Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
Thinking Like a Muslim
Recently - due to certain martyrdom operations in Dar al-harb - many
Muslims have taken to condemning fellow Muslims, and have, in their
pursuit of aiding the kuffar, used the ideas, the terms, the concepts,
the perspective of the kuffar to condemn their fellow Muslims.
There needs to be clearer understanding of the Islamic perspective -
and a desire to distance ourselves from the kuffar, in our life, and in
our very way of thinking. We should strive to once again think like a
Muslim - that is, judge things from an Islamic perspective, and an
Islamic perspective only.
The perspective of the Muslim is the perspective of The Last Day, of
the judgement of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) - of this mortal life as
but a means - and of following the guidance given to us in the Quran
and Sunnah so that we might attain Paradise (Jannah) InshaAllah.
Innocent and Civilian:
Two terms which are frequently used by Muslims are "innocent" and
"civilian". There is no concept, in Islam, of either "innocent" or
"civilian". We should know and accept that these are kaffir concepts -
concepts which they, and they apostate allies, seek to impose upon
Islam in order to try and control Muslims and bring Muslims under the
control, the domination - both physical and mental - of the kuffar.
Some Muslims quote the following Hadith in an effort to show that there is such a thing as the concept of "innocent" in Islam:
Narrated 'Aa'ishah who said that the Nabi (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) said, "The pen has been lifted from three; from the sleeping
until they awake, from the child until they mature, and from the one
who is crazy until he is sane."
In this Hadith we have a beautiful expression - "The pen has been
lifted..." The question we must ask is - Do we take the context to mean
that the three are "innocent" as the kuffar understand innocent? That
is, do we project a kaffir meaning into this Hadith? Or do we refer it,
for explanation, to what Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has told us, and
thus take it in the literal sense to mean that what they are doing,
have done, has not been recorded? If we refer to what our Rabb says:
"And over you are Watchers - just, honourable - who know and
record [write down] all that you do. Thus shall those who do what is
commanded be in bliss while the disobediant will be in the blazing
Fire. " [82: 10-14 Interpretation of Meaning]
Thus, understood in the context of the words of Allah (Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala) this Hadith refers not to some kaffir concept such as
"innocent" but to the recoding of our deeds.
In Islam, there is only the distinction between Dar al-harb, the realm
of war, and Dar al-Islam, the realm of Islam; or, expressed another
way, between the lands of war, and the lands of Islam. Peace, for
Islam, is the peace of Jannah, and the peace that arises from a
submission to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Peace has no other meaning in
Islam. This peace can be and should be expressed through Muslims living
in an Islamic way, that is, among Muslims in an Islamic community. This
means Muslims giving bayah to an Ameer; it means turning to the Quran
and Sunnah for guidance; it means upholding Shariah and Shariah only.
It does not mean democracy and it does not mean accepting the kaffir
concept of a "nation". It means a Khilafah, ruled by a Khalifah.
Thus, the lands of the kuffar are the lands of war - they can expect
war; they can expect bloodshed; they can expect chaos. Only if and when
they submit to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala can they expect peace.
"Allah guides toward peace those who seek His pleasure." [5:16 Interpretation of Meaning]
"And this (Islam and the Quran) is the straight path of your Rabb.
For those who take heed of Our clear revelations there shall be that
dwelling which is peace (Jannah). [6:126-7 Interpretation of meaning]
"It is through remembrance of Allah that the heart discovers rest." (13:28 Interpretation of Meaning)
In Islam, the basic distinction is between those who believe - those
who submit to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - and those who do not believe.
The Quran and Sunnah provide us with guidelines for dealing with the
unbelievers, the infidels, the kuffar, as they provide us with
guidelines for how we should behave toward our fellow Muslims.
These guidelines make it quite clear that the blood, the lands, the
wealth, of the kuffar are not always sacred, for us. For it is their
very disbelief, their very way of living, which allows us to attack
them, and fight them.
"And fight them until there is no more Fitnah and the Way of Life is for Allah Alone." (8:39 Interpretation of Meaning)
"Fight against those who do not believe in Allah, or in The Last
Day, and who do not forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and
His Messenger, as well as those among the people of the book who do not
acknowledge the Deen of Truth, and fight them until they pay the Jizya
with willing submission." (9:29 interpretation of Meaning)
"Fighting is prescribed for you, even though you may dislike it.
But it is possible that you dislike that which is good for you, and
that you love that which is bad for you. Yet although you may not know,
Allah knows." (2:216 Interpretation of Meaning)
"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)
As Muslims, however, we are bound to abide by the conditions Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has imposed upon us in respect of the wealth, the
blood, the lands, of the kuffar. What are these conditions, which may
limit us in attacking them and their lands?
