Does Islam preach extremism?

    In the name of Allah…

    Does Islam preach extremism?

    An intensive campaign by Muslims against extremism.

    Among the world religions, Islam is the finally reintroduced religion and since its reintroduction for fourteen centuries, it has attracted into its fold almost one fourth of the world’s total population.

    Even people who do not accept Islam have been wholeheartedly appreciative of many of the salient features of Islam. The outstanding characteristics such as the following few have charmed the non-Muslims.

    1. Clear concept of God.

    2. No mediators or priests between God and man.

    3. Strong and vehement opposition to the superstitious practices.

    4. The brotherhood it has created at the global level by abolishing the divisions on the basis of caste, language and race.

    Yet a few among them entertain hatred and deep grievances against Islam. The belief that Islam favours extremism and creates extremists is fast spreading. Among the causes that make the non Muslims hate Islam, this belief plays a prime role.

    People who think that Islam favours extremism can be divided into two groups.

    The first group of people has come to that conclusion on seeing the activities of few people among the Muslims and on observing the media reports related to Muslims.

    The second group has fallen under this impression on reading the Quranic verses related to war and learning about the wars lead by Prophet Muhammed (Sal).

    Let us see whether the notions held by the second group is correct or not.

    There are verses in the Holy Quran that stress the need for war. It is also undeniably true that the Prophet Muhammed (Sal) had led a number of wars. These facts are clear and apparent and there is nothing to hide.

    If they look into the matter in the right perspective, and approach it in the way it should be understood, they will realize that they have come to a wrong conclusion.

    The life of The Prophet Muhammed (sal) may be divided in to three stages.

    ü The first stage is his life from his birth up to his fortieth age.

    ü

    ü The second stage is thirteen years of his life starting from his fortieth age when he introduced himself as the Messenger of Allah up to the end of his stay in his native place at the age of fifty three.

    ü

    ü The third stage is his ten years of life starting from his expulsion from his birth place, arrival to Medinah, winning the hearts of the Medinites and establishing a rule ,till his death at the age of sixty three.

    Among these three stages , in the first stage he lived a simple life by doing business. He did not preach an y doctrine. Therefore his first period does not give any room for criticism.

    In the second period of his life, he faced untold miseries at the hands of his relatives and the people of his native place. He along with his followers were ostracized and expelled from the town. Many of his followers were murdered. Many were tortured. Though the Holy Prophet (sal) was born in Kuraish, the highly respected tribe by Meccans, he was not spared and subjected to torture.

    He had all the reasons to justify his action if he took up arms and retaliate. Even his followers asked him to do so. But all through these thirteen years he never ordered his followers to retaliate nor commanded to kill any individual. Instead, the only reply he gave all these years was ‘he was commanded to keep patience’. It is true that there are Muslims facing torture and sufferings now in many parts of the world. But it is to be borne in mind that what the Holy Prophet (sal) and his followers underwent was thousands of time severer than the ones faced by the people of our time.

    Then he was pushed to an extreme situation where he found out that he could not live in his native town anymore, he underwent an arduous travel of 300 miles to reach Medina and won the heart of the people and established a rule there.

    Even after coming to Medina and establishing a rule, his enemies did not permit him to live peacefully. They waged many wars against him. They instigated other tribes against him. At one stage, Arabs of all the regions forged a front against him and waged a war. This is called the war of Trench in the History of Islam.

    Only when the war was imposed on him by his enemies, he involved in war in order to safeguard his country and its citizens. What would a country do? Or what should a country under such a dangerous situation do? Is it not the duty of the head of the affected state to safeguard the country and its subjects? The Prophet Muhammed (sal) did the same thing. He did not involve himself in war with an aim to root out non Muslims.

    The Jews and Christians lived peacefully under his rule. Once the Prophet Muhammed (sal) mortgaged his armour to a Jew. He could not recover it from the Jew till the end of his life. Such is the economic freedom the Jews enjoyed in his rule. The Jews even approached him to get solutions for the disputes that arose among them.

    So, the verses found in the Holy Quran enjoining war have been revealed only after the establishment of the Muslim rule and the command is directed to the Government. The people of that period would not have accepted Islam if it is declared that war should be waged against all non Muslims. People had understood that the command of the Quran meant only to the Government and the Country. Therefore people came in groups after groups to embrace Islam.

    Here it is important to note that the commands of the Quran on war are directed towards governments and countries and not towards individuals and groups. The individuals and groups are not entitled to wage war.

    Quran talks about the crime and punishments such as amputation of hands for theft, death sentence or 100 lashes for prostitution, tit for tat and eye for eye etc. But the execution of the laws of the Quran cannot be taken up by individuals and groups. On the contrary, the responsibility to dispense justice rests with only a Muslim Government.

