 To be a Muslim is to be
a peace maker; one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and
nurtures goodwill for co-existence and world peace - God
wants his creation to be in peace and harmony, and that is the chief purpose of
religion - Mike Ghouse |
|
Muslim response to Wilders on Qur'aan
Using Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) model for peace. Mike Ghouse and Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh (commentary), January 20, 2008 “Geert Wilders, a Dutch conservative lawmaker, has made a ten-minute film exposing the horrific passages of the Koran. Per AP Wilders refers to the selected verses as “fascist.’” Geert Wilders is certainly appreciated for making this documentary, the verses, as he has quoted sound fascist as he claims. However, these verses have been misquoted for millennia and were mis-translated with the intent of maligning Islam. We are glad that Wilders is putting it on the spot light, so we have an opportunity to discuss and clarify them, hopefully for ever. Otherwise a whole lot of people would have believed in the wrong thing. We welcome all such inquiries. On his way to Taif from Mecca, Prophet Muhammad was pelted with stones by a bunch of miscreants, he was bleeding, and his associates and angel Gabriel were requesting him to give permission to go get the bad boys, the Prophet said no, instead he asked them to pray with him that God gave goodwill and a good sense to the misled miscreants. Following the model of Prophet of forgiveness and the belief that there is good in every human soul, we have to relentlessly stoke the goodness in humans. I ask fellow humans in general and fellow Muslims in particular to pray for Geert Wilders’ safety and well being. Mr. Wilders, I have personally prayed for your safety and well being and request our Imams to do the same across the world. The report expressed that "You do not fear being slain, claiming 24-hour protection." Again, I admire you for your courage and conviction and request you to consider another aspect of the equation that nearly 1.5 billion Muslims believe. Note to the Muslim Leadership: To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker; one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for co-existence and world peace - God wants his creation to be in peace and harmony, and that is the chief purpose of religion. Islam is indeed peace. Muslim leaders have a responsibility to prevent mis-haps. Geert Wilder's documentary will be shown world wide January 25, 2008. All hell may break loose or freeze over depending on how we handle it. If our Imams can address this in the Friday Sermons, and urge Muslims to follow the model Prophet has created, we can avoid a big mishap and turn this upcoming nightmare into a peace building effort. I request all Imams to call their counterparts around the globe to win this propaganda war with love and kindness. It is a God sent opportunity to take the lead for a better world. A Prelude to Qur'aan Translations:
When the European Kings were threatened by the
invading Arab armies in early part of the millennia,
to safeguard and protect their Kingdoms, they gave
birth to the idea of Islamophobia and their strategy
was:
1. To label the Invading Kings as Muslim, as that was one of the ways to get their subjects to fight. 2. To mis-translate the Qur'aan to create a permanent wedge between the two communities 3. To paint the religion negatively and as a Mohammedan cult. 4. To reinforce this strategy they roped in the Pope to issue a fatwa approving crusades. Their Blueprint worked well for them and the Arab Kings were pushed back and defeated. It is important to note that a majority of the kings were thieves and robbers, whose only purpose in life was to invade and annex the neighboring territories, loot their wealth, destroy their cultures and come back home stronger and erect a statue of themselves as Heroes. Very few of them wanted to spread their faith for the purpose of spreading piety and goodwill. Their goal was to control the resources and the people; in the process they destroyed civilizations, no different than today's Neocons.
The Neocons of middle ages were exceptionally
successful in steering public opinion against Islam
via the translations. The foundation they laid at
that time has become the basis for building baseless
theories ag Dahlia Sabry is researching on the effects of this work and reports that " it was found out that translating the meanings of the holy Qur'aan offered an opportunity to distort and misinterpret its meanings. This played a crucial role in framing a negative and an inaccurate image of Islam. The problem can be ascribed mostly to translations by non-Muslims, however, also partially to translations by Muslims." Lex Mahumet pseudoprophete (English: "Law of Mahomet the pseudo-prophet") was the first translation of the Qur'aan into Latin by Robert of Ketton in 1142. Peter the Venerable persuaded Robert to join a team he was creating to translate Arabic works into Latin in hopes of aiding the religious conversion of Muslims to Christianity. It was the standard translation for Europeans from its release until the 18th century. This translation is loaded with inaccuracies.
