Dawlah Riddah: Alshabaab’s Takfeeri Undertones.

[Nur]

Akhi Xiin

 

Its been couple of months that I kept you on hold for my complete response on the the Dawlah Riddah topic, At last, I found ample time to make the finishing touches and I hope that the scholarly aspect of the topic is helpful to assess the Religious ruling of the DKMG in Somalia. I pray for their salvation, and Hidaayah, Amin.

 

 

Nur

[Positive]

Without taking consideration to the inherent Principals of the wisdom of the heart no answer given here will benefit us much.

 

What is the wisdom of the heart ?

 

The wisdom of the heart basically means when one makes a decission one ought ask:

 

1) Is my decission correct?

 

2) Is its application kind?

 

3) Is it neccesary to carry out my decission?

 

If one of the answers is negative then it would be wise to refrain to carry out your decission. In other words whatever the head claims to be correct should be checked and aligned with what the heart feels. Only when the heart and head are in sync would the effects of your actions be beneficial.

 

This is a yardstick which we can use to find answers to the difficult but important questions rised in this topic.

 

Using the yardstick we may ask then: 1) is fighting with the TFG permissible and in accord with the islamic teaching? 2) Even IF it is permissible is it kind to wage war in the country or areas populated by defenceless civilians? 3) Is it necessary to wage such a war now in light of the prevalent global, regional and local conditions?

 

We are on a shaky ground if one of the above answers is negative let alone if two or all three are!

 

The above questions are the same as Xiin and many others are asking but I formulated them in my own way.

 

In my opinion there can not be any theological justification, neither from the TFG nor from Alshabaab, to slaughter our civilians as they are doing now. And anyone who justifies the perpetuation of the ongoing war should look deep into his heart.

 

Peace

 

The Awakener2

[Nur]

Good to hear from you after a long while brother Awakener, I think Somalia needs cool headed people like you.

 

Bro. If there is a conflict situation in which either life is lost, or faith will be lost, which one is more important in Allah's view:

 

1. Preservation of Life

2. Preservation of Faith

 

 

Nur

[Positive]

Thanks brother.

 

I don't want to keep you busy now as you have found ample time to frame a response to the questions of Xiin.

 

I wish to say though that whether faith will be lost is conditional. We went through more trying times, for example in the colonial era, and no faith was lost. Besides the waring parts are each claiming that they want to preserve the faith; but in practice do not care to preserve Life.

 

It is the responsibility of the individual to preserve his faith. What we can do is to realize the sanctity of his life and accord him peace.

 

Is that difficult? No.

 

The Awakener2

[Johnny B]

Originally posted by Nur:

Good to hear from you after a long while brother Awakener, I think Somalia needs cool headed people like you.

 

Bro. If there is a conflict situation in which either life is lost, or faith will be lost, which one is more important in Allah's view:

 

1. Preservation of Life

2. Preservation of Faith

 

 

Nur

Sheikh Nur,

The assumption that the Republic of Somalia is in a situation where either life must be lost or Faith will (must) be lost, is strange to Reality.

 

Ideally , every Somali would of per default be(is) granted the right to have Faith in whatever that rocks his boat, as Somalia just like any nation, neither own nor have monopoly on the Islamic Faith and it's various versions(sects if you like),Neither does Somalia and Somalis need to either die or be new born Muslims, nor would the view of an Allah neccessarily be(is) Death for Somalis or Faith in me.

 

It may so be how Somalia's new theopoliticians would like us to see the situation in Somalia today.

 

As for the choice of preservations listed,

one'd say there is only one choice, namely 1. Preservation of Life, as Faith is a personal buisiness.

[Nur]

Dear JB

 

Much thanks for your wise response, I respect your perspective, and it is exactly how the Democratic West prioritizes its options on life ( Only Their Lives, since they have killed millions of Jews in Europe, millions during colonization of Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Latin America, and caused death of millions who perished in world wars) and faith.

 

Somalia falls in the East, and embraces Islam which is different than Christianity, whose present version is founded by the conquering Roman Kings who separated faith from the rule of law of the conquering King. Caesar and the church have settled their argument long time ago, God owns the Church and Sundays, and Caesar owns the rest.

