Editor’s note: There have been frequent communications to us at Tikkun claiming that ISIS reveals “the truth about Islam.” This is as big a slander as saying that Netanyahu and the racist remarks of some of the people in his cabinet reveals “the truth about Judaism.” We have seen many many public statements from Muslim leaders condemning ISIS. Obviously those that come from Saudi or Iranian leaders are a bit hard to take seriously, given their own repression of human rights. But there are many other wonderful Muslims speaking out, and the one below is quite typical of many that we’ve received over the course of the past two years. May their voices be heard more widely!— Rabbi Michael Lerner RabbiLerner.tikun@gmail.com
MY THOUGHTS ON ISIS AND HEINOUS CRIMES
ISIS, its creators, its verbal, material and financial supporters, and well-wishers are nothing more than pure terrorists, paid mercenaries and brutal murderers.
They are the enemies of all three real divine religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam and violating everything ordained by The Almighty Allaah and practiced by His Prophet (peace be upon him).
Anyone doubts that these brutal thugs and mass murderers serve any purpose or orders in Islam; must read as Allaah says (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:36), “It is not for a believer (in Allaah), man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision (regarding those matters). And whoever disobeys
Allaah and His Messenger, he (she) has indeed gone strayed into a plain sin.”
ISIS’s heinous actions against people of all faith (and no faith) are against the clear orders of Almighty Allaah. In another ayah (Surah Al-Hajj22:40), He says, “… For had it been that Allaah checks one set of people by means of another, Monasteries, Churches, Synagogues, and Masajid wherein the name of Allaah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled down….”
In year 628, religious leaders from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and sought his protection. The Nabi Ar-Rehmah, the Prophet of Mercy towards mankind and all gave them a written promise and ordered all his followers to honor that promise until the Day of Resurrection. He wrote:
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullaah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allaah! 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 Allaah’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.
Verily, they 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 nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”
Commenting on the “Promise of the Prophet to the Christians of St. Catherine’s Monastery, Prof. Dr. Muqtedar Khan, Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding wrote;
“The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far, straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God’s covenant.
A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!” (End Quote)
Imam Muhamad Ibn Muhammad Al-Ghazali (RA) said; “declare your Jihad against 13 enemies you cannot see such as egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping, slandering if you can fight and destroy them, than you are ready to fight the enemy you can see.”
O’ ISIS, you and your supporters are egomaniac, arrogant, deceitful, selfish, greedy, lustful, intolerant, angry, liars, cheaters, gossipers, slanderers and you cannot fight your own evil and repent to the Most Merciful Almighty Allaah and cease and deceit.
O’ you thugs and murderers of ISIS, you use the name of my religion and you violated each and every article of the Glorious Qura’n and the Promise of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
You killed uncounted numbers of innocent civilians, Muslims, Christians, Jews and others. You talk about Jihad in Islam and you don’t have a clue about Allaah, His Prophets, His religion Islam, or Jihad. You are dumb hired guns killings innocent people in the name of our religion.
O’ ISIS, you neither have Nafs nor a clear conscious, and by the virtue of your sinful actions it is also evident that you neither understand the Islamic concept of Jihad nor the sacredness of life.
We know, you cannot wait to spread your Satanism all over the Arabia Peninsula and beyond and all of us the “real Muslims” cannot wait until Allaah the Lord of all destroys you and yours, In Shaa Allaah.
Najam A. Najmi
Principal
Arbitrators – Mediators
Leadership Council
Southern Poverty Law Center
Teaching Tolerance – Fighting Hate – Seeking Justice
American Bar Association
Dispute Resolution Section
Member Amnesty International – USA