Suicide Bombings Not Approved by Islam:
A rebuttal to
Dr Habib Siddiqui
by
Mohammad Asghar
29
January, 2006
Dr. Habib Siddiqui, in an
article published in News from Bangladesh, has stated
that Islam does not approve suicide bombings, hence the suicide
attempts made recently by some Bangladeshi Islamists are
un-Islamic.
I agree with the learned scholar, and
assert that Islam does not [explicitly] approve suicide bombings,
as it is not mentioned in the Quran. Having said that, I also need
to explain why suicide bombing is not mentioned in this Holy Book.
At the time the Quran was written,
suicide bombing was not in existence due to the fact that the
Arabs were not familiar with any kind of bombs. Had its writer
known that a day would come when Muslims would learn how to make
and use bombs in suicide bombings in order to realize their
Islamic as well as earthly goals, he would definitely have made
suicide bombing permissible through the Holy Book he has
bequeathed to the Muslims.
Having said that, we need to know if it
is true that Islam does not approve killing of innocent people by
any method, including suicide bombing?
Dr. Siddiqui has quoted verse 5:32 of
the Quran (in my copy of it, the verse number is 35) to prove that
Islam, indeed, does not approve unnecessary killings. But his
reading of the verse is not correct. To dispel what he has tried
to make out of the verse, let us read it in its entirety to find
out what actually is stated in it, and to whom it was addressed.
It reads:
[On that account: We ordained for
the Children of Israel that if anyone slew a person - unless it be
for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as
if he slew the whole people: And if anyone saved a life, it would
be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although
there came to them Our Apostles with Clear Signs, yet even after
that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land].
It is clear from this verse and the verses that precede it that it
was the Children of Israel (Jews) whom Allah had asked in the time
of Moses not to kill anyone, unless it was in retaliation of
murder or for stopping the spread of mischief in the land of
Canaan, a part of which is now known as Israel. They were told
that if they killed anyone for any other reason, it would mean
that they killed the whole people.
But what is the punishment of those who
wage war against Allah and His Apostle, and create mischief on the
land? In this regard, the Quran says:
[The punishment of those who wage
war against Allah and His Apostle, and strive with might and main
for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or
the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile
from the land: that is there disgrace in this world, and a heavy
punishment is theirs in the Hereafter] (5:36).
In order to understand the implication
of the above verse, we need to note:
Muslims have been asked to execute those who waged war against
Allah and His Apostle i.e. Muhammad. Since Muhammad is no more in
our midst, the question of waging war by anyone against him does
not arise. That being the fact, the question arises: how Allah
expects one to wage war against Him now?
The answer to the question is this:
Refusing to accept the Quran and resisting Islam is what is
referred to as war against Allah. He has already made it crystal
clear that the only true religion is Islam (3:19) and that whoever
desires a religion other than Islam, it will not be acceptable to
Him (3:85).
So, those people who are not Muslims
and follow other religions, but Islam, are the mischief makers.
Those are the people who are engaged in war against Allah today,
and those are the people whom Allah has asked the Muslims to
execute, probably, through beheading or crucifixion, or to inflict
on them other punishments, which are mentioned in the verse.
That the mischief makers of the Quran
are the non-Muslims can be deduced from what is stated in verse
47:4. It reads:
[Therefore, when ye meet the
Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye
have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them):
thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until
the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it
had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution
from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you,
some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He
will never let their deeds be lost."]
I think verse 47:4 should have appeared
in the Quran before verse 5:35, as in it is described what we can
say is the first step that Muslims must take for subduing the
Unbelievers and then to release them without any condition or in
exchange of money or to subject them to the punishments, which are
described in the earlier verse (5:35).
From verse 47:4, it is also clear that
Allah is always able to fight the non-Muslims, and to exact for
Himself retribution in cash or kind from them, but He granted this
privilege to the Muslims so that they can better their lives; at
the same time, He gets a portion of the booty from them without
Himself exerting any effort (8:41). Leaving this issue for
consideration by the scholars like Dr. Siddiqui, I want to
reaffirm that it is the non-Muslims, who the Quran says, are the
mischief makers on earth and whom Muslims must eliminate or
control in ways described in verse 9:29, so that Islam is able to
prosper, and become the religion of the entire mankind, without
any hindrance or obstacle.
In the time of Muhammad, neo-Muslims
prospered, and brought the non-Muslims to the fold of Islam,
through raids and wars launched by him or by his lieutenants. But
their prosperity did not last long, as the Prophet of Islam took
away from them whatever they possessed in the name of Allah (cf.
59:7 et al). Still they were satisfied and contented due to the
presence of the Prophet in their midst. But what the Muslims of
our time are supposed to do for spreading Islam among the
non-Muslims of the world and to become prosperous in the process?
They are to use Jihad to advance their
[Islamic] agendas. The word [Jihad] has appeared in the Quran for
at least 33 times. Contrary to what Dr. Siddiqui has said about
the term [Jihad], it, in most cases, denotes armed struggles by
the Muslims against their non-Muslim foes. Here is a brief
analysis of this term:
In many cases, the word [Jihadu]
appears in the Quranic verses together with the phrase [fi sabil
Allah.] It means [in the cause of Allah.]
Like the word [Qatilu], Jihad denotes
hostile acts, in the shape of wars, which Muslims, undertook in
the past and are required to undertake even now and in future as
well against the non-Muslims, specifically with the purpose of
converting them to Islam. In Jihads, Muslims should not expect to
gain any booty, but should it come their way in the aftermath of
their 'striving in the cause of Allah,' they should not only
accept it gladly, they must also cherish it wholeheartedly, for
all rewards and gifts come from Allah. Refusing gifts from Allah
is a cardinal sin (cf. Quran; 66:1).
Being an All-knowing Deity, Allah has
prescribed, through the Quran, how Muslims should carry out their
Jihad. Just two verses from the Quran should be enough to clarify
the nature of Jihad spoken of in this Holy Book:
9:41: [Go ye forth (whether
equipped) lightly or heavily, and strive and struggle, with your
goods and your persons, in the cause of Allah. That is best for
you, if ye (but) knew.]
Clearly, striving with equipment is not
a struggle that can be construed to be a struggle with one's inner
thoughts and desires. Striving (Jihadu in Arabic) means a war
against those who are unbelievers, hence they deserve to be
eliminated from the face of Allah's earth through violent actions,
and killings.
29:6: [And if any strive (with might
and main), they do so for their own souls: For Allah is free of
all needs from all creation.]
Striving with 'might and main' is not a
struggle against one's inner thoughts and desires. It clearly
means a physical war all Muslims have been ordained by Allah to
launch against those non-believers who refuse to accept Islam and
its doctrines.
Some Muslims of Bangladesh are engaged
in a Jihad against the non-believers as well as against those
Muslims who do not follow the Quran and the Sunnah of Muhammad in
their daily lives. Since they are not well equipped to effectively
take on their mighty opponents, they have been using suicide
bombings to realize their Islamic goals.
For the Muslims, Jihad means war. And
in wars, Allah has advised them to adopt all strategies (cf. 9:5)
that are necessary for making them successful against their
enemies. This is exactly what the Muslims of Palestine and
Bangladesh etc. having been doing. They wear on their person or
plant bombs in places where their explosion is likely to kill a
large number of their enemies. For true Muslims, other Muslims who
do not lead their lives in accordance with the teaching of the
Quran are their enemies. In the process of killing their enemies,
even if children and women get killed due to their actions, it
should not be a concern for them, for, a war that is carried out
to defend Allah and His teachings, has not only His approval, it
is also legally perfect in His sight. |
