[Readers, please note: the original author of this ‘Book’ sent me the draft
for a review and commentary. Having carefully reviewed and having made some
minor corrections/alterations of the draft , I felt compelled to circulate
this basic book on ‘Real Islam’ in the Internet, so that anyone who is
interested in ‘Real Islam’ and Islamic Terrorism may benefit from its rich
content. The original author prefers to remain anonymous at this stage,
until possibly when a publisher agrees to publish this book at an
appropriate time. Due to its prolix nature, I have divided this ’Book’ into
15 parts. This is part 1/15; the remaining parts will be posted as they
become available. Please feel free to comment on this ‘Book.’ All comments
should be sent to abul88@.... Happy reading—Abul Kasem, the
reviewer.]



An Introduction to Real Islam and Jihad
(November 2003)


Introduction
The war we are engaged in, we are told, is a war against 'terror'. But
terror is a method, not an enemy. Those who limit their thought process to
the constraints of the politically-correct ‘thought police’ seem content to
believe that we are not really fighting individuals or nations, but rather
an abstraction, … as if somewhere there are soldiers with "Republic of
Terror" embroidered on their uniforms marching lock-step to attack us.
Terrorist acts are simply the weapon of choice deployed by the true enemy.
So in reality we are no more in a war against terrorism than we were engaged
fighting the scourge of Machine guns in WWI, Zeros in WWII, or the plague of
Soviet Tanks in the Cold War. Though such vague, loose nomenclature may be
reassuring in our society obsessed with political correctness, it prevents
rational evaluation of the true threat behind the terrorist weapon deployed
against us.


The gentle reader should be forewarned that his work delves much deeper
into the cultural, spiritual, and religious roots of the current conflict
than many others dare to go. This is not for the faint hearted, but is
presented for the benefit and enlightenment of all lovers of truth,
knowledge, and freedom. It should be noted that this work is likely to be
tagged by some as Islamophobic or racist. It may appear, and some will
undoubtedly charge, that the facts and views presented herein are extreme.
But the data is in fact genuine, accurate, and fair, as is the context. It
seems inevitable these days, that perspectives based on traditional values
are quickly tagged as politically ‘incorrect’, and more often than not are
judged as coming from the extreme far right. Contrary to the reviews of the
‘morally-core challenged’ elite that are sure to follow, this author does
not lean heavily to the far right. Those all the way ‘Right’ have no concept
that the absolute (and unalterable) demands of Justice can be satisfied by
mercy through spiritual change, repentance, and true reform. I will
however, admit to ascribing to political, social, and religious philosophy
centred much more on personal responsibility than is currently interpreted
as ‘politically correct’ by the far-left.


There is Far-Left, Left, Middle, Right, and Far-Right. Be careful not to
limit and ascribe correct behavior and judgment to any one political
philosophy. Within all these leanings are valuable perspectives, truth, and
wisdom. I look at them all as incomplete sources of information and ideas.
Because the Left often seeks to void personal responsibility by
circumventing justice with mercy, without the process of repentance, they
err. Because the Right often says ‘Lock them up and throw away the key’, or
‘hang-em high’, and operate from a merciless platform of pious superiority,
they err. Then there is the Middle... Within the Middle there are good
people who are intelligent and try to take the best and wisest approaches
from both spectrums depending on current realities, but unfortunately large
numbers are simply people without deep moral convictions or strong values
which our society has traditionally depended on for its strength and
prosperity. Those with no convictions are dangerous because, with no compass
of their own, they can be easily manipulated through misinformation and
spin. Stalin referred to these as “the convenient masses”.


There are two very practical pieces of advice upon which one can base fair
judgment of other people, religions, and governments. In fact those who fail
to embrace this advice completely will remain forever as lost as ‘old’
Europe is today. I believe my source is a good one. The first litmus test
to use in judgment is, … "Only through a mans works is his true nature
exposed". The other is "By this we can know if man has truly repented, … he
will confess and forsake the bad behavior”. By these two pieces of advice,
one can fairly judge the value of individuals/groups actions, and also gauge
the progression of an individual/group if and when they realize their
actions lead to bad fruit, and make claim to be reformed. Until then, it
would be stupid to call the kettle anything other than 'black', even when
speaking from a pot that is less than white.


