AM STILL WRITING REPLY
Assalamu Alaykum,
Firstly, For a person who is
sincere in learning about ISlam, they should not judge Muslims or in that matter ANY people based upon hearsay or selected quotations from either Quran or Hadith which have had an explanation given by someone with a biased agenda to make Muslims look bad. This is the case with many Articles and emails which have been written to paint Islam in a bad light. It is important for people to obtain knowledge about Islam from those who actually practise it and understand it.
Nevertheless, those who have been sincere and have taken their time to understand and study Islam properly would have found that these misconceptions are not true. That Muslims are kind, peaceful and loving people. Sensible people will be able to draw a line between teachings of Islam and Muslim people, and the political situations in many countries where there are a great deal of injustices occuring and which unfortunately
sometimes give rise to extremism sentiments. The latter of course, occurs in many places throughout the world where people have had their rights taken away and are forced to submit to brutal occupations and regimes. However, the subject we are here to discuss is not about the 21st Century world political situation, but about Islam and its teachings.
To explain both hadith and verses of Quran there has to be clear understanding about it. This of course, comes from having actually studied Islam from real and accurate sources. i.e. Muslims who have knowledge of what they talk about.
Also, many times those who speak against a people, whether it be Muslims, Arabs, Native Americans or even say aborigines, often give their own version of history and events which are totally inaccurate and fabricated.
Muslim history has especially been hidden and distorted. We will come to this point later.
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It is vitally important to obtain history from the proper sources. Not someone who bases their knowledge of Muslims from accounts written by the murdering Catholic Visigoths of Spain. **
First thing to note:
There are no words in the Quran which mention "Holy War". Jihad rather means to struggle. A persons jihad can be to wake up in the morning to go to work... a student does jihad to get ready for his exams.. or a person has to do jihad (struggle) to protect his family or his land.
The Jihad of fighting for Allah, is not something undertaken by people. It is a matter which is decided upon by those who are ruling and incharge of the Muslims and their affairs.
Muslims are clearly forbidden to attack anyone who is at peace with them. And if by chance the Muslims are fighting non-Muslims, we are
ordered to make peace if the otherside want peace.
[Quran 8:61]“If they resort to
peace, so shall you, and put your trust in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.”
[Quran 4:90]“…… Therefore, if they leave you alone, refrain from fighting you, and offer you
peace, then GOD gives you no excuse to fight them.”
The Killing of the women and children are forbidden.
Sahih Al Bukhari
Chapter : Prohibition of killing women and children in war.
It is narrated by Ibn 'Umar that a woman was found killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) forbade the killing of women and children.
Sunan Abu Dawood:
Narated By Rabah ibn Rabi' : When we were with the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) on an expedition, he saw some people collected together over something and sent a man and said: See, what are these people collected around? He then came and said: They are round a woman who has been killed. He said: This is not one with whom fighting should have taken place. Khalid ibn al-Walid was in charge of the van; so he sent a man and said: Tell Khalid not to kill a woman or a hired servant.
1400 years ago Islam gave Women the option to buy, sell and own their own land. They were given the opportunity to do their
own business, have a say in every part of their life, including who to marry, when to marry and the right to divorce. They also had the right to formulate their own Marriage contracts and put whatever clauses they desired in it.
Islam is
not what some extremist or other person may think. In order to understand people, they must
Rather it is based upon the original texts and sources of Islam and upon the understanding of the first few generation of Muslims and learned scholars.
One should not judge a religion by the actions of a few people. Rather, judge the people by what their Religion actually says.
Yvonne Ridley was a journalist who reported from Afghanistan a lot. She was against the Taliban and their beliefs. She believed women were repressed. She was kidnapped in Afghanistan, when she came back from her ordeal and studied Islam, she found it was opposite to what she had first assumed and gave women equal rights.
You can see that here:
Yvonne Ridley interview
"I wish I had this knowledge (and I'm still very much a novice) when I was captured by the Taliban because I would have asked them why they treated their own women so badly. The Quran makes it crystal clear that all Muslims, men and women are entirely equal in worth, spirituality and responsibility. Allah ordained equality and fairness for women in education and opportunity. Fair property law and divorce settlements were introduced for Muslim women 1500 years ago; may be this is where Californian divorce lawyers got their inspiration from in recent years! The Quran could have been written yesterday for today. It could sit very easily with any Green Party manifesto, it is is environmentally friendly and it is a true le inspiration for the 21st century, yet not one word has changed since the day it was written unlike other religious tomes. "It's more punk than punk," musician Aki Nawaz of the band Fun-da-Mental recently told me. And, of course he is right."
Lets have a look at Spain and other Muslim lands in history:
Have the Muslim haters talked about the
convivencia in Spain? Thats the word for the Muslims cooperating and working side by side with non-Muslims.
Christians and Muslims lived together for 800 years in Spain. They made the worlds most remarkable scientific discoveries as well as setting up Europe for the renaissance. The achievements made here can not even be done justice here in these lines.
