ISLAM FOR BEGINNERS BRS 107.pdf - CUEA

ut also a cause of unity of all the parts that constituted the people in Medina becauseeverybody, Emigrants or Madinans, fought as one man. Thanks to war that was initiatedby Muhammad, their internal and external differences were forgotten; unity of the partiescame out of it. However, as time went on, raids were done not for material interest but forreligious interest, for God as we read in Sura 8:39: “ And fight them until persecution is nomore, and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then lo! Allah is seer of what they do”.Violence was well established in religion.Supposedly that Muslims of the first hour fought for God, he first internal divisions(Sunnism, Shi’ism and Kharijism) were the result of a civil war which was not far fromGod’s command to fight whoever does not submit to his will. Anyway, Islam establishedits power throughout the whole world through war. From 670 to 682, the Maghreb wasconquered, in 711, Spain was under fire of Islam…Maybe Islam came down to Africawithout war but introduced war wherever Muslims settled.Moreover, through the media, we hear or see nowadays that Muslims in the name of Allahor of their religion have performed numerous acts of violence, such as killings and cuttingsof hands. By God’s command, many of our brothers and sisters have been killed andsome have left their homes; some have been massacred, tortured and inflicted uponimprisonment and humiliation. All these are more or less true but Islam is not only that; itis obviously more than this. We surely find violence, sometimes in a high level, but warand violence are neither pillars of Islam which are five and accepted all over the world norarticles of Muslim faith which are six in the entire Islamic community. Islam is more thanthis. I believe that, scientifically speaking, Islam cannot be defined as war and violencethough these are part of it. Violence could be understood as means of Islam in historyand deviations of some Muslims today; but not as its essence because whether we believeor not, God is the essence of Islam. It is clear that if Muslims fight, it is because of Allah.When Islam is defined as violence, it proves that some persons (Christians) have a narrowview, which leads to an irrational rejection of whatever originates from Islam. Countlessconclusions can be drawn from such view: Allah is not God, anything good can come fromthe Qur’an? There is neither truth nor inspiration in Islam, Muhammad is just an impostorand Muslims are outsiders, enemies, they cannot be saved… A narrow minded persondoes not define Islam at all but Islamism or Islamic fundamentalism or extremism. Suchperson could read the Qur’an save for underlining verses that are in contradiction with theFrederic N. Mvumbi,OP Page 6 of 85