Islam and ISIS – both are separate from each other
I examined a meme that attempted to show the Qur’an contains
hate-speech towards nonbelievers. The Qur’an is not even close to hate-speech
to non-Muslims. This one takes a few passages from the Qur’an and titles itself
“ISIS & Radical Islam’s Daily Devotional.” The issue here is not only
whether the group that calls itself the “Islamic State” correctly interprets
and implements Qur’anic teachings, but whether these verses, prima facie, mean
what this meme-maker thinks they do. I will not be addressing every verse here,
but some of them. (Extract from Ro Waseem’s text duly amended)
1)
Slay the unbelievers
wherever you find them.
Full rendering of the Verses of the Noble Quran
Original Verse # 2:191
Waq-tuluuhum hay-su
saqif-tumuuhum wa ‘akhrijuu-hum-min hay-su
‘akhrajuukum wal-fitnatu ‘ashaddu
minal-qatl. Wa laa tuqaatiluuhum
‘indal-Masjidil Haraami hattaa
yu-qaatiluukum fiih. Fa-‘in
qaataluukum faqtuluuhum. Kazaalika
jazaaa-‘ul-Kaafiriin.
Correct Translationof the verse # 2:191
“And slay them
wherever you find them and drive them out of the places whence they have
expelled you, for persecution is worse than killing. And do not fight with them
at al-Masjid al-Haram (Inviolable Place of Worship) until they first attack you
there. But if they attack you (there), then kill them. Such is the recompense
of the disbelievers.”
by Ro Waseem vide: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/quranalyzeit/2015/06/09/isis-and-radical-islam-an-atheist-examines-a-stupid-meme-kile-jones/
First, a few things to notice: “Expel them from wherever
they have expelled you” [italics mine]. “Do not fight them at
al-Masjid al-Haram (the “Grand Mosque” in Mecca) until they fight you
there. But if they fight you, then kill them” [italics mine].
Does anyone else notice how this verse is not asking Muslims to preemptively kill?
Doesn’t this sound more like self-defense?
This falls in line with what 22:40-41 says,
“Permission to fight is given to those against
whom war is made, because they have been wronged… Those who have been driven
out from their homes unjustly only because they said, ‘Our Lord is God’ — And
if God did not repel some men by means of others, there would surely have been
pulled down temples and churches and synagogues and mosques.”
Wait–Temples, churches, and synagogues? It’s almost as if the
Qur’an is for defending other religions in times of war.
For instance, notice who is killing and attacking first in 3:21,
“Those
who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets without right and
kill those who order justice from among the people – give them tidings of a
painful punishment.”
Also, at the end of 2:193 it says,
“But if they cease, then there is to be no
aggression except against the oppressors.”
Except against oppressors. You heard it.
2) “Muslims must not take infidels as
friends.”
Original Verse # 3:28
Laa yattakhizil-Mu’-mi-nuunal-Kaafiriina ‘awliyaaa-‘a
min-duunil-Mu’-miniin. Wa many-yaf-‘al
zaalika fa-laysa minAllaahi
fii shay-‘in ‘illaaa
‘an-tattaquu minhum tuqaah.
Wa yuhazziru-kumUllaahu Nafsah.
Wa ‘ilAllaahil-masiir.
Correct Translationof the verse # 3:28
“Let not the believers
take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. And whoso [of
you] does that has no connection with Allah, unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves
against them, taking (as it were) security. And Allah biddith you beware (only)
of Himself, and unto Allah is the (journey) [final] destination.”
by Ro Waseem
Does anyone else notice the “rather than believers” part? Or how
about the “except when taking precaution against them in prudence”? I wonder
what other Qur’anic passages say about this:
60:8:
“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion
and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and
acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” What if I
told Muslims might even have been granted permission to eat with and possibly
marry Christians and Jews (“People of the Book”)? Check out 5:5: “This day
[all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given
the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful
in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from
among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them
their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or
taking [secret] lovers.”
Let’s put it this way, if this meme is correct on face value, all
the Muslims I know would not be following the Quran.
3) “Any religion other than Islam is not
acceptable.”
