13. KHUTAB IX (9-12)

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9. IRENE (IRENA) HANDONO
Last Sunday (6 September 2015) the Indonesian/Muslim
community in Canberra was visited by one of prominent da‘is
(Islamic callers) in Indonesia, called Hajjah Irene Handono. She was
on her tour in some cities in Australia, such as Sydney, Canberra, and
Melbourne. Like many people who have found Islam and propagate
it, such as Yusuf Estes and Gary Miller, Irene Handono is also active in
propagating it as well as founding a foundation to assist new Muslim
ladies. How she found Islam and some of her activities are as follows:
Irene Handono was born on 20th of July 1954 in Surabaya,
Eastern Java, Indonesia, and was raised in a pious Catholic family.
She was baptized when she was still a baby, and attended school like
other children, but she also attended private religious courses. As a
teenager she was active in the Church organization. It was her wish
to serve God with her whole life, and as a Catholic it was living in
monastery which was the noblest life. Becoming a religious sister
was the only purpose of her life.
Irene Handono’s early life was a prosperous one. Her family’s
house was very big, and she was of Chinese ethnicity, the youngest
and the only female of five children of the family. Her father was a
well-known business man in Surabaya, and one of the main
contributors to the Church. She was endowed with many talents, as
her academic achievements were always satisfactory, and she was
appointed the youngest chairperson in one of Church organizations.
After finishing her high school education Irene Handono’s wish
to become a religious sister became stronger and stronger, especially
after noticing interaction among youth. Her parents became
astonished, as they would be separated from their only daughter,
but as pious parents they eventually consented. On the contrary, her
elder brothers were proud of having a pious sister.
In the monastery there were only two sisters who were given
double duty, including Irene Handono, namely, attending the
education in the monastery and the Institute of Theological
Philosophy. She attended the Faculty of Comparative Religion,
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Department of “Islamology”. It was here that for the first time she
learned about Islam. At the introduction lecture, the lecturer said
that the best religion was Christianity, whereas other religions were
not good. Islam, he said, was bad, by giving examples, such as: “Who
are poor in Indonesia? Who are uneducated, dirty, vile, living at the
flooded plain of the river? Who are those who used to lose footwears
every Friday, who cannot be united, who become terrorists?
They are Muslims, so their religion Islam is bad.”
Irene Handono said that this conclusion had to be verified. She
said that other countries like Philippines, and Mexico, where the
majority of their peoples are Christians were not better. Even the
state of Israel was created by plundering the land of the Palestinians.
Therefore, Islam was not a symbol of evilness, and she was
interested in learning further about Islam from its sources, the
Qur’ān and the Ḥadīth, and she was allowed to do so by her priest
with one condition, namely, finding the weakness of Islam.
When she opened the Qur’ān she did not know anything about
it as it was written in Arabic. So, she took its translation, and started
reading it, not from its beginning which was at the right side, but
from the end which was at the left side of the book. The first thing
she read was sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (chapter 112) which read:
Say: He is God, the One and Only. God, the Eternal,
Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten. And
there is none like unto Him (A.Y. Ali’s translation)
After reading this she said to herself: “This is good, and is
acceptable.” The next day in the morning the lecturer in his lecture
on theology said that God was one, but had three personalities,
namely God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Three gods
in one, one god in three and this is called Trinity or Triunity. At night
she read sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ again, stating ”God is One.” She said to
herself, “This is the right one.”
The next day she said to her priest that she did not understand
yet the true nature of God.” The pastor went to the blackboard and
drew an equilateral triangle where AB=BC=CA. He explained that it
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was one triangle but had three sides which meant that God is one
but has three personalities: God the Father has the same authority
with God the Son, and has the same authority with the Holy Ghost.
She argued that if it were so, one day with the advance of science
and technology God with three personalities would not be able to
handle this world, that there should be another personality so that
He would have four personalities. The pastor said that it would be
impossible, but she said it could be. She drew a circle and a
quadrangle inside it. But the pastor said that it was not allowed
because it was a dogma made by Church leaders. She asked what to
do if she did not understand that dogma, and the pastor answered
that she should just accept it, whereas doubting it would be a sin.
One day Irene Handono asked her pastor who made the pulpit,
the chair and the table. As her pastor asked her to answer it herself
she said they were made by the carpenter. They would remain made
of wood; they would never become a carpenter. A human being will
remain a human being till the Doomsday and would not be able to
make himself God, and God cannot be treated like a human being.
Her argument with her Pastor was that God created the universe
including human beings as His slaves (servants). If any human being
appointed another human being as God, this appointment would be
invalid. She learned from the Church history that Jesus was called
God for the first time, and was appointed God by the Roman
emperor Constantine in 325 at the Council of Nicaea. Jesus never
said, “I am your God” in the bible of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
In the next meeting Irene Handono said that she did not find
any weakness in the Qur’ān, and she was sure that nobody could.
She kept reading the translation of the Qur’ān until she made a
conclusion that the right religion was only one, Islam. She learned
the true Mary in the Qur’ān, sūrat Maryam (chapter Mary), whereas
in the Catholic doctrine her position was extraordinarily high, that
almost every prayer was said through her intercession. Strangely
enough, there was no bible of Mary. However, she converted to
Islam six years later.
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Irene Handono left the monastery and continued her study at
Atmajaya University, and married a Catholic man, hoping that after
marriage she would not be engaged in matter of religion. But this did
not happen. She had long discussions with her husband who was an
activist student. The discussions turned into debate and quarrels, as
she always defended Islam. The gap between her and her husband
became wider and wider, until it reached its climax. She realized that
her marriage is on the rock. She found a Muslim scholar who would
teach her about Islam, as she had learned about it through reading
only. His name was (the late) K.H. Misbah, former Chairman of the
Council of ‘Ulamā’ (Muslim scholars) of Eastern Java. When she told
him her intention to embrace Islam, he told her that to become
Muslim was easy but she had to be ready to bear the consequence.
