Bribery leads to corruption and destruction

 

If bribery spreads throughout a society, it will undoubtedly be corrupt and doomed to destruction. Man undertook the Trust that was offered to the heavens and the earth but they refused to bear it. Hence, it is obligatory on man to observe this Trust in the most perfect way that is required of him in order to win the pleasure of Allah the Almighty and reform society.

However, if the Trust is lost, it results in the corruption of the society and it becomes disordered and disunited. To preserve this trust, Allah the Almighty forbids His slaves from doing anything that could lead to its loss or decrease. Hence, Allah the Almighty has prohibited bribery, which is spending money so as to reach something that is unlawful, either through giving the briber what he is not entitled to have or exempting him from what is obligatory on him. Allah the Almighty Says (what means):

{And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]} [Quran 2:188]

It mentioned again in the context of dispraising the Jews. Allah Says (what means): {Devourers of [what is] unlawful} [Quran 5:42]

There is no doubt that bribery is unlawful as Ibn Mas‘ood  said in his commentary on the aforementioned verse.

Bribery is a grave major sin

Some scholars consider bribery to be a grave major sin, especially if paid to affect the judgment of a person in a position of trust. This is supported by a Hadeeth on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr  who said, “The Messenger of Allah  cursed both the briber and the bribed person.” [Imam At-Tirmithi] This Hadeeth indicates that bribery is a grave major sin because it is known that only grave sins and evildoings deserve to be cursed.

Aspects of bribery

Nowadays, bribery prevails in many sectors of numerous societies, to the extent that there is almost no area of life that is free from bribery, especially in third world countries. There is bribery even in the judgment of judiciary such that the judge takes the side of the undeserving or prevents someone from having his right, gives precedence to the one who does not deserve to be preferred and vice versa, or is partial in his judgment to a relative or someone of high status - due to an unlawful bribe that he received. There is also bribery in implementing judgment. The employment sector is the next significant area of bribery, and the employment sector is plagued by bribary. There is bribery in appointing people when someone pays a bribe to those who are in authority to appoint someone while there are others who are more deserving of the job than him.

Leaving aside the fact that this is unlawful and the consumption of what is unlawful, it is also betrayal of the Trust because the better and the more efficient person should be appointed to the job. Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy.} [Quran 28:26] Moreover, there is bribery in the field of education, construction and many other fields that are too numerous to mention here. If we say that bribary engulfs almost all sectors of society, it is not at all an exaggeration, rather just a simple fact.

Effects and harms of bribery

Bribery is a crime that has grave effects and serious consequences on the individual and society. We shall summarize some of them as follows:

1- Entrusting a mission to those who are not qualified to do it: When one pays a bribe to have a job that he is not qualified for, this leads to shortcomings in his work output and production and leads to the wasting of resources.

2- Destruction of principles and good morals: The spread of bribery in a society means the destruction of the morals of the members of this society, loss of confidence between them and the spread of bad morals like negligence, indifference, losing a sense of allegiance and belonging and the onset of frustration.

3- Wasting property and endangering souls: If one imagines that bribery prevails in a society until it reaches the sector of health and the production of medicine, what would be the condition of people’s health when they use bad medicines that were licensed through bribery? Imagine that one walks across a bridge that has grave defects that endangers people’s lives and properties and that the contractor who built it obtained permission to finish the work and construction through bribery.

How many casualties and financial losses would stem from the fall of that bridge? One should draw an analogy to this case in all fields. Hence, bribery leads to the wasting of money and endangering of souls.

The difference between bribes and gifts

There is no doubt that there is a resemblance between a bribe and a gift but the main difference between them lies in the intention and motive behind each of them, for the one who presents a gift seeks to win the love of others and their acquaintance and to show kindness to them.

Is a gift presented to a ruler considered a bribe?