"And if anyone of the Mushrikeen seek your protection then grant
him protection, so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and then escort
him to where he can be secure..." ( 9:6 Interpretation of Meaning)
The main condition - evident in 9:1 - is that if we have a treaty with
them, we should refrain from attacking them. But this treaty is itself
conditional on certain things - especially the condition that there is
an Ameer, or Khalifah, which has the authority to make such treaties on
behalf of the Muslims. But the fact is that no such Muslim authority
exists today because we do not have an Islamic community, ruled by an
Ameer, to whom we have given bayah, and who rules by Shariah and
Shariah alone. All that we have are once Muslim lands invaded and
occupied by the kuffar and ruled according to kaffir ideas and kaffir
laws - as in Iraq and Afghanistan - or we have apostate regimes, as in
The Land of the Two Holy Places, Egypt, and Pakistan, whose corrupt
rulers bow down before the kuffar and who have forsaken the guidance of
the Quran and the Sunnah for the earthly rewards given to them by the
kuffar.
"Correct guidance is the guidance of Allah." (3:73 Interpretation of Meaning)
"Whomsoever seeks a Way of Life other than Islam, it shall not be
accepted, for in the life to come they shall be the ones who have
lost." (3:85 Interpretation of meaning)
"And it is known by necessity in the Deen of the Muslims and by
the agreement of all the Muslims that whoever follows a Shari'ah other
than the Shari'ah of Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) then he
is a Kaffir and it is like the Kufr of the one who believes in some of
the Book and disbelieves in some of the Book." Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn
Taimiyyah: Al-Fataawa, Vol. 28/524
Another condition - evident in 8:61 - is that if our enemies incline
toward peace, we should also strive toward ending conflict with them.
But is this the reality that exists now - when our lands have been
invaded and occupied and when Muslims world-wide are being imprisoned
for striving to do their duty of Jihad? No, this is not the reality
that exists now: the kuffar have been interfering in our affairs, and
occupying our lands, for over eighty years, just as they are now
demanding that we abandon our authentic Islam for their version of
"Islam".
Taking Life - A Just Cause:
One Ayah often quoted by those Muslims intent of imitating the kuffar is:
"Do not take a life which Allah has forbidden you to take - except with just cause..." (17:33 Interpretation of Meaning)
These Muslims - and the apostate allies of the kuffar - then use this
Ayah to try and say that "Islam does not condone terrorism..."
However, if we consider what is being said here, by Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala, we can clearly understand the context - which is that it is
haram for us to kill someone, if Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has
forbidden it, unless there is a just cause. An example here would be
the killing of a fellow Muslim - which Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has
clearly and generally forbidden us from killing - but whom we might,
with just cause kill, if, for example, that Muslim had been condemned
to death in a Shariah Court. Another example might be a Muslim who
gives aid and support to the kuffar - such as informing on Muslims to
the kaffir "authorities" or handing over Muslim prisons to the kuffar
so that those Muslims can be imprisoned, tortured or killed by the
kuffar. Such an aiding of the kuffar is kufr, and one of the things
which nullifies one's Islam.
Does Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala forbid us from killing, from harming,
our enemies? No. Does Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala forbid us from harming,
or killing, the kuffar who have invaded our lands, who are killing
Muslims? No. Does Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala forbid us from harming or
killing those who are aiding the armies of the kuffar? No.
Another Ayah often quoted by the "moderates" is:
"Whoever ends the life of someone - unless it be because they had
(unlawfully) killed or had committed some dishonour - it will be as
though they have killed all life..." (5:32 Interpretation of Meaning)
However, placed in context, this refers to the Jews - "We decreed for
the children of Israel that whoever ends the life..." - and may be said
to expand upon 17:33. That is, it expresses a condition regarding the
taking of life: it is permissible to take life for a reason, which is
here given as an unlawful killing (unlawful according to Shariah, note)
and for the doing of dishonourable deeds.
Is aiding the kuffar dishonourable? Yes. Are the kuffar acting
dishonourably when they invade our lands, torture and kill our brothers
and sisters? Yes. Are those who support the governments of the kuffar
in such things - who support them through inaction or otherwise - doing
something dishonourable? Yes.
The Question of Innocence - An Islamic Perspective:
As for "innocent" - according to the definition of this kaffir word it
means "uncorrupted by evil, or wrongdoing; sinless; not harmful." Are
people who support - by, for example, paying taxes - a government which
invades Muslim lands, whose armies kill, torture and imprison Muslims,
innocent? Are people accountable for what a "democratic" government
does in their name?
In respect of bombs, have not the kuffar invaded the lands of the
Muslims, and have not they killed tens upon tens of thousands of
Muslims by dropping bombs upon them, by firing missiles at them? Have
the Muslims not suffered injustice after injustice, inflicted by the
kuffar?