 

As an enlightened person, I am sure that you can differentiate Somalia and its religious and cultural background from the Democratic west and its religion and culture, if the west have forsaken the collective application of faith in public life for apparent reasons ( no shared faith or values), it would be healthy for the west to respect diversity of outlooks of other cultures and that particularly in Somalia, faith is valued more than wealth and life, that is why we are very poor, and that there are different strokes for different folks, Islam governs every aspect of a Muslim community's life, and as such preserving Islam takes a priority over preserving life if its an exclusive choice. That is why Jihad, an important pillar in Islam was ordained, for the preservation and for defending the faith, and not for transgression of others.

 

 

Nur

[Abtigiis]

I agree with Nur that in Somalia faith takes priority over life and I think it should. But, Somalia also should give room for personal choices of individuals.

 

What I am trying to say is that the laws in the country must not allow religious practices that are alien to Islam (church going, distribution of bibles etc etc). But, if one somali decides to practice what he wants in his own house (as long as it is not criminal or have a negative bearing on social welfare- devil worship kind of fetish), I think the executive powers need to allow it.

 

If JonnyB wants to live Mogadisho as a confessed atheist, he should not be brought to court and killed. But if he preaches it, then he should be arrested and charged. I don't know if I am making any sense, but I see a middle ground.

[Polanyi]

Nur, I think the word you are looking for is "deen" and not "faith".

[Nur]

Brother Abtigiis you are making good sense,

 

Every country in the world has a law, and anyone who chooses to live in it must abide by it, if not comfortable, there are countries that are willing to take that person.

 

In Islam, the private lives of the citizens is non of the government's business, According to the Holy Quraan, unlike the new Western ant-terror laws, an Islamic state does not have right to:

 

1. Spy on citizens private lives ( So in effect , JB can enjoy his booze if so he chooses, and if his privacy is violated, can sue and win a case against state)

 

Allah SWT says in Surah Al Xujuraat verse 12 : O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting) . And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.

 

2. Enter private properties without the permission of the owner.

 

Allah SWT says in Surah Al Nur, verse 27: O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them, that is better for you, in order that you may remember.

 

3. Use the element of surprise to find suspected would-be law breakers by entering dwellings from other than the appropriate doors.

 

Allah SWT says in Surah Baqarah Verse 189: .....it is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc.) that you enter the houses from the back but Al-Birr (is the quality of the one) who fears Allah. So enter houses through their proper doors, and fear Allah that you may be successful.

 

 

Conclusion: Islamic Privacy Laws hence protect the individual's private life and leave its judgement to Allah and the day of judgement, while, the public behavior is governed by the Law of Sharia.

 

Nur

[Nur]

Polanyi bro.

 

You are right, in this context it is DEEN. However the DEEN. is based on FAITH., so by eliminating FAITH. from public life, it follows that DEEN., which means a way of life based on Allah's revelation is jeopardized.

 

 

Nur

[Polanyi]

Originally posted by Nur:

Polanyi bro.

 

You are right, in this context it is

DEEN. However the

DEEN.

is based on

FAITH.

, so by eliminating

FAITH.

from public life, it follows that

DEEN.

, which means a way of life based on Allah's revelation is jeopardized.

 

 

Nur

Indeed, ya Sheikh. But what I meant is that the colonial and secular regimes will allow you to keep your "faith", but they will prohibit or try their best to prevent Muslims from implementing the deen in all spheres of life,the purpose for which it was revealed. Of course many Ulema would say this is no different than rejecting the entire deen. Dr Israr Ahmed has summed up the issue neatly:

 

Le-yuzhira-hu

 

 

Now, let us take another step forward and try to understand the meaning of the Arabic expression le-yuzhira-hu used in the Qur´anic verse under discussion. The literal meaning and connotation of the verb izhar - to make dominant - is accepted by all scholars and experts of Qur´anic sciences. However, there are more than one opinion in respect of the subject and object of the verb izhar, though these differences of opinion cause no real change in the essential meaning of the verse.