Another Latin translation by Ludovicus Marracci was
published in 1698. It was supplemented with quotes
from Qur'an commentaries "carefully juxtaposed and
sufficiently garbled so as to portray Islam in the
worst possible light" (Colin Turner,1997 p. xii).
The title of the introductory volume of such
translation was A Refutation of the Qur'an.
Similarly, H. Reckendorf (1857) says in his Hebrew
translation of the Qur'an, "I can now stop writing
and ask God's pardon for the sin I committed when I
profaned our sacred language and transferred to it
the talk of lies and falsehood" (as cited in Abdul
Aal, January 29, 2006, p. 78). That was the story of Neocons who shamelessly wore the Christian label, similar inaccurate and brazen translations were made by Muslims as well. The Noble Qur'an, also informally known as the Hilali-Khan translation was published in early 1900's and is despicable. http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Quraan/Not-like-Jews-and-Christians.asp Religions emerged to allay individual fears and bring a balance in one's life and peace for the society. It is obvious that the Kings of the past have raped the religion to their own advantage and we must not give them the religious label. Their purpose was simply expansion, exertion and oppression and religion did not figure in the conquests, they were far from it. It is time for us to strip the wrongs people have ascribed to religion, every religion, and get to know the truth. I am amazed neither the Universities, nor the responsible Governments have under taken research project to dismantle the false castles of hate from the past. It is time now, and we have begun this process. Further Geert Wilders adds "When taking the Koran seriously as divine revelation, a superficial review of the Koran’s extremist verses is not what meshes with democracies." All the fourteen verses quoted below have one theme in common "Punishment" for those who do not follow the rules. Mr. Geert may understand this better, if he were to look at it from an universal perspective and not as Islam V. Christianity issue. One can find ‘punitive’ verses in every holy book. However, the critical element overlooked is the most powerful and dominant aspect of the creator; Qur'aan 1:1 "In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace." This verse is repeated 113 times in Qur’aan, more than any other verse. For societies to function on equilibrium there must be law and order. When there is justice in a society, peace is a natural outcome. The Criminal and Civil laws are designed to bring net-peace to the society. For every violation of a rule, punishment is determined. If there were no punishment, then crimes go un-checked creating chaos in the society.
From a common man’s perspective, the word ‘painful
doom’ appears to be cruelty coming from a kind God.
Well, then what should hold any one from murdering
and butchering the other. If you are a good guy who
holds the temptations to steal someone else's hard
earned goods, and the bad guys steal with no
consequences to it, then every one may resort to
stealing. What will happen to a society when every
one is stealing, lying or cheating? No one would
trust and everyone is frightened of the other. Religions emerged to allay individual fears and bring a balance in one's life and peace for the society. It is time for us to strip the wrongs people have ascribed to religion, indeed every religion, and find the truth for ourselves. I cannot believe that the Universities and responsible Governments have not undertaken the research to dismantle the false castles of hate from the past. We have undertaken the work to fix 60 misrepresented verses, hopefully to mitigate the conflicts and nurture goodwill for co-existence, as citizens of the world, you and I, every one included, have the responsibility to watch for the trouble makers whose business is manufacturing enemies and cashing in on fears of ordinary people. Surah 9: Repentance A full copy of the text from Geert Wilders is pasted at the bottom that includes 14 verse that sounds fascist, indeed they are as quoted. Actual verses from Qur'aan are pulled with each one of the 14 verses. Mohammad Asad - http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/
1:1 In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace: According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginning of every surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an integral part of "The Opening" and is, therefore, numbered as verse I. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God" precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. - Both the divine epithets rahman and rahrim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy", "compassion", "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn al-Qayyim (as quoted in Manar I, 48): the term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahrim expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation-in other words, an aspect of His activity.(Quran Ref: 1:1 ) #1. Give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom to those who disbelieve. 3