    Even while commanding to wage war, the Holy Quran lays many conditions to the Muslim Governments.

    Don’t initiate war.

    And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly Allah likes not the transgressors.

    The Holy Quran 2:190

    This verse commands not to make aggression and not to cross the limits.

    Don’t fight with those who withdraw from the battle field.

    If they cease, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. (2:192)

    And fight them until no fitnah and worship is for Allah(alone). But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against zalimun. (2:193)

    These verses clearly state that if the enemies withdrew from the fighting, they should not be attacked.

    Accepting the peace offer.

    But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it and (put your) trust in Allah. Verily He is the All Hearer, the All Knower. (8:61)

    This verse says that If the enemy country come forward with peace offer, a Muslim country however powerful it might be, should accept it.

    And if anyone of the Mushrikun (disbelievers) seeks your protection, then grant him permission so that he may hear the word of Allah(the Quran), and then escort him to where he can be secure, that is because they are men who knw not. (9:06)

    Islam is the only religion that asks to escort the enemy who seeks protection to a safer place.

    The Quranic command is asking the competent Governments and countries, not the individuals or groups, to face the enemy in the war. But some individuals and groups misunderstand that the verse urges individuals and groups to take up arms and fight. They act accordingly.

    The fact that the Prophet Muhammed (sal) never waged a war when he was not in power makes it clear that these misguided people’s point of view is totally wrong. On the contrary to their belief that they try to save the religion and its people by their self styled foolish activities, they rather cause harm immensly.

    Allah has not given victory to any such individuals and groups in any part of the world.

    Above all , the attitude of such people is responsible for the slow decline in the number of people who hold a liking for Islam.

    Therefore Islam never preaches extremism. It may be easily understood that Islam is a religion of peace which preaches humane life and love.


http://www.tntj.net/281143.html

Saudis retrace route of Abraha’s army that came to destroy Kaaba

A group of young Saudi history enthusiasts has retraced the path of the People of the Elephant who tried to destroy the Holy Kaaba centuries ago.
The Holy Qur’an, in a short chapter, briefly refers to the story of the army of elephants led by Abraha Al-Ashram, who was a governor of Yemen. God destroyed Abraha and his army that included 13 elephants, by sending flocks of birds that dropped small stones on them.
“There never fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces … Abraha Al-Ashram fled while his flesh was bursting into pieces and died on the way back to Yemen,” said the 14th century scholar Ibn Kathir, an authentic Qur’an commentator.
During their tiring journey across mountains and rough terrain, the young Saudi men took photographs of important landmarks, beginning from north of Najran, to the east of Asir, and then east of Baha.
Some of the most important historical sites along the way included inscriptions of elephants on rocks in the Al-Qahr Mountain, southeast of Tathlith; an old well in Hafaer, east of Asir; and a paved road near Kara in Aqeeq principality in the Baha region.
Mohammed Al-Amry, head of the geology department at King Saud University, said he had seen the path of Abraha and his army in Tathlith and Baha. “The army had passed the Arabian shield region comprising rocks and there were writings in the Humairiya language on some mountains,” he said.
According to historical Islamic sources, Abraha, who was a Christian, had thought of building a church similar to the Kaaba in Sanaa. He wanted the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage in Sanaa instead of Makkah, with the intention of diverting trade and benefits to Yemen. He presented the idea to the then king of Ethiopia who agreed to it.
Abraha built the church but the Arabs refused to come for pilgrimage in Sanaa. This infuriated him, prompting him to form an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kaaba. He defeated all Arab armies on the way until he reached Makkah where he was attacked by the flocks of birds sent by the Almighty.

http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/641556

300,000 Indian Haj applicants turned down

An estimated 300,000 Indian Muslims did not have their applications approved for the Haj this year, according to reports.
About 136,000 are performing the pilgrimage this year, according to the Indian Consulate. There are fewer Indians in the Kingdom because of the 20 percent quota reduction stemming from the expansion of the Grand Mosque.
India has 150 million Muslims in a population of over a billion people. For many it is a dream come true to be on Haj.
Islam Hyder, 33, told a local newspaper he was ecstatic to be in the Kingdom. “This is the dream of my life." He said that there are celebrations for days in local communities when a person goes on Haj.
Women pilgrims adorn themselves with henna and buy special clothes for the journey, he said.
Hyder's mother said she had been waiting for this moment for more than 55 years. She raised her hands skywards and said: “I pray for the Almighty to restore peace and security among humans all over the world. I pray for my country India to always grow and prosper.”

 http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/639176