Fundamentalism Vs. Radicalism

[Guest Alice4016]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

I ask that He bless this effort of Dawah, and bring others towards understanding. I ask that He pardon me from any mistakes which I may make in my explanation, and that any mistakes made are from me alone, and any correct information is by His will alone.

أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمد رسول الله

I testify that there is no god but Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is his Slave and Messenger.

Assalamu Alakium,

I have pretty much established that I may, in fact, be the only Muslim on this site haha So I have officially hijacked (joke joke...) this forums to use as a source for others to understand this horribly misunderstood religion, inshaAllah. I have noticed that recently, well not that recently to be honest as it has been happening for quite awhile, the American or (may as well say it) the WESTERN media has a habit of portraying Radicalism within Islam as the common ideological view of whole Muslim community; and this could be no further from the truth. I felt a small post, I will try to keep it short so as not to bore anyone inshaAllah lol, about this topic could serve well for some to understand the true perspective of Islam when it comes to some of the most misunderstood aspects of this religion, inshaAllah. I pray that I can find the opportunity to soon write about the aspects of Fundamentalist views of Islam, which have sadly become recently associated with Radical Islamic views; this can be no further from the truth as there is beauty in fundamentalism. In fact, I consider myself to be a fundamentalist when it comes to the core principals of Islam, and as many of you know I am not in any way shape or form a support or proponent for Radical Islam and the violent attacks the supporters of this ideology commit throughout the world.

Islamic Radicalism:

Radicalism within Islam has been a growing problem over the last thirty years, but did not really peak until the last 15 or so with the rise of many militant groups. This is the most dangerous kind of Islam, and is based upon mostly false interpretations of the Quran and Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet pbuh) usually propagated by leaders who are either truly misguided and uneducated about our Religion, or simply are using Islam to reach some personal or political goals. The interpretations they use regarding laws covered by the Shari'ah (the Divine Law revealed by Allah swt in the Quran) are usually the most strict interpretations which sometimes lead this ideology to being, wrongly, associated with Fundamentalism. Support for Islamic Radicalism, as I mentioned, is usually derived from the spreading of false interpretations or half readings of the Quran. Anyone has studied any form of Comparative Religions would tell you that this kind of purposeful, although sometimes accidental or simply ignorant, misinterpretation has been a problem in all the large world religions in history and is usually used to allow the manipulation of the adherents of a faith who may be less educated by the "Scholars" spreading this misguided knowledge. This usually, and recently, has lead to many violent outbursts which sadly have been excused by the perpetrators by them stating they are simply following their religion, and doing the commandments of Allah swt. Sadly, this is what the media picks up on and presents as the overwhelmingly accepted world view of Islam; although this is a very small portion of the Muslim community who actually supports this radical interpretation of Islam. I would like to take this opportunity to also touch on a few major points about Radicalism that are highly misunderstood and, inshaAllah, shed the light on just how misguided the proponents of this ideology really are from the true essence of Islam.

The Use of Violent Force:

In this section I will cover a few of the verses that many Radicals use to support their claims of Jihad (I will define this term first) against the Western world, and how, when understood in their proper context actually contradict and condemn the actions of the militants. I must note that a full description of this term is unreasonable for this short post, as background in the Arabic language and an understanding of its root based system of wording would have to be established to fully grasp the concept of this word. I will then briefly define this term, insahAllah. I will post the verses in the form of their English translations as I feel it would be a waste to post them in Arabic. If anyone would prefer the Arabic posts to be provided please let me know and I will provided them, inshaAllah.

Jihad: Jihad means to "strive or struggle" and does not mean Holy War, although a quick google search will tell you differently. There is no term in Islam for Holy War, and if you do take the military sense of Jihad it can mean, at best, an early concept for a Just War. There are more types of Jihad than what is usually presented by the media, and I will touch on a few. Many Muslims take place in Jihad every day, a Jihad of the Nafs (self). For example: We have to pray Fajr Prayer (our morning prayer) roughly around 4:30am our time, and to do this we have to wake ourselves out of bed every morning, wash, then pray our prayer. This is a form of Jihad against the Nafs, you are fighting your self urge to remain in your comfortable bed and do what is required of you by Allah swt. Another example would be the Jihad of the heart and soul (another form of Nafs Jihad). Some find it very hard to abstain from Alcohol or Drugs, and this fight to remain clean is a form of personal Jihad.