Mohammad Asad - http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/ At-Tauba (The Repentance) 9:3 And a proclamation from God and His Apostle [is herewith made] unto all mankind on this day of the Greatest Pilgrimage: "God disavows all who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and [so does] His Apostle. Hence, if you repent, it shall be for your own good; and if you turn away, then know that you can never elude God!" And unto those who are bent on denying the truth give thou [O Prophet] the tiding of grievous chastisement. There is no unanimity among the commentators as to what is meant by "the day of the Greatest Pilgrimage". Most of them assume that it refers to the pilgrimage in the year 9H., in which the Prophet himself did not participate, having entrusted Abu Bakr with the office of amir al-hajj. This very fact, however, makes it improbable that the designation "the Greatest Pilgrimage" should have been given in the Qur'an to this particular pilgrimage. On the other hand, there exists a Tradition on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn `Umar to the effect that the Prophet described in these very words the last pilgrimage led by himself in 10 H. and known to history as the Farewell Pilgrimage (Zamakhshari, Razi); one may, therefore, assume that it is this which is alluded to here. If this assumption is correct, it would justify the conclusion that verses 3 and 4 of this surah were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage, i.e., shortly before the Prophet's death. This might explain the-otherwise perplexing-statement, reliably attributed to the Prophet's Companion Al-Bara' (Bukhari, Kitab at-Tafsir), that At-Tawbah was the last surah revealed to the Prophet: for, although it is established beyond any doubt that the surah as a whole was revealed in 9 H. and was followed by several other parts of the Qur'an, e.g., Al-Ma'idah, it is possible that what Al-Bard' had in mind were only these two key-verses (3 and 4) of At-Tawbah, which conceivably were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage.(Quran Ref: 9:3 ) Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: This is a classic example of misinterpretation of the Quran. You needn’t look very far in understanding what the verse is talking about. The VERY NEXT VERSE talks about observing peace treaties and NOT attacking those people that weren’t a threat! Here is the verse: (9:4. Except those of the Mushrikin with whom you have a treaty, and who have broken that treaty, nor have supported anyone against you. So fulfill their treaty for them until the end of their term. Surely, Allah loves those who have Taqwa (awareness of God).)Mike Ghouse: There is just a God, and there is no Muslim, Christian or other God. If Wilders can see one source of Creation called God, he would not have the problem. God is essentially saying if you have some one else besides me, go to him or her, don’t come to me if you don’t believe in me.
#2. Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. 5
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance) 9:5 And so, when the sacred months are over [6] , slay those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God wherever you may come upon them, [7] and take them captive, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every conceivable place [8] ! Yet if they repent, and take to prayer, and render the purifying dues, let them go their way: for, behold, God is much forgiving, a dispenser of grace. [9]9:2 [Announce unto them:] "Go, then, [freely] about the earth for four months [2] -but know that you can never elude God, and that, verily, God shall bring disgrace upon all who refuse to acknowledge the truth!" 9:5 Article: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Quraan/Slay-the-idolaters-whereever-you-find-them.asp . Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: The four months were given for the hostile people so that they can come and go peacefully amongst the Muslims and see what Islam is about. If it was not for them, they could leave the Holy Lands, and seek refuge elsewhere. If the whole purpose was killing and butchering them, then what is the purpose behind giving them four months?? # 3. Don't let idolaters tend the sanctuaries. Their works are in vain and they will be burned in the Fire. 17
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:17 IT IS NOT for those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God to visit or tend [26] God's houses of worship, the while [by their beliefs] they bear witness against themselves that they are denying the truth. It is they whose works shall come to nought, and they who in the fire shall abide [27] In its transitive form, the verb `amara comprises the meanings of both visiting and maintaining a place; hence my rendering of an ya'muru as "that they should visit or tend".(Quran Ref: 9:17 ) Some of the commentators conclude from this verse that "those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God" are not allowed to enter mosques ("God's houses of worship"). This conclusion, however, is entirely untenable in view of the fact that in 9 H. -that is, after the revelation of this surah -the Prophet himself lodged a deputation of the pagan Banu Thaqif in the mosque at Medina (Razi). Thus, the above verse expresses no more than the moral incongruity of the unbelievers' "visiting or tending God's houses of worship". As regards their exclusion from the central mosque of Islam at Mecca ("the Inviolable House of Worship"), see verse 28 of this surah.