| Readings on Islam (from other publishing sources) | |||||||||||||
| Life After Death Islam vs.Terrorism Human Rights in Islam
|
The question whether there is a life after death does not fall under the jurisdiction of science as science is concerned only with classification and analysis of sense data. Moreover, man has been busy with scientific enquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the concept of life after death since times immemorial. All the prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless. The very fact that all the prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e., Divine revelation. We also know that these prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the prophets won so many sincere followers. The question arises what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth. Did they realize the truth through perceptual consciousness? Not so, as perceptual experience of life after death is impossible. Actually God has given man besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data. That is why all the prophets of God while calling people to believe in God and life after death, appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man. For example, when the idolators of Makkah denied even the possibility of life after death, the Quran exposed the weakness of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it: And he has coined for us a similitude, and has forgotten the fact of his creation, saying: who will revive these bones when they have rotten away? Say: He will revive them who produced them at the first, for He is the knower of every creation. Who has appointed for you fire from the green tree, and behold! You kindle from it. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth, able to create the life of them? yes, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-knowing. (36:78-81) them? yes, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-knowing. (36:78-81)
At another occasion, the Quran very clearly says that the dis-believers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjectures: They say, ‘There is nothing but our present life; we die, and we live, and nothing but Time destroys us’. Of that they have no knowledge; they merely conjecture. And when our revelations are recited to them, their only argument is that they say, ‘Bring us our fathers, if you speak truly’’. (45:24-25)
Surely God will raise all the dead. But God has His own plan of things. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and then again the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of the life that will never end, and that Day every person will be rewarded by God according to his or her good or evil deed. The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what moral consciousness of man demands. Actually if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes irrelevant or even if one believes in God, that would be an unjust and indifferent God: having once created man not concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants whose crimes are beyond count: having killed hundreds of innocent persons, created great corruption in the society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc. Man having a very short span of life in this world, and this physical world too being not eternal, punishment or rewards equal to the evil or noble deeds of persons are not possible here. The Quran very emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and God will decide about the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds.
Those who disbelieve say: The Hour will never come unto us. Say: Nay, by my Lord, but it is coming unto you surely. (He is) the Knower of the Unseen. Not an atom’s weight, or less than that or greater, escapes Him in the heavens or in the earth, but it is in a clear Record. That He may reward those who believe and do good works. For them is pardon and a rich provision. But those who strive against our revelations, challenging (Us), theirs will be painful doom of wrath. (34: 3-5)
The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state. Drawing a comparison between them, the Quran says:
Is he, then, to whom we have promised a goodly promise the fulfillment of which he will meet, like the one whom We have provided with the good things of this life, and then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be of those who will be brought arraigned before God? (28:61)
The Quran also states that this worldly life is a preparation for the eternal life after death. But those who deny it become slaves of their passions and desires, make fun of virtuous and God-conscious persons. Such persons realize their folly only at the time of their death and wish to be given a further chance in the world but in vain. Their miserable state at the time of death, and the horror of the Day of Judgment, and the eternal bliss guaranteed to the sincere believers are very beautifully mentioned in the following verses of the Holy Quran:
