Did Muhammad lead numerous wars that were barbaric and bloody?
Posted on February 5th, 2013
Sawmeer Khan
The Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Mercy, did not prescribe war as a natural state of affairs, and at the same time, war cannot simply be abolished. What any reformer or spiritual leader can do is minimize its brutality. The Messenger of Mercy, at GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s direction, attempted to establish rules of warfare that would make war as humane as possible, to encourage peace and to minimize the priceless cost of human lives.
The Prophetic approach to war can be better appreciated by looking at some figures.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Messenger of Mercy was forced to defend himself militarily on many occasions, yet the amount of human loss that resulted is surprisingly low given similar battles and wars in human history. From a total of 28 battles and 38 campaigns, the total casualties from those wars, including both sides, amounted to approximately 1,284 lives.
Someone can argue that the reason for the decreased numbers of causalities is because of the smaller number of combatants that participated in the various campaigns. But a careful examination shows that the percentage of people killed in these wars relative to the number of the people who participated in them amounted to about 1.5 percent. Since the Messenger of Mercy was victorious in most of these battles, the numbers of casualties indicate that he is not to be counted among the ruthless and barbaric warlords, conquerors, and military generals of human history ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and in fact, far from it.
Compare the above numbers to other wars in human history. For example, in the Second World War alone, the relationship between the amount of people killed (including civilians) to the amount of combatants who were involved in that war was 351%. That is, 10,600,000 participated in that war yet the amount of human deaths were as high as 54,800,000.
Contrary to promoting barbaric warfare, the Messenger of Mercy brought sweeping changes to the conduct of war, radically limiting the means and use of violence against others. Much like today, the Messenger of Mercy lived in a world in which brutal warfare was rampant. Like the Roman and Persian empires of that time, and the empires of today, the Arab tribes primarily engaged in battle for material gains rather than for any higher, moral purpose. The Messenger of Mercy, however, would change that radically.
The Messenger of Mercy stressed the observance of several important moral principles even during the tumult of warfare. First, he fundamentally redefined the basic understanding and concept of war. By introducing an entirely new term ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” jihad fee sabil Allah (Struggle in the way of God) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” he purified warfare from its purely material or vested interests and self-serving motives. Jihad means ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-struggleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and for one to carry a concerted effort to remove the injustices and oppression imposed by others. By adding ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-in the way of AllahƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (fee sabil Allah), he taught that war must not be waged for the sake of the self, of spoils, pride, prestige, subjugation, or oppressing other people. This belief served as the glue holding the principles of warfare together and reining in all potential injustices inherent within it.
Under this new conception of war, the Messenger of Mercy introduced a comprehensive set of laws that encompassed the conduct of war: its moral boundaries, components, rights, and obligations; the difference between combatants and non-combatants and their rights; and the right of envoys, prisoners of war, and conquered people. All of these principles were expressed clearly and unequivocally by the Messenger of Mercy.
The Messenger of Mercy also underscored the sanctity and inviolability of human life, be it Muslim or non-Muslim. He embodied the Quranic verse:
{If anyone slays a human being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” it shall be as though he had slain all humanity} (5:32)
Through this divine instruction, the Messenger of Mercy purified war from all selfish motives and inferior objectives. His followers, although they certainly were ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and still are ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” prone to great errors, were remarkable exemplars of these principles in general.
The Messenger of Mercy prohibited the robbery, banditry, and vandalism that had been commonplace in wars before his time. For example, after the Khaybar peace treaty had been signed, some of the new, young Muslims started looting Jewish property. The Jewish leader came to the Messenger of Mercy and asked: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Is it appropriate for your people to slaughter our donkeys, devour our crops, and beat our women?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Suddenly, the Messenger of Mercy ordered the entire army into the mosque for prayer and told them:
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Allah did not permit you to enter the People of the BookƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s houses without permission and to beat their women and eat their cropsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
If a milking animal is found on the way and soldiers want to take its milk, they cannot do so unless permission is granted. Therefore, even in warfare, the Messenger of Mercy stressed the importance of the rule of law and respect for the property and rights of others, which is far more than we can see in modern wars.
In the past, armies destroyed crops, farmland and property, and even entire villages. But the Messenger of Mercy prohibited killing all non-combatants, such as women, children, the old, the sick, the wounded, the blind, the disabled, the mentally unwell, travelers, monks, and worshippers.
In fact, he only permitted killing those in the front lines; everyone behind them was protected from attack. Remarkably, the Messenger of Mercy here grants far more than what is stated in theories of just war today.
Once the Messenger of Mercy saw a womanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s corpse on the battlefield and became very upset. He therefore ordered his commander, Khalid ibn al-Walid: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Do not kill women or laborersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Moreover, the Messenger of Mercy specifically commanded Muslims not to kill monks or worshippers, and not to destroy places of worship.
Before Islam, both Arabs and non-Arabs, in the heat of vengeance, habitually burned their enemies alive. The Messenger of Mercy categorically prohibited this: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Nobody should punish with fire except the Lord of Fire (God)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. He also forbade desecrating and mutilating the enemiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ corpses by cutting off their limbs.
The Messenger of Mercy prohibited the killing of prisoners of war, declaring that: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-No wounded person will be killed; no one who flees will be followedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
The Messenger of Mercy also stated that one cannot breach oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s trust and kill those with whom peace has been made. No peace treaty should be violated: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If you have made a treaty with a people, you cannot make any changes or alterations until it expiresƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
Today, in a time of constant war under pretexts of pre-emptive strikes, these teachings demonstrate his just personality ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a Messenger for our time.
The Messenger of Mercy tried his utmost to reduce human casualties to marginal amounts.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anyone who studies the Messenger of MercyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s wars objectively and compares that with other wars in human history including the wars of our modern times (such as the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terror) can easily conclude that his wars were the least bloody ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and most humane.
