It has been
asserted that:-
(1) Islam
propagates slavery whereas Christianity has abolished it.
(2) Islam
forbids friendship with non-Christians while Christianity teaches love for all.
(3) Islam is
ritualistic, dogmatic and legalistic, a religion without any spiritual content.
It has a remote dictatorial God who threatens with dire punishment anyone who
disobeys. Islam, therefore, rules through fear. Islam is intolerant and makes a
distinction between believer who are the elite and infidels who must be fought
and exterminated until the Islamic beliefs are imposed on all. The Christian
religion is much more human in that it has a God who came down to suffer with
man. The Hindu religion is pantheistic. Everything is, therefore, God and this
makes for tolerance - there is no distinction between believers and
non-believers.
Answer:-
There are a
range of Human beings, no matter what their religion and they understand and
practice their religion at various levels from the most naive to the most
sophisticated. In different ages the proportions of people to be found at each
of these levels also varies depending on education and culture. Biased persons
tend to compare the lowest level in other religions with the highest in their
own, or compare those who exist in better circumstances with those who exist in
worse ones. This cannot produce a just or objective judgement.
(1) Slavery
Slavery can be
defined as the domination and control of one person by another. It may be
defined more strictly as involving, but not always, the advantages of the
controller and the disadvantage of the one being controlled. There many be many
degrees of this. Though modified, it has certainly not been abolished anywhere
in the world.
Slavery can be defined
even more broadly as a state of subjection or being under control of something.
Obsessions, addictions, fixations, hypnosis, greed, mental conditioning and
manipulation by propagandists, publicity agents, the media and governments
which control, suppress, invent and distort information etc. all these are
sources of enslavement.
There is a
difference between a teaching and people who might adhere to it to different
degrees. Islam is a teaching, which advocates the kind treatment of slaves and
tries to abolish slavery. But it is people who try to propagate it. Muslims
did, indeed, indulge in enslaving people but that is not because of Islam.
Christians probably indulged in this to a much greater extent and with greater
cruelty.
Many Christians,
including priests have certainly supported slavery and opposed its opposition
using the bible:-
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with
fear and trembling; in singleness of heart as to Christ. Not in the way of eye
service as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from
the heart rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not men knowing
that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord,
whether he is a slave or free." Ephesians 6:5
Jesus had
nothing to say about slavery.
Islam did
tolerate slavery because it was a fact of the time and because it was a way of
dealing with prisoners of war. If the enemy was the aggressor (and Islam does
not allow aggression but self-defence) then it was a way of making the enemy
pay for their aggression and the destruction they did as well as a deterrent.
But Islam
requires the freeing of slaves, though they should not be suddenly released to
fend for themselves without means and without considering the economic
consequences as was done in the USA.
It has to be
noted, however, that a Muslim is called "a slave of Allah" and is not
to be a slave of anyone else.
Here are some
quotations from the Quran regarding slaves:-
"Righteousness is not that ye turn your
faces towards the East or the West, but it is righteousness to believe in
Allah, and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers, and
to spend of your wealth for love of Him, for your kindred, and orphans, and the
needy, and the wayfarer, for those who ask, and to ransom those in
captivity.........." 2:177
"And what will explain to thee the ascent?
It is freeing captives (prisoners, slaves)..."90:12-13
"And serve Allah; associate nothing with
Him; show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and
to the neighbour who is a kin, and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the
fellow traveller, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess
(slaves). Verily, Allah loves not him who is proud and boastful..." 4:36
"It is not for a believer to kill a
believer save by mistake; and whosoever kills a believer by mistake then let
him free a believing slave and compensation must be paid to his people, unless
they remit it as charity. But if he be from a tribe hostile to you and yet a
believer, then let him free a believing slave. And if he comes from a people
betwixt whom and you there is an alliance, then let the compensation be paid to
his folk and let him also free a believing slave. But he who cannot find the
means, then let him fast for two consecutive months - a penance this from
Allah, for Allah is Knower, Wise." 4:92
"Allah will not take you to task for the
unintentional (or futile) word in your oaths (or promises), but He will take
you task for oaths ye swear in earnest. The expiation thereof is to feed ten
poor men with the average food ye feed your families with, or to clothe them,
or to free a slave..." 5:89
"And let those who cannot find a match
keep chaste until Allah gives them means from His grace. And if any of your
slaves asks for a Deed in writing (an agreement to purchase their freedom),
write it for them if ye know any good in them; yea, give them something
yourselves from out of the wealth Allah has given you. But force not your slave
girls to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order to make a gain in
goods of this world. But if any one compels them, then, after they are
compelled, verily, Allah will be to them (the slave girls) Forgiving,
Merciful...." 24:33
"But if those who divorce their wives by
Zihar and then wish to recall what they said, they should free a captive
(slave) before they touch each other; to this are you admonished to conform;
and Allah is Aware of what you do." 58:3
If people had
followed the Quran, then Slavery should have been abolished long ago.