(Quran Ref: 9:17 ) 9:28 O YOU who have attained to faith! Those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God are nothing but impure: [37] and so they shall not approach the Inviolable House of Worship from this year onwards [38] And should you fear poverty, then [know that] in time God will enrich you out of His bounty, if He so wills: [39] for, verily, God is all-knowing, wise! Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: The whole purpose of all religions, including Judaism and Christianity is that God alone should be worshipped. If polytheists were allowed to tend to or attend or build the holiest sanctuaries whose whole foundation was on Tawheed (the sole worship of God), it would be a huge contradiction in the religion. So to avoid this contradiction and conflict, Islam very clearly outlines the rules about who could or couldn’t come to the Haram of Makkah. Bear in mind that the Prophet himself hosted a delegation of Christian dignitaries and priests from Najran, whom he allowed to STAY and whom he allowed to PRAY in his own mosque in the Holy city of Madina, the second holiest site to all Muslims. Mike Ghouse:: Those who do not believe in God, simply cannot serve in the sanctuary with sincerity. Obviously one feels the pain of doing things that which is not in his or her nature. Caveat: There is no compulsion in faith, no one can push any one to believe what he or she is not willing to. #4. Give tiding of a painful doom to Christians and Jews. 34
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:34 O you who have attained to faith! Behold, many of the rabbis and monks do indeed wrongfully devour men's possessions and turn [others] away from the path of God. But as for all who lay up treasures of gold and silver and do not spend them for the sake of Gods [51] - give them the tiding of grievous suffering [in the life to come]: Most probably this is, in the first instance, an allusion to the wealth of the Jewish and Christian communities, and their misuse of this wealth. Some of the commentators, however, are of the opinion that the reference is wider, comprising all people, including Muslims, who hoard their wealth without spending anything thereof on righteous causes.(Quran Ref: 9:34 ) Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: The purpose of religious leadership is to focus on the Hereafter, and they should lead by example is this respect. If they are seen to be hoarding wealth, and not distributing it to the poor and needy, what kind of example are they setting for their followers? Also bear in mind that the condemnation in this verse is the hoarding of ILLICITLY gained funds and riches. Mike Ghouse: Another good example of misquoting the Verses. Indeed, those (not all) who embezzle public funds need to be punished, be it Muslim, Jew, Christian or otherwise. Those are the laws of any civilized nation including the Netherlands. In the verse 34, there is word like Christian and Jew. Pasted below is the transliteration and actual Quranic verse. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo inna katheeran mina alahbari waalrruhbani layakuloona amwala alnnasi bialbatili wayasuddoona AAan sabeeli Allahi waallatheena yaknizoona alththahaba waalfiddata wala yunfiqoonaha fee sabeeli Allahi fabashshirhum biAAathabin aleemin يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِنَّ
كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الأَحْبَارِ وَالرُّهْبَانِ
لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ
بِالْبَاطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللّهِ
وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ
وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلاَ يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ
اللّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ (9:34)
#5. If you refuse to fight, Allah will afflict you with a painful doom. 39
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:39 If you do not go forth to war [in God's cause], He will chastise you with grievous chastisement, and will place another people in your stead - whereas you shall in no wise harm Him: for, God has the power to will anything. Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: The purpose of religious leadership is to focus on the Hereafter, and they should lead by example is this respect. If they are seen to be hoarding wealth, and not distributing it to the poor and needy, what kind of example are they setting for their followers? Also bear in mind that the condemnation in this verse is the hoarding of ILLICITLY gained funds and riches. Mike Ghouse: In the USA, and perhaps in the Netherlands, these men are referred to as draft dodgers, during the Vietnam war if you dodge going to the war, you faced grievous chastisement by the Government of the United states of America, even though that was the wrong war. Perhaps Netherlands may not be sympathetic towards them either.