Many portray the Messenger of Mercy as a war monger and blood thirsty as if fighting battles was his main occupation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But in reality, out of the ten years of his life in Madinah, only 795 days were spent on battles and expeditions.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The rest of the ten years (that is approximately 2865 days) he spent on bringing revolutionary changes to peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lives and totally reforming a pagan society. This historical fact is overlooked by most of his biographers and almost all Western writers who depict him as a war-monger.
February 5th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
religious leader should not spend his time in battle. he was a warrior and not a mesenger of mercy May be he was like karl Marks or Lenin doing welfare work God’ messenger s cannot kill people or destroy other civilisations They Preach only , They do not convert people by force
February 5th, 2013 at 5:42 pm
“The Messenger of Mercy was forced to defend himself militarily on many occasions, yet the amount of human loss that resulted is surprisingly low given similar battles and wars in human history. From a total of 28 battles and 38 campaigns”
28 battles!
Number of bloody, deadly military battles by religious leaders
Jesus – NIL
Buddha – NIL
Abraham – NIL
Confucius – NIL
Prophet Mohammad – 28
Readers can make up their own mind.
February 5th, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Bertrand Russel said
‘ Jesus is less admirable than Socretes or the Buddha because among other things jesus Christ once cursed a Fig tree causing it to wither and die . Muslims are trying to excuse the murders perpetrated by muhammad. I certainly cannot put Mohammed on the same moral plane as Socrates the Buddha Confucius or for that matter Jesus Christ’
This is how well educated people think. Lorenzo migh t quote others. There are plenty
Sorry iam not good in typing
Any way read “VIMUTTI MAGGA hewath APAAGATHA NOWANA MAGA .Available in SARASAVIYA book shop
February 5th, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Mr. Sawmeer Khan,
Some homework for you.
If you are a distant descendant of Genghis Khan, you can perhaps dig up some family history and data.
Galileo cited the phases of Venus data as the proof that the planets are revolving around the Sun to support the Copernican model.
In science, nothing beats actual unbiased data. Hypothesis and theories stay or fall based on data. Data and good analytic proofs rule.
So apply the Scientific Method.
Prophets 23 years. Break into several periods, chronologically.
a) Initial Mecca period when he had a few followers and he was not a threat t and the Verses of that Mecca period
b) Next Mecca period when he had only few followers and he was not a threat just a nuisance and the Verses of that Mecca period.
c) Next Mecca period when he had more followers and he was a threat and the Verses of that Mecca period and before he left Mecca before the plan to kill him. Muslims say God save him.
d) Next Medina period when he had more followers and he was a threat to the caravans and the Verses of that Medina period.
e) Final Medina period when he had more followers and more battles and the Verses of that Medina period.
It is likely, the Mecca period Verses were more peaceful and Godly, and the Medina Period were more aggressive and defense oriented.
February 5th, 2013 at 9:42 pm
Even Socretes (also Aristotle) is not a admirable person. He emphasize the value of slavery. Greeks were able to preach philosphy in market places because they had slaves to do their dirty work. Most of the Western Philosophers specially Germans admisred racism.
The Buddha long time before these philosphers talked againstcaste difference, the equivalent of racism in the east.
February 5th, 2013 at 10:14 pm
FIRST CENTURY OF ISLAM
Year 622: Following the embarrassments of the Satanic Verses and hallucinogenic Night’s Journey aboard the flying ass, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh was run out of Mecca. In his meeting with 12 warlords from Medina at a waddi called Aqaba, the first Muslims “Pledge to wage war against all mankind,” and the Islamic Era officially began.
623: Muslims drew first blood, killing one Meccan and kidnapping another at Nakhla. They plundered their caravan and brought the booty back to Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh.
624: Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh led the first Muslims out to plunder a Meccan caravan at Badr. They missed the target but encountered some Meccan merchants who had gone out to protect their business interests from the Islamic raiders. The Muslims killed 70 Meccan merchants, most of whom they were related to, and took almost that many Meccans captive. The hostages were ransomed back to their families, creating an Islamic precedent that is followed today. The Qur’an’s 8th surah is revealed as a situational scripture to justify fighting and stealing.
624: Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh laid siege to the richest Jewish settlement in Yathrib aka Medina. After forcing the Banu Qaynuqa into the desert to die, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh stole their homes, land, businesses, farms, and treasure. The Qur’an’s 59th, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, and 64th surahs are revealed to beguile the Muslims into believing that what they were doing was religious and good.
625 : The Muslims continued to terrorize and rob the Meccans, so they went to Yathrib/Medina to stop the source of their pain. Thinking they had killed Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh at Uhud, as well as most of his jihadists, the Meccans returned home. Since the terrorist religion was an inch from being destroyed, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh contrived the 3rd surah, in which Allah tells Muslims that he will kill those who don’t fight for Islam.
625 : Needing to satiate the covetous bloodlust of his mercenaries, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh decided to plunder the people in Yathrib. The defenseless Banu Nadir people were starved into submission and forced out into the desert to die. Once again, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh stole their homes, land, businesses, farms, and treasure. Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh had become so sexually perverted, and such a ruthless megalomaniac, he made up the 33rd surah, the Qur’an’s most immoral rant to justify his despicable life. Allah approves rape and incest.
626: The Meccan merchants returned to Yathrib/Medina to stop Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh from continuing to terrorize them but they were thwarted by a trench he had dug in the sand. While the Battle of the Trench was a standoff, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh gloated in typical Islamic fashion.
