Would you mind providing specific examples of actions committed by terrorists, and what Islam says to forbid those actions? I'm not too familiar with most of the Quran, and it's important to the discussion, because if it's not extremely clear and is open to interpretation, then you can't justify saying they aren't "true" Muslims because arguably they just have a different interpretation of both their actions and of the religion.
Also, if they are "fake" Muslims for not following a certain rule, where do you draw the line between "true" and "fake" Muslims, or people of any religion for that matter. Are Christians who don't stone disobedient children "fake" Christians? What about Muslims who eat pork and drink alcohol, how much is that open to interpretation, and are they all "fake" Muslims?
This is why I tend to avoid categorising people into "true" and "fake" beyond the absolute core of having a belief in god "X", because it can easy become completely subjective and meaningless.
Also, if you're right that every religious terrorist, whose religion doesn't condone their actions, is actually a fake religious person, does that mean that pretty much only atheists and deists (guessing that covers everyone who believes in a god, but not a religion) can be terrorists?
Of course, it will be my pleasure
First of all, I want you to know that I am not a scholar in any religion at all. However my knowledge of Islam comes from books that are written by respectable scholars and from direct conversations with them. I will not claim to be a religious person who knows every single law of every single religion inside out, or even of one. But I would like to be able to say I am a good person because of the morals that I have been taught by my parents, teachers and also by religions. So, because of this there may be parts I will not be able to explain properly and I hope you forgive me for that, but I will do my very best. And what I said about "true" and "fake" Muslims was probably somewhat borderline, but I will explain why I said that in this post too.
So, that being said I will address the first point before quoting anything at all. The Quraan for Muslims is a guidance book, covering everything from how to conduct oneself in the company of others, to stories from the past such as Noah (peace be upon him) and his Ark, all the way to a topic that everyone seems to know about in some way or another, and that is Jihad or Jihaad. Anyone who denies that the Quraan does mention Jihad has clearly not read it, but the Quraan also states that it is a book that can guide people towards Islam, or misguide them away from Islam. A rather interesting fact to note though is that the longest verse/sentence in the Quraan has nothing to do with fighting, or praying or following God etc, but rather it is about loaning money. That shows the importance of fairness with regards to money, but anyway that is going a little off topic; back to the guidance and misguidance. For this reason, Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a guide to help the Muslims understand what the Quraan meant and to show them all the finer points of Islam. It is mentioned that he came to confirm many of the teachings and stories that were said before (by other Prophets) and to clarify certain things. These clarifications and teachings became known as Hadith, and for a Muslim this is one of the fundamental parts of Islam, just as important as the Quraan.
Now we have established the basis of Islam and what it predominantly relies upon. So we can start to piece together bits and bobs. We have all seen what these Terrorists have done but I will try to break it down into points to discuss as best as possible:
- They walked onto the streets of city with intent to disrupt
- They murdered those who insulted the Prophet, despite them being unarmed
- They murdered innocent police officers who were doing their job
- They took hostages in an innocent supermarket for no reason other than "they are jews"
- They evaded the law, trying to get away from the crimes they committed
- They caused unease and made an entire section of Paris a dangerous place to be in.
Just taking those points in itself is pretty bad. I understand that there were insults at the Prophet of Islam, and yes I personally believe that all religions should have a limit where they are protected and that should be direct insulting of their Prophet or God. I have made jokes about Islam, Christianity and Judaism with Muslims, Christians and Jews and quite honestly we all found them pretty funny. The thing is that we knew there was a limit were it would stop being funny and start being insulting. I understand what the magazine was also trying to do, it is being defiant to show that they can say whatever they want, whenever they want. And I respect that choice but feel that there are limits that should never be crossed. But that is just me!