#6. Disbelievers go to hell. 49
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:49 And among them there was [many a one] who said," [71] Grant me permission [to remain at home], and do not put me to too hard a test!" Oh, verily, [by making such a request] they had [already failed in their test and] succumbed to a temptation to evil: [72] and, behold, hell will indeed encompass all who refuse to acknowledge the truth! See verses 44 and 45 above. It is to be noted that both the verbal form la taftinni (rendered by me as "do not put me to too hard a test") and the noun fitnah have the same root, comprising a great complex of meanings: e.g., test, trial, affliction. temptation to evil, seduction, persecution, oppression, discord, civil strife, etc. (cf. surah 8, note 25). Since it is impossible in any language but Arabic to reproduce all these many shades of meaning in a single expression, the rendering of the term fitnah must necessarily vary in accordance with the context in which it is used.(Quran Ref: 9:49 ) Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: Here the analogy of the draft-dodgers is appropriate. Anyone who opposed or even voices dissent in the “war on terror” was labeled unpatriotic. But, here the verse is referring to those hypocrites who showed that they were Muslims in front, but internally held malice against the Muslims. Part of their malice was not supporting the Muslims in anything they did including fighting if the need was there. God chastises these people, as their negative actions raised disorder and disunity and pessimism and negativity amongst even the true Muslims. Mike Ghouse: Any one who refuses to acknowledge the truth must be punished. I don’t know what kind of tortures Netherlands applies to criminals, but most nations in the world including the United States of American, has used the water boarding techniques to extract the truth. God could have made us all sinless angels; instead he chose to make us humans, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room for correction. Islam has not claimed monopoly to heaven; it is assured to those who do good deeds. Good deeds are defined by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as how your treat others.
#7.
Those who vex
the Prophet, for them there is a painful doom. 60
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:60 The offerings given for the sake of God
[83]
are [meant] only for the poor and the needy,
and those who are in charge thereof,
[84]
and those whose hearts are to be won over,
and for the freeing of human beings from
bondage, and [for] those who are over
burdened with debts, and [for every
struggle] in God's cause, and [for] the
wayfarer: [this is] an ordinance from God -
and God is all-knowing, wise.
[85]
Note 83/81: Since there is no
English equivalent for the term sadaqat
(sing. sadagah), I am rendering it here as
"offerings given for the sake of God". This
comprises everything that a believer freely
gives to another person, out of love or
compassion, as well as what he is morally or
legally obliged to give, without expecting
any worldly return: that is, charitable
gifts and deeds of every description (which
is the primary meaning of sadaqat -e.g., in
2:263 and 264), as well as the obligatory
tax called zakah ("the purifying dues",
because its payment purifies, as it were, a
person's property from the taint of
selfishness). In the context of the above
verse, this term refers to the funds thus
collected and administered by the Muslim
community or state. When these funds are
disbursed for the purposes stipulated in
verse 60, they assume once more - this time
in relation to the recipients-the aspect of
"charitable gifts".(Quran
Ref: 9:58 )
Note 84- I.e., the officials
entrusted with the collection and
administration of zakah funds.(Quran
Ref: 9:60
Note 85: These eight categories circumscribe all
the purposes for which zakah funds may be
expended. By "those whose hearts are to be
won over" are apparently meant such
non-Muslims as are close to understanding
and, perhaps, accepting Islam, and for whose
conversion every effort should be made,
either directly or indirectly (i.e., by
means of the widest possible propagation of
the teachings of Islam). As regards the
expression fi 'r-rigab ("for the freeing of
human beings from bondage"), which relates
both to the ransoming of prisoners of war
and to the freeing of slaves, see surah 2,
note 146. The term al-gharimun describes
people who are overburdened with debts
contracted in good faith. which - through no
fault of their own - they are subsequently
unable to redeem. The expression "in God's
cause" embraces every kind of struggle in
righteous causes, both in war and in peace,
including expenditure for the propagation of
Islam and for all charitable purposes.