Another form of Jihad is a Jihad for the deen (the religion). For Example: I am not a native speaker of Arabic, but I have a strong desire (and a requirement for my degree haha) to learn to speak Arabic fluently so that I may read, understand, and inshaAllah memorize the whole Quran(the only true Quran can be read in Arabic, anything else is merely an interpretation or translation). I have to strive and struggle to accomplish this goal only for Allah swt, to please Him by my learning and memorizing, so therefore I am taking place in a spiritual Jihad for our deen, I am striving and struggling for Allah and Islam.

Finally there is the Militant Jihad, an actual military/violent Jihad for the defense of Islam. There is no denying that this type of Jihad does, in fact, exist; but it is not in anyway a Holy war. Physical Jihad has only been prescribed when you are being physically attacked, persecuted, and prevented from doing your required acts of worship. Unlike the media, and the misinformed scholars say, true physical Jihad can only be declared by the Scholars of the Muslim Ummah (the Muslim community) and is not valid when a small group says they are fighting "Jihad" on behalf of the Muslim community; this is in fact condemned in Islam as we will cover later, inshaAllah.

Now I would like to cover, briefly inshaAllah, the use of violent force in Islam; and how these condemnable actions, when truly understood in their full context, actually contradict the teachings of Islam. I will handle this section by posting the most often misrepresented verses of the Quran in the form the "militants" use to justify their actions, followed by the verse in the context that it appears in the Quran. InshaAllah, I will also provide an explanation following these complete verses.

(Note: I will present references in this format: Chapter, verse-verse)

It is also worthy to note that the Quran was revealed by Allah swt to Muhammad pbuh over the period of roughly 22 years, and was revealed in context to the struggle of the Muslims at that specific point in time, so an understanding of not only the verse, but the context of revelation is necessary for a full understanding of the verses meaning. I will provide this historical background to the best of my ability, inshAllah, but in hopes of keeping this short (I have already failed) they will be very brief histories inshaAllah. I will only touch on two of the most misunderstood verses because this post is starting to become rather lengthy, if anyone would like to discuss other verses please feel free to respond and we can do so, inshaAllah.

(Note: The revelations still apply to today, and can be directly applied to a Muslims life even though they were revealed for a time 1400 years ago; just another miracle of the Quran )

"Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you. And slay them wherever you find them..."

2:190-191

Obviously the reason for this causing unrest understandable, but when we view it in the correct context it become more clear what Allah swt was saying, and how this does not encourage mindless violence.

"Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. And Slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And Fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. But if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful. And Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers."

2:190-193

When we view these verses in the full context of their revelation it is very clear that there is no command to kill all the disbelievers. The historical context of these verses shed a lot of light on the meaning behind them, and the wisdom contained therein. The Muslims, for many years, were violently persecuted and physically attacked in Mecca before they made the Hijra to Medina (journey through the desert, marking the beginning of the Muslim calendar); and finally they left the city of Mecca to escape this persecution in Medina. They wished to perform Hajj one year (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca) but when they arrived at the city their rivals forced them out of the city and told them the could not perform the pilgrimage. The Muslims were becoming distressed and were angry that they could not fight back, as they were commanded to be pacifists up till that point; finally Allah swt revealed these verses to Prophet Muhammad pbuh, allowing the Muslims to finally strike back at their opponents, although under certain circumstances only. Happily enough they were able to enter the city and complete their pilgrimage, and when the Muslims did finally retake Mecca, it was done without a drop of blood being shed (although they did fight the Meccan's on many occasions prior to the final taking of the city).

The Muslims were not allowed to be aggressors, meaning if they entered the city without resistance they were not just simply allowed to attack out of vengeance; peace must be kept if at all possible. Today, this ruling still applies, and shows quite clearly the wrong doings of the militants in their aggressive attacks; this is specifically not allowed in Islam. It also states that once those attacking you have stopped their aggressive actions, you must stop fighting as well. Again, something that is misrepresented by these mislead proponents of Radical Islam. When you examine these verses in their full context there is absolutely no room to even begin to think this condones the actions of the militants today.

"We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve..."

2:151

Again, very horrible when taken out of context.

"We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of wrongdoers."

2:151

When viewed with the proper understanding we can realize that this verse is not at all allowing the Muslims to attack, harm, or cause terror to unbelievers. The "We" referred to here is the We in the royal sense of the word. It is Allah swt speaking about how He will cast the unbelievers into the Hellfire for believing in gods beside Him. It is important to note here that Allah swt is not some special Arab god but, summarized quickly, simply means The One Deity Worthy of Worship. He is the God of everyone. Some prefer to simply replace Allah with God when speaking to non-Muslims but it is not my practice, so please forgive me. (I will post another thread about the meaning of the name Allah in more depth soon, ishaAllah) Clearly, if anyone is using these verses to condone their violent acts they truly are transgressing Islam. They are claiming they have power that belongs only to Allah swt, a serious sin within Islam. Also the terror mentioned here is not brought in this world, it is in the hereafter; how can humans think they have the right to act upon Allah's swt power? Those who use this verse maliciously are clearly misguided, or misguiding.

