The PPK Muslims (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgable) : 08/31/15

MISINTERPRETATION OF THE QURANIC AYAHS
BY THE SO-CALLED MUSLIM JIHADISTS

ABSTRACT

“………But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper……..”

“…….I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them……”

These are the segments of Quranic Ayahs quoted by the both the so called Islamic radicals to support their nefarious activities and the “Islamophobes” to brand our beautiful Deen as violent and vicious.

Islamic terrorism, Islamic militants, radical Islam, Islamist, jihaadists extremists etc. are the favorite words in all sorts of media all around the world. Killings, street and suicide bombings. beheadings, mayhem and carnage in parks, hotels, mosques and churches are common place. The noise and clutter of 9/11 was gradually fading away when we were jolted by another earthquake by the three headed dragon of ISIS: more ambitious, sadist and barbaric, strong and smart and savvy and temporarily happy and successful.

Terrorism is an age old Global problem practiced by different religious and ethnic communities in different regions, at different times and for different reasons.There are therefore, many facets and angles to this deadly phenomenon but one aspect shines out over the others namely: The present bout of global “jihaad” is executed mainly by Muslims, killing mainly Muslims and perpetrated in the name of Islam. The thugs/soldiers of “Caliph” Abu Bakr Baghdadi are on a rampage dressed in black, hiding behind black masks like dacoits and brigands, desecrating our sacrosanct Kalma on their black flag and glorifying and videotaping their callouss cold-blooded beheadings of innocent unarmed folks — Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, aid workers, journalists — while violating our passionate and heart warming religious slogan of Allah-0-Akbar (God is Great).

It is a duty of every Muslim to understand and appreciate these apparently controversial portion of our Holy Book to strengthen our Faith and project the true colour of our beautiful Deen to humanity. The article attempts to address this problem. Additional ayahs quoted by jihaadists and Islamophobes will be discussed in the next session.

Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:

“An Ayah of the Quran for 30 Days” -- November 2014

Choose the section you have time, in the next 30 days to read this ayah:-

Prelude: Recurrent Primary Message 1st. Page

Starting Dua, a note & The Ayah 2nd. Page

A Short Summary: For the Busy Bee Two Plus Pages

The Main Story: Recommended Four Minus Pages

Footnotes: For the Perfectionist Three Pages

PRELUDE

From the Pen and Perspective of a self-styled PPK Muslim (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgeable) with a humble submission that Islam totally rejects Blind Following BUT vigorously focusses on the Limitations of Pure Human Reasoning..............and clearly and comprehensively AlLAH knows best.

In the beginning of the seventh century C.E., the folks of Mecca and Medina had a fascinatingly unique window: they had direct access to the Heavens through one of their own. They were blessed with a regular stream of Divine counseling and guidelines. Question and answer sessions were part of the program. Even individual questioner was graced by an answer. In the short Introduction to this scheme they were assured that at the end of this twenty-two year project, Divine Directions and Admonitions will continue through the agency of the PEN. The whole discourse has been preserved and archived till eternity under the guarantee of our Lord and Creator. This record in known as the Quran.

It should sound unbelievable but factually appears to be true: Many of our prevalent, widespread and important concepts and opinions about religious matters do not have a basis in the Quran and sometimes even appear to be in obvious conflict with the teachings of the Quran. It would be very educative and helpful to discuss an Ayah once a month to see if it supports or rejects our views and actions in our daily life. I wish and hope this email generates a fruitful interactive discussion.

In the name of Allah, we praise HIM, seek HIS help and ask for HIS forgiveness. Whosoever Allah guideth none can misguide; whosoever HE allows to fall astray, none can guide him right. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah alone and we bear witness that Mohammed, SAW is HIS slave-servant and the Seal of HIS Messengers.

Further, we recall that Allah Ta’aala has declared in HIS Book¹ “He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message (or remember or receive admonition) but men of understanding (or intellect)” and we also recall that he has warned us about the day of judgement² “Then on that day you shall most certainly be questioned about the boons (joy, pleasure).” We realise, that there cannot be a greater boon or blessing or benefit than wisdom and we wonder if this should be a timely reminder to very many of us sincere and practicing Muslims who use our critical thinking to enhance the mundane for ourselves and our families but resort to compulsory following -- taqleed, doctrine of classical Sunni Islamic Fiqh -- in matters religion.