Regarding the meaning of ibn as-sabil
("wayfarer"), see surah 2, note 145.(Quran
Ref: 9:60 )
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh:
I don’t see anything that can be held as
negative in the verse. It is simply talking
about giving in charity, and that includes
to non-muslims.
Mike Ghouse:
Another falsity.
#8.
Those who
oppose Allah and His messenger will burn in the fire of
hell. 63
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:63 Do they not know that for him who sets
himself against God and His Apostle there is
in store the fire of hell, therein to abide
-that most awesome disgrace?
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: This verse was specifically for those hypocrites who raised
their voices of dissent and fueled disunity
amongst the Muslims. It is not a general
verse for everyone. The next verse
emphasizes this point.
Mike Ghouse:
Once you pledge your allegiance, and then
betray it to do harm, it is called treason.
However, if you chose not to believe, but
not hurt any one in the process, you go Scot
free. Justness is paramount in Islamic
values. This is no different than the civil
laws of any nation.
#
9.
Allah promises hypocrites and disbelievers the fire of
hell. Allah curses them. They will have a lasting torment.
68
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:68 God- has promised the hypocrites, both
men and women-as well as the [outright]
deniers of the _ truth-the fire of hell,
therein to abide: this shall be their
allotted_ portion. For, God has rejected
them, and long-lasting suffering awaits
them.
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh:
The reason hypocrisy is so bad is because
these were the “wolves in sheep’s clothing”,
i.e under the guise of being Muslims they
fueled rancor amongst the Muslims. It is
better to know your enemy up front, so you
can avoid them, rather than an outwardly
friendly person who is really your enemy.
Mike Ghouse:
Please remember God is merciful and
forgiver. Prescription of punishment is a
deterrent to crime, at least most average
people will not commit crime. Mr. Wilders,
Welcome to the United States of America, and
particularly Texas, those who deny the truth
get the life time imprisonment or the
electric chair.
#10.
Fight the
disbelievers and hypocrites. Be harsh with them. They are
all going to hell anyway. 73
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:73 O PROPHET! Strive hard against the
deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and
be adamant with them.
[101]
And [if they do not repent,] their goal
shall be hell -and how vile a journey's end!
Note 101 -
I.e., "do not compromise with them in
matters of principle". Regarding the meaning
of the verb jahada ("he strove hard", i.e.,
in a righteous cause), see surah 4, note
122. The imperative jahid is obviously used
here in its spiritual connotation, implying
efforts at convincing both the outspoken
unbelievers and the waverers, including the
various types of hypocrites spoken of in the
preceding passages. Although the imperative
is addressed in the first instance to the
Prophet, it is considered to be morally
binding on all believers.(Quran
Ref: 9:73 )
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: Comments It is obvious that the order is for striving to guide
them, otherwise the translation be adamant
would be rendered useless if one was to
simply kill them. If the meaning is
punishment, then punishing criminals is not
wrong.
Mike Ghouse:
Think in terms of civic societies and how
the criminals are punished or at least there
is a law ranging from a day in Jail to the
death penalty. Shall we be lenient to
rapists, murderers? Shall we tell them, that
we believe in civility and as a bonus for
their crimes, there is no punishment fro
them.
#11.
Allah will
afflict disbelievers with a painful doom in this world and
the Hereafter. 74
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:74 [The hypocrites] swear by God that they
have said nothing [wrong]; yet most
certainly have they uttered a saying which
amounts to a denial of the truth,
[102]
and have [thus] denied the truth after
[having professed] their self-surrender to
God: for they were aiming at something which
was beyond their reach.