The West looks forward to Islam taking full responsibility for the bad
fruit being produced in their name, and out of a sense of principal and
humanity actually doing something to change it, without having to be
pressured by others. But we must also be realistic and realize we can
expect only more of the same, … a little ‘hand wringing’ is probably all we
will ever see from their regional and world leaders, along with more finger
pointing at Israel and the West. The reasons for such pessimism will become
clear later. In the mean time, until we see effective action and hear
convincingly from this supposed vast silent majority of peace-loving
Muslims, it is expedient for the rest of the world to live with both eyes
wide open.



Chapter 1

The Enemy at the Gates:

On September 11, 2001, Self-described devout Muslims carried out an act
of brutal terrorism and murdered some 3000 people in America. They hijacked
4 planes, slit the throats of stewardesses, and destroyed the World Trade
Center and part of the Pentagon. America and other nations responded and
went after culpable Muslim terrorist groups in Afghanistan. Their various
cells, networks, and organizations stretch far and wide, and elsewhere in
the world some governments arrested others associated with Islamic terrorist
organizations, all claiming to be good devout Muslims.



Following September 11th, most Muslims living in the West defended
Islam and stated that Islam is a religion of peace, while many other Muslims
living in the Islamic world and even some Muslims in America (living in
predominately Muslim communities) as well as Muslim students on American
campuses, openly celebrated the deaths and destruction wrought upon us. Many
others throughout the Islamic world were observed rejoicing and calling for
the continuing destruction of America shouting "Death to America", and
"America is the Great Satan". Huge numbers openly or quietly rejoiced, with
the absence of sincere and coherent outrage palpable. In the West Muslim
spokesmen were much more muted, some proclaimed that the Muslim terrorists
have hijacked their faith and that real Islam is a kind, tolerant religion
not associated with terrorist individuals or events. A claim oft repeated in
defense of Islam was that “Islam’ is a word which literally means ‘Peace’”.
In response it was pointed out that the Arabic word for peace is salaam, and
that Islam is Arabic for surrender or submission, quite a different concept
than peace, and that even Muslim means one who submits. Now the official
line from Islam is that “Islam’ means Peace through submission to Allah’s
will”, but the opposite camp points out that the newly created definition is
illusory in that it does not mention what ‘Allah’s will’ is with respect to
Jihad and its role in the advancement of Islam. The two camps often seem to
completely contradict each other. Obviously, they both cannot be correct.
Those in the West are left to divine, what’s the bottom line according to
real Islam? Out of an overabundance of prudence, it would be wise to first
fortify ourselves with knowledge. If we fail to thoroughly investigate what
Islam is truly all about, there is a danger we might inadvertently invite
even more horrific sequels to the disasters that have already been
perpetrated upon us.



Since that dastardly attack the topic of Islam seems always in the news
and there has been much more discussion around terms like “Jihad”. One
question commonly asked is "why are so many associated with this religion so
violent?" Giving the benefit of the doubt to a poorly understood religion,
and to secure the support of the Islamic world, the American political
machine has gone out of its way to stress that America and her allies are
not fighting Islam, but rather, they are fighting Muslim terrorists who have
perverted the true teachings of Islam. On the other hand, other voices have
raised concerns that indeed there is a violent component within the
religion, and that Islam itself is part of the problem. Thus far those
expressing concerns about fundamental Islam have been largely muted, out of
an overabundance of political correctness and liberal social concerns. But
this overwhelming desire to view the Islamic world through rose-colored
glasses has led to a resistance of critical analysis of Islamic writings,
practice, and history.


For us to truly understand "Jihad" and Islamic violence in today’s time
frame, we must start by examining the Islamic texts in some detail. A
sixty-second sound byte from an "expert" (be they Muslim, Christian, Hindu,
or otherwise) is not sufficient. To gain a knowledge base sufficient for
fair judgment one must more deeply investigate the three sources of
religious philosophy related to Islam in their holy texts, … the Qur’an,
Hadith, and Sira. But quoting a verse is not enough, we also have to
acquaint ourselves with other sources of history surrounding the period to
understand the context, background, scope, and applicability of the various
passages related to Jihad and violence in Islam. Otherwise, one would be
left with many passages that seemingly contradict each other, and be no
closer to truly understanding "Jihad", and the application of Islamic
violence today. A complete picture must be drawn. A mere phrase such as
"Islam means peace", or "Jihad is an internal struggle against internal,
sinful desires", or, "Islam is violent" has little support if one does not
know the actual teachings of Islam.