When she said that she was ready with it, he asked:
“Do you know the consequence?”
“Yes, I know, my marriage,” she said.
“Which one do you prefer, your marriage or Islam?” he asked.
“Islam,” she answered firmly.
She declared her shahadah in front of him. It was in the year 1983 in
the Al-Falah mosque in Surabaya when she was 26 years old. Her 5
years of marriage endowed with two sons and one daughter ended
with divorce. However, all her children became Muslims.
One day before Ramadan that year she started praying. One of
her elder brothers was looking for her. When he opened the door of
her room he was surprised to find a woman praying. He closed the
door thinking that another woman was praying. The next day the
same thing happened and he learned that it was his sister, who was
praying. He was stunned, shocked, unable to speak his face became
red and pale. Since then her family relationship became damaged.
Her religion was not acceptable, and she had to leave the house. She
rent a modest house in Surabaya. As the only daughter in the family,
her mother visited her occasionally. She did not accept Islam, as she
had already had negative thinking about Islam. Six years later her
mother passed away, and since then there were no contact any
longer with the members of the rest of her family.
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In 1992 Irene Handono performed the pilgrimage to Makkah.
She expressed her feeling since she became Muslim, and “complaint”
to Allah. “O Allah, as You have preordained me to become Muslim,
why didn’t You make me a daughter of Muslim parents, like most of
my brothers and sisters in faith? In this way I would not have to
endure much suffering. Why should my life journey become so
intricate and complicated like this?” In the Masjid al-Ḥarām
(Inviolable Mosque) Irene Handono thanked Allah for His guidance
and asked Him forgiveness. She felt and enjoyed the bliss of faith and
Islam, which, according to her, might not have been enjoyed by
people who had become Muslims since seven generations.
Allah gave her the power and ability to deliver speeches and to
call people to Islam, not only in Surabaya, but she was also invited
several times to deliver her speeches about Islam in Jakarta. Allah
endowed her blessings including meeting and marrying Masruchin
Yusufi, a Muslim scholar, a widower with five children. They both
were active in propagating Islam even in remote villages in
Indonesia. She said that the challenge was so big, but she had
conviction that her life and her death were only for the sake of Allah.
Irene Handono wrote many books, among which are as follows:
- Perayaan Natal 25 Desember: Antara Dogma & Toleransi
(Christmas celebrations on 25th December: between Dogma and
Tolerance) in which she explained, among others, why casuarina
tree is used as a Christmas tree, while there is no such tree in
Palestine, and why the Christmas falls on the 25th of December.
- Islam Dihujat (Islam is Blasphemed) to respond Robert Morey’s
book Islamic Invasion which has become a guide book by the
Church the world over, and which she thought was worse than
Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, because it said, among others,
that the Prophet suffered from epilepsy and sexual abnormality.
Speaking about Christianization Strategy in Indonesia she said
that the Christians build 1,000 schools free of charge, so that
Muslims who are unable to bear the expense of their children’s
education have to send them in these Christian schools where they
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will learn about Christianity and could eventually become Christians.
Dr. Suradi, a Christian physician who treated his patients free of
charge, said not to hesitate in doing Christianization among Muslims,
as there were 10 % only among them who understand the Qur’ān.
Other methods of Christianization are: publishing the Bible in
Arabic to be read like chanting the verses of the Qur’ān as those who
are not familiar with the Qur’ān would be deceived; the calligraphy
of the Bible Matthew made similar to that of the Qur’ān. For this
purpose cheating is permitted as the Bible said: “Someone might
argue, ‘If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases
his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?’” (Romans 3:7).
Among Christianization projects in Indonesia are: Jericho and
Andalas for Christianizing Java and Sumatra respectively, and Joseph
2004 to have a Christian president, at least a Muslim by name only.
In October 2004 Hajjah Irena Handono established the “Irena
Center”, Lembaga Pembinaan Muallaf dan Pembentengan Aqidah
(The Institution for Guiding Converts and Defending the Faith) and is
in the process of establishing an Islamic Boarding School for Female
Converts at Sentul near Bogor, West Java. For those who like to
donate they can deposit it at the Indonesian National Bank, BNI, Cab.
Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta, Acc. No. 92 2929 929. There are over three
hundred female converts in her institution. For consultation she can
be contacted at irena_center@yahoo.com/ Ph. 021-88855562.
(CIVIC, 11 September, 2015)
Bibliograhy:
The Holy Bible, New International Version
https://www.facebook.com/notes/3-islam-forever-3/kisah-muallafhj-
irene-handono-/324716940874925
https://twitter.com/IRENA_CENTER
http://swaramuslim.net/comments.php?id=1529_0_1_0_C
http://www.warungustad.com/strategi-kristen-untuk-memurtadkanislam/
http://www.voaislam.com/read/christology/2014/01/11/28592/
irene-handono-paulus-perombak-ajaran-esus/#sthash.sxMRRjjk.dpbs
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10. SACRIFICE
Next week, on the 24th of September 2015 the Muslims
around the world will celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha, the
festival of sacrifice. It commemorates the willingness of
Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismael.1 Iblīs (Satan)
persuaded him not to do so, telling him that Allah would never
order something bad like sacrificing his son. Prophet Abraham
threw stone at him, ignoring his advice in obeying Allah without
any condition, whether rational or irrational. It is a total
obedience. This is an example of total submission to Allah,
whereas Iblīs, using his analogy but polluted with envy,
disobeyed Allah when he was ordered to pay respect to Adam.
