Suicide is totally forbidden (haram) in Islam. The Prophet of Islam in a tradition said that a person who commits suicide would be among the people of Hellfire. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3062) The Prophet’s disapproval of his action makes it clear that suicide bombing is not lawful in Islam under any circumstances. According to Islam, life is so precious that it can never be terminated at will on any pretext. Islam is a harbinger of life. It gives no license for premature death. That is why the virtue of patience is given the utmost importance in Islam. Patience (sabr) means tolerating the severest affliction rather than taking any such step as putting an end to one’s life.
The truth is that suicide is totally forbidden (haram) in Islam. It is forbidden to the point where, if someone is dying, and it is certain that he will not survive, even in his final moments Islam does not allow him to take his own life. Those Muslims who kill themselves in suicide bombings will die an unlawful death. No heaven is waiting to welcome them. Muslims have developed a baseless belief that a believer killed in a battle becomes a martyr, and therefore goes straight to heaven. Islam is a harbinger of life. No one can terminate one’s life on any pretext.
Source: The True Face of Islam
Here, the question arises about the Islamic ruling about state terrorism, that is, when the state engages in the same sort of undesirable violence as non-governmental terrorist organizations. What is the Islamic ruling in such a situation? The answer is that this sort of governmental violence represents a state’s misusing a right that it possesses, while violence is for non-governmental organisations something that they have no right to engage in at all, under any circumstances. Clearly, there is a fundamental difference between doing something which one has no right whatsoever to do, on the one hand, and misusing a right that one is legally entitled to.
In other words, if a non-governmental organization engages in violence, the Islamic ruling is that, without even asking it on what grounds or pretext it has resorted to violence, it must completely abstain from it. In contrast, if an established government were to engage in inappropriate violence, it would be told that it must use its right to employ violence only in a legally permissible manner. By misusing this right, a government can turn itself into an anarchical body, as is the case of a non-governmental organization.
This point can be understood with the help of a simile. Suppose a surgeon uses his surgical knife to operate on the wrong part of a patient’s body. In this case, he would be guilty of misusing a right that he is entitled to. A trained surgeon definitely has the right to use his surgical knife to operate on the correct part of a patient’s body, but he has no right to cut off the wrong part. In contrast to this, if a person who is not a surgeon starts to use a knife on someone’s body, it would be wrong under all circumstances, because he does not have the right to wield a knife against anyone else at all.
Source: Islam and World Peace
These days, there is much discussion about terrorism. Around the world, people are writing and talking about it. Terrorism is a modern phenomenon. However, despite widespread condemnation, no universally accepted definition of terrorism has yet emerged. People denounce terrorism, but they struggle to clearly define what it truly means. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan had tried to understand this question in the light of Islamic teachings. Based on his study and analysis, he defined terrorism as an armed struggle by non-governmental actors. According to Islamic teachings, any person or party has the right to launch a peaceful movement for national or political purposes. They retain this right as long as they do not, directly or indirectly, engage in aggression. In Islam, only a duly established government has the right to use arms or to engage in military action, if there is a genuine need for it. Non-governmental organisations do not have the right to take up arms under any pretext. Maulana has written about this Islamic ruling in detail in several of his books.
According to internationally accepted principles, established governments have the right to punish criminals and to engage in defence against attackers. This is an Islamic principle, too. In light of this principle, one could define terrorism as stated above as armed action engaged in by individuals or a non-governmental organisation. No matter what pretext for resorting to violence a non-governmental organisation may employ, its violent actions are, under all circumstances, unacceptable. If a non-governmental organization feels that there is injustice in a certain country or that human rights are being violated, it has the right only to make efforts to address the situation by using peaceful means. Under no circumstances and under no pretext is it permissible for it to adopt violent methods.
Suppose an individual or a non-governmental organization were to argue, ‘We want to work peacefully, but our opponents are not ready to give us our rights even if we use peaceful means. In these circumstances, what can we do?’ The answer to this is that the responsibility for these matters lies with the government, and not with non-governmental organizations. If someone feels that the government is failing to live up to its responsibilities, even then it is not permissible for him to take on what is the government’s work. Even in these conditions, he has to choose between only two alternatives: either to exercise patience or else to make peaceful efforts. That is to say, either he can do nothing at all, or he can engage in peaceful efforts.
