Islam in Crisis (part 1)

ana_dobarah #63 You have just added to my knowledge of the difference between the Roman Catholic vs. Eastern Orthodox ways of reaching at decisions (i.e. the latter is much more consensus based than the former). While sadna is correct in saying that there is no central decision making authority in Islam, I think that is the way it should be. Since this gives each individual full control over his or her beliefs, and it is no one else`s business. The only authority left then is that of society at large, and the best (although by no means perfect) process through which that authority is exerted that I can think of is the democratic process as in the UK or the US.

d`souza: you write ``After all …look at mullahs and the church leaders…don’t they try their best…they leave ‘no stone unturned’ so as to glorify their past? Why shouldn’t Hindus do so ? If you love your religion then everybody does.``
Congratulations!! You have just won the award for the dumbest argument one could come up with, namely ``do as the mullahs do``. Forget the past, my friend. It is dead. Look for a glorious future instead, since that is where you will be spending the rest of your life. And your children. And your children`s children. Mullahs and priests of other religions are remnants of the past, 14th century men living in the 21st century.
And forget about ``loving your religion``. Love ALL religions - they all possess a common message at the core, and that is what is important. Dont associate yourself with the mischief and evil that has been committed in past centuries (and continues to be committed by the likes of not-a-slave in the form of cheap insults) in the name of religion.

THE LEGACY OF A GENERAL

Tehsinabasi # 65 writes: ``Unlike prophets of other religions Muhammad’s life and times are well documented and detailed historical records are available to us.............`` He further writes `` During the 10 years of the Medinat period, a total of 62 raiding parties were sent out by the Prophet (Al-Tabari). This means a raid every 2 months. The purpose of these raids was plunder. Goods, land, animals, children, women were all taken as booty which are benignly referred to as “mal-e-ghanima”. Men women and children were either killed or held for ransom. In other cases where no ransom was forthcoming they were sold in slavery, women were distributed among the victors.``

Reply:

There is no other person in the history of mankind whose life has been scrutinized more than the life Holy Prophet (pbuh); scrutinized equally by his friends and foes. There is no other person in the history of mankind whose life is as open book as that of the Prophet. Every action that he took, every word that he spoke has been recorded and reaches us via more than 6 hundred thousand narrations and traditions.

During his life time Holy Prophet acted also as a general who conquered an area of one million square miles in 10 years; that is an area equal to the Europe West of Russia. He conquered all this territory by sacrificing less than 150 (145 to be precise) Muslims in 10 years. This can only happen when one is set out to conquer hearts and minds and not the bodies.

There are two types of military expeditions that took place during his life time which are termed as Ghazwat and Saraya . By definition Ghazwat are those military expeditions in which he himself took part; Saraya on the other hand are those expeditions which he sent under the command of his companions. In his life time he fought 22 Ghazwat and 37 Saraya. Most of the Ghazwat and Saraya ended up without a single loss of life because most of these expeditions were just policing and enforcing the Medina Pact which he made with the tribes of Medina and surrounding areas. BTW Medina Pact is the first ever written constitution in the history of mankind.

A complete list of Ghazwat and Saraya is given below with the number of casualties listed. The loss on the side of enemies is also negligible given the barbaric nature of early Arabian society. The execution of 700 Jews after the battle of trench may not be considered as casualties of war, since that was actually an act of treason and breaking of Medina pact that resulted in their execution. But even if it is considered an act of war the number of enemy casualties still is less than 1000 approx., which makes it 120 casualties per year. There is only one man who was killed by him in a war. Similarly, the 14 people killed (which your sources say as 30) during the conquest of Mecca were not casualties of war, instead they were killed because the next of kin of their victims refused to forgive them. So it was a judicial execution and not an act of war.

A detailed history of these military expeditions can be seen at the following website, and can be verified through million others:

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/

And BTW Muslims are open to inquiry if it is done without malicious intent. There are no taboos in Islam.


