An Islamic response to the cartoons (with 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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bismi-llaahi-r-raHmaani-r-raHeem

In the name of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), the Most Merciful, the Merciful

A response to the disturbance on the cartoons that blasphemed against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam).

By al-Hajj ‘Abd ar-Raheem bin ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Abd al-‘Azeez bin Khalid al-Awashqi
(al-Haajj ‘abdu-r-raHeemi-bni ‘abdi-llaahi-bni ‘abdi-l-‘azeezi-bni khaalidi-l-awashqee)

as-salaam wa-S-Salaat ‘ala-s-sayyidinaa muHammadin (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) wa ‘ala ahlihi wa ‘ala aSHaabihi wa ‘ala kulli muslimeen. ameen.

Blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) and upon his (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) house (raZee allaah ta’aala ‘anhum) and upon his (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) companions (raZee allaah ta’aala ‘anhum) 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) and the sunnah and aHadeeth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam), 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 (subHaanahu wata’aala) as their actions imply images have power or influence over Muslims, which takes away from the power and influence of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), when Islam emphatically teaches that only Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) truly has power and influence. Such a reaction to images would be tantamount to setting them beside Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) is only a man. Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) commands the Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) to say: “innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum” (“Indeed, I am a man like you”) (18:110 and 41:6). Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) also commands the Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) 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 (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) announces that he (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) is but a man like the rest of them/us, he (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) does not stop there.

In the 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 Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala], 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala)] should do good works and not commit shirk in worship of his one Lord.”

(Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala] 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 Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala], 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.”

(Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala] the Great speaks the truth.)

When it is then unmistakable that by his (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) own word and by the command of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) our Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) is blasphemed. Muslims never protest to honor Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) against atheist socialists and communists or other atheists and people who have rejected Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala). 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 sharee’ah and, just as seriously, blaspheming the good name of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala), the Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam), 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 (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) in the first place.

The ‘ulamaa’ involved in this fiasco bear upon them a great burden of sin. Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) 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 Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala], the Most Merciful, the Merciful.)

“And al-fitnah is worse than killing.”

(Allaah [subHaanahu wata’aala] 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 Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) and Islam.

If al-fitnah is worse than killing (and it is because Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) 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 tawHeed of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala)) and by elevating the Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) to an almost divine level (which also goes against the tawHeed of Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) and goes against what Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala) and the Holy Prophet (Salla-llaahu subHaanahu wata’aala ‘alayhi wasallam) have said), are worthy of execution. The Muslim-hood of these revolting Muslims can be reasonably questioned.

O Allaah (subHaanahu wata’aala)! 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!

wa-llaahu (subHaanahu wata’aala) a’lam.