junaid says: April 18, 2013 at 3:39 am
War and Islam
In the remainder of the article we address some of the common misconceptions about the Islamicand Quranic perspectives on war and peace. These misconceptions are fueled by some people who quote parts of a few Quranic verses out of context. It is unfortunate that rational open-minded folk accept these misquotations without examining the context of the passage they are written in. As with most other books, the Quran must be read as a whole. Taking a single verse—or a part of a verse—out of context, can naturally lead to incorrect conclusions. No religion of God is evil, rather the people who abusethe religion are.
Aggression is Forbidden. Fighting is permitted only in self-defense.
The Quranic verses on this are very clear. God repeats, “do not aggress”, multiple times. Only if attacked, is one permitted to fight back. If the other party refrains from aggression and offers one peace, we are told to stop fighting.
Rules of War*
[2:190] You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors .
[2:191] You may kill those who wage war against you, and you may evict them whence they evicted you. Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Sacred Masjid, unless they attack you therein. If they attack you, you may kill them. This is thejust retribution for those disbelievers.
[2:192] If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[2:193] You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress ; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors.
*2:190 All fighting is regulated by the basic rule in 60:8-9 . Fighting is allowed strictly in self-defense, while aggression and oppression are strongly condemned throughout the Quran.
[5:87] O you who believe, do not prohibit good things that are made lawful by GOD, and do not aggress ; GOD dislikes the aggressors.
[8:61] If they resort to peace, so shall you, and put your trust in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[4:90] … if they leave you alone, refrain from fighting you, and offer you peace, then GOD gives you no excuseto fight them.
The Quran also reminds the submitters (muslims in Arabic) that they should not be provoked by past animosity into committing acts of aggression ( 5:2 ). Additionally, God insists that submitters (muslims) must be absolutely sure before strikingin the cause of God ( 4:94 ). Anyone who offers one peace, cannot be attacked.
[4:94] O you who believe, if you strike in the cause of GOD, you shall be absolutely sure. Do not say to one who offers you peace, “You are not a believer,” seeking the spoils of this world. For GOD possesses infinite spoils. Remember that you used to be like them, and GOD blessed you. Therefore, you shall be absolutely sure (before you strike). GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.
Life is Sacred
The killing of innocent civilians by suicide bombers and terroristsis strongly condemned in the Quran. Taking any life—except inthe course of justice, is forbidden. Even so, capital punishment is discouraged . Thus,those who commit these horribleacts are clearly not muslims, rather very evil people who try to justify their hatred and actions using God’s name ( 7:28 ).
The Major Commandments
[6:151] Say, “Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shallhonor your parents. You shall notkill your children from fear of poverty – we provide for you and for them. You shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not kill – GOD hasmade life sacred – except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand.”
[17:33] You shall not kill any person – for GOD has made life sacred – except in the course of justice. If one is killed unjustly, then we give his heir authority to enforce justice. Thus, he shall not exceed the limits in avenging the murder; he will be helped.
[25:68] They never implore beside GOD any other god, nordo they kill anyone – for GOD has made life sacred – except in the course of justice . Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay.
[7:28] They commit a gross sin, then say, “We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it.” Say, “GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GODwhat you do not know?”
Absolute Freedom toBelieve / No compulsion in religion
Does Islam recommend or justify killing of disbelievers or those who decide to leave the religion? The answer is an emphatic “No”. God makes it very clear in the Quran, that there is no compulsion in religion ( 2:256 ). Free will is one of God’s precious gifts to humanity, and human beings cannot take away what God gave man. If someone does not wish to believe, they are to be left alone and not forced in any manner. A submitter’s (muslim) job is simply to invite people to God’s religion with kindenlightenment (16:125).
No Compulsion in Religion
[2:256] There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongestbond; one that never breaks. GODis Hearer, Omniscient.
Absolute Freedom of Religion
[18:29] Proclaim: “This is the truth from your Lord,” then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve. We have prepared for the transgressors a fire that will completely surround them. When they scream for help, they will begiven a liquid like concentrated acid that scalds the faces. What a miserable drink! What a miserable destiny!
How to Spread God’s Message
[16:125] You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows bestwho are the guided ones.
Verses Relating To War-Time Situations that are Abused
There are a number of people who will quote parts of verses out of context, either out of ignorance, or deliberately, to promote a false view of the religion. We present here some ofthe verses with their context that clearly show that these”violent” verses only relate to war situations. As mentioned before, all wars and fighting are only in self-defense.
The verses are listed in a table format. In the left column is the verse or part of the verse that is commonly misquoted to try and show “Islam is a religion of violence”. In the right column, thefull verse / context is shown, making it clear that the “violence”is only in self-defence / in the time of war.
Misquoted Verse Same Verse in Context
[4:101] “… For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies.” [4:101] When you travel, during war, you commit no error by shortening your Contact Prayers(Salat), if you fear that the disbelievers may attack you. Surely, the disbelievers are your ardent enemies.
[8:12-13] … 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. …
[8:12-13] Recall that your Lord inspired the angels: “I am with you; so support those who believed. I will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved. You may strike them above the necks, and you may strike even every finger.” This is what they have justly incurred by fighting GOD and Hismessenger. For those who fight against GOD and His messenger, GOD’s retribution is severe.
*8:12-16 All wars are governed by the basic rule in 60:8-9 .
[9:5] “… fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in everystratagem (of war) …” [9:4-5] If the idol worshipers sign a peace treaty with you, and do not violate it, nor band together with others against you, you shall fulfill your treaty with them until the expiration date. GOD loves the righteous. Once the Sacred Months are past, (and they refuse to make peace) you may kill the idol worshipers when you encounter them, punish them, and resist every move they make. …
[9:14] “Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame …” [9:13-14] Would you not fight people who violated their treaties, tried to banish the messenger, and they are the ones who started the war in thefirst place ? Are you afraid of them? GOD is the One you are supposed to fear, if you are believers. You shall fight them, for GOD will punish them at yourhands, humiliate them, grant you victory over them, and cool the chests of the believers.
To summarize, the religion of Submission to God (Islam) as described in the Quran is a peaceful and tolerant one. The only situations where fighting is allowed is in self-defense. Aggression is always prohibited.
Note : We would like to add that out of the 6,346 verses in the Quran, a very small percentage talk about “war”. Islam being a practical religion does cover the legitimacy of fighting as well as when it is unjustified. The believers in the time of Muhammad had to face hostile opposition because of their religious views, and were in many cases forced to fight to save their lives. However, the bulk of the Quran, as the religion of Islam in general, focuses on worshipping God, leading a righteous life and attaining salvation in the Hereafter. We invite you to read the Quran for yourself to verify this.
United Submitters International
The world wide web of those who Submit to God Alone and advocate the worship of God Alone -Junaid
Admin says:
Junaid, thanks for sharing this wonderful message. We loved it. We are glad to learn that “Quran is a peaceful and tolerant one.” We interpret this that Muslims should be tolerant to Shia, Suni, Jews, Christians, Hindus and all, unless there is a war or individual’s life in threat.
All religions have problems and all scriptures have limitations. Problem comes when ignorant quote, in your words, “quote parts of a few Quranic verses out of context”. What was okay to do during Muhammad time, due to the circumstances then, may be considered barbaric today, so one should not get stuck literally to what is said in the Koran.
Back to our discussion on interfaith marriages, when a Muslim get in love with a Jew, Christian or Hindu, he/she knows that this is not war, but love. We hope all interfaith lovers follow Shamim‘s statement, “I m educated muslim girl and i know about allah and humanity. why cant muslim girls fall in love with hindu boy (if you quote say its prohibited in islam, it WAS prohibited that rule was only valid within a context. i dont need anyone’s interpretation to explain it), why only girls suffer all the rules, muslim boys have hindu girlfriend. That is banned too in islam but no one (user Indian) talks qurans lessons then, Only when we muslim girls love a human being all the hell breaks loose.” Junaid, we are sure you agree to Shamim. Thanks Junaid. -Admin
More information: Hindu-Muslim Marriage, Sharia, Muslim-Hindu marriages, Hindu-Muslim lovers’ experiences, Koran on Hindus? Hindu girl-Muslim boy, Marriage & Divorce laws.
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shamim may be right may be wrong, we muslims say that allah knows the best, allah also said that only true interpreter of qu`ran is allah, the creator of everything ” It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise – they are the foundation of the Book – and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord.” And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.””
now plese don`t say why god is referred to as “he”, as man translted it in other language so they used “he” if any women translates it and describe god as “she” then also its koay, but actually none of them will be okay in eyes god as god said ” i have no gender, i have no father,mother,son,,,,,etc,etc”
So Shamim used it her own way then it is cool, if i use it in my way then also it is fine, if terrorists use it in their okay for them it might be okay, but allah will judge who were right and who were wrong.
