Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it another way, targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime, in the eyes of terrorists, is to represent "the other side". For this reason, terror means subjecting innocent people to violence, which is an act bereft of any moral justification. Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed to Jews in the Old Testament thus: if someone kills another person unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind (Qur'an, 5:32) As the verse suggests, a person who kills even a single man, "unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind.
It is very unfortunate to write here that the word Jihad has wrongly being used to represent terrorism by the outsiders. The exact meaning of "Jihad" is "effort". Thus, in Islam, "to carry out jihad" is "to show effort, to struggle". The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) explained that "the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out against his lower soul". What is meant by "lower soul" here is selfish desires and ambitions. Assessed from the Qur'anic point of view, the word "jihad" can also mean a struggle carried out on intellectual grounds against those who oppress people, treat them unjustly, subject them to torture and cruelty and violate legitimate human rights. The purpose of this struggle is to bring about justice, peace and equality. Apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the physical sense is also considered as "jihad". However, as explained above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive purposes. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression against innocent people, that is for terror, would be unjust and a great distortion of the true meaning of the term.
In the context of the current atmosphere of violence, one might be excused for assuming that jihad is one of Islam's main pillars. However, this is far from the truth. Islam is 'not addicted to war,' nor does jihad (Qital) form any one of the five pillars of faith. On the contrary, the Qur'an stresses compassion, benevolence, justice and wisdom. That compassion and mercy are central themes in Islam should be self-evident when almost every chapter of the Qur'an begins with: In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. In a famous saying of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he says: 'The merciful are shown mercy by the Merciful one. Show mercy to those on earth and you will be shown mercy by the One in Heaven.' The Qur'an declares that Muhammad (saw) was sent as a Mercy to the worlds (21:107), something to which he himself testified when he refused to curse a warring tribe: 'I have not been sent to curse, but as a summoner and as a mercy'. Indeed, such is the centrality of mercy and compassion in Islam, that the aforementioned tradition is the first tradition of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace that is taught to the student of Sacred Law. Muslim scholars have said that in every matter, Muslims should be just, merciful and wise anything that is lacking in any one of these principles cannot be said to be derived from Sacred Law. All sorts of Terror activities whether they are done in the name of “war on terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan or in the name of “Tahreek-i- Taliban” in Swat valley (Pakistan)......Islam denounces rather condemns them all.
It is unfortunate that whenever there is any terror activity committed by any person in any part of the world we are correlating it with the religion to which the person belongs .This is so true and ironic to write here that it becomes very highlighted and spicy for the newspersons when the same activity is associated with the followers of Islam. We cannot blame religion for the errors of those who use its name or symbols to justify their heinous actions. Islam is a religion which provides and guarantees freedom of ideas, thought and life. It has issued commands to prevent and forbid tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among people. In the same way that it is determinedly opposed to terrorism and all acts of violence, it has also forbidden even the slightest ideological pressure to be put on them: There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly distinct from error. (Qur'an, 2:256) So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not in control of them. (Qur'an, 88:21-22) Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. According to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and encourage each other about the features of Qur'anic morality. All believers are charged with explaining Qur'anic morality to people in the nicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion in the light of the verse, "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition..." (Qur'an, 16:125), however, they must also bear in mind the verse, "You are not responsible for their guidance, but God guides whoever He wills." (Qur'an, 2:272).Islam is the strong supporter of education, rather it is compulsory for every man and women in Islam to seek knowledge. Particularly for women, seeking knowledge is not only optional but encourageble in Islam, of course by maintaining all the rulings of Shariah. Bombing girl schools and colleges in swat valley by Taliban (as per the reports) is neither the teaching of Islam nor are they representing Islam in this way.
