UnderstandingDeen al-ISLAM,

PEACE and JUSTICE

UnderstandingDeen al-ISLAM,

PEACE and JUSTICE

October 27, 2010SOP 2010 Negombo, Sri Lanka

Historical Overview

Islam began in Makkah about CE 610.

Muhammad(saw) was born in Makkah CE 570.

610 Muslims believes that He started to get messages from God which He was to convey to all humanity.

Social Evils of Pre-Islamic Arabia

Practice of infanticide No law and order Tribal feuds Ignorance of the very rudiments of

social virtues Women inferiority Excessive vices Prevalent Slavery

Historical Overview 3

4 Caliphs; Abubakar,Omar,Othman,Ali

Ummayyad Time were until 750 Abbasid Dynasty ruled the empire of

İslam for the next 500 years Ottoman Empire ruled in three

continent from 12th century till the end of 1st world war.

The Meaning

Islam is in essence, the same Message of Truth and Guidance that God the All Mighty revealed to all the Prophets (Pbuh) since the creation of the first human being, Prophet Adam (Pbuh).

The Aims in Islam

Knowledge about God Believe in God Worship Love

The Teachers in Islam

The Book of Universe The Scriptures(Torah, Psalms, Bible,

Quran) The Messengers Conscience

Islam means complete Surrender & Submission of one’s will to the Will of God the All Mighty. It is the sincere acceptance of the Teachings and Guidance of God the All Mighty revealed to all His Messengers (Pbuh). It enjoins knowledge in the Oneness and Sovereignty of the One True God, Allah [Swt] which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and of his place in it. It is a Faith based on Proof and evidence.

The Meaning of islam 2

In Islam, Muslim (the one who submits to the will of God) strives in his utmost to seek the Truth (Al-Haqq) in obedience to God the all Mighty as spoken by all His Prophets (Pbuh).

Introduction3

What the word ISLAM means in English?

It is both a Verb and a Noun

Islam as a Verb (Action)

Surrender to God Almighty

Submission to His Will

Obey His Commandments

Sincere Worship Only for Him

Peace of mind, heart & soul

Islam as a Noun (6) Six Articles of Faith or

Belief (5) Five Pillars of Action Rights and Limitations Moderation in all things

SURRENDERThis is explicitly understood as God the Almighty says in the

Qur’an 3:19 :

“Truly, the Way of Life that is acceptable with Allah is Islam (Submission)"

This way of Surrender requires full consciousness and willingness to Submit to the Will of the One True God.

ISLAM as PEACE The scholars of language mention four closely related

terms that can be derived from this origin: Salaam, Salaamah, Silm, and Salm. Raghib al-Isfahani says in his lexicon of Qur’anic terms, “Al-Salm and al-Salaamah mean being free from any external or internal ruinations.”

Peace or Salam is mentioned many times in the Al-Qur’an al-Kareem and it is the most sought after condition in life for every human being on Earth.

Allah [Swt] in the Qur’an said: “He is Allah besides Whom there is none worthy of worship, The King, The Holy, The Peace , The Watcher, The All Mighty, The Compeller, The Supreme. Glory be to Allah! …Qur’an 59:23

Islam provides a path for the human being to enter Paradise (Dar as-Salaam)

    One of the loftier objectives of our religion is to introduce into the world an ethos that facilitates the spreading of peace at every level. Our personal relations with our fellow human beings should begin with the implementation of the Prophetic order, “Spread peace between yourselves.” This order is so pressing that the Beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon Him, advised its indiscriminate implementation. He says at the end of a tradition in which he described one of the best forms of Islam, “Extend the greeting of peace, to those you know and those you know not.” This is a very weighty matter, which calls for our deeper reflection. Its weightiness is illustrated by the fact that it is mentioned as being one of the things that completes our faith. The Prophet, peace and blessing of God be upon Him, said in that regard, “You will not enter Paradise –Daarus Salaam- until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I indicate to you something that will surely lead to your mutual love? Let the spirit of peace spread among you.”

SIX (6) ARTICLES OF BELIEF

Allah [Swt]-Believe that God the All Mighty is One, Unique, Unlike His Creation, Perfect in everyway, Not like His creation and He is not in His creation.

Angels-follow Allah’s order perfectly, never makes mistakes and never disobedient (devils are not fallen angels).

Books- Suhoof, Torah, Zubur (Psalms), Enjil (Gospels) & Qur’an (The Recitation).

Prophets – Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, Muhammad and others mentioned in the Qur’an [Pbuh].

Day of Resurrection- All people, believers and disbelievers will be resurrected on the Judgment Day in real flesh and blood bodies to be judged.

Divine Destiny/Determining – God is the creator of both good and evil and He has full knowledge of everything. Everyone is held accountable of what he/she is doing. Man/ woman has free will.

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

Shahadah – Declare that God is One and the Only worthy to be Worshipped and Muhammad [Pbuh] is His Last Messenger.

Five (5) Daily Salah – The special form of worship of standing, bowing and prostrating to Allah while facing Makka.

Fasting in the month of Ramadhan – both soul and body are fasting from doing evil things.

Zakat (Poor Due) -2 1/2%of excess wealth distributed annually to the poor and the needy.

Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca - once in a lifetime when Allah [Swt] provides the way, and it is safe to do so.

Sanctity of Human Life“If anyone slew a person, it would be as if he slew the whole humanity” Al-

Qur’an 5:32Islam considers all life forms as sacred.

However the sanctity of human life is accorded a special place. The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is

the right to live peacefully.