Many scholars are of the opinion that the ruler’s acceptance of gifts is a type of bribe. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Humayd As-Sa'idi  he said: The Prophet  employed a man from the tribe of Al-Azd named Ibn Al-Lutbiyyah to be a Zakah [the mandatory religious obligation owed to the needy on the wealth of Muslims] collector. When he returned, he said [to the Prophet ], “This is for you and this was presented to me as a gift.” The Messenger of Allah  then rose to the pulpit and praised Allah the Almighty and extolled Him. Then he  said: “I employ a man to do a job and he comes and says this is for you and this was presented to me as a gift? Why did he not remain in the house of his father, or the house of his mother, and see whether gifts would be given to him or not? By Allah, if any one of you took anything unlawfully, he will come with it on the Day of Resurrection, carrying it on [his back]. I will not recognize any of you on the Day of Resurrection with a grunting camel, or a bellowing cow, or a bleating ewe.” Then he  raised his hands till we could see the whiteness of his armpits. Then he  said twice, “O Allah! Have I conveyed [Your Commands]?” [Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim]

Imam An-Nawawi  said, “This Hadeeth clarifies that the gifts received by governors are unlawful to receive and an unfaithful act because it is a breach of their trust. The Messenger of Allah  clarified in the same Hadeeth why those who are in a position of trust are not permitted to accept gifts, unlike those who are not in the same position for in their case a gift is recommended. All that the governor receives under the name of gifts should be returned to the one who gave it. If it is not possible, it should be paid to the Muslims’ Treasury.”

Ibn Battal  said, “The gifts of the governors should be put in the Muslim Treasury. The governor cannot own it unless the Imam requests it for him.”

What is the ruling on the one compelled to pay a bribe?

What should one do if it is decided that the gifts that are presented to officials are a type of bribe, but the whole society is controlled by bribery and the governing regime is so corrupt that he cannot have his right without paying a bribe?

Scholars decided that in this case only, the bribed person is the one who bears the guilt, whereas the one who gives the bribe is free from liability. This is so if he does this to have his right or to ward off some harm that may afflict him, his religion, or his property.

Therefore, if scholars issue a Fatwa (accredited scholars’ interpretation or opinion regarding with Islamic laws and rulings) about the permissibility of paying a bribe in case of compulsion and state that the person who pays the bribe would not be held guilty, does this not indicate that a bribe is like stealing? Rather, it is worse because it ruins the consciousness of those in authority and drives them to wrong others for the sake of the briber. At this point, the regime will become corrupt and will be like a toy in the hands of criminals and unjust people who follow their fancies and possess money that they can pay to those who possess authority and public positions. - islamweb.net

Haram Money – (Nasheed by Omar Esa)

 

In this interesting nasheed, Omar Esa reminds us of the need to be mindful of the source of our wealth. We must refrain from any source that makes us earn haram money because it will turn us against Allah (SAW). Choose the righteous path by strengthening your connection with Allah (SWT) and trusting in His provision for our needs.

- aboutislam.net

Origin of birds and mammals

 

Evolutionists embark on flights of fancy of their own, while trying to justify how birds and mammals developed from amphibians

According to the theory of evolution, life originated and evolved in the sea and was then transported onto land by amphibians. This evolutionary scenario also suggests that amphibians evolved into reptiles, creatures living only on land. This scenario is implausible, due to the enormous structural differences between these two classes of animals. For instance, the amphibian egg is designed for developing on land. A “step by step” evolution of an amphibian is out of the question, because without a perfect and fully-designed egg, it is not possible for a species to survive. Moreover, as usual, there is no evidence of transitional forms that were supposed to link amphibians with reptiles. Evolutionist paleontologist and an authority on vertebrate paleontology, Robert L. Carroll has to accept that ‘the early reptiles were very different from amphibians and that their ancestors could not be found yet.'

Yet the hopelessly doomed scenarios of the evolutionists are far from over. There still remains the problem of making these creatures fly! Since evolutionists believe that birds must have somehow evolved from lower life-forms, they assert that they were transformed from reptiles. However, none of the unique mechanisms of birds, which have a completely different structure from land-dwelling animals, can be explained by gradual evolution. First of all, the wings -- which are the exceptional traits of birds -- pose a great impasse for evolutionists. One of the Turkish evolutionists, Engin Korur, confesses the impossibility of the evolution of wings: 

"The common trait of the eyes and the wings is that they can only function if they are fully developed. In other words, a half-developed eye cannot see; a bird with half-formed wings cannot fly. How these organs came into being has remained one of the mysteries of nature that needs to be enlightened."