627: Since the Battle of the Trench was bloodless and booty-less, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh needed to find easy prey for his sorry lot of jihadists. The Banu Qurayza people in Yathrib/Medina suffered as a result. After starving them into surrender, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh had his goons dig trenches in the center of Medina. He had every man and boy over the age of 12 tied hand and neck. In small batches he paraded 900 of them out and in his presence, he had his mujahideen cut off their heads over the open trench – pushing their bodies in. Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh after picking the most attractive widow for himself, used lots to determine a selection order for his followers to choose their rape victims. The children were then enslaved and sold to buy more weapons. Portions of the 33rd surah were revealed to demonstrate that Allah was a terrorist, slave trader, and murdering thief.
628: This was a very, very, bad year. In it, terror became Islam’s signature act with raids launched against the Lihyan and Banu Mustaliq Arabs. The Qur’an’s 24th surah was revealed at this time to get the pedophile prophet Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh out of a prickly situation with his child wife.
It was then that Allah’s Messenger assembled a considerable force of jihadists to plunder his hometown of Mecca – a mud hut village of 5,000 people that was home to Allah’s rock pile of rock gods known as the Ka’aba. But Allah’s boy became timid, and rather than sack his relatives, he signed the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, whereby Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh denied that he was a prophet and that Allah was God. The Qur’an’s 4th surah is revealed telling Muslims how they are to fight.
This led to Islam’s darkest hour. Without the plunder the jihadists expected from Mecca, the first Muslims turned on Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh in a massive rebellion. So the Islamic warlord did what all despots do – he found a patsy for his marauding hoard. On their way back to Yathrib/Medina Muhammad’s mujahideen perpetrated a terrorist raid on the Khaybar people. The farming village was savagely conquered and plundered. Its leadership was tortured at Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s behest. The men were murdered and the women were raped, with Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh again personally participating. And the Muslims stole the homes, property, and possessions. Once again, the children were enslaved and used to buy more weapons and build a larger militia. The Qur’an’s 49th surah is revealed in order to reestablish Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s tattered reputation. It is especially revolting.
629: In anticipation of dishonoring his sworn commitment to the Meccans at Hudaybiyah, where Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh promised not to terrorize the Meccans for ten years, Islam’s prophet revealed the 66th surah in which he says: “Allah has sanctioned for you the dissolution of your vows.” Islam’s god authorized his lone witness to lie. He then recited the 48th surah in which peaceful Muslims who did not wish to fight were told that they would be tortured by Allah. Then he said in the 47th surah, “So when you clash with the unbelieving infidels in battle smite their necks until you overpower them, killing and wounding many of them. When you have thoroughly subdued them, bind them firmly, making them captives…Thus you are commanded by Allah to continue carrying out Jihad against the unbelieving infidels until they submit to Islam.”.
With that inspiration, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s mujahideen assaulted and plundered the Arab villages of Mulawwih, Banu Bakr, Harith, Kadid, Salasil, Jusham, and Idam in a series of terrorist raids. Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh then sent them to attack the Byzantines near the Syrian town of Mu’ta, where the jihadists fought their first battle against an actual army and were pummeled.
630: Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh revealed the Qur’an’s second to last surah moments before his conquest of Mecca. In the 9th surah, the Qur’an’s war manifesto, we find: “This announcement from Allah and his Messenger to the people on the day of the Great Pilgrimage [to attack Mecca]: Allah and His Messenger dissolve (treaty) obligations with unbelievers.” Outnumbering the Meccan merchants two to one, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s mujahideen conquer his hometown and force everyone to surrender to Islam or die.
On their way back home, the Islamic jihadists terrorize the Arab towns of Hunsin, Auras, and Taif. .
631: Having over hunted Jews and Arabs, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh turned his sights on the Byzantine Christians. He revealed the Qur’an’s final surah, the 5th, to turn Christians into the enemy of Islam even though no Christian had ever spoken a word to or laid a finger on a single Muslim. With his justification in hand, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh assembled a militia of 30,000 mujahideen and assaulted Tabuk in today’s Syria. He gave the Christians an ultimatum: “Pay me or die.”
632: Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh dies a miserable death. Under the Caliphate (Deputy of the Prophet) of Abu Bakr Islamic jihadists led a crusade to conquer all of Arabia. Arabs would either submit or die.
After conquering Arabia and forever raping the Arabs of their freedoms, prosperity, and hope, Abu Bakr’s jihadists plundered Yemen. There, Mussailima, another false prophet indistinguishable from Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh is conquered. Muslims then wage war in the communities of Zu Qissa, Abraq, Buzakha, Zafar, Naqra, and Bani Tamim.
633: The Muslim mujahideen led by Khalid al-Walid, the new religion’s most bloodthirsty terrorist, whom Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh himself had nicknamed the “Sword of Allah” for his ferocity and proclivity to tie women’s and children’s hands behind their backs and then cut off their heads, conquered the Persian city of Ullays along the Euphrates River in today’s Iraq. Khalid beheads so many civilians that a nearby canal, into which the blood flowed, was called Blood Canal.
In the months which follow, Khalid’s mujahideen assault Bahrain, Oman, Mahrah, and Hadramaut. Islam’s second most famous terrorist raids towns across Iraq, and lays siege to Kazima, Mazar, Walaja, Ulleis, Hirah, Anbar, Ein at Tamr, Jandal, Firaz, and Daumatul.
634: At the battles of Basra and Ajnadin Damascus in Syria the Muslim jihadists defeated Byzantine regiments.
Abu Bakr dies and the Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab begins. His campaign of terror was particularly brutal. Immediately he attacks Namaraq and Saqatia.
635: Muslim mujahideen besieged and conquered Damascus. They fought and won the battles of the Bridge, Buwaib, and Fahl. They go on to conquer Damascus.
636: Islamic jihadists attacked and defeated the weakened Byzantines again at Yarmuk – this time pulverizing them. They fight and win at Madain.
637: Syria falls to the Islamic onslaught. Then the Muslim crusaders conquered large portions of western Persia in today’s Iraq, beginning at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. Muslim mujahideen occupy the Persian capital of Ctesiphon.