Source: Islam and World Peace
No, individuals and NGOs cannot wage war on their own. In Islam, war is not the prerogative of the individual but of an established government. Only an established government can declare war. The Prophet of Islam said: “The ruler is a shield; people fight behind him, and he protects them. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 2957) In other words, individuals can pray on their own, but they cannot wage wars of their own accord. Only when a war is declared by the ruling government, can the public join in and support it, and not before that. Islam does not sanction individual actions on this issue. Therefore, no Non-Governmental Organization or NGO can declare war. Therefore, all forms of violent activities being carried out in the name of Islam worldwide by groups other than established states are cases of illegitimate use of arms from the Islamic perspective.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Islam does give permission to do battle which is termed qital. However such permission is given only in the case of an attack by opponents despite the policy of avoidance being followed by the Muslims, thus creating a situation where self-defence is required. In this regard, the Quran has this to say: “Permission to take up arms is hereby given to those who are attacked because they have been wronged” (22:38). At another place the Quran gives a valid reason for fighting: “They were the first to attack you” (9:13). This shows that according to the teachings of Islam, war (qital) is to be waged not against the enemy but against the aggressor for the sake of defence. If Muslims hold someone to be their enemy, that does not give them the right to attack them. The one and only right given to them is to convey the peaceful message of Islam. Islam permits defensive fighting against violent aggression, but only when all efforts aimed at avoidance and reconciliation have failed. The life of Prophet Muhammad provides a practical example an incontrovertible proof of the value of this policy.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The key to living a peaceful life is found in this saying of the Prophet of Islam: “Be content, and you will be the most grateful of people. Love for others what you love for yourself, and you will be a true believer. Treat your neighbours kindly, and you will be a true Muslim.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 4217) Peace is, therefore, another name for being content with what God has given you.
Further, a peaceful life can be had if one understands that ideal peace cannot be achieved in this world. You must adhere to practical wisdom in life and not ideal wisdom. If you take the option of following practical wisdom in every situation, you will become peaceful. Peace cannot be achieved if you wish to deal with situations by applying the yardstick of ideal wisdom. Furthermore, an individual’s life can be peaceful only if he accepts the principle of unilateral peace and not bilateral peace. Peace can be achieved only on a unilateral basis. If you try to demand peace on a bilateral basis, then it would become impossible.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Peace means normalcy. A situation where peaceful interaction and open dialogue are possible. Peace creates favourable conditions for conveying the divine message to others, whereas war disturbs all such activities. War produces hate among people and where there is hate and anger, no dawah work can be carried on successfully. In chapter 22 of the Quran, there is a very relevant verse. The translation of this verse runs like this: ‘Let them not then dispute with you on the matter. But do you invite (them) to your Lord: for you are assuredly on the right way.’ (22:67)
This Quranic verse gives us the general policy for Muslims with respect to the divine mission. According to this, Muslims should unilaterally avoid all forms of confrontation, ensuring that the process of interfaith awareness and tolerance continues uninterrupted in society. This approach also provides an opportunity to introduce others to Islamic teachings.
Source: The True Face of Islam
Wars and fights with the Byzantine and Persian Empires during the reign of the rightly guided caliphs are often quoted as arguments of aggressive wars. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has addressed this in great detail in his book, The Prophet of Peace published by Penguin Books. In this book, he has explained that once the tribal communities started accepting Islam and pledging their allegiance to the caliphs, the then superpowers (Byzantine and Persia) felt a sense of threat and declared war on the Muslim community. In their defence, Muslims had to fight back.
In those days, the territory of the vanquished was merged with the territory of the victors. But the inhabitants of the newly merged territories were never forcefully converted to Islam. An example of this can be seen when Umar ibn al-Khattab (the second Muslim caliph) entered the city of Jerusalem. The Patriarch of the city, Sophronius, offered Umar to say his prayers in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but Umar declined the offer. Upon being enquired, Umar said that he had declined so that later Muslims do not claim their right on the land saying that their caliph had prayed there, and thus take away from the Christians what was rightfully theirs. In doing so, the caliph Umar demonstrated the Islamic teachings of well-wishing, co-existence and peace for all mankind.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Human history has witnessed several events of expansion—political, industrial, social and religious. However, political expansion has most often been misconstrued as religious expansion. In the case of Islam, there is no proof that sword or force was used to spread the religion. There were dynasties which in order to fulfil their political ambitions conquered many lands. For instance, the Battle of Chausa was fought between the Mughal emperor Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri (1539). Both the kings were of the same faith. If the purpose of conquering lands and expanding empires was to spread Islam, then there should have been no reason for these two Muslim rulers to engage in military combat. This example shows that conquests by Muslim rulers and emperors in history have been for serving political ends and to expand their dynasties. These were not religiously motivated wars and battles.