Killing verse arrived when muslims were attacked but marriage verse didn`t came in such situation, it is clear message from allah that don`t marry those who donot beleive in my religion , better you marry a slave, coz if you marry a unbelieving man/woman and if he/she die as unbeliever then what will you do when you will see your husband/wife burning in hell and also marriage is accpetable in the eyes of allh as prescrobed by allah so if u marry a non-muslim how a islamic marriage will take place,it will be fornication in the eyes of allah and allah will punish you for that
Keep Muhammad out and we agree to the rest.
Shamim is happily married, let her enjoy her life!
MADINAH – Former Dutch Islamophobe and a former leading member of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party Arnoud Van Doorn visited the Prophet’s (SAW) Masjid in Madinah to pray and say sorry for becoming part of a blasphemous film.
Doorn was among the Freedom Party leaders who produced the blasphemous film, Fitna. Last month he reverted to Islam after an extensive study about the religion and the Prophet (SAW).
He said that the worldwide outrage against the film made him study about the Prophet (SAW) and that eventually led to his conversion.
He headed for Makkah to perform Umrah after meeting the two imams of the Prophet’s (SAW) Masjid, Sheikh Ali Al-Hudaifi and Sheikh Salah Al-Badar, who enlightened him on how to lead the life of a good Muslim and confront challenges facing Islam in the West.
A member of the Dutch parliament and The Hague City Council, Doorn announced his decision to accept Islam on his Twitter profile. He also posted a tweet in Arabic declaring that “there is no God but Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is his Prophet.”
At first, other users took the news as a joke. After all, an active supporter of a notorious Dutch hater of Islam, Wilders, he repeatedly approved Islamophobic statements and public actions, and personally participated in them.
But Doorn, who now serves as aregional adviser at the City Hall in The Hague, personally confirmed his decision to practice Islam in an official letterto the city mayor.
Most recently, the politician fileda formal application to the mayor of the city to allow him to perform prayers obligatory for Muslims during his working hours.
“I can understand people are skeptic, especially that it is unexpected for many of them,” Doorn told Al-Jazeera English satellite channel.
“This is a very big decision, which I have not taken lightly.”
“In my own close circle people have known that I have been actively researching the Qur’an, Hadith, Sunnah and other writings for almost a year now,”he said.
“In addition, I have had numerous conversations with Muslims about the religion.”
Driven by his party’s anti-Islam discourse, Doorn decided to dig in for the truth about the religion himself.
“I have heard so many negative stories about Islam, but I am nota person who follows opinions of others without doing my own research,” he said. “Therefore, I have actually started to deepen my knowledge of Islam out of curiosity.”
The 46-year-old has continued on The Hague Council as an independent candidate since splitting from Wilders’s party. Doorn’s decision to embrace Islam has won mixed reactions in the Netherlands.
“According to some people I am a traitor, but according to most others I have actually made a very good decision,” he told Al-Jazeera.
“The reactions are generally positive and I also received quite some support via twitter.
“It feels good that people who do not know me personally haveunderstanding of my situation and support me in my choice.”
Asked if he now regretted joining the Freedom Party, he replied: “I have learned that every experience in life has a purpose. However, with the knowledge I have today, I would have undoubtedly made a different choice.”
For the Dutch politician, finding Islam was finally guiding him to the true path in his life. “I have made mistakes in life as many others. From these mistakes I have learned a lot,” Doorn said.
“And by my conversion to Islam I have the feeling that I finally found my path. I realize that thisis a new start and that I still have much to learn as well.” (Courtesy Saudi Gazette). I hope you will remove your hate againest islam and will convert to islam as this dutch man converted
Lyrics to Evil :
No one will know how evil I really am
No one will know how evil I really am
Cause I like to wear disguises
And I like to disguise my plans
No one will know how evil I really am
And no one will know truly how I feel
And no one will know how I truly feel
Cause I can no longer differentiate
Between what is fake and what is real
I don’t know how I feel
I was born in a hospital
My first two days were spent in the care of nuns
But my mother found it in her
To go ahead and take me back
And I love her
And I will always appreciate bad days like this
Because they grant me a point of reference in regards to my happiness
And although I feel cold and empty one day
I hope I can feel warm and full
Stand with honor, and comfort, and dignity
Hello readers,
Please read following texts about islamic relgiion:-
164 Jihad Holy War Verses in the Koran
[*2.178]…retaliation is prescribed for you in the matter of the slain… [*2.179] …there is life for you in (the law of) retaliation, O men of understanding, that you may guard yourselves.
[*2.190] …fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you…[*2.191] And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.
[*2.193]…fight with them…[194]…whoever then acts aggressively against you, inflict injury on him according to the injury he has inflicted on you…
[*2.216] Fighting is enjoined on you…[*2.217]… fighting in it. Say: Fighting in it is a grave matter…persecution is graver than slaughter… [*2.218]…strove hard in the way of Allah…
[*2.244] …fight in the way of Allah
[*3.121]…to lodge the believers in encampments for war…[*3.122] When two parties from among you had determined that they should show cowardice [about Jihad]…[*3.123]…Allah did certainly assist you at [the Battle of] Badr…[*3.124]…[*3.125] Yea! if you remain patient and are on your guard, and they come upon you in a headlong manner, your Lord will assist you with five thousand of the havoc-making angels. [3.126] …victory is only from Allah…
[*3.140] If a wound has afflicted you (at [the Battle of] Uhud), a wound like it has also afflicted the (unbelieving) people; and We bring these days to men by turns, and that Allah may know those who believe and take witnesses from among you…[3.141] …that He [Allah] may purge those who believe and deprive the unbelievers of blessings. [3.142] Yusuf Ali: Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without God testing those of you who fought hard (in His Cause) and remained steadfast? [3.143] Pickthall: And verily ye used to wish for death before ye met it (in the field). Now ye have seen it [death] with your eyes!
[3.146] Yusuf Ali: How many of the prophets fought (in Allah’s way) [Jihad], and with them (fought) large bands of godly men? But they never lost heart if they met with disaster in Allah’s way [lost a battle], nor did they weaken (in will) nor give in.
[3.152]…you slew them by His [Allah’s] permission [during a Jihad battle]…[3.153] Pickthall: …the messenger, in your rear, was calling you (to fight)…that which ye missed [war spoils]…[3.154]…They say: Had we any hand in the affair, we would not have been slain here [in a Jihad battle]. Say: Had you remained in your houses, those for whom slaughter was ordained [in a Jihad battle] would certainly have gone forth to the places where they would be slain…[*3.155] (As for) those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met…[3.156] O you who believe! be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel in the earth or engage in fighting: Had they been with us, they would not have died and they would not have been slain…[3.157]…if you are slain in the way of Allah…mercy is better than what they amass [what those who stay home from Jihad receive – no booty on earth and no perks in heaven]. [3.158] …if indeed you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together.
[*3.165]…you [Muslims] had certainly afflicted (the unbelievers) with twice as much [in a Jihad battle]…[*3.166]…when the two armies met ([the Battle of] Uhud)…[*3.167]…Come, fight in Allah’s way, or defend yourselves…If we knew fighting, we would certainly have followed you…
[*3.169] …reckon not those who are killed in Allah’s way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord [meaning they are enjoying their 72 virgins in heaven];
[3.172] …those who responded (at [the Battle of] Uhud) to the call of Allah and the Apostle after a wound had befallen them…shall have a great reward. [*3.173] Those to whom the people said: Surely men have gathered against you [in battle], therefore fear them, but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for us and most excellent is the Protector.
[*3.195] …who fought and were slain…I will most certainly make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow; a reward from Allah, and with Allah is yet better reward.
[*4.71] …go forth in detachments or go forth in a body [to war]. [*4.72] …hang back [from Jihad] …not present with them [in Jihad].
[*4.74] Therefore let those fight in the way of Allah, who sell this world’s life for the hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of Allah, then be he slain or be he victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward. [*4.75]…fight in the way of Allah… [*4.76] Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of the Satan. Fight therefore against the friends of the Satan…[*4.77] …when fighting is prescribed for them… Our Lord! why hast Thou ordained fighting for us? …
[*4.84] Fight then in Allah’s way…rouse the believers to ardor maybe Allah will restrain the fighting of those who disbelieve…
[*4.89] …take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah’s way; but if they turn back [to their homes], then seize them and kill them wherever you find them… [4.90] Allah has not given you a way against them [Allah supposedly does not allow Muslims to fight people friendly to Muslims]. [*4.91]…seize them and kill them wherever you find them…
[*4.94]…when you go to war in Allah’s way… [*4.95] …those who strive hard [Jihad] in Allah’s way with their property and their persons are not equal…Allah shall grant to the strivers [i.e., Jihadist] above the holders back a mighty reward.
