ISIS-Illegitimate State of Intolerance & Savagery-ISIS

“If it had been your Lord's Will, they would all have believed – all who are on earth! Will you then compel mankind, against their will to believe?” --- Qur'an [10:99]

"Oh my slaves! I have forbidden oppression (persecution) on Myself and made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress each other!" --- Muslim (Hadithul-Qudsii) or Sacred Tradition

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has emerged from radical Sunni jihadists in Iraq who fought under the banner “al-Qaeda in Iraq”. Their goal, having been founded in 2004 is to create a fanatic, extremist, radical and puritanical Islamic Caliphate or state, crossing over the borders of Syria and Iraq. And by extension, a utopian idea and a wishful thinking of Islamizing the western world through a radical approach of terror rather than a rational approach of teaching.

Caliph means, successor in Arabic, and a cleric with this title is regarded by Muslims as an Imam chosen by Allah from the Family of the House, direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad[PBUH]. Caliphate was initiated by the first and foremost four companions of the Prophet[PBUH], right after his death. They were Abubakar, Umar, Uthman and Ali. However, in the year 40 A.H.[after hijrah or migration to Madinah] or 661 C.E., the last of the fourth rightly guided Caliphs, Ali was assassinated by one Ibn Muljan, [a Kharijite, member of a group that opposed Ali for negotiating with Mu'awiyah, another companion of the holy prophet and an enemy of Ali] as he offered his Fajir[early morning prayer] in the mosque. This unfortunate incident brought to the curtains of the Caliphate four notable men to a close.

In order to present a directly and diametrically opposed position of this group[ISIS] as far as Islam is concern, I therefore changed their acronym from [ISIS-Islamic State of Iraq & Syria-ISIS] to mean: [ISIS- Illegitimate State of Intolerance & Savagery-ISIS] and made it the title of this piece. And I will elucidate facts to justify my choice of this acronym.

My heart bleeds whenever I watch the brutalities of ISIS towards the innocent Christians and the minority Muslims minorities who refused to buy into their fanatical and radical brand of Islam. As a Muslim, it is a fact that, Allah and his messenger Muhammad[PBUH] had predicted Islam to dominate world, but they never meant it to be by a radical means, but rather a rational means, as the conversions were basically through preaching not persecution.

Many western/eastern non-Muslims intellectuals would always attest to this. One of them was Mahatma Gandhi, a famous freedom fighter of India once wrote: "I wanted to know the best of the one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind…I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.” Karen Armstrong, a scholar and a Roman Catholic Nun, also buttressed his assertion when she wrote in her "Muhammad-A Biography of the Prophet", that: "The Islamic empire was able to play host to Christians and Jews for centuries; but the Western Europe has found it almost impossible to tolerate Muslims…in their territory…Islam kept the notions of social justice, equality, tolerance & Practical compassion in the forefront of the Muslim conscience for centuries…It is a religion that was not based on the sword–despite the Western myth… (Islam) it has created a just society, which would enable both men and women to fulfill their true potential.” And read would soon stumble upon instances[below] in Islamic history that captivating these intellectuals to make these statements.

There are numerous verses of the Qur'an and from the hadith or wisdom of the Prophet [PBUH] that condemn what ISIS does. Some of them are:

“Let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice.”

--- Qur'an [5:8]
“If someone kills a believer (any true believer in God) intentionally, his reward (or her) or recompense is Hell, to abide therein (forever): and the wrath and the curse of God are upon him (or her), and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him." --- Qur'an [4: 93]

Someone asked the Prophet “what fanaticism was?” and he replied: “That you help your people in wrongdoing (supporting or justifying acts of terror).” –Abu Dawud

“On the day of judgment a man will come holding the hand of another man and say: O Lord! It is he who killed me. Allah will ask him: Why did you kill him? He will say: I killed him so that glory may be established for so-and-so person. Allah will say: Indeed glory is not his. So the killer will bear the sin and goes to Hell fire.” --- An Nasa'i(Hadithul-Qudsii)

Christians were the first to accommodate and rescue first Muslim refugees

History has it that, when all the effort of the non-believers of Makkah failed and the mission of preaching Tawhid [Oneness of Allah] remained unabated, they reacted violently against the Prophet[PBUH] and stopped him from entering the Ka'abah, and began to persecute the weak and the poor more intensely. Life became very hard and almost impossible to live.