Until, when death comes unto one of them, he says, ‘My Lord send me back, that I may do right in that which I have left behind!’ But nay! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised. And when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another. Then those whose scales are heavy, they are successful. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding, the fire burns their faces and they are glum therein. (23:99-104) The belief in life after death not only guarantees success in the Hereafter, but also makes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities. Think of the people of Arabia. Gambling, wine, tribal feuds, plundering and murdering were their main traits when they had no belief in life after death. But as soon as they accepted the belief in the One God and life after death, they became the most disciplined nation of the world. They gave up their vices, helped each other in hours of need, and settled all their disputes on the basis of justice and equality. Similarly the denial of life after death has its consequences not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. When a nation as a whole denies it, all kinds of evils and corruptions become rampant in that society and ultimately it is destroyed. The Quran mentions the terrible end of ‘Aad, Thamud and the Pharaoh in some detail: (The tribes of) Thamud and ‘Aad disbelieved in the judgment to come. As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the lightning, and as for ‘Aad, they were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind, which He imposed on them for seven long nights and eight long days so that you might see the people laid prostrate in it as if they were the stumps of fallen down palm trees. Now do you see remnant of them? Pharaoh likewise and those before him, and the subverted cities. They committed errors and they rebelled against the Messenger of their Lord, and He seized them with a surpassing grip. Lo, when the waters rose, We bore you in the running ship that We might make it a reminder for you and for heeding ears to hold. So when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and crushed with a single blow, then on that day, the Terror shall come to pass, and the heaven shall be split for upon that day it shall be very frail. Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say ‘Here take and read my book! Certainly I thought that I should encounter my reckoning. ‘So he shall be in a pleasing life in a lofty garden, its clusters nigh to gather. Eat and drink with wholesome appetite for that you did long ago, in the days gone by.’ But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he shall say: ‘Would that I had not been given my book and not known my reckoning! Would it had been the end! My wealth has not availed me, my authority is gone from me. (69:4-39)
Thus there are very convincing reasons to believe in life after death. Firstly, all the prophets of God have called their people to believe in it. Secondly, whenever a human society is built on the basis of this belief, it has been the most ideal and peaceful society, free of social and moral evils. Thirdly, history bears witness that whenever this belief is rejected collectively by a group of people in spite of the repeated warning of the prophet, the group as a whole has been punished by God even in this world. Fourthly, moral, aesthetic and rational faculties of man endorse the possibility of life after death. Fifthly, God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy have no meaning if there is no life after death.
What is meant by this expression "Jihad"? Is it true that Islam was spread by the sword and is Islam the religion of terrorism? Is Jihad limited only to actual fighting and how can we reconcile the call to fight with the call fo peace which is said to be the slogan of Islam? It is really sad that when people in the West deal with any subject, they take every care to be objective and neutral, but once they come to Islam and Muslims, many people here in the West enjoy distorting the truth and try their level best to destroy the image of Islam, the religion of mercy to mankind. A recent example of this trend is what took place in April 1990 when what is called the Counter Terror Study Center, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, held its third conference on terrorism. Despite the fact that in the two previous conferences dealing with terrorist groups among followers of other religions, there was no mention whatsoever nor was there any claim or attempt to ascribe terrorism to the religion of the concerned groups. When however, the organizers of this third conference on terrorism came to Muslims, they indicated that Islam encourages terrorism. It is pertinent to ask here: How come that these people are given a free hand to spread what is bordering on hate literature as one just Canadian non-Muslim put it? In other words of a well known Canadian journalist, Ali Khan, of the Ottawa Citizen, “if there is one thing we need, it is more understanding between Canadians of diverse faiths and backgrounds. What we do not need is stirring up hatred, prejudice, and enmity among citizens of different faiths and to import the bitter conflicts of other regions”. Let us now come closer and try to clarify the questions referred to in the first paragraph of this brochure. To answer these questions, we must first understand the nature of Islam. It is indeed true that Islam preaches peace but of the honorable and the dignified Muslims not that of the weak and the oppressed ones. Islam does not in any way accept the slogan that says: Whoever beats you on your right cheek turn your left cheek for him. On the contrary, Islam teaches that an eye is for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In other words, it is based on justice, mercy, and equality. As the word Islam in Arabic indicates, it is the message of peace, peace with one's own soul, peace with Allah and peace with humanity at large. That is why if we contemplate the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we find him abstaining from war and commanding his followers to do so during the first thirteen years of his preaching in Makkah. He used to pass by his followers while they were suffering at the hands of their opponents and wold ask them to have patience which will lead them to Paradise. this is what he told Bilal when he passed and found him tortured in Makkah. Bilal was repeating the word “Ahad Ahad” which means “One God and Only”. When the Prophet saw him in that situation, he ordered him to be patient. It was only when the Kuffar (non-believers) of