[*4.100] …whoever flies in Allah’s way [forsakes his home to fight in Jihad], he will find in the earth many a place of refuge and abundant resources, and whoever goes forth from his house flying to Allah and His Apostle, and then death overtakes him [in Jihad], his reward is indeed with Allah… [4.101] Rodwell: And when ye go forth to war in the land, it shall be no crime in you to cut short your prayers, if ye fear lest the infidels come upon you; Verily, the infidels are your undoubted enemies! [*4.102] …let them take their arms…let them take their precautions and their arms…there is no blame on you, if you are annoyed with rain or if you are sick, that you lay down your arms… [4.103] Khalifa: Once you complete your Contact Prayer (Salat), you shall remember GOD while standing, sitting, or lying down. Once the war is over, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat); the Contact Prayers (Salat) are decreed for the believers at specific times. [*4.104] …be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy…
[4.141] Sher Ali: …If you have a victory [in Jihad] from Allah…
[*5.33] The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned [Pickthall and Yusuf Ali have “exiled” rather than “imprisoned”]
[*5.35] … strive hard [at Jihad] in His way that you may be successful.
[5.82] ……you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews [compare with “whenever Jews kindle fire for war, Allah [Muslims] puts it out” (K 005:064)] and those who are polytheists [while they are converted to Islam on pain of death]…
[8.1] Pickthall: …the spoils of war…The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger
[*8.5] Even as your Lord caused you to go forth from your house with the truth, though a party of the believers were surely averse;
[*8.7] .. …Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: Ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the Unbelievers.
[*8.9] …I will assist you [in Jihad] with a thousand of the angels following one another [see K 008:012]. [8.10] …Allah only gave it as a good news and that your hearts might be at ease thereby; and victory is only from Allah; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.
[*8.12] ……make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.
[*8.15] …when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them. [*8.16] …for the sake of fighting… [*8.17] So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them, and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote [Allah gets the credit for Jihad]…
[*8.39] Shakir: …fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah… [8.40] Yusuf Ali: If they [unbelievers] refuse [to stop fighting], be sure that God is your Protector…[8.41] Shakir: …whatever thing [loot] you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Apostle…the day on which the two parties met [in a Jihad versus anti-Jihad battle]…[*8.42]…Allah might bring about a matter which was to be done, that he who would perish might perish by clear proof [bring success to Muslims engaged in robbing a caravan near Badr against all the odds]…[8.43]…Allah showed them [the Mekkans] to you in your dream as few [fighters]; and if He had shown them [the Mekkans] to you as many [fighters] you would certainly have become weak-hearted [i.e., hearts. See the similar discussion in K 002:249 about how a smaller army can defeat a larger army]…[8.44]…when you met, as few [fighters] in your eyes and He made you to appear little [few fighters] in their eyes, in order that Allah might bring about a matter which was to be done [a Jihad versus anti-Jihad battle brought on by overconfidence in each side]…[*8.45]…when you meet a party [in battle], then be firm…[8.46]…obey Allah and His Apostle and do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts [demoralized] and your power [to execute Jihad] will depart…[8.47]…be not like those [Mekkans] who came forth from their homes [to fight Muslims]…[8.48]…when the two parties [Muslims versus Mekkans] came in sight of each other he [Satan] turned upon his heels…
Pickthall: [8.57] If thou come on them in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them, that haply they may remember. [8.57] Khalifa: When you are betrayed by a group of people, you shall mobilize against them in the same manner. GOD does not love the betrayers. [*8.59] Shakir: …let not those who disbelieve think that they shall come in first; surely they will not escape. [8.60] And prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them, whom you do not know (but) Allah knows them; and whatever thing you will spend in Allah’s way [for Jihad]…
[*8.65] O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand [in other words, “do not understand totalitarian ideologies like Islam”]. [8.66] …if there are a hundred patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand they shall overcome two thousand by Allah’s permission… [*8.67] It is not fit for a prophet that he should take captives unless he has fought and triumphed in the land; you desire the frail goods [i.e., ransom money] of this world… [8.68] …ransom… [*8.69] Eat then of the lawful and good (things) which you have acquired in war [war spoils]… [8.70] O Prophet! say to those of the captives [non-Muslims] who are in your hands: If Allah knows anything good in your hearts, He will give to you better than that which has been taken away from you [in Jihad]…[*8.71] Yusuf Ali: But if they have treacherous designs against thee, (O Apostle!)…He [Allah] given (thee) power over them…[*8.72] Yusuf Ali: Those who …fought for the Faith, with their property and their persons, in the cause of God…[8.73] Yusuf Ali: The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another: Unless ye do this, (protect each other), there would be tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief. [*8.74] Yusuf Ali:…fight for the Faith…[*8.75] Yusuf Ali: …fight for the Faith…
[*9.5] …slay the idolaters wherever you find them…take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush…
[*9.12] …fight the leaders of unbelief…[*9.13] What! will you not fight a people…[*9.14] Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people.
[*9.16] ……those of you who have struggled hard [in Jihad]
[*9.19] …strives hard in Allah’s way?… [*9.20]…strove hard [Jihad] in Allah’s way with their property and their souls…
[*9.24] …striving in His way [Jihad]:, then wait till Allah brings about His command [to go on Jihad]: … [*9.25] Certainly Allah helped you in many battlefields and on the day of [the Battle of] Hunain, when your great numbers made you vain, … [*9.26] …chastised those who disbelieved [Muhammad gives credit to angels and Allah for the actions of Jihadists]…
[*9.29] Fight those who do not believe in Allah…nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
[*9.36] …fight the polytheists all together as they fight you all together…
[*9.38] …Go forth in Allah’s way [to Jihad]… [*9.39] If you do not go forth [to go on Jihad], He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and bring in your place a people other than you [to go on Jihad]…
[*9.41] Go forth light [lightly armed] and heavy [heavily armed], and strive hard in Allah’s way [Jihad] with your property and your persons…
[*9.44] …striving hard with their property and their persons [Jihad] …
[*9.52]…Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or by our hands…
[*9.73] …strive hard [Jihad] against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them…
[*9.81] …they were averse from striving in Allah’s way [Jihad] with their property and their persons, and said: Do not go forth [to Jihad] in the heat…
[*9.83] … shall you fight an enemy with me [in Jihad]…
[*9.86] …strive hard [in Jihad] along with His Apostle
[*9.88] …strive hard [in Jihad] with their property and their persons…
[*9.92] Yusuf Ali: Nor (is there blame) on those who came to thee to be provided with mounts [saddles on which to go to war], and when thou said, “I can find no mounts for you,” they turned back, their eyes streaming with tears of grief that they had no resources wherewith to provide the expenses [to go on Jihad].
[*9.111] …they fight in Allah’s way, so they slay and are slain…
[*9.120] Yusuf Ali:…whether they suffered thirst, or fatigue, or hunger, in the cause of Allah [while on a march to Jihad], or trod paths to raise the ire of the Unbelievers [invade their territory], or received any injury whatever from an enemy [during a Jihad battle] …
[*9.122] Pickthall:…the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth… [*9.123] …fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness…
[*16.110] Yusuf Ali:…who thereafter strive and fight for the faith and patiently persevere…
[*22.39] Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made…
[22.58] Sher Ali: …those who leave their homes for the cause of Allah, and are then slain or die, Allah will, surely, provide for them a goodly provision…
[*22.78]…strive hard [in Jihad] in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving a is due to Him…
[24.53]…they would certainly go forth [to Jihad (see K 024:055)]…
[24.55] Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth [as a reward for going on Jihad (see K 024:053)]…
[25.52] Palmer: …fight strenuously with them in many a strenuous fight.
[*29.6]…whoever strives hard [in Jihad], he strives only for his own soul…
[*29.69] …(as for) those who strive hard [in Jihad] for Us…
[33.15] Pickthall: …they had already sworn unto Allah that they would not turn their backs (to the foe) [in Jihad battle]…
[*33.18] …they come not to the fight [Jihad] but a little…
[*33.20] they would not fight save a little [in Jihad].