However, it is
necessary to understand that there are many kinds of slavery - Political,
economic, cultural, educational, emotional, mental, and psychological. A person
can be slave to habit, to superstition, ignorance, his own lusts, obsessions,
addictions and inner compulsions. Most human beings are in fact economic slaves
in so far as they are compelled to do what the employer dictates on pain of
dismissal and unemployment. In so far as they are in debt, most people in the
West are slaves to the money lenders for their houses and goods. A person can
be mentally conditioned by the Society or those in power, or through
propaganda, advertisements, publicity agents, journalists and cultural
hypnosis, and even to accept and like the tethers that bind him and the
prejudices that imprison him. He feels free because of this.
Slavery is a
much wider subject than is normally discussed, has many subtle but much more
insidious and dangerous forms and is much more widespread than is commonly
realized.
It can be shown
that that far from having been abolished a much more virulent form of this
disease is overtaking the world, spreading from the West. Egotism, ambition and
materialism, Slavery of Type A, are
causing psychologically, socially and physiologically destructive rivalries and
struggles for wealth, power and prestige. But these propagate and are
propagated by social conditioning, Slavery of Type B, through the media of communication by advertisement, shop
displays, publicity agents, radio television, magazines, various game shows and
competitions, in short by the whole culture. The ambition so created lead
further to borrowing money and life long slavery to finance companies. This is
Slavery of Type C.
In order to
repay these people, the borrowers must earn money by selling themselves to the
large industrial and commercial corporations. These not only own and dictate
their time and actions, but also their thoughts, motives, interactions, ranks
and their values and conscience as well. It is the Companies that creates the
personality and the image it projects. They increasingly dictate what clothes
and uniforms the employees will wear, what friends they have, who they marry,
what kind of houses they have, where they go on holidays, what kinds of sloganised
thoughts they have, and how they conduct themselves. They employee is
increasingly regimented, trained into robotic behaviour deprived of his
individuality and made to conform to a standard with exclusive loyalty to a
company or firm all for the sake of increase in profits. We now have Slavery of
Type D. The work people do is not
determined by themselves as to suitability or health, but by instruction from a
source remote from the work place which has little knowledge of the situation.
Stresses and strains, therefore, increase causing all kinds of psychological,
psycho-somatic and organic diseases, and by debilitating the immune system, all
kinds of infectious diseases. Attempts are made to cure these with drugs which
suppress the symptoms leaving the causes to make things worse. We have Slavery
of Type E. These stresses lead to
the desire for ever more bizarre forms of psychological release and
entertainment. We get Slavery of Type F.
These
requirements for entertainment and pleasure, as well as those for counteracting
disease, and for paying back debts, add to the costs of living. This together
with the original materialism and desire to outdo the neighbours ensures the
long hours of work needed to earn a sufficient income. But these long hours of
work and the need for outside entertainment tend to destroy domestic life where
love, security and significance are found and relaxation and recuperation could
take place. This adds to the tension that requires the entertainment and the
desire for goods as a substitute for love, significance and security, thereby
creating a vicious circle, a prison in which people become trapped. We have
Slavery of Type G. It is not
possible to escape the system because any non-conformity leads to dismissal and
unemployment. The employees must please and obey their superiors because their
fate is in their hands. They could be dismissed and find no other employment
because other employers demand a good report from previous employers. We have
Slavery of Type H.
All this is made
unprecedentally much more dangerous than in the past because people are not
only unaware of their slavery and so do not do anything to counteract it, but
most accept it as normal and even like their slavery. And the masters are in no
better position. They have been equally conditioned and because they owe their
position to the system, often having risen in the ranks through the system,
they wish to maintain it. We now have Slavery of Type I. The System maintains itself and controls affairs using
human beings as agents. Human beings have no control over it.
(2)
Friendship
Critics quote:-
"O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and
the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and
protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for
friendship) is one of them . . ." Surah 5:54.