What about how the Jews and Muslims were treated after Grenada was taken by Queen ISabella? 6 months after the treaty All Jews were driven out by the Catholics, and then the Muslims and even Arabic speaking Christians were forcefully baptized or Killed....
Muslims are not to forcefully converted anyone. A person can not be made a Muslim by force. It is against the teachings of the Quran.
["Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Taghut (evil) and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trust worthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. " (Qur'an 2:256)]
Infact, history shows us that Muslims were infact WELCOMED by people who were treated apally under Christian rule.
Islam in its history was welcomed by outsiders. For example in Spain, the visigoth Christian monarchs were seen as villains, and so the Muslims who at the time were the epitome of sophistication and tolerance were welcomed in. The people of Spain sent an envoy to talk to the Muslims in North Africa to come and free them from the Visigoths.
Likewise in Egypt the Coptics and other minority groups who were treated worse than second class citizens by their Byzantine rulers lived harmoniously under Muslim rule.
EVen in Sicily, there are Churches which still stand today, that were built by Muslims for the Christian inhabitants.
Sure, the only difference being that they had to pay Jizya tax, which was much less than what they were taxed previously by their rulers. Infact, the Jizya was very small token which was to show that they were willing to be a part and to live amongst the Muslim community. In return, the people were given the status of a Dhimmi. A Dhimmi, is not a pejorative word. It is infact a good word which means a person who is protected. It means that they must be looked after and that their rights must be kept.
Those who were not Muslim, were not expected to pay the Zakat, the Zakat is charity that all Muslims who are financially able, give to the poor.
- So this attitude that Muslims were blood thirsty barbarians who did not Tolerate any other view is not historically accurate. How else could Michael Scot have educated the Rest of Europe with the Arabic books he had taken from Andalucia? How else did Jews and other minorities manage to write their own philosophies and books in what is considered their "Golden Period"?
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Even today, Dr Carlos Pera Chief Surgeon of Cordoba hospital has his medical students study Islam as a core module, as a debt to the work they did in creating the first surgical instruments which were used even up until the early 20th century. As well as the hundreds of discoveries they made, such as writing in depth about human blood flow, workings of the heart, the affects of bacteria. -
The first universities in Europe often employed Muslims to teach Medicine and Science.
People just need to look into the Muslim inspired notion of "Convivencia", where all communities have to work together regardless of faith. Scientists and doctors worked together in the Muslim lands. It was not a problem. From Baghdad (which has 100s of universities) through to the streets of Andalucia (which in just the city of Toledo there were 700 bath houses.. and of course countless universities... and hospitals.. and famously the first street lighting)
It was only when the Catholics came into power in Spain that people were forcefully converted into Christianity. People were forced to eat Pork and to hang pork in their houses to show that they had become Christian. Anyone who refused to open their doors to the Catholic forces risked being executed.
Muslims are much more tolerant and flexible to other people than the Muslim-hating Zionist appeasers, would have you believe. For it is only a select group who deliberately leave out the Muslim history and focus on their own untrue
spin.
The Counter to these Arguments, that the Muslims were just warriors intent on Forcefully converting people and ransacking towns is very Easy.
A simple trip to Spain, Morocco, Sicily, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and many many other places will show you quite evidently that it is untrue. There you will find communities that have existed for 100s of years, still practising their own cultures and religions from before the Muslims arrived (Except of course in places where the non-Muslims came and massacred/expelled all the inhabitants as in Spain).
Infact, the oldest monastries and churches are found in Muslim countries, for example Iraq and Syria have some of the oldest churches.
Also, after the crusades which took the lives of the native Muslim, Jewish and Christian people. The Muslims came back and restored synagogues and churches. Even in Sicily you will find churches which were clearly constructed by Muslim builders.
In Toledo there is a really beautiful and magnificent Jewish Quarter built whilst under Muslim rule.
So the evidence of the diverse population of Muslim countries such as Lebanon, the literary evidence, and the tangible presensce of the people in all these Muslim countries is testament that the Muslims did not go around forcefully converting or conquering people.
Infact, if we were to believe that these people were oppressed, they would have fled and left the Muslim lands. However, the opposite was the case. Jews, Coptic Christians and other people who were oppressed sought refuge in the Muslim lands. Not only were they tolerated, they were accepted as part of the community. So much so, that in Toledo the Jews were allowed their own Rabbinical courts.
OF course, there are evil things done in the name of Islam today, for example in Iran and other places. However, this does not mean ISlam or Muslims are evil. Christians, Jews, Budhists Atheists and many other people have done wrong using their religion as a notion to kill.
There are 10 million muslims in America, and they feel part of American people. Its just a shame some people shout abuse and say the most ridiculour things about Islam and its history. Which had a definite positive effect in shaping the society we live in today. The Renaissance was born upon ever discovery the Muslims had made.
