الأربعاء، 20 يوليو 2011
الخميس، 7 يوليو 2011
Support for Violence in the Qur’an
Support for Violence in the Qur’an
The following are only some of the verses in the Qur’an that can and have been used in the history of Islam in support of violence in the name of God and the glories of martyrdom in a holy war.
2:190–193 “Fight in the cause of God those who fight you … And slay them wherever ye catch them … And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in God … ”
2:216 “Fighting is prescribed for you and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But God knoweth and ye know not.”
2:224 “Then fight in the cause of God and know that God heareth and knoweth all things.”
3:157–158 “And if ye are slain or die in the way of God, forgiveness and mercy from God are far better than all they could amass. And if ye die, or are slain, Lo! It is unto God that ye are brought together.”
3:169 “Think not of those who are slain in God’s way as dead. Nay, they live finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.”
3:195 “ … Those who have … fought or been slain, verily I will blot out from them their iniquities and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath; a reward from the presence of God … ”
4:101 “ … For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies.”
4:74, 75 “Let those fight in the cause of God who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. To him who fighteth in the cause of God whether he is slain or gets victory, soon shall we give him a reward of great (value). Those who believe fight in the cause of God and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil, so fight ye against the friends of Satan, feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan.”
4:89 “They but wish that ye should reject faith as they do, and thus be on the same footing as they. But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of God. But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them … ”
4:95 “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt and those who strive and fight in the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than those who sit (at home).”
5:36 “The punishment of those who wage war against God and His apostle and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land. That is their disgrace in this world and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.”
5:54 “O ye who believe. Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily God guideth not a people unjust.”
8:12–17 “Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): ‘I am with you. Give firmness to the believers. I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips off them. This because they contend against God and his apostle. If any contend against God and his apostle, God is strict in punishment … O ye who believe. When ye meet the unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day, unless it be a stratagem of war … he draws on himself the wrath of God and his abode is Hell, an evil refuge (indeed).’ ”
8:59–60 “Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly). They will never frustrate (them). Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of God and your enemies and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom God doth know … ”
8:65 “O apostle! Rouse the believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred. If a hundred they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers, for these are a people without understanding.”
9:5 “ … fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war) … ”
9:14 “Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame.… ”
9:29 “Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and his apostle nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizya [religious tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”
47:4 “Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks, at length when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them).… but if it had been God’s will, he could certainly have exacted retribution from them (himself), but (he lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the way of God, he will never let their deeds be lost.”
61:4 “Truly God loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.”
A simple reading of such Qur’anic passages makes it obvious how easy it is for many Muslims to feel hatred and enmity against Jews, Christians, and other non-
Muslims. Although many Muslims are very fond of quoting some of the more “open-minded” and “inclusive” verses of the Qur’an, one cannot ignore the weight and impact of the above passages on a devout Muslim who wants to find and obey the will of God as found in the Qur’an. Before we go on to other examples from prophet Muhammad himself, we need to respond to two issues that some Muslims bring up at this point.
الأربعاء، 6 يوليو 2011
What About the Pilgrimage?
What About the Pilgrimage?
“The Pilgrimage is a survival of the ancient pilgrimages to the Holy Stones. Almost none of the customs attended upon the pilgrimage derive from Muhammad’s time… Muhammad changed the sevenfold tawaf or circumambulation of the Kaaba only in one respect. Before his time, it was performed naked” (Payne, The History of Islam, p. 79, emphasis mine).
These customs were done to Hubal long before Muhammad, and none of these customs started in Muhammad’s time, they were already there. Muhammad just changed one thing, being naked, that’s all.
“…several pre-Islamic ritual practices, especially those connected with the Kaaba cult in Mecca, were continued by Muhammad…” (Frederick Denny, An Introduction to Islam, p. 56, emphasis mine).
“…important Muslim practices such as visiting the Kaaba, and the many details of the ceremony of Hajj, including visits of Safa and Marwa, and also throwing stones against the stone pillar symbolizing Satan, were all pre-Islamic practices of pagan Arabia” (Answering Islam, Norman Geisler, p. 309, emphasis mine).
“Pagan ritualism also contributed to the religious world into which Muhammad was born… The pagans of pre-Islamic Arabia taught that everyone should bow and pray towards Mecca during certain times of the day. Everyone should make a pilgrimage to Mecca to worship at the Kaaba at least once in their life. Once they arrived at Mecca, the pagans ran around the Kaaba seven times and kissed the Black Stone… That these pagan rites comprised the religion into which Muhammad was raised by his family [who were worshippers of Hubal, the Allah of Mecca] is acknowledged by all. Thus it is no surprise to find that, as Arab scholar Nazar-Ali has observed: ‘Islam retained many aspects of the pagan religion’” (Morey, Islamic Invasion, pp. 42–43, emphasis mine).
