IN
THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
ISLAM
VERSUS TERRORISM
[Shamim
A Siddiqi,
INTRODUCTION: In the present context of the world, anything that
can be considered as "the most oppressed", it is Islam and the Muslims
around the world. It is alleged by many in the West that Islam advocates
terrorism and promotes war. It is because of ignorance about Islam and Muslims.
It is the creation of a hysterical propaganda campaign that has been let loose
by the secular press, the vested interests and the missionary zealots. The
events leading to the establishment of the state of
What Is Islam?
Islam means commitment to Allah, the
Creator, the Sustainer. Islam is a way of life (Deen) and not a religion of dogmas
or rituals, as the West commonly understands it. One who completely commits to
the Creator is called Muslim. Allah Himself has given this name to one who
follows Islam in its entirety. Islam was the way of life (Deen) of ADAM, NOAH,
ABRAHAM, ISAAC, JACOB, MOSSES, DAVID, SOLOMON, JESUS and MOHAMMAD (Peace Be
Upon All of Them - PBUT). The fundamental message of Islam from ADAM to
MOHAMMAD (PBUT) can be summarized as:
According to Islam, only the Messengers of
Allah bring in the Scripture (the code of conduct). It remains applicable until
it is mutilated or lost by the people. When it is so, Allah appoints another
Messenger, who brings in a fresh code of conduct and replaces the previous one
that either stood lost, corrupted or mutilated. Prophets are appointed to
remind the people of the Scripture (the code of conduct) which was in force at
that time. Accordingly, Mohammad (PBUH) is the last Messenger and the Quran is
the last Book of Guidance from Allah. For governing the affairs of this world,
now the Quran is the final code of conduct for mankind.
I have used, "Allah" in place of
God. Allah has no plural in Arabic and no gender. As such it is more meaningful
to express the concept of Monotheism of the Abrahamic faith.
Who Are the Israelites?
After Noah (Peace Be Upon Him), prophet
Abraham was the messenger of Allah and Prophet Moses was in his progeny. The
assignment of Moses was to evacuate the Sons of Israel out of the clutches of
the Pharaohs of Egypt and to establish the authority of Allah on earth. The
code of conduct given to him by Allah was the Torah to follow and guide the
destiny of mankind. The Sons of Israel were appointed by Allah to lead the
world. But in due course of time, the original Torah was lost. Instead of
inviting others to follow the guidance, Bani Israel kept it restricted to them
and follow it partially. Consequently, they lost the position assigned to them
by Allah. Along with it, they also lost the title to their original name, the
"Muslim", and preferred to be called "the Jews".
The Place of Jesus (PBUH):
Jesus (PBUH) was appointed to the people
of
The tragedy in the case of Jesus (PBUH)
was aggravated further when he, in the council of churches at
The Position of Mohammad (PBUH):
In this background, Allah appointed His
last Messenger Mohammad (PBUH) in the beginning of the seventh century A.D. to
lead the destiny of mankind. The last and final Guidance of Allah was revealed
to Mohammad (PBUH) in the Book, Al-Quran. The fundamental message of Mohammad
(PBUH) and that of Quran is the same as that of other Messengers. The code of
conduct described in the Quran is perfect, comprehensive and covers the entire
gamut of human affairs: the social, the economic and the political aspects of
life. It is present in the original words of Allah in which it was revealed. It
is free from any kind of human manipulation. It is now the only authentic Book
of Guidance, the code of conduct, which also presents the fundamental teachings
of Moses, Jesus, Abraham and others (PBUT) correctly and perfects the guidance
to mankind to lead its destiny till Doomsday.
Teachings of The Qur'an:
The Qur'an advocates establishing justice
and equality for all. The oppressed and the downtrodden must be taken care of.
There should be no disorder and bloodshed on this earth. Life, honor and
property of each must be protected as sacred trust. No one should usurp the
rights of others, either as individual or as a nation. The "haves"
should take care of "haves-not" on their own accord as obligation
from Allah. There should not be any class war in the society. Everyone, whether
high or low, should love each other. All are obedient to their Creator and are
ever conscious of the accountability on the Day of Judgment. This concept of
life makes every man/woman responsible and well aware of his/her
responsibilities on this earth as servant of Allah.
The World Today:
Contrary to this desired position, the
present world is full of tyranny, oppression, bloodshed, exploitation and class
struggle. Everyone, to the extent of craziness, is involved in maximizing
his/her personal pleasure and comforts. Both, individuals and nations are busy,
day in and day out, in increasing the standard of living, at the cost of
others.
Who Will Bring Forth the Order?
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Who will correct the situation? |
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Who will replace the injustice with justice and fair play? |
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Who will restore peace and order on this earth? |
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Who will eradicate the exploitation in all its forms? |
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Who will show the Guidance to mankind that can make his/her life balanced and save the humans from becoming slaves to their physical urges. |
The Messengers of Allah did
it in the past. Their followers did their best too. According to Islam, no
Messenger or Prophet is to come anymore. It is now the obligation of all those
who believe in Allah - the followers of Moses (PBUH), the followers of Jesus
(PBUH) and the followers of Muhammad (PBUH), to come forward united and call
humanity back to the fold of their Creator and make the concept of
accountability in the Hereafter as blood artery of their lives. The Book of
Guidance is intact in the shape of the Qur'an and the life of the Guide, Mohammad
(PBUH) is available in its totality to inspire the people.