Since the death of thousands of Americans has occurred at the hands of
self-proclaimed devout Muslims, and since scores of similarly disposed
Muslims have vowed to continue to murder Americans, be they men, women, or
children, it is incumbent upon us to examine the fundamental teachings of
Muhammad, found in their texts, and see how they are being applied or
misapplied today. This investigation and study has become all the more
urgent because of what is at stake. It is not only American lives (and way
of life), which may be at risk, but the lives of anyone living in a free,
democratic society. Therefore, readers should understand that when
"America", or "American" is referenced, we are also including Britons,
Mexicans, French, Germans, Japanese, Brazilians, Russians, Poles, Chinese,
Australians, Canadians, Brazilians, and so forth. It is not just Americans
who may be at risk; all non-Muslim peoples are at issue.



For a start, the sometimes-elusive Islamic concept of Jihad must be
clearly understood. In particular, we need to determine exactly how violent
Jihad is understood, accepted and supported by a majority (or a large
minority) of Muslims today. If it is accepted and supported as it is
practiced my many militant groups today, then it would really be incorrect
to call Islam a religion at all by western standards; rather it would
represent more a military, political and cultural threat. These hard
questions need to be asked to know if the actions of the many devoted
murderous Muslims in various organizations and lands today can be identified
as truly Islamic and if their violent acts are done in the spirit of real
Islam, or if they (and their active and passive supporters) represent a
fringe minority. Many prefer to believe that the threat to America comes
not from Islam itself, but from an extremist form of the religion espoused
by terrorists and their small but vocal band of supporters. If they are a
tiny insignificant minority, they may be manageable by typical diplomatic,
military, and law enforcement methods designed to marginalize, isolate,
discredit, and destroy. But a majority or even a large minority from a
population of billions is still a huge number of people virtually impossible
to manage by those methods, because if millions or billions intend to kill
and destroy a particular people or nation, there is very little that society
can do to protect itself short of extreme protective self-defense and even
offensive measures. For ourselves, and our future, we need to answer the
following three questions:



1) What are the teachings of real Islam found in the Qur’an, Hadith, and
Sira with respect to the use of violence, call it Jihad if you like, to
aggressively spread it’s power over non-Muslims, and are these teachings
valid and applicable today?
2) Is real Islam behind and does it condone the murder of 3000 Americans and
the destruction of the WTC, or were those Muslim terrorists doing something
well outside Muhammad’s religion?
3) What does the future hold for Islam and America, Britain, Western Europe,
Japan, Australia, Russia, China, and so on?


Chapter 2

Real Islam and the Religious Texts:

"Real" Islam is the Islam Muhammad practiced and taught, as it is read and
understood by the majority of Muslims today. Further, the most applicable
part of Real Islam is based more heavily upon Muhammad’s final teachings and
deeds than earlier writings. These final teachings are recorded in the
Qur’an, Hadith (Hadith are the traditions and sayings of Muhammad), and Sira
(Sira is comprised of Muhammad’s biographical material).



These foundational texts of Islam contain Muhammad’s words and deeds
over a 23-year period, the Qur’an being dominant in Islamic theology. In
studying the scripts, it needs to be remembered that many of his words that
are understood apply only to a specific people for a specific time or event.
It appears that as Muhammad’s circumstances changed, his words, teachings,
commands, and attitudes also sometimes changed. Thus, as situations changed
over time and Muhammad’s words and teachings morphed to accommodate them,
real Islam changed over time. In the end, at Muhammad’s death, the
philosophy and conduct of Islam and its followers solidified to a more
stable and recognizable form. Therefore, to determine what real Islam
teaches regarding Jihad and violence, we must examine these text’s
chronology, context, scope, and applicability. It is either mistaken or
dishonest to take one passage out of context and apply it to a set of
circumstances for which it was not meant.


What we are going to do is examine a number of Qur’anic passages
related to Jihad and violence. Citations from related Islamic texts, i.e.,
the Hadith and Sira are provided to provide the context, chronology, and
background. Additionally, references from various early Islamic scholars’
commentary are presented (tafsir). When appropriate, quotations from other
books written by scholars or experts on Islam are presented, be they Muslim,
Christian, or secular.


After this, we are going to go a step further. We are also going to
examine Muhammad’s actions. Actions ever speak louder than words; therefore,
let us lend an ear to hear what it is that his deeds speak about the man. A
wise sage said, "A man is defined by what he does." Thus, Muhammad’s works
must be thoroughly scrutinized, for surly they truly portray his heart and
show us who he truly was and what he truly believed. We will also briefly
review what Muhammad’s closest "companions" understood to be his final
wishes, which they understood to be the commands of God as to His messenger
or apostle. We will refer to the four "rightly guided" Caliphs: Abu Bakr,
Umar, Uthman, and Ali. These four hold a special place in Islamic theology
and history. If anyone knew what Muhammad truly wanted, they did. Following
Muhammad’s death, they continued to fulfil and obey his commands, as they
understood his final clear directions and wishes. They loved Muhammad,
obeyed his commands, and put their lives on the line for him time and again.
Hence their actions depict their understanding of how Muhammad wanted them
to carry on Islam into the future (i.e. real Islam).



Now then, if Muhammad’s calls to violence found within the texts were
only for a specific period of time, against a specific people, for an
understandable cause such as self defence, or to alleviate the oppression of
an oppressed people, then the critics of Islam could not honestly say that
Islam is a religion that condones aggressive violence and terrorism. On the
other hand, if it can be shown that Muhammad’s final intentions for Islam
were to attack, conquer, and rule all other peoples, and that the use of
violence, in various forms including terrorism, were justified towards
installing Islam as the dominant power, and that philosophy is being
extended to today by a significant number of believers, then it would be a
deliberate deception to call Islam a religion of Peace.



In light of the long, often-violent history of Islam’s expansion, and the
many more recent terrorists attacks in the world, it would be foolish to
rely on carefully crafted statements, in English, from prominent Muslims
regarding the true nature of Islam. Westerners are inclined to believe
religious leaders are normally honest and pious, and we want desperately to
believe that all Muslim clerics and Imams are similarly disposed, but that
is an assumption fraught with peril. Unfortunately, as will be shown,
dishonesty and deception towards non-believers are also a part of accepted
Islamic practice and doctrine, and success at such deliveries in the advance
of Islam is celebrated and rewarded.


So, Let’s start this investigation.



Chapter 3

ABROGATION:

Understanding the application of Abrogation as it is used in interpreting
the Qur’an is critical to this study. This unusual application is an
important principal and facet of Islamic studies. We must start with the
Qur’an because the Qur’an is one of the foundations of Islam. Islam is built
upon the Qur’an and "Sunnah", or lifestyle of Muhammad. Many Western readers
will probably be inclined to apply traditional methods of logic and study of
Biblical Scriptures to their study of the Qur’an. They will be tempted to
take various Qur’anic verses at face value, mistakenly thinking that all the
verses in the Qur’an are applicable today. They may reason that since the
Qur’an in one place says, "there is no compulsion in religion"; it must mean
that Muslims are not to force people into Islam. This approach, however, is
erroneous. One of the odd facets of the Qur’an is that some verses
"abrogate" other verses, or in other words they cancel them, rendering them
null and void and no longer applicable. "Abrogation" means the cancelling
or replacement of one Qur’anic passage by another. Things changed during the
23-year period that Muhammad spoke the Qur’an. As circumstances changed,
Muhammad’s directions and precepts found in the Qur’an changed accordingly,
sometimes quite dramatically. Thus the Qur’an abrogates or cancels itself in
various passages and presents seemingly conflicting statements. Muslims do
not view these abrogations as contradictions, but rather, as improvements to
better suit the varying circumstances or needs, or to fit Muhammad’s
religious concepts. For example, many Islamic scholars consider that the
verse reference above "there is no compulsion in religion", found in 2:256,
has been abrogated by the passage found in 9:5, (more on this later). This
is widely understood because the more tolerant verse in chapter 2 was spoken
about 7 - 8 years earlier than the one spoken in Chapter 9.



The "Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms and Concepts", pages 5 and 6, [2], state:
"Qur’anic injunctions themselves may be abrogated, as has happened in a few
cases. An example of this abrogation is 24:2 which abrogates the punishment
of adultery, (q.v.) stated in 4:15-16. A study of the Qur’an shows first,
that only a limited number of Qur’anic verses have been abrogated, and
second, that the abrogation pertains to legal and practical matters only,
and not to matters of doctrine and belief."



In "Islam: Muhammad and His Religion", page 66, [3], the great Islamic
scholar Arthur Jeffery wrote: "The Qur’an is unique among sacred scriptures
in teaching a doctrine of abrogation according to which later pronouncements
of the Prophet abrogate, i.e.: declare null and void, his earlier
pronouncements. The importance of knowing which verses abrogate others has
given rise to the Qur’anic science known as "Nasikh wa Mansukh", i.e.: "the
Abrogators and the Abrogated"."



The Encyclopedia of Islam, [4], states on abrogation:
Rather than attempting to explain away the inconsistencies in passages
giving regulations for the Muslim community, Kuran scholars and jurists came
to acknowledge the differences, while arguing that the latest verse on any
subject "abrogated" all earlier verses that contradicted it. A classic
example involves the Kuranic teaching or regulation on drinking wine, where
V, 90, which has a strong statement against the practice, came to be
interpreted as a prohibition, abrogating II, 219, and IV, 43, which appear
to allow it.



So, as a result of changing circumstances, various Qur’anic passages
were abrogated, and it is normal that, as a philosophy and doctrine, Islamic
doctrine changed over time. As such, rules that apply at one point in time
may not necessarily apply at a later date. This concept is unusual by
Western religious standards in its scope, and there are even minor
disagreements within Islam regarding which teaching or doctrine abrogates
another. But in general, Muslims recognize more recent passages and
writings as the most applicable, abrogating earlier references on the same
subject matter.



Therefore, when discussing Islam and Jihad, what must be considered
most applicable are Muhammad’s final teachings and the commands that he
wanted obeyed. What were his last wishes and instructions regarding Jihad
and violence? Which Qur’anic passages are still in force today for the
Muslim and the Muslim community, and which are not? Earlier statements
related to peace may or may not have been abrogated by later statements
related to violence, or visa versa. We will have to carefully examine the
context of the texts to know which are acceptable and in force today for
Muslims.






REFERENCES:

[1] http://answering-islam.org/Silas/
[2] Mir, Mustansir, "Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms and Concepts", Garland,
New York, NY, 1987.
[3] Jeffery, Arthur, "Islam: Muhammad and His Religion", Bobs Merril
[4] "Encyclopaedia of Islam", published by Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands.
[5] http://answering-islam.org/Silas/mo-death.htm
[6] Kassis, Hanna, "Concordance of the Qur’an", University of California
Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1983.
[7] "Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam", edited by H.A.R. Gibb, published by
Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands.
[8] Ibn Kathir, "Tafsir of Ibn Kathir" published by Al-Firdous, New York,
NY, 2000.
[9] "Reliance of the Traveler", (A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law), by
Ahmad al-Misri, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, published by Amana
publications, Beltsville, Maryland, USA 1991
[10] Muslim, Abu’l-Husain, "Sahih Muslim", translated by A. Siddiqi,
International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1971
[11] al-Tabari, "Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-muluk", (The History of al-Tabari),
volume 8, State University of New York Press, 1997.
[12] Ibn Ishaq, (d.782), "Sirat Rasulallah", compiled by A. Guillaume as
"The Life of Muhammad", Oxford, London, 1955
[13] Sell, Canon, "The Historical Development of the Qur’an", published by
People International.
[14] Bukhari, Muhammad, "Sahih Bukhari", Kitab Bhavan, New Delhi, India,
1987, translated by M. Khan
[15] "The Nobel Qur’an", translated by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali
and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, published by Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, PO Box
21441, Riyadh 11475, Saudi Arabia, 1994.
[16] Dawood, N. J., "The Koran", Penguin, London, England, 1995
[17] Watt, W. M., "Muhammad at Mecca", Oxford University Press, London 1952.
[18] Gatje, Helmut, "The Qur’an and its Exegesis", Oneworld, Oxford,
England, 1997
[19] Rodwell, J. M., "The Koran", by, published by Everyman, London, England
[20] Ibn Sa'd, (d. 852 A.D.), "Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir", (Book of the
Major Classes), translated by S. Moinul Haq, Pakistan Historical Society
[21] Dashti, Ali, "23 Years: A Study in the Prophetic Career of Mohammad",
Mazda, Costa Mesa, CA, 1994. Translated by F.R.C. Bagley
[24] Wensinck, A., "Muhammad and the Jews of Medina", pub. by K. S. V.
[25] http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Muir/Life3/chap13.htm
[26] Abu Dawud, Suliman, "Sunan", al-Madina, New Delhi, 1985, translated by
A. Hasan
[27] Ayoub, Mahmoud, "The Qur’an and Its Interpreters" vol. II - The House
of Imran, Albany, N.Y.; State University of New York Press, 1992
[28] Ali, Yusef, "The Holy Qur'an", published by Amana, Beltsville,
Maryland, USA, 1989
[29] Asad, Muhammad , "The Message of the Qur’an", Dar Al-Andaulus,
Gibraltar, 1980
[32] Payne, Robert, "The History of Islam", Dorset Press, New York, 1990
[33] Fregosi, Paul, "Jihad", Prometheus Books, Amherst, New York, 1998
[35] Rehman, Afzal, "Subject Index of the Holy Qur’an", published by
Classical Printers, Delhi, India, 1987




This essay continues in Part 2/15

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