Swami Vivekananda, in the book Letters of Swami Vivekananda, wrote: “It is nonsense to say that Hindus were converted to Islam by force.”
Similarly, Egypt was a large country to enter within the fold of Islam. Sir Arthur Keith, while studying the phenomenon remarked: “Egyptians were conquered not by the sword but by the Quran.” (A New Theory of Human Evolution, p. 303. ed. 1948)
In the history of Islam, the Tatar invasion is considered the most devastating. There was no one left in the entire Muslim world to resist them. Hence, there was no question of the Tatars accepting Islam out of fear of Muslim swords. Instead, they were so profoundly influenced by the teachings of Islam that they embraced the faith willingly. As one Orientalist aptly observed: "The religion of the Moslems had conquered where their arms had failed." (History of the Arabs, Hitti, London, 1989, p. 488)
An example of how deep this misconception of the forceful spread of Islam is as follows: once Maulana Wahiduddin Khan happened to correspond with a person from a different faith who hailed from Hyderabad. He was quite adamant in his belief that Islam had spread through violence in India, and he shared the reference of a book in this regard. It was titled, The Indian Musalmans by William Wilson Hunter. Maulana read this book himself and found out that it actually talked about the peaceful penetration of Islam in India. He wrote back to him with the clipping and thereafter he did not revert.
History does not prove that the sword was used for the religious expansion of Islam. Political expansion was a different case, specific to individuals and dynasties. Owing to this mistaken notion, political expansion is seen as an act of forced religious expansion. In reality, Islam spread on the basis of the ideology of the Oneness of God (tawheed) and it was the Sufis who played a major role in the peaceful spread of Islam. The Sufis, as is well known, did not make any use of force; they were simply spiritual guides.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The greater part of the scriptures, either directly or indirectly, strongly advocate peace. Of the 6236 verses of the Quran, there are hardly forty verses, which deal with the injunction to wage war, and that also only in self-defence; that is, even less than one percent. To put it more specifically, only 0.6%. Those who accept the Quran as the Book of God will be regarded as true believers only when they follow its admonitions and become peace-loving in the full sense of the word. Under no circumstances, should they launch themselves on violent courses of action. In order to conduct an objective study of this subject, it is necessary to differentiate between Islam and Muslims. The actions of the Muslims should not necessarily be seen as deriving from the teachings of Islam. In effect, Muslim practices ought to be judged by the criteria of Islam—which is an ideology—rather than Islam being judged by Muslim practices. Those who have abandoned the teachings of Islam can have no claim to be Islamic in their conduct, even if by their own lights they regard themselves as champions of Islam. Muslims are Muslims only when they follow the basic teachings of their religion.
Source: Ideology of Peace
The Quran is undoubtedly a book of peace. The Quran states: “God calls man to the Home of Peace” (10:25). The Quran is not a book of war and violence. Instead, it condemns those who incite violence: “They are the most contentious of quarrellers. When he turns away, he strives to spread corruption in the land, destroying crops and livestock. God does not love corruption” (2:204-205). It also states, “Whenever they ignite the fire of war, God extinguishes it” (5:64). Furthermore, God instructs the Muslims: “But if they incline towards peace, then incline towards it [also] and trust in God” (8:61). The Quran even describes the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty as a manifest victory (48:1). From this we can conclude that all of the Quran’s pronouncements are directly or indirectly related to peace. Its opening invocation is: “In the name of God, the Most beneficent, the Most Merciful”, and this verse has been repeated in the Quran no less than 114 times. This is an indication that the greatest attribute of the Supreme Being who sent this book to mankind is mercy. Indeed, the theme of this entire holy book is God’s all-embracing compassion.
Source: Ideology of Peace
No, Islam does not promote violence. In fact, the root word of Islam is ‘silm,’ which means peace. So the spirit of Islam is the spirit of peace. The first verse of the Quran breathes the spirit of peace. It reads: ‘In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.’ This verse is repeated in the Quran no less than 114 times. It shows the great importance Islam attaches to such values as Mercy and Compassion. One of God’s names, according to the Quran, is as-salam, which means peace. Moreover, the Quran states that Prophet Muhammad was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind. (21:107) The spirit of Islam is peace. Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Quran calls its way ‘the paths of peace’ (5:16). It describes reconciliation as the best policy (4:128), and states that God abhors any disturbance of the peace (2:205).
