Some people who say
they are acting in the name of religion may misunderstand their religion or
practice it wrongly. For this reason, it is a mistake to form any idea of that
religion from the activities of these people. The best way to understand Islam
is through its holy source.
The holy source of
Islam is the Qur'an; and the model of morality in the Qur'an is completely
different from the image of it formed in the minds of some westerners. The
Qur'an is based on the concepts of morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty,
self-sacrifice, tolerance and peace, and a Muslim who truly lives according to
these moral precepts is highly refined, thoughtful, tolerant, trustworthy and
accommodating. To those around him he gives love, respect, peace of mind and a
sense of the joy of life.
Islam
Is A Religion Of Peace And Well-Being
The word Islam has the
same meaning as "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a religion that came down
to offer humanity a life filled with the peace and well-being in which God's
eternal mercy and compassion is manifested in the world. God invites all people
to accept the moral teachings of the Qur'an as a model whereby mercy,
compassion, tolerance and peace may be experienced in the world. In Surat
al-Baqara verse 208, this command is given:
You who believe! Enter
absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is
an outright enemy to you.
As we see in this
verse, people will experience well-being and happiness by living according to
the moral teaching of the Qur'an.
God
Condemns Mischief
God has commanded
humanity to avoid evil; he has forbidden immorality, rebellion, cruelty,
aggressiveness, murder and bloodshed. Those who do not obey this command of God
are walking in the steps of Satan, as it says in the verse above, and have
adopted an attitude that God has clearly declared unlawful. Of the many verses
that bear on this subject, here are only two:
But as for those who
break God's contract after it has been agreed and sever what God has commanded
to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth, the curse will be upon them.
They will have the Evil Abode. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 25)
Seek the abode of the
hereafter with what God has given you, without forgetting your portion of the
world. And do good as God has been good to you. And do not seek to cause
mischief on earth. God does not love mischief makers.' (Surat al-Qasas: 77)
As we can see, God has
forbidden every kind of mischievous acts in the religion of Islam including
terrorism and violence, and condemned those who commit such deeds. A Muslim
lends beauty to the world and improves it.
Islam
Defends Tolerance And Freedom Of Speech
Islam is a religion
which fosters freedom of life, ideas and thought. It has forbidden tension and
conflict among people, calumny, suspicion and even having negative thoughts
about another individual. Islam has not only forbidden terror and violence, but
also even the slightest imposition of any idea on another human being.
There is no compulsion
in religion. Right guidance has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who
rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which
will never give way. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 256)
So remind, you need
only to remind. You cannot compel them to believe. (Surat al-Ghashiyah:22)
To force anyone to
believe in a religion or to practice it, is against the spirit and essence of
Islam. Because it is necessary that faith be accepted with free will and
conscience. Of course, Muslims may urge one another to keep the moral precepts
taught in the Qur'an, but they never use compulsion. In any case, an individual
cannot be induced to the practice of religion by either threat or offering him
a worldly privilege.
Let us imagine a
completely opposite model of society. For example, a world in which people are
forced by law to practice religion. Such a model of society is completely
contrary to Islam because faith and worship have value only when they are
directed toward God. If there were a system that forced people to believe and
worship, people would be religious only out of fear of the system. What is
acceptable from the point of view of religion is that religion be practiced in
an environment where freedom of conscience is permitted, and that it be
practiced only for the approval of God.
God
Has Made The Killing Of Innocent People Unlawful
According to the
Qur'an, one of the greatest sins is to kill a human being who has committed no
fault:
...If someone kills
another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing
corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if
anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all
mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even after that many
of them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32)
Those who do not call
on any other deity together with God and do not kill anyone God has made
inviolate, except with the right to do so, and do not fornicate; anyone who
does that will receive an evil punishment. (Surat al-Furqan: 68)
As we can see in the
verses above, those who kill innocent human beings without a cause are
threatened with evil punishment. God has revealed that killing one person is as
great a sin as killing all mankind. Anyone who respected the prerogatives of
God would not do harm to even one individual, let alone murdering thousands of
innocent people. Those who think that they will escape justice and punishment
in this world will never escape the account they must give in the Presence of
God on the Last Day. So, those believers who know they will give an account to
God after their death, will be very careful about respecting the limits God has
established.
God
Commands Believers To Be Compassionate And Merciful
In this verse, Muslim
morality is explained:
...To be one of those
who believe and urge each other to steadfastness and urge each other to
compassion. Those are the Companions of the Right. (Surat al-Balad: 17-18)
As we see in this
verse, one of the most important moral precepts that God has sent down to His
servants so that they may receive salvation and mercy and attain Paradise, is
to "urge each other to compassion".
Islam as described in
the Qur'an is a modern, enlightened, progressive religion. A Muslim is above
all a person of peace; he is tolerant with a democratic spirit, cultured,
enlightened, honest, knowledgable about art and science and civilized.
A Muslim educated in
the fine moral teaching of the Qur'an, approaches everyone with the love that
Islam expects. He shows respect for every idea and he values art and
aesthetics. He is conciliatory in the face of every event, diminishing tension
and restoring amity. In societies composed of individuals such as this, there
will be a higher civilization, a higher social morality, more joy, happiness,
justice, security, abundance and blessings than in the most modern nations of
the world today.
God
Has Commanded Tolerance And Forgiveness
Surat al-A'raf, verse
199, which says "practice forgiveness", expresses the concept of
forgiveness and tolerance which is one of the basic principles of the religion
of Islam.
When we look at Islamic
history, we can see clearly how Muslims established this important precept of
the moral teaching of the Qur'an in their social life. At every point in their
advance, Muslims destroyed unlawful practices and created a free and tolerant
environment. In the areas of religion, language and culture, they made it
possible for people totally opposite to each other to live under the same roof
in freedom and peace, thereby giving to those subject to them the advantages of
knowledge, wealth and position.
Likewise, one of the
most important reasons that the large and widespread Ottoman Empire was able to
sustain its existence for so many centuries was that its way of life was
directed by the tolerance and understanding brought by Islam. For centuries
Muslims have been characterized by their tolerance and compassion. In every period
of time they have been the most just and merciful of people. All ethnic groups
within this multi-national community freely practiced the religions they have
followed for years and enjoyed every opportunity to live in their own cultures
and worship in their own way.
Indeed, the particular
tolerance of Muslims, when practiced as commanded in the Qur'an, can alone
bring peace and well-being to the whole world. The Qur'an refers to this
particular kind of tolerance:
A good action and a bad
action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is
enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat
al-Fussilat: 34)
Conclusion
All this shows that the
moral teaching offered to humanity by Islam is one that will bring peace,
happiness and justice to the world. The barbarism that is happening in the
world today under the name of "Islamic Terrorism" is completely
removed from the moral teachings of the Qur'an; it is the work of ignorant,
bigoted people, criminals who have nothing to do with religion. The solution
which will applied against these individuals and groups who are trying to
commit their deeds of savagery under the guise of Islam, will be the
instruction of people in the true moral teaching of Islam.
In other words, the
religion of Islam and the moral teaching of the Qur'an are not the supporters
of terrorism and the terrorists, but the remedy by which the world can be saved
from the scourge of terrorism.
Credit: Harun
Yahya