 

According to some scholars, the subject of the verb izhar is the same Being Who is also the subject of the verb irsal - to send - i.e., Almighty Allah; in this case the translation would read: "He it is Who has sent forth His messenger ... to the end that He, i.e., Almighty Allah, make it prevail over all aspects of living..." Some others maintain that the implicit subjective pronoun in the expression le-yuzhira-hu refers to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), in which case the translation would read: "He it is who sent forth His messenger ... to the end that he, i.e., the Holy Prophet, make it prevail over all aspects of living..." Both interpreters have taken recourse to finer subtleties of Arabic grammar in support of their respective positions, but the question that clinches the matter is this: What real difference does either position make in the over-all purported intent of the verse? As Muslims, we all believe that the final and real agent for all actions is none other than Almighty Allah (SWT). Despite this basic metaphysical belief, all imperatives in the Qur´an are directed and addressed to human beings living in the world of facts, and it is incumbent upon them to leave no stone unturned in performing their religious obligations. That is why we see that the Holy Prophet (SAW) struggled very hard all through his prophetic career for making Islam triumphant and dominant. That is to say, in the world of objective facts, the Prophet had to carry out an extremely arduous struggle for Islam at a purely human level, although we believe that the ultimate and real causal agent of all actions is always Almighty Allah (SWT). The Qur´an categorically asserts thus:

 

 

 

So the fact is that (O Believers) you did not slay them but Allah slew them, and (O Prophet) you did not throw (the sand) but Allah threw it. (Al-Anfal 8:17)

 

 

 

Would those who are, through minor difference of interpretation based on feeble arguments, trying to distort the whole concept of religious obligations think about the far-reaching implications of their standpoint! The truth of the matter is that, on the basis of a trivial point, they have wrongly absolved themselves of the Qur´anic obligation of making Islam dominant as a politico-socio-economic order in the world. They should try to honestly consider as what would have happened if the Holy Prophet and his Companions had taken the above quoted verse in its apparent literal sense. Obviously, they would have forthwith given up their struggle for the cause of Islam and the subsequent world history would have been radically different from what it is. Moreover, would it be possible for anyone of us to have embraced Islam, the true Divine faith?

 

 

 

Indeed, we should always try to be on guard against the seductive trappings of Satan, in particular his master deception that causes us to see as superfluous, burdensome, or frightening that which is really one of the basic obligations of all faithful. Is not the attitude of complacency exhibited by these misguided interpreters of the Holy Qur´an identical with one depicted in the proverb "A bad workman quarrels with his tools"?

 

 

 

The whole matter is quite clear to anyone who endeavours to think with an unbiased mind. Surahs Al-Tawba, Al-Fath, and Al-Saff - the three surahs which contain the verse under discussion - are all concerned mainly with the subjects of Jihad (or struggle and effort) and Qitaal (or armed conflict) in the cause of Almighty Allah (SWT). In particular, Surah Al-Saff is entirely, from the beginning to the end, on the theme of struggle and war in the way of Allah. And in this, immediately after the verse under discussion, a clarion call has been made in an extrememly motivating manner for Muslims to girdle up their loins for the cause of Islam. First, the question is put to believers whether they wanted themselves to be saved from grievous suffering. And then it is said in clear and unambiguous terms that this can only be achieved by undertaking the hard and arduous tasks of struggle and armed strife in the way of Almighty Allah (SWT). The verses in full read:

 

 

 

O Believers ! Shall I point out to you a bargain that will save you from grievous suffering? That you believe in Allah and His Prophet, and that you strive (your utmost) in the cause of Allah with your property and your lives; that will be best for you if you but knew. (Al-Saff 61:10,11)

 

 

 

It is truly a wonderful bargain; what we are asked to give is so little, what we are promised in return is so much - only if we knew the eternal truth, and understood the comparative value of things - the sacrifice of our fleeting pleasures and gains for Divine mercy and forgiveness, His love, and eternal bliss. In reward of struggle and war in the cause of Islam we get Almighty Allah´s unbounded bounty and munificence. Later in this surah, Almighty Allah (SWT) assures the believers of victory in this world too. On top of it all, the believers who endeavour for Islam with zeal and zest are regarded as helpers of Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAW). If a man does not enter into this bargain, he will not even rid himself of grievous suffering, let alone seek loftier spiritual rewads and blessings.

