About this blog

In recent times a plethora of misconceptions, misrepresentation and myths have been forged about Islam
and Muslims. Many western influentials from politicians, policymakers to judges have taken it upon
themselves to undermine the Islamic beliefs, values and rules so to make it palatable to their
egotistic minds and the secular liberal thoughts.

This blog is dedicated:-

1. To argue the point for Islam in its belief and systems and to refute the misconceptions.
2. To expose the weakness and contradictions of all forms of secularism.

16 Sept 2008

Muslim Unity



"Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed as a guidance for mankind, the clear proof." [Surah Al Baqarah (2): Ayah 185]

This verse of the Qur'an comes after the verses commanding us to fast and describes how the Qur'an is a guidance not only for Muslims but also for the whole of mankind. Yet every Ramadhan, the Unity of the Muslims becomes an issue as differences arise regarding the sighting of the moon to begin and end the month of Ramadan. On a wider scale, this raises very fundamental questions about the unity of the Ummah as a whole. Our belief in Islam requires us to accept that Islam provides solutions to all our problems, be they of an individual, social or a political nature. In Surah Ambiya, Allah (swt) says:

“Verily this Ummah of yours (O Muhammad) is one Ummah so do worship (Ibadah, submission, surrender, obedience, follow) Me alone.” [Surah Ambiya (21): Ayah 92]

This verse of the Qur'an makes it absolutely clear how our belief in Allah (swt) unites us all and surpasses any geographical differences. Our belief in Allah (swt) unites us with Muslims all over the world and, we all feel the pains of our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and all the areas where the Muslims are oppressed.

The verse of the Qur'an goes further to define that the natural consequence of our belief in Allah (swt) is to worship Him and that the Unity of the Muslim Ummah is not only in the belief but also in actions. Worshiping Allah (swt) is to follow His Ahkam (laws) in each and every action so as to please Him (swt) in all our actions. If we look at the many obligations that Allah (swt) has put upon us we see that there are many Ahkam that we can perform as individuals. These include our individual worship and morals. Allah (swt) in the Qur’an says

"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may gain Taqwa" [Surah Al Baqarah (2): Ayah 183]

"O you who believe, eat the pure things from what we provide” [Surah Al Baqarah (2): Ayah 176]

"O you who believe, spend from what you have been endowed" [Surah Al Baqarah (2): Ayah 254]

"O you who believe, Devour not usury (Riba) doubled and multiplied" [Surah Ali Imran (3):Ayah 130]

These verses of the Qur'an address us in the form, that is, as "O you who believe". And as individual Muslims we can observe these commandments by ensuring that we fast in the month of Ramadhan. We ensure that the Food we eat is Halal, and that we abstain from all forms of usury (riba).

These are just examples of commandments from Allah (swt) which we can perform as individual Muslims. The non action of other Muslims cannot invalidate our actions nor do we need the co-operation of other individuals to perform these duties.

Yet there are other verses of the Qur'an that address the Muslims in the same way, that is, as "O you who believe" yet as individual Muslims we cannot perform them. This is not because we do not have the will or desire to perform them, but because the duty itself is a collective duty that requires the collective participation of the Muslims. This collective participation automatically necessitates a unified understanding-of the Ahkam in question.

Many examples of this exist. Allah (swr) says: "O you who believe, the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder. The free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman" [Surah Al Baqarah (2): Ayah 178] This verse regarding Qisas comes in the same form as that commanding us to fast. In cases of murder, we are obliged to resort to the law of Qisas yet we cannot fulfil the obligation imposed by this verse of the Qur'an as individuals, because implementation of this verse requires an authoritative body to establish the offence and enforce the Hukm (rule).

We are accountable for not fulfilling this Hukm just as we would be accountable if we did not fast. The only difference is that in fulfilling this command we need to establish a unified understanding among the Muslims about the law of Qisas, its obligation and that it exists within the structure of a state. Just as we have as we get together to understand the Ahkam (rules) related to the sighting of the moon and Ramadhan, "sight the moon For Ramadhan and then fast", so we need to come to a common understanding about how to fulfil the commandment on Qisas. Indeed, this understanding can be taken further to the whole punishment system in Islam.

Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

"As for the thief, both male and female, cut off their hands" [Surah al Maidah (5): Ayah 38]

The verse regarding the Hudood (punishment- right of Allah) for thieves addresses the Muslims in the same manner. The command (Faqtaoo) enjoins the Muslims to cut off their hands, because the verse is preceded by the verse "O you who believe...".[Surah al Maidah (5): Ayah 35] Yet we are all aware that we cannot perform this duty as individuals.

If we contemplate on these verses of the Qur'an, we realise that there are many Ahkam that we do not perform due to the fact that their performance requires a unified understanding of the Ahkam. It therefore becomes an obligation upon us to establish this common understanding in order to fulfil the order. Nothing but a sincere leadership will implement the Hudood hand in hand with the true economic system of Islam. Nothing but a sincere leadership will ensure that the foreign powers do not usurp our wealth and spill the blood of our Muslim brothers and sisters. It is only a sincere leadership that will take care of the affairs of the Ummah to the way of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen. This understanding about the unity of leadership is itself a commandment from Allah (swt) when he says: "O you who believe, obey Allah, obey his messenger and those in authority amongst you" [Surah An Nisa (4): Ayah 59]

Where 'those in authority' refers to the Khalifah and those he appoints (eg Governors) for the affairs of the Ummah. It is this understanding which is absent within us and which we need to unify upon. No doubt the current rulers of the Muslim lands only care about themselves and their masters. In fact they are the first to obstruct the unity of the Muslims by re-igniting the ugly faces of nationalism and patriotism.

Imam Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi (ra), a well-known scholar of the 6th century Hijri, said:

"The Muslims simply must have an Imam (Khalifah), who will execute the rules, establish the Hudud (penal system), defend the frontiers, equip the armies, collect Zakah, punish those who rebel (against the state) and those who spy and highwaymen, establish Jum'ah and the two 'Eids, settle the dispute among the servants (of Allah), accept the testimony of witnesses in matters of legal rights, give in marriage the young and the poor who have no family, and distribute the booty".

If only as Muslims we came to a common agreement that we cannot depend on the Capitalist Nations to solve our problems in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Sudan. Only when we as Muslims come to a common understanding that the political situation of Muslims is related to the absence of the Khilafah can we begin to unite.

Only when we as Muslims realise that a commandment from Allah (swt) must be obeyed, be it of an individual or collective nature can we begin to unite.

Only when we as Muslims realise what we must worship Allah (swt) Fully can we unite, because when we worship Allah (swt) completely, we will he obeying Allah (swt) in all the Ahkam related above and fulfil the verse of the Qur'an: “Verily this Ummah of yours (O Muhammad) is one Ummah so worship me” [Surah Anbiya (21): Ayah 92]

Let this Ramadhan be the one in which we restore the Law of Allah as the highest word, and re-establish the unity of the Ummah, both in belief and action.

[Taken from UCL Islamic Society]
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What they said...

“Islam represented the greatest military power on earth…It was the foremost economic power in the world…It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization...Islam in contrast created a world civilization, poly-ethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”





[Bernard Lewis, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Orientalist and Historian, 2001]





"There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts…the civilization I'm talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600… Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage"





[Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard, 2001]





"For the first three centuries of its existence (circ. A.D 650-1000) the realm of Islam was the most civilized and progressive portion of the world. Studded with splendid cities, gracious mosques and quiet universities where the wisdom of the ancient world was preserved and appreciated, the Moslem world offered a striking contrast to the Christian West, then sunk in the night of the Dark Ages."





[Lothrop Stoddard, Ph.D (Harvard), American political theorist and historian, 1932]





"Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe;it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies. It invented windmills ,trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse."





[Jared Diamond, UCLA sociologist and Author, 1997]



"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition."





[Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Professor at Harvard University, 1932]





“The Muhammadan Law which is binding on all -- from the crowned head to the meanest subject is a law interwoven with a system of the wisest, the most learned and the most enlightened jurisprudence that ever existed in the world.”





[Edmund Burke, British Statesman and Philosopher, 1789]





"The Exile here is not like in our homeland. The Turks hold respectable Jews in esteem. Here and in Alexandria, Egypt, Jews are the chief officers and administrators of the customs, and the king’s revenues. No injuries are perpetuated against them in all the empire. Only this year, in consequence of the extraordinary expenditure caused by the war against Shah Tahmsap al-Sufi, were the Jews required to make advances of loans to the princes."