638: Islamic raiders attacked and defeated the Roman Byzantines at the Battle of Yarmouk. Muslims enter, occupy, and annex Jerusalem, taking it from the Byzantines. All Judea is claimed under the sword of Islam. Muslims go on to raid Jalula and Jazirah and continue their conquest of Syria, today’s Jordan, and Lebanon.
On the Eastern front, Islamic armies conquer eastern Persia in today’s Iran, leaving only the Caspian Sea region firmly under Persian control.
639: Islamic raiders conquer Khuzestan in the east and enter and begin plundering Egypt in the west, burning its libraries and defacing its monumental history.
640: Muslim jihadists capture Caesaria in Syria and Shustar Jande Sabur in Persia. They fight the battle of Babylon.
On the Western Front, Islam completes its conquest of Egyptian cities in the north, stealing them from the Romans. Arabia, Egypt, Persia, and the Fertile Crescent are now the personal fiefdoms of four Islamic Caliphs.
641: Muslim crusaders who bypassed the countryside of Syria and Judea en route to Egypt, returned to raise their swords over everyone’s head. They attack Nihawand and then conquer Alexandria in Egypt.
On the Eastern Front, Islam conquers and occupies all of today’s Iraq, taking it from the Persians.
642: Islamic mujahideen fight the Battle of Rayy in Persia. Moving south on the Western Front, they conquer all of Egypt.
643: In the north, Islam’s army conquers Azerbaijan and Tabaristan in today’s Russia.
644 : The Islamic killing machine sacks and plunders Fars, Kerman, Sistan, Mekran and Kharan. Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab was assassinated. Uthman ibn Affan was appointed the third Caliph. Since Uthman’s family rejected Muhammad’s claim of being the Messenger of Allah, Islam divides with Shia rioters campaigning for the empowerment of Ali, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s cousin, adopted son, and son-in-law.
646 : Muslims battle in Khurasan, Armenia, and Asia Minor throughout the Caucasus.
647: The Islamic barbarians savagely plundered North Africa. Islamic jihadists conquered the Island of Cyprus. They besieged and plundered Tripoli in North Africa. And they forcibly established Islam as the only acceptable religion in today’s Iran, Iraq, Arabia, and Afghanistan.
648 : The Muslim armies were unified and positioned against the Byzantines.
650: The Islamic conquest and occupation of Persia was completed. The entire realm of history’s oldest and most powerful empires surrendered under the assault of bloody swords when resistance became futile.
651: Muslims won the Battle of the Masts against the Byzantines and nearly captured the Byzantine emperor.
652: The Islamic assault against humanity stalled and the Muslim mujahideen openly displayed their hostility toward Uthman.
654: Islam’s violent and aggressive conquest of North Africa was all but completed. Only Morocco remained free of the religious scourge. Muslims now established new fiefdoms throughout the region they occupied.
656 : The Sunni Caliph Uthman was assassinated by Muslim soldiers. Ali ibn Abi Talib, adopted son, son-in-law, and cousin to Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh, was given the Caliphate. His claim to the throne was having married the prophet’s daughter Fatima. Killing the Caliph to become Caliph would become standard operating procedure in the Islamic world.
In the battle of the Camel, Aisha, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s child wife, led a rebellion against Ali for not avenging Uthman’s assassination. Ali’s Shia partisans won.
657: In more infighting between Shia and Sunni Muslims (today called “sectarian violence”), the battle of Siffin between Ali and the Muslim governor of Jerusalem, went against Ali. Forced out of Medina, Ali moved the Shia capital of Islam to Kufa in Iraq.
658 : Major battles were fought by Muslims in Nahrawan and then in Egypt, where the last pockets of resistance were suppressed. The Umayyad and then Abbasid caliphates would control Egypt until 868.
660: Ali’s forces recaptured the Hijaz (Mecca-Medina area) and Yemen from their Sunni Muslim rival, Mu’awiyah. So Mu’awiyah declared himself Caliph and sets up his throne in Damascus.
661: Ali was assassinated by a rival Sunni Muslim. Ali’s supporters formed the Shi’ite political/religious party and promoted his son Hasan to Caliph. They insisted that a blood descendant of Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh wield control over all Muslims. Hasan, however, not wanting to be the next to die, came to an accommodation with Muawiyyah, a relative of Uthman, and abdicated the throne, retiring to Medina.
The Caliphate of Muawiyyah I began. He founds the Sunni Umayyid Dynasty and officially moved the capital of the Islamic Empire from uncivilized Medina to Damascus. What is interesting about this is that even though Damascus, unlike Mecca and Medina, was a literate community, and although we have countless records of Umayyid battles, tax collections, and political promotions, there isn’t a single line of Islamic scripture that survives from this time – not a word from the Qur’an or Hadith was written down. The first Qur’an fragments date to the eighth century and the oldest Hadith manuscripts date to the ninth century.
There were no Qur’ans or any other written basis for the religion of Islam when its mujahideen were conquering the world. And that means they were doing it for booty, not religion. This is one of the most astounding, and little known, facts of history.
The Umayyid Dynasty would retain dictatorial control over all territories conquered by Islam through 750
662 : All of the Arabian Peninsula and today’s Iran and Iraq were unified under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Their reign of oppression would last until 1258.
666: Muslim crusaders raided the island of Sicily.
670: Islamic armies continued to plunder portions of North Africa on the Western Front. Jihadists reach and conquer Morocco. The entire region was now under the control of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates.
The Eastern Army captured Kabul in Afghanistan. Soon Islam would control and occupy all of the Caucasus and Caspian region.
672: Muslims storm the island of Rhodes, placing it under the dominion of their swords.
673 : The Islamic armies begin the Khurasan campaign.
674: Muslims cross the Oxus. Bukhara becomes a vassal state.
677: Islam’s militants occupy Samarkand and Tirmiz.