[33.23] Pickthall: …Some of them [Jihadists] have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting…
[*33.25]…Allah sufficed the believers in fighting… [*33.26]…some [Jews] you killed and you took captive another part. [33.27]…He made you heirs to their [Jewish] land and their dwellings and their property, and (to) a land which you have not yet trodden…
[33.50]…those [captive women] whom your right hand possesses [i.e., by virtue of the sword used in Jihad] out of those whom Allah has given to you as prisoners of war…
[42.39] Sale:…and who, when an injury is done them, avenge themselves…
[47.4] …when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates…(as for) those who are slain in the way of Allah…
[*47.20] …fighting [allusion to Jihad] is mentioned therein …
[47.35] Rodwell: Be not fainthearted then; and invite not the infidels to peace when ye have the upper hand: for God is with you, and will not defraud you of the recompense of your works.
[48.15] Pickthall: …when you set forth to capture booty…[*48.16]…You shall soon be invited (to fight) against a people possessing mighty prowess; you will fight against them until they submit…[48.17] Pickthall: There is no blame…for the sick (that they go not forth to war). And whoso obeys Allah and His messenger [by going on Jihad], He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow; and whoso turns back [from Jihad], him will He punish with a painful doom. [48.18] Certainly Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility on them and rewarded them with a near victory, [48.19] And much booty that they will capture. Allah is ever Mighty, Wise. [48.20] Allah promised you many acquisitions which you will take, then He hastened on this one for you and held back the hands of men from you, and that it may be a sign for the believers and that He may guide you on a right path. [48.21] Sale: And [he also promiseth you] other [spoils], which ye have not [yet] been able [to take]: But now hath God encompassed them [for you]; and God is almighty. [*48.22] And if those who disbelieve fight with you, they would certainly turn (their) backs, then they would not find any protector or a helper. [48.23] Such [i.e., the Jihad mentioned the previous verse] has been the course [practice] of Allah that has indeed run before, and you shall not find a change in Allah’s course. [48.24] And He [Allah] it is Who held back…your hands from them [in Jihad] in the valley of Mecca…
[49.15] Sale: …true believers …employ their substance and their persons in the defense of God’s true religion…
[*59.2] …the hands of the believers [i.e. Muslims demolished Jewish homes] …
Pickthall:[*59.5] Whatsoever palm-trees you cut down or left standing on their roots [during a Jihad siege of the Jews at Madina], it was by Allah’s leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers [Jews]. [*59.6] …that which Allah gave as spoil unto His messenger from them, you urged not any horse or riding-camel for the sake thereof, but Allah gives His messenger lordship over whom He will… [*59.7] That which Allah gives as [war] spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships [Jews], it is for Allah and His messenger…whatsoever [spoils] the messenger gives you, take it…[*59.8] …who seek bounty [war spoils] from Allah…
[*59.14] They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified towns or from behind walls…
[*60.9] Allah only forbids you respecting those who made war upon you on account of (your) religion [no fraternizing with the enemy]…
[*61.4] …Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall.
[61.11] …struggle hard in Allah’s way [Jihad] with your property and your lives…
[61.13] …victory [in Jihad] near at hand…
[63.4] …they think every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, therefore beware of them; may Allah destroy them, whence are they turned back? [This verse speaks of internecine Jihad against Muslims deemed infidels or “hypocrites.”]
[64.14] …surely from among your wives and your children there is an enemy to you; therefore beware of them [collaborators with the enemy, especially if the women were once war spoils]…
[66.9] O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be hard against them…
[73.20] …others who fight in Allah’s way…
To understand Islam, you must understand the harsh circumstances into which the religion was born. The Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad (b.570 AD) was a barren and desolate region with a scorching sun and oppressive heat by day, and a chilling cold at night. There was little vegetative growth, and the nomadic inhabitants lived between jagged rocks and sifting sand dunes.
While Europe and much of the Middle East was transitioning from the Roman to the Byzantine Empire, with roads, irrigation canals, aqueducts, and a culture that included philosophical discourse and theater, the Arabians lived short and brutal lives in warring tribes with very little to offer the rest of the world beyond their own harsh existence.
This explains the inherent hostility in the Qur’an to music and art, which some extremists, such as the Taliban, take quite literally. The religion does not encourage the pursuit of knowledge outside of itself, and it has sometimes been referred to as “the religion which has produced nothing but religion
from Oriana Fallaci, The Rage and the Pride)
The inhospitable climate protected the peninsula from conquest and cultural influence, although the Persians did manage to impose a written language along the coastal edges of the region, which is the origin of Arabic. No foreign army felt that sheep and goats were worth taking from the desert fighters and the area was remarkably isolated. The renaissance of knowledge that the rest of the world had been experiencing since the Greek revival was largely missed out on by the Arabs, whose entire energies were devoted to daily survival against the ruthless environment and other tribes.
For these people, morality was dictated merely by necessity, and obligations did not extend beyond one’s tribe. This is a critical basis for the development of the Islamic attitude toward those outside the faith, including the moral principle that the ethics of any act are determined only by whether or not it benefits Muslims.
There were pagan traditions in Arabia, particularly among those based in the trading centers, such as Mecca and Medina. Kaaba, the cube-like structure at Mecca that houses a black rock, was worshipped by certain tribes with a circling ritual that was later borrowed by Muhammad’s followers (there were at five other such structures in Arabia at the time). Likewise, Allah was the name that had been given to the moon god, many centuries before Muhammad’s time.
Muhammad later created Islam based on these crude pagan practices as well as basic theological elements of Christianity and Judaism according to his own (often inaccurate) understanding. His erroneous interpretation of Christianity, for example, is often attributed to an early experience with fringe cults in the Palestinian region (then known as Syria).
Early Life at Mecca
Muhammad was born around 570 AD in Mecca. He grew up poor and orphaned on the margins of society, which was controlled by tribal chiefs and trading merchants. He worked for his uncle, Abu Talib, as a camel herder. Although his uncle had some standing in the community, Muhammad himself did not rise above his lowly station until he was 25, when he met and married a wealthy widow who was 15 years older.
His wife’s business gave him opportunity to travel and acquire knowledge that was not quite as accessible to the local population. He would later use this to his advantage by
incorporating it into his “revelations” from Allah, particularly the tales from other religion.
Having now attained a comfortable lifestyle and the idle time that wealth affords, Muhammad would wander off occasionally for periods of meditation and contemplation. One day, at the age of 40, he told his wife that he had been visited by the angel Gabriel. Thus began a series of revelations which lasted almost until his death 23 years later. The Qur’an is based on the oral traditions of these revelations. The Hadith is a collection of narrations of the life and deeds of Muhammad. The Sira is his recorded biography. The Sunnah is the said to be his way of life.
With his wife’s influence and support, Muhammad began trying to convert those around him to his new religion – an amalgamation of Judeo-Christian theology and pagan tradition that grew more sophisticated over time. In the beginning, he did his best to compromise his teachings with the predominant beliefs of the community’s elders, such as combining all 300 of their idols under the name “Allah.”
Preaching and Persecution at Mecca
According to Muslim historians, the Meccans did not mind Muhammad preaching his religion, nor did they feel threatened by it. This changed only after the self-proclaimed prophet began attacking the local religion, including the customs and ancestors of the people (Ishaq 167). This was enough to stir up the resentment of the influential leaders of Mecca, who then mocked his humble background against his pretentious claims.
Still, Mecca at the time was a tolerant society. Muhammad was allowed to attack the local customs for thirteen years, even though the town’s economy depended on the annual pilgrimage attended by visiting pagans.
At first, Muhammad was only successful with friends and family. After thirteen years, “the street preacher” could boast only about 70 determined followers, who called themselves called Muslims.
Relations with the Meccans turned particularly sour after an episode known as “the Satanic Verses,” in which Muhammad agreed to recognize the local gods in addition to Allah. This delighted the Meccans, who generously extended their welcome. But Muhammad soon changed his mind after seeing his own people begin to lose faith in him. He claimed that Satan had spoken through him, and he rescinded recognition of
the Meccan gods (Tabari 1192).
The locals intensified their mockery of Muslims and made life difficult for them. Although Muslims today often use the word “persecution” to describe this ordeal (justifiably, in some cases), it is important to note that the earliest and most reliable biographers (Ishaq and Tabari) do not record the death of a single Muslim at the hands of a Meccan during this period.
This fact is a source of embarrassment to Muslims, since Muhammad was the first to use deadly force… and at a later time, when it was unnecessary. As such, sympathetic narratives of the early Meccan years usually exaggerate the struggle of the Muslims with claims that they were “under constant torture.” This is highly unlikely, however, since the only Muslim to die was an older woman who “fell prematurely” from stress, not physical torture (Muhammad’s own daughter would die in the same fashion from harassment by Muslims soon after his death).
Modern storytellers and filmmakers (such as those behind 1976’s The Message) have been known to invent fictional victims of Meccan murder, either to dramatize their own tale or to provide justification for what followed. But, in fact, the only Muslim whose life was truly in danger was that of Muhammad – after 13 years of being allowed to mock the local religion.