So with this sad and scary plight of the believers, in the month of Rajab, the 5th year of prophethood, the Prophet[PBUH] allowed them to leave for Abyssinia, in Ethiopia, where the Christians rule and the first team of eleven men and four women were warmly received by the Christian King himself, Najashi or Negus. Among them were Uthman bin Affan, his wife Ruqqayah[the daughter of the Prophet[PBUH]]Hudaifah bin Utubah, Uthman bin Maz'un, Abbullah bin Mas'ud, Adul Rahman bin Auf, Zubai bin Al-Awwam, Mus'ab bin Umair, Amir bin Rabiah and Suhail bin Baida.

However, when the non-believers noticed that the Makkans, after being converted to Islam were leaving for Abyssinia and living there in peace and as safe heaven, they feared that their power organized outside of Makkah could, one day pose a great danger to the Makkans. They dispatched a delegation of two respectable persons; Amr bin Al-As and Abdullah bin Rabi'ah to Negus, the King. The delegation was sent with costly gifts for the king and his courtiers. After being permitted into the court, they first presented their gifts and then request the king to hand over some of their slaves who had a new faith [Islam] which was against the faith of their ancestors. The king promised to look into their demands only after investigating the matter. The king then sent for the Muslims to come to his court and inquired. On behalf of the Muslims, Ja'far bin Abu Talib, a cousin of the Prophet[PBUH], moved forward to explain to Negus, the king and his courtiers.

[And I always consider the beautiful, eloquent and articulate speech he made as the best advocacy statement to showcase what Islam is and what it came to change.]

Ja'far said: "…O King, we were people plunged in ignorance. We worshipped idols, we ate dead animals, and we committed abomination. We broke natural ties, we ill-treated our neighbors and our strong devoured the weak. We lived like this until Allah the Al-mighty raised among us a Prophet of whose noble birth and lineage, truthfulness, honesty and purity we all were aware. He invited us to acknowledge the Oneness of Allah and to worship Him. He enjoined us to speak the truth, to redeem our pledges, to be kind and considerate to our relatives and neighbors. He forbade us every vice, bloodshed, shamelessness, lies and deceit. He asked us not to encroach upon the belongings of our orphans[as they used to do before Islam] and not to vilify chaste women. He ordered us to offer prayers. We acknowledged the Messenger and believed in him. Because of this our people were estranged and they persecuted us. So when they tortured us under their tyranny, we fled to your country. We have come here, O King, to your country seeking your protection and we do hope that we shall not be dealt with unjustly." [This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes in Arabic, that of Umar, the second Caliph, who used to say, "La ya'arifal Islam man lam ya'arifal Jahiliyah!", that, "He who does know what Jahiliyah[ period of ignorance or dark ages], does not know what Islam represents!". Because, it was a life full of darkness of ignorance and immorality, which was enveloped by the light and literacy of Islam].

Negus, the king listened patiently to J'afar bin Abu Talib. Then he asked him if he had something brought by his Prophet[PBUH], from Allah. Thereupon, Jafar recited the opening chapter of Mary[Jesus' Mother], Suratu Maryam. Then all of a sudden, tears started rolling down from the eyes of Negus and his courtiers. The recitation being over, Negus remarked, "This and the Torah of Musa are radiations from the same Heavenly Light."Then the envoys of the Quraish flung their last attempt and said, "O King, they are opponents of Jesus too. "By this they wanted the Christian king to grow angry at the Muslim migrants. Directly came the reply from Ja'far bin Abu Talib, "Not at all; the fact is rather: He is a salve of Allah and His Messenger." Negus the king said: "This belief is correct to the core and the Gospel also means the same."

Finally, Negus sent the envoys of the Quraish back empty-handed and refused point-blank to give the Muslims up to them. Along with this he returned their gifts thus rubbing salt in their wounds. This event occurred during the sixth year of the Prophethood. With the ignoble defeat of the Quraish's mission, their ill treatment of the Muslims simply was aggravated.

The lesson that I drive from the above historical episode is that, as Muslims, we need to remember history and treat our fellow humans with kids gloves, by reciprocating this unprecedented mercy and magnanimity shown to the earlier Muslims by the Christian king.

