Everyday we hear of beheading in the news. Whether it’s ISIS murdering innocents or Saudi Arabia applying their interpretation of Islamic law. Islamophobes conveniently use it to spew their usual hatred and fear of Islam saying that Muslims are living in 7th century and are evil and cruel.
The media meanwhile loves the dramatic headlines beheading brings and soaks up all the drama surrounding it. As Frances Larson in her book about the history of beheading puts it, the “whole procedure is a piece of theatre designed to create power and cause fear, just as with state executions stretching back to the thirteenth century” - and the media loves it. Indeed, execution by beheading has been going on for centuries, we aren’t witnessing anything new at all. It is estimated that Nazi Germany beheaded thousands between 1933 and 1945 and who can forget how Henry VIII had his own wife decapitated. The French Revolution saw the introduction of the guillotine which was only outlawed as recently as 1977. Mexican cartels also often decapitate and display the heads of their rival gangs. Having beheaded innocent aid workers and journalists, one has to wonder what the crime was for which they were beheaded except reporting the truth and serving humanity. Likewise, the 21 Coptic Christians mercilessly beheaded was a most heinous and intolerable act. Never justifiable under any circumstances. ISIS, it seems, have warped back to the 11th century, having declared the 30 Ethiopian Christians they mercilessly shot and beheaded as ‘crusaders’ out to kill Muslims. Since when have these Ethiopian Christians been ‘hostile’ as the militants claim? For centuries Christians have been living under Muslim rule peacefully and comfortably without any hindrances. Ethiopia was the place where the very first Muslims took refuge under the righteous Christian King Al Najashi. Have Ethiopian Christians only suddenly become hostile to Islam after almost 2000 years? What a way to repay the people who gave shelter to the early Muslim refugees. Proponents of beheading cite verses 8:13 and 47:5 of the Holy Qur’an which says 'smite their necks' or ‘smite the upper part of their necks’ both of which incidentally refer only to wartime and regular fighting - when you actually meet the enemy in the battlefield. Who are ISIS in battle with but themselves and peaceful, innocent minorities and journalists? Beheading isn’t even mentioned in these verses or anywhere in the Qur’an. If anything, smiting the enemy during battle at the uppermost part of the necks is to deal an effective and swift blow so as to kill the enemy as quickly and painlessly as possible. In fact both chapters deal largely with wartime and regular conditions of battle, chapter 8 is even named ‘Al Anfal’ or ‘The Spoils of War’. Chapter 47 is also named ‘Al Qital’ or 'The War' due to the subject matter of the chapter. The verses do not refer to civil rule or punishments in dealing with one's own citizens. ISIS on the other hand, not only punish their own ‘citizens’ unjustly but they also murder prisoners of their own self-concocted war. Had these proponents of beheading read the entire verse of chapter 47 and followed it, they would have realised that captives must either be freed, ransomed or a mutual exchange of prisoners be negotiated. In Islam, the killing of an innocent is deemed such an offence as if the murder of mankind had been committed. Apostasy is a matter between man and God. Again, the rights of minorities were protected by the Prophet Muhammad who taught respect for Jews, Christians and ‘people of the book’. Further, the Qur’an commands Muslims to protect the places of worship of other faiths against those who wish to raze them. And nowhere is beheading expressly mentioned as a punishment for a crime. Rather, the absolute right to exercise freedom of conscience is laid down. Anti-Islamists then cite the incident where hundreds of Jews were executed by the Muslims during the time of Muhammad. They use this to try and assert that Islam and its Prophet are evil and cruel. However, such blatant deceit and hiding of the facts never avails such extremist-minded critics of Islam. They don't say a word against their own nations who not only mercilessly maim, injure and kill thousands of men, women and children in their illegal wars but they also capture and torture those suspected of terrorism. In such draconian laws, they even permit the imprisonment of suspected criminals without a fair trial. Have these critics of Islam forgotten about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay? How one-sided and dual faced they are. True justice and fair mindedness is in condemning injustice and cruelty wherever it may be - even if it be against your own people. As for the execution of the Jewish tribe, Banu Quraiza, it’s doubtful whether it happened anyway. If it did, then the punishment for their outright treachery, high treason and conspiracy to murder, not to mention their repeated attempts on the lives of innocent Muslims, was simply put - execution. They were even given ample opportunity to surrender, admit their guilt and be recipients of the Prophet's clemency who had merely exiled other Jewish tribes for similar crimes, yet their blatant disregard for the lives of innocents and refusal to admit their outright treachery knelled their death bells. Some were even forgiven and allowed to go free - those who sought it. In any case, the Prophet didn’t order this execution anyway, it was a man of their own choosing - Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh who gave the verdict in accord with their own law as stated in Deuteronomy. As for the method - beheading, when the death penalty was duly justified then the method of execution is a moot point. Beheading was the only sure-fire quick and painless way to dispatch a person from this world. That is, if this incident actually ever took place. To save the life of a nation, you have to exterminate those hardened and rigid people who refuse to give up their evil ways. Is there any right minded person who wouldn't agree that the