Is Islamic peace possible?

Question

Not unless you convert. Are we just kidding ourselves? According to verses like the ones below the extremists consider themselves to be right in their ways. Any Muslim scholars are welcome to clarify these verses and others.

[3.28] Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming.

[9.123] O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil).

[25.52] So do not follow the unbelievers, and strive against them a mighty striving with it.

[33.1] O Prophet! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and do not comply with (the wishes of) the unbelievers and the hypocrites; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise;

Check this out...

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13371

“As for the captives, the amir [ruler] has the choice of taking the most beneficial action of four possibilities: the first to put them to death by cutting their necks; the second, to enslave them and apply the laws of slavery regarding their sale and manumission; the third, to ransom them in exchange for goods or prisoners; and fourth, to show favor to them and pardon them. Allah, may he be exalted, says, 'When you encounter those [infidels] who deny [the Truth=Islam] then strike [their] necks' (Qur'an sura 47, verse 4)”....Abu’l-Hasan al-Mawardi, al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah." [The Laws of Islamic Governance, trans. by Dr. Asadullah Yate, (London), Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd., 1996, p. 192. Emphasis added.]

I'm not putting my own angle on it. I'm pointing out the same stuff the jihadist use to justify their actions.

Islam means peace but it does not mean religious tolerance like a lot of people seem to believe.

I welcome anyone to clarify these verses.

Answer 1

In the name of God Most Gracious Most Merciful

Yes, "Islamic peace" is possible. History is on our side. I'm only 19 years old, so I'm going to explain the correct meaning and interpretations of cited Quranic verses above according to the works of respectable prominent Muslim scholars and clerics.

The case of verse 3:28 is pretty much similar to that of verse 5:51.

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi writes:

The Qur'an does not say that non-Muslims cannot be Muslims' friends, nor does it forbid Muslims to be friendly to non-Muslims. There are many non-Muslims who are good friends of Muslim individuals and the Muslim community. There are also many good Muslims who truly and sincerely observe their faith and are very friendly to many non-Muslims at the same time.

Islam teaches us that we should be friendly to all people. Islam teaches us that we should deal even with our enemies with justice and fairness. Allah says in the Qur'an in the beginning of the same Surat Al-Ma’dah: [O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealings and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety. Fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.] (Al-Ma’dah 5 :8)

In the verse you quoted, the word "Awliya" is used. It is a plural and its singular is "wali". The correct translation of the word ""wali"" is not "friend" but it is someone who is very close and intimate. It is also used to mean "guardian, protector, patron, lord and master".

In the Qur'an this word is used for God, such as [Allah is the Protector (or Lord and Master) of those who believe. He takes them out from the depths of darkness to light…] (Al- Baqarah 2: 257)

There are many other references in the Qur'an that give this meaning. The same word is also sometimes used in the Qur'an for human beings, such as [And whosoever is killed unjustly, We have granted his next kin "wali" the authority (to seek judgement or punishment in this case)…] (Al-‘Isra' 17 :33)

The correct translation of the verse in Surat Al-Ma’idah is: [O you who believe! Do not take Jews and Christians as your patrons. They are patrons of their own people. He among you who will turn to them for patronage is one of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust.] (Al-Ma'dah 5: 51)

It is obvious that Jews patronize the Jews and Christians patronize the Christians, so why not Muslims patronize Muslims and support their own people. This verse is not telling us to be against Jews or Christians, but it is telling us that we should take care of our own people and we must support each other.

In his Tafsir, (Quranic exegesis) Imam Ibnu Kathir has mentioned that some scholars say that this verse (i.e. the one you referred to) was revealed after the Battle of Uhud when Muslims had a set back. At that time, a Muslim from Madinah said, "I am going to live with Jews so I shall be safe in case another attack comes on Madinah." And another person said, "I am going to live with Christians so I shall be safe in case another attack comes on Madinah." So Allah revealed this verse reminding the believers that they should not seek the protection from others, but should protect each other. (See Ibn Kathir, Al-Tafsir, vol. 2, p. 68)

Muslims are allowed to have non-Muslims as friends as long as they keep their own faith and commitment to Islam pure and strong. You are correct in pointing out that a Muslim man is also allowed to marry a Jewish or Christian woman. It is obvious that one marries someone for love and friendship. If friendship between Muslims and Jews or Christians was forbidden, then why would Islam allow a Muslim man to marry a Jew or Christian woman? It is the duty of Muslims to patronize Muslims. They should not patronize any one who is against their faith or who fights their faith, even if they were their fathers and brothers. Allah says: [O you who believe! Take not for protectors (awliya') your fathers and your brothers if they love unbelief above faith. If any of you do so, they are indeed wrong-doers.] (Al-Tawbah 9: 23)

Concerning verse 9:123, the great Muslim scholar of tafsir (Quranic exegesis), Imam Ibnu Kathir (God be pleased with him) authoritatively writes:

The Order for Jihad against the Disbelievers, the Closest, then the Farthest Areas

Allah (The God) commands the believers to fight the disbelievers, the closest in area to the Islamic state, then the farthest. This is why the Messenger of Allah started fighting the idolators in the Arabian Peninsula. When he finished with them and Allah gave him control over Makkah, Al-Madinah, At-Ta'if, Yemen, Yamamah, Hajr, Khaybar, Hadramawt and other Arab provinces, and the various Arab tribes entered Islam in large crowds, he then started fighting the People of the Scriptures. He began preparations to fight the Romans who were the closest in area to the Arabian Peninsula, and as such, had the most right to be called to Islam, especially since they were from the People of the Scriptures. The Prophet marched until he reached Tabuk and went back because of the extreme hardship, little rain and little supplies. This battle occurred on the ninth year after his Hijrah. In the tenth year, the Messenger of Allah was busy with the Farewell Hajj. The Messenger died eighty-one days after he returned from that Hajj, Allah chose him for what He had prepared for him [in Paradise]. After his death, his executor, friend, and Khalifah, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, became the leader. At that time, the religion came under attack and would have been defeated, if it had not been for the fact that Allah gave the religion firmness through Abu Bakr, who established its basis and made its foundations firm. He brought those who strayed from the religion back to it, and made those who reverted from Islam return. He took the Zakah from the evil people who did not want to pay it, and explained the truth to those who were unaware of it. On behalf of the Prophet , Abu Bakr delivered what he was entrusted with. Then, he started preparing the Islamic armies to fight the Roman cross worshippers, and the Persian fire worshippers. By the blessing of his mission, Allah opened the lands for him and brought down Caesar and Kisra and those who obeyed them among the servants. Abu Bakr spent their treasures in the cause of Allah, just as the Messenger of Allah had foretold would happen. This mission continued after Abu Bakr at the hands of he whom Abu Bakr chose to be his successor, Al-Faruq, the Martyr of the Mihrab, Abu Hafs, `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. With `Umar, Allah humiliated the disbelievers, suppressed the tyrants and hypocrites, and opened the eastern and western parts of the world. The treasures of various countries were brought to `Umar from near and far provinces, and he divided them according to the legitimate and accepted method. `Umar then died as a martyr after he lived a praise worthy life. Then, the Companions among the Muhajirin and Ansar agreed to chose after `Umar, `Uthman bin `Affan, Leader of the faithful and Martyr of the House, may Allah be pleased with him. During `Uthman's reign, Islam wore its widest garment and Allah's unequivocal proof was established in various parts of the world over the necks of the servants. Islam appeared in the eastern and western parts of the world and Allah's Word was elevated and His religion apparent. The pure religion reached its deepest aims against Allah's enemies, and whenever Muslims overcame an Ummah, they moved to the next one, and then the next one, crushing the tyranical evil doers. They did this in reverence to Allah's statement,

(O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you,) Allah said next,

(and let them find harshness in you), meaning, let the disbelievers find harshness in you against them in battle. The complete believer is he who is kind to his believing brother, and harsh with his disbelieving enemy. Allah said in other Ayah,

(Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers...)[5:54],

(Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.)[48:29], and,

(O Prophet! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them.)[9:73] Allah said,

(And know that Allah is with those who have Taqwa), meaning, fight the disbelievers and trust in Allah knowing that Allah is with you if you fear and obey Him. This was the case in the first three blessed generations of Islam, the best members of this Ummah. Since they were firm on the religion and reached an unsurpassed level of obedience to Allah, they consistently prevailed over their enemies. During that era, victories were abundant, and enemies were ever more in a state of utter loss and degradation. However, after the turmoil began, desires and divisions became prevalent between various Muslim kings, the enemies were eager to attack the outposts of Islam and marched into its territory without much opposition. Then, the Muslim kings were too busy with their enmity for each other. The disbelievers then marched to the capital cities of the Islamic states, after gaining control over many of its areas, in addition to entire Islamic lands. Verily, ownership of all affairs is with Allah in the beginning and in the end. Whenever a just Muslim king stood up and obeyed Allah's orders, all the while trusting in Allah, Allah helped him regain control over some Muslim lands and took back from the enemy what was compatible to his obedience and support to Allah. We ask Allah to help the Muslims gain control over the forelocks of His disbeliever enemies and to raise high the word of Muslims over all lands. Verily, Allah is Most Generous, Most Giving.

Concerning verse 25:52, Abdullah Rahim of understanding-islam.com writes:

The verses preceding explain that although the truth has been clearly brought forward to people, yet they do not accept it. The verse is addressing the Prophet (pbuh) in his capacity as a Messenger who is sent by God for the manifestation of the truth for the addressees). The verse directs the Prophet (pbuh) to strive with those who have not accepted the truth even after the truth has become manifest to them (Kafireen) and not to obey them. Obedience here means to follow the desires of Kafireen who wanted the Prophet (pbuh) to compromise his divine mission. Striving with the Qur'an (given that the verse is revealed in Mecca) means to attack their poor arguments with the firm arguments of the Qur'an. (This is just before the next phase of the mission of the Prophet, where he leaves Kuffar because of their rejection of truth and then starts fighting with them as manifestation of God's punishment for those who reject a messenger of God).

As you can see the verse is not even remotely close to the idea of 'bringing political revolution in a country where Muslims are not in power'.

Concerning verse 33:1, the great Muslim scholar of tafsir (Quranic exegesis), Imam Ibnu Kathir (God be pleased with him) writes:

The Command to defy the Disbelievers and Hypocrites by following the Revelation of Allah (The God) and putting One's Trust in Him

Here Allah points out something lower by referring to something higher. When He commands His servant and Messenger to do this, He is also commanding those who are lower than him, and the command is addressed to them more so. Talq bin Habib said: "Taqwa means obeying Allah in the light of the guidance of Allah and in hope of earning the reward of Allah, and refraining from disobeying Allah in the light of the guidance of Allah and fearing the punishment of Allah.''

(and obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites.) means, do not listen to what they say and do not consult them.

(Verily, Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise) means, He is more deserving of your following His commandments and obeying Him, for He knows the consequences of all things and is Wise in all that He says and does. Allah says:

(And follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord.) meaning, of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

(Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.) means, nothing at all is hidden from Him, and put your trust in Allah, i.e., in all your affairs and situations.

(and sufficient is Allah as a Wakil.) means, sufficient is He as a Trustee for the one who puts his trust in Him and turns to Him.

About extremists, let it be known that majority of Muslim scholars and Muslim believers condemn the act of terror and violence committed by radical Islamists with the likes of Osama bin Laden and his associates. This is because their actions are completely misguided, utterly unislamic, and their killing of innocents is a sin so grave that it would strike terror in the hearts of rational Muslims everywhere.

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Concerning the punishment of death upon the apostates, the author of answering-christianity.com writes:

It is often believed that the Bible gives absolute religious freedom to everyone. Most of the Christians in the United States and the the West think that the freedom of choice and speech that they have comes originally from the Bible. Let's just see how accurate this myth really is.

In the Old Testament:

Let us look at Deuteronomy 13:6-9 "If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying: Let us go and worship other gods (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other, or gods of other religions), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people."

Also let us look at Deuteronomy 17:3-5 "And he should go and worship other gods and bow down to them or to the sun or the moon or all the army of the heavens, .....and you must stone such one with stones and such one must die."

This verse was sent to me by Yusif 65; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him: 2 Chronicles 15:13 "All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman."

In the New Testament by Jesus and Paul:

Jesus:

Let us look at what Jesus said in the New Testament in context:

Matthew 15:1-9
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!"
3 Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,'
6he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

There are few points to notice here:

1- Notice in verse 3, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for breaking the Commands of GOD Almighty.

2- In verse 4, he used the cursing of parents' punishment as an example. The context, however, is not limited to just this example!

3- In verses 7,8 and 9, he used a quote from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, to further prove that they are not following the Commands of GOD Almighty.

4- Jesus clearly had a problem with them not following the punishment of death for cursing the parents or any punishment of death that is commanded in the OT for this matter! In fact, Jesus himself said:

"Do not think that I [Jesus] have come to abolish the Law (the Old Testament) or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke or a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (the Old Testament) until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)"

"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.' (Matthew 23:1-3)"


This clearly means:

1- Jesus absolutely approved and commanded the following of the OT's Laws regarding apostates!

2- The fact he commanded death penalty for cursing the parents clearly proves that he also approves of killing apostates as clearly shown in the OT verses above!

Paul:

Let us look at Romans 1:20-32 (from the New Testament) "20. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23. and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
26. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
29. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
30. slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31. they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."


Also psychics must be put to death. Let us look at Leviticus 20:27 "And as for a man or woman in whom there proves to be a mediumistic spirit or spirit of prediction, they should be put to death without fail. They should pelt them to death with stones. Their own blood is upon them."

The above verses clearly show that the Bible doesn't tolerate apostates. Jesus did honor the Old Testament's laws and ordered his followers to follow the Old Testament until the day of Judgment:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law (the Old Testament) or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke or a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (the Old Testament) until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)"

Christians always say as an excuse that an Old Testament law does not apply to them. According to Matthew 5:17-18, we clearly see that Jesus honored the Old Testament, and forced Christians to follow the unmodified laws of it that have not been replaced by newer ones in the New Testament. The Old Testament as we clearly see above orders the immediate killing of apostates/renegades. The New Testament as we also clearly see above, orders the death of the apostates/renegades. And according to Matthew 5:17-18 above, apostates/renegades in Christianity must be put to death simultaneously.

Also, during the middle centuries when the Church used to rule over everything, the minority Christians and the Christian Scientists were slaughtered and put to death by the majority ones just because the Priests and Ministers of the High Church decided to call as "heresies" or "apostates". The Bible does give clear authority to the Priests and Ministers to call someone an apostate:

"The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment. (1 Corinthians 2:15)"

God knows best

Peace and Love

Answer 2

Islam means peace you fool.
Yes, what about the verses is it exactly you don't understand. You are using them out of context print he whole page and there is no confusion I'm sure. These verses are about defending themselves from the people who wanted to kill them for there beliefs. They where very much the minority and where under attack alot. So if you think this mean we are not friends of non believers you are wrong, sadly wrong. I don't follow non believers so whats your point? I have friends who are of all faiths and of no faiths at all. I can be friends and not follow there ways. Read it properly and stop putting your own angle on it.

If you need further "clarification" go to your local mosque ask to speak to an Imam he will speak to you peacefully and answer all your questions. But I'm guessing you don't have the nerve. Cowards never do.

Answer 3

you are right in the sense that many fundamentalist organizations take this as an excuse to justify their violent acts.

i am not a muslim but studied islam for a while and here are 2 things i must say in favor of this religion.

1. there is a surah in Quran that states that there is no compulsion in relgion.

2. there are some organizations who openly condemn use of violence in islam
http://www.freemuslims.org
http://www-fatwa-online.com

3. i interviewed an imam some years ago and he explained me that these suras were revelead to the prophet (saws) so that muslims could defend themselves, not attack others.

however you are very right in pointing these suras out, since they are the ones that probably inspire crazy radicals to despise (and many times kill) all of us who do not believe in Islam

Answer 4

Thanks for educating. I strongly feel some one knowledgeable on quran should explain the meaning of each verse to non-believers. I have been given to understand that more often than not such verses are quoted out of context to show Islam in a bad light.

Answer 5

It pretty well seems to be like a boiling cauldron over there. They don't seem to be inherently peaceful. When war can almost break out because of a cartoon, it seems to me, that any excuse will do. If christians were to go to war over every irreverent comment made about Jesus or God, the earth would'nt be here.
They don't seem like peaceful people.

Answer 6

Yeh, yet what faith would not elect to motivate different converts? The variety of christians who needed me to embody the blood of jesus christ or something.. And it is not everybody vs. islam, or vice versa. Extremists exist in each faith and perception. The techniques-set might desire to be the deconstruction of this entire question.. something thats gonna be fairly painful for rightwingers.. btw i presumed i might upload.. a jihad isn't what you think of. you have a lesser jihad, that's to guard muslims with the aid of rigidity. (sort of like.. in the experience that your lands are invaded you call for a jihad.. yknow?) the greater beneficial jihad is approximately winning the warfare over evil in your self.

Answer 7

There is peace is you are a man is Islam. Like men are much more important. i want to know this, if Mohammed was such a great and fearless leader, why was he afraid of Gabriel and wanted to run away, but a teenage Jewish girl actually stayed and accepted gracefully what Gabriel had to say.Hmm, maybe that says something there about why he problems with women.

Answer 8

GOD Laws are made of three Books: The Old Testament, The new Testament and Quran as a conclusion all originated from the middle east. How can you understand GOD LAWS with out reading GOD Conclusion?

Answer 9

No. No converting. No believing. Take the human race for it's own merits, throw the crutch away, and step away from the myth book.

Answer 10

Only when Jesus returns and shows them how wrong they have been. THEY believe Jesus will be the one to lead the faithful to Paradise (ironic, isn't it), but they will be surprised when they aren't on the list. YBIC

Answer 11

No. The Bible says something about peace wil bring SUDDEN DESTRUCTION.