Some Exemplary Advocacy of Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] towards Non-Muslims

In his last sermon during the end of the last pilgrimage, he had declared to the largest ever gathering that; “I declare all those issues causing bloodshed among tribes as null and void and as the starting point, I take back the claim to avenge a murder in my own family and the interest due on the loans by my uncle Abbass”.

According to Dr. Aslam Abdullah, in an article dubbed, “Did Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] spread Islam with a Sword?” in the January-February 2013 edition of The Message International magazine, entitled, “Clearing the Air & Knowing Muhammad”, that, “The best and most direct evidence for the way Islam was propagated are the words of Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] to St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai, during a time in history when no one was talking about freedom of religion, cultural pluralism and tolerance, or protection of human life. Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] wrote to the monks the following:

“This is a message from Muhammad bin Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily, the servants, the helpers, my followers, and I defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they [the Christians] are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the Ummah [Muslim nation] is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day [end of the world]”

The above quote by Dr. Aslam clearly crystallizes yet another statement by the Prophet [PBUH] discouraging and despising an act of violence, radicalism, extremism and terrorism against non-Muslims, that ISIS and other terrorist groups are doing. It rather advises and advocates mutual co-operation and social shielding towards the non-Muslims.

The Prophet[PBUH] was the first person to ever established inter-faith relationship toward the rest of the two Abrahamic faiths (Jews and Christians). He used to allow Jews and Christians to pray their own form of prayer in his mosque. There was an instance when the Christians left their cross (symbol of Christ crucifixion) in front of the Kiblah (direction Muslims face for prayer) and when it was time for prayer, and the companions were worried about praying in front of the cross and wanted to move it away from the kiblah, the prophet ordered for a curtain and covered the cross and assured them that they could still pray in front of it, since their intention is not to worship the cross. The Prophet did that out of caution courtesy in order not to allow them to touch the cross of Christians without their approval.

An Exemplary Advocacy of Abubakar, the first Caliph towards the non-Muslims

On the 11th year of Hijrah[migration to Madinah] , 632 C.E. after the death of the Prophet [PBUH and upon Abubakar taking the mantle of Caliphate, he advised 'Usamah bun Zaid [the youngest person the Prophet ever chose a leader of an expedition] before he left Madinah for Syria about his responsibility as a leader and about the code of conduct for an Islamic army:

"Be careful against any wrong act. Don't kill any child, woman, or old people. Don't destroy any plant or tree that provides food to human beings or animals. Do not kill animals unless they are needed for food and sustenance. You may eat meat and other food supplied to you by the local population by pronouncing the name of Allah over it. Don't persecute the peace loving Christian monks and priests. March forward in the name of Allah and may He protect you…"

So paying heed to Caliph Abubakar's advice, he [Usamah] upon engaging the enemy was primarily interested in dealing with those individuals who were responsible for killing his father, Zaid. The Byzantine forces in that area in Syria therefore avoided confrontation with the Muslims…and the local tribes offered their allegiance to the Calipha in Madinah and bloodshed was avoided.

An Exemplary Advocacy of Umar, the second Caliph towards non-Muslims

Umar, the second Caliph once left Madinah for Jerusalem on a camel with only one attendant. A servant is necessary in a desert journey because, while one person rides on the camel the other person is needed to pull the rope of the camel forward in the desired direction. After crossing some distance from the city of Madinah, Umar descended from the camel and asked the servant to ride on it in order to share the camel ride equally. This surprised the servant even though he knew Umar's concern for equality and justice. In response to his servant Umar said: "We both are equal in the sight of Allah. That once of us is the Caliph and the other is an attendant is not fate, but an accident of history. I could have been an attendant and you could have been the Caliph. Because of the fact that you are an attendant, I should not let you pull the camel all the time. Both of us are humans and both of us are crossing the desert; we should share the desert's heat equally. Please don't increase my burden as the Caliph on the Day of Judgment, when Allah will hold me responsible for all my actions. If I don't treat you justly, how can I expect Justice from Allah?"