GHAZWAT

Year 2 A.H (2 years after migration)
1: Ghazwat abwa also called Ghazwah Dawaan
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

2: Ghazwah Badr Kubra
Muslim Casualties: 14
Enemy: 70

3: Ghzawah Banu Qainuqa
Muslim Casualties: 1
Enemy: 1

4: Ghazwah Saweeq.
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

Year 3 A.H: Three Ghazwaat took place:

5: Ghazwah Gharfaan
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

6: Ghazwah Uhud
Muslim Casualties: 70
Enemy: 23

7: Ghazwah Hamrâ` Al-Asad
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 1

Year 4 A.H Two Ghazwaat were faced:

8: Ghazwah Banu Nudair
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

9: Ghazwah Badr-e-Sughara.
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

Year 5 A.H Four Ghazwaat were faced:
10: Ghazwah Zatur-Raqa`
Muslim Casualties: No info
Enemy: No info

11: Ghazwah Doomatul-Jandal
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy:0

12: Ghazwah maresi, also known as Ghazwah Bani-ul-Mustaliq
Muslim Casualties: 1
Enemy: fewer than 10

13: Ghazwah Khandaq (Ditch), the more important and famous one.
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 700* (see note above)


Year 6 A.H Three Ghazwaat occurred:

14: Ghazwah Bani Al-Hayaan
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

15: Ghazwah Ghabah also known as Ghazwah Zi-Qarah
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

16: Ghazwah Hudaibiyah.
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

Year 7 A.H One Ghazwah in this year:

17.Ghazwah Khaibar.
Muslim Casualties: 18
Enemy: 93

Year 8 A.H Four Ghazwaat happened during this year:

18: Conquest of Mecca
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 15

19: Ghazwah Hunain
Muslim Casualties: 4
Enemy: 70

20: Ghazwah Ta`if
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

Year 9 A.H Only one Ghazwah in this year:
22 Ghazwah Tabuk
Muslim Casualties: 0
Enemy: 0

SARAYA

1: Saryah Hamzah
2: Sarayah Ubaidah.
3: Saryah Zaid bin Muslim
4: Saryah Zaid bin HarithFour Saryah
5: Saryah Abu salmah
6: Saryah Abdullah bin Anees
7: Saryah Munzar
8: Saryah Murthad.
9: Saryah Muhammad bin Muslimah toward Qartaa
10: Saryah Akkashah
11: Saryah Muhammad bin Muslimah towaed Zil Qasd
12: Saryah Zaid bin Harithah toward Bani Saleem
13: Saryah Abdur-Rahman bin Auf 6: Saryah Ali
14: Saryah Zaid bin Harith toward Umme Qarfa
15: Saryah Abdullah bin Ateek
16: saryah Abdullah bin Rawaha
17: Saryah Karz bin Jabir
18: Saryah Amr Ad-Damri.
19: Saryah Ghalib Toward Bani Al-Maluh
20: Saryah Ghalib toward Fidak
21: Saryah Shujah
22: Saryah Ka`b
23: Saryah Amr bin Aas
24: Saryah Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah
25: Saryah Abu Qatadah
26: Khalid, also know as Ghameesa
27: Saryah Tufail bin Amr Dusi
28: Saryah Qutaba.
29: Saryah Alqamah
30: Saryah Ali
31: Saryah Akkashah.
32: Saryah Khalid bin Waleed toward Najran and
33: Saryah Ali toward Yamen.
34: Saryah Abu Bakr
35: Saryah Bashr bin Sa`d
36: Saryah Ghalib bin Abdullah
37: Saryah Ajzam. Saryah under the command of Usama. which set out after Prophet’s demise.

Tehsin 65,

If you are the old tehsin, friend of hamid, welcome my dear friend. You really sound like the old one.

Regards

Jayaprakash.