678: Muslim armies besieged Constantinople, the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire.
680: Caliph Mu’awiyah died and Hussein (Hussain) (Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s grandson by way of Ali), his family, and his supporters were massacred in Karbala, Iraq by the Sunni Umayyids. As a result, Yazid gained control of Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s bloody legacy.
682: In North Africa Uqba bin Nafe marched to the Atlantic. He was ambushed and killed at Biskra. The Muslims evacuated Qairowan and withdrew to Burqa.
683: Caliph Yazid died. Mu’awiyah II is crowned king of the death machine.
684: Abdullah bin Zubair declared himself Caliph at Mecca. Marwan I, disputes the claim and names himself Caliph in Damascus. All the while the Islamic assault marched on with the Battle of Marj Rahat.
685 : Falling like flies, Marwan I died so Abdul Malik became the Caliph in Damascus. Not losing focus, the Islamic mujahideen fought the Battle of Ain ul Wada.
686: Mukhtar declared himself Caliph at Kufa, Iraq. As you might imagine, being the supreme potentate of a religious empire was profitable.
687: Not wanting to share, the Battle of Kufa was waged between the Islamic forces of Mukhtar and Abdullah bin Zubair. Mukhtar must have lost because he was killed.
691: Muslims went on to fight the Battle of Deir ul Jaliq. But then Kufa fell to Abdul Malik.
692 : With the fall of Mecca to Abdul Malik, and the death of Abdullah bin Zubair, Malik became the sole Caliph.
695: The Khawarij revolt in Jazira and Ahwaz shook Islam. Muslims however won the Battle of the Karun. Then a campaign against Kahina in North Africa was launched. Unsuccessful, the Muslims once again withdrew to Barqa. Next, Islamic forces advanced on Transoxiana and occupied Kish.
700: Muslim armies fought against the Berbers in North Africa.
702: Islam endured the Ashath rebellion in Iraq and fought the battle of Deir ul Jamira.
705: With the death of Abdul Malik Walid I became Caliph.
710: On the Eastern Front, Muslim crusaders conquered the lower Indus Valley. On the Western Front, Tariq ibn Malik crossed the Gibraltar straight separating Africa and Europe with a group of Muslims and entered Europe for the first time.
711 : A 7,000 strong Islamic army under the command of Tariq ibn Malik invaded and conquered Spain, imposing the kingdom of Andalus. Almost all of the Iberian Peninsula submits to the sword of Islam.
Muslims advanced on Sindh in Afghanistan and Transoxiana and then conquered Multan.
712: With their recent conquests of Spain, the countryside of Egypt, and Morocco, the Islamic Empire now occupied and oppressed most all of the Persian and Roman Empires. The enormous, aggressive, and rapid land grab had all been achieved with the sword.
715: Walid died and Sulaiman became Caliph.
716: Muslims invaded Constantinople but failed in their attempt to take the Christian capital.
717 : With the death of Sulaiman Umar bin Abdul Aziz took the crown of Islam.
718 : The Islamic invasion, conquest, and occupation of Spain was completed.
719: Cordova, Spain became the capital of Islamic Europe.
720: With the death of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Yazid II was anointed king.
724: With the death of Yazid II, Hisham gained control of Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s legacy.
725: The Islamic conquest of Western Europe reached it zenith with Muslims occupying Nimes in France.
732: The Muslim crusaders were stopped at the Battle of Poitiers (Tours). While it’s hard to fathom, the Franks (French) halted the Islamic advance on Western Europe. However, Muslim armies continued to advance in Asia and Africa.
The first century of Islam came to an end. It had been marked by death and destruction. A religion had been fed by plunder and it had expanded on the backs of its bloodied victims. There is almost nothing good that can be said of Islam’s first century. The religion has been a curse on all mankind.
February 5th, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Thayab’s usual cut and paste crap. Get a life wo-man
February 6th, 2013 at 12:16 am
Thank you Nalliah for the valuable information, whether it is cut and paste or not, you are star !
To hell with Islam, rajapkse shoudl ban the Goinibilla dress.
Black Tigers = Gonibilla. Black represents death and darkness , so is Islaam.
February 6th, 2013 at 2:59 am
Very informative NT.
It is better to quote from RELIABLE sources than quote from that violent Arabic book.
February 6th, 2013 at 6:51 am
Lorenzo !
MAGHRIBI Is Not Strong Enough To Face Facts
February 6th, 2013 at 7:19 am
Had Buddha being a war lord or even ordered to kill a single person, I would never have accepted his ‘Dhamma’ and remain a Buddhist. If a Muslim stand genuinely for peace, he too should be able to say so. Instead, if any man/woman praises a warlord by saying peace be upon him (PBUH), he must be talking from his tummy not from his heart. MAGHRIBI is a typical one.
Leela
February 6th, 2013 at 7:53 am
Maghribi
N T is giving facts no harm cut and paste I chalege u to face these facts
as leela says muslims too should be able to reject their religion If they are intelligent and free
muslims are the only people in the present world who follows a religion with blind faith There are others but not like muslims This way there will be no peace in the world
islamists use your brain
The worst legacy of Mohommed was his insistence that the koran was the literal word of God Allah-true once and for all -no questions should be asked- No ctitisism, there by closing the possibility of new intellectual ideas and freedom of thaught that the are only way the Islamic world is going to progress
February 6th, 2013 at 11:22 am
w e have to learn from history . KING SEnarath did a mistake sympathising unwanted creatures_-REDDA ASSE NAY DAAGATHTHA- Now the time to correct it Just preaching would not do We need action we need BODU BALASENA
Be careful Muslims have NO LIMIT
We are not aganist any living creature I f they dont kill us we dont kill They have to accept that this a Sinhala country.Live or leave .Be greatful to sinhalese U have human rights and not national rights .Be our guests
February 7th, 2013 at 4:40 am
War Ethics in Islam
Dear brother in humanity, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.