When Umar reached Jerusale, it was his turn to walk[hence, where lies the real test of his sincerity]. The leaders of Jerusalem were surprised. They could not believe their eyes that Caliph of the Muslims must be walking on foot and his servant sitting on the camel. Nor could they believe such a simple person. As they talked to him they discovered how sincere and honest a person he was…He was taken around on tour of the Christian church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the most sacred Christian churches. The Christians believe that Jesus was buried there after he was hanged on the cross. As Umar was going through the church, the time for prayer approached. Umar wanted to get out of the church and offer prayer outside. The church leaders invited him to offer prayer inside the church. He declined the offer saying, "The Qur'an recognizes the Jews and the Christians as 'Ahl Al-Kitab[People of the Book] and provided them full freedom of religion. If I offer my prayers inside the church, tomorrow Muslims may usurp it, because of my offering prayers, and turn it into a masjid or a mosque."

There is indeed a masjid on the spot outside the Church where Umar prayed that day. Muslims in their long history followed the example of Umar and respected the holy places[and religious believes] of others faiths. It must also be noted that Umar must have seen the cross and the statues of Jesus, Mary and other saints in the church. He did not break any nor did anything to show his disapproval. He knew Islam more than most Muslim scholars of his time, and he understood that Islam is a religion of tolerance and understanding. He believed that through love and teaching, one day these people will understand Islam and give up false beliefs. And this indeed happened and led most of the people in Jerusalem, Syria and Palestine became Muslims through their own accord. In the land of Egypt, further to the West, most Egyptians did not follow the branch of Christianity that was approved of by the Byzantine government. In fact, because of the religious persecution by the Byzantines, the Egyptians also were looking for liberators. The Muslim general, 'Amr ibn Al-'As responded to this desire. When 'Amr came to know about the unhappiness of the Egyptian people, he sought permission from the Caliph Umar to liberate Egypt from Byzantine rule. The Caliph gave him permission to advance into Egypt and the land of Nile was captured in 20 A.H. or 641 C.E.

Still under the Caliphate of Umar, when Muslims had huge non-Muslim population under their rule, they needed to develop new laws to deal with the news situation. Most laws given in the Qur'an or by Allah applied to Muslims only. There were general guidelines in the Qur'an and sunnah of the Prophet [PBUH] on the status of non-Muslims. There was a great need to define relations with non-Muslims and decide about their status in the Muslim society. Many specific laws regarding non-Muslims were developed by Umar which were followed by later generations.

When the Christians in Jerusalem wanted to surrender to the Caliph in person, Umar travelled to Jerusalem for this purpose and assured the freedom of religion to non-Muslims there. He also made sure that the churches and places of worship were not destroyed by Muslims or converted to mosques. The Muslims needed to run the government, and for that matter, they needed to collect taxes from the citizens. Muslims used to pay the Zakah, and land tax for this purpose. It was also their duty to fight for the state when it was needed. Non- Muslims were not required to do either of the two…The Muslims guaranteed them freedom of religion and granted them exemption from going to war to defend the state. The non-Muslims who accepted to live peacefully in Islamic society and pay Jizyah[tax] were called Ahluadh-Dhimmah or Dhimmis by the Muslims, 'Ahl means people and Dhimmis means responsibility or obligation. In other words 'Ahl adh-Dhimmah means the people whose protection was the responsibility of the Muslims state. Muslims were both morally and legally responsible for the safety of non-Muslims.

Islamic laws under Umar did not discriminate against anyone. Non-Muslims could participate in consultation about governmental affairs, they could also follow their religious laws regarding their personal matters. If a Muslim killed a Dhimmi, he would receive the same punishment as of a killing a Muslim. Non-Muslims were allowed to retain the control of their lands. However, they would pay a separate tax on the land they possessed. When Muslims failed to protect the non-Muslims from foreign aggression they returned their taxes. Those of you acquainted with Islamic history may recall that when Muslims in Syria were in trouble, the famous general Khalid ibn Walid was asked to move to Syria immediately. Before leaving Iraq for Syria, Khalid returned to non Muslims of that locality, the Jizyah money which he had collected from them earlier.

This treatment to the followers of other religions by Muslims, was an exemplary event in history, especially in the light of the fact that the people of the area were treated very badly earlier by the Byzantine and the Sassanid rulers. Not only did the Jews and the Christians fight each other, but Christians sects fought among themselves. Islamic authorities played the role of peacemakers and judges in their disputes. Many Jews and Christians came to live under Muslim rule in preference to the rule of their co-religionists.