[David dei Rossi, Jewish Traveller 17CE, quoted by Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands]





"The notable religious tolerance towards Christians and Jew under Muslim rule had given way to the uncompromising zealotry of Spanish Inquisition. Jews and Muslims thus fled Spain with large numbers of Jews immigrating to the Ottoman Empire which was known for its tolerance to the Jews."





[Graham Fuller, Author and former CIA, 1995]





“If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilization owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure, which stems, I think, from the straightjacket of history, which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society, and systems of beliefs, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history”





[Charles Philip Arthur George, HRH The Prince of Wales, 1993]





"...Not being subject to the Sharia, Jews and Christians were free to go to their own religious authorities for adjudication of disputes; but in many cases they went instead to the [Muslim] Qadi"





[Richard W. Bulliet, Professor of History and Author, 2004]





"Here in the land of the Turks we have nothing to complain of. We possess great fortunes; much gold and silver are in our hands. We are not oppressed by heavy taxes and our commerce is free and unhindered. Rich are the fruits of the earth. Everything is cheap and each one of us lives in freedom. Here a Jew is not compelled to wear a yellow star as a badge of shame as is the case in Germany where even wealth and great fortune is a curse for a Jew because he therewith arouses jealousy among the Christians and they devise all kinds of slander against him to rob him of his gold. Arise my brethren, gird up your loins, collect up your forces and come to us."





[In his book 'Constantinople', Philip Mansel quotes a rabbi in Turkey writing to his brethren in Europe where they were facing increasing persecution after 1453]





"Praise be to the beneficent God for his mercy towards me! Kings of the earth, to whom his [the Caliph’s] magnificence and power are known, bring gifts to him, conciliating his favour by costly presents, such as the king of the Germans, the king of the Gebalim, the king of Constantinople, and others. All their gifts pass through my hands, and I am charged with making gifts in return. (Let my lips express praise to the God in heaven who so far extends his loving kindness towards me without any merit of my own, but in the fullness of his mercies.) I always ask the ambassadors of these monarchs about our brethren the Jews, the remnant of the captivity, whether they have heard anything concerning the deliverance of those who have pined in bondage and had found no rest."





[Hasdai Ibn Shaprut (915-990 CE) Jewish physician, chief minister of Islamic Caliphate in Cordova, 'The Jewish Caravan']





"In Baghdad there are about forty thousand Jews, and they dwell in security, prosperity, and honour under the great Caliph [al-Mustanjid, 1160-70 CE], and amongst them are great sages, the Heads of the Academies engaged in the study of the Law…’"





[Benjamin of Tudela, Rabbi in Baghdad in the year 1168 CE, 'The Jew in the Medieval World']





"Those Eastern thinkers of the ninth century laid down, on the basis of their theology, the principle of the Rights of Man, in those very terms, comprehending the rights of individual liberty, and of inviolability of person and property; described the supreme power in Islam, or Califate, as based on a contract, implying conditions of capacity and performance, and subject to cancellation if the conditions under the contract were not fulfilled; elaborated a Law of War of which the humane, chivalrous prescriptions would have put to the blush certain belligerents in the Great War; expounded a doctrine of toleration of non-Moslem creeds so liberal that our West had to wait a thousand years before seeing equivalent principles adopted.





[Leon Ostorog, French Jurist]





"The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence"





[Robert Briffault, Novelist and Historian, 1928]





"The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs. The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia"





[Oliver Joseph Lodge, Writer and Professor of Physics, 1893]





“Thus, when Muslims crossed the straits of Gibraltar from North Africa in 711 and invaded the Iberian Peninsula, Jews welcomed them as liberators from Christian Persecution.”





[Zion Zohar, Jewish scholar at Florida International University, 2005]







“Throughout much of the period in question, Arabic served as the global language of scholarship, and learned men of all stripes could travel widely and hold serious and nuanced discussions in this lingua franca. Medieval Western scholars who wanted access to the latest findings also needed to master the Arabic Tongue or work from translations by those who had done so.”





[Jonathan Lyons, Author, Writer and Lecturer, 2009]