Original Verse # 3:85
Wa many-yabtagi
gayral-‘Islaami Diinan- falany-yuqbala minh.
Wa huwa fil-‘Aakhirati minal-khaasiriin.
Correct Translationof the verse # 3:85
“And whoso
seeketh other than Islam (the Surrender to Allah) as religion – never will it
be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.”
by Ro Waseem
Using this verse as a way to support the conclusion that ISIS
interprets the Qur’an correctly seems quite mistaken. This says nothing about
military action or violence. It is theologically, not militarily, focused. If
you don’t believe me, read the few verses following 85 and tell me it’s not
theological.
4) “Maim and crucify the infidels if
they criticize Islam.”
Original Verse # 5:33
‘Innamaa jazaaa-‘ullaziina yuhaa-ribuu-nAllaaha wa
RasuulaHuu wa yas-‘awna
fil-‘arzi fasaadan ‘any-yuqattaluuu ‘aw
yusallabuu ‘aw tuqatta-’a ‘aydii-him
wa ‘arjuluhum-min khilaafin
‘aw yunfaw minal-‘arz. Zaalika
lahum khiz-yun- fid-dunyaa
wa lahum fil- ‘Aakhirati ‘azaabun
‘aziim.
Correct Translationof the verse # 5:33
“Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His
Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be
killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides
or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this
world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment (an awful doom).”
by Ro Waseem
Notice the initial instigator of violence: “Those who wage war
against Allah and His Messenger.” Now, I’m no fan of crucifying or lobbing of
the hands and feet of enemy offenders, but this is certainly not something
particular to Muslims during that time. See what happened to Sumayyah bint
Khayyat, Bilal the Abyssinian, or what the Quraysh leadership did to other
early Muslims. But this is no tit-for-tat argument. It’s merely pointing to
historical context.
Most importantly, I want you to read verse
32: “Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever
kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as
if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had
saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them
with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the
land, were transgressors” [italics mine].
So does this verse advocate crucifying and maiming infidels at all
times and in all places? No. Does it say to early Muslims, during a war in
which they are on the defensive, that they could corporeally punish their
oppressors? Possibly. Either way, this is not the same thing this meme attempts
to express.
5) “Muslims must muster all
weapons to terrorize the infidels.”
Original Verse # 8:60
Wa ‘a-‘idduu
lahum-mastata’-tum-min-
quwwatinw-wa
mir-ribaatil-khayli
turhabuuna bihii ‘aduw-wAllaahi wa ‘aduw-wa-kum wa ‘aakhariina min-
duunihim. Laa ta’-lamuunahum. Allaahu
ya’-lamuhum. Wa maa
tunfiquu min- shay-‘in
fii Sabii-LIllaahi yu-waffa
‘ilaykum wa ‘antum
laa tuzlamuun.
Correct Translationof the verse # 8:60
“And make ready
for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby you
may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you
do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatsoever you spend in the cause of
Allah, it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.”
by Ro Waseem
If only people would read the following verse, which says, “And if
they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah.”
Preparing for oppression to spark fear in oppressors is not the same as a
preemptive strike. This is most certainly not what ISIS is doing.
6) “Make war on the infidels
living in your neighborhood.”
Original Verse # 9:123
Yaaa-‘ayyu-hallaziina ‘aamanuu
qaati-lullaziina ya-luunakum-minal-kuffaari wal-yajiduu
fii-kum gilzah. Wa’-lamuuu
‘annAllaaha ma-‘al-Muttaqiin.
Correct Translationof the verse # 9:123
“O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the
disbelievers and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with
(those who keep their duty unto Him) the righteous.”
Not only is this Surah dealing with treaties and rules of war (see
preceding verse), it’s also about the suffering of early Muslims. Verse 128
says, “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves.
Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you.” Muslims were
suffering, on the defensive, and having to prepare for attacks. They were not
doing what ISIS is doing now. (Also read Qasim Rashid’s amazing piece on Muhammed’s rules of war and
Jeremiah Bowden’s excellent piece on war and jihad.)
by Ro Waseem
Now, I’m
no scholar of Islamic military jurisprudence (“Fiqh”), but it doesn’t take one
to see how misleading this meme is.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share it