Makkah confiscated everything Muslims had, i.e., their properties, homes, and even their country, and started to plan to crush the Muslims, that fighting was permitted. After they filed to another city (Madinah) then only Islam gave permission to fight. In this context the Quran says: To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged and Allah is most powerful for the aid to those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly, on account of nothing save that they say our Lord is Allah. (39-40/22). Thus, fighting was prescribed for self-defense. Hence, the Quran says: Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress, for Allah does not like transgressors. (190-2) And because Muslims are more inclined to peace being the basis of Islam, Allah Almighty tells them that he knows, Muslims dislike fighting. Thsu we read in the Quran: Fighting is prescribed for you even though you very much dislike it. But you may dislike a thing which is good for you and you may like a thing which is bad for you: But Allah knows and you know not. (216/2) In the light of the above, Juhad takes the form of fighting only when there is injustice and oppression inflicted on Muslims. When Muslims cannot fight back, sometimes they are ordered to emigrate to another country if that is the only way to safeguard their honor and be free to practice their faith. Thus, the Quran says: When angels take the souls of those who die in sin, they say, in what plight were you? They reply: Weak and oppressed were we on earth. They (angels) say: Was not the earth of Allah large enough for you to move yourself away from evil? Such men will be sent to Hell-what an evil refuge! (97-4) Islam is thus the religion of respect and honor. It does not accept weakness or oppression but prescribes war in self-defense. Fighting is permissible only when the pious launch war to restore peace and establish justice on earth. Yet Islam has certain ethics even in war against the enemies. It orders its followers to be always the first to accept peace: But if they incline towards peace, you also incline towards peace and trust in Allah. For He is the one that hears and knows all things (61-8). Islam does not allow the mass killings of innocent women, children, or old people. It respects places of worship and defends them against any offence. It does not permit the cutting of trees of destruction of homes of the civilians. And fighting is in some cases launched to restore the human rights of the oppressed even if they are non-Muslims. Many people embraced Islam simply by virtue of this method adopted by early Muslims. We must clarify here that the life of a true Muslim should be a continuous Jihad, in the sense that it is an on going struggle against evil; it is a Jihad to carry the message of the Quran to other people. It is a Jihad of patience, patience of four kinds:
Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honor, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, color or race. Every human-being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere, the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brother-hood of mankind. Although an Islamic state may be set ;up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace with the state or at war. The Quran very clearly states:
O believers, be you secures of justice witness for God. Let not detestation for a people more you not to be equitable; be equitable ? that is nearer to godfearing. (5:8) Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Quran equates it to the killing of entire mankind:
.... Whose slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether. It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women’s honor and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from amongst its enemies. When we speak of human rights in Islam, we really mean that these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the kings of the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred. The same is the case with the rights accepted and recognized by the dictators. They can confer them when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God, no legislative assembly in the world or any government on earth has the right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are they basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them. The charter and the proclamations and resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; while the latter is applicable on every believer. They are a part and parcel of the Islamic Faith. Every Muslim or administrators who claim themselves to be Muslims, will have to accept, recognize and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Holy Quran for such government is clear and unequivocal:
Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the dis-believers (5:44) Human Rights in an Islamic State 1. The Security of Life and Property:
2. The Protection of Honor: The Holy Quran lays down? i) You who believe, do not let one (set of) people make fun of another set. ii) Do not defame one another. iii) Do not insult by using nickname. iv) Do not backbite or speak ill of one another (49:11 - 12)
3. Sanctity and Security of Private Life: The Quran has laid down the injunction: i) Do not spy on one another. ii) Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of their occupant’s consent. 4. The Security of Personal Freedom:
14. The Right to Participate in the Affairs of State
Lastly, it is not be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above-mentioned human rights and many others not only by providing certain legal safeguards but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges. It invites mankind to move on to a place of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, man can realize the ideal of the Brotherhood of man.
|