After the death of the Prophet, the Caliphs who succeeded him were also very sensitive in exercising justice. In conquered countries, both the indigenous people and the newcomers led their lives in peace and security. Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, demanded his people adopt just and tolerant attitudes in these lands. All these attitudes were in compliance with the values of the Qur'an. Abu Bakr (RA) gave the following command to his army before the first Syrian expedition: Stop, O people,that I may give you ten rules to keep by heart: Do not commit treachery, nor depart from the right path. You must not mutilate, neither kill a child or aged man or woman. Do not destroy a palm tree, nor burn it with fire and do not cut any fruitful tree. You must not slay any of the flock or herds or the camels, save for your subsistence. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them to that to which they have devoted their lives. You are likely, likewise, to find people who will present to you meals of many kinds. You may eat; but do not forget to mention the name of Allah. Such rulings and actions should be an eye opener for the so called ‘Liberators’ and ‘Peace Makers’ of the world who mercilessly killed over 10 million Iraqis and Afghans in the name of ‘War on terror’. Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), who succeeded Abu Bakr (RA), was famous for the way he exercised justice and made contracts with the indigenous people of the conquered countries. Each one of these contracts proved to be an example of tolerance and justice. For instance, in his declaration granting protection to Christians in Jerusalem and Lod, he ensured that churches would not be demolished and guaranteed that Muslims would not worship in churches in groups. Umar granted the same conditions to the Christians of Bethlehem. During the conquest of Medain, the declaration of protection given to the Nestorian Patriarch Isho'yab III (650 - 660 AD) again guaranteed that churches would not be demolished and that no building would be converted into a house or a mosque. The letter written by the patriarch to the bishop of Fars (Persia) after the conquest is most striking, in the sense that it depicts the tolerance and compassion shown by Muslim rulers to the Book of People in the words of a Christian:The Arabs to whom God has given at this time the government of the world... do not persecute the Christian religion. Indeed, they favour it, honour our priests and the saints of the Lord and confer benefits on churches and monasteries. All these are very important examples revealing the understanding of justice and tolerance of true believers. In a verse Allah commands the following: God commands you to return to their owners the things you hold on trust and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. How excellent is what Allah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing, All- Seeing. (Qur'an, 4:58).
Since the horrific and tragic events of September 11th, nothing has been more discussed and scrutinised in the public arena than Islam. The world at large has been subjected to a wealth of analysis by 'experts' which has further fuelled people's curiosity about AlQur’an. But as per the action-reaction theory, Book-sellers in Europe and the Middle East have reported an upsurge in interest in the Qur'an, which confirms what one British newspaper editor, had to say: 'Islam has never been of greater interest to the people of Britain than it is today. In America alone, where there are some more than six million Muslims, Islam is said to be the nation's fastest growing religion, despite there being no systematic form of missionary work. Now some question arise here that If Islam is a religion of peace, why the misunderstanding? How can a religion of peace gain a reputation for being a religion of war and terror? The answer lies in the way that Islamic scriptures are misinterpreted to suit perverted agendas. Words and phrases that are often repeated in the media have been misconstrued by individuals to give incorrect meanings. The deliberate blur between 'jihad' and acts of terror has been a phenomenon that has resulted from those unqualified in the science of Sacred Law. Since the end of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, the Muslim world has been fragmented. The loss of unification created many difficulties from which Muslims are still trying to recover. For one thing, it has seen the loss of the promulgation of real Islam, which has now given way to individuals claiming the right to reinterpret Islamic texts to grant them legitimacy in their own ideas. This has seen a tendency 'toward ambiguity and the careless use of many important terms. Islam in contrast is related to the notion of orthodoxy, clarity and authority; to continuity and consistency in the transmission of the truth. Within this tradition of Islam, a true Islamic landscape emerges; encompassing the richness of scholarly tradition and its illuminating contribution to the advancement of civilisation, even Barrack Obama recently in his Cairo declaration admires the peaceful preaching and contribution of Islam to the modern world. Islam engenders a faith and practice that makes the taking of innocent lives unimaginable and which is shared by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide. As noted by Tim Winter, a lecturer on Islam at the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University' One of the unseen, unsung triumphs of true Islam in the modern world is its complete freedom from any terroristic involvement .Everyone, enemies included, knows that the very idea is absurd. The dismantling of the traditional places of learning by the colonialists allowed individuals to make literal and extreme interpretations of Sacred Law that are in contradiction to and radically different from the previous centuries of traditional Islamic practice and learning. Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forewarned of such a time when people [will] take the ignorant as leaders who are asked for and who give Islamic legal opinion without knowledge [they are] misguided and misguiding. The result has been examples of extreme religious practice devoid of any real knowledge and characterised by bigotry, intolerance, harshness and excessiveness, all of which are in opposition to Islam as exemplified by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who always advocated the middle way.
It is very unfortunate to write here that the word Jihad has wrongly being used to represent terrorism by the outsiders. The exact meaning of "Jihad" is "effort". Thus, in Islam, "to carry out jihad" is "to show effort, to struggle". The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) explained that "the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out against his lower soul". What is meant by "lower soul" here is selfish desires and ambitions. Assessed from the Qur'anic point of view, the word "jihad" can also mean a struggle carried out on intellectual grounds against those who oppress people, treat them unjustly, subject them to torture and cruelty and violate legitimate human rights. The purpose of this struggle is to bring about justice, peace and equality. Apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the physical sense is also considered as "jihad". However, as explained above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive purposes. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression against innocent people, that is for terror, would be unjust and a great distortion of the true meaning of the term.
In the context of the current atmosphere of violence, one might be excused for assuming that jihad is one of Islam's main pillars. However, this is far from the truth. Islam is 'not addicted to war,' nor does jihad (Qital) form any one of the five pillars of faith. On the contrary, the Qur'an stresses compassion, benevolence, justice and wisdom. That compassion and mercy are central themes in Islam should be self-evident when almost every chapter of the Qur'an begins with: In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. In a famous saying of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he says: 'The merciful are shown mercy by the Merciful one. Show mercy to those on earth and you will be shown mercy by the One in Heaven.' The Qur'an declares that Muhammad (saw) was sent as a Mercy to the worlds (21:107), something to which he himself testified when he refused to curse a warring tribe: 'I have not been sent to curse, but as a summoner and as a mercy'. Indeed, such is the centrality of mercy and compassion in Islam, that the aforementioned tradition is the first tradition of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace that is taught to the student of Sacred Law. Muslim scholars have said that in every matter, Muslims should be just, merciful and wise anything that is lacking in any one of these principles cannot be said to be derived from Sacred Law. All sorts of Terror activities whether they are done in the name of “war on terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan or in the name of “Tahreek-i- Taliban” in Swat valley (Pakistan)......Islam denounces rather condemns them all.
It is unfortunate that whenever there is any terror activity committed by any person in any part of the world we are correlating it with the religion to which the person belongs .This is so true and ironic to write here that it becomes very highlighted and spicy for the newspersons when the same activity is associated with the followers of Islam. We cannot blame religion for the errors of those who use its name or symbols to justify their heinous actions. Islam is a religion which provides and guarantees freedom of ideas, thought and life. It has issued commands to prevent and forbid tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among people. In the same way that it is determinedly opposed to terrorism and all acts of violence, it has also forbidden even the slightest ideological pressure to be put on them: There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly distinct from error. (Qur'an, 2:256) So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not in control of them. (Qur'an, 88:21-22) Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. According to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and encourage each other about the features of Qur'anic morality. All believers are charged with explaining Qur'anic morality to people in the nicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion in the light of the verse, "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition..." (Qur'an, 16:125), however, they must also bear in mind the verse, "You are not responsible for their guidance, but God guides whoever He wills." (Qur'an, 2:272).Islam is the strong supporter of education, rather it is compulsory for every man and women in Islam to seek knowledge. Particularly for women, seeking knowledge is not only optional but encourageble in Islam, of course by maintaining all the rulings of Shariah. Bombing girl schools and colleges in swat valley by Taliban (as per the reports) is neither the teaching of Islam nor are they representing Islam in this way.