The Hijra – Flight from Mecca to Medina
The death of his uncle, Abu Talib, in 619 left Muhammad without a protector against the Meccan leaders, who were losing patience with him. The true agitator in this situation, however, is quite clearly Muhammad himself, as even Muslim historians note. Note this account of what happened at Abu Talib’s deathbed, as the Meccans implored him one last time for peace with his nephew:
Abu Sufyan, with other sundry notables, went to Abu Talib and said: “You know the trouble that exists between us and your nephew, so call him and let us make an agreement that he will leave us alone and we will leave him alone; let him have his religion and we will have ours.” (Ishaq 278)
Muhammad rejected the offer of peaceful co-existence. His new religion was obviously intended to dominate all others, not be on equal standing with them.
His search for political alliance led him to make a treaty of war against the Meccans with the people of Medina, another Arab town to the north (Ishaq 299-301). This was too much for the Meccans to take, and so they finally sought to capture Muhammad and put him to death.
Although this sounds harsh against Western standards, it is important to note the contrast between their reaction and that of Muhammad, when he had the opportunity to deal with perceived treachery in Medina at a later date.
The Meccans limited their aggression to Muhammad himself. This is quite clear from the episode in which Muhammad escapes his home by using his son-in-law, Ali, to trick his would-be assassins into thinking that they had him cornered (Ishaq 326). No harm was done to Ali or his wife, both of whom remained in the city for several days to complete Muhammad’s business transactions.
Compare this to the episode of the Banu Qurayza (detailed below), in which Muhammad slaughtered an entire tribe of people based on their leader having switched loyalties in a conflict in which they didn’t even participate.
The year that Muhammad fled Mecca for Medina was 622, which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
Medina and the Origin of Jihad
Stinging from the rejection of his own town and tribe, it was at Medina that Muhammad’s message began to become more intolerant and ruthless – particularly as he gained power.
To fund his quest for control, Muhammad directed his followers to raid Meccan caravans in the holy months, when the victims would least expect it. Revelations were conveniently provided to him, which allowed his people to murder innocent drivers and steal in his service. The people around him gradually developed a lust for things that could be taken in battle, including material comforts and captured women and children.
Often the people captured in battle would be brought before the self-proclaimed prophet, where they would plead for their lives, arguing, for example, that they would never have treated the Muslims that way. The Hadith are quite clear in portraying Muhammad as largely unmoved by their pleas, and ordering their deaths anyway, often by horrible means. In one case, he orders a man slain, telling him that “hell-fire” will take care of the poor fellow’s orphaned daughter.
The raids on caravans preceded the first major battle involving a Muslim army, the Battle of Badr. This was the spot where the Meccans had sent their own army to protect their caravans from Muslim raiders. Although, Muslims today like to claim that they only attack in self-defense, this was clearly not the case in Muhammad’s time. In fact, he had to compel his reluctant warriors with promises of paradise and assurances that their religion was more important than the lives of others.
The Consolidation of Power
Muhammad defeated the Meccan army at Badr, which emboldened him to begin dividing and conquering the three local Jewish tribes at Median, which had made the mistake of accepting his presence but rejecting his claims to prophethood. These were the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Nadir, and the Banu Quyrayza. How each of these tribes met their fate is insightful into the Muslim mindset, which employs an inherent double standard in relations with those outside the faith.
To try and gain their favor, Muhammad briefly preached that Christians and Jews could attain salvation through their own faith. In fact, he changed his followers’ direction for prayer from Mecca to Jerusalem, which prompted the Jews’ tolerance of him while he worked surreptitiously for the power to dominate them. These earlier concessions and teachings were later revoked by Muhammad, since the Jews ultimately refused his religion. The rare early verses of tolerance in the Qur’an are abrogated by later verses such as 9:29.
The Qaynuqawere driven from their homes and land on the pretext that one of their own had harassed a Muslim woman. Although the offender was killed prior to this by a Muslim, the Muslim was also killed by Jews in retaliation for the first murder.
After laying siege to the entire community and defeating the tribe, Muhammad wanted to put every male member to death, but was talked out of it by an associate – something that Allah later “rebuked” him over. The Qaynuqa were forced into exile and the Muslims took their possessions and property, making it their own. Muhammad personally reserved a fifth of the ill-gotten gain for himself.
The episode helped ingrain within Islam the immature principle of group identity, whereby any member of a religion or social unit outside of Islam is just as guilty as any of their peers who insult or harm a Muslim – and just as deserving of punishment. Muhammad’s punishments usually did not fit the crime.
Members of the second tribe, the Banu Nadir, were accused of plotting to kill Muhammad, even though no one lost their life. For this, Muhammad laid siege to their community, forcing the people to surrender. Like the Qaynuqa, these original inhabitants of Medina were then banished from their homes and land by the Muslim newcomers, who again took as much as they could for themselves.
In a critical example of how deception is sanctioned under Islam, a surviving contingent of the Banu Nadir (under Usayr ibn Zarim) was tricked into leaving their fortress by promise of peace talks. The contingent of Muslims sent by Muhammad to escort them, however, easily slaughtered them once the victims let down their guard .
The Qurayza Massacre
By the time the Banu Qurayza met their fate, Muhammad was wealthy and powerful from his defeat of the other two tribes.
The Jews of the Banu Qurayza tasted Muhammad’s wrath after a portion half-heartedly sided with Meccan armies during a siege of Medina (the Battle of the Trench). More than likely, those who did were trying to preempt Muhammad’s designs against them after seeing what he had done to the other Jews.
Although they later surrendered peacefully to the Muslims, Muhammad determined to have every man of the tribe executed, along with every boy that had reached the initial stages of puberty (between the ages of 12 and 14). He had a ditch dug outside of the town and had the victims brought in several groups. Each person would be forced to kneel, and their head would be cut off and then dumped along with the body into the trench.
Between 700 and 900 men and boys were slaughtered by the Muslims after their surrender.
The surviving children of the men became slaves of the Muslims, and their widows became the sex slaves of their own killers. This included the Jewish girl, Reihana, who became one of Muhammad’s personal concubines the very night that her husband was killed. The prophet of Islam apparently “enjoyed her pleasures” (ie. raped her) even as the execution of her people was taking place.
Women were much like any other possession taken in battle, to be done with however their captors pleased. Muhammad ordered that a fifth be reserved for him, many of who became his sex slaves, in addition to his twelve wives. Some of these he doled out to others.
At one point following a battle, Muhammad providedinstructions on how women should be raped after capture, telling his men not to worry about coitus interruptus, since “Allah has written whom he is going to create.”
Following the battle against the Hunain, late in his life, Muhammad’s men were reluctant to rape the captured women in front of their husbands (who were apparently still alive to witness the abomination), but Allah came to the rescue with a handy “revelation” that allowed this. (This is the origin of Sura 4:24 according to Abu Dawud 2150).
The Origin of Islamic Imperialism
The tribes around the Muslims began to convert to Islam out of self-preservation. Those that didn’t were gradually defeated in battle in a pattern that became the blueprint for the successful establishment of Islam as a world religion. Typically, the enemy’s trust would be gained by non-intrusive measures in which the Muslims would insert themselves into the foreign community while professing their respect for local traditions and political structures. As they began to gain power, however, they would divide loyalties and exercise violence to acquire local hegemony.
The excuse for military campaign began to shrink to the point that it hardly existed at all. Muhammad told his followers that Muslims were meant to rule over other people, and this seemed to be the drivingforce behind Jihad.
This is demonstrated most plainly by the brutal conquest of the people of Khaybar, a peaceful farming community that was not at war with the Muslims. Muhammad marched against them anyway, taking them by surprise and easily defeating them. He had many of the men killed, simply for defending their town, and enslaved the women and children.
Muhammad suspected that the town’s treasurer was holding out and had his men barbarically torturethe poor fellow by building a fire on his chest until he revealed the location of hidden treasure. Afterwards, the prophet of Islam beheaded the man and “married” his wife on the same day that she became a widow (she was forced to first pass through the hands of one of his lieutenants). Given that the woman’s father was also killed by Muhammad, it isn’t much of a stretch to say that true love had very little to do with this “marriage.”
A Life of Hedonism and Narcissism
Muhammad’s personal life became the picture of hedonism and excess, all justified by frequent “revelations.”
The man, who earlier in his career had justified his claims as a prophet by sayingthat he “asked for no reward” from others, reversed course and began to demand a fifth of all booty taken from conquered tribes. According to his biographers, he became fatfrom living off this enormous share of ill-gotten gain.
