Given some recent events, it seems pertinent
to ask you about the nature of the Muslim resistance. Is the deliberate
targeting of innocent bystanders by suicide bombers something that Islam
should allow, or encourage?
All Praise and All Thanks are for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
Firstly, I, and many Muslims, object to the incorrect and pejorative terms
"suicide bombers" and "suicide attacks". The correct term
to describe such attacks - from the perspective of Deen Al-Islam - is
Martyrdom Operations, for there is a distinction between Intihar and Istishad.
Istishad is martyrdom and Intihar is what in the West is called suicide.
Secondly, who is "innocent"? That is, what criteria are used to
decide if someone is "innocent"? The criteria of the West - or the
criteria of Deen Al-Islam? Nowhere in the Quran and Sunnah is there any word
such as "innocent". As Sheikh Hammoud Al-Uqlaa Ash-Shuaybi said:
"What many are babbling about and repeating
when they talk about "innocent victims", is nothing but the effect
of the West and its media, to the extent that many an unwary person repeats
the words and expressions of our enemies, which are in direct contradiction
with the expressions of Shariah."
What needs be understood by both Muslims and the peoples of the West is that
terms "innocent" and "civilian" have no meaning in Shariah,
and that these are kaffir terms, kaffir concepts, which the kuffar and their
apostate allies project onto Islam in order to distort Islam and have Muslims
imitate the kuffar. To paraphrase what I have written elsewhere:
whenever a Muslim uses such kaffir terms, in order to try and understand Islam
or in order to in their ignorance obtain some kaffir-pleasing principle from
Islam, they are imitating the kuffar - for they are re-interpreting Islam to
please themselves, or the kuffar, or they are so in love with the kaffir way
of life, with kaffir ideas and concepts, that have lost or are losing their
own Islam. The kaffir concepts of "innocent" and
"civilian" have become Taghut - idols, principles, which the kaffir
have created and which they make laws about, which laws they seek to impose on
Muslims. These concepts are Taghut because they are created without reference
to the Quran or Sunnah - created, by fallible humans, without reference to the
Will of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala
. In many ways, it is right to think
as these things as objects which the kuffar now worship, or which they put
their trust in - which they make, as standards, for people to follow and obey.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"Their way is to refer matters to a Taghut.
" 4:60 Interpretation of Meaning
Some Muslims, however, quote the following Hadith in an effort to show that
there is such a thing as the concept of "innocent" in Islam:
Narrated 'Aa'ishah who said that the Nabi (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
said, "The pen has been lifted from three; from the sleeping until they
awake, from the child until they mature, and from the one who is crazy until
he is sane."
In this Hadith we have a beautiful expression - "The pen has been
lifted..." The question we must ask is - Do we take the context to mean
that the three are "innocent" as the kuffar understand innocent?
That is, do we project a kaffir meaning into this Hadith? Or do we refer it,
for explanation, to what Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has told us, and thus
take it in the literal sense to mean that what they are doing, have done, has
not been recorded? If we refer to what our Rabb says:
"And over you are Watchers - just, honourable - who know and record
[write down] all that you do. Thus shall those who do what is commanded be
in bliss while the disobedient will be in the blazing Fire. " 82: 10-14
Interpretation of Meaning
Thus, understood in the context of the words of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala this
Hadith refers not to some kaffir concept such as "innocent" but to
the recoding of our deeds.
Once such things as this are understood - that is, once the correct view of
Deen Al-Islam is known in such matters - then we can move on to consider the
matter in a correct way, which centres around two important questions: are
Martyrdom Operations Lawful according to Quran and Sunnah, and is it lawful
(according to Quran and Sunnah) to intentionally and/or unintentionally target
those who are not directly engaged in combat with Muslims?
The view that I and many other Muslims, world-wide, incline toward is that
Martyrdom Operations are lawful, according to the Quran and Sunnah. Some other
Muslims incline toward the opposite view. Thus, there is some disagreement
among Muslims. [I shall return to the question of Martyrdom Operations later,
InshaAllah.]
In respect of targeting those not directly engaged in combat with Muslims,
there are also some differences among the Muslims, with some asserting that it
is lawful (according to Quran and Sunnah, and thus according to Shariah) to
- under certain conditions - target, intentionally or otherwise, those who
might not be directly engaged in practical combat with Muslims. [See Note 1]
As for whether, as your write, "Islam should allow, or encourage"
such things, I would first like to mention that it would be more correct to
write (or say): "Should Muslims encourage or permit such things..."