[103]
And they could find no fault [with the
Faith] save that God had enriched them and
[caused] His Apostle [to enrich them] out of
His bounty!
[104]
Hence, if they repent, it will be for their
own good. but if they turn away, God will
cause them to suffer grievous suffering in
this world and in the life to come, and they
will find no helper on earth, and none to
give [them] succour.
Note 102-
See the first sentence of verse 61 above,
and the corresponding note 86. The
allegation that the Prophet deceived himself
in the matter of revelation is, naturally,
equivalent to disbelief in the outcome of
his revelation, i.e., the Qur'an.(Quran Ref: 9:74 )
Note 103 - Lit., "which they
were unable to attain to". The classical
commentators take this as a reference to an
abortive plot, on the part of some of the
hypocrites, to kill the Prophet during the
expedition to Tabuk. However, without
contesting the validity of this historical
interpretation, I believe that the above
allusion has a far deeper meaning-namely,
the existential impossibility of one's ever
attaining to inner peace without a positive
belief that man's life has meaning and
purpose, either of which can be glimpsed
only through the revelations bestowed on
those exceptionally gifted and receptive
personalities, the prophets. (An indirect
reference to divine revelation as the only
source of this kind of cognition appears in
96:5, that is, in the earliest Qur'anic
passage revealed to the Prophet.) Thus, torn
between their half-hearted desire to
"surrender themselves to God" and their
unwillingness to accept the divine guidance
offered them by the Prophet, the hypocrites
"were aiming at something which was beyond
their reach".(Quran Ref: 9:74 )
Note 104- I.e., by means of the spiritual guidance contained in the Qur'an and the material welfare resulting from an adherence to its moral and social principles. The above phrase implies that the reluctance of the hypocrites to pay heed to the Prophet was not due to their finding fault with the Faith as such but, rather, to their lack of gratitude for the spiritual and material benefits which they had derived from it. (Because of its historical associations, most of this verse is expressed in the past tense, although its moral import is obviously timeless.)(Quran Ref: 9:74 ) Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: Comments #12. For disbelievers there will be a painful doom. 90
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:90 AND THERE came [unto the Apostle] such of the bedouin as had some excuse to offer, [with the request] that they be granted exemption, [122] whereas those who were bent on giving the lie to God and His Apostle [simply] remained at home. [123] [And] grievous suffering is bound to befall such of them as are bent on denying the truth! Note 122 - I.e., from participating in the expedition to Tabuk. The term al-mu'adhdhirun connotes both "those having a valid excuse (`udhr)" and "those offering false excuses"; it is, therefore, best rendered as "such as had some excuse to offer". The specific mention of the a'rab ("bedouin") in this and the following passages probably arises from the fact that their attitude - positive or negative-towards Islam was of the greatest importance within the context of early Muslim history, inasmuch as the message of Muhammad could not obtain a real, lasting foothold in Arabia without first securing the allegiance of those warlike nomads and half-nomads, who constituted the great majority of the Peninsula's population. At the time when the Prophet was preparing to set out towards Tabuk, many of the already-converted tribesmen were willing to go to war under his leadership (and, in fact, did so), while others were afraid lest in their absence their encampments, denuded of man-power, be raided by hostile, as yet unconverted tribes (Razi); others, again, were simply averse to exposing themselves to the hardships of a campaign in distant lands, which did not seem to them to have any bearing on their own, immediate interests.(Quran Ref: 9:90 ) Note 123 - I.e., without even caring to come to Medina and to excuse themselves.(Quran Ref: 9:90 ) Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh: All religions carry the same criteria, that if you don’t believe in the fundamentals of that particular religion, you will be punished. Why is Islam being singled out? Again the verses in question are about the hypocrites of the time. Mike Ghouse: The key phrase is bent on telling the lies, which is denying the truth.
#13.
Don't pray for idolaters (not even for your
family) after it is clear they are people of hell-fire.