In the span of a dozen years, he married eleven women and had access to an array of sex slaves. When he wanted a woman, even if she were the wife of another man, his own daughter-in-law, or a child as young as 6, he was able to justify his lust and inevitable consummation with an appeal to Allah’s revealed will for his sex life- which was then preserved forever in the Qur’an, to be faithfully memorized by future generations for him whom it has no possible relevance.
(For the Muslim faithful, it must surely be a source of embarrassment that Allah evidently had more interest in Muhammad’s personal sex life than he did about tolerance. There are also far more open-ended verses that advocate “fighting in the cause of Allah” than in showing love for all people. Allah encourages sex with slaves as well)
Muhammad also had personal critics executed, including poets. One of these was a mother of five children, who was stabbed to death by Muhammad’s envoy after a suckling infant was removed from her breast. Other innocent people were killed merely because they were of a different religion).
The double standards of Islam that are so recognizable today were ingrained by the prophet of Islam during his lifetime. An example would be the death of Um Kirfa, a middle-aged woman who had the bad fortune to be the aunt of a tribal leader who raided one of Muhammad’s caravans (in the same fashion that Muhammad raided others).
Missing the apparent irony, Muhammad did not take kindly to having done to him what he had been doing to non-Muslims. He had the woman’s legs tied separately to two camels, then set the camels off in opposite directions, tearing the woman’s body in two. He also killed her two young sons – presumably in gruesome fashion – as well.
Today’s Muslims inherent this legacy of self-interest and disregard for those outside the faith. They may or may not agree with terrorist attacks on non-Muslims, but they are nearly united in their belief that the victims have no right to strike back, even if it is in self-defense.
The Taking of Mecca
Though many of the Arab and Jewish tribes were eliminated and absorbed through military victory and forced conversion, the city of Mecca required a different sort of strategy.
In 628, six years after fleeing, Muhammad’s followers were allowed to re-enter the city under an agreement whereby he set aside his title as “Prophet of Allah.” This was a temporary ploy that enabled him to gain a political foothold in the city through the same “fifth column” activities that are still used today by organizations such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which use their host’s language of religious tolerance to disguise an ulterior agenda that includes systematic discrimination against non-Muslims.
Many of his followers were disappointed that Muhammad had made concessions to the Meccans, not understanding how it actually fit perfectly with his ultimate agenda of domination. It was during this time that he led the campaign against the Khaybar, to assuage their lust for blood and looting.
Technically, Muhammad was the first to break the treatywith the Meccans when he violated the portion of it that restricted him from accepting members of the other tribe into his camp. Although he had no personal obligation to it himself, the prophet of Islam held the other party to the letter of the law, particularly after he amassed the power to conquer in overwhelming fashion.
The excuse that Muhammad eventually used to march his armies into Mecca was provided when a tribe allied to the Meccans conducted a raid on a tribe allied with the Medinans. Although a true man of peace would have heeded the fact that his enemy did not want war, and used non-violent means to resolve the tension while respecting sovereignty, Muhammad merely wanted power and vengeance.
This became the pattern of Islam’s dramatic expanse following Muhammad’s death. Muslims would conquer a region and sign “peace treaties” with new neighbors. Then, when they were confident in their military strength, the Muslims would look for an excuse to provoke a conflict and renew aggression.
Following Mecca’s surrender, Muhammad put to death those who had previously insulted him. One of the persons sentenced was his former scribe, who had written revelations that Muhammad said were from Allah. The scribe had previously recommended changes to the wording that Muhammad offered (based on some of the bad grammar and ineloquent language of Allah) and the “prophet” agreed. This caused the scribe to apostatize based on his belief that real revelations should have been immutable.
Although the scribe escaped death by “converting to Islam” at the point of a sword, others weren’t so lucky. One was a slave girl who was executed on Muhammad’s order because she had written songs mocking him.
In what would also become the model for future Muslim military conquests, those Meccans who would not convert to Islam were required to pay a tax (the jizya) and accept third-class status. Not surprisingly, almost the entire city – which had previously rejected his message – immediately “converted” to Islam once Muhammad came back with a sword in this hand.
To this day, people of other religions are barred even from entering Mecca, the city where Muhammad was free to preach in contradiction to the established religion. Islam is far less tolerant even than the more primitive faiths that it supplanted. A person preaching the original Arab polytheism on the streets of Mecca today would be quickly executed.
Jihad and Jizya
Tellingly, some of the most violent verses in the Qur’an were handed down following Muhammad’s ascension to power, when there was no threat to the Muslim people. The 9th Sura of the Qur’an exhorts Muslims to Jihad and dominance over other religions:
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.” (9:29)
The verse that follows curses Christians and Jews by name and says “May Allah destroy them” (as with other sections of the Qur’an, it is unclear whether it is Allah or Muhammad speaking).
Muhammad ordered 30,000 men to march on Christian lands (which were Byzantine at the time). It is possible that he believed false rumors of an army amassed against him, but there is absolutely no evidence of such a force having been assembled. Instead, Muhammad subjugated the local people and extorted “protection” money from them – something that has come to be known as the jizya(a tax that non-Muslims pay to Muslims).
Another episode from this period that offers insight into the legacy of Muhammad is the forced conversion of the al-Harith, one of the last Arab tribes to hold out against Muslim hegemony. Muhammad gave the chief of the tribe three days to accept Islam before sending his army to destroy them.
Not surprisingly, the entire people immediately accepted the Religion of Peace!
The Legacy of Islamic Imperialism
Muhammad died of a fever at the age of 63, with his violent religion now firmly rooted in the Arab lands. Through his teachings, his followers viewed worldly life as a constant physical battle between the House of Peace (Dar al-Salaam) and the House of War (Dar al-Harb).
Over the next fourteen centuries, the bloody legacy of this extraordinary individual would be a constant challenge to those living on the borders of the religion’s hegemony. The violence that Muslim armies would visit on people across North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and into Asia as far as the Indian subcontinent is a tribute to a founder who condoned subjugation, rape, murder and forced conversion in the cause of the spread of his religion.
In Muhammad’s words: “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them…” (Bukhari 8:387)
It is certainly the basis not just for modern day terror campaigns against Western infidels (and Hindus and Buddhists) but also the broad apathy that Muslims across the world have to the violence, which is an obvious enabler.
As Indonesian cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir recently put it, “If the West wants to have peace, then they have to accept Islamic
While women in many parts of the world have made advances in areas previously closed to them, the problem of violence against women remains pervasive. Unfortunately, this violence takes many forms and occurs across national, cultural, racial, and religious borders.
Islam condemns all forms of violence against women. The basic Islamic premise of equality between women and men cannot be achieved so long as violence against women persists.
In pre-Islamic Arabia violence against women began at birth in the form of female infanticide. Islam prohibited the practice of female infanticide. Not only did the Quran prohibit this practice, it also mocks those who view the birth of a girl child with contempt. (Quran 16:58-59).
Another common form of violence against women is that committed by husbands on their wives. Islam requires that husbands treat their wives with respect and it prohibits any form of physical or emotional abuse. The Quran requires that spouses treat each other with love and mercy. (Quran 30:21). Moreover, the Quran repeatedly warns against the use of injurious statements by a husband against his wife. (Quran 58:2-4).
Rape, unfortunately, remains a common form of violence against women. In addition, the woman is often blamed for being the victim of rape. Islam views rape as a violent crime against the victim, against society, and against God. The perpetrator has committed a crime and hence is morally and legally responsible. The victim is an unwilling partner in the sex act and thus bears neither blame nor stigma. To either ostracize or condemn the victim because she was compelled to engage in sexual intercourse is against the laws of Islam as the victim was an unwilling, and therefore, a blameless participant.
In addition to the violence that women are subjected to during times of peace, women are particularly vulnerable during times of war. Islam condemns violence against women no matter what the circumstances. War is no exception. Prophet Muhammad was strict in ensuring that noncombatants, primarily women and children, were not harmed during war time.
Female genital mutilation, another form of violence against women, has no basis in Islam. Rather, it is a cultural practice which must be eliminated through education and the empowerment of women.
Likewise, forced prostitution is another form of violence against women with no basis in Islam and which must be eradicated through the empowerment of women.
Islam’s mandate of equality between women and men necessitates that all forms of violence against women be eradicated, for so long as women suffer abuses, women cannot achieve their full potential as free and equal members of society.
Hi Final Truth,
Zunaid is a product of mutta marriage? He does not know any thing and he does not want to say any thing against islam, despite the fact that he has seen his mother entertaining sexual pleasure to various customers in the name of islam, as Halala practice. He has been brain washed that if he hides islamic eveils he will be rewarded with 72 virgins in the heaven for sex? His own sister is raped by an elderly Maulvi in the name of religion he will not open his mouth. He is really a bastard and illegal product.