For Islam, correctly understood, is not some "thing" to to be
adhered to or identified with like some Taghut is adhered to or to be
identified with, but rather Islam is only, and only means, obedience to Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala: for it is that Deen, that Way of Life, by which such
perfect and such simple submission and obedience to only Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala is possible.
Thus, the answer to the rephrased question is that yes, Muslims should
encourage and permit such things as Martyrdom Operations if they are lawful
according to Quran and Sunnah and thus according to Shariah, for by permitting
and encouraging such things Muslims would be obeying Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
Furthermore, what the kuffar, what the West and its apostate lackeys, think
about such Muslims striving to obey Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, what names or
terms they use to describe such Muslims, and what judgement they may pass upon
such Muslims, are all irrelevant.
Do you not agree that by deliberately
choosing civilians there is a degree of dishonour here? The
deliberate targeting of civilians seems at odds with the warrior ethos, and is
exactly the type of behaviour you abhor in the Zionists and others.
The central question here is: what is honour? Who, or what, defines this? The
Muslim answer is that it is Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala who defines this, Who
has defined this, and that this Muslim answer can be found in the Quran, the
Sunnah, and Shariah. The answer of the West, of the kuffar, is that honour is
defined according to some manufactured, human, concept, or according to some
ethics which some person has manufactured or constructed. Thus, The Numinous
Way, for instance, postulates a theory of ethics based on a particular
interpretation, or definition, of honour, and according to this particular
fallible human manufactured definition such things are or might be or may be
"dishonourable".
As Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"Honour is with, and from, Allah alone." 3: 139 Interpretation of
Meaning
"Those who seek dignity and honour should know that they derive from
Allah (alone)." 35:10 Interpretation of Meaning
"In truth, the most honourable of you in the sight of Allah is the one
who has At-Taqwa." 13:2 Interpretation of Meaning [See Note 2]
"In truth, the Deen, according to Allah, is Al-Islam." 3:19
Interpretation of Meaning
In addition, the West - the kuffar - assume and believe that their
definitions, that their perspective, that their ethics, are correct and
universal and must apply to Muslims, and expect Muslims to engage in debate,
and view Deen Al-Islam, according to the Western perspective. Some Muslims
already do this, and thus may be said to be imitating the kuffar, for
according to Deen Al-Islam, Muslims should use only the criteria established
by Quran, Sunnah and Shariah to judge anyone or anything.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"Judge between them by what Allah has revealed: do not give in to your
own desires, and beware, for they will try to lead you astray, away from
some of that which Allah has revealed. And if they turn away, there is the
knowledge of their punishment by Allah for some transgression of theirs -
and, indeed, there are many disobedient, rebellious ones [Fasiqun]. Do they
seek to judge according to the ways of Jahiliyyah? The judgement of Allah is
best - for those who sincerely believe." 5:49-50 Interpretation of
Meaning
Hence, if you view honour according to Deen Al-Islam then the judgement will
be a Muslim one, but if you view honour according to the perspective, the
ways, of the West, then the judgement will be a Western one.
For a Muslim, what is honourable is what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has said is
honourable: what it is we are encouraged to do or are commanded to do. In
this, our guides are Quran and Sunnah (and thus Shariah) and that is all. If
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says something is right, then it is right, whatever
we might personally feel about the matter or whatever the ethics of the West
may say about the matter. That is, our personal feelings, our personal
judgement, are either irrelevant or not important, and, instead, as Muslims we
seek to find what it is lawful for us to do, what it is forbidden for us to
do, what it is recommended that we do, and then we strive (InshaAllah) to
follow the guidance we have been given or which we have found. This is, in
many ways, the essence of being Muslim.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"It is not for the believer - man or woman - when Allah and His
Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have any option in their
decision. For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed strayed
into plain error." 33:36 Interpretation of Meaning
As for "deliberately choosing civilians", the question more
correctly, as I mentioned above, is about targeting, unintentionally or
otherwise, those who might not be directly engaged in practical combat with
Muslims. We might add to this, "and who are or may be considered to be in
support of the actions of their government and their armies."
In this respect, let us consider the invasion of Iraq by the kuffar. This
invasion, and the subsequent occupation, led to the killing of tens of
thousands of Muslims - probably hundreds of thousands of Muslims if many
accounts are correct. It led to the torture of thousands upon thousands of
Muslims; to the imprisonment of tens of thousands of Muslims; to the
humiliation of tens upon tens of thousands of Muslims. Who, in the West, bears
responsibility for this? The governments, and/or the people in whose name such
a government allegedly acts and from whom it allegedly derives its authority?