 

 

 

This, in effect, means that the whole issue is quite simple and understandable. Islam is Deen of Almighty Allah (SWT) and to make it prevail in this world is essentially the duty of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Now, the acid test for the sincerity of a person who claims belief in both of them - in Almighty Allah (SWT) and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) - is whether or not he strives his utmost in the cause of Islam with all his energies, capabilities, wealth, and life. If he thus "helps" Allah and His Messenger, he will attain eternal success and bliss. Otherwise, he will face condemnation and torments of Hell-fire in the life to come. This is stated very clearly in verse 25 of Surah Al-Hadeed, part of which has already been quoted above. The translation of the full verse is as follows:

 

We sent Our messengers with clear instructions and bright signs and sent with them (Our revealed) Book and the Balance in order that the humanity may stick to, and behave with, Justice. And We sent down iron which has great strength and other benefits for men. This has been done so that Allah may know who helps Him and His messengers, unseen. Sureley, Allah is Strong, Almighty. (Al-Hadeed 57:25)

 

 

 

Similarly, Surah Al-Saff ends with this call:

 

 

 

O Believers, be helpers (in the cause) of God, even as Jesus, the son of Mary, said to his disciples, "who will be my helpers (in the cause) of God?" (Al-Saff 61:14)

 

 

 

If one does not accept this immaculately clear view of the Islamic obligation (regarding the struggle to establish the Deen of Allah) based on self-explanatory propositions, he will do so at his own peril.

 

It may be mentioned here that there is a difference of opinion about the referent of objective pronoun hu in the expression le-yuzhira-hu. According to some interpreters and exegetists of the Qur´an, it refers to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and, according to some others, it refers to Deen Al-Haq. Again, this makes no real difference in the meaning and import; the victory of the Prophet is not to be taken as his personal or his clan´s or tribe´s victory. Rather, it means the dominance and triumph of the Faith which he preached tirelessly, and established, in letter and spirit, throughout the whole of the Arabian peninsula.

 

 

 

Alad-deeni Kulli-hi

 

 

This expression of the Qur´anic verse has been variously translated as "over all false religions" and "over all Deen." It is quite significant that the plural form of the noun Deen - which is Adiyyan - has not appeared in the whole of Qur´an even once. Moreover, the emphasis connoted by the expression kulli-hi, in addition to the verse already noted, appears at only one other place in the Holy Qur´an, as follows:

 

 

 

And fight against them until there is no more oppression and all Deen belongs to Allah alone. (Al-Anfal 8:39)

 

 

 

Here, to translate Deen in the plural as Adiyyan will be quite wrong; to say that all religions can belong to God is an utter travesty of truth, whereas directing and devoting all sincere worship and obedience to One Almighty is an important Qur´anic theme which has been expressed repeatedly in nearly identical words. With this significance of the locution Deen in mind the real import of the verse under discussion becomes very obvious; that is, the purpose of the advent of the Last Prophet (SAW) is that he should make the Deen of Allah dominant over the whole way of life and with regard to all collective institutions. One can therefore translate this part of the verse as "...to the end that he make it prevail over the entire Deen, i.e., over all aspects of living...."

 

 

 

It is important at this juncture to understand logically and rationally as to why establishing Deen or making it dominant was at all essential. This was for two reasons: First, Deen by its very nature demands its establishment and domination over all the spheres and institutions of life. A way of life - particularly one based on total submission to God Almighty - is meaningless and contradictory if it is not implemented and put in practice. This by itself makes Deen quite radically different from a mere religion in the contemporary Western sense of the word. A religion is, in fact, a fragmentary or a partial affair and can exist under any Deen, which is identifiable with the dominant politico-socio-economic order of a given land. At the time when Islam was dominant as a Deen, we find that Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and Buddhism survived under its domination as religions, and their followers were forced to accept the Qur´anic injunction "... they agree to pay the exemption tax (jizia), and remain humbled." (Al-Tawba 9:29). Similarly, reduced and attenuated to the status of a private affair, Islam existed during the Colonial era as a mere religion.