The question of how the perfect structure of wings came into being as a result of consecutive haphazard mutations remains completely unanswered. There is no way to explain how the front arms of a reptile could have changed into perfectly functioning wings as a result of a distortion in its genes (mutation).

Moreover, just having wings is not sufficient for a land organism to fly. Land-dwelling organisms are devoid of many other structural mechanisms that birds use for flying. For example, the bones of birds are much lighter than those of land-dwelling organisms. Their lungs function in a very different way. They have a completely different muscular and skeletal system and an extremely specialized circulatory system. These features are pre-requisites for flying, at par in their importance with wings. All these mechanisms had to exist simultaneously,  they could not have formed gradually by being “accumulated”. This is why the theory asserting that land organisms gradually evolved into aerial organisms is completely fallacious. 

All of these bring another question to mind: even if we suppose this impossible story to be true, why are evolutionists unable to find any “half-winged” or “single-winged” fossils to back up their story?

Another alleged transitional form: Archaeopteryx

Evolutionists pronounce the name of a single creature in response. This is the fossil of a bird called Archaeopteryx which is one of the most widely-known so-called transitional forms among the very few that evolutionists still defend. Considered the ancestor of modern birds by evolutionists, Archaeopteryx lived 150 million years ago. The theory holds that some of the small-scaled dinosaurs named Velociraptor or Dromeosaur evolved by acquiring wings and then starting to fly. Thus, Archaeopteryx is assumed to be a transitional form that diverted from its dinosaur ancestors and started to fly for the first time.

However, the latest studies of Archaeopteryx fossils indicate that this creature is absolutely not a transitional form, but a bird species bearing some characteristics distinct from today’s birds.

The thesis that Archaeopteryx was a “half-bird” that could not fly perfectly was popular among evolutionist circles until not long ago. The absence of a sternum (chest bone) in this creature, or at least the structural difference from flying birds, was held up as the most important evidence that this bird could not fly properly. (The chest bone is a bone found under the thorax on which the muscles required for flight are fastened. In our time, this chest bone is observed in all flying and non-flying birds, and even in bats – a flying mammal which belongs to a very different family).

However, the seventh Archaeopteryx fossil found in 1992, caused great astonishment among evolutionists. The reason was that in this recently found Archaeopteryx fossil, the chest bone that was assumed to be long missing by the evolutionists actually existed. This recently-found fossil was described in Nature magazine as follows:

"The recently discovered seventh specimen of the Archaeopteryx preserves a partial rectangular sternum, long suspected but never previously documented. This attests to its strong flight muscles."

This discovery invalidated the mainstay of the claims that Archaeopteryx was a half-bird that could not fly properly.

On the other hand, the structure of the bird’s feathers became one of the most important pieces of evidence verifying that Archaeopteryx was a flying bird in the real sense. The asymmetrical feather structure of Archaeopteryx is indistinguishable from modern birds, indicating that the animal could fly perfectly. As the famous paleontologist Carl O. Dunbar states: “because of its feathers Archaeopteryx is distinctly to be classed as a bird”.

Another fact that was revealed by the structure of Archaeopteryx’s feathers was the bird’s warm-blooded metabolism. As it is known, reptiles and dinosaurs are cold-blooded animals that are affected by environmental temperatures and are incapable of regulating their body heat independently. A very important function of the feathers in a bird is the maintenance of the animal’s body heat. The fact that Archaeopteryx had feathers showed that it was a real, warm-blooded bird that needed to maintain its body heat in contrast to the dinosaurs. - islamweb.net

WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT TERRORISM?