After the invasion, there was an election in Britain, and Blair and his
cronies were re-elected. Did the British people thus give their assent, by
such a re-election, to this invasion, this occupation, and the killings,
torture, humiliation, imprisonment of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and
elsewhere? They clearly had a choice: they could have elected someone, or some
political Party, opposed to such things. But they did not. Many of the
electorate probably did not care about such things, and were perhaps more
concerned about their own lives than the fate of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan,
occupied Palestine and elsewhere. Furthermore, is such a care-less attitude
approval of such things by default?
It has been argued, by some Muslims, that, since Deen Al-Islam allows revenge
and retribution for a wrong, a dishonour, done to a Muslim or Muslims, such
Martyrdom Operations as have been undertaken in Dar al-Harb [see Note 3]
amount to such revenge and retribution against those who have given their
assent to the actions of the kuffar against Muslims in places like Iraq, and
Afghanistan and elsewhere, and who thus have condoned, or not done anything
about, the brutal interference by the governments of the kuffar in Muslim
affairs the world over for more than a hundred years. This interference
includes manufacturing artificial nations, according to the Tawagheet of the
kuffar such as the nation-State, like Iraq; the occupation of Palestine; the
sanctions imposed - before invasion - upon Afghanistan and Iraq (which
sanctions cost the life of hundreds of thousands of Muslims); the support for
apostate tyrants in Muslim lands; the plan to replace Deen Al-Islam with a
manufactured moderate so-called "Islam" which accepts the
universality of Western values and which accepts the idols, the Tawagheet of
the West, such as the nation-State, democracy, liberalism; the imprisonment of
Muslims, in places like the Guantanamo Bay concentration camp, for doing their
duty of Jihad; and so on and so on.
In respect of retribution, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"If anyone attacks you, then retaliate and attack them in the way
that they have attacked you." 2: 194 Interpretation of Meaning
"The retribution for a wrong is to inflict the like (upon the
wrong-doer)." 42:40 Interpretation of Meaning
"If an injury has been inflicted on you, make certain that a similar
injury has been inflicted, by you, on the disbelievers: there are good days,
and bad days, which We give to each side in turn for thereby We know those
who believe and choose from among them witnesses (to the Truth)." 3:140
Interpretation of Meaning
"And when you punish them (your enemy) then do so with the like of that
with which you were afflicted by them" 16:126 Interpretation of Meaning
"And there shall be no blame for those who take revenge after they have
suffered injustice. The way (of blame) is only for those rebellious ones who
oppress others and who insolently walk on the earth: for these there will be
a painful torment indeed." 42: 41-42 Interpretation of Meaning
"To counter them, use whatever force [quwah] you can, including steeds
of combat, that you might strike great fear into the enemies of Allah who
are your enemies." 8:60 Interpretation of Meaning
Furthermore, and importantly, what must also be considered is that the
perspective of Muslims is, or should be, the perspective of Jannah and the
judgement of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. That is, this mortal life of ours is
considered as but a means, a test, an opportunity to attain Jannah. Thus, the
importance of our life does not lie in our personal happiness, our security,
our well-being, or in the happiness and security and well-being of our friends
or relatives or loved ones. When we die - in whatever way - we will be judged
by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and may be rewarded with Jannah, or condemned to
The Fire. Thus, it is - or should be, for a Muslim - when someone dies, a
question of this judgement by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala: that is, of the
possibility of attaining Jannah. The criteria of a Muslim in respect of such
matters is different from that of the kuffar - for the kuffar say and write
things like "they have deprived this innocent person of life," while
the Muslim would (or should) say and write things like "they will be
judged by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and may be rewarded with Jannah and may
thus attain the goal of life, for it is only Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala who can
truely judge, for He is The Most Merciful, He Who Often Forgives." Thus,
such a life has not "been wasted" - to view in that way is to view
it solely from the perspective of the kuffar. In addition, in such attacks by
Muslims, which may cause deaths, those Muslims know that they will be judged
by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for their actions, their intentions.
In this particular matter of such attacks, Muslims have a choice - they can,
having considered the evidences according to Quran and Sunnah (and thus
according to Shariah, derived as Shariah is from these sources) either support
such operations, or not support them; engage in them, or not engage in them.