You are right that these muslims do not get proper treatment in their own countries and they settle in western countries to enjoy economic benefits and then creat problems through terrorist activities. This is a a very dangerous religion.
@Junaid – All your statements are misleading
“First islam did not create sects it is people who created sects”- which people are, Christians, Jews, Hindus etc did not created sects, so which religion people are you talking about? I guess that all that you write is not what world wants to know. Its your Muslim people who created sects based on your Muslim leaders orders, there are division of Muslims, Arabs would marry Pakistani Muslims girl, but will never allow Arab girl to marry to any Asian Muslim, this because they are true Muslim, Arabs are the first class Muslims. 2nd Qur’an says contradictory things, there is nothing new what your Qur’an says- killing innocents etc, diffence is your Muslims do not follow your Qur’an, your Qur’an differentiate non Muslims and Muslims, non Muslims are enemy in Islam so Osama is a true Muslim, as he is following true Qur’an. All you are saying is just common know general things which all religion says. Just in case you did not notice, Osama killing was not celebrated by muslim countries, Muslims protected Osama, so where is your “innocent killing” statement from Qur’an, point is you Muslims kill non Muslims, or convert non muslim coz you want everyone to be muslim. Secular world can’t tolerate that. When your muslim countries do not allow secular govt, why your muslim countries not allow other religion, your Qur’an says religious freedom isn’t it. In short all you says is blah blah blah, Qur’an says this that etc, but in reality you Muslims are all ready violence.
when your Palestine’s muslim terrorist killed innocent Israeli athletes, hijacked Christians airlines etc where is your Qur’an thing now…Israel only know how to protect itself, why your peaceful brothers rocket isreal? Your qurans says to attack in self defense, so does our common sense, we need not study that in religion book. Why you Muslims have problem with western counties, why you Muslims got to west then, why don’t you settle in your Muslims counties? Is it because Arabs don’t treat you well, if so where is your Qur’an tought equality?
give some sensible answer instead of what your Qur’an says, my religion says so many things , here conversation is about what Muslims do to non Muslims in real life
Hi every body
Following is the list of evils of islam.
1.Muhammad was a pedophile 2.Muhammad had sex with a 6 year old child Aisha 3. Muhammad had sex with his adopted son Zaid’s wife and his daughter in law Zainab 4. Muhammad was a murderer 5. Muhammad beheaded 900 Jews from Banu Tribe. 6. Muhammad was a slave trader 7. Muhammad killed Maria’s parents and took her as slave 8. Quaran is filled with hatered towards non Muslims. 9. Quaran discriminate against the women 10. Quaran encourge muslims to kill people who worship statues 11. Quaran allows men to marry four women at a time 12. Quaran encourage Muslims to kill the apostates. 13. Quaran allows muslims to lie the non Muslims 14. Quaran forbid muslims to trust and make non Muslim friends 15. Quaran contains the verses of Muhammad’s sex life 16. Quaran discriminates against the homosexuals. 17. Muhammad hated and killed the black dogs. 18. Muhammad hated the donkey. 19. Quaran encourage the evil sacrifice of Cow on Eid 20. Islam is the evil religion and Muhammad was the prophet of Shaitan.
21. Muhammad married old rich widow khadiza for money and her merchant business. 22. Muhammad learnt torah & bible in Syria on merchant tour 23. Muhammad currupt the bible by mixing indegenous arab religion and practices 24. Muhammad hated the arts and destroyed the statues sacred for indegenous arabs 25. Muhammad broke the law of four marriage of Quaran and kept slave women. 26. Muhammad asked his wives for veil as he was impotent 27. Quaran encourage husbands to beat their mature wives coz islam believes women are inferior to men 28. Muhammad thigh Aisha at 6 till she reach 9 and Islam allows child marriage 29. Muhammad hated the pigs 30. Muhammad believed that Allah converted Jews into pigs. 31. Muhammad thought Camel urine was a drink 32. Muhammad killed the husbands and parents of his widow wives 33.Islam is against the Music and pictures 34. Quaran encourage muslims to fight and kill for the cause of Islam 35. Quaran lust muslims,the sex market paradise of 72 virgins to convert and kill non Muslims 36.
Muhammad raped Rayhana bint Amr and Safiyya bint Huayay after he had murdered and enslaved their families.
37,Quaran discriminates against the women.
38.Quaran goes against science and evolution on so many occasions.
39.Muhammad had a lover named Zahir,Muhammad had gay sex with Omar and Zahir.
40.Muhammad slept with a dead women in her grave.
41.Quaran forbids muslims to use tissue paper.
42.Muhammad used to pee sit down
43.Islam encourage Muslims to hate pigs.
44.Islam forbids muslims to ask questions b’out wrong evil Islam.
45.Islam encourage the inbreeding and incest.
46.Islam discriminates against black africans,Muhammad kept black slaves in droves.
47.Quaran encourages slavery which makes it unsuitable book for modern 21st century
I am longing for the day that humanity becomes united and we embrace each other as brothers and sisters. However, religion is often the cause of disunity and Islam is the greatest obstacle. But its end is nigh.
Many modernist Muslims have become desperate and to save their faith, they blame the Mullahs and believers for not practicing the “true Islam”. That is whitewashing the truth. Such posture may be politically correct but is intellectually dishonest. We have to expose Islam and show that the tree is rotten from its roots.
Look around yourself! See those Iranians who have rejected Islam now love the entire world, and see how they respect the rights of the people who have different beliefs. See how they respect the Baha’is, the Zoroastrians, the Christians, the Jews, the Hindus, the agnostics and the atheists, the very people that they hated while they were blindly following the Messenger of hate. By rejecting Islam they have set themselves free of their religious hate. Now they see themselves as humans and feel united with the rest of humanity. All the prejudices and religious hate is gone. Then look at those who are still caught in the claws of Islam. See how they spew venom at everybody. If we get rid of Islam, we will get rid of our hate against each other and we can be a united nation again and build a hate-free world.
Our responsibility is to expose Islam. We have to aim at the heart of this beast. Don’t buy the western cliché that people’s beliefs are sacred. That is a fallacy. People are sacred, their beliefs are not. If a belief preaches hate that belief is not sacred. It should not be respected but denounced and repudiated. You have to fight it even if its followers are offended. Nazism was never a sacred belief, even if millions of Germans believed in it. Pay Muslims with their own coins. Muhammad desecrated the holy places of the pagans of his time and demolished their idols. Let us pay them back in kind and demolish their idols. Albeit, unlike Muhammad who used sword and spilled blood of innocent people, we use our keyboards and love them.
When Gandhi praised Muhammad, he either did not know the truth about Islam or as a politician he could not say the truth, which would have fueled the animosity between the Muslims and the Hindus. As a Hindu it was not his business to criticize Islam anyway. But we know the truth and we are children born in Islam. It is our responsibility to open the eyes of our fellow countrymen and women and save our motherland from this monster.
The fight against Islam should not stop once we eliminate the barbaric regime of Iran. At that time we have to intensify our fight. The Muslims will do all the tricks in the book to stop us. They would ask us to leave them alone. They would plead, “to you your religion, to me mine”. But we should not give them any truce. We should use all the media in our disposition, we should write as many books as we can, we should spread knowledge as much as we can until Islam is eradicated completely.
Islam is a religion of Ignorance. It thrives through ignorance. When you fight the ignorance, Islam will die. Islam is the religion of darkness; the light of knowledge will dissipate it.
The first step is to establish our freedom and the freedom of speech. Then, it is possible to eliminate Islam in one decade. Few will remain but they will be ashamed to declare their religion publicly. The Mosques will be deserted and many of them will be converted to museums, libraries and music halls for our kids to practice and perform. They will be the most beautiful libraries in the world. Finally our majestic Iranian architecture will be in the service of our culture, knowledge and art.
Hundreds of books and articles will be printed refuting Islam and the Muslim scholars will be challenged to answer them. The weakness of Islam will be exposed and its death will be ascertained. Just as the Islamic fanaticism from Iran spread to the neighboring countries, the massive denouncing of Islam will also affect the intellectuals in the entire Islamic world. The scholars in other Islamic countries will start to debate. For the first time the Muslims will see the real face of Islam. People will grasp the power and rule of the Mullah and religious authorities will end. Islamic countries will compare the progress of other non-Islamic countries to their own and see how Islam has hold them back from progress and has reduced them to poverty. Within a generation (less than 30 years) Islam will be a dead corpse. There will be nothing left of it except a sore memory and a bad name.