 

 

 

Deen, on the other hand, is a total and integrated whole, and it has no reality or efficacy until it is practised in toto and held supreme over all spheres of life, including that of the political authority itself. As a matter of common sense, two different Deens - that is to say, two different politico-socio-economic systems - can never co-exist; thus, the co-existence of Monarchy and Democracy or Capitalism and Communism on a par with each other in the same country is just not possible. However, their co-existence is conceivable only in case one of them maintains its authority as the dominant system of the country, while the other yields and allows itself to be reduced to the level of a ritualistic and non-assertive religion.

 

 

 

In respect of the difference between religion and Deen, two points should be clearly borne in mind: (1) the Arabic word for religion is madhhab, which has not been used at all in the Qur´an, nor has it been used in the whole corpus of Hadith in its present commonly understood meaning. It came to be used much later quite rightly to connote various schools of juristic thinking, e.g., Hanbali madhab, Maleki madhab, Hanafi madhab, etc, which are in reality branches or developmental variants of that part of the faith of Islam that deals with law or Shari´ah. (2) Though, in matters of details, the revealed law or the Shari´ah given to Prophet Musa (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) shows numerous points of divergence, yet the essentials of Deen have remained identical right from Prophet Adam (AS) down to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This point is elucidated by the following Qur´anic verse:

 

 

 

The same Deen has been ordained for you as that which He enjoined on Noah, the one which We have sent by inspiration to you (O Prophet), and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: namely, that they should establish this Deen and make no divinsion therein. (Al-Shura 42:13)

 

The second reason why the establishing of the Deen of Allah is so vital is this: irrespective of its excellence and instrinsic worth, a given system of life will never rise above the level of a fantacy or a daydream unless it is established in the world of reality so that everyone can see its merits, instead of just hearing and reading about them. For Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the actual establishment of Islam´s dominance over all social structures and institutions was essential to prove its viability and practicability; otherwise even this matchless and most outstanding system of life would have been taken as a mere utopia. And surely, utopias never convince people at large. The Prophet´s duty of furnishing a "Witness to the Truth" for people and leaving them no excuse of ignorance would have remained undischarged until the whole politico-socio-economic system of Islam - including its law or Shari´ah - were translated into concrete facts. That is why the Holy Prophet (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) endeavoured to their fullest in their strenuous struggle to achieve the domination of Islam, which blossomed and flourished during the period of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. In this golden era of pristine Islam, the ideal moral values preached so far only in sermons - values like human freedom, fraternity and equality - were turned into real and objective facts, and this feat has been authentically recorded in history and acknowledged by world historians

[Nur]

Polonyi bro.

 

Thanks for sharing the above discussion on DEEN and the meaning of the word YIDHHIRAHU.

 

I wholeheartedly concur with the writer.

 

The last remark I made that: "That is why Jihad, an important pillar in Islam was ordained, for the preservation and for defending the faith, and not for transgression of others". does not contradict with the writers point of view, preservation of the faith, and Deen is the first of the Moral of the Sharia, and it inherently includes dissemination of message of Islam to mankind worldwide so the Deen of Allah will become prevalent ( Yudh hirahu ).

 

 

Regarding the meaning of the word Yudh-hirahu, Allah SWT says in Surah Al Saff verse 14 : " O you who believe! Be you helpers (in the Cause) of Allah as said 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), to Al ­Hawariun (the disciples): "Who are my helpers (in the Cause) of Allah?" Al­ Hawarieen (the disciples) said: "We are Allah's helpers" (i.e. we will strive in His Cause!). Then a group of the Children of Israel believed and a group disbelieved. So We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, and they became the DHAAHIREEN uppermost.

 

Nur

[Positive]

Following is an incident which happened in Norway years ago.

 

A Somali father killed his wife and two small children in Oslo the capital of Norway. He was separated from his wife at that time and she had parental responsibility for their children. The father visited the family in that fateful day in their house and killed them all. After he finished his job he called the Police and got arrested. I believe that the children were under the age of five; the Somali community understandable was and still is petrified by what happened.

 

He justified his action by saying "I saved my children from hell; they would lose their faith".

 

I have not first hand knowledge as to the correctness of this information but I'm using it for illustration.