Umar had a great concern for all the citizens, but he paid special attention to non-Muslims. He felt their payment of Jizyah makes the Islamic State, both legally and morally responsible for their welfare and security. Whenever he came to know that a non-Muslim could not pay his tax because of poverty, he would exempt him and provide for his support from Baitul-Mal, the state treasury.

Even on his death bed, he remembered them[non-Muslims]and advised his successor saying: "Our commitment to non-Muslims must be fulfilled. They should be completely protected against any foreign invasion. They should be treated equally in the courts of law, and no injustice should be done to them. Their taxes should be fair, and no tax should be imposed upon them which they cannot bear." It was because of this just and fair treatment that most of the people of the area gradually became Muslims.

Some Exemplary Advocacy of Othman, the third Caliph towards the Non-Muslims

Upon assuming the mantle of Caliphate, Othman wrote to the governors and officials reminding them that his policy would be same as that of Umar. He wrote as follows:

"Allah has entrusted you with a heavy responsibility: to be a guardian of your community. Don't be a tax collector only; serve them as much as you can and be fair to everybody. Take interest in the affairs of the common people. Treat the Dhimmis [non-Muslims] fairly. Allah has created everybody with fairness and justice and He accepts only what is fair and just. Do not treat the orphans and poor unjustly. Keep in your mind that Allah will punish those who would oppress them."

You might have noticed that the third Caliph also mentioned the non-Muslim or Dhimmis, the orphans, and the poor? Why do you think that the Caliph specially mentioned fairness and justice for them? Why do you think that the Caliph reminded the governors about justice and fairness again and again? He did so because every powerful man has a tendency to control and exploit the weak. Unless a man is conscious of Allah's Power and Grace, he acts as if he is the most powerful man on earth controlling others; a person, when in a position of power, many times turns out to be an oppressor. That is why the Caliph, especially urged his governors to treat the poor and weak fairly. In fact, Muslims officials did treat everybody fairly. That is why the Dhimmis gradually accepted Islam and became a part of the Ummah.

The fourth Caliph, Ali, despite his brief reign, also followed suite how his predecessors dealt with the non-Muslims. Prophet Muhammad through an inspiration from Allah gave only then among his companions a guarantee of going to Paradise. In fact, the then Islamic state became so famous for its tolerance and protection of human rights that even non-Muslims left their homes and rule of co-religionists to come and live in the Islamic State. The Islamic State protected the Jews from the intolerance of Christians and some Christian sects from the intolerance of other Christian sects.

The above mentioned four Caliphs are part and parcel of, "Asharatul mubashireen bil-Jannah", "Ten People who were given glad tidings of Paradise". The Qur'an addresses the companions of the prophet, including them as, "Radiyal Lahu anhum warado anhu…", that, :"Allah was pleased with them and they were also pleased with Allah."

So, where lies ISIS claim of 'Islamic state'? where is the proof that ISIS represent a true Islamic state? What prompted me to write this piece was the castigation and character assassination meted out to me and all Muslims by some of the readers of my news weekly[every Friday] series on Islamic history, dubbed: "Delving Deep Inside the Islamic Historic Memory Lane" last two Fridays. Some of them described all Muslims as "head-cutters ISIS", "terrorists" "Killers" etc. And I decided to take this opportunity to educate them from the dustbin of history, since they are ignorant of these events and incidents in history that showcase mercy and magnanimity of the Prophet[PBUH] and the real and rational Muslim Caliphate, which is diametrically opposed to ISIS's rascal and radical Muslim 'Caliphate.

HusseiniYushau BabalWaiz, is the Research & Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Media & Peace Initiatives Inc. New York, Author of three books, including "Islam Promotes Tolerance & Prohibits Terrorism-Reviving the Islamic Advocacy of Mercy and Magnanimity to Mankind" & Tutor in Arabic & Islamic Studies in New York. [email protected]

References:
The History of Islam[Volume One] By: Akbar Shah Najaeebabadi.

Tareekhil Khulafah Al-Rashidoon-[The History of the Fourth Rightly Guided Caliphs, By: Dr. Abdullah AL-Ahsan, he worked at the Washington-based International Institute of Islamic Thought, Currently, a Professor of History at the International Islamic University in Malaysia.