Download Human Relations in Islam

Human Relations in
Islam
Dr. Ishaq Zahid
March 08, 2009
Unitarian Church
Outline
 Preamble
 The Prophet (pbuh) with Jews and
Christians
 Selections from Quran and Hadith
 * Our World Today!
 Concluding Remarks
 Q/A
American Muslims
 6 million (The New York Times,
Feb. 21, 1989)
 About 40% Afro-American
 Not all Muslims are Arabs, Not
all Arabs are Muslims
The Message of the
Prophets
 There is no god, but God.
(Allah is the Arabic name for God)
 Worship and obey God as taught
by His Messengers
 …and that is Islam!
One Nation Under God
“Mankind was one single nation, and God sent
Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and
with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge
between people in matters wherein they differed;
but the People of the Book, after the clear Signs
came to them, did not differ among themselves,
except through selfish contumacy. God by His
Grace Guided the believers to the Truth,
concerning that wherein they differed. For God
guided whom He will to a path that is straight.”
(The Quran, 2:213 )
Abraham Builds K’aba
Abraham’s Prayer,
God’s Response
 And remember Abraham said: "My Lord, make
this (Mecca) a City of Peace, and feed its
people with fruits,-such of them as believe in
God and the Last Day."
 He (God) said:
"(Yea), and such as reject Faith,-for a while
will I grant them their pleasure, but will soon
drive them to the torment of Fire,- an evil
destination (indeed)!" (Quran, 2.126)
No Compulsion in Religion
 Let there be no compulsion in religion:
Truth stands out clear from Error:
whoever rejects evil and believes in God
has grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And God hears
and knows all things. (Quran, 2.256)
Respect for others’ beliefs
Islam forbids its followers (Muslims) to
insult anything that is viewed as a deity
by any religion, regardless of what that is.
Safeguarding Houses of
Worship
022.039 To those against whom war is made, permission
is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and
verily, God is most powerful for their aid;022.040 (They are) those who have been expelled from
their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except
that they say, "our Lord is God". Did not God check
one set of people by means of another, there would
surely have been pulled down monasteries,
churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the
name of God is commemorated in abundant
measure. God will certainly aid those who aid his
(cause);- for verily God is full of Strength, Exalted in
Might, (able to enforce His Will).
The Prophet
and a Christian King
 King Negus of Ethopia
gives Protection to
migrated Muslims
 First Muslim-Christian
Governmental Interaction
The Prophet &
the Jews of Madinah
 A miraculous escape of the Prophet from
a murder plot and migration to Madinah.
A great event in the history of Islam.
 He signs a peace treaty with the Jews of
Madinah
 The Jews of Bani ‘Awf are one community with
the believers. The Jews will profess their
religion, and the Muslims theirs.
 The Jews shall be responsible for their
expenditure, and the Muslims for theirs.
 If attacked by a third party, each shall come to
the assistance of the other.
 Each party shall hold counsel with the other.
Mutual relation shall be founded on
righteousness; sin is totally excluded.
 Neither shall commit sins to the prejudice of the
other.
 The wronged party shall be aided.
 The Jews shall contribute to the cost of war so long as
they are fighting alongside the believers.
 Madinah shall remain sacred and inviolable for all that
join this treaty.
 Should any disagreement arise between the
signatories to this treaty, then Allâh, the All-High and
His Messenger shall settle the dispute.
 The signatories to this treaty shall boycott Quraish
commercially; they shall also abstain from extending
any support to them.
 Each shall contribute to defending Madinah, in case of
a foreign attack, in its respective area.
 This treaty shall not hinder either party from seeking
lawful revenge.
The Prophet and the Monks
 The Prophet sent a message to the monks of
Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai:
 "This is a message written by Muhammad
ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who
adopt Christianity, far and near, we are behind
them.
 Verily, I defend them by myself, the servants,
the helpers, and my followers, because
Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold
out against anything that displeases them. No
compulsion is to be on them.
… Letter for the Monks
 No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to
damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims'
houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would
spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet.
 Verily, they (Christians) are my allies and have my
secure charter against all that they hate.
 If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, this is not
to take place without her own wish. She is not to be
prevented from going to her church to pray.
 No one of the nation is to disobey this covenant till the
Day of Judgment and the end of the world."
The Prophet and the
Christians of Najran
A Christian delegation from the city of
Najran, South Arabia, came to visit the
Prophet in Madinah. During the visit, the
Christians prayed in the Mosque of the
Prophet, the second holiest mosque of
Islam!
Selections From Quran
and Hadith
 The Holy Quran contains 23 Years of Revelations (610
- 632 C.E.)
 Original intact as given by the Prophet in Arabic
 114 Chapters: Most Chapters contain Multiple
Revelations
 Chapter names are based on a word in the Chapter
 Historic Context matters: Quran was a living, dynamic,
in-time guidance for the Prophet and his community.