It is because he was created from fire, while Adam was created
from clay. He thought that fire was better than clay, and
therefore he who was created from fire was not supposed to
bow to Adam who was created from clay, even it was Allah’s
order. He was supposed to have totally obeyed Him without
any reservation, because it was Allah Who created him. That is
what Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael did: total
submission and obedience to Allah, and we are supposed to do
the same. At the last moment Allah replaced Isma’il with a ram
to be sacrificed.
Following this example the Muslims all over the world
who are affluent are urged to share their fortune by sacrificing
a goat, a sheep, a cow, or a camel. The meat is to be divided in
three parts: a part is to be distributed to the poor, the other
1 According to the Bible, it was Isaac who would be sacrificed instead of
Ishmael. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (Genesis 22: 2).
This verse means, either Ishmael was not considered Abraham’s son, or
Ishmael was not loved by his father, Abraham. Neither of these
statements is acceptable in Islam. In fact the genuineness of the Bible in
general is doubted, and the Genesis in particular, which is like a weak
ḥadītḥ. Genesis 22: 12 states the Isaac was his only son.
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part to his relatives, and the remaining for himself and his
family. It is the piety that reaches Allah, not the meat and the
blood, as mentioned in the Qur’ān,
لَ نْ يَْنَالَْ اْللََّْ لُْحُومُهَا وَْلَْ دِْمَاؤُهَا وَْْلَكِ نْ يَْنَالُهُْ اْلتَ قوَى مِْ نكُ مْ كَْذَلِكَْ سَْخَرَهَاْْ
)ْ لَكُ مْ لِْتُكَبِّرُوا اْللََّْ عَْلَى مَْا هَْدَاكُ مْ وَْبَشِّرِْ اْ لمُ حسِنِينَْ )ْالحج: 73
It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah,
but it is piety from you that reaches him. Thus have We
made them subject to you that that you may magnify
Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings
(O Muhammad) to the doers of good. (Q. 22:37)
Anas r.a. said: “While we were with the Messenger of
Allah in the mosque, he dozed off into a slumber. Then
he lifted his head smiling. We said, ‘O messenger of Allah!
What has caused you to laugh?’ He said, “Verily, a surah
(chapter) was just revealed to me’, then he cited,
)7- إِنَا أَْ عطَ ينَاكَْ اْ لكَ وثَْرَْ.فَصَلِّْ لِْرَبِّكَْ وَْا نحَر.إِنَْ شَْانِئَكَْ هُْوَا لَْ بتَرُْ)الكوثر 1
Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad)
al-Kawthar. Therefore, turn in your prayer to your
Lord and sacrifice (to Him only), For he who hates you
(O Muhammad), he will be cut of (from posterity
and every good thing in this world and
in the Hereafter) (Q. 108, 1-3)
Then he said, ‘Do you All know what is al-Kawthar?’
We said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said,
“Verily, it is a river that my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic
has promised me and it has abundant goodness. It is
a pond where my Ummah will be brought to on the day
of Judgement. Its containers are as numerous as the stars
in the sky. Then a servant of Allah from among them will
be (prevented from it) and I will say: “O Lord! Verily, he
is from my Ummah (followers). Then: “He (Allah)
will say, “Verily, you do not know what he
introduced (or innovated) after you.
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(Reported by Muslim Abū Dā’ūd, and al-Nasā’ī)
The Arabs called anything abundant in number, degree
and significance kawthar. Sufyān said that when an old woman
was asked what her son brought with him from his traveling,
she answered kawthar, meaning lots of goods. Therefore
Qur’ān commentators say that that kawthar in the above verse
generally means anything good in abundance, such as the
Qur’ān and wisdom, besides the name of the river in Paradise
given to the Prophet.
Then Allah ordered the Prophet and the Muslims to make
obligatory and optional prayers, and to give sacrifice of animals
solely and sincerely for Allah. The term naḥr has two meanings:
upper portion of the chest, namely, putting the right palm on
the top of the left palm on the upper chest while praying, and
slaughtering, namely, giving sacrifice by slaughtering animals as
sacrifice. Both meanings are applicable to the above verse.
The verse “For he who hates you (O Muhammad), he will
be cut of (from posterity and every good thing in this world and
in the Hereafter) was revealed in replying the following
allegations:
1. Al-‘Āṣ ibn Wāil. Whenever the Prophet was mentioned in his
presence he would say; “Leave him, for he is a man who is
cut off having no descendants. So when he dies he will not
be remembered.” (Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās, Mujāhid, Sa‘īd
ibn Jubayr, and Qatādah)
2. Ka‘b ibn Ashraf and a group of disbelievers. The Quraysh
people told him that he was the leader of the people, and
asked him his opinion about the worthless man who was cut
off from his people (meaning the Prophet), while they were
the custodians of the Ka‘bah and water suppliers to the
pilgrims. He answered that they were better than him.
(Narated by Ibn ‘Abbās recorded by al-Bazzār).
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3. Abū Lahab. When a son of the Prophet died, Abū Lahab
went to the idolaters, and said, “Muhammad has been cut
off (i.e. from progeny) tonight.” (Reported by ‘Aṭā’)
The verse replied that having no son his remembrance
would not be cut off. On the contrary, Allah preserved his
remembrance. He is the only person remembered, mentioned
by name, loved and respected the most by Muslims consisting
of one-sixth of the world population. His name is mentioned in
the adhān (calling for prayer), as well as in prayer.
There are six terms for “sacrifice” in the Qur’ān: (1)
dhabḥ (slaughtering) used in the Qur’ān as a sacrifice for other
than Allah, such as idols, as in Q. 5:3, and the slaughtered
animal is called dhabīḥah; (2). qurbān (sacrifice, offering) as in
Q. 3:183 in which the Jews would not accept a Messenger
unless he gives an offering devoured by fire from heaven; in Q.