However, even if a Muslim is in error in this matter, and acts upon that
error, having made the wrong choice, he should not be openly attacked or
condemned in front of the kuffar, and he most certainly should not be betrayed
to the kuffar, to be imprisoned, humiliated or killed by the kuffar. As it was
narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar, the Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
said, "Because a Muslim is a brother to other Muslims, he should neither
oppress them, nor hand them over to the enemies of the Muslims. Whoever helps
his brother, then Allah will help him; whoever saves his brother from
distress, Allah will save from distress, and whoever shields his brother,
Allah will shield him." (Bukhari: Vol 3, Book 43, 622)
Further, as Sheikh Safar bin 'Abdir-Rahmaan al-Hawaali said:
This Muslim - supposing that he erred in taking revenge against the enemy or
that he erred in considering someone to be an enemy who is not an enemy -
this Muslim is no more sinful, no more in error, than the perpetrators of
major errors like adultery, theft, and impiety towards the parents. The
position of Ahlus Sunnah wa Jamaah with respect to the perpetrators of such
major errors is well known. They still perform the prayer on him (if he
dies) and seek forgiveness for him. They neither defame him nor do they make
the People of Kufr pleased over the shortcoming of their brothers by
mentioning their defects and sins. As long as the characteristic of Islam is
present in them they are as the Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
said, 'Every Muslim is forbidden for Muslim - his blood, wealth, honour.'
Ibn Abbaas narrated that the Prophet, Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
said:
"There is no believing servant who does not make a mistake from
time to time, or some error which he persists in and does not abandon until
he leaves this world. Indeed, the Believer was created as one who is
frequently tried and tested, who often repents (then) forgets (again). But
when he is corrected, he [strives to] correct himself." Reported by at-Tabarani
in al-Mu'jam al Kabir (number
11,810)
In respect of how we might find correct guidance in such matters, Sheikh ul-Islam
ibn Taimiyyah (Rahimullah) wrote:
"Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and Imam Abdallah Ibnul Mubarak said "In
times of a dispute among the Ummah seek the opinion of the Mujahideen (on
the battlefields) because the truth will be with them. Allah says 'As for
those who do Jihad for us, We assuredly guide them to Our path.' "
(29:69). ibn Taymiyyah: Majmoo' al-Fatawa, Volume 28, 442
What also needs to be understood is that such actions and such operations that
may be taken by Muslims are only undertaken according to guidelines
established by Shariah, after consultation with Ulaamah and, in many cases,
after consultation with an Ameer, a respected Mujahid from among the
Mujahideen.
Furthermore, what I and many, many Muslims find hypocritical and unacceptable
is for the West, for the kuffar to lament, often in some operatic way, for
their dead - such as the few thousand killed in the Jumaada Al-Thaani attacks
in Amerika - but to remain silent about the tens of thousands of Muslims,
including many, many women and children and the elderly, who have been killed
by kaffir missiles and kaffir bombs, in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere,
including in occupied Palestine where their Zionist allies regularly, almost
every week, kill Muslim women and children. To many of the kuffar, these dead
Muslims are "collateral damage" while the Westerners killed by
Muslims are "the innocent victims of evil terrorists". The issue is
one of the kaffir invasion and occupation of our lands; of their continued and
brutal and arrogant and century-long interference in our affairs; of their
killing, torture, humiliation, and imprisonment of our brothers and sisters;
of their demand that we abandon our Way of Life for their ignoble, profane,
decadent, dysfunctional way of life; of their shameless hypocrisy which holds
up for us as some kind of model the life of the peoples of the West: of
societies where millions upon millions are addicted to drugs and alcohol, and
where, in Britain alone, every minute of every day the Police are called by a
woman who has been subject to violent domestic abuse.
The problem is the kaffir, not the Muslim, and the solution is for the kuffar
to stop interfering in our affairs; to stop supporting tyrant rulers in Muslim
lands; to free the Muslims they have imprisoned; to leave our lands; and to
cease trying to impose their ways, their Tawagheet - such as the nation-State,
and democracy and liberalism - upon us. Until they do such things, the Jihadi
Intifada will continue.
And, by their actions, are such suicide
bombers not guilty of elevating an abstract sense of ideology (or religion) above
their actual experiences?
With respect, your question is an example of the logical fallacy al-musaadarah
'ala la-matlub al-awwaal.
For the Western perspective is inherent in such a question which question, it
seems to me, requires an answer in such terms, and which answer would or might
imply an acceptance of such a perspective. Such a question also exemplifies
the very real clash of cultures which is taking place, and many if not most of
the peoples of the West cannot think objectively and rationally about other
cultures (or even about their own) despite their often arrogant claims to be
able to do so, and thus cannot grasp that Deen Al-Islam, correctly understood,
is fundamentally, irretrievably, different from the way of the West. Thus, the
kuffar project their concepts and values and abstractions upon Deen Al-Islam
and Muslims, and believe they have "understood" Deen Al-Islam and
Muslims, whereas in fact all they have done is maintain their own prejudices,
and ignorance, and manifested their arrogance.
The question, for Muslims, really is: are those Muslims who undertake
Martyrdom Operations obeying Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala? It is as simple as
that - no talk or mention of such Tawagheet as "ideology",
"religion", "actual experience", "extremism",
"innocent civilians", "terrorism", "guilty of",
or whatever. To be Muslim is to submit to only Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala; to
seek to obey Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala; to be focused upon Jannah rather than
upon the rewards, the pleasures, of dunya, of this mortal world. Thus, the
perspective of the Muslim is the perspective of Tawheed, of Jannah.
As I mentioned earlier, the view that I and many other Muslims, world-wide,
incline toward is that Martyrdom Operations are lawful, according to the Quran
and Sunnah. Some other Muslims incline toward the opposite view. Thus, as
often, there is some disagreement between the Muslims - but there are also,
now, many Muslims who are judging such things according to the Tawagheet of
the kuffar, which is incorrect, according to Deen Al-Islam, and it is these
arguments, based on judging according to the Tawagheet of the kuffar, that
most people in the West hear or read about. What does seem clear is that the
arguments of those Muslims who argue against Martyrdom Operations from a
Muslim perspective have been shown to be incorrect, although it does seem that
many Muslims in the West remain in ignorance of this. [See Note 4]
I found one of your previous replies very interesting: "we offer the
Unbelievers, the kuffar, a choice - accept Deen Al-Islam, or pay the Jizya. In
practical terms, we say to them: take an oath of loyalty to Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala and to His Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and thus become
Muslim or take an oath of loyalty (make a binding contract between us and you)
that you will not interfere in our affairs, that you will not offend Muslims
or seek to change our Deen, that you will go peaceably about your own business
(which includes worshipping in your own way) and that you will pay the Jizya,
in which case we will honourably protect you."
"You who believe, do not take the Jews and Nazarenes as allies. They are
allies of each other. If any of you takes them as allies, then he is one of
them." 5:51 Interpretation of Meaning
"Are loyal to the Believers, stern toward the kuffar, who fight in the
Way of Allah, and who do not heed the criticism of their critics. For this is
the honour that He bestows upon whomsoever He wills - for Allah is The
All-Knowing, The Infinite One. In truth, your champions are Allah, His
Messenger, and the Believers - those who undertake As-Salat, who give Zakat
and who submit [in loyalty to Allah]. For whomsoever has Allah, His Messenger,
and Believers as their Champion, are the ones who will achieve (the) victory
(of Jannah)." 5: 54-56 Interpretation of Meaning
It was reported that the Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said,
“Fear Allah, and if a mutilated Abyssinian former slave is appointed as
Ameer over you, listen to him and obey him, as long as he obeys, and applies
to you, the Book of Allah.” Al-Tirmidhi 1628
It was reported that the Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Allah, Tabarak wa'tala, has removed from you the pride of Jahiliyyah and
its boasting about ancestors. A person can be either an honourable believer or
an ignoble sinner. You are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust. Let the
people cease to boast about their kin and kin-folk." Abu Dawud, Book 36,
5097
"You who believe: do not unfairly squander your wealth on one another,
save it be for some purpose mutually agreed upon among yourselves. Do not ruin
yourself, or one another, for Allah is most Merciful toward you."
The Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who commits
suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell-Fire
(forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on
stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire." (Sahih Bukhari)
as a prohibition of Martyrdom Operations, although it is clear they have
confused Istishad with Intihar, for (1) a correct interpretation of the above
Hadith would be along the following lines:
"The person who commits Intihar by hanging themselves shall keep hanging
themselves in the Hell-Fire, just as those who commit Intihar by stabbing
themselves will keep stabbing themselves in the Hell-Fire."