#67 by no_more_a_slave on February 18, 2003 10:38pm PT

Caste was introduced to categorize the nature of work performed. It was never intended to be used to marginalise between castes. The Hindu `mullah` did the trick to corrupt the whole concept. I can compare the caste system to departmentalization of a company where we have departments (and accompanying politics) each doing their part of work. I would also like to point that we always identify persons belonging to area/country/profession which i feel is what i call `Casting` (for IT guys, its the type casting). I agree that the current caste system does villify hinduism.

Since Tehsinabbasi may not be among the living for long, he should take comfort in the knowledge that out of a billion muslims there are one or two more alive who want to know facts. Here is an article a Jordanian wrote on Muhammad`s preferences. (For what happened to the author of this article, read http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2772505.stm - Jordan is not Pakistan. It is a very liberal country. The author was not hanged)


The Prophet and his libido

Jan 30th 2003 | AMMAN
From The Economist print edition


A paper that dipped into Muhammad`s sex-life is banned

TIME was, long ago, when Muslim commentators delved with tabloid nosiness into the public and private life of the Prophet Muhammad. Bukhari, considered the most authentic of the early collectors of the Prophet`s sayings, revelled in the ins and outs of who slept with whom, when and where. No longer. When al-Hilal, a small Jordanian weekly, published accounts, based on Bukhari, of the Prophet`s sex-life, the result was shock and horror.

This week, three of al-Hilal`s journalists were hauled, chained and caged, before a state security court and tried for defaming the messenger of God. An army general had earlier closed the paper down under a draconian decree, introduced after the September 11th attacks. This new sanctimoniousness, said officials, was a precaution to ward off a hue-and-cry from Jordan`s Islamists, already restive over King Abdullah`s hands-off approach to the looming war on Iraq. Instead, the government`s action encouraged the Islamists.

Within days of the banning, the main Islamist party, the Islamic Action Front, issued a hellfire fatwa denouncing the jailed journalists as apostates, even though one of them is a Christian. Little matter that, as the journalists told the court, they had selected their quotes from books licensed by Al Azhar, the Cairo-based font of Islamic orthodoxy, and on sale all over the kingdom. “The Prophet was a man of religion not sex,” pronounced a former religious-affairs minister prissily.

The paper had quoted companions of the Prophet recording that Gabriel, the angel of revelation, came to Muhammad, then in his 50s, and revealed an unclothed Aisha, aged 6. When the marriage was consummated three years later, said the paper, Aisha so thrilled the Prophet that his libido soared from the “least of men” to the strength of 40. She teased her conjugal rivals that she was favourite because she alone had been a virgin, and the Prophet preferred “to eat fruit from trees ungrazed”.

Modern scholars draw a distinction between the Meccan period, when the Prophet stayed faithful to a widow, Khadija, until her death, and the Medinan period, when he acquired his own city state, and took a young wife about once a year, having nine when he died. “If I say Muhammad was hyper-sexual, I`m not criticising the faith,” said al-Hilal`s publisher, Ahmed Salama. “But we`ve stopped worshipping God, and now worship his servants.”

Tehsinabbasi #65

I cannot believe it. Impossible. My eyes must be playing games. So completely unusual.

Another Muslim with integrity! Courage to face truth! Knowing that no dogma is as important as the truth! That truth is the Hightest religion.

It can`t be. Tehsinabbasi cant be a Muslim. Wake me up after it is proven that he is not a Muslim, he is an honest man, a kafir, and has been stoned to death.

Humsab, mafferjal

Where does caste fit in all your description of hinduism? Isn`t that part of it? Have you heard any other religion creating such system?

Are you people too adopting the islamic trick - hoping ugly evil in your religion will disappear if you keep your eyes closed? I dont get it. Please explain. I am all ears.

#24 by nazarhayatkhan

Sir,
#57 by maffrejal gives correct information.
Still Let me try to take up your questions one by one and try to give answers from a common man’s perspective. I am not an expert in this field but this is basic essence of the system as it is practiced. There are many other people on this site who have great knowledge on this subject and can satisfy your curiosity. I don’t think your questions are stupid.

Is it a philosophy, faith or a way of or all combined?

