islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Islamic Jihadboast of enriching India with poetry, ghazals, arts, architectures and science; except in poetry, the Arabs hadno excellence in any of these talents and had absolutely nothing of their own devising to offer to India.We have noted of Nehru saying in effusive eulogy of how the Arabs carried a "brilliant culture" fromone corner of the world to another. Contradicting himself, two pages later, he writes: ‘(The Arabs) soon lefttheir simple ways of living and developed a more sophisticated culture… Byzantine influences came to them…when they moved to Baghdad, the traditions of old Iran affected them.’ 393 Nehru may draw whicheverconclusions he may wish, but a people of "simple ways of living" could offer nothing valuable to highlydeveloped civilizations that they had devoured. The Arabs could only learn and usurp, which they did in thevery words of Nehru—from Byzantium, Persia.Prohibition of intellectual pursuits in IslamMany of the intellectual pursuits in which the medieval Muslim world had excelled—namely in art andarchitecture, music and poetry, science and learning etc.—are categorically prohibited in Islam. For example,Allah prohibits Muslims from indulging in ostentation and luxury in this world: ‘We (Allah) would certainlyhave assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent Allah (to make) of silver the roofs of their houses andthe stairs by which they ascend. And the doors of their houses and the couches on which they recline, And(other) embellishments of gold; and all this is naught but provision of this world’s life, and the hereafter iswith your Lord only for those who guard (against evil)’ [Quran 43:33–35]. This means that ostentation andluxury in this world is for the bedevilled disbelievers only; Muslims must scrupulously abstain from it.Muslims must not engage in play and amusement, as says Allah: ‘What is the life of this world but play andamusement? But best is the home in the hereafter, for those who are righteous. Will ye not then understand?’[Quran 6:32].Allah clearly prohibits ostentation in architecture and building and indulgence in amusement andplay (music, poetry etc.). Prophet Muhammad, therefore, said of those Muslims, who would think musicalinstrument lawful, that they will be destroyed and transformed to apes and pigs [Bukhari 7:494B]. Accordingto another tradition, the Prophet had instructed Ali: ‘I send you, as God sent me, to break lutes and flutes.’ 394About creating buildings on a grand scale, Muhammad, agreeing with Allah, said: ‘Truly the mostunprofitable thing that eats the wealth of a believer is building’ and that ‘Every expense of the believer will berewarded except the expense of the building.’ 395 Neither did the Prophet himself engage in creatingostentatious buildings despite founding a powerful Islamic state in Medina. The two early mosques, he built—one in Koba and the Prophet’s mosque in Medina—were simple structures until his death. Rain used to leakthrough the roof of his ramshackle mosque in Medina. When his companions asked if it should be repaired, heanswered: ‘No, a mosque should be simple and modest, a booth, like the booth of Moses.’ 396Neither is Allah in favor of creative pursuits, such as in science, philosophy and intellectual learning.Prophet Muhammad was illiterate and Allah proudly glorifies this quality of the Prophet: ‘Those who followthe messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah andthe Gospel…’ [Quran 7:157]. Allah also warns Muslims against being inquisitive and asking creative questionabout the world: ‘O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things, which, if made plain to you, may causeyou trouble… Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith’ [Quran5:101–02]. Prophet Muhammad also advised his followers against asking creative questions and to followpliantly whatever Allah had revealed: ‘Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Satan comes to one of you and says, ‘Whocreated so-and-so? ‘till he says, ‘Who has created your Lord?’ So, when he inspires such a question, one393. Nehru (1946), p. 224394. Walker, p. 283395. Hughes, p. 178396. Walker, p. 271133