Back to the incidents that unfolded here. In an earlier post I talked about the law in Islam called Hirabah or Hiraba, depending on how you wish to spell it. I will mention a few points that cover this law:
- If someone puts people in fear on the road
- Night or day
- In a city or countryside
- Alone or in a group
- To make people fear for
- Their lives
- Their property
- Their money
- They may be raped
From this law (which comes from one of the four major schools of Islamic teaching [these are four permissible ways of interpreting religion, each with slight variation] but used in all) you can see that the terrorists committed the acts they did and have fallen into breaking this law. This law is actually one of the more important laws in Islam and is repeatedly discouraged through the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. So that is the first point. Also, Hiraba comes from the Arabic root Hariba, which basically means "to become angry". So in this way, this terrorisation is forbidden in Islam. But that is just a "lower" level. It can go much further than that, and that is if someone commits an act that is mentioned in there, such as theft, robbery, rape, murder, etc. Then Islam comes down even more strongly upon them. In fact, some scholars actually say that whilst what I described above is Hiraba from a legal standpoint, in action it can mean "To attempt to kill/harm someone in a stealthy fashion with the intent to cause concern, fear and terrorise a community". Which is exactly what these people did.
As we have this law covered now, I will quote some verses from the Quraan and some sayings from the Hadith about peace, respect, tolerance etc. But before I do that I WILL say that out of the 6000ish verses in the Quraan about 150ish or thereabouts talk about Jihad. But almost all of them do not talk about the Jihad that most people know. Jihad in itself means to struggle. This could be a struggle for a person who is in difficulty not to steal. This can mean a struggle for an ill person to keep going until he/she is better, etc etc. Jihad does not mean to pick up a sword and kill in the name of God. In actual fact, whilst mentioned in the Quraan, that is actually classed as a lower form of Jihad, a form that should not be used unless 100% necessary. And even then, when Jihad is declared in the form of war upon someone or something, there are rules of engagement that MUST be followed. The Quraan mentions this when talking about war, by saying (paraphrasing) "But do not transgress your boundaries [follow the rules of engagement], for God does not love those who transgress".
This brings me on to the rules of engagement for war. These are stated by Muhammad (pbuh) and therefore should be followed by every Muslim, regardless of what sect they may belong to. Some of the rules go like this:
- You cannot hurt the innocent or unarmed
- You must not harm women, children, the ill, or elderly
- You must not cut down fruit bearing trees
- You must not damage buildings, especially those of religious value (Churches etc)
- You must not fight in anger
- You must give the ones you are to fight a fair time warning (in one instance, a four month warning was given)
- etc etc
So as you can see, Islam is very strict when it comes to declaration of war. On top of that, the only people who can declare physical, violent war in the name of Islam are the leading Muslim Scholars, and that is only after a ruling body of them agrees. Not even a government can declare war on another government on its own. With that being said, even then it can be debated whether or not the war is actually allowed. So really there is no justification for the terrorist attacks that happen in the name of Islam, not in Paris or London or New York City or anywhere. If you want to read more about Hirabah, I suggest looking at the writings of Dr Robert Crane, J.D about this subject.
And now, I will write in some quotes from both the Quraan and Hadith that I said I was going to do but got sidetracked!
On being trustworthy:
"A truthful and trustworthy merchant is associated with the Prophets" - Hadith
This is to highlight to businessmen the important of not cheating anyone
On character:
"Make your character good for the people" - Hadith
This quote is to show how important it is for a Muslim to be of good character at all times.
"He will not enter paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct" - Hadith
"Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last day should not harm his neighbour, and anybody who believes in Allah and the last day should entertain his guest generously, and anybody who believes should talk what is good, or keep quiet (abstain from bad talk)" - Hadith
"There is reward for kindness to every living thing" - Hadith
"God is kind and likes kindness in all things" - Hadith
"There are many doors to goodness. Saying "glory/praise be to God", enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf (until you can understand), leading the blind, guiding one to the object of need, hurrying with all the strength in one's legs to the one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the weak with the strength of one's arms" - Hadith
"Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will do wrong. But instead accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not do wrong if people do evil" - Hadith
These show what it means to be a complete Muslim, and I quote these only because they highlight nothing about Muslims to Muslim relations, but Muslim to everyone relations.