It is all combined. Still one does not have to do anything to be called a hindu. There is absolute freedom and no compulsion of going to any temple or any other place for salvation. Everything is left to ones own choice. Generally speaking, short of conversion, one is free to go to any Dargah or Church or any place to worship where one can get ones peace of mind and.

Here is a story from Shastras. This will give you the idea about Hindu philosophy. Once, Narad, a sage came to Vishnu, the Supreme Head and found him looking benignly at a farmer working in his fields. Narad asked Vishnu why he is feeling so much love for that farmer who has never ever uttered his name or remembered him whole of his life. Vishnu asked Narad to take a Pitcher of water full up to the brim and take a round of the earth without spilling even a drop of water and then come back to him to get his answer. Narad did accordingly and then asked Vishnu to give the answer. Vishnu asked Narad about how many times he uttered his (God’s) name through his journey. Narad stated that Vishnu must have gone crazy. How could he utter God’s name when his mind was fully concentrated on the pitcher of water so that not a drop spilled over. Then Vishnu enlightened Narad that same is the case with that farmer. Still that farmer was dear to Vishnu because he was doing his duties as a son, as a husband, as a father, brother etc, faithfully and selflessly.

One can realize oneself through Karam ( Work) through Bhakti ( Prayer) through Knowledge etc. And there is no exclusivity. One only has to look inside oneself, meditate, and work without attachment to attain salvation. Similarly, one can find his own new way to achieve this objective.

Recommended Reading: - Please read ‘Speaking Tree’ in Times of India everyday. It will give you knowledge about not just Hinduism but also other philosophies.


Does it lack dynamism because of its flexibility, tolerance and vagueness?

No, it has dynamism because of its flexibility and tolerance. It is not vague but it lets the person find his or her own path to God. Its basic belief is, ‘Truth is one but there are many ways to reach that.’

Why Hinduism has not spread beyond the Subcontinent?

Because it does not believe in proselytizing.

Why Jainism and Buddism could not take root in the Subcontinent?

Jainism is still very vibrant and firmly rooted in the country. Buddism is back on the rolls. Basic structure and philosophy of both these systems are from ancient Indian philosophy and these were reactions to whatever corruption has entered into the day to day Hinduism.


Why Islam managed to take a foothold in the Subcontinent?

First Talwar and then Sufi philosophy. One only has to read Cowasjee column of last Friday where excerpts from textbooks are given. It was this terror tactic which worked. Life in any case is very precious for everyone. Still a huge population managed to bear the sufferings and continue their way of life by keeping their heads down. In addition social inequities prevalent in Hindu societies also contributed towards this phenomenon of conversion but not to a great extent. As is clear, Islam has been able to capture and convert all the countries it went en masse except in India where because of caste and clan loyalties people found it difficult to convert in spite of many incentives.

Why there has been no great Hindu empire in the Subcontinent after Ashoka?

All the societies have their ups and downs. When it is going up then many corruptions set in and slowly start eating the system from within which start their downfall. Some societies start their upward journey faster but India has been slow in this case. Now, of course for last 50 years India’s curve is moving upward with many aberrations in between. Please do read Naipaul’s Million Mutinies.

Does Hinduism merge with Islam at the level of ``Sufism``?

Perhaps but SameerJB is the right person to answer this question.

Regards

No topic could me more timely for a free and open debate then the one laid by the author and I commend him on doing so. He has also been careful to tread gingerly on sacred ground. But I think it is high time that we debate openly and determine whether this emperor is really wearing any clothes. The author has outlined 3 fault lines of Islam but has discussed only the first two and not the historical, which hopefully is coming in Part II.

I think the historical context of Islam is perhaps the most important and requires the most careful study. Unlike prophets of other religions Muhammad’s life and times are well documented and detailed historical records are available to us. This gains further importance as the life and practices of the Prophet are taken as a living Quran and presented as a model to the Ummah to be examined and followed.

A study of the Medinat state established by the Prophet after Hijra gives one a clear idea as to what an Islamic State was and could be. This is regarded as the ideal age of Islam which all Muslims wish to revert to.