"The retribution for a wrong is to inflict the like (upon the wrong-doer)." (42:40 Interpretation of Meaning)
"If an injury has been inflicted on you, make certain that a
similar injury has been inflicted, by you, on the disbelievers: there
are good days, and bad days, which We give to each side in turn for
thereby We know those who believe and choose from among them witnesses
(to the Truth)." (3:140 Interpretation of Meaning)
"And when you punish them (your enemy) then do so with the like of
that with which you were afflicted by them" (16:126 Interpretation of
Meaning)
"And there shall be no blame for those who take revenge after they
have suffered injustice. The way (of blame) is only for those
rebellious ones who oppress others and who insolently walk on the
earth: for these there will be a painful torment indeed." (42: 41-42
Interpretation of Meaning)
But the Islamic perspective in respect of "innocent" is that it is only
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala who knows who is, or is not, innocent - just
as it is Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala who will decide, when someone dies
or is killed by whatever means, whether to grant them Jannah and thus
let them attain the true goal of their mortal life.
The problem here is that the kuffar - and those Muslims imitating them
- perceive life and death in the context of mortal life and not in the
Islamic context of the immortal life to follow this mortal life. That
is, they are thinking - and judging - according to kaffir criteria, not
according to Islamic criteria. What matters for us, as Muslims - above
everything - is the next life. What does not matter is when we die; how
we die; where we die. We will die - and we have been given this life as
a test, from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, to find out if we are suitable
for Jannah. This life is an opportunity, which we can use, or waste.
"He [Allah] created life and death that He might put you to the
test and find out which of you acquitted himself best." (67: 1-2.
Interpretation of Meaning)
"This present life is only like water which We send down from the
clouds so that the luxuriant herbage sustaining man and beast may grow;
until when the Earth puts on its lovely garment and becomes adorned,
and its people believe that they are its masters - down then comes Our
scourge upon it by night or in broad day, laying it waste as though it
had not blossomed yesterday. Thus We make plain our revelations to
thoughtful men." (10: 24-25 Interpretation of Meaning)
Thus, all those killed, in whatever way, by whatever means, will be
judged by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - Who will decide their fate; Who
will reward them with Jannah, or punish them with Fire.
What we should always remember is that it is not what the kuffar think
or belief which is important - it is not what their laws or their
Courts of Law say is wrong which matter. What is important, what
matters, is the final judgement of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - and that
we do what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala wills.
Extremism:
The question we must ask is : What, according to Islamic criteria, is
moderation or extremism? Our criteria - our means to judge matters and
people - are the Quran and Sunnah, and only them. Western concepts,
ideas, criteria and principles are irrelevant. Thus, a moderate Muslim
is a Muslim who strives not to go beyond the limits, the bounds, set by
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and made manifest to us in the Quran and
Sunnah.
The moderate Muslim is the one who follows the guidance of the Prophet
Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and who always strives to
refer matters to his perfect example and that of al-Khulafaa'
al-Raashidoon (the Rightly Guided Caliphs) and As-Salaf as-Saalih. An
extremist Muslim, in contrast, is one who, for whatever reason and from
whatever motive or intention, goes beyond this guidance and these
examples, or who - through Bida or Shirk - deviates from the Quran and
Sunnah.
Thus, whatever is in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah - whatever is
lawful according to Shari'ah - is moderate, part of the perfect, the
reasoned, Way of Life which is Al-Islam.
Nation and Nationalism:
Islamically, the concept of the nation, and nationalism itself, are
kufr: a concealment of the reality of Tawheed. As such, these kaffir
things represent Jahiliyyah - the Ignorance of Disbelief; the arrogance
of refusing to acknowledge, and refusing submit to, Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala. The Message of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu
'alayhi wa sallam) - given by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and manifest in
the Quran and the Sunnah - was a revealing of that which kufr had
concealed, and as such, for those who embraced Islam, Jahiliyyah was
destroyed.
The only boundary Muslims should recognize is the the boundary between
Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Kufr. The kuffar have made nations and
nationalism into Taghut - idols which they worship; idols which they
love; idols which they are prepared to fight and die for and to which
they give their loyalty. All this is a clear defiance of Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
"Their way is to refer matters to a Taghut. " (4:60 Interpretation of Meaning)
Narrated By Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) said: "Allah, Tabarak wa'tala, has removed from you the pride
of Jahilliyah and its boasting about ancestors. A person can be either
an honourable believer or an ignoble sinner. You are sons of Adam, and
Adam came from dust. Let the people cease to boast about their kin and
kin-folk." Abu Dawud, Book 36, 5097
Terrorism:
Terrorism is yet another kaffir concept. Islam does divide people into
"terrorists" and non-terrorists. Islam is concerned only with Muslims
doing their Allah-given duty, as manifest in the Quran, the Sunnah and
Shariah.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has made it quite clear that we can and should make our enemies fear us:
"Allah Tabarak wa'tala said: "To counter them, use whatever force
you can, including steeds of combat, that you might terrify the enemies
of Allah who are your enemies." (8:60 Interpretation of Meaning)
Therefore, He made terrifying them an obligation for us. Thus anyone
who assists them, by supplying them with anything, is not terrifying
them - rather, they are assisting them in their insolence and their
disbelief." Ibn Hazm (Rahamullah): Ilam al-Muwaqqin (2/121)
"Fighting is prescribed for you, even though you may dislike it.
