Islam's Reformers .pdf

which was more perilous, and thus they annihilated themaltogether.23 - The reformer says:“After caliphate increased the power of the Ottoman rulers,sultans became sort of semigods in the eyes of the people. Agesture on their part could cancel personal wealth, honour andeven life. This dictatorial torment was feared more than Allah’sHells were.”Islam’s first article at the head of all its constitutions havebeen “Those commands which [Muslims are ordered tocommit what] Islam prohibits should not be obeyed.” Therulers presiding over Muslim countries, whether they be called acaliph, a sultan or else, cannot go as far as to make their everywish done. They can never be semigods. Among the Ottomanrulers, none was seen to behave so excessively. There werevery merciful ones, and the cause of their fall was not crueltybut mercy. This resulted not from the religion but fromdisobedience to the religion. The conditions and limitationswhich Islam put on individuals and from which rulers were notexempted were always known by all the Muslim nations. Longbefore the declaration of human rights in Europe, Islam hadgiven it to Muslims not only as a right but also as a duty todisobey the despotic commands of rulers who would violateIslam and act lawlessly.24 - The reformer says:“Not the religion itself but the conception of religion byMuslims, the dictatorial administration based on the religion andthe family education which was also based on the religion haveput the individual in such an unsuccessful state in social life.”It is the main principle of religion reformers to impute everyguilt to the religion in such a manner as to remind of theproverb, “Attack the weak!” and to camouflage behind suchwords as, “not the religion itself but the conception of religion.”25 - The reformer says:“Muslims, who believed that they could not do anything andwho looked resigned because of the idea of qadâ’ and qadarlived under fear for centuries and became obedient,comtemptible, sycophantic and deceitful like the slaves whotrembled under scourges in Europe in the Middle Ages. Thecauses of the corruption of the Ottomans to such a degree were- 34 -