the Christians until they are subdued and pay the Jizya tax
with submission; God's curse is on them...9:29-31 (113) 11.
If you do
not fight in the cause of God with whatever you have got then God will punish
you with a serious punishment...9:38, 39, 41 (113) 12.
If you
fight for God then expect either martyrdom or paradise. The unbelievers can
expect only punishment from God...9:52 (113) 13.
Those who
are able to fight for God but do not do so are rejected by God...9:90-96 (113) 14.
Whether
you slay or slain in Jihad, God has promised paradise for giving all in the
cause of God...9:111 (113) 15.
Fight the
unbelievers surrounding you...9:122 (113) So,
what do we learn from the above list of Quranic verses?
Are you confused? Of course you are. When
the Islamists in the west are drumming, "Islam is peace.
Islam is tolerance. Islam is
merciful" who will not be confused by such contradictory statements!
Let me tell you something. Actually
there is no confusion whatsoever if we follow the simple rule on abrogation. This
simple doctrine of abrogation says that when there are confusions (i.e.
contradictory statements in Qur’an), the later verses abrogate the former
contradictory verses. The result is
that only the latest category of verses remains valid without any doubt.
That is why it is so important to know the chronological order of verses
in Qur’an. Let
us hear from a modern translator (Yusuf Ali is too old) of the Qur’an and
Hadith. "So
at first 'the fighting' was forbidden, then it was permitted and after that it
was made obligatory against those who start 'the fighting' against you (Muslims)
and against all those who worship others along with Allah". (Ref.
Introduction section of the English translation of Sahih Bukhari by Dr.
Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Medina Islamic University). In
the same section Dr M. Muhsin Khan writes further ,
"Then Allah revealed in Sura Bara’at (9) the order to discard (all) the
obligations (covenants, etc.) and commanded the Muslims to fight against all the
pagans as well as against the people of the scriptures (Jews and Christians) if
they do not embrace Islam, till they pay the Jizya (a tax levied on the Jews and
Christians who do not embrace Islam and are under the protection of an Islamic
government) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued (9:29). So they
(Muslims) were not permitted to abandon ‘the fighting’ against them (Pagans,
Jews and Christians) and to reconcile with them and to suspend
hostilities against them for an unlimited period while they are strong and have
the possibility of fighting against them." Jalaluddin
Suyuti wrote Itqan fi 'ulum-il-Qur’an in 1497 AD. This book is the Tafsir (explanation) of Qur’an and is
highly regarded. It is a compulsory
reading for any one who wants to study Qur’an for its 'real meanings'.
His another famous book is Istenbat al-Tanzeel.
In this book Suyuti
wrote,"everything in the Qur’an
about forgiveness is abrogated by verse 9:5". Please
read that above quote again if you are really serious about Islam. Remember that
this verse has a chronology order of 113 (Remember?
There are 114 suras in Qur’an). Islamic
apologists often quote the following verses to portray the mercy and forgiveness
in Islam. To
you is your religion and to me is mine...109:6 No
compulsion in religion...2:256 Turn
away from those who join false gods with Allah...15:94 Unfortunately,
all those 'goodies' of Qur’an are canceled if we follow the Tafsir
(explanation) of Suyuti and the doctrine of abrogation) regarding the verse of
the sword (9:5). Islamists
love Ms. Karen Armstrong for her siding with them. Ms. Karen Armstrong writes to fool the non-Muslims in
believing what George Bush is drumming, 'Islam is a peaceful religion'.
Any one who has a workable knowledge on Islamic matters knows for sure
that her writings are very misleading and does not tell the truth at all.
When Ms. Karen Armstrong writes by quoting verse 2:190 "the
only permissible war (in the Qur’an is one of self defense. Muslims must not
begin hostilities", (Time magazine October 1, 2001) she
is clearly being dishonest in telling the truth about the phase four of Islamic
war which calls all Muslims to declare a total war on the house of Harb (i.e. the infidels abodes). Phase four of Jihad is
valid until all the people of the world are converted to Islam. Thus, today's
Muslims are in perpetual war with the infidels whether they (the Muslims) are in
an Islamic paradise like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh (recently included,
previously not), Iran ...or in infidel lands like USA, UK, Canada, France...etc. Here
is another quote from Alsaylu Jarar (4:518-519) by Al-Shawkani.
Shawkani is a famous writer on Islamic matters.
His writings are authoritative and are used by the Jihadis to justify
their merciless actions. "Islam
is unanimous about fighting the unbelievers and forcing them to Islam or
submitting and paying Jizya tax (protection money for the Jews and the
Christians only) or being killed. The verse about forgiving them are abrogated
unanimously by the obligation of fighting in any case". Can
Ms. Karen Armstrong and other Islamists living in the comfort of non-Muslim
freethinking society refute the above assertion by an eminent Alim (Islamic
scholar)? Please
note that verse 9:5 is a very important verse of Qur’an.
This verse marks the transition from the phase of showing mercy (phase 1)
and forgiveness to the unbelievers to the phase of open aggression on them
(phase 4). As told before, this
verse is known as the verse of the sword. This
verse cancels all the verses containing mercy, tolerance, and forgiveness to the
non-Muslims (as many as 111 to 124 verses; you got to scan the entire Qur’an;
anything forgiving, merciful, friendship is out). Also,
note carefully how the chronology order increases as Mohammad turns from a
non-violent (like Buddha) person to a fascist nazi like
Hitler/Mussolini/Osama/Ayatollah. In fact, we can safely conclude that Mohammad
was a saint before the chronology order of the Qur’an was below 87 but he
became a fascist dictator after this. Again
note that the chronology order in the final phase of open aggression against all
non-Muslims of the world (phase 4) is almost the end (113) chapter (sura) of
Qur’an (Remember? There are 114
suras in Qur’an). Is
lying allowed in Islam? I must be a
nut to ask such a question! Of
course, not, you say. Lying is a
great sin in Islam; at least the Islamists will let us believe this. This is a complete delusion.
Muslims are allowed to tell lies in order to make the religion of Islam
rule the world. Would you not
believe me? See for yourself what
Imam Ghazali (another supreme Islamic scholar) says: "Speaking
is a means to achieve objectives. If a praise worthy aim is attainable through
both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying
because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by
lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the
goal is permissible "
(Ref: Ahmad Ibn Naqib al-Misri, The Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Nuh
Ha Mim Keller , Amana publications, 1997, section r8.2, page 745). And
what could be the noblest goal of a Muslim than to make Islam rule world?
This is the secret why the Islamists constantly lie about their religion
when they are in West. Because, if
they tell the truth, no one will be attracted to Islam. Islamists
often attack the secularists and freethinkers whenever they
(secularists/freethinkers) quote the offensive verses of the Qur’an by 'out of
context' arguments. What
could be more clear and forceful evidences / proofs than what has been told
above that 'out of context' argument by the Islamic apologists is a total hoax? -------------------------- *A
double-faced head represented Janus, a Roman god. Kasem
writes from Sydney, Australia. Comments
could be made by writing to – abul88@hotmail.com Note:
The author relied on the English Translation of Qur’an by A. Yusufali and the
English Translation of Sahih Bukhari by Dr. M. Muhsin Khan.
All references given are believed to be correct.
However, the author is not responsible for any misconception that a
reader may have due to his consultation of other sources. |