5:23 it is about the offering of the two brothers Hābīl (Abel)
and Qābīl (Cain); in Q. 46:28 the term qurbān is not the sacrifice
or offering, but “a means to be close to Allah, a way to
approach Allah,” as the term is derived from the word qaruba
or qariba meaning “to be near, to come near”, so that qurbān
literally means “something made to become closer to Allah,”
and could be an offering, and also by worshiping idols, as the
Quraysh idolaters said, “We worship them only that they may
bring us near to Allah…” (Q. 79:7); a weak ḥadīth said “The
daily prayer is the qurbān i.e., a means to become near to
Allah) of every pious man (3) Naḥr is a kind of sacrifice by
cutting the jugular veins, as mentioned above; (4) uḍḥiyah is
used for annual sacrifice by pilgrims in Makkah; (5) hady
(animal of sacrifice) is offered when the Prophet and the
Muslims were prevented from completing their pilgrimage,
ending with the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah to avoid bloodshed.
They sacrificed the hady, shaved their heads, and ended their
state of iḥrām, and returned home (Q. 2:196); hady is also the
animal brought to Makkah for penalty of killing animal while
one is in the state of iḥrām (Q. 5:2, 95, 97); (6) mansak
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(religious ceremonies) as mentioned in Q. 22:34, interpreted by
Mujāhid as shedding blood of animals, namely, sacrifice.2
Muslim scholars hold different views concerning the legal
judgment of the sacrifice (qurbān or uḍḥiyah). The vast majority
of them say it is Sunnah Mu‘akkadah (definitely recommended
act). This is the view of Shāfi‘ī, and Mālikī schools, and the wellknown
view of Aḥmad. The other view is that it is wājib
(obligatory) according to Ḥanafī school, one of the two views of
Aḥmad and Mālikī school, this is also the view of Ibn Taymiyyah
of Ḥanbalī school. It is important to note here, that there is
difference between wājib and farḍ according to Ḥanafī school.
Wājib is obligatory but without strong evidence, such as
sacrificing on the Ied al-Adha day. On the other hand, farḍ is
something with strong evidence, such as performing the fivedaily
prayers and fasting in the month of Ramadan. For them,
they are not wājib but farḍ. For others both are the same.
Some conditions for the validity of the qurbān are as
follows:
1. The slaughtering process must be carried out in accordance
to the Sharī‘ah: it has to be with a sharp knife or object, no
gun, no electric shock or carbon dioxide.
2. The animal should be laid on its left side, its face pointing
towards the Qiblah, and slaughtered quickly.
4. Before slaughtering recite بِ سمِ هْ اللِّ اْللُّ أَْ كبَر “Bismillāh Allāhu
Akbar (In the name of Allah, Allah is Great).
5. At least three of the four veins in the throat of the animal
must be cut.
2ْ Al-Qurṭubī said: يُقَالُْ: نَْسَكَْ ذَْا إِ ذَْبَحَْ يَْ نسُكُْ نَْ سكًا. بِْيحَةُْ وَالذَ نَْسِيكَةٌ، وَْجَ معُهَا نُْسُكٌ، وَْمِ نهُْْ
البقرة: 191ْ (. وَْالنُّسُكُْ أَْ يضًا اْلطَاعَةُْ. وَْقَالَْ اْ لَْ زهَرِيُّْ فِْيْ (ْ »" قَ ولُهُْ تَْعَالَى:" أَْ وْ صَْدَقَ ةْ أَْ وْ نُْسُ كْ
قَ ولِهِْ تَْعَالَى:" وَْلِكُلِّْ أُْمَ ةْ جَْعَ لنا مَْ نسَكاًْ": إِْنَهُْ يَْدُلُّْ عَْلَى مَْ وضِعِْ اْلنَ حرِْ فِْي هَْذَا اْ لمَ وضِعِ، أَْرَادَْ مْكانْ
نسك. جَْعَ لنا مَْ نسَكاًْ":. وَْقَالَْ اْ لفَرَاءُْ: اْ لمَ نسَكُْ فِْي كَْلََمِْ اْ لعَرَبِْ اْ لمَ وضِعُْ اْ لمُ عتَادُْ فِْي خَْ ي رْ أَْ وْ شَْ رْ.ْ
وَقِيلَْ مَْنَاسِكُْ اْ لحَجِّْ لِْتَ ردَادِْ اْلنَاسِْ إِْلَ يهَا مِْنَْ اْ لوُقُوفِْ بِْعَرَفَةَْ وَْرَ ميِْ اْ لجِمَارِْ وَْالسَ عيِْ. وَْقِيلَْ: مَْ نسَكًاْ
عِيدًا، قَْالَهُْ اْ لفَرَاءُْ. وَْقِيلَْ: حَْ هً جا، قَْالَهُْ قَْتَادَةُْ. وَْا لقَ ولُْ اْ لَْوَلُْ أَْ ظهَرُ، لِْقَ ولِهِْ تَْعَالَى: )ْلِيَ ذكُرُوا اْ سمَْ اْللَِّْْ
عَلى مَْا رَْزَقَهُ مْ مِْ نْ بَْهِيمَةِْ اْ لَْ نعامِْ( أَْ يْ عَْلَى ذَْ بحِْ مَْا رَْزَقَهُ مْ. فَْأَمَرَْ تَْعَالَى عِْ ندَْ اْلذَ بحِْ بِْذِ كرِهِْ وَْأَ نْْ
يَكُونَْ اْلذَ بحُْ لَْهُ، لَِْْنَهُْ رَْازِقُْ ذَْلِكَْ )ْتفسير اْلقرطبي(
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6. It has to be completely dead before it can be skinned or cut
into pieces.
