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“There’s No Violence, No Terrorism In Islam,” by Murtadha Gusau, Premium Times, November 27, 2020:
These are the kinds of statements that fool ignorant and easy-to-be-fooled non-Muslims into thinking that they’re hearing an Islamic condemnation of terrorism, but which fall apart on close inspection. When many read Qur’an 41:34, and Murtadha Muhammad Gusau’s invocation of it, they assume that by “evil deeds,” he means jihad terror attacks such as 9/11. When Gusau says that “Islam also cared to combat all forms of violence and terrorism,” people once again assume that he is condemning Islamic jihad terrorism. The possibility that Gusau may not think of jihad activity as terrorism, and has something else in mind when he says Islam condemns terrorism, doesn’t cross their minds. But Gusau then makes it clear that he doesn’t have Islamic terrorism in mind, as he describes terrorism as pre-Islamic, something that Muhammad rooted out:
The society in which the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) lived was by no means better than the societies of our days. The problems of violence and terrorism were deeply rooted even then. They were practiced as if they were prime rights and this can be seen in the words of Ja’afar Ibn Abu Talib who said to the Najjashi (Negus) of Ethiopia:
“O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak.” [Sirah of Ibn Hisham]
If we took the issue of killing newly born girls for instance we will see how deeply it reflects the problem of violence, cruelty and terrorism, that’s why the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said about it:
Gusau then ventures into the obviously counterfactual — but it’s obvious only to those who know what Islam actually teaches.
What is the definition of kindness, and what is the definition of violence? If Allah favors kindness over violence, apparently these commands are manifestations of kindness rather than violence:
“Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies…” (8:60)
“When your Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers; so strike the necks, and strike every finger of them!” (Qur’an 8:12)
“We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.” (Qur’an 3:151)
“And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out; persecution is worse than slaughter. But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then, if they fight you, kill them — such is the recompense of unbelievers, but if they give over, surely Allah is all-forgiving, all-compassionate. Fight them until there is no persecution and the religion is Allah’s; then if they give over, there shall be no enmity save for evildoers.” (Qur’an 2:191-193)
“They wish that you should disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore do not take friends from among them, until they emigrate in the way of Allah; then, if they turn their backs, seize them and kill them wherever you find them; do not take for yourselves any one of them as friend or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
“This is the recompense of those who fight against Allah and His Messenger, and hasten about the earth to do corruption there: they shall be killed, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off on opposite sides; or they shall be exiled from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the world to come awaits them a mighty chastisement.” (Qur’an 5:33)
“Fight them, till there is no persecution and religion is all for Allah; then if they give over, surely Allah sees the things they do.” (Qur’an 8:39)
“Then, when the sacred months are over, kill the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” (Qur’an 9:5)
“Fight those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and do not practice the religion of truth, even if they are of the People of the Book — until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.” (Qur’an 9:29)
“Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their possessions against the gift of Paradise; they fight in the way of Allah; they kill, and are killed; that is a promise binding upon Allah in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Koran; and who fulfils his covenant truer than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him; that is the mighty triumph.” (Qur’an 9:111)
“O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near to you; and let them find in you a harshness; and know that Allah is with the godfearing.” (Qur’an 9:123)
“When you meet the unbelievers, strike their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads. So it shall be; and if Allah had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will not send their works astray.” (Qur’an 47:4)
“Aisha, do not use harsh words.” So apparently the Qur’an’s teachings about Jews aren’t harsh. The Jews in the Qur’an are called the strongest of all people in enmity toward the Muslims (5:82); they fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah (2:79; 3:75, 3:181); they claim that Allah’s power is limited (5:64); they love to listen to lies (5:41); they disobey Allah and never observe his commands (5:13). They are disputing and quarreling (2:247); hiding the truth and misleading people (3:78); staging rebellion against the prophets and rejecting their guidance (2:55); being hypocritical (2:14, 2:44); giving preference to their own interests over the teachings of Muhammad (2:87); wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them (2:109); feeling pain when others are happy or fortunate (3:120); being arrogant about their being Allah’s beloved people (5:18); devouring people’s wealth by subterfuge (4:161); slandering the true religion and being cursed by Allah (4:46); killing the prophets (2:61); being merciless and heartless (2:74); never keeping their promises or fulfilling their words (2:100); being unrestrained in committing sins (5:79); being cowardly (59:13-14); being miserly (4:53); being transformed into apes and pigs for breaking the Sabbath (2:63-65; 5:59-60; 7:166); and more. They are under Allah’s curse (9:30), and Muslims should wage war against them and subjugate them under Islamic hegemony (9:29).
Now, any Islamic authority will tell you that the Qur’an takes precedence over the Hadith. Why doesn’t Gusau quote the Qur’an about beating wives? “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.” — Qur’an 4:34
Muhammad’s child bride, Aisha, says in a hadith that Muhammad “struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: ‘Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you?’” — Sahih Muslim 2127
The key words there are “except by right.” The commands to kill that are quoted above give a “right” to kill that is not canceled by this verse.
Note that this statement speaks of “the blood of a believer.” The commands are to make war against and kill unbelievers, not believers. The Qur’an forbids killing fellow believers: “And never is it for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And whoever kills a believer by mistake – then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to his family, unless they give charity….” (Qur’an 4:92)
No, it doesn’t. It only establishes that a Muslim should not terrorize fellow Muslims.
There it is. Another Islamic condemnation of terrorism that turns out to be much less than meets the eye. Will Gusau condemn jihad violence against non-Muslims? He doesn’t in this article.