 

If the details of the story are true what bothers me is how he justified his action . . . . . . .how did he know that his children will leave from their Islamic roots? May be he could see the future but seeing the future is a quality that the majority of us lack and when someone or group is committing crimes we cannot be expected to readily accept his or their actions on the bases of predictions on the future.

 

 

Now Nur says " If there is a conflict situation in which either life is lost, or faith will be lost, which one is more important in Allah's view:

 

1. Preservation of Life

2. Preservation of Faith".

 

 

It seems as though the writer when he says " or faith will be lost "is sure about what will happen in the future but for me it is about an assumption. We can not allow our selves to take life on the bases of assumptions nor can we be part of endless wars which progressively weaken if not annihilate the very existence of a people as a nation in this case ours.

 

The very act of waging war has the potential to become cause for someone or many to leave their faith. Just try and extrapolate the potential of how many somalis in the diaspora and their descendents could leave their faith. A somali wisdom says" Calool gaajoonaysaa waa waxwalba u nugul".

 

My question is if faith is what we are trying to defend why is a fraternal war is the only option?

 

The hand of God and His servants works in mysterious ways. What we need most now is compassion and mercy; qualities that are primary attributes of God. From our part we could realise that these attributes can be emulated in human level. We could be kind and compassionate to one another. In retribution the flood gates of the heaven may be opened and higher winds of the divine compassion and mercy may rain on all. It is easier for us that the peace we are longing for comes on that manner.

 

Besides Tawakal is an important aspect of worship and it solves many problems if only we could show patience. What is left for God and entrusted to Him becomes manifested to us in most satisfying manner.

 

 

The Awakener2

[xiinfaniin]

Brother Nur's conclusion:

 

TFG as an entity is a kufri entity.

 

The war in Somalia is about preserving the Muslim Deen . Innocent lives lost are therefore sufferable.

 

War ma saasaa Nuroow?

[xiinfaniin]

Originally posted by Positive:

Following is an incident which happened in Norway years ago.

 

A Somali father killed his wife and two small children in Oslo the capital of Norway. He was separated from his wife at that time and she had parental responsibility for their children. The father visited the family in that fateful day in their house and killed them all. After he finished his job he called the Police and got arrested. I believe that the children were under the age of five; the Somali community understandable was and still is petrified by what happened.

 

He justified his action by saying "I saved my children from hell; they would lose their faith".

 

I have not first hand knowledge as to the correctness of this information but that is what I heard from the community.

 

If the story is true what bothers me is how he justified his action . . . . . . .how did he know that his children will leave from their Islamic roots? May be he could see the future but seeing the future is a quality that the majority of us lack and when someone or group is committing crimes we cannot be expected to readily accept his or their actions on the bases of predictions on the future.

 

 

Now Nur says " If there is a conflict situation in which either life is lost, or faith will be lost, which one is more important in Allah's view:

 

1. Preservation of Life

2. Preservation of Faith".

 

 

It seems as though the writer when he says " or faith will be lost "is sure about what will happen in the future but for me it is about an assumption. We can not allow our selves to take life on the bases of assumptions nor can we be part of endless wars which progressively weaken if not annihilate the very existence of a people as a nation in this case ours.

 

The very act of waging war has the potential to become cause for someone or many to leave their faith. Just try and extrapolate the potential of how many somalis in the diaspora and their descendents could leave their faith. A somali wisdom says" Calool gaajoonaysaa waa waxwalba u nugul".

 

My question is if faith is what we are trying to defend why is a fraternal war is the only option?

 

The hand of God and His servants works in mysterious ways. What we need most now is compassion and mercy; qualities that are primary attributes of God. From our part we could realise that these attributes can be emulated in human level. We could be kind and compassionate to one another. In retribution the flood gates of the heaven may be opened and higher winds of the divine compassion and mercy may rain on all. It is easier for us that the peace we are longing for comes on that manner.

 

Besides Tawakal is an important aspect of worship and it solves many problems if only we could show patience. What is left for God and entrusted to Him becomes manifested to us in most satisfying manner.

 

 

The Awakener2

A condensed wisdom yours is ya Positive! Ilaahow waaya ku daa