113
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:113
IT DOES NOT behove the Prophet and those who
have attained to faith to pray that they who
ascribed divinity to aught beside God be
forgiven [by Him] even though they happened
to be [their] near of kin
[148]
-after it has been made clear unto them that
those [dead sinners] are destined for the
blazing fire.
Note: As is obvious from the sequence, this
prohibition relates to the dead among such
sinners-i.e., those who have died without
repentance (Zamakhshari, Razi)-and not to
those who are still living: for "a prayer
for forgiveness in respect of a living
[sinner] ... amounts to asking God that He
grace him with His guidance ... and this is
permissible" (Manar XI, 60).(Quran
Ref: 9:113 )
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh:
There is no point in praying for one who has
died as a polytheist, as this is an
unforgivable sin. This verse was
specifically revealed about the Uncle of the
Prophet SAW, whom the Prophet loved very
much. If the Prophet was not allowed to pray
for him then how can any regular person from
his followers?
Mike
Ghouse:
Those who do not believe in God, don't
really have to worry about any punishment
after death as there is no God for them to
believe in the first place, prayers for them
don't mean a thing. However, God's most
endearing quality, that comes as a creator
is kindness and grace that he or she
reserves to itself. (deliberate use of
words). Then he advises in the most
pluralistic terms, giving respect to one's
belief. Mind you, disagreement is handled in
the most civil terms, putting the other
person on equal footing.
109:1
SAY: "O you who deny the truth!
109:2 "I
do not worship that which you worship,
109:3
and neither do you worship that which I
worship!
109:4
"And I will not worship ~hat which you have
[ever] worshipped,
109:6
Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine
!
#14.
Fight
disbelievers who are near you, and let them
see the harshness in you. 123
Mohammad Asad - At-Tauba (The Repentance)
9:123 O you who have attained to faith!
Fight against those deniers of the truth who
are near you, and let them find you adamant
;
[163]
and know that .God is with those who are
conscious of Him.
Note 163- I.e.,
uncompromising with regard to ethical
principles. For the general circumstances in
which war is permitted, see 2:190-194,
22:39, 60:8-9, and the corresponding notes,
as well as notes 7 and 9 on verse 5 of this
surah. The reference to "those deniers of
the truth who are near you" may arise from
the fact that only "those who are near" can
be dangerous in a physical sense or,
alternatively, that - having come from afar-
they have already approached the Muslim
country with an aggressive intent.(Quran
Ref: 9:123 )
Imam Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh:
Uncompromising rigidity in the matters of
right and wrong, black and white is not
something to be ashamed of. If I am not
harsh in for example somebody robbing my
house at night by calling the police and
prosecuting those involved, what message
does it give?
Mike Ghouse:
How does one translate Adamant to harshness?
Shows lack of freedom on the part of Neocons
to question what is dished out to them. They
are taking that false translation as gospel.
The least they can do is see if there is
another translation. Isn’t that what
democracy is all about?
Zia-ul-Haq Shaikh ICI is fortunate to have Shaikh Zia as Imam of our center. Imam Zia ul Haque Sheikh was born in Azad Kashmir, and at the age of four he migrated to England with his parents. He attended regular schools until the age of thirteen, when he enrolled in a full time Islamic school .He memorized the Quran,
and at the age of sixteen, he started an Islamic
Theology course, which consisted of Arabic Syntax,
Etymology and Grammar, Logic, Quranic Exegesis,
Hadith Exegesis, Comparative Religions, Islamic
Jurisprudence of the four main schools of thought,
Foundations of Jurisprudence, Quran and Hadith, and
other subjects. After extensive studying for
approximately twelve years, he graduated in 1994
with a Masters in Islamic Theology. He is still
engaged in various courses to further his education. Education & Other Skills:
Hobbies & Interests:
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer. He is president of the Foundation for Pluralism and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing interfaith, political and civic issues. He is the founding president of World Muslim Congress with a simple theme: Good for Muslims and good for the world. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. Mike is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com
By Grant Swank http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/29496.html
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