But it is possible that you dislike that which is good for you, and
that you love that which is bad for you. Yet although you may not know,
Allah knows." (2:216 Interpretation of Meaning)
Death for Apostasy:
Some so-called "moderate" Muslims - imitating as they do the ways of
the kuffar - have taken to saying that the Islamic punishment for
apostacy (which is death) is "outdated". However, it is quite clear
that such a punishment is the will of Allah Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
To become a Muslim, a person has only to say the Shahadah - to affirm
that there is no god but Allah and to affirm that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah. The Shahadah is an oath of allegiance to Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger - it is binding oath, taken on
one's honour, and must be given freely, without duress, and in the full
knowledge of its binding nature and its consequences. The person gives
bayah - and one condition of this pledge of allegiance is loyalty unto
death. To break this freely given oath is a dishonourable thing - and
the consequence of breaking this oath is death because that is the
honourable thing. An honourable person, having made such a pledge,
would be loyal unto death to those to whom that person had sworn
allegiance.
It is this loyalty unto death which the West, the kuffar, in their
materialism, have forgotten, and it is this loyalty, and the honour
which is part of it, which is one of the glories of Islam and one of
its strengths.
"Be loyal and do your duty to Allah; fear Him and always speak
with honour. He will direct you to do honourable deeds and will forgive
your mis-deeds. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will
achieve the greatest achievement of all." (33:70-71 Interpretation of
Meaning)
Conclusion:
What the kuffar want - what they demand, on pain of imprisoning us, and
killing us, and invading and occupying our lands - is that we think
according to the terms, the concepts, of the kuffar; that we live
according to kaffir norms. That is, the kuffar are trying to stop from
us from thinking and living in an Islamic way - they are trying to
create a tame religion for us, which they incorrectly call "Islam" (or
moderate Islam) as they have enlisted the help of millions of apostates
and misguided Muslims around the world.
We have to understand - and openly state - that the Way of Islam is
very different from the ways of the West, from the ways of the kuffar.
We think, or rather should think, in a different way to them - because
our perspective is very different from theirs. This difference is of
crucial importance in the war we are engaged in. Our perspective is
that of Jannah - of the next life - of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala; our
Way is of complete and humble submission to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala;
our Way is to rely on Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala alone. Our Way is the
way of honour unto death. Our Way is the Way of striving to live in an
Islamic community - where what distinguishes that community from others
is Islam, the practical implementation of Islam (Siyasah). Our Way is
to defend our lands, to regain them, through Jihad - which Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has made an obligation, a necessity.
"You who believe! What is wrong with you that you did not rush
forth when called [to aid] the Way of Allah? Or is it that you love
this earth so much - that you crave its comforts so much - that you
forget the next life where such earthly things are revealed for the
insignificant comforts they are?" (9: 38 Interpretation of Meaning)
"When Muslim lands are being attacked, and Muslims are being raped
and killed, the only solution prescribed by Allah is Jihad against the
aggressing army. Jihad is for all times." Sheikh Ahmad al-Ghumari:
al-Istinfar li-ghazw al-tashabbuh bi l-kuffaar
To think Islamically we must return to the fundamentals of Islam, to a
simple submission to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - and we must distance
ourselves from the kuffar,especially in our thoughts. That is, we must
reject their concepts, their terms, their perspective on life, and
embrace the Islamic perspective. We should never use their terms, such
as "terrorism", "extremism", "innocent", "civilian", "nation" or
"democracy". To think Islam, is to think from a position of strength -
from the knowledge that Islam is perfect, complete. To imitate the
kuffar is to bow down to the Taghut of the kuffar, manifest as these
are in their kaffir concepts, their kaffir terms.
Anyone who strives to use kaffir terms to interpret or "understand"
Islam - or, worse, any scholar who issues fatwas which uses such kaffir
terms - is imitating the kuffar, and thus distancing themselves from
Islam, from that simple submission to Islam, that Islamic duty, which
can lead us to Jannah
"You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last
Day, making friendship with and loving those who oppose Allah and His
Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam), even if they are their
fathers or their sons or their kindred..." 58:22 Interpretation of the
meaning]
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.
25 Jumaad Al-Thaani 1426
(Revised 24 Ramadan 1426)