“Middle Eastern scholar, E.M. Wherry in his monumental work, A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, shows that worship of Allah and the worship of Baal (Hubal) involved the worship of heavenly bodies, the moon, the stars and the sun” (Moshey, Who Is This Allah?, p. 137, emphasis mine).
Notice Allah and Hubal or Baal, the religions are exactly the same, because the deities are the same!
Here are some more quotes about the origins of the ceremonies in Islam:
“Islam owes many of its most superstitious details to old Arabian paganism especially in the rites and rituals of the pilgrimage to Mecca (see Suras 2:153; 22:28–30; 5:1–4; 22:37)… the superstitions connected with the jinns [genies] and old folk tales such as those of Ad and Thamud… The entire ceremony of the pilgrimage has been shamelessly taken over from pre-Islamic practice… Circumambulation of a sanctuary was a very common rite practiced in many localities. The pilgrim during his circuit frequently kissed or caressed the Idol. Sir William Muir thinks that the seven circuits of the Kaaba ‘were probably emblematical of the revolution of the planetary bodies.’ While Zwemer goes so far as to suggest that the seven circuits of the Kaaba, three times rapidly and four times slowly were ‘an imitation of the inner and outer planets’… It is unquestionable that the Arabs at a comparatively late period worshipped the sun and other heavenly bodies” (Warraq, pp. 35–36, 40, emphasis mine).
Alfred Guillaume, professor of Arabic, in London says:
“The customs of heathenism have left an indelible mark on Islam, notably in the rites of pilgrimage” (Islam, p. 6, emphasis mine).
Notice how all the sources note that the rituals are from Mecca, where the chief god of Muhammad’s tribe dwelt and worshipped Hubal, the Allah of the Kaaba! The religion of Hubal and Allah are one and the same, because Hubal and Allah are one and the same!
Lastly Warraq writes:
“Muhammad did not find it necessary to introduce an altogether novel deity, but had contented himself with ridding the heathen Allah of his companions [the daughters of Allah]… Wellhausen also cites pre-Islamic literature where Allah is mentioned as a great deity. Had he not been accustomed from his youth to the idea of Allah as the supreme god, in particular in Mecca, it may be all doubted whether he would have come forward as a preacher of monotheism” (p. 42, emphasis mine).
Remember, Muhammad did not say Allah was great, but that Allah was the greatest among the other gods, acknowledging the pre-Islamic origin of Allah, and his religion.
The Religion of Allah and Hubal are the Same
The Religion of Allah and Hubal are the Same
Payne noted that Muhammad was taught the “ceremonies” attached to Hubal. What are those ceremonies?
“Here at the time of the new moon, following the summer solstice, at the hottest time of the year, the ancient pilgrims worshipped the Moon God [Hubal]… and then reverently kissed it [the black stone], and afterward they walked around the Kaaba seven times” (ibid., p. 4, emphasis mine).
“Allah is not a generic Arabic word for God but a name of a particular god among many deities traditionally honored in ancient times by nomadic tribes in Arabia.
Allah was the chief god among the approximately 360 idols in the Kaaba in Mecca… Allah is a contraction of Al-ilah, the name of the Moon God [Hubal] of the local Quraysh, Mohammed’s tribe… Allah’s symbol was a crescent moon, which Muhammad carried over into Islam. This symbol is seen on mosques, minarets, shrines, and Arab flags” (David Hunt, In Defense of the Faith, pp. 37–38, emphasis mine).
In the book Behind the Veil, it notes the ceremony about kissing the stone:
“Al-Bukhari records a famous statement made by Umar… which demonstrates the confusion of the Muslims. The Bukhari says: ‘When Umar ibn al-Khattab reached the black stone, he kissed it and said, “I know that you are stone that does not hurt nor benefit. If I had not seen the prophet kiss you, I would not have kissed you”’… All scholars confirm this statement” (p. 285, emphasis mine)
Note: Authors of Behind the Veil could not give their names for fear of their lives, but you can find this book on line at http://answeringislam.org/BehindVeil/index.html
Why did Muhammad kiss the stone, the stone that was sacred to Hubal? If Allah was different than Hubal, that would have been blasphemy, “joining other gods with God” as the Koran says! Hubal and Allah are the same deity, there is no question about it!