atrocities of ISIS most certainly merit the death penalty? In the same way, the early Muslims under Muhammad were faced with an enemy with a similar if not the same barbaric mindset of ISIS. Islam does permit the execution of those hardened criminals and murderers who completely disregard the sanctity of life and unjustly go about murdering people. Beheading is only one method of execution as judicial punishment which, while Islam doesn't expressly teach or encourage, permits the use of to save society from dangerous criminals and convicted murderers. In fact, Islam leaves it to the authorities to decide which method is most appropriate to execute a convicted felon. Beheading is deemed the quickest and most painless method. Apart from that, Islam even allows the family of the victim to forgive the murderer completely or receive blood money from the perpetrator as recompense - provided there is ample evidence to show his willingness to reform. Reformation being the absolute priority. It’s like cutting off a diseased limb to save the rest of the body. However, when the entire body itself is diseased, cutting off how many ever limbs won’t solve the problem. In the same way, executing countless criminals won’t solve Saudi Arabia’s problems. A complete purification is required. The society must be purified and instilled with high moral values and noble qualities first. After that, if a limb has to be cut off from an otherwise healthy body, then who can argue against it. If the entire body is diseased in the first place, there’s no sense to cut limbs. A complete remedy is required. This is why God always sends Messengers and raises Saints, scholars and holy people to reform society first - by preaching, reminding and goodly exhortation. Men of God always preach goodness, morality, forgiveness and justice. Saudi Arabia has a long history of beheading for offences not even punishable according to authentic Islamic sources. Having imprisoned and punished the blogger Raif Badawi for blasphemy, they now seek to behead him for ‘renouncing’ Islam. Leaving the actual method of punishment aside for a moment, as proven from the Qur'an (the primary Islamic authoritative text) above, the so-called ‘crime’ of blasphemy or apostasy itself has no punishment in Islamic scripture! The Prophet Muhammad was no doubt the most abused, ridiculed and harassed man of his time (and arguably of this time also). He was mocked, ridiculed and labeled as a madman. If there was any blasphemy committed it was directly aimed at him yet even God did not permit him to retaliate or respond to the repeated insults. God told him (on more than one occasion) that he was only a warner and had no authority to compel them, let alone behead them. Who are ISIS or Saudi Arabia then, to start punishing people for something which even the Prophet didn’t. Forget punishment for blasphemy which is mere worded insults, the Prophet even forgave those who tortured, fought and exiled him and his companions! The Saudis gratuitously use beheading and harsh punishments without attempting to instill moral qualities within their citizens first. So where do they get their warped sense of Islam from? They follow a particularly extreme, fanatical and radical form of Islam which was invented by one Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab. He believed in a puritanical form of Islam, purging innovations and ‘un-Islamic’ customs. This took an ultra-extreme form and along with Abdul Aziz (also known as Ibn Saud) used this ideology to seize power and influence in Arabia. And thus was the monarchical Saudi Arabia as we know it, born in 1932. The revering of saints, something not un-Islamic in principal, has taken an extreme form in some parts of the Muslim world, with Muslims over-revering them to the extent of worshipping them rather than the one God - Allah. Muslims visit graves of saints, sufis and holy men of the past believing that they can grant their prayers and remove their woes. It is this kind of Shirk (disbelief) that has brought about the puritanical Wahabi form of Islam. Today, they have gone to the extremes of wiping the names off of graves of revered and significant Islamic personalities and guards stand watch, reminding people to carry on walking and not to raise their hands in prayer to the men in graves. However, while the Wahabi ideology claims to be purely unadulterated Islam, we find no authority in Islamic literature for the use of beheading and no punishment for apostasy. And by the way, lashing, stoning and chopping limbs off the way the Saudis and IS do is not at all condoned by Islam. Stoning, quite frankly is a Biblical punishment and not taught in Islam. As for lashing and chopping off limbs, Islam permits it as a very last resort as a deterrent and punishment for repeat offenders and hardened criminals. The appropriate authorities are left to decide which punishment fits the crime. The door of repentance and reformation is always open. In a truly Islamic society, such harsh punishments would rarely if ever need be applied. The Saudis (and those who love to assert that Islam is a violent, extremist religion) have evidently forgotten about the verses in the Qur’an which emphasise forgiveness, reformation, kind words and goodly exhortation. Islam is and always was a moderate religion. It believes in the power of words, reformation and patience as opposed to mere force and coercion. China executes thousands a year yet we hear hardly a word of it from the mainstream media. The Saudis are just about to hit the 100 mark yet America has been executing people for decades. In fact, with their drone strikes, bombs and covert operations, they have most likely killed more human beings than any Muslim nation ever has! Just because beheading is particularly brutal and unsightly, it gets more coverage. The double standards, phobia and hatred against Islam blinds Islamophobes and the media turn a blind eye to the illegal and quite horrific actions of the West. There’s little doubt, if some Islamic nations are at fault, then so are many Western nations as well.
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What the world owes to Islam and its Prophet The principles, values and freedoms of which we can be proud of today, are found in a book compiled some 1400 years old. This book was given to us through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who, through his example and teachings, prepared the world for a spiritual, moral and social revolution, the like of which had never been witnessed before. Through the light of his exemplary practices and words, he readied the world for advancements in all areas of human activity, including faith, science, medicine, culture, architecture, education, economy and civilisation. He came to bring man out of the pits of extreme darkness, ignorance and barbarianism, and to grant life, knowledge and understanding to the world. It was through him that the world learned the way to live, the purpose of life and how to achieve it. Had it not been for his love, sympathy and compassion for the world, dare I say, we would still be grovelling in the depths of human error and conjecture, taking the created stone as idols, or the heavenly bodies that were created to serve us, as gods. With his advent and spiritual power, the idols of the ego were also smashed and the Unity of God was firmly established in the earth, never again to fade away. Everything that we have in the world, the progress and advancements that we have made is due to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). This is no baseless exaggeration. After him, Muslims took inspiration from the book that God had revealed to him to make great discoveries and advancements in all areas of human aspiration. Even in this age, the first Muslim Noble Laureate, Dr. Abdus Salam, on being asked what had inspired him for his revolutionary work in Theoretical Physics, replied, ‘it was the Qur’an’. Thus, Muslims obeyed The Holy Prophet’s commandments that ‘seeking knowledge is a duty for every Muslim man and Muslim woman’ and ‘seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China to get it’. Therefore, he has made it obligatory for every Muslim to seek knowledge as best they can. The Islamic Golden Age saw the Muslims make leaps in advancements which brought the world to a new age of discovery and technology which eventually lead to the renaissance of the West. Many of the things that we have today bear their roots in early Islamic civilisation. More and more, we hear of human rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights and even animal’s rights. Little do people realise that all the goodly freedoms we enjoy, and the principles which we value today, were laid down firmly by the Holy Prophet 1400 years ago and impressed upon the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) taught that all humans are equal, all have equal rights and no one is superior to another regardless of race, gender or even position in society. As for workers, he taught that no worker should be given more work than he can bear, and that his wages should be paid before his perspiration dries off, thus putting an end to exploitation of workers 1400 years ago. It is unfortunate though, that even today in many countries of the world, we hear of child labour, horrific work conditions and exploitation of the needs and desperation of the poor. Such a furore is created about Islam and women’s rights today but Islam came and freed women in the then prevalent uncivilised Arab society and gave them rights which were to be followed the world over in future centuries. Indeed we see that the rights of divorce, inheritance and other freedoms were secured for women 1400 years ago, whereas some of these rights and freedoms were only legalised in the west less than a century ago! Women in Islam can marry whoever they choose and have the right of divorce. They are free to go out and seek employment or to stay at home and take care of the household with the only stipulation that they do not neglect the rights and needs of their family. Moreover, while men are obligated in Islam to spend their wealth on the wife and family, any income that women earn is wholly theirs and can be spent however they wish. Were women in Britain in the early twentieth century given even half of these freedoms? The Prophet is the man who taught us, ‘Paradise lies under the feet of the mother’ and ‘the best of you are those who are best in treatment to your wives’. Does all this leave room for any allegation against Islam about women? Most certainly not. The rights the Prophet Muhammad established did not end with humans alone. He even taught that animals were part of God’s creation and should be taken care of. In an age where we see animal rights groups and organisations to protect animals, Islam had established their rights some 1400 years ago. The Prophet (pbuh) taught through a parable that a woman who took off her shoe, dipped it into a well and gave the water to quench the thirst of a dog, gained the pleasure of God and earned Paradise through this one simple act of kindness. This is but one example of the Prophet’s teaching towards animals. In Britain, we live in a welfare state. The very concept of a welfare state was put forth by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he made it a duty of the state to take care of the poor, orphaned, sick and elderly. Indeed, in subsequent years, his caliphs put into practice the welfare state all over the Muslim world. One significant example is that of Hadhrat Umar, his second successor, who upon hearing the cries of children, whose mother could find no food to feed them, took it upon himself to go to the state treasury stockpile and himself carried essential food items to her home. When his servant offered to carry the load, Umar replied, ‘will you also carry my burdens on the Day of Judgment?’ Such was the standard of responsibility that the Holy Prophet instilled in his followers and future leaders of the Muslim world. Hadhrat Umar, being the head of the state, was responsible for the wellbeing of every citizen and took it upon himself to fulfil their needs. Do any of our politicians today have this sense of responsibility and standard of duty towards their citizens? Politicians and governments are meant to serve the nation and the citizens, not the other way around! High moral qualities such as honesty, charity, gratefulness, forgiveness, cleanliness and love were taught by him. He himself demonstrated all these qualities and more, throughout his life. Indeed from the very beginning, before his claim to Prophethood, he was given the titles ‘The Truthful’, ‘The Trustworthy’ by the very same people who would later oppose him tooth and nail. He taught moderation in all things and he himself led a simple life. Despite coming into much wealth, he gave it all away considering everything to be the property of God, and and that he was no more than a humble servant of God; sent to serve His creation. He cleansed us of idol worship, arrogance, selfishness, ignorance and pride. He gave us the means to clean and purify our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls so that we may prepare for the next life and the meeting with our Maker. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through his majestic spiritual power, brought man from barbarity to humanity. From ordinary human beings, he made them into highly developed moral beings. From that, he taught the way to become spiritual and heavenly beings, worthy of approval by our Creator. It was his deep anguish and distress for humanity that caused him to spend his nights praying and weeping for the world. Such was his compassion for the world that God declared that He had sent Muhammad as a ‘Mercy for Mankind’. Such was his deep love and heartfelt concern for the world that because of his tears of sorrow for humanity, God gave him that, which He had not given to any other people before; a perfect and complete teaching and way of life. His grief for humanity, and nights spent weeping for mankind shook the heavens and God responded to his prayers by giving him the very means to save humanity. This is why Muslims hold him in such high regard, higher than their parents or any other loved ones. He came as The Saviour of Humanity and as a Mercy for all Mankind. This piece was inspired by the writings of the Holy Prophet’s greatest devotee, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the age. We all are guilty of procrastination from time to time, putting off those important tasks and saying 'oh, I'll do it tomorrow'. For many of us though, tomorrow never comes. So how do we defeat procrastination? 1. Planning We can't work all the time, but then again we can't play and have fun all the time either. So we have to find time to do both, as they say 'work hard, play hard'. Effective organisation and planning then, can really help you become more productive. Write down all the tasks you need to accomplish that week and plan out your day to day calendar. Ensure that you often look at your task list to keep you on track. The satisfaction of crossing or ticking off a task once complete is well worth working hard for. Soon you'll find, bit by bit, that your list becomes smaller as you become more productive. Simply writing down what you have to do and having it there reminding you also keeps you focused on your most important tasks. Don't forget to add some time for relaxation and leisure as well though! 2. Distractions The bane of procrastination undoubtedly is distraction. Distractions come in many forms; people, TV, social media, games, other commitments etc. I've found two solutions to deal with the issue of distraction: - Remove every distraction and focus on nothing else but the task at hand. Don't commit to anything else or go near anything that might divert your attention until you've completed your work. - Promise yourself that after you've completed your work, you can go back and allow yourself, as a reward, to engage in other activities which were beforehand, distractions. Distractions, far from being a hindrance can often prove to be effective motive forces to get our task done. Promising yourself that you'll come back to whatever distracts you only once you've finished your most important tasks, can really motivate you to get on with whatever you really need accomplish. 3. Bite-size chunks At times, it seems as though there is simply too much to do. So we often just put off even starting at all. Therefore, cutting down big projects, difficult tasks or long chores into easy, bite-size pieces can really help you to work more efficiently. Set goals and smaller deadlines to complete smaller, individual pieces of the bigger picture and bit by bit, little by little you''ll wonder at what you've suddenly seem to have accomplished. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are individual buildings or walls. Brick by brick, piece by piece, mighty structures and complex cities are built and so should our work be accomplished with patience, steadiness and gradual steps. Another advantage of this piecemeal approach is that each bit of work will be perfectly managed and completed to a high standard - if we don't rush things and plan it all out beforehand that is. Focusing on smaller pieces means we can invest our full attention and effort into minor details rather than being diverted and disheartened by the sheer magnitude of the task at hand. Thus, when a mighty task is at hand, bite-size chunks prevail! 4. Put it in front of you Keep your work always in front of you to be a constant reminder of your unfinished business. If you have a book to read, keep it open on your desk and keep going back to it. If you have something to write, keep the page open all day. Don't hide it or 'brush it under the sofa'. If you have to hoover the house or fix your garden, bring out the tools to do so and make them visible to you and ready to be put to work. Bring out the hoover and place it in your living room, place the fork and spade on your table reminding you and preparing you to go out and start the work. Of course, this strategy can be applied to other situations and tasks. Likewise, sticky notes and whiteboards work wonders in keeping us on track with our workload. Use your smartphone and download some note or reminder apps which will keep reminding you of your unfinished tasks. Always confront your work, don't run away from it otherwise some ways down the line, you'll come to regret it and it'll invariably build up. Once you get started, it becomes much easier to finish, so once you've begun, keep it visible somewhere in your workplace or home so that you can keep coming back to it. 5. Incentives & visualization Of course, as with anything, completing any task requires a great deal of motivation. We should always remember why we are doing something, this keeps us focused on our goal. To have a reason, a purpose is a powerful motivator, so always remind yourself of why you are doing what you are. Write it down and read it often. Remember what you want to achieve and where you want to be, your final destination after the work is complete. Envisage a clean, tidy room, think about the satisfaction of ticking a task of your to-do list, imagine standing to receive your exam results at the end of a long period of effort. Visualization is a beautiful way to make your dreams come true and look forward to success after all your hard labour. Likewise, have certain short-term incentives to keep you going day to day. Visualization will get you motivated for the long term but we always need extra short-term motivation to get us through the nitty gritty tasks and day to day struggles. For example you might dream of running a successful, profitable business. That is your long term goal and incentive. However, to keep yourself going day to day, you'll need to keep reminding yourself what you're working towards and also have daily incentives to keep you going. When some people find it hard to get up in the morning, they think about returning to the comfort of their bed after a long day, or they think about having a tasty breakfast. When some people are having a tough day at school, college or work, they think about returning to the comfort of their home in the evening and relaxing with a nice cup of tea and biscuits (or hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, whatever takes their fancy!) 6. Urgency When you have no choice but to do it, you always find a way. 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Students find that if they have a deadline due the next day, they will crack on with their work even if it means staying up all night to complete it. Suddenly all thoughts of procrastination, distractions and laziness fade away. If you have to complete the application to your dream job and it is due in 2 hours, the thought of putting it off till later will never cross your mind. That's not to say, leave things till the final minute. It means that you should always have a sense of urgency and expediency when facing important tasks. You have to remember we have very little time in this life and every second counts. Darwin is reported to have said 'A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.' Once when visiting Morocco, we were taken to the desert to camp out. There was a camel tour organised for us. A woman in our group was absolutely terrified of riding a camel (anyone who's been on a camel knows why!). She adamantly said she isn't going to get on the camel. The minibuses dropped us off at the edge of the desert and said that the only way to get to the camp-site, and therefore a place to rest, eat and sleep tonight was to get on the camel and ride to the middle of the desert. The woman had no option, so she prepared herself, and despite being scared and giving off a shriek as the camel stood up, she worked up some courage (which is hidden in all of us) and found a way to endure the 1-2 hour journey on camel-back. The point being is that you should give yourself no other option but to get your head down and on with the task at hand. Now, if you're still reading this, you need to go back to point no. 2! |
AuthorAtif Rashid writes about faith, extremism & mental health. Categories
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