During the 10 years of the Medinat period, a total of 62 raiding parties were sent out by the Prophet (Al-Tabari). This means a raid every 2 months. The purpose of these raids was plunder. Goods, land, animals, children, women were all taken as booty which are benignly referred to as “mal-e-ghanima”. Men women and children were either killed or held for ransom. In other cases where no ransom was forthcoming they were sold in slavery, women were distributed among the victors.

Raids like Nakhla, the expulsion of the three Jewish tribes from Madina, the mass executions all give us a good snap shot of the conditions of the time. The violence in Madina contrasts sharply from the Meccan period. This clarifies for every one the true nature of the Madinat State. I strongly recommend Al-Tabari’s History of Islam. It would give pause to some of the various accolades our esteemed participants on chowk love to espouse when describing Islam. If I may quote one such instance “that the over-all spirit is one of peace, mercy, fairness, respect for all faiths and the equality of all individual, male or female, rich or poor, Muslim or nonmuslim”.

sadna:
my church history gets fuzzy sometimes, but from what I`ve been learning...one of the main reasons the split of the Church in the 10th century was never healed was because the `Pope` of Rome wanted and still wants to be the sole moral authority. In Catholicism, the Pope is the sole authority on issues like birth control, for example. In Orthodox Christianity (which is how the Church began) bishops and priests have gathered in councils for centuries to decide how issues should be addressed in the Orthodox Church, and these issues cannot be addressed without the approval or input rather of the faithful (which may be why there hasn`t been a council in yeeeears). I know this doesn`t quite address your post, just another perspective. :-)

To the author, Rasheed Talib, let me echo the comments of those like #1 temporal and #40 sadaf. I look forward to your next essays to see how you believe these fault lines support your thesis.

I was struck by the perception that so much of what you write about Islam was also discussed by the late Fazlur Rahman. Your writing style is much more accessible, much less written with what I perceive as Rahman’s constant syntax of self-defense (at least in “Islam” and “Major Themes of the Qur’an”) -- as though his critics harried his thoughts as he wrote. One does not have to agree with what Rahman wrote to agree that most who attacked him had no grasp of what he had written. And I agree with much of what he wrote that I have read.

For myself, I side neither with the arguments of those who perceive the Quran as a static instrument apropos for the past alone nor with those who say only that the Quran applies to all time, for the latter merely mean that their own vision of Islam should endure beyond the span of their lives as though the world were static.

I follow a third choice as best I may. I see Ijtihad as to some extent the personal duty of every Muslim. Nothing about life or its challenges is static, though themes may reoccur. The broad themes of the Quran help make it a living instrument that is not static because themes must resonate differently at different points in life.

Thus am I ever impressed that the first revealed commandment of Islam was literally to read. To comprehend. To study. For me Islam requires Ijtihad because each Muslim is accountable to God individually, and it is no coincidence that study is essential for Ijtihad.

I see no reason to quail before the duty of Ijtihad because it is the duty God offers to us to accept, and God is ar-Rahman and ar-Raheem. Likewise I see no reason to live the life of a scholarly ascetic because His Prophet told us that was not the way. Life while compelling us to make choices, also affords many occasions to learn.

#3 by sameerJB on February 17, 2003 3:06pm PT

“Despite all the hoopla lately, the economic opportunities for average Indians are no better than Pakistanis but Hindu madrassah and glorious mythical past are rather new things in Hinduism - since Sangh parivar.”

Hindu madrassa did not exist before but there were always educational sacred ‘ashrams’ in the ages old Hindu history where the disciples used to go to gain lessons on how to lead a perfect life in its full physical and mental manifestations. Even in Mahabharata and Ramayana there is a vivid description of these and they exist even now. But it is the lessons taught in these ashrams that are harmless.