This is the greatest change that is going to take place in our (Islamic) world in the coming decades. It will be the renascence of the Islamic countries. The intellectuals and the freethinkers of this world have a tremendous responsibility. It is up to them to make sure that this renascence is not derailed by violence. The renascence must take place in our minds and social clashes must be completely avoided.
Islam teaches violence. Muslims would seek every opportunity to use violence and defend their religion by violence. They will call for Jihad. They will use terrorism. This is the way that Islam has grown and this is the way that it has maintained its grip for 1400 years. Islam’s strength is in violence. Violence is the method of choice for Muslims. It is encouraged in Quran and the Mullahs will call for it again. We should not let that happen. We should not give them this victory. We should avoid situations where they may be tempted to use violence. We have to avoid personal confrontations. The clashes are the clashes of ideas. We fight against Islam, not Muslims.
Islam must be attacked from two fronts. One is Muhammad himself, his immoral character is an eloquent proof that this man could not possibly qualify to be a messenger of God. His weak moral fiber must be exposed. There are plenty of Sahih hadiths that reveal the less-than-holy personality and conduct of the messenger of Allah. The second front is Quran. We have to make everyone see the errors and the absurdities of this book. No one can ever write a book more damaging to Islam than Quran. The Masses of Muslims who read that book daily, do not understand it and are unaware of its barbaric nature. Those who know it are vaccinated against reason. They have taken small doses of this poison every day for so long that now they are immune to any logical and rational thinking. They see with their own eyes the fallacies of Quran, its errors and its barbarism, but are unmoved, unaffected, untouched. It is inconceivable that any human being with a grain of conscience read the absurdities of Quran and not be aghast.
Once this ideological revolution takes place among Muslims, the effects of that will reverberate in other parts of the world and the thinkers of other religions will see the absurdities of their own Faiths and will come down hard at the irrational beliefs of their own fathers. Fundamentalism in one religion feeds the fundamentalism in other religions. It is as if there is a competition and people of all religions vie with each other to be more fanatical. When the Taliban issued the Fatwa that the Hindus in Afghanistan should wear distinctive badges, immediately a terrorist Hindu group that calls itself Hindu Unity issued a warning that they will start killing the innocent Muslims in India if Hindus is Afghanistan are harmed. This senseless competition has brought the world to the verge of a catastrophe of unimaginable consequences.
However, the reverse of that is also true. Once the bigot fundamentalists of other religions see Islam is dying and it is under attack by the intellectuals of its own; once they see that Muslims themselves have risen to slay this beast, they will have no reason to exist. To fight with other fundamentalist is the raison d’ etre of the fundamentalists of any religion. When there is no one to fight with, there is no reason to be.
Once I was active in an Internet based discussion group, a Hindu used to come and read my anti-Islamic material to use as ammunition against his Muslim opponents. One day he sent me a surprisingly refreshing email. He thanked me for opening his eyes. He said that my criticism of Islam has made him question his own religion and made him see that there are similar flaws in it too. He confessed that he is no more a Hindu but a Humanist. It’s important to note that I had never said a word against Hinduism and I don’t know much about it. Isn’t it wonderful? By fighting the dogmatism and superstitions of our own beliefs we are fighting against dogmatism in general and we are bringing about the world unity! 🙂
This is an exciting time to be alive. You and I and ordinary people like us, can actually change the course of history. We can kill the monster of religious hate, liberate its victims and not only usher them into a new age of enlightenment but ease the tension between Muslims and the rest of the world and establish universal peace in this planet.
Peace, love and unity will reign in this world when we eliminate hate and ignorance. Islam is the biggest source of hate.
The islam is an incurable decease indeed.
They are people who have a very change look at life.
Muslims don’t respect other cultures, they also do not respect there superiors, us.
Muslims, and espessialy arabic muslims only care about there own people, they are racists who hate other races.
Also the ones that live in are country, and spread there decease into our nations, our people.
This is a virus, like amadeus said, and a strong one to.
European studies learned that if it goes on like this for decades further, half of europe will be a muslim.
This is partially caused by the number of kids they make, they often have very big familys, 4-6 children is normal for them, and white Christian family’s do not give birth to so much children any more.
That is one of the reasons why the population of muslims grow so fast.
These people, with the kind of believes they have, have to be stopped by any means necessary.
Because if there population in Europe is to high to stop, they will get there Jihad in western civilitation, and if we can’t stop it, we will have a shariah here.
Nostradamus predicted a war from muslims against our society in 2011, which will reach it’s climax in 2014, when terrorist are going to attack the Vaticaan.
And then the pope is going to declare war against all muslims, and a place where much muslims go will be destroyed..
I can’t wait to see it happen
Dear Muslim women/girls,
People could be bad and good and so could be the religions. Religions shape and influence people’s belief and consequently his/her interaction with the world including human beings. For example a person believing in a religion of non-violence will be encouraged to remain non-violent by and large. Similarly, if his religion teaches him to respect women, he will tend to respect them. The extent of influence of the religion on the person will determine how much the person is following the teachings of his/her religion. There could be some exceptions but by and large, people of a certain religion develop some common charateristics, guided by the tenets of of religion. These could be termed as Group/Mass characteristics that are distinguished from other religions. These distinguishing common characteriscs of a religion should taken as the most important evaluating feature of a religion.
Some of the common characteristics of all the religions are not distinguishing features. For example, Hinduism has a distinguishing feature called pluralism which is not present in other religions. So, it’s Hinduism’s distinguishing feature. So, it is likely to be reflected in the life of majority of the Hindus. Similarly, other religions have their distinguishing features that is reflected in their respective followers. This common behaviour the followers of a particular religion is the best criteria to assess the religion. After all, a religion is meant to be practiced, not just to be studied.
So, over the period, the study of the behaviour of majority of the followers will give us a reliable idea what a religion is. Now let’s apply this criteria on Islam. We will limit our discussion related to the women and their interaction with the males of other religions this is relevant to the subject matter of this site. I request all the women to reflect on this and come to a conclusion so that other women could take advantage of it and decide their fate in right direction. Don’t shy away from it and enlighten yourself and others as it has been the discussion of centuries and has influnced your lives to the extent that it cannot be described in words.
As far as my observations are concerned, I have mentioned them several times about the distinguishing characteristics of Islam. The Islamic history of 1400 years along with its 1.5 billion strong population provides us to analyze the Islam’s mass behaviour. No one can rationally say that the Muslim masses have been anti Islamic. The reason is, if they are anti Islamic, they are kafirs/apostates but they are considered Muslims by all and sundry Muslims. I don’t remember to have heard any fatwa or declaration from any Imam that majority of the Muslims are kafirs and are going to hell. Then the question is why Muslims speak against the Muslims themselves in non-Islamic countries and Islamic countries?
In general the Muslims are repressive community. There must be someone to be repressed. When they are in majority, the repress the non-Muslims and slowly the non-Muslims come to insignificant numbers. Thereafter, they start repressing the minority sect of Islam. For example Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran, Bangladesh used to have non-Muslim population. Today they are non-significant except in Bangladesh. Pakistan used to have 10-12% Hindus about 60 years ago which has come down to 1-2%! So, having forcefully converting the Hindus, Pakistani Muslims have decimated the Ahmadias!. Now having got rid of them, the Shias are their next target and so forth. Similar is the story in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan. This is one of the distinguishing features of Islam. But the noteworthy thing is the way of repression. The first point of attack are the women!
It doesn’t matter who is the enemy of the Muslims, their target were/are the women for dual roles – for pleasure and bearing the Muslims of their sect.
Great analysis, well said. It is true that most oppressed are the Muslim women. These days, internet will let them vent their frustration but still they will not have any voice on Muslim majority streets. It is sad.
I agree that historically the Muslim women has been reticent and confined within the four walls of houses. However, of lately, they have been slowly trying to express themselves especially in the non-Muslim countries. With the advent of internet and the exposure to the real character of Muhammad, they have become more vocal. It has also given rise to confidence within them and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The day is not far when they will not only fight for the freedom from this male chauvinist Islam, but also assert. After they are the power house of humanity and our mothers. Just they have to recognize their united strength and harness this acquired united strength into proper direction. The humanity lovers will also come to their rescue and give rise to a beautiful world. Let’s contribute our share to this new rennaissance, the rennaissance of Women.
Hi Zunaid,
I have seen your comments strongly favouring islam, despite of so many evils against humanity since inception till now. If you marry a muslim girl will you:-
(i) expect her a virgin and display blood stained sheets to your parents,
(ii)Will you expect all the 4 wives to be virgin, though you are not virgin?
(iii)Will you keep all the wives in burqa?
(iv)Will you treat them sex dolls only?
In the context of above queries, can you share experience of your mother,s treatment by your so called mutta marriage fathers, as pointed out in some texts?