First of all, we would like to tell you that war is decreed in Islam in self defense. This indicates that aim behind war is to ward off aggression not to impose Islam as a religion. Referring to this, Allah Almighty says: “To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily God is most powerful for their aid.” (Al-Hajj:39)
Turning to the main topic of the question concerning war ethics in Islam, we would like to develop the whole issue while dealing with the following main points:
1-Personal Behavior of the Troops:
In war, as it is in peace, the instructions of Islam are to be observed. Worship does not cease in war. Islamic jurisprudence maintains that whatever is prohibited during peace is also prohibited during war. War is no excuse to be lenient with misbehaving troops. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said: “Beware of the prayer of the oppressed; for there is no barrier between it and Allah.” Here, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, differentiates between the oppressed believers and non-believers.
2-Whom to Fight:
Fighting should be directed only against fighting troops, and not to non- fighting personnel, and this is in compliance with the Qur’anic verse that reads: “ Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not, aggressors.”
(Al-Baqarah: 190)
In one of the battles, a woman was found killed, and this was denounced by the Prophet saying “She did not fight” This will be further detailed under the instructions given to the armies and their commanding chiefs by the Prophet and his Caliphs.
3-The Prophet’s instructions to Commanding Chiefs:
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to instruct his commanding chiefs saying: “Fight in the cause of Allah. Fight those who deny Allah; Do not be embittered. Do not be treacherous. Do not mutilate. Do not kill children or those (people) in convents.”
4-Abu-Bakr’s instructions to Usama’s Campaign on Syria:
“Do not betray or be treacherous or vindictive. Do not mutilate. Do not kill the children, the aged or the women. Do not cut or bum palm trees or fruitful trees. Don’t slay a sheep, a cow or camel except for your food. And you will come across people who confined themselves to worship in hermitages, leave them alone to what they devoted themselves for.”
5-Abu-Bakr’s Instructions to Yazid ibn-Abi Sufian:
“I give you ten commandments: don’t kill a woman or a child or an old person, and don’t cut trees or ruin dwellings or slay a sheep but for food. Dont burn palm trees or drown them. And don’t be spiteful or unjust.”
6-Maintaining Justice and Avoidance of Blind Retaliation:
None can be more illustrative in this respect than the words of the Qurt’an. Allah Almighty says: “ O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (Al-Maidah: 8)
7-Medical and Nursing Services:
From the early days of Islam the sanctity of the medical profession was recognized. Christian and Jewish doctors were employed by the Islamic state since the days of the Umayyads, and some of them were even court and personal physicians to caliphs. Under the tolerant attitude of Islam, some of them got the chance to unfold their full scientific potential and thus contributed to the progress of medical knowledge.
Medical help was a right to all men in spite of religion or creed. That this was also extended to those amongst enemy. An example well known in the West is that of Saladin securing medical help to his opponent, Richard Lion Heart of England who was seriously ill during the Crusades. Saladin sent him his own doctor and personally supervised Richard’s treatment until he became well.
In quoting this particular example, one dare say that such an attitude was quite different to the behavior characterizing the invading crusaders. When the crusaders entered Jerusalem on July 15th 1099, they slaughtered seventy thousand Muslims including women, children and old men. They broke children’s skulls by knocking against the wall, threw babies from roof tops, roasted men over fire and cut up women’s bellies to see if they had swallowed gold.
This description was given by Gibbon, a Christian writer, and commented on by Ludbig Wbo wondered how come after those horrible atrocities they prayed at the burial place of Christ for blessing and forgiveness (Draper/History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Vol. 2, p. 77).
We do not mention this in bitterness or prejudice for every honest Muslim or Christian well knows that Christianity is something and many deeds of the crusaders are something else.
8-Prisoners of War:
For the first time in religious or sectarian history, Islam adopted an attitude of mercy and caring for the captured enemy. Unprecedented by previous legal systems, and long before the Geneva Convention, Islam set the rule that the captive is sheltered by his captivity and the wounded by his injury.
Previously, it was the custom for the captive to work for his food or get it through private means. The Qur’an made it a charity to feed the prisoners saying:
“Lo! the righteous shall drink of a cup whereof the mixture is of water of Kafur. A spring wherefrom the slaves of Allah drink, making it gush forth abundantly. Because they perform the vow and fear a day whereof the evil is wide spreading. And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him. (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you.” (Al-Insan: 5-9)
The Prophet instructed his Companions to be good to the captives. In one of his traditions, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered his Companions saying: “ You should be good to the captives.”
Abu Aziz-ibn Umair, one of the captives of Badr battle, recalls:
“Whenever I sat with my captors for lunch or dinner, they would offer me the bread and themselves the dates, in view of the Prophet’s recommendation in our favor (in that desert situation bread was the more luxurious item of food than dates)
As soon as any of them held a piece of bread, he would offer it to me. “Feeling shy, I would give it back to one of them but he would immediately return it to me.”
Another, Thumama ibn-Athal, was taken prisoner and brought to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Be good to him in his captivity.” When the Prophet went home he instructed to collect whatever food there, and ordered it sent to the prisoner.
When the Jewish tribe of Bani Qurayzah were captured, loads of dates were regularly carried to them, with the Prophet’s instructions to shelter them from the summer sun and to provide them with water to drink.
From the legal point of view, Muslim opinion is unanimous on the prohibition of subjecting the captives to ill treatment by withholding food, drink or clothing.
9-The Fate of War Prisoners:
This was based upon the teaching of the Qur’an:
“Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when ye have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens. That (is the ordinance). And if Allah willed He could have punished them (without you) but (thus it is ordained) that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He rendereth not their actions vain.” (Muhammad: 4)
According to Islamic law, the captive belongs to the state and not to his captor. The ruler has the ultimate option, as he sees fit, of granting freedom or doing that after taking a ransom.