Because Hinduism was the only religion around that time so it never was strict and never stopped its followers from doing this and that as it felt no insecurity. In the ashrams they never taught anything against other religions because there were no other religions. But the newer religions have to make sure they put tabs on its followers because of the competition they face so as to make sure the followers stay glued to Islam or Christianity.

Lately, Hinduism has realized where it went wrong. In its leniency… in its too much of tolerance. In being open minded and secular. In not putting any tabs on its followers. So the Hindus from the subcontinent went on converting to other religions because there was no scare and fear created for them neither in the books (that u will go to hell if you follow other religions ) nor from the priests.

So, sameer…the glorious Hindu past was always there but every religion has its good times and bad ones too. During Mughal invasions and English rule the temples were destroyed and it left Hindus a bit lowly and down trodden. So, now they have a right to rise back. And they have.

After all …look at mullahs and the church leaders…don’t they try their best…they leave ‘no stone unturned’ so as to glorify their past? Why shouldn’t Hindus do so ? If you love your religion then everybody does.

maffrejal #57

Bull! You are describing some idealized hinduism, may be even mixing some buddhism into it.

Nazarhayatkhan`s questions were good. Some Hindu if he, she can should answer. Hinduism being different kind of religion, answering nazarhayatkhan`s questions may be difficult. Still giving some idealized answers is like Islamists telling that Islam is a beautiful religion, God`s religion or perfect way. Empty words, even harmful.

Islam in practice is much more detrimental to its practitioners than mentioned in this article.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#56
Sameer

a) One of the most gruesome crimes of this age was the Rawandan genocide, in which about a million souls lost lives in a very short span of time. I`m sure you know the role of Christian clergy in that mayhem. I`m sure you also know that Islam in fact turned out to be the answer to Rawandans` racial nightmares. The conversion to Islam over there is in full swing, despite all the bad press Islam gets these days...

b) I`m sure you also know that Church in africa has been a contributing factor in the spread of AIDS, since Vetican doesn`t particularly like counterceptives. I`m also sure you know that AIDS has been relatively CONTROLLED in muslim dominated regions because of less promiscuity prevalent in those areas, primarily owing to the religion..

c) I`m also sure you`re aware of the disproportionate allocation of irrigation land in Africa b/w whites and blacks, and the resulting strife has created in many parts of the continent. As Guardian puts it ``About 4,500 white farmers own 11 million hectares of Zimbabwe`s prime agricultural land, while about 1 million blacks own 16 million hectares, often in drought-prone regions.`` (4/3/00)

The same legacy of colonialism has persisted in Pakistan for 50 years, and I personally believe that while such a miserable allocation of resources makes perfect sense in the context of Capitalism, only two systems could have eliminated it: socialism or islam.

d) May be you`ve heard of it, but Africa`s drought seems to have been `imported` from the west. ``The U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been warning that it`s quite possible Africa`s droughts are now being largely exacerbated or triggered by global warming (IPCC/UNEP report, 2/21/01)``
http://www.fair.org/extra/0211/famine.html

Now I fail to see islam playing any part in this catestrophe either.

Sameer, my point of quoting the above examples is to use Africa as a model to depict the worst-case scenario facing humanity:
- in the form of genocide
- in the form of AIDS
- in the form of drought

in all of these problems, islam can hardly be viewed as an aggravating factor. In fact , as I pointed out, it provides answer to some of these burning issues.

While I agree with most of the contents of Rasheed Talib`s essay, and with some of your points, I must point out that we have to put things in the right perspective, as you also mentioned I believe. To me, the most serious challenges facing humanity today are:

1. Massive pollution
2. Mis-allocation of resources (20% people consuming some 60% of resources, right?)
3. WMDs (I`m against them, regardless of who owns them)
4. Resource crunch to be faced by coming generations
5. Terrorism
(the order isn`t important btw..)

Pls. correct me if I`m wrong, but I believe that these challenges apply both in the local context (Pak-India), and at a global context, and I would like to hear your argument about Islam`s role vis-a-vis each one of them.

regards

Bhitai #54

So long as you stay truthful, we wont disagree.

Thanks