An Islamic response to the cartoons (with less Arabic)

Please note that the “author” of this piece, al-Hajj ‘Abd ar-Raheem bin ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Abd al-‘Azeez bin Khalid al-Awashqi, does not exist. He was created by Us as a foil, as it were, to the Salafi al-Hajj Muhammad ‘Abdullah Saifuddin Fathullah al-Awashqi. Consider them to be brothers. Both are very religious except one is Salafi and the other is less militantly so. Who knows: maybe the more Salafi one will deign to post a Salafi response to the cartoon fiasco.

The fact We are able to capture the Islamic flow of Islamist writing is somewhat scary.

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In the name of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), the Most Merciful, the Merciful

A response to the disturbance on the cartoons that blasphemed against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him).

By al-Hajj ‘Abd ar-Raheem bin ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Abd al-‘Azeez bin Khalid al-Awashqi

Blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) upon him) and upon his (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) upon him) house (the pleasure of exalted ALLAH be upon them) and upon his (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) upon him) companions (the pleasure of exalted ALLAH be upon them) and upon all Muslims. Amen.

First of all, for Muslims to react so strongly to images drawn by non-Muslims, while the same Muslims disobey and disregard the word of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) and the example and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him), certainly is shirk as this means that the said Muslims attach more importance to images than to Islam.

Furthermore, by reacting so strongly to images, they commit shirk against Allah (praised and exalted be He) as their actions imply images have power or influence over Muslims, which takes away from the power and influence of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), when Islam emphatically teaches that only ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) truly has power and influence. Such a reaction to images would be tantamount to setting them beside ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), which would utterly nullify these Muslims’ faith and render them as infidels (kuffaar).

Additionally, it is revealed in the Holy Qur’aan, the Word of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) is only a man. ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) commands the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) to say: “innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum” (“Indeed, I am a man like you”) (18:110 and 41:6). ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) also commands the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) to say: “subHaana rabbee hal kuntu illaa basharan rasoolan” (“glory to my Lord, am I but a man, a messenger?”) (17:93). When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) announces that he (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) is but a man like the rest of them/us, he (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) does not stop there.

In aayah 110 of sooratu-l-kahf (soorah 18), the Holy Qur’aan says:

(bismi-llaahi-r-raHmaani-r-raHeem)

“innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum yooHaa ilayya annamaa ilaahukum ilaahun waaHid, faman kaana yarjoo liqaa’a falya’mal ‘amalan SaaliHaan wa laa yushrik bi’ibaadati rabbihi aHada”

(Sadaqa-llaahu-l-‘aZeem)

The interpretation of which is:

(In the name of ALLAH [praised and exalted be He], the Most Merciful, the Merciful.)

“Indeed, I am a man like you, it has been revealed to me that your God is a solitary God, so whoever there is who desires a meeting [with ALLAH (praised and exalted be He)] should do good works and not commit shirk in worship of his one Lord.”

(ALLAH [praised and exalted be He] the Great speaks the truth.)

In aayah 6 of sooratu-fuSSilat (soorah 41), the Holy Qur’aan says:

(bismi-llaahi-r-raHmaani-r-raHeem)

“innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum yooHaa ilayya annamaa ilaahukum ilaahun waaHidun fa-staqeemoo ilayhi wa-staghfiroohu, wa waylun lil-mushrikeen”

(Sadaqa-llaahu-l-‘aZeem)

The interpretation of which is:

(In the name of ALLAH [praised and exalted be He], the Most Merciful, the Merciful.)

“Indeed, I am a man like you; it is revealed to me that, indeed, your God is a solitary God so be upstanding towards Him and ask His forgiveness, and woe to those who commit shirk.”

(ALLAH [praised and exalted be He] the Great speaks the truth.)

When it is then unmistakable that by his (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) own word and by the command of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) is a man like any of us, how can Muslims react with such rage and irrational emotion? Muslims never react this way when Islam or ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) is blasphemed. Muslims never protest to honor ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) against atheist socialists and communists or other atheists and people who have rejected ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), or even those atheists who are non-Muslim (as the cartoonists were non-Muslim).

What is also of grave concern is that fact that what Muslims have done is no way commanded, tolerated, allowed, or permitted by sharee’ah, the divine law revealed by ALLAH (praised and exalted be He). Indeed, by creating such unrest, by causing such destruction, and by the innocent lives lost, the Muslims involved in this fiasco are guilty of going against the divine law and, just as seriously, blaspheming the good name of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) and Islam! See how the non-Muslims mock Muslims and Islam. This is not the non-Muslims’ fault: they are mocking what they see, and what they see is Muslims reacting atrociously to simple images by the hand of non-Muslims! These Muslims proclaim to be protesting in favor of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He), the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him), and Islam, but nothing could be further from the truth. By their actions, they are blaspheming Islam; their actions are worse than those who blasphemed against the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) in the first place.

The ‘ulamaa’ involved in this fiasco bear upon them a great burden of sin. ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) says in the Holy Qur’aan:

(bismi-llaahi-r-raHmaani-r-raHeem)

“wa-l-fitnatu ashaddu mina-l-qatli”

(Sadaqa-llaahu-l-‘aZeem)

The interpretation of which is:

(In the name of ALLAH [praised and exalted be He], the Most Merciful, the Merciful.)

“And al-fitnah is worse than killing.”

(ALLAH [praised and exalted be He] the Great speaks the truth.)

What is al-fitnah? It is disbelief and unrest and disturbance. By not commanding in the most emphatic words for Muslims to cease from causing disturbance and, for some, by even contributing to this unrest, these ‘ulamaa’ are guilty of misleading the people, perpetuating their disbelief (shirk), and blaspheming ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) and Islam.

If al-fitnah is worse than killing (and it is because ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) has explicitly said so), then one can make the case that all of these Muslims, who have desecrated Islam by their actions, who have committed shirk by empowering images (which goes against the oneness of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) according to Islam) and by elevating the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) to an almost divine level (which also goes against the oneness of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) according to Islam and goes against what ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) be upon him) have said), are worthy of execution. The Muslim-hood of these revolting Muslims can reasonably be questioned.

O ALLAH (praised and exalted be He)! Save us from error and lead us on the straight path!

Allaahumma! “ihdinaa-S-SiraaTa-l-mustaqeem; SiraaTa-l-ladheena an’amta ‘alayhim ghayri-l-maghDoobi ‘alayhim walaa-D-Daalleen.” Ameen!

And ALLAH (praised and exalted be He) knows best.