Source: Islam Rediscovered
A maxim says: A woman is at the beginning of all great things. An important example of the positive role of women in Islamic history is Hazrat Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad. When the Prophet received his first revelation, it was a new and deeply profound experience that left him greatly concerned. At that moment, Hazrat Khadijah comforted and reassured him. It was through her support that he was able to advance the mission of prophethood, allowing it to continue and progress. Then Khadijah hastened to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian convert who had translated part of the Bible into Arabic. When she finished telling him what Muhammad had seen and heard, Waraqah exclaimed, “Holy, holy! By the Master of my soul, if your report is true, O Khadijah, this must be the great spirit who spoke to Moses. This means that Muhammad must be the Prophet of this nation.” On a subsequent visit, Khadijah brought Muhammad to meet Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Muhammad related the events precisely as they had taken place, and when he had finished, Waraqah said, “By the Master of my soul, I swear that you are the same Prophet whose coming was foretold by Jesus, son of Mary.” But then Waraqah warned: “You will be denied, and you will be hurt. You will be abused, and you will be pursued.” He nevertheless immediately pledged himself to the Prophet: “If I should ever live to see that day, I should surely help you.” Through his wife, the Prophet of Islam received support and comfort for his mission.
An example of a positive role performed by a women in modern history is that of Nancy Alwa Edison (d. 1871), the mother of Thomas Alwa Edison (1847-1931), the famous scientist whose scientific discoveries number more than 1000. A school teacher, Nancy Edison, worked hard to add the name Thomas Edison to the list of the world’s most outstanding scientists. Edison’s hearing was impaired from birth. He could not hear properly and was thus expelled from school. But his mother was not one to give up easily. She was responsible for educating her son, home-schooling him, and arranging his educational requirements. Edison’s mother played a constructive role in shaping her son’s future. She implanted the idea in her son’s mind that he was not retarded, and that this impediment was a challenge. She made Edison’s education her mission and encouraged her son to use his natural abilities to overcome obstacles. The result is that Edison’s name is now recorded in history as that of a great scientist and inventor! Edison acknowledged the role of his mother in his life: “She instilled in me the love and the purpose of learning.” Everyone can be like Edison’s mother. Every woman is endowed with the capacity to play this role, provided she understands the abilities God has given her and utilizes them determinedly. However, the most excellent quality required for this job is patience. The Creator creates the capability, but the person concerned must pay the price of patience. Like Edison’s mother, a woman who can deliver this price can play a significant role. Using spiritual insight and faith, she can not only shape the lives of her own family but also, in turn, shape society on positive lines.
Source: Women in Islam
“A woman once approached Prophet Muhammad and asked, ‘O Messenger of God, men seem to have more opportunities to earn rewards in the Hereafter, especially through jihad. What about us women?’ The Prophet responded, ‘Convey this to the women you meet: Living with your husband righteously and obediently is equivalent to all the virtuous deeds performed by men, including the one you mentioned.’” (Musnad Al-Bazzar, Hadith No. 5209)
From the above tradition, we can see that Islam gives the same honour to both kinds of work, as both are equally important. The home serves as a natural training ground for individuals. If one displays good character within the limited circle of the house, one can exhibit good character within the wider circle of society. In modern times, managing a home is often considered inferior to working outside the house. However, this perspective underestimates the value of human society. When someone creates a machine, they are regarded with respect. But how much more consideration should be given to the mother who gives birth to and nurtures the person who made that machine, instilling in them from childhood the mindset that they must achieve great things in the world? Nurturing a person from childhood is equivalent to creating all the machines in the world and is, in fact, even more important. From this perspective, the role of mothers is the greatest in the world. It is the role of shaping the scientists, doctors, businesspeople, and others who contribute to society.
Source: Women in Islam
Humanity is like a flowing river, where the old water continuously flows away, making room for new water to take its place. The same is true for the human caravan; as the previous generation departs, a new generation takes its place. The role of a woman as a mother is to prepare the next generation. The task assigned to her by nature is to prepare this new generation. It is her responsibility to nurture better individuals for the next generation, every time. To fulfil her role, God has imbued the mother with immense love for her child, and the purpose of this love is to enable them to train their children with love and patience, show them the right path, and give them the strength to face all odds. But most mothers have turned their love to pampering their children and so have led them astray from the nature God had intended for them. Mothers should use their God-given capabilities to train their children in the realities of life and help them become duty-conscious and contributing members at home so that they can become contributing members of society at large. Then mothers can play a constructive role in bringing up their children so that they do not deviate from the true nature they were born with.