 

Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism.  In the Quran, God has said:

"God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes.  God loves just dealers." (Quran 60:8)

The Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, used to prohibit soldiers from killing women and children,[1]  and he would advise them: "...Do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill a newborn child."[2]  And he also said: "Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years."[3]

Also, the Prophet Muhammad has forbidden punishment with fire.[4]

He once listed murder as the second of the major sins,[5]  and he even warned that on the Day of Judgment, "The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgment will be those of bloodshed.[6]"[7]

Muslims are even encouraged to be kind to animals and are forbidden to hurt them.  Once the Prophet Muhammad said: "A woman was punished because she imprisoned a cat until it died.  On account of this, she was doomed to Hell. While she imprisoned it, she did not give the cat food or drink, nor did she free it to eat the insects of the earth."[8]

He also said that a man gave a very thirsty dog a drink, so God forgave his sins for this action.  The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was asked, "Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?"  He said: "There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human."[9]

Additionally, while taking the life of an animal for food, Muslims are commanded to do so in a manner that causes the least amount of fright and suffering possible.  The Prophet Muhammad said: "When you slaughter an animal, do so in the best way.  One should sharpen his knife to reduce the suffering of the animal."[10]

In light of these and other Islamic texts, the act of inciting terror in the hearts of defenseless civilians, the wholesale destruction of buildings and properties, the bombing and maiming of innocent men, women, and children are all forbidden and detestable acts according to Islam and the Muslims.  Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the vast majority have nothing to do with the violent events some have associated with Muslims.  If an individual Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the laws of Islam.- islamreligion.com

FOOTNOTES:

[1]Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1744, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3015.

[2]Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1731, and Al-Tirmizi, #1408.

[3]Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3166, and Ibn Majah, #2686.

[4]Narrated in Abu-Dawood, #2675.

[5]Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6871, and Saheeh Muslim, #88.

[6]This means killing and injuring.

[7]Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1678, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6533.

[8]Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2422, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2365.

[9]This saying of Muhammad has been mentioned in more detail on this page.  Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2244, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2466.

[10]Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1955, and Al-Tirmizi, #1409.

"He Who Provides a Fasting Person with Some Food to Break Fast, Earns the Same Reward as One Who Has Observed Fast "

 

Zaid ibn Khalid Al-Juhani reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “He who provides a fasting person with something to break his fast, will earn the same reward as the one who was observing the fast, without diminishing in any way the reward of the latter.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban, and classified as authentic by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban]

The wording reported by Ibn Khuzaimah and An-Nasa’i: “He who equips a Ghazi (fighter in the way of Allah or a pilgrim, looks after the dependants of a Ghazi or a pilgrim in their absence, or provides a fasting person with something to break his fast, will earn the same reward, without diminishing in any way their reward.”

Overview of the Hadith:

One of the blessings which Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed on His believing servants is that He has prescribed cooperation in righteousness and piety. Allah, the Almighty, says: {And cooperate in righteousness and piety.} [Quran 5: 2] Allah grants rewards for inviting people to good and righteousness. Among the acts for which Allah grants rewards is providing the fasting person with something to break his fast, because the fasting person is enjoined to hasten to break his fast. Therefore, if a Muslim provides the fasting person with something to break his fast (whether voluntary or obligatory fasting), he will earn the same reward of the fasting person, without diminishing in any way the reward of the later.

Imam Al-Manawi mentioned in his book “Fayd Al-Qadir” that the Hadith: “He who provides a fasting person with something to break his fast, will earn the same reward as the one who was observing the fast” means that the one who provides something to a fasting person to break his fast will receive the same reward as the fasting person, not that the fasting person will gain the reward earned by the person who provides him with something to break his fast. The reward here means the reward of fasting, which is a general reward that will be gained by the person who is able to provide the fasting person with something to break his fast.

It was said that providing the fasting person with something to break his fast means providing the least amount of food with which the fasting person breaks his fast, such as one date. It was also said that it means providing the fasting person with food that makes him sated, because this will benefit the fasting person throughout the night and may make him in no need of the predawn meal. However, the apparent meaning of the Hadith is that if one provides a fasting person with even one date to break his fast, he will receive the same reward of the fasting person. This is not difficult for Allah.

While explaining the wording of Ibn Khuzaimah and An-Nasa’i, Imam At-Taibi said, “The fasting person was mentioned along with the fighter in the cause of Allah because both of them are engaged in Jihad against Allah’s enemies, and the greater Jihad was given precedence.” The fasting person strives against his own self when he abstains from food, drink, and sexual desire, out of obedience to Allah’s command.