With an understanding of the true nature of just these two verses of the Quran it is clear that Islam is not a religion of War and violence, but of peace, understanding, and diplomacy. Imagine if we were to dig further into the radicals arsenal of Quranic weaponry, their whole foundation would come crashing to the ground; inshaAllah it is already teetering in your minds in light of the current information

The Forcing of People to Accept Islam:

It has come to my attention lately that there some people think Muslims will force them to accept their religion, or convert to Islam. There is also a commonly held belief that Islam was spread by the sword, I hope to discredit this false claim briefly as well inshaAllah. I felt that it was necessary to quickly clear this misunderstand away from the table, as it can be very dangerous when the enemies of Islam are searching for a way to propagandize fear into the hearts of their citizens. Force religious conversion is a great tool to convince your citizens that "Islam" must be stopped, because who would like to be forced to accept a belief system? This common misconception is quickly and painlessly summarized by quoting only two verses from the Holy Quran (although there are many more, which I will provide if asked inshaAllah).

"There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteh false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower."

2:256

Clearly stated, simple, and to the point. There is no compulsion in religion. Whomever Allah swt guides non can misguide; clearly nobody other than Allah swt can bring anyone into the fold of Islam. Surely acts of dawah and talking about the religion may help people begin their searching, inshaAllah, but in no way does a human being have the ability to force anyone into a system of belief.

"Have they not seen the birds obedient in mid-air? None holdeth them save Allah. Lo! herein, verily, are portents for a people who believe. And Allah hath given you in your houses an abode, and hath given you, of the hides of cattle, houses which ye find light on the day of migration and on the day of pitching camp; and of their wool and their fur and their hair, comparison and comfort for a while. And Allah hath given you, of that which He hath created, shelter from the sun; and hath given you places of refuge in the mountains, and hath given you coats to ward off the heat from you, and coats to safe you from your own foolhardiness. Thus doth he perfect his favor unto you, in order that ye may surrender. Then, if hey turn away, thy duty is but plain conveyance. They know the favor of Allah and they deny it. Most of them are ingrates"

16:79-83

Again, showing how only Allah swt by His mercy and generosity can bring people into the fold of Islam. He even commands the Messenger Muhammad pbuh to only speak the message of Islam. ("...thy duty (O, Muhammad) is but plain conveyance.") Even Muhammad pbuh, the best of mankind, was not able to force people into Islam, on the contrary he was forbidden from doing so. This is where the myth of Islam being "spread by the sword" really starts to fall apart.

Summary of Radicalism:

This is but a brief summary of the basic arguments supported by those who find comfort in radical Islam, and the media forces grasping these misguided peoples concepts and presenting them to the world as the common belief of the Muslim population. Islamic radicalism is clearly nothing more than a few misguided (and I do mean a few compared to the numbers of the whole Muslim community) individuals and groups acting outside of their religion to support and push an agenda contrary to the belief of the majority of the worlds Muslims. I know this has been a little longer than I had hoped when I set out, but I pray this gives you a clearer understanding of what Islamic Radicalism is, and the unstable foundation upon which it rests, inshaAllah. I pray that Allah swt guides these misguided souls, and brings into their hearts a clear and truthful love of Islam and Allah swt and keeps them from corrupting this beautiful religion because as Allah swt says:

"But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given thee and neglect not thy portion of the world, and be thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters"

28:77

I know this was long, and I apologize. I pray Allah swt rewards those who have read this with an open mind with a better understanding of Islam, inshaAllah.

Best of wishes,

Nashida

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Thank you for this Nashida

In practically any organization be it religious, political, etc. one will find moderate, fundamental, and even radical factions within the organization.

We have all heard of fundamentalist Christians, fundamentalist Jews, radical Christians, radical Muslims, radical Militia's (and the list goes on and on).

Personally, radicalism in all of its forms is destructive and serves only those who cannot see anyone elses views.

There are billions of people on this planet and no two people are going to have the same opinion about everything.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of Islam with me. Like all religions, the fundamental message is the same...

LOVE

Brenda