Source: Women in Islam
A family is the fundamental unit of society. A collection of families forms a society. If families are strong, society will also be strong. However, if families are weak, society cannot be strong either. Every individual is born into a family, making the home the first school of learning. Therefore, to improve society, we must first strengthen the family.
Families and homes are schools of informal education. Preparing the next generation is the responsibility of the parents in a family. The human generation is like a flowing river, where the water is continually replaced. In human beings, too, the new replaces the old. And a mother plays a crucial role in preparing this new generation. The responsibility of supplying good human beings to every generation devolves upon her. If a mother understands her responsibility and prepares herself to fulfil this role, she can play a pivotal role in not only shaping the lives of her children on spiritual lines but, in turn, she will be able to shape society on positive lines.
Everyone experiences both positive and negative aspects. In a family, however, all these experiences remain confined within the boundaries of the home. Within the house, individuals, regardless of gender, learn the importance of alleviating the distress of family members and wholeheartedly acknowledging the benefits bestowed upon them. Those who receive such upbringing within their homes will likely exhibit similar societal behaviour. They will actively promote goodness, overlook unfavourable situations, and sincerely appreciate positive attributes in others. These individuals exemplify the highest moral character and contribute to the betterment of society.
Source: Women in Islam
The family is a fundamental unit of broader humanity. Within the family, in a smaller circle, all the dynamics that occur on a larger scale in society are also present. In this way, the family serves as a training ground for everyone, where individuals can learn the essential skills needed to lead a successful life in the world. According to a narration attributed to Hazrat Aisha, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “The best among you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3895)
Families are fundamental units of society, collectively shaping its fabric. If families are in good order, society will follow suit. Conversely, if families sink into a low moral state, society cannot prosper. Every person is born into a family, where he experiences his first lessons about home, family, and society. Therefore, to improve society, we must improve the quality of family members.
Source: Women in Islam
When a man and woman come together in marriage, differences naturally occur. According to Islam, the way out is not by seeking to wipe out these differences but, rather, to accept them, to seek to reconcile them or for the spouses to continue to live together despite their differences. Yet, it sometimes happens that the spouses are unable to manage their differences properly and so decide to go in for a divorce. Divorce has been accepted in Islam as something that can be resorted to in extreme circumstances. However, Islam frowns upon divorce. According to a Hadith, although divorce is permissible, it is the most hateful of the permissible things. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 2178) The Quran says that a man can give two revocable utterances of divorce, after which he can retain his wife and stay together on equitable terms or else leave her gracefully (2:229). This method of divorce over a period of three months was devised so that considerable thought could be given to something as serious as divorce. This ensures that utterances of divorce are a planned step where all possible means of reconciliation are considered.
Source: Women in Islam
Monogamy is the rule in Islam and polygamy only an exception. In terms of birth rate, the number of men and women in a given society is approximately equal. But often, for a variety of reasons, especially during war, the number of men in society decreases, leaving an excess of women. Now the question arises as to what the solution to this problem should be. In view of the inevitability of this imbalance, how is a healthy relationship between the two to be established? The choice for us, therefore, is not between monogamy and polygamy, but rather, between lawful polygamy or illicit polygamy. Secondly, Islam permits polygamy on the precondition that a man be able to justly treat all the women he marries.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Chapter 4 of the Quran allows a man to have four wives (4:3). This does not mean that every man should have four wives. This rule is an exception and is not to be taken in a general sense. The general rule is to have only one wife, but in a case of absolute necessity, a man can have more than one wife. This need refers to a situation where, by some unfortunate incident, there is a disparity between the number of men and women in society. When there are more women than men, there is sexual anarchy. To overcome this evil, in exceptional cases, men are allowed to have more than one wife.
The truth is that a natural way of marriage is between one man and one woman. A man is naturally biased against the second wife in most cases. This suffices to prove that monogamy is the natural way, while polygamy is permitted in exceptional circumstances by the law of necessity. There are exceptional laws of this kind that cover other cases as well. However, exceptional laws are for exceptional circumstances, and they cannot be applied in general.
Source: Women in Islam