Animals that are impaired, such as sick, blind, crippled,
wounded, etc. cannot be slaughtered as qurban. Their
minimum age as follows: sheep (male and female) at least 6
months (one share); goats (male and female), at least one year
(one share); cows, oxen, buffaloes, at least two years (7
shares); and camels (male and female), at least 5 years (7
shares). The period for the sacrifice is 3 days, starting after the
Eid prayer of 10 Dhul Hijjah till before sunset on the 12th of
Dhul Hijjah according to Ḥanafi, Mālikī, and Ḥanbalī schools,
and 4 days till before sunset the following day, namely on the
17th of Dhul Hijjah, according to Shāfi‘ī school. It can be done
preferably on the day time. The exception is if the animal to
be slaughtered ran away, and was caught later, or the person
entrusted for slaughtering was asleep or forgot it, then it can
be slaughtered after the lapse of the period. It is like a person
who forgets to pray, he has to do it the time he remembers it.
It is not acceptable to replace qurbān with money, or the
institution of qurbān would be forgotten, whereas these
livestock are for us to eat. Let our poor Muslim brothers and
sisters share the taste of the meat and have benefits from it,
including Vitamin B12 in it.
(CIVIC, 18 September, 2015)
المصادر:
المكتبة اْلشاملة
تفسير اْلطبري )ْت. 713ْ هْ)
تفسير اْلقرطبى )ْت. 131ْ هْ(
تفسير اْبن كْثير )ْت. 337ْ هْ(
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/ أضحية
http://www.answeringislam.org/Books/Zwemer/atonement.ht
m
https://islamic-relief.com.au/1367/qurban-faqs/
spreadingthetruthofislam.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/what-isqurban.
html
61
11. REFUGEES
In order to avoid the persecution of the Quraysh idolaters
in Makkah the Prophet ordered in the early period of Islam his
followers to emigrate to a safe place: in Ethiopia and then in
Madinah. There were three kinds of people in response to this
order to emigrate: (a) those Muslims who obeyed this order
and emigrated to Madinah; (b) those Muslims who preferred to
stay in Makkah for worldly reason, pretending not to be
Muslims to avoid their persecution; (c) children and those who
were sick and old, and were unable to emigrate, such as
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās and his mother.
When the Battle of Badr took place in the 2nd year of
Hijrah those who preferred to stay in Makkah were forced to
join the Quraysh army, or they would disclose their belief in
Islam, and be persecuted. Ibn ‘Abbās said that some people
among the Quraysh army who were secretly Muslims were hit
in the battlefield. Their fellow Muslims in the Muslim army
recognized them and prayed to Allah that they might be
forgiven for joining the disbelievers in the battlefield. Then
Allah revealed the following verses:
إِ نَّ اَّل ذِي نَّ ت و فاهُمَُّ اَّلْ م لَئِ كةَُّ ظالِمِي أَّ نْفُسِهِمَّْ قالُوا فَِّي مَّ كَُّنْتُمَّْ قالُوا كَُّ ناََّّ
مُسْ تضْ عفِي نَّ فَِّي اَّلْْ رَّْضَِّ قالُوا أَّ ل مَّْ تكُنَّْ أَّ رْضَُّ اللَِّّ واسِ ع ةَّ فتُ هاجِرُواََّّ
فِي ها فأوُل ئِ كَّ مأْ واهُمَّْ ج ه نمَُّ و سا ءتَّْ مصِي را. إَِّ لَّّ اَّلْمُسْ تضْ عفِي نَّ مَِّ نَََّّّ
الرِّ جالَِّ والنِّ ساءَِّ والْوِلْ دانَِّ لَّّ يسْ تطِيعُو نَّ حَِّيل ةَّ و لَّّ يهْ تدُو نَََّّّ
سبِي لََّ. فأوُل ئِ كَّ ع سى اللَُّّ أَّ نَّْ يعْفُ وَّ عنْهُمَّْ و كا نَّ اللَََُّّّّ
)َّ77- عفُ وا غفُو را )َّالنساء: 79
Verily, as for those whom angels take (in death)
while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed
among the disbelievers even though emigration was
obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them):
“In what (condition) were you?” They reply: “We were
weak and oppressed on the earth.” They (angels) say:
“Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to
emigrate therein?” Such men will find their Abode in Hell—
62
what an evil destination! Except the weak ones among
men, women and children who cannot devise a plan [i.e.,
cannot find the way], nor are they able to direct their
way. These are they whom Allah is likely to forgive,
and Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Oft-
Forgiving (Q. 4:97-98)
When the Muslims who remained in Makkah knew that
Allah would not forgive them for not emigrating to Madinah,
they started emigrating. But the Makkan idolaters chased them
and persecuted them. Then the following verse was revealed,
ومِ نَّ اَّل ناسَِّ منَّْ يقُولَُّ آَّ م نا بَِّا للَِّّ فإِ ذا أَُّوذِ يَّ فَِّي اللَِّّ ج ع لَّ فَِّتْ ن ةَّ اَّل ناسَِّ
ك ع ذابَِّ اللَِّّ ول ئِنَّْ جا ءَّ نصْ رَّ مَِّنَّْ ربِّ كَّ لَّ يقُولُ نَّ إَِّ نا كَُّ نا م عكُمَّْ أَّ ول يْ سَّ )َّ اللَُّّ بَِّأ عْل مَّ بَِّ ما فَِّي صَُّدُورَِّ اَّلْ عال مِي نَّ )َّالعنكبوت: 01
Of mankind are some who say: “We believe in Allah.” But if
they are made to suffer for the sake of Allah, they consider
the trial of mankind as Allah’s punishment; and if victory
comes from your lord, (the hypocrites) will say: “Verily,
we were with you (helping you).” Is not Allah Best
Aware of what is in the breasts of the Alamin
(mankind and jinn)? Q. 29:10)
When they were told about the above verse they became
very sad and lost hope for migrating to Madinah. However,
they were told that Allah had given them a way out, as another
verse was revealed to relieve them from being hopeless, as
follows:
ثُ مَّ إَِّ نَّ ر ب كَّ لَِّل ذِي نَّ ها جرُوا مَِّنَّْ بعْدَِّ ما فَُّتِنُوا ثَُّ مَّ جا هدُوا
)َّ و ص برُوا إَِّ نَّ ر ب كَّ مَِّنَّْ بعْدِ ها لَّ غفُو رَّ رحِي مَّ )َّالنحل: 001
The, verily, your Lord for those who emigrated after
they had been put to trials and thereafter strove hard
and fought (for the Cause of Allah) and were patient,
verily your Lord afterward, is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful. (Q. 16:110)
63
So, they started emigrating again, and when they were
overtaken by the idolaters, they fought back, some were saved
and others were killed. Anyway, Allah has forgiven them for
their delay in emigrating.