 Basic principles are clear.
 Others should be understood in the light of Hadith and
the 23 years of History
Sunnah and Hadith
 Approvals, disapprovals of the
Prophet
 Compiled in separate books,
known as Hadith books, after the
death of the Prophet
 Classified from authentic to
false.
Respect For Parents
The Qur'an elevates kindness to parents
(especially mothers) to a status second only
to the worship of Allah.
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship
none but Him and that you be kind to
parents. Whether one or both of them attain
old age in your life, say not to them a word
of contempt nor repel them, but address
them in terms of honor.” (Qur'an 17:23)
Human Equality in Islam
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"No Arab has any superiority over a nonArab, nor does a non-Arab have any
superiority over an Arab. Nor does a
white man have any superiority over a
black man, or the black man any
superiority over the white man. You are
all the children of Adam, and Adam was
created from clay."
Justice in Islam
"Do not let your hatred of a people incite
you to aggression." (Quran 5:2)
"And do not let ill-will towards any folk
incite you so that you swerve from
dealing justly. Be just; that is nearest to
heedfulness." (Quran 5:8)
Be Just, even if …
Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for
justice, as witnesses to God, even if it be
against yourselves, or your parents, or
your kin, and whether it be against rich or
poor; for God can best protect both. Do
not follow any passion, lest you not be
just. And if you distort or decline to do
justice, verily God is well-acquainted with
all that you do.’” (Quran 4:135)
Repel Evil with Goodness
 041.034 Nor can goodness and Evil be
equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better:
Then will he between whom and thee
was hatred become as it were thy friend
and intimate!
 003.134 Those who spend (freely),
whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who
restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; for
God loves those who do good.
Suicide is a Grave Sin
O ye who believe! Eat not up your
property among yourselves in
vanities: But let there be amongst
you traffic and trade by mutual goodwill: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves:
for verily God has been to you Most
Merciful! (Quran, 4:29)
One=All
…if any one slew a person - unless it be for
murder or for spreading mischief in the
land - it would be as if he slew the whole
people: and if any one saved a life, it
would be as if he saved the life of the
whole people….(Quran, 5.32)
Quran: Verse 8:12
Often misinterpreted Verse by Islam bashers:
Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the
message): "I am with you: give firmness to the
Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of
the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks
and smite all their finger-tips off them."
(The Quran, 8.12)
Read for an explanation:
http://www.islam101.com/terror/verse8_12.htm
Quran: Verse 8:61, …
008.061 But if the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God:
for He is One that hears and knows (all things).
060.008 God forbids you not, with regard to those
who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out
of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with
them: for God loves those who are just.
060.009 God only forbids you, with regard to those
who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of
your homes, and support (others) in driving you
out, from turning to them (for friendship and
protection). It is such as turn to them (in these
circumstances), that do wrong.
A Few Sayings of the
Prophet
 “The Muslim is that one from whose tongue
and hand the Muslims are safe.”
 And said:
 “None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes
for his brother that which he loves for himself.”
 And said:
 “He will not enter Paradise, he whose neighbor
is not secure from his wrongful conduct.”
 “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let
him be kind to his neighbor; and he who
believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him
show hospitality to his guest; and he who
believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him
either speak good or remain silent". (Hadith)
And said:
 “He is not a perfect believer, who goes to bed
full and knows that his neighbor is hungry.”
 And said:
 “To remove something harmful from the
road, is charity.”
 And said:
 “Charity erases sins just as water
extinguishes fire.”
 And said:
 “Show mercy to people on earth so that
Allâh will have mercy on you in heaven.”
 And said:
 “Try to avert fire even by half a date (in
charity) if not by tendering a good word.”
Our World Today!
A Word on Terrorism
 There are no ISLAMIC TERRORISTS!
(There are a few among a billion Muslims
who are terrorists.)
 Using “Islam” or “Islamic” associates evil
acts to the teachings of Islam. And that is
WRONG!
 Let us STOP associating Islam with evil.
Speak Good or Be Quiet
 The Prophet said: “…He who believes in
Allah and the Last Day, let him either
speak good or remain silent".
see no evil, hear no evil,
speak no evil
 Shutdown on bad media, …, Radio Talk
Shows,…?
Work together for Justice
and peace for All
Questions
and
Answers
Surah Al-Fatehah
(Chapter 1: The Opening)
1. In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful.
2. Praise be to Allah, the
Cherisher and Sustainer of
the worlds;
3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
4. Master of the Day of
Judgment.
5. Thee do we worship, and
Thine help we seek.
6. Show us the straight way,
7. The way of those on whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy
Grace, those whose (portion)
is not wrath, and who go not
astray.