"The true servants of God, the most gracious, are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, reply with peace" - Quraan, chapter titled "The Criterion"
"The worst of guardians is a cruel ruler. Beware of becoming one of them" - Hadith
"The most hated person in the eyes of God is the most quarrelsome one" - Hadith
"Make things easy and don't make them harsh and difficult. Give cheer and glad tidings, and do not create hatred" - Hadith
"The strong man is not the one who is strong at wrestling, but the one who controls himself in anger" - Hadith
"Seek knowledge, from the cradle to the grave" - Hadith
"Wisdom is a long cherished wish to the believer. He takes it from wherever he listens to it, and he does not mind where it came out" - Hadith
I like this one because it again highlights that a Muslim does not become wise just by listening to Muslims, but rather takes the knowledge and wisdom from wherever he can find.
"Speak nicely to people" - Quraan, chapter titled "The Cow"
"When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or at the very least return it equally" - Quraan, chapter titled "The Lady". This one actually went further, with a companion of Muhammad (pbuh) saying that if the Pharoh (who tried to persecute Moses (peace be upon him) was to greet nicely, then he would still respond with a polite greeting.
"A Muslim is one whose hands and tongue other people are safe" - Hadith
"And good and evil deeds are not alike. Repel Evil with Good. And he who is your enemy will become your dearest friend" - Quraan, chapter entitled "Explanation in detail"
On charity:
"Do not turn away a poor man even if all you can give him is half a date" - Hadith
This shows that a Muslim should never turn away someone who needs them, even if they can only give very little.
"Indeed, an ignorant man who is generous is dearer to God than a worshipper who is miserly" - Hadith
On doing good consistently:
"Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise" - Hadith
This is actually a pretty interesting one when expanded, because it highlights the fact that just by doing a good deed once does not mean that you are to enter heaven, rather you should be doing more and more good deeds for your whole life with the hope that it is enough.
On racism:
"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab. Nor has a non-Arab any superiority over an Arab" - Hadith
On this one I would like to quote two others that echo this saying, the first by President Mandela, and the second by President Jefferson:
"No one is born hating another person because of his skin, or his background, or his religion"
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..."
On forgiveness:
"It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing" - Hadith
"God will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people" - Hadith
"Show forgiveness" - Quraan, chapter titled "The Heights"
Relations between husband and wife:
"And among his signs is this: that he created mates for you from yourself so that you may find rest and peace of mind in them, and he ordained between you love and mercy" - Quraan, chapter intitled "Rome"
"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife" - Hadith
I like this one because it shows that the most perfect in faith may not be the one who prays all day and all night, or fasts all the time or goes to Makkah every year, but the one who loves his wife and treats her with kindness and good manners.
On Religion:
"They are losers, those who make a religion hard and tough. They imperil themselves who enforce tough practises of Islam. They destroy themselves, those who are extremes" - Hadith
"Islam is spacious (and has room for relaxation), and I have been sent with an easy and straightforward religion" - Hadith
As you can see there is A LOT for peace in Islam, I really could go on for thousands and thousands of words, but I know it is not needed. The next point I want to bring up is when people refer to specific verses in the Quraan that promote violence. I will state one right here:
"Kill them, wherever you find them" - Quraan, chapter entitled "The Cow"
This seems pretty violent, and there is no doubt about that. However, the verse in question (and a few others like it) talk in a very restricted sense and talk about very specific incidents. If one was to study the context around the verse and the time when it was revealed as Muslims believe, you will see how restricted it actually is. Similarly, I will now quote the Bible:
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on Earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" - Matthew:10
That seems pretty violent too! But it is obvious upon further study of that too that the whole quote relates to a very restricted and specific incident. Jesus (peace be upon him) taught the world about love, and friendship and care and kindness etc. A small quote for an isolated and restricted incident does not mean Christianity is a horrible, warmongering religion! Similarly, a small quote in the Quraan, which is superseded literally 100s of times cannot be a pretext for saying Islam promotes war and violence.