This was the hijrah (migration) in the time of the Prophet,
moving to a place to avoid persecution, where Islam could be
practiced without any problem, in modern technical term, it is
called “taking refuge”, and muhājirīn are refugees rather than
migrants. A migrant is a person who chooses to leave his
country to find a job, to study or to be reunited with his family.
On the other hand, a refugee is a person who has fled
persecution, has sought and granted protection, and person
seeking refuge due to a natural disaster. An asylum seeker is
someone seeking protection because they have a well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of their race, religion,
nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular
social group. An asylum seeker could also be someone who is
fleeing other serious human rights violations, including torture
or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. He
may be (1) residing in a refugee camp waiting for an
opportunity to return to their home country, or (2) waiting for
resettlement in another country, or (3) may have been
resettled in another country such as Australia.
Before becoming a refugee, a person has to be an asylum
seeker, seeking protection because of fear of being persecuted
because of his race, religion, nationality, political opinion or
membership of a particular social group. He could also be
someone who is fleeing other serious human rights violations,
including torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or
punishment.
After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 the
number of refugees increased till it reached over 4 million
refugees around the world in 2007, including 2 million in
neighbouring Middle East countries, and 1.9 million in Iraq,
64
which means 15 % of the Iraqi people had left their homes.
There are over 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria which had 18
million populations, and by 2009 Jordan which had only 6
million populations, had taken 700,000 Iraqi refugees.َّ In 2011
one-quarter of the population of Jordan were refugees.
Due to the conflict in Iraq refugees immigrate to Pakistan
and Syria. About 1.8 million refugees were hosted in Pakistan.
About 2.8 million people from Afghanistan took refuge in 69
different asylum countries whereas bout 1.9 million Iraqis have
moved, mostly to neighboring asylum countries.
About three weeks ago, an Egyptian billionaire, Naguib
Sawiris, offered to buy an island belonging to Greece or Italy for
Syrian refugees. He said:
“Greece or Italy sell me an island, I’ll call its
independence and host the migrants and provide
jobs for them building their new country.”
Naguib Sawiris
Egyptian billionaire
Agence France-Presse
He was also reported by Agence France-Presse as follows:
“Sawiris said an island off Greece or Italy could cost
between $10 million and $100 million, but added
the ‘main thing is investment in infrastructure.’”
Agence France-Presse
One of the Arab countries which hosts the Syrian refugees
with generosity is Lebanon with over one million Syrian
refugees, equal to one-quarter of its population. Compared to
USA, it is like hosting 75 million refugees. The non-Arab
neighbouring country, Turkey which has 70 million populations,
hosts 1.6 million Syrian refugees.
The condition of the people of Syria in 2011 was that out
of 22.4 million of its inhabitants, about 200 thousand deaths, 4
65
million refugees, and 7.5 million are internally displaced. So,
less than half of its population remain in their homes.
We do not know when the misery of the refugees will
end, as long as the two contending parties, the government
and those who revolt against it do not find any solution for
their disagreement. The Prophet had already warned us against
revolting against impious rulers, as long as they do not order
people to disobey Allah. The Prophet s.a.w. said:
عل ى اَّلْ مرْءَِّ اَّلْمُسْلِمَِّ اَّل سمْعَُّ وال طا عةَُّ فَِّي ما أَّ ح بَّ و كرِ هَّ إَِّلَّّ أ نَّْ يَُّؤْ م رَّ بَِّ معْصِ ي ةَّ فإِنَّْ أَُّمِ رَّ بَِّ معْصِ ي ةَّ فلََّ سمْ عَّ ولَّّ طا ع ةَّ )َّرواه اَّلبخاري وَّ مَّسلم وَّ أَّبو دَّاؤد وَّالنسائي وَّ أَّحمد( .ََّّ
Upon the person is hearing and obeying concerning
what he likes and what he dislikes, unless he is ordered to
do an act of disobedience [to Allah]. If he is ordered to
do an act of disobedience, there is no hearing or
obeying.” (Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim,
Abū Dā’ūd, al-Nasā’ī and Aḥmad)
Revolting against impious or oppressing rulers could
lead to destruction more than if they obeyed them. Scholars
who adhere to removing impious rulers say that it should be
done by fighting them on condition that bloodshed among
Muslims which is called fitnah, namely, riot, discord and civil
strife would be avoided.
One of the means to bring down an impious ruler
peacefully is by rejecting any government position in his
cabinet. On the 21st of May 1998 Former President Suharto
who had ruled Indonesia for 32 years tendered his resignation
from presidency. The main reason is that the condition of the
country at that time was so desperate that all members of his
cabinet resigned, and nobody would replace them. He could
have ignored the demonstration of thousands of students at
the Parliament Building demanding his resignation, but without
members of Cabinet to assist him he would not be able to rule
the country. This boycott policy was very effective at that time
66
Another example is Shah of Iran who took power in 1953
with the help of the CIA. He abolished political parties, and
some of their members had been exiled; others had been
imprisoned or tortured by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police.