(NOTE: I have filtered out the proofs and details into the Footnotes for those who have the time and interest for them. The main email will then be reasonable length, hopefully for the busy majority. What follows is not a sermon; I do not feel qualified to give one, anyhow. I wish, it may provide a food for thought. A caveat seems in order: If the ayah selected pertains to issues we face in our daily life with our family, friends, neighbours or peers it may affect us personally and lead to some self analysis and soul searching which in turn could be divisive and distressing. If taken in the right spirit, it can be a humble attempt towards finding the “straight path”.)

THE AYAH

Surah An-Nisa No. 4, Ayah 89

A SHORT VERSION

“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.” — Imam Shafa’i

“They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.”

How do we understand and appreciate our Holy Book which speaks in Arabic, a language foreign to us and addressed and aimed at the bedouins of seventh century Arabia? Obviously there are problems and hurdles. To comprehend the Quran, it is fundamental to recognise and appreciate its origin, approach and style. It is not designed with a selection of topics, divided in chapters in a set sequence followed by a bibliography. On the other hand it is a collection of messages, principles, ideas, teachings, prescriptions and commandments given intermittently as and when needed through our Holy Prophet for the benefit of mankind from the Lord Creator and spread over twenty two years fourteen centuries ago. The recipients were the bedouins of Arabia of early seventh century addressed in a language comprehensible to them³

“We sent not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people, in order to make (things) clear to them…….”

It was written down on barks and leaves of trees, bones and parchment as it arrived. After the demise of our Holy Prophet it was organized and arranged in sequence under the “guidance” of Allah Ta’aala. The reasons and meaning of this divine arranging and sequencing is not fully comprehensible to the limited human mind and intelligence as yet. For example the initial ayahs on hijaab are included in Surah Al-Ahzab No. 33 where as the later ayahs on this subject are found in the serially earlier Surah An-Nur No. 24. It is difficult to make sense out of this arrangement. While the entire Surah, big and small have their role and place in understanding HIS message, specially reciting them for pleasure and sawaab, it is the individual ayahs that are the units of knowledge and commandments; even parts of an ayah guide us thorough a whole situation. However there is a big and basic caveat against this practice of understanding our Deen ayah by ayah. There are many ayahs that demand reference to context — what has been said before and what follows after — to avoid major misinterpretations. For any matter of significance, it is also important to find other ayahs on the same subject to get a complete picture. Above all it is imperative to get the proper balance between Faith and Reason to stay on course and understand our Deen. Immediately after revealing to mankind about HIS creation, Allah Ta’aala announces in the very First Wahee that HE will continue to teach man with “the PEN” — which obviously stands for knowledge, reasoning, logic, innovation, creative thinking — what he does not know⁴

“…….Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous -Who taught by the pen -Taught man that which he knew not……”

Without an act of Faith you cannot enter the Deen; having entered, you will not be able to build on your Faith and anchor on to it without reason and thinking. Stay warned though, if you do not appreciate the limits of human reason at every step along the way, you may be jettisoned out of your Deen anytime. It is a very delicate trade off between Faith and Reason but paramount to be a true Momin as against only a Muslim — a distinction clearly made by God Almighty⁵

“The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts…….”

The following Four instructions given to the believers in these ayahs about hypocrites are precise, just and upright:

That they are hypocrites and/or renegades is no problem for Muslims. Allah Ta’aala will deal with them. Leave them alone.
However, if they fight with you as enemies or traitors, fight them back with all the force at your disposal. History is very clear that there were only two camps in the small community of Arabia in those days: ours and theirs. Anybody who leaves your camp is going to join the opposite camp and fight you as traitors and enemies. In this context the controversial and rather unpalatable phrase “….. then seize them and slay them wherever ye find them…..” makes perfect sense. These are the orders of a Core Commander to his soldiers for an enemy who is bent on killing you. Earlier in the ayah we witnessed the Commander-in-Chief discussing and explaining the strategy to his High Command. These deliberations cannot and should not be extrapolated to peace time. Nor can they be used by any group justify their killings of humans — Muslims or non-Muslims.
If they join a group with treaty relations with you, leave them alone.
If they feel weak or reluctant to fight you or their own people and offer peace, leave them alone.

In the ayah under discussion, we are dealing with “a” if not “the” burning topic of the day for we Muslims. Islamic terrorism, Islamic militants etc. are the favorite words in all sorts of media all around the world. The smoldering fire of 9/11 has been rekindled by the three headed dragon of ISIS. This in no forum to discuss this issue. However it is relevant to our project because they quote parts of the Ayah of the Quran to justify their sinister activities. Our index ayah is one of them. Let us discuss some other ayahs used by these hooligans so that we are armed to clear our deen of this blot.⁸

“Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them. This because they contended against Allah and His Messenger: If any contend against Allah and His Messenger, Allah is strict in punishment.”

