Sectarian strife
IN my last column I dwelt on the sectarian killings in the country. I quoted Quranic edicts stating that whosoever intentionally kills a Muslim is doomed to hell; a terrible and painful place. Most despicable here is that these so-called Muslims have distorted the image of Islam to fit their own ulterior motives.
Islam is distinctive from other religions in many ways. The very name suggests total submission to Allah. When individuals voluntarily submits their total being to Allah, they are known as Muslims. The actual act of submission is Islam: total submission to the Creator. A famous Hadith reads: “Al-Khalaq Aaiyal Allah” meaning, all that lives is a community of Allah. This is obviously meant to include, not only human beings, but all living organisms.
When Islam is so totally encompassing and divine, then how can a Muslim – a true follower of Islam, not a mere hypocrite – encase him or herself into a small, sectarian shell? Islam says that it is the religion of all the prophets, from Hazrat Adam (AS) to Hazrat Isa (AS). It points out that every prophet, every messenger of God, every religious guide, invited others to follow the teachings they were following themselves.
This process of guidance came to an end with the passing away of the last holy prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). He also passed on the same message of obedience to one God, not associating anyone with Him, obeying His edicts and to be ready to face Him on the Day of Judgment.
This means that the followers of Islam believe in all the prophets and certified their prophethood. This message was clearly delivered in Surah Baqara (2:285): “We make no distinction between one and another of His Prophets and believe in all of them.” For this reason, any Muslim who rejects or does not believe in any of the other prophets, is not a Muslim. Those who have read the Quran in translation are fully aware of this. It is even stated in unambiguous terms in the Quran that: “Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian but a true Muslim and bowed his will to Allah’s” (which is Islam – he associated no gods with Allah) (3:67). It is also repeatedly pointed out that all former prophets brought good tidings of the coming of our Holy Prophet (pbuh) and that Hazrat Ibrahim had prayed for him (2:129).
Dr A Q Khan
Why am I repeating all this? Is every Muslim who has studied Islam not supposed to know all this? Of course they are aware of it since they recite the verse: “I believe in Allah, in His Angels, in His Book and in His Prophets.” Then why this propaganda abroad that Muslims are narrow-minded, rabid, biased, preach violence, extremism, etc?
Muslims have now become divided into numerous sects, each believing that it is the sole custodian of Islam and Islamic values and each considering the followers of other sects as kafirs and apostates. A lot of unsubstantiated propaganda about this is being spread throughout the west via books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Some of it is even officially sponsored.
The purpose of all this is to prove that Muslims have become divided into numerous sects, that these have created insurmountable barriers, that they have no tolerance for one another and that they consider it their sacred duty to kill those who think differently. That, they claim, is the reason why the whole Islamic world is in perpetual internal strife, terrorism has sprung up and is responsible for destroying world peace.
This thinking has also, more or less, been thrust into the minds of our leaders who, once brainwashed, now accept as a fact that all illegal and terrorist acts and other mischief is being perpetrated by Muslims. Thus they willingly and enthusiastically side with Western powers and take part in killing their own people.
The words ‘Muslim’ and ‘terrorist’ have practically become synonyms and Islam is seen as the root cause of all evil in the world. However, the truth is actually quite the reverse. Islam brought with it peace, brotherhood, respect, rights, law and order and scientific progress. The above-mentioned course of events comes as no surprise. How can you expect anything different from people who have been your enemies and adversaries since the Crusades? How can you expect your enemies to vouch for your good conduct and noble intentions? Meanwhile, the blame game goes on. They have not even spared the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammed (pbuh), from mischievous, unfounded and false allegations. The blame game started by the kafirs of Makkah, Abu Jehel and Abu Leheb, centuries ago is still being vigorously pursued by Western leaders and the media. The main and essential task for us is to honestly scrutinise our own actions, to check our own deeds and see what we have been doing, and whether it was in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Do we have any strategy to neutralise and rebut this well-conceived and planned propaganda to tarnish the image of Islam and the Muslims? The Crusades have not yet ended! Now it is the turn of the powerful media and ever more powerful weapons to crush and destroy us.
We have great expectations from our young generation. We can stop this foreign onslaught by using our own young talent. Unfortunately, sectarian poison is destroying this treasure. Very often they fall prey to anti-Islamic forces which use them for their own ulterior motives. There is no official recognition of this menace, to say nothing of any government department making any attempt to stop it.
The million-dollar question is: when all Muslims believe in the same Allah and all His apostles; when they believe in our Holy Prophet being the seal of all the apostles; when they believe in the five essential acts of Islam: Namaz, Roza, Haj, Zakat and Shahadat-e-Tauheed.