Demonstrations against the Shah commenced in October
1977, became intensive in January 1978. That year strikes and
demonstrations paralyzed the country. The Shah imposed
martial law in Tehran and the troops reluctantly fired on
demonstrators killing more than 500 people, as their brothers
and other relatives might have been among them. This
incident, known later as “Black Friday”, did not deter the
demonstrators. On January 16, 1979 the Shah left Iran for exile,
and died in July, 1980. Ayatollah Khomeini was invited back to
Iran greeted by several million Iranians.
Persistent and continuous peaceful demonstrations could
work in bringing down impious rulers. Allah knows best.
(CIVIC, 25 September, 2015)
المصادر:َّ
المكتبة اَّلشاملةَّ
تَّفسير اَّلطبري )َّت. 001َّ هَّ)َّ
تفسير اَّلقرطبى )َّت. 190َّ هَّ(
تفسير اَّبن كَّثير )َّت. 997َّ هَّ)
tَّtps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution
http://www.historyinanhour.com/2011/03/26/the-iranianrevolution-
of-1979/#sthash.LdqMYH4z.dpuf
http://www.redcross.org.au/asylum-seekers-refugeesfacts.
aspx
http://madrasato-mohammed.com/
maowsoat_aqida_sunnah_02/pg_108_0007.htm
http://sh.rewayat2.com/siasahe/Web/32289/001.htm
http://www.ansarsunna.com/vb/showthread.php?t= ."بر 35175
http://www.yasour.org/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=20646
http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/ini-momen-momenmenegangkan-
jelang-soeharto-lengser-21-mei-1998.html
67
12. RELIGION AND BLASPHEMY (1)
Allah says addressing the whole mankind, as follows:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّا س إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا كمْ مِنْ ذَكَ ر وَأ نْثَى وَجَعَلْنَا كمْ ش عوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَف وا
) إِنَّ أَكْرَمَ كمْ عِنْدَ اللَِّّ أَتْقَا كمْ إِنَّ اللَّّ عَلِي م خَبِي ر )الحجرات: 31
O mankind! We have created you from a male
and a female, and made you into nations and tribes
that you may know one another. Verily, the most
honorable of you with Allah is that (believer)
who has the most pious (Q. 49:13)
The Qur’ān commentator Mujāhid ibn Jabr (21-104/642-
722) said that the Arabs in the past knew each other by
knowing their names, their parents’ names and the names of
the tribes to which they belonged. Sufyān al-Thawrī (97-
161/716-778) said that the Ḥimyar people who resided in
Yemen dealt with each other according to their provinces,
while the Arabs in Ḥijāz (Western Arabia) dealt with each other
according to their tribes. As every tribe has its own tribal
language it is estimated that up to 7,000 different languages
are spoken around the world, and about 90% of them are
spoken by less than 100,000 people.
Knowing one another implies learning from each other’s
characteristics, traditions, cultures and religions. The concept
of religion is constituted of three factors, namely, God,
Universe and Man. These have connection with the concept of
salvation. Hence, former President to World Federation of
Islamic Mission and Islamic Centre in Karachi, Muhammad Fazlur-
Rahman Ansari in his lecture at the Tokyo mosque in 1960
divided the world religions into two categories: (1) Religions of
Salvation, and (2) Religions of Fulfilment.
Religions of Salvations are generally all religions with the
exception of Islam, which belongs to Religion of Fulfilment.
Religions of Salvation are divided into two categories:
68
a. those whose concept of salvation is linear, namely, the
advance of human life is linear, passing through the gateway
of death, to continue beyond the grave, until it reaches
heaven or hell. Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity
belong to this category.
b. those whose concept of salvation is cyclic, namely, the
continuous transmigration of souls in cycle upon cycle until
it reaches heaven (Moksha in Hinduism, and Nirvana in
Buddhism). Hinduism and Buddhism belong to this category.
On the other hand, the concept of fulfilment in Islam is
that the world is essentially good, God is Absolutely Good, and
all His actions are good, human personality are good and social
relations are also good. All human beings are born sinless which
is contradictory to Christian teachings that all human beings are
born in sin inherited from Adam and Eve. A person who inherits
any kind of defect or sickness is not a kind of condemnation,
but a test, he has to find a cure for it, and to be patient with it,
and Allah would reward him for his patience.
Allah has given human beings with certain facilities and
powers to be used in its utmost for their own prosperity and
welfare in this earthly life. This is also a kind of devotion
besides performing the five-daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan,
etc. Allah has created the whole contents of the earth for them
(Q. 2:29), and neglecting them is therefore, renunciation of
worldly life is not the teaching of Islam.
Hinduism in the strict sense of the word is more of a
social order than a religion. A Hindu can be a person who
believes in one God, three gods, millions of gods, or even no
god. It is said that it is the most undefinable religion in the
world, as it is actually the story of the race of Aryans of Central
Asia. When they conquered the northern plains of India they
brought with them certain beliefs of nature-worship and
certain principles of social organization, and at the same time
they absorbed the beliefs and social habits of their subjects.
69
Their beliefs mixed together, and conflicting beliefs and
mutually fighting gods and goddesses were tolerated and
accommodated. Therefore, Hinduism is a number of religious
systems, and the only common doctrines are of the karma and
transmigration of the soul.
Hinduism is for the Indians, like Judaism for the Jews.
Both are religions of their respective races. Unlike Islam and
Christianity which are missionary religions, Hinduism does not
believe in conversion to Hinduism. If a Hindu is born he is
bound to racial and caste-system. He is born either as a
Brahmin (the highest caste), a Kshatriya, a Vaishya, or a Sudra,
and he cannot change his caste, no matter how great his
achievement is in life. A Brahmin remains holy, and the Sudra
remains unholy, and this remains unchangeable. Like in
Judaism where a non-Jewish is considered inferior, a non-Hindu
is also considered inferior in Hinduism.