Even more important, and going back to the whole rules of war etc:
An individual can pray alone. But he cannot take matters into his own hands when it comes to fighting - That is also a law in Islam
So from all this, we can determine that Islam is a religion of peace, where the exception is war. And the exception has the strictest possible set of rules before it becomes valid. Which leads me to conclude that a true Muslim would not break these fundamental laws concerning war.
As for the question about pork and alcohol, I am not sure what the full ruling upon that is, but I know that if a Muslim is starving then he may consume both. And lastly I am not saying that a Terrorist is only an atheist or deist, because the Terrorists firmly believe (for what reason I have no idea) that what they are doing is completely justified and permissible in the religion they follow. So as far as they are concerned, they are of that religion but as far as I am concerned they are not truly of that religion.
I know this is stupidly long and I am really sorry, but I hope this helps us all understand Islam a little more!
EDIT:
Just thought I would add a few more examples here to highlight how peaceful Muslims are meant to be. A couple I posted before but I will add one more too:
Example One is of respect:
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was once sitting in the company of his companions. Whilst he was talking he saw a funeral procession approach. He stopped, and stood up quietly as it passed. When the companions saw a tear fall they asked him why. The Prophet replied, "Was he not a human being? Does he not deserve the same respect?"
Respect. Something that should be engrained in every Muslim.
Example Two is of tolerance, respect and conduct:
When the prophet went to the city now known as Madinah there were three major religions there other than the Muslims. They were the Jews, The Christians and the Fire Worshippers. From what we assume today about Islam, we would have thought that the Prophet would have gone in and told them all to become muslim or leave, right? But that was not what happened. Instead the Prophet invited all the people over to first sleep in his company, so that he could talk to people and get to know the community. Thereafter he wrote three treaties, one for each of the religions. Nowhere on those treaties did it say "you must become muslim". As a matter of fact, the first thing on each treaty was, "I will protect you, your families and your property". As well as this the prophet gathered all the Muslims and said to them that they must never harm anyone of those people under the treaty. Never to damage their property or steal from them. If they did, they would never smell the fragrance of paradise. That is how high in regard these people were held. On top of that, the Prophet met with the Monks, Rabbis and Priests and told them categorically that whilst he does not believe what they believe, he recognises them as the religious leaders and will respect them in that capacity.
Tolerance and good conduct at it's best.
Example Three: dislike of fighting.
There was an incident in which the Muslims were called to arms. When they reached the battlefield there was nobody to fight. They waited but nobody showed up. During this waiting some of the fighters began to get restless, ready to fight. Did the Prophet urge them to prepare more? No. Instead he chided them and asked them why they were eager to spill the blood of another human. If the enemy failed to show, then nobody would need to be killed.
Fighting? No needed unless necessary.
Example 6: Sharing and Tolerance
A group of Christians were travelling and they came to Madinah. It was the time for their prayers yet they had nowhere to pray. The Prophet opened up one of the most sacred mosques in Islam and told the Christians that they could pray in peace in the mosque.
Sharing.
And one more to add:
There was an old woman who the Prophet was helping with her load (not sure what it was, probably shopping etc). Now the woman had no idea at all who was helping her, and whilst he walked with her she warned him about a man by the name of Muhammad, who she had been told was spreading evil and corruption, twisting peoples beliefs etc. She gave insult upon insult to Muhammad, not knowing that this was the very man who was helping her. But at the very end of the journey she asked him his name. He replied "My name is Muhammad". Note how he did not leave her alone, or hurt her or say things back to her but rather he listened calmly and helped her despite the fact that she was insulting him. That is what a good Muslim does.
Okay, now I really am done!
edits for spellings
Edit 2: wanted to add a bit more!
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