Ibn Battal reported that Imam At-Tabari said, “This Hadith indicates that whoever helps a believer with any good act, will gain the same reward of the person he helps.” Therefore, how happy the people who help others do pious and good acts will be! Accordingly, we should be keen to provide the fasting people with something to break their fast, especially if they are poor or do not have anyone to prepare food for them to break their fast. - islamweb.net

What Is the Difference Between Quran, Hadith and Hadith Qudsi?

The article, Quran: Definition and Relation to Previous Scriptures, defined the Quran as follows:

The speech of Allah which He sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad , through the Angel Gabriel; in its precise meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by numerous persons (tawatur), both verbally and in writing.

The Meaning of hadith

The word hadith means news, report or narration. It is in this general sense that the Quran uses this word. [e.g. Surah 12:101.]

Technically, the word hadith, (pl. ahadith) means in particular the reports (verbal and written) about the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hadith reports about the Prophet Muhammad are of the following kinds:

– What he said (qawl).

– What he did (fi`l).

– What he (silently) approved (taqrir) in others’ actions.

There are also reports about him, i.e. about what he was like (sifah).

For details on hadith see: A’zami, Muhammad Mustafa: Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, Indianapolis, 1977.

Difference between the Quran and Hadith

There is agreement among most Muslim scholars that the contents of the sunnah are also from Allah. Hence they have described it as also being the result of some form of inspiration.

The contents of the sunnah are however expressed through the Prophet’s own words or actions. In the case of the Quran, the Angel Gabriel brought the exact wording and contents to the Prophet, who received this as revelation and then announced it, in the very same manner that he received it.

Imam As-Suyuti’s View

Imam As-Suyuti, [quoting Al-Juini,] illustrated the difference between these two forms in the following manner:

‘The revealed speech of Allah is of two kinds. As to the first kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Tell the Prophet to whom I sent you that Allah tells him to do this and this, and He ordered him something.

So, Gabriel understood what His Lord had told him. Then he descended with this to the Prophet and told him what His Lord had told him, but the expression is not this (same) expression, just as a king says to someone whom he trusts: Tell so-and-so, “The king says to you: strive in his service and gather your army for fighting…” and when the messenger (goes and) says: The king tells you: do not fail in my service, and do not let the army break up, and call for fighting, etc., then he has not lied nor shortened (the message)… ‘

And as to the other kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Read to the Prophet this (piece of) writing, and Gabriel descended with it from Allah, without altering it the least, just as (if) the king writes a written (instruction) and hands it over to his trustworthy (servant) and says (to him): Read it to so-and-so.”

As-Suyuti commented: “The Quran belongs to the second kind, and the first kind is the Sunnah, and from this derives the reporting of the Sunnah according to the meaning unlike the Quran.” [Sabuni, Tibyan, p.52]

So, the difference between Quran and sunnah is that the ahadith from or about the Prophet Muhammad are:

– The words or actions of a human being, and not the speech of God as the Quran is.

–  Not necessarily reported in their precise wording, as the Quran is.

–  Not necessarily transmitted by tawatur, except in some instances.

Hadith Qudsi

Qudsi means holy, or pure. There are some reports from the Prophet Muhammad where he relates to the people what God has said (says) or did (does), but this information is not part of the Quran.

Scholar define such a report as a hadith qudsi, e.g.: Abu Hurairah reported that Allah’s messenger said: ‘Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, said: If My servant likes to meet me, I like to meet him, and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him.’ 

The common factor between hadith qudsi and the Quran is that both contain words from Allah which He revealed to Muhammad. The main points of difference between Quran and hadith qudsi are as follows:

– In the Quran the precise wording is from Allah, while in the hadith qudsi the wording is from the Prophet Muhammad.

– Angel Gabriel brought the Quran to Muhammad, while hadith qudsi may also have been inspired otherwise, such as e.g. in a dream.

– The Quran is inimitable and unique, but not so the hadith qudsi.

–  The Quran has been transmitted by numerous persons, (tawatur) but the hadith and hadith qudsi often only by a few or even one individual.

There are hadith qudsi which are sahih, but also others hasan, or even da`if, while there is no doubt at all about any verse from the Quran. Another point is we cannot recite that a hadith qudsi in prayer.

---

Source: Taken with some modifications from Ulum Al-Quran: An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qurʼān by Ahmad von Denffer

About Ahmad Von Denffer

Ahmad Von Denffer was born in Germany in 1949. He is working for the Islamic Center, Munich, Germany. He has various publications in different languages.

- aboutislam.net

Is Pacifism Always The Best Route in Life?

 

To start with, discussions comparing the Quran to other Holy Books are almost never fruitful. We are dealing with Islam, so I will focus on the Quran.

Does the Qur’an always encourage peace, or always violence, or are both used in certain contexts?

An honest, objective read of the Qur’an will help you answer this question. Mind you, no one is trying to hide the Qur’an; this Book is fully and confidently out there for the whole world.

It has never been changed, altered or manipulated. It is perfectly preserved for everyone to read. So, read!

Now, let us discuss something rationally.

Is being peaceful at all times and in all situations something good?

If someone killed your wife and daughter, or raped them, or robbed you, or stole your land and home, would you be peaceful?

Is being peaceful in these situations something good and virtuous?

The truth is, if you’re going to be peaceful with someone who is a rapist, for example, and you don’t stop him, then he is going to go around and continue inflicting major harm on others.

In this case, was being “peaceful” the right thing to do? Not really.

Being peaceful in these conditions is wrong; it’s cowardly even, to say the least.

Back to our point, Islam deals with reality. Islam regulates human life and human behavior. It disciplines man’s violent tendencies and puts it in a context of justice. It also prohibits him from transgression and shows people how to deal with transgression.

This is neither violent nor apathetic. This is a way of life that shows humans how to express themselves and deal with their reality in the most just and upright way.

So, is the Qur’an devoid of any reference to violence?

Absolutely not; it would be an incomplete Holy Book that is irrelevant and detached from human life if it didn’t provide solutions to real problems. Imagine if it didn’t show people how to interpret their reality and deal with it.

The Qur’an was not revealed to angels who are in a position of worship all day and night. It was revealed to humans who have a choice between good and evil, and many choose evil and inflict harm.

This life is a test; the Creator will not enforce goodness upon human beings. He already has perfectly good and pure angels. He also will not enforce evil upon them, as there are already purely evil devils.

But, we, humans, are the creatures that have a choice between good and evil. Islam and the Qur’an teach us how to make the right choice and deal with our reality in the best way.

Look at verses dealing with this subject, for example:

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (Quran 5:8)

Allah also says what means:

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted. (Quran 4:135)

The Qur’an never teaches the initiation of violence.

Allah commands believers to observe rules in defending themselves:

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. (Quran 2: 190)

Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair. Allah only forbids you from befriending those who have fought you for your faith, driven you out of your homes, or supported others in doing so. And whoever takes them as friends, then it is they who are the ˹true˺ wrongdoers. (Quran 60:8-9)

The bottom line here is that we have been created for a purpose.

The Creator revealed The Qur’an to show us how to actualize our purpose and how to deal with our reality. He taught us how to deal with the good and bad and how to deal with those who prevent us from actualizing our purpose in life or delude us.

A Real World Example

Imagine you’re a teacher in a classroom, for example, and you’re teaching your students some important lesson. But then a group of students keeps interrupting, distracting, bullying others and making noise. What would you do?

Any teacher would simply try to stop those who are preventing others from learning and fulfilling their purpose. Would you say he should be passive and allow them to continue to make noise?

In reality, being passive in this situation would be harmful to the serious students who are there to learn, but are unable to because of those who are distracting them, right?

A good teacher would punish the offending student in a firm but good way.

So, context is very important. Always try to understand the context.

We advise you, like we advise everyone, to read the Qur’an with an open mind and an inquiring heart.

We ask The One who revealed this Book to open your chest to understanding it and receiving its light and wisdom and to see The Truth as truth and follow it.

About Dina Mohamed Basiony

Dina Mohamed Basiony is a writer based in Cairo, Egypt. She specializes in Islam and spirituality. Dina holds an MA and BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo.

- aboutislam.net