“Help and assist any person who is oppressed, whether he is

Muslim or not,” –Prophet Muhammad SAW

Prophet Muhammad saw. made formal agreements with the Christians of Najran

and the Jews of Medina promising full protection. The contract with the latter stated they had ‘support and the same

equal rights as any one of us’. His commitment to justice was such that the Medina Jews asked Muhammad to deal

with their cases, which he did according to Jewish law.

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve” –Prophet Muhammad

S.A.W

Emphasizing the equality between people. Now, 1,430

years later, the duty to protect the rights of every human is as vital as ever.

The core of Islamic principle is that of equality of all mankind

“All of humanity is the family of God’’ –Prophet Muhammad S.A.W

Muhammad taught his companions to treat everyone, regardless of belief and background, with equality, respect, and acceptance. A neighbor, he said, has

rights over you, and this extended to mean an entire community. One of Muhammad’s first acts in

Medina was to establish an agreement with the Jews which would protect them, respect their beliefs and give them equal rights. Later, when Christians arrived in the city Muhammad arranged for them to stay in the mosque where they held their religious

services alongside Muslims who prayed in the same space. 

Diversity and pluralism is integral to the message of the Quran

“O HUMANKIND! SURELY WE (Allah) HAVE CREATED YOU FROM A SINGLE PAIR OF A MALE AND A FEMALE,AND

MADE YOU INTO NATIONS AND TRIBES,SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW

ONE ANOTHER”QUR’AN 49:13

Islamic civilization is testament to this principle of coexistence and it took pride in combining the geniuses of all races,

faiths and backgrounds to shape its success. Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of other faiths and backgrounds

worked side by side in hospitals, schools and other public institutions. Caliph Harun al Rashid who ruled in the eighth century appointed a Christian as Director of Public Instruction who oversaw all schools and colleges. In Andalusian Spain, Jews were sent by the Muslim ruler as ambassadors

to other parts of Europe. Islamic civilization attracted people from all over

the world to join in this freedom and coexistence.

The English author historian HG Wells writes in ‘A Short History of

the World’  that the Islamic teachings “brought into

existence a society in which hard-heartedness and collective oppression were at the lowest level when compared with all

other societies preceding it...Islam is replete with

gentleness, tolerance and fraternity”.

Islam on Justice and Righteousness

Muslim scholars say, discussing the relationship between two words which are usually translated

as justice, al-‘Adl and al-Qist, “Al-Qist (distributive justice) is al-‘Adl in interpersonal relations, it is the basis of all human relations

and a foundation of Islamic rule.”

, “Verily, We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs,

and We have revealed unto them the Scripture and the Balance in order that they lead people with

Justice…” Al-Qur’an

“O, You who believe! Be upright for God, witnesses to justice; and do not let your hatred of a people move you to a position where you are unjust. Be just, that is closer to piety. Be mindful of God! Verily God is well-

informed concerning all that you do.” Al-Qur’an

The responsibilities of Muslim government emanating from a single verse in the Qur’an, “God enjoins on you that you deliver the Trusts to their rightful possessors. And when you rule over [or judge between] people, that you do so with justice…” The Noble Prophet, saw has said in this context, “Surely the most beloved of people with God, and the closest to Him on the Day of Resurrection will be a just leader. And the most hated of people and the furthest removed from Him will be a tyrannical leader.”

Also, Qur’an says:

“The best among you are those who enjoin what is good and forbid what is

reprehensible”

“JUSTPEACEFUL” Change: Islamic Applications

The following elements specific to Islamic faith and practice may qualify as part of an arsenal of “techniques” for Justpeaceful action:

JIHAD (Struggle)- two kinds of Jihad, Jihadul Akbar (greater jihad against your evil commanding soul) and Jihadul Asghar (struggle against fraud, tyranny and corrupt e.g. breaking the culture of oppression). Jihad is NOT a struggle against non Muslims.

Sawm (Fasting) - as protest, boycott,

symbolic action, or as suffering to strengthen communal determination and clarity of goals.

Zakat (Poor Due) – to secure the material means for social engagement, redistributive wealth for material means for social engagement, redistribute communal benefit, insure the integrity of wealth, or encourage social conscience and material equity.

Mawa’iz (Exhortation or Warning) – to chastise and correct leaders by speaking truth to power, awaken conscience, and recall ideals as part of active reconciliation.

Afw’ (Forgiveness), Husna (What is best) and Ihsan (Surpassing Goodness) – to heal ruptures, rectify imbalances, and exemplify a higher human mode of conduct.

Hisbah or Ihtisab (Oversight of public welfare and safety) – for promoting municipal good, preventing corruption, and enforcing peaceful community.

Hijrah (Emigration) – as withdrawal and non-cooperation for the purpose of protest and example, to gain freedom of faith and practice by escaping from repression, and for cultivating self-reliance and active initiative.

Sulh and Islah (conciliation and peace making) yuslihu baynahum – in resolving conflicts between individuals or groups to ensure the harmony of the wider community

   In summary, this brief discussion should make it clear to any human being who are thinking that Deenal Islam is committed to peace and justice. However, our love of peace must never allow us to be unjust, nor should it allow us to passively accept injustices like Prophet Muhammad have said “Don’t oppress and don’t be oppressed”. Islam strongly takes a stand for peace and justice.  However, that stand must go far beyond slogans, such as the one mentioned in this sharing, and move into the realm of positive action. Action inspired by the words and deeds of our illustrious Prophet, peace and blessings of God upon him, and our righteous forebears

WASSALAM

Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all, Ameen.