The Quran is to
be understood as a whole and not by isolating verses according to whim. If this
is done it will then be understood that the instruction is against those who
are hostile to Islam and wish to ridicule or undermine it.
The Quran also
says:-
"Allah does not forbid you respecting
those who have not made war against you on account of your religion, and have
not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with
them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice. Allah only forbids you
respecting those who made war upon you on account of your religion, and drove
you forth from your homes and backed up others in your expulsion, that you make
friends with them, and whoever makes friends with them, these are the unjust."
60:8-9
"They are not all alike. Of the people of
the Book there is an upright community, reciting the revelations of Allah
throughout the night, falling prostrate (in Surrender). They believe in Allah,
and in the last day, and bid intelligent (or right) conduct, and forbid what is
stupid (or wrong), and vie with one another in good works; these are among the
righteous." 3:113-114
"Thou wilt surely find that the strongest
in enmity against those who believe are the Jews and the idolaters (Pagans);
and thou wilt find the nearest in love to those who believe to be those who
say: We are Christians. That is because there are amongst them men devoted to
learning (or priests) and men who have renounced the world (or monks), and
because they are not proud." 5:82
"And not alike are the good and the evil.
Repel evil with what is best, when lo! He between whom and you was enmity would
be as if he were an intimate friend. And none are granted this power but those
who possess patience and self-restraint, and none are granted it but the owners
of great happiness." 41:34-35
"And serve Allah; associate nothing with
Him; show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and
to the neighbour who is a kin, and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the
fellow traveller, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess
(slaves). Verily, Allah loves not him who is proud and boastful." 4:36
Islam does not
ban discussion, friendliness and cooperation. It tolerates other religions, as
history also shows, and teaches respect for different faiths:-
"Revile not those who call on other than
Allah, for then they may abuse Allah openly in their ignorance. Thus We make
seemly to every nation their deeds. But unto their Lord is their return, and He
will inform them of the truth of what they used to do." 6:109
All those who
take their religion seriously will of course find friends who do the same. But
persons who do not take their religion seriously do not mind associating with
others who also do not take their religion seriously.
"Let not those who believe take
disbelievers for their friends rather than believers. He who does this has no
part with Allah at all, unless, indeed, ye guard yourselves against them. But
Allah bids you beware of only Himself, for unto Allah is your journeying."
3:28 also see 4:144
It is question
of preferring in case there is a conflict of loyalties and of whether a person
is strong enough to withstand influences that distract him.
(3) Spirituality
It all depends
on what is meant by Spirituality. Many people mistake it for emotionalism and
sentimentality and others use the word to refer to psychic or paranormal states
or for inner experiences which might be fantasies. The Islamic idea of Spirituality
can be understood as follows:-
The Quran
affirms in many places that Allah is Compassionate and forgiving. He is also
Just and Truthful. The term "Islam" means "Surrender (to
Allah)" and Allah is described as the fundamental self-existing Reality, the
origin of all things. His spirit is in man.
"That is because Allah, He is the Truth
(or Reality), and that whereon they call instead of Him is the False, and
because Allah, He is the High, the Great." 22:62
"There is no God save Him, the One, the
Absolute." 38:66
"Say: He, Allah, the One. Allah, the
Eternally besought of all. He begets not nor was begotten. And there is non
comparable unto Him." 112:1-4
"Then He fashioned him (man) and breathed
into him of His spirit, and made for you the faculties of hearing, and sight
and hearts (feeling); little is it that you give thanks." 32:9
This implies
that they have some of the attributes and powers of God such as consciousness,
compassion, creativity etc. The goal of Islam is to Surrender to Allah, to be
at-one with Him, to be His agent.
"Whoever surrenders his countenance (his
self) to Allah, and does good, he shall have his reward from his Lord, and no
fear shall be on them, and they shall not grieve." 2:112
"And those who patiently persevere,
craving their Lord's Countenance, and are steadfast in prayer, and spend,
secretly and openly from what We have bestowed upon them, and overcome evil
with good - these shall have the sequel of the final (heavenly) Home ."