After the death of the Prophet, the Caliphs who succeeded him were also very sensitive in exercising justice. In conquered countries, both the indigenous people and the newcomers led their lives in peace and security. Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, demanded his people adopt just and tolerant attitudes in these lands. All these attitudes were in compliance with the values of the Qur'an. Abu Bakr (RA) gave the following command to his army before the first Syrian expedition: Stop, O people,that I may give you ten rules to keep by heart: Do not commit treachery, nor depart from the right path. You must not mutilate, neither kill a child or aged man or woman. Do not destroy a palm tree, nor burn it with fire and do not cut any fruitful tree. You must not slay any of the flock or herds or the camels, save for your subsistence. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them to that to which they have devoted their lives. You are likely, likewise, to find people who will present to you meals of many kinds. You may eat; but do not forget to mention the name of Allah. Such rulings and actions should be an eye opener for the so called ‘Liberators’ and ‘Peace Makers’ of the world who mercilessly killed over 10 million Iraqis and Afghans in the name of ‘War on terror’. Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), who succeeded Abu Bakr (RA), was famous for the way he exercised justice and made contracts with the indigenous people of the conquered countries. Each one of these contracts proved to be an example of tolerance and justice. For instance, in his declaration granting protection to Christians in Jerusalem and Lod, he ensured that churches would not be demolished and guaranteed that Muslims would not worship in churches in groups. Umar granted the same conditions to the Christians of Bethlehem. During the conquest of Medain, the declaration of protection given to the Nestorian Patriarch Isho'yab III (650 - 660 AD) again guaranteed that churches would not be demolished and that no building would be converted into a house or a mosque. The letter written by the patriarch to the bishop of Fars (Persia) after the conquest is most striking, in the sense that it depicts the tolerance and compassion shown by Muslim rulers to the Book of People in the words of a Christian:The Arabs to whom God has given at this time the government of the world... do not persecute the Christian religion. Indeed, they favour it, honour our priests and the saints of the Lord and confer benefits on churches and monasteries. All these are very important examples revealing the understanding of justice and tolerance of true believers. In a verse Allah commands the following: God commands you to return to their owners the things you hold on trust and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. How excellent is what Allah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing, All- Seeing. (Qur'an, 4:58).
Since the horrific and tragic events of September 11th, nothing has been more discussed and scrutinised in the public arena than Islam. The world at large has been subjected to a wealth of analysis by 'experts' which has further fuelled people's curiosity about AlQur’an. But as per the action-reaction theory, Book-sellers in Europe and the Middle East have reported an upsurge in interest in the Qur'an, which confirms what one British newspaper editor, had to say: 'Islam has never been of greater interest to the people of Britain than it is today. In America alone, where there are some more than six million Muslims, Islam is said to be the nation's fastest growing religion, despite there being no systematic form of missionary work. Now some question arise here that If Islam is a religion of peace, why the misunderstanding? How can a religion of peace gain a reputation for being a religion of war and terror? The answer lies in the way that Islamic scriptures are misinterpreted to suit perverted agendas. Words and phrases that are often repeated in the media have been misconstrued by individuals to give incorrect meanings. The deliberate blur between 'jihad' and acts of terror has been a phenomenon that has resulted from those unqualified in the science of Sacred Law. Since the end of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, the Muslim world has been fragmented. The loss of unification created many difficulties from which Muslims are still trying to recover. For one thing, it has seen the loss of the promulgation of real Islam, which has now given way to individuals claiming the right to reinterpret Islamic texts to grant them legitimacy in their own ideas. This has seen a tendency 'toward ambiguity and the careless use of many important terms. Islam in contrast is related to the notion of orthodoxy, clarity and authority; to continuity and consistency in the transmission of the truth. Within this tradition of Islam, a true Islamic landscape emerges; encompassing the richness of scholarly tradition and its illuminating contribution to the advancement of civilisation, even Barrack Obama recently in his Cairo declaration admires the peaceful preaching and contribution of Islam to the modern world. Islam engenders a faith and practice that makes the taking of innocent lives unimaginable and which is shared by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide. As noted by Tim Winter, a lecturer on Islam at the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University' One of the unseen, unsung triumphs of true Islam in the modern world is its complete freedom from any terroristic involvement .Everyone, enemies included, knows that the very idea is absurd. The dismantling of the traditional places of learning by the colonialists allowed individuals to make literal and extreme interpretations of Sacred Law that are in contradiction to and radically different from the previous centuries of traditional Islamic practice and learning. Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forewarned of such a time when people [will] take the ignorant as leaders who are asked for and who give Islamic legal opinion without knowledge [they are] misguided and misguiding. The result has been examples of extreme religious practice devoid of any real knowledge and characterised by bigotry, intolerance, harshness and excessiveness, all of which are in opposition to Islam as exemplified by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who always advocated the middle way.