The word karma is originally from the Sanskrit word
karman, meaning “action, effect, and fate.” Karma in Hinduism
as well as in Buddhism is (3) “the sum of a person’s actions in
this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their
fate in future existences.” It is also (2) “action, seen as bringing
upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life
or in a reincarnation; in Hinduism it is one of the means of
reaching Brahman.” It is also (1) “intentional ‘action’; the
workings of cause and effect, whereby virtuous actions lead to
happiness and non-virtuous actions lead to suffering.” In
Theosophy1 karma is “the cosmic principle according to which
each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation
according to that person's deeds in the previous incarnation.” It
is the rule of cause and effect: “As you sow, so you reap”
(Galatians, 6:7). Salvation in Hinduism is cyclic, namely, in order
1 Theosophy is any religious or philosophical system based on intuitive
insight into the nature of the divine, but especially that of the
Theosophical Society founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky
and Colonel H.S Olcott
70
to attain to Salvation the human being must undergo cycles
upon cycles of rebirth. If a person commits more vices than
virtues in this life, he will be born again in this world in a lower
caste, or even in a lower category of existence, such as animals
and insects. This is a kind of punishment, until he breaks the
cycles of rebirth and enters the heaven (Moksha).
In rejecting these views of karma and transmigration of
the soul F.R. Ansari mentions three arguments, as follows:
1. It is necessary that every man has to have a complete
picture of his previous life in order to realize his suffering or
benefiting on any occasion in this life, but this does not
happen. Therefore, the purpose of his rebirth would not be
acceptable. In other words, it is like a man is being punished
without knowing his mistake.
2. Like an immature seed, we do not bring it back and paste it
to its tree, but rather we select the mature seed to grow a
better tree. Similarly, a person who is not pure or mature
enough to achieve Salvation should not be brought back to
be pasted in the earthly life, but rather he should be
provided with conditions whereby his impurity and
immaturity may be put right, so that he might proceed to
the path of evolution.
3. Evolution is an established law of the human personality and
the universe which is always linear, whereas transmigration
of the souls is cyclic, and therefore it is unacceptable.
Buddhism was born in India as a revolt against some
principles and institutions of Hinduism, especially against castesystem
and holding the idea of the impersonal concept of God
or of non-existent of God. The doctrines of Karma and Awa
Gawan were retained. No wonder that some scholars who
incline to regard Buddhism as one of many sects of Hinduism.
The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama, a
Hindu prince who left his house in search of solution for the
71
human sufferings. After years of contemplation and meditation
he attained Buddhahood, namely, Enlightenment, under a
bodhi tree at Buddh-Gaya in the province of Bihar, India. He
found the solution to conquer suffering, namely, to negate all
desires. The world in unreal, like an illusion, a trap, and the
wise person (Buddhist) has to cut off all his relations with the
world. His life should be a roaming beggar who has no home,
and no worldly duty. Even Gautama himself when he returned
to his naïve place he did not visit his wife.
The concept of Buddhism that everything is like an illusion
means that it appeared to exist in one way, but actually it exists
in another way. It is like the optical illusion where a line can
look longer than another line, but actually is shorter. Another
example is that the ocean consists of a series of separate waves
that come and go. But if we look beneath the surface, we shall
find that the ocean is vaster and more mysterious than what
we initially believed.
There are three main sects in Buddhism: (a) the
Mahayana was so called, because they were the majority
Group at the Council of Patna; it allows social relations as a
natural and necessary evil. (b) the Hinayana, the minority
group, the most orthodox, the most loyal to the spirit and the
teaching of Buddha, and they believed in asceticism; and (c) the
Zen Buddhism was a new version of Buddhist philosophy which
permits and promotes militarist aspirations among militarist
Japanese.
The doctrine of transmigration of souls or incarnation has
no solid foundation in human experience. Many people believe
in some form of reincarnation. Testimony of people who claim
to recall people, places, things and events from what they
believe could be their past lives. Under hypnosis many people
recall the detail of their previous lives.
Stephen Wagner, the paranormal phenomena expert in
his article The Mystery of Past Life Recall related this story:
72
“In 1824, a nine-year-old boy named Katsugoro, the son of a
Japanese farmer, told his sister that he believed he had a past
life. According to his story, which is one of the earliest cases of
past life recall on record, the boy vividly recalled that he had
been the son of another farmer in another village and had died
from the effects of smallpox in 3830….”
Stephen Wagner’s commentary on this story is this: “Past
life recall is one of the most fascinating areas of unexplained
human phenomena. As yet, science has been unable to prove
or disprove its genuineness. Even many who have investigated
claims of past life recall are unsure whether it is an historical
recollection due to reincarnation or is a construction of
information somehow received by the subconscious. Either
possibility is remarkable. And like many areas of the
paranormal, there is a propensity for fraud that the serious
investigator must watch out for. It's important to be sceptical
about such extraordinary claims, but the stories are
nonetheless intriguing.”
(CIVIC, 2 October, 2015)
المصادر:
المكتبة الشاملة
تفسير الطبري )ت. 130 ه)
تفسير القرطبى )ت. 173 ه)
تفسير ابن كثير )ت. 777 ه)
Ansari, F.R. Which Religion. Karachi: The World Federation of
Islamic Missions, Islamic Centre, 1969
Landaw, Jonathan, & Bodian, Stephan. Buddhism for Dummies.
Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2003.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/guide/languages.shtml
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/karma
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/karma
http://paranormal.about.com/od/reincarnation/a/The-
Mystery-Of-Past-Life-Recall.htm