“……smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them……” How does the tone and language sound? Let us be frank; it does sound disturbing, if not horrible. A challenge to our Faith in our Holy Book. This is one of the ayahs quoted by the radical Muslims to justify their nefarious activities while it provides the “Islamophobes” with ammunition for their onslaught against our beautiful Deen. Incidentally none of the tafaasir that I have consulted have taken any note of the tone and language in this ayah. How do we explain this? What is the purpose of God Almighty in using a tone and language which does not seem to go well with the PPK Muslims of the twenty First Century. Let me point out that in many situations the Shane Nuzool of an ayah i.e. the background and the reason for the revelation of the ayah is imperative for proper interpretation. When was it revealed? Why was it revealed? To whom is it addressed? Does it have a general implication in time and place? Is it still relevant? Let us discuss this ayah in the light of these questions.

The events at Badr were a very severe test for the nascent Muslim community when the first ever physical confrontation between Kufr and Islam suddenly and unexpectedly turned into a battle. In the first place, they had not started this journey for a battle; hence they were ill prepared. They were taken by surprise. They were divided: to fight or not to fight. They were outnumbered and out gunned. The enemy had already secured a position of advantage. You can very well imagine the sentiments, morale and apprehensions of the three hundred and thirteen souls facing an enemy of one thousand strong on the battle field. Every one was concerned; grave anxiety was natural. Satan had started instigating some of the weak combatants. These two ayahs plus the one preceding⁹and the one following¹⁰ are addressed to these courageous stalwarts of early Islam (to whom we are indebted for our Faith) while they were bracing up for the encounter at Badr. Apart from soothing and tranquilizing them, reassuring them of Divine Help and encouraging them in these ayahs, God Almighty is also instructing them about the tactics of combat. As I have referred to earlier, these are the commands of the Core Commander to his soldiers prior to and during the battle. Be reminded that those were days of hand to hand combat. It is a far cry from the warfare in our times when near the end of World War Two a wounded and grounded General asks his Corporal who has just spotted the body of an enemy soldier whom the General had shot earlier “ have you ever killed a man face to face”. It conveyed such a remarkable message to me that I can still see and hear this dialogue from the movie “The Longest Day”. Just imagine: A General in World War Two took his first shot at enemy face to face at the fag end of war after fighting for five years. As against this, it is difficult for us even to conceive the ferocity and violence fighting opposite to one another on the battle field on those days. I am sure you must have also felt it as cruel and brutal and probably savage on seeing this type of warfare on the silver screen. Men running towards and attacking, cutting, maiming and killing other men with heavy swords, long spears and even an axe; all this with direct and personal confrontation. It gives me a creep even as I am describing it; unimaginable these days. But in those days this was the hallmark of a courageous and heroic man. A word or two about the strategy in such a warfare. Facing a full armor, the neck is a sure bet to attack. Secondly, one has to take good care of fingers and finger tips as they present a soft target to attack and hence targeted by both the parties. This strategy will not kill the enemy but will throw him out of the ring or at least make him very ineffective. With this background read “……smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them……” as one of the orders that the Muslim soldiers received on the battle field of Badr. I find it very appropriate and relevant. Do you? May Allah Ta’aala guide us to comprehend and bless us with the courage to live up to HIS commandments, Aameen.

A couple of ayahs favorite of the so called jihadists remain to be discussed.

TO BE CONTINUED

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

THE MAIN STORY

How do we understand and appreciate our Holy Book which speaks in Arabic, a language foreign to us and addressed and aimed at the bedouins of seventh century Arabia? Obviously there are problems and hurdles. To comprehend the Quran, it is fundamental to recognise and appreciate its origin, approach and style. It is not a book in the literal sense of “A set of written, printed, or blank pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers.” It is not designed with a selection of topics, divided in chapters in a set sequence followed by a bibliography. On the other hand it is a collection of messages, principles, ideas, teachings, prescriptions and commandments given intermittently as and when needed through our Holy Prophet for the benefit of mankind from the Lord Creator and spread over twenty two years fourteen centuries ago. The recipients were the bedouins of Arabia of early seventh century addressed in a language comprehensible to them³

“We sent not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people, in order to make (things) clear to them…….”