13:22
"Restrain thyself with those who call upon
their Lord morning and evening, desiring His countenance (or nearness and
intimacy), and let not thine eyes be turned from them, desiring the adornment
(and pomp) of the life of this world; and obey not him whose heart We have made
heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lusts (prejudices,
fantasies, superstitions), and whose affair has been abandoned." 18:29
The word
"countenance" refers to the Essence. In the case of the Essence of
Allah the Quran states:-
"And call not upon any other God along
with Allah; there is no God but He. Everything is perishable (or will perish),
except His countenance. His is the command, and unto Him shall ye return!"
28:88
Though human
beings were made perfect with the Spirit of God in them (32:9, 15:29), they
Fell owing to sin into a world of illusion (3:185, 57:20, 6:32, 29:64),
restricted consciousness or spiritual death. The world of illusion does not
refer to the world as created by Allah. The real world was created with Truth,
and Allah Himself and His Word are Truth. The underlying essence of all things
is, therefore, Allah. There is nothing but Allah. But we are told that Allah is
independent of all creatures (3:97). Allah is unlimited, omnipresent and
omniscient, but the things he has created are limited in time, space,
characteristics and power. They are mutually exclusive. Islam does not,
therefore, regard anything created and limited as God. They are made out of
nothing and may be regarded as ideas in the mind of God. But they are not
illusions. The fact is that in reality all things are connected through all
kind of forces. They are not independent but together form a Unity. Illusion
refers to the misinterpretation of Truth.
"Do they not reflect within themselves:
Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them but
with truth, and for an appointed term (or destined end)? But truly most of the
people are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord." 30:8 Also 15:85
and 29:44
"But those who misbelieve, their works are
like the mirage in a desert, the thirsty suppose it to be water till when he
comes to it he finds nothing, but he finds, instead, Allah is with him; and He
will pay him his account, for Allah is quick to take account." 24:39
Prophet were,
therefore, sent to regenerate man.
"O ye who believe! Respond unto Allah and
His Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah
comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom ye shall
be gathered." 8:24
This results in
awakening.
"Say: I exhort you only to one thing that
ye awake for Allah's sake (or stand up before Allah) in twos or singly, then
ponder…" 34:46
"Certainly you were heedless of it, but
now We have removed from you your veil, and piercing is your sight this
day." 50:22
This awakening
leads to the realization:-
"And there remains naught but the
Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory." 55:27
The Straight Way has
many levels:-
"And We have created above you seven
paths; and We are never heedless of creation." 23:17
"Ye shall surely travel from stage to
stage!" 84:19
Thus the purpose
of Islam is the growth or development of the soul:-
"And the soul and Who fashioned it, and
enlightened it with what is wrong and right for it! He indeed is successful who
causes it to grow (or purifies it)!. And he indeed is a failure who corrupts
it!" 91:7-10
It is true that
Islam makes a distinction between believers and disbelievers. The Universe was
created for a purpose and the fact of evolution proves it. There is certainly a
distinction between those who align themselves with reality, take their
responsibilities seriously and are, therefore, constructive and make efforts on
the Straight Way,
and those who do not, but are destructive or wasteful of energy and resources.
With the coming
of Islam religion is complete. This refers not to Spirituality but to the
Prophetic guidance. The basic truth is complete and Human beings are now
required to apply it and become Agents of God. It is no longer enough to pay
lip service to God and spirituality and it is no longer a case of only selfish
individual endeavours. Inner experiences are not enough, especially when they
can be illusions and hallucinations, they must produce positive actions.
Retreat into monasteries and hermitage are no longer required or recommended.
It is an individual as well as collective responsibility. It is part of this
responsibility to ensure that he or she has correct and adequate knowledge,
understanding, motivation and ability. It is also part of this responsibility
to learn from and guide others and to prevent evil being done by those who do
not have adequate knowledge, understanding, motivation and ability. Protection
of, and self-defence against those who would like to destroy, Islam or the
religious teachings in general is also part of the responsibility.
The rituals and
Laws exist to guide man, to remind, to reinforce resolutions, to prevent
slipping back gradually in subconscious steps and through forgetfulness, to
smooth social interaction and produce conditions that will remove distractions
and facilitate spiritual progress. They are the vessel that contains the
nutritious spirit. The Muslim obeys, or ought to obey the religious rules
because they are from God and, therefore, sacred, not from habit. It is part of
his Surrender, his spirituality. It counteracts the egotism of his own
prejudices and desires.
"That He might cause Truth to triumph and
make Falsehood vain, despite the aversion of the guilty." 8:8
"And say: Truth has come, and falsehood
has vanished! Verily, falsehood is ever bound to vanish." 17:81