Among those whom the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, granted freedom was a poet called Abu-Azza who said to the Prophet: “I have five daughters who have no one to support them, so give me away to them as a charity and I promise never to fight you or help your enemies.
Abul-As Ibn Al Rabiae was freed for a ransom, which the Prophet later returned back to him. Later, the man embraced Islam.
Umarna Ibn-Athal was set free upon his promise not to provide the enemy with food. This gentle treatment touched the man’s heart and was then converted to Islam saying to the Prophet: “There was a time when your face was the most hated face to me, and there comes a day when it is the most loved.”
Sometimes captives were exchanged for Muslim captives in enemy hands. An acceptable ransom that was quite often carried out was to teach ten Muslim children to read and write. It is noteworthy that modern international law allows for setting free a prisoner of war on equivalent lines.
Personnel were set free upon their word of honor not to fight again, and they should not be ordered by their governments to go to battle again. If they break their promise, they might be punishable by death if they are captured again.
10-Nonbelligerents
Islam never fought nations but fought only despotic authorities. Islamic war was one of liberation and not of compulsion. The freedom of the liberated people to decide their religion has already been mentioned, and it was to ensure this freedom that Muslims fought. It is interesting to mention that when Muslims fought the Romans in Egypt, the Egyptian Copts sided with and helped Muslims against the Romans who were Christians like them. This was because Christian Egypt was suffering religious oppression by the Christian Romans to compel them to adopt their religious beliefs.
One of the earliest actions of the Muslims in Egypt was the assurance of religious freedom and the reinstatement of Bejamin as Bishop of Alexandria after years of hiding from the Romans in the western desert.
But religious freedom was but one aspect that Islam gave. Whether Arab or Egyptian, Muslim or Christian, Islam built up that FELLOWSHIP that humanity aspires to, in equality and fraternity .The story is well known of the running contest held in Egypt and won by an Egyptian to the dismay of an Arab competitor who was the son of `Amru Ibn Al-`Aas, governor of Egypt. The Arab hit the boy saying ‘how dare you outrun me and I am the son of the nobility.” Upon which Umar, the caliph, ordered the three all the way to Madinah, and ordered the Egyptian to avenge by hitting the offending Arab, saying: “Hit him back. Hit the son of nobility.” Addressing `Amru, he uttered his famous saying: “O `Amru, since when have you enslaved people while their mothers have born them free.”
11-International Law:
The process of active intervention to stop or remove aggression is a development that modem international law has recognized.
The second world war for example was sparked by Germany’s invasion of Poland, and drew into the fighting countries that were not direct parties to the conflict. One of the fruits of war was the creation of the United Nations in order to settle disputes between nations by peaceful means or indeed if necessary by a collective military force. No one should argue therefore that Egypt and the Roman Empire for example should have been left alone to solve their mutual problems. In modem times the rest of the family of nations consider it a duty to do something about it. Fourteen centuries prior to the establishment of the League of Nations and later the United Nations, Islam decreed such responsibility.
The legal principle of intervention to solve dispute was offered by the Qur’anic saying:
“If two parties of believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: But if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of God; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for God loves those who are fair.” (Al-Hujurat: 9)
12-Respect of Treaties and Agreements:
One of the major shortcomings of modern international politics is its meager regard to moral obligation. Time and again, treaties and agreements proved unworthy of the price of paper they had been written on. The most splendid produce of the human intellect in the field of international law might instantly vanish upon the call of greed or creed at this age that we wish to think has brought us to the epic of civilization.
And what is worse is that the most sophisticated achievements of scientific progress are often used as tools in the hands of Godless or God-disregarding policies: instead of being exploited ‘in the cause of God.’
From the outset, Islam has emphatically prohibited treachery by taking the enemy by surprise attack. Recent examples of signing a pact or treaty with a nation as camouflage to hidden intent to attack it are quite contrary to Islam, as several quotations from the Qur’an reads:
“ O ye who believe! Fulfil your undertakings…” (Al-Maidah:1)
“Fulfill the convenant of God when you have entered into it, and break not your oaths after you have confirmed them; indeed you have made God your surety, for God knoweth an that you do.” (An-Nahl: 91)
If Muslims sense the treachery of any enemy with whom they had a treaty, they should declare to him the annulment of that treaty before embarking on war again.
“Thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for God loveth not the treacherous.” (Al-Anfal:85)
Although Muslims are bound to go to the help of their Muslim brethren who are religiously persecuted in the land of an enemy; they are not allowed to fulfill this duty if there is a treaty between the Muslim community and this enemy. Priority goes to honouring the treaty.
“But if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) God seeth an that you do.” (Al-Anfal:72)
Now, Can any law be more idealistic!?
And above all, this is not a nicety to be taken or left by the state. It is a binding religious dictate overruling emotion and prejudice: otherwise it would be a grave violation of Islam.”
February 7th, 2013 at 10:16 am
When muslims captured ANTIOCH in1268 Even the moslem chroniclers were shocked by the carnage rhar followed
Say peace and blessings be upon……. on TIMUR THE LAMEor Tamerlane-Bloody and insatiate Tamburlane-
in 1400 He devastatedTifflis massercred inhabitants razingto the the ground all the christionchurches
Is this koranic piety?