The advocates of Islam whether they call
themselves Jews or Christians or Muslims, whether they come from the USA,
Europe, Asia or Africa, have first to convince mankind that their salvation and
the solution to their problems lie only in obedience to their Creator ands
Sustainer, Allah, and accepting the concept of accountability. No
"UN", no "President", no "Commune System", no
"Dictator", or no "Parliament", can bring peace to earth.
Only following the last Book of Guidance, the Qur'an, humanity can now
establish the peace and order on this earth. It is a tedious process. The
advocates of Monotheism have to persuade the people to accept the authority of
Allah. All moral means should be adopted to convince them to that effect. All
means to educate the people should be used.
Use of Force as a Last Resort:
In the real world, however, there may be a
usurper, an oppressor or a tyrant who may not believe in God or is not willing
at all to accept the path to righteousness. Such case may need some
intervention here and there to remove the transgressors. But it will be the
last resort when all other means of persuasion, appeals and education have
failed and he has become a stumbling block in the way of truth. The philosophy
of Jehad, as suggested in the Qur'an, should be studied only in this
perspective. This is the last choice to remove the tyrant who wants to
perpetuate his tyranny in his land and on his people. The entire history of
Islam and the battles fought by David, Solomon and Muhammad (PBUT) should be
seen in this perspective. It will then be clear that Islam is not fostering
terrorism in any shape or promoting war but prescribing a kind of intermuscular
injection to save the ailing humanity from the clutches of its die-hard enemy
when he is willing neither to surrender to his Creator nor resolving to live in
a state of coexistence under Truth [Haqq], but bent upon to make his will
supreme over the will of his Sustainer.
Is there any room of terrorism in
Islam? No, not at all. Why then Islam and Muslims are pin-pointedly blame for
Terrorism? Terrorism and Islam are contradictory to each other. Have you ever
heard the curse "Jewish or Christian terrorists" though they are in
thousands? Will the world try to understand this anomalous situation and give
up its rhetoric for the sake of peace [Islam] and order?
The Concept of Jehad and Its Misuse:
The West appears to be very much scared of
Jehad. Let us try to understand this terminology to clarify our present day
situation. Jehad does not mean, "Holy War" as its generally
understood in Europe and America. It stands for the total effort or struggle,
which a "Muslim" makes in his lifetime. It starts from the effort that
he makes to improve his personal character to the total sacrifice of self and
resources that he renders for the establishment of Allah's authority on the
earth. His or her entire effort is called "struggle in the way of
Allah" [Jihad fi Sabeel Allah]. For fighting against transgressors, as
discussed above, the Qur'an has used the word Qital (the fight).
Muslims fighting for freedom against the
tyranny of
In fact, Qital is the last resort of
the oppressed people. It is used in a very restricted sense. It has no bearing
with terrorism, which is secular in concept and hence cannot be a weapon of a
"Muslim". A struggle, if it is not made in the way of Allah for the
establishment or for the protection of His way of life (Deen), cannot be termed
either Jehad or Qital. Thus, there is no place of terrorism (a word synonymous
with killing innocent people) in the vocabulary of Islam.
To fight for the right of independence or
for the homeland or for human rights against usurpers or tyrants is a different
issue. Each case should be dealt with on its own merit. The usurpers must be
condemned by every champion of human rights and the sufferers be given every
moral and material support by those who love these human values. Justice must
prevail in every nook and corner of the world. Anyone who is using the term
"terrorists for the freedom fighters or for those who fight for the
fulfillment of their national inspirations is totally wrong. Equally, the "Enlightened
West" is totally incorrect when it, out of ignorance, terms these human
efforts as terrorist activities and let loose a campaign of hate against Islam
and Muslims. This is a very dangerous situation. The secular world especially
its press must understand this anomaly. In this process of spreading hate,
intentionally and unintentionally, it is drifting away from Islam, the only
source that could deliver the good to the West and the World at large.
Islam Means Peace:
I think now, one can well understand the
position of Bani Israel, the Christians and Muslims vis-à-vis Al-Islam in its
true perspective. It will also be equally clear to him that why and when the
use of force is recommended in the Quran as the last resort. These facts are
hidden behind the thick curtains of ignorance, false propaganda and prejudices
against Islam and its Messengers. Although I have discussed very briefly only
some of the salient features, I am more than sure who studies it with an open
mind, the rays of truth will beam into him/her to grasp the light of Guidance
from the Creator, which now lies buried deep under various prejudices and
unfounded misgivings.
Islam does not allow to breed hate
against any individual or nation nor does it allow terrorist activities against
innocent people. Islam stands only for peace. West should not be scared of it
but should study the Qur'an and the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) without any
prejudice and see truth by its own naked eyes. It should rather encourage, if
somewhere, some people are really fighting for Islam and for authority of
Allah. If a true Islamic state emerges somewhere in the world, it will stand
only for justice, peace and equality to all. All peace loving people should
make genuine efforts in that direction. All the parties concerned - the
Christians, the Muslims and the Jews have every right to look towards
"Islam" as a common heritage and source of Guidance which mankind
needs so desperately today. Islam today is the only guarantee for the peace in
the world.
Shamim
A Siddiqi
Dated
10-02-2001