“…….Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous -Who taught by the pen -Taught man that which he knew not……”

Without an act of Faith you cannot enter the Deen; having entered, you will not be able to build your Faith and and anchor on to it without reason and thinking. Stay warned though, if you do not appreciate the limits of human reason at every step along the way, you may be jettisoned out of your Deen anytime. It

is a very delicate trade off between Faith and Reason but paramount to be a true Momin as against only a Muslim — a distinction clearly made by God Almighty⁵

“The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts…….”

Let us study the index ayah in the light of what we just discussed. It declares in part “……… But if they turn away (or turn back or turn renegade) , then seize them and kill them wherever you find them…….” The tone and language sound severe and frightening in the atmosphere of twenty first century. This is one of the the segments of Quranic Ayah used by Al-Qaeeda and ISIS to justify their killings. Also, this is the segment used as a basis to denigrate Islam as violent and vicious in some areas of the non-Muslim world. I must admit that I was also taken aback by the language and tone of this command. I am sure, I am not alone here. But, Al-Hamdo Lil-Allah my immediate internal response was to invoke my Lord Creator “Oh, Allah help me to understand and appreciate your message.” And HE surely did. This ayah is to be read along with the one preceding and two following to get the correct message and instructions. And this what Mufti Mohammed Shafi has done. In his renowned tafseer Ma’aariful Quran, he has adopted a unique style. He does not go ayah by ayah. He has divided any given Surah into groups of ayah with a common theme and message and then discusses them together. It is interesting to note that he has grouped these four ayahs together and discussed them as one unit. The ayah that precedes the index ayah reads⁶

“What is [the matter] with you [that you are] two groups concerning the hypocrites, while Allah has made them fall back [into error and disbelief] for what they earned. Do you wish to guide those whom Allah has sent astray? And he whom Allah sends astray - never will you find for him a way [of guidance].”

This ayah clarifies that “they” and “them” in the index ayah is referring to the Munaafekeen — the Hypocrites. Muslims were divided on the best way to deal with the hypocrites. They are given here some advise in this matter.

The two ayahs following the index ayah explain and elaborate on the apparently cruel and inhuman — to us, the thinking and knowledgable adults of the twenty first century — directive of the index ayah. First⁷

”Except for those who take refuge with a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty or those who come to you, their hearts strained at [the prospect of] fighting you or fighting their own people. And if Allah had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they remove themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not made for you a cause [for fighting] against them”

and second,

“You will find others who wish to obtain security from you and [to] obtain security from their people. Every time they are returned to [the influence of] disbelief, they fall back into it. So if they do not withdraw from you or offer you peace or restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them wherever you overtake them. And those - We have made for you against them a clear authorization.”

The following Four instructions given to the believers in these ayahs about hypocrites are precise, just and upright:

That they are hypocrites and/or renegades is no problem for Muslims. Allah Ta’aala will deal with them. Leave them alone.
However, if they fight with you as enemies or traitors, fight them back with all the force at your disposal. History is very clear that there were only two camps in the small community of Arabia in those days: ours and theirs. Anybody who leaves your camp is going to join the opposite camp and fight you as traitors and enemies. In this context the controversial and rather unpalatable phrase “….. then seize them and slay them wherever ye find them…..” makes perfect sense. These are the orders of a Core Commander to his soldiers for an enemy who is bent on killing you. Earlier in the ayah we witnessed the Commander-in-Chief discussing and explaining the strategy to his High Command. These deliberations cannot and should not be extrapolated to peace time. Nor can they be used by any group justify their killings of humans — Muslims or non-Muslims.
If they join a group with treaty relations with you, leave them alone.
If they feel weak or reluctant to fight you or their own people and offer peace, leave them alone.

Incidently, there is a very different but significant point raised in the interpretation of part of this ayah by some scholars. The phrase “……. until they emigrate for the cause of Allah…..” is obviously referring to the famous “Hijrah ” of our Holy Prophet and the Sahaabaa. This was mandatory on Muslims at that time. It was regarded as wrong not to migrate from Makkah to Medina despite having the wherewithal. This rule was rescinded after the victory in Makkah in the eight year AH. But there is additionally a wider moral and ethical meaning to Hijrah as explained by Dr. Mohammed Asad : “The term hijrah (lit., "exodus"), derived from the verb hajara ("he migrated"), is used in the Qur'an in two senses: one of them is historical, denoting the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to Medina, while the other has a moral connotation - namely, man's "exodus" from evil towards God - and does not necessarily imply the leaving of one's homeland in the physical sense. While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca, the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam.”

In the ayah under discussion, we are dealing with “a” if not “the” burning topic of the day for we Muslims. Islamic terrorism, Islamic militants, radical Islam, Islamist, jihaadists extremists etc. are the favorite words in all sorts of media all around the world. Killings, street and suicide bombings. beheadings, mayhem and carnage in parks, hotels, mosques and churches are common place. The noise and clutter of 9/11 was gradually fading away when we were jolted by another earthquake by the three headed dragon of ISIS: more ambitious, sadist and barbaric, strong and smart and savvy and temporarily happy and successful.

Terrorism is an age old Global problem practiced by different religious and ethnic communities in different regions, at different times and for different reasons. There are therefore, many facets and angles to this deadly phenomenon but one aspect shines out over the others namely: The present bout of global “jihaad” is executed mainly by Muslims, killing mainly Muslims and perpetrated in the name of Islam. The thugs/soldiers of “Caliph” Abu Bakr Baghdadi are on a rampage dressed in black, hiding behind black masks like dacoits and brigands, desecrating our sacrosanct Kalma on their black flag and glorifying and videotaping their callouss cold-blooded beheadings of innocent unarmed folks — Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, aid workers, journalists — while violating our passionate and heart warming religious slogan of Allah-0-Akbar (God is Great). Very tragic. This in no forum to discuss this issue. However it is relevant to our project because they quote parts of the Ayah of the Quran to justify their sinister activities. Our index ayah is one of them. Let us discuss some other ayahs used by these hooligans so that we are armed to clear our deen of this blot.⁸

“[Remember] when He overwhelmed you with drowsiness [giving] security from Him and sent down upon you from the sky, rain by which to purify you and remove from you the evil [suggestions] of Satan and to make steadfast your hearts and plant firmly thereby your feet.”

and the one following¹⁰

"That [is yours], so taste it." And indeed for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire.”

are addressed to these courageous stalwarts of early Islam (to whom we are indebted for our Faith) while they were bracing up for the encounter at Badr. Apart from soothing and tranquilizing them, reassuring them of Divine Help and encouraging them in these ayahs, God Almighty is also instructing them about the tactics of combat. As I have referred to earlier, these are the commands of the Core Commander to his soldiers prior to and during the battle. Be reminded that those were days of hand to hand combat. It is a far cry from the warfare in our times when near the end of World War Two a wounded and grounded General asks his Corporal who has just spotted the body of an enemy soldier whom the General had shot earlier “ have you ever killed a man face to face”. It conveyed such a remarkable message to me that I can still see and hear this dialogue from the movie “The Longest Day”. Just imagine: A General in World War Two took his first shot at enemy face to face at the fag end of war after fighting for five years. As against this, it is difficult for us even to conceive the ferocity and violence fighting opposite to one another on the battle field on those days. I am sure you must have also felt it as cruel and brutal and probably savage on seeing this type of warfare on the silver screen. Men running towards and attacking, cutting, maiming and killing other men with heavy swords, long spears and even an axe; all this with direct and personal confrontation. It gives me a creep even as I am describing it; unimaginable and barbaric these days. But in those days this was the hallmark of a courageous and heroic man. A word or two about the strategy in such a warfare. Facing a full armor, the neck was a sure bet to attack. Secondly, one had to take good care of fingers and finger tips as they presented a soft target to attack and hence were regularly targeted by both the parties. This strategy would not kill the enemy but throw him out of the ring or at least made him very ineffective. With this background read “……smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them……” as one of the orders that the Muslim soldiers received on the battle field of Badr. I find it very appropriate and relevant. Do you? May Allah Ta’aala guide us to comprehend and bless us with the courage to live up to HIS commandments, Aameen.

In parenthesis, a very important principle and practice of Fiqh, Islamic Law was demonstrated hear which unfortunately remains an enigma to majority of Muslims. Once it was decided that Muslims will stay at Badr and fight the Infidels, our Holy Prophet selected a spot for the Muslim army to camp. One of the Sahaabaa Hubab ibn al-Mundhir who knew this territory very well thought that this spot was inappropriate strategically. Note what he does. He asks the Holy Prophet whether his decision was based on a Divine directive or was it his personal opinion? On learning that it was the latter, he suggested an alternative spot for camping, explaining the reasons for this. The noble Prophet accepted his advise and gave his orders accordingly. There are numerous other occasions wherein the sahaabaa drew a sharp line between Mohammed, the Prophet who has to be obeyed completely and whole heartedly without any say in it and Mohammed, the man, albeit the finest, greatest and unsurpassed yet a human being who could be questioned and discussed with.

A couple of ayahs favorite of the so called jihadists remain to be discussed.

TO BE CONTINUED

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

FOOTNOTES