QUTB AIBAK described as “merciless and fanaticle’ sent hisGenera lKHILJI to Bihar and put most of the buddhist monks to the swardCONSIDERING THEM AS IDOLATERS. Destroyed the great library
HIJAB or the VEIL is a symbol of servitude HIJAB means to Hide Why good people hide and harrase ladies dont they have rights are they not humans? SHIT.In 1923 the president of the Egyption feminist union HOUDA and her colleagues threw their veils in to the sea. in 1927 there was a de-hijabization in Turkistan. not less than 87000 Uzbekwomen publicly repudiated their “BLACK COWLS” even though their 300 sisters had been killed for the same reason by the male heads of the muslim families for “betraying” islam.Shah in Afganistan in 1928ordered his wife to throw away the hijab in public In 1936 resha Shah of Iran forbade the hijab by a special decree. Muslim women are forced to wear that What a shame! Wise people never do that
koran imposed Hijab –Sura 33.53, 33.59 and33.32and33 THIS IS SLAVERY Not good for this century
How can brother and fathers kill their family members for throwing away a piece of cloth— Barbarians-
Is it religious to put it away when they have sex Do the religion lies on a piece of cloth Buddhists allowed femails to enter the SASANAYA and to be enlightened as males long before MOHOMMED WAS BORN
WHERE DO U LIVE MUSLIMS? JOIN YOUR FEW MUSLIM FREE THIKERS
February 7th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
Danger in HIJAB o r The veil – A good example
Read RIVIRA on 7th— An army captain wearing a Hijab– face covered like a muslim woman– has entered a bank in Mahayyawa- Kandy to rob the Bank
This is why nobody in wetern countries wanted muslim women to wear that. It is very dangerous If tinted glasses in vehicles prohibited this too should be prohibited WE DO NOT WANT GONI BILLAS We had enough of them in PREMADASAS TIME
THE ROOT OF THE VERB HAJABA MEANS “to hide”
This is asign that they are going to practice as GONI BILLAS in the future
When i was in a badging office in an International Airport for my badge one Muslim lady refused to take her hijab out for the photograph which should be in her badge
Authorities refused to take the picture with the bandana or the scarf because with that nobody can identifyher clearly.
SHE STARTED SCOLDING and Shouting saying that it is her religion
I told her——–” If u wantto work u have to have a badge. The purpose is to identify. If the religion is on a peice of cloth u cant take it out when u have sex.
Do u all betray the religion for sex?
She looked at me in a JIHAD way and vanished.
They pray 5 times in a day and each time kill 5 non beleivers
February 8th, 2013 at 2:44 am
COVERING FACE IS NOT COMPULSORY OR NOT IN ISLAM ITS THEIR PERSONAL CHOICE.
Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?
Answer:
The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The ‘hijaab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijaab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam.
1. In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust
The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:
1. Babylonian Civilization:
The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.
2. Greek Civilization:
Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.
3. Roman Civilization:
When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.
4. Egyptian Civilization:
The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.
5. Pre-Islamic Arabia:
Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.
2. Islam uplifted women and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their status
Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.
Hijaab for men
People usually only discuss ‘hijaab’ in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions ‘hijaab’ for men before ‘hijaab’ for the women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah An Noor:
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.”
[Al Qur’an 24:30]
The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.
Hijaab for women.
The next verse of Surah An Noor, says:
“ And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons…”
[Al Qur’an 24:31]
3. Six criteria for Hijaab.
According to Qur’an and Sunnah there are basically six criteria for observing hijaab:
1. Extent:
The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrists. If they wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijaab’
All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.
2. The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.
3. The clothes worn should not be transparent or translucent such that one can see through them.
4. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.
5. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.
6. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.
4. Hijaab includes conduct and behaviour among other things
Complete ‘hijaab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of ‘hijaab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijaab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijaab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijaab’ of the eyes, ‘hijaab’ of the heart, ‘hijaab’ of thought and ‘hijaab’ of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.
5. Hijaab prevents molestation
The reason why hijaab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verse of Surah Al Ahzaab:
“O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
[Al Qur’an 33:59]
The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.
6. Example of twin sisters
Suppose two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the Islamic hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the hands upto the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a miniskirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijaab prevents women from being molested.
7. Capital punishment for the rapists
Under the Islamic Shari’ah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some even say that Islam is a ruthless and barbaric religion! I have asked a simple question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, someone rapes your wife, your mother or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother you want to put him to death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody else’s wife or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?
8. Western society falsely claims to have uplifted women
Western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.
9. USA has one of the highest rates of rape
United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to an FBI report, in the year 1990, everyday on an average 1756 rapes were committed in USA alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ‘bolder’ in the following years.
Consider a scenario where the Islamic hijaab is followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic hijaab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrists. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?
10. Implementation of Islamic Shari’ah will reduce the rate of rapes
Naturally as soon as Islamic Shari’ah is implemented positive results will be inevitable. If Islamic Shari’ah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijaab does not degrade a woman but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and chastity.
February 8th, 2013 at 9:41 am
If covering is not compulsary Why male devotees opposed to SHAS and killed thei lady family members who threw Hijab away
U say the rapes in U S A are high . Do u know the population in U S A . Check the percrntage
can you r .S hariya stop harrasing domestic servants from other countries
February 8th, 2013 at 10:58 am
Some of the thriving democracies in the world:
Syria
Somalia
Afganisthan
Pakisthan
Lebanon
Iraq
Iran
Egypt
Tunisia
Mali
Saudi Arabia etc.
You can have everything you are aksing in those countries. Rather than preaching us to become like you are and multiplying to steal our country, you should do the honourablae thing by settling down in one of those places. All these ‘very very honourable’ persons who pray five times a day shouldn’t find this difficult at all.
February 8th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
sawmeer Says: and Somebody Else asks
February 8th, 2013 at 2:44 am
COVERING FACE IS NOT COMPULSORY OR NOT IN ISLAM ITS THEIR PERSONAL CHOICE.
Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?
COMMENT:
The practice of keeping women in purdah, or “seclusion” which still continues today in some Muslim countries, thus began as a sign of status, reserved for the wives of Muhammad. Purdah was already widespread, however, among upper-class women in Persia and in the Eastern half of the Byzantine Empire. When the Muslims conquered these regions soon after Muhammad died, thousands of soldiