All Praise and All Thanks are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) to whom we shall
all return to be judged on The Last Day.
We praise Him and ask Him for help and forgiveness; and ask His protection from
the mischief of our souls and the bad results of our deeds; whomsoever Allah
guides, none can misguide; and whom He declares misguided, none can guide to the
right path; and I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah:
He is Alone, without partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi
wa sallam) is the Messenger and Servant of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala).
This article is in response to an article written by Nick Griffin, currently the
leader of the avowedly anti-Muslim, nationalist BNP (British National Party). In
his article, Griffin repeats his belief that Islam - in his own words - is "a
vicious, wicked faith", and makes various accusations against Islam and Muslims.
Readers might like to know that I reverted/converted to Islam eight years ago,
Alhamdulillah, following over 25 years of activism on behalf of organizations
such as the BNP.
"And remember Allah's blessing upon you when you were
enemies, and He brought your hearts together, so that by His blessing you
became brothers." 3:103 (Interpretation of Meaning)
Griffin: What is it about the Koran or Muhammad that makes Islam evil? Where
should we start? How about the Koran's advocacy of world conquest
Muslims seem to be divided upon this issue of the domination of Islam. Some -
mainly what the West call "moderate Muslims" - deny that Islam means or even
implies the world-wide triumph of Islam. Some other Muslims believe that this
may be meant, or is meant, but that it will not occur until The Last Days - the
end of this world. Still others - what many in the West now call, in the
pejorative way of the West, "extremists" or "fundamentalists" - would say and
write that yes, indeed, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has promised that Islam will
be triumphant in the world, or at the very least the Ummah will stretch from the
East to the West, including both (as related by Thawban in a Hadith recorded by
Muslim). If this is so, it will be so - and Muslims should accept it as part of
their Islam: as part of their submission to the one and only God, Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. What the West, the apostates, the infidels, may say or
write about this promise is irrelevant, insofar as Muslims are concerned.
"And there shall be conflict between you while you
dwell, resting for a while, on Earth which shall provide for you." 2: 36
Interpretation of Meaning
"Thus We have made you [Muslims], a Wasat (just and noble) people, that you
be witnesses over all other peoples as the Messenger (Muhammad) is a witness
over you." 2: 143 Interpretation of Meaning
But we might ask: just where has Griffin found the advocacy of "world conquest"
in the Quran? I, and millions upon millions of Muslims, century upon century,
must have missed the Ayah. Perhaps he might point it out to us, or admit his
mistake, a mistake born no doubt from the tempest of his hatred.
Griffin: and the subjugation or murder of non-Muslims?
As often, Griffin bounds off into Crusader-type, anti-Islamic, rhetoric. Murder?
How and by whom is this defined? Islam sanctions the penalty, the punishment, of
death for certain offences - this is not "murder", but rather the Islamic
judgement upon those who have over-stepped the limits of honourable behaviour.
Certain penalties for certain dishonourable behaviour have been ordained by
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and, as Muslims, we are duty-bound to accept and
strive to implement these. It is interesting to note - and Griffin please take
note - that the term Hudood, which is used for these ordained punishments,
literally means "the limits (of honour)", so that those who are subject to these
punishments are those who have gone beyond the limits, the bounds, of honourable
behaviour.
"Do they seek honour from the kuffar? In truth, honour
is with, and from, Allah alone." 3: 139 Interpretation of Meaning
Subjugation? Where, and when? It does seem as if Griffin knows little or nothing
of the history of the Muslims.
If, in his pejorative use of the term "murder", Griffin means the death, the
killing, that occur during Jihad, then indeed Muslims do kill non-Muslims during
such Jihad, for such deaths are part of the nature of battle, of combat, of war.
So the question then is - what was, or is, his point, here? Or is there no point
- just hateful rhetoric designed to appeall to his supporters?
Griffin: Or how about the mass beheadings of POW
How about the fact that those who have been executed, recently, have been
executed following a Shariah verdict passed upon them according to Islamic law?
That is, they have been correctly judged - according to Islamic law and
correctly punished with the Islamic punishment, with a written verdict, by
Islamic scholars, often being given. Griffin and his cohorts may not like
Islamic law, and Hudood, but their dislike of such things is irrelevant to us,
as Muslims.
Has Griffin forgotten - or does he even know - how the Taliban (now demonized in
the West) treated their prisoner, Yvonne Ridley? With courtesy, and indeed, with
honour. In fact, their treatment of her started her upon a new journey which led
to her converting to Islam, Alhamdulillah.
Griffin: the rape of their wives and the enslavement of their children
If Griffin can supply any facts from the present era for this typical Crusader
statement I would be surprised. If he is refers to events in the distant past,
then he obviously in ignorance of the many Ahadith in relation to the treatment
of prisoners, and how the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
advised that women and children were to be treated.
I refer him and his cohorts to, for example, Shahih Muslim, Book 19 (The Book of
Jihad).
In fact, Islam was the very first Way of Life to lay down detailed honourable
instructions on how captives were to be treated, and the first to establish what
can only be described as honourable rules for the conduct of war, in stark
contrast to the West, especially the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who - judged by
the examples of Islamic conduct - were dishonourable barbarians. It is
interesting how people like Griffin seem to revere these ancient Greeks and
Romans.
One has only to contrast the conduct of Salah Al-Din with his Crusader
counterparts to understand how Islam - correctly implemented by devout Muslims -
made for civilized, honourable, leaders, as one has only to compare Andalusia
under Islam - or Baghdad at the time of Bayt-ul-Hikma, or Jundishapur at the
time of the School of Medicine - to see the civilized, honourable conduct
between individuals that Islam creates.
Indeed, if Griffin could be bothered to travel and spend time in a land where
the majority of people are Muslim, and mix with them, he might be surprised by
their civilized attitude, an attitude which - as I know from my own personal
experience - is in stark and complete contrast to the lack of manners, the
arrogance, displayed by many people in the West, and especially by Western
Armies of conquest and occupation.
The manners, the honour, of Muslims - of those who do indeed submit in their
hearts and in their lives to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger (salla
Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) - evident for nearly one and half thousand years, is
not surprising given such guidelines as those contained in such books as
Al-Adhab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari, and given how we Muslims are enjoined to follow
the perfect example of the Prophet, Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
whose life, if studied objectively, reveals him as a man of humility, courage,
reason, and honour. Perhaps Griffin should read Zaad al-Maâ'ad by Ibn
al-Qayyim, or the Seerah of Ibn Ishaq, or even Haykal's Hayat Muhammad. Or refer
to the Hadith of Bukhari (Book 1, Number 6):
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas:
Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had
sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from
Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham [Syria, Palestine,
Lebanon and Jordan] at the time when Allah's Messenger had a truce with Abu
Sufyan and the Quraish. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius
at Ilya [Jerusalem]. Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the
senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who,
translating Heraclius's question said to them, "Who amongst you is closely
related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am
the nearest relative to him (amongst this group)."
Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions
stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell
my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man
(The Prophet) and that if I told a lie then they (my companions) should
contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my
companions labelling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the
Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was: 'What is his family
status amongst you?'
I replied, 'He belongs to a good and noble family amongst us.'
Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (to
be a Prophet) before him?'
I replied, 'No.'
He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?'
I replied, 'No.'
He said, 'Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day by day)?'
I replied, 'They are increasing.'
He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his way of life
become displeased and renounce this way of life afterwards?'
I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim
(to be a Prophet)?'
I replied, 'No. '
Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?'
I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do
during this truce.' I could not find anything to say a against him except
that.
Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?'
I replied, 'Yes.'
Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?'
I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we were.'
Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?'
I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship
anything along with Him... He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be
modest and to keep good relations with our family.'
In truth, it was historically the fine, noble, example of Muslims - and
especially of the Mujahideen - which led many people, sometimes whole cities and
towns, to convert to Islam.
Griffin: What's evil about Islam? Go ask the Serbs, go ask the Sikhs, go ask
the remnants of once vibrant Christian communities in Pakistan or Egypt, come
ask the mothers of Keighley.
Perhaps we should ask instead: What is evil about the West? Go ask the millions
upon millions of people, world-wide, who - for centuries, have been oppressed,
humiliated, subjugated, and enslaved by the various Empires and governments of
the West who have plundered, and are still plundering, their lands. Go ask the
relatives of those millions upon millions killed in the two European world wars,
less than a hundred years ago - or the hundreds of thousands killed when the
Amerikans dropped their atomic bombs on Japanese cities.
Go ask the people of Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Chechnya today. Go ask the
thousands of Muslims tortured in places like Bagram, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib
and the dozens of secret places where Muslims are "rendered" for interrogation.
Perhaps we should ask - what is civilized about the conduct of the peoples of
the West, today and in the past? One has only to go into a city or a large town
in Britain on a Friday or Saturday night to find examples of how many young
people in the West behave. What is civilized abut the conduct of the armies of
the West? What is civilized, honourable, about the politicians of the West who
in their dishonour brazenly lie in order to get their way or to fulfil some
hidden agenda (the invasion of Iraq comes to mind here) - and yet who are
somehow re-elected into power by the people of the West? What is civilized about
the utter hypocrisy of these so-called leaders of the West - and the people who
support and elect them - when they can deny their officially-sanctioned torture
and humiliation of Muslims in places such as Bagram, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib
and the dozens of secret places where Muslims are "rendered" for interrogation?
Perhaps we should ask Griffin and his cohorts to go and read the many Ahadith
about how other people who uphold a way of life different from Islam are to be
treated with respect. Perhaps we should ask him to study how the Muslims behaved
towards the Jews and the Nazarenes in Palestine during the times of the first
Crusades - how the Crusaders desecrated Jewish temples, and Mosques, and how the
Muslims respected Nazarene Churches and Jewish temples. Perhaps we should point
out to him the fact that the Nazarenes and the Jews looked to the Muslims for
protection because they thought the Crusaders were barbarians.
Perhaps we should ask Nick Griffin about the Copts in Egypt who have survived in
a Muslim land for over a thousand years - one might mention here how they, for
instance, flourished during the Abbasid Dynasties.
But will he - would he - listen? Probably not, for he seems to have his own
political agenda for which his prejudice against Islam and Muslims is necessary.
Griffin: the Koran, which all Muslims are obliged - on pain of death for
apostasy - to follow as the literal word of Allah
Yes, we do regard the Quran as kalamu Allah - as the literal word of Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. This is one of the fundamentals of Islam, of our Islam: of
our complete, simple, honourable, submission to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. To
me, and many Muslims, this is one of the beauties of Al-Islam. As for death for
apostasy, as I recently wrote:
"When we undertake Shahadah - testifying to and
declaring our acceptance of Islam before witnesses - we are making a binding
oath of loyalty, bayah, on our honour, to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His
Messenger, Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam). This is a life-long
oath, loyalty unto death to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and to His Messenger,
Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam). If we break this oath - if we
abandon the duty we have sworn to do - we are being dishonourable, and it is
right that those who break such a sacred oath as this are killed."
Furthermore, as Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"For those who openly defy Allah and His Messenger and
who are public in this dishonour, the punishment shall be execution or
crucifixion or the cutting of their hands and feet on alternate sides or
their exile, and while this will show their dishonour in this world, a
greater agony awaits them in the life to come. Except if they repent before
your authority touches them - for remember that Allah is The Most Merciful,
He Who Often Forgives." 5:33-4 Interpretation of Meaning
"If you believe in Allah and The Last Day do not let pity deter you from
administering the punishments which Allah has ordained, and let a group of
those who believe witness such punishment." 24:2 Interpretation of Meaning
I shall end on a personal note. For me, Islam is the supreme, practical, example
of honour made manifest in this world. It is also the supreme, practical,
example of the numinous - of the sacred, the divine. Why is this? Because
Muslims strive to humbly submit to, and to obey, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. This
produces a genuine reverence, a genuine awareness of the divine, so evident in
Salah. But Islam is also practical in a quite simple way - our weaknesses, our
strengths, are laid bare, in the Quran, in Ahadith. What all this means in
reality is that Islam produces, can produce, and has produced noble, honourable,
human beings. It is a simple and practical guide to how we should live - indeed,
I would go so far as to say that it is Islam which defines what is civilized.
One has only to compare the simple, honest, devout belief of a Mujahid on one of
the many modern battlefields with the arrogance of a Western soldier to
understand this - to feel this. The practical implementation of Islam, via
Shariah and a community of Muslims led by an Ameer or Khalifah, can produce, and
has produced in the past, a civilized way of life for thousands - indeed
millions - of people, just as we have, in the modern West, the practical
implementation of arrogance, of that dishonourable bullying, of that deceit, of
that hedonism, that lust for pleasure and so-called "glory", that plunder, which
is the mark of the barbarian.
May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) protect us from all forms of Al-asabiyyah Al-Jahiliyyah,
forgive us for our mistakes, and guide us to and keep us on the Right Path.
Abdul-Aziz ibn Myatt
(David Myatt)
23 Safar 1427
Note: The quotes from Nick Griffin about Islam are from an article published on
21 March 2006 CE entitled "By their fruits (or lack of them) shall you know
them" which article made its appearance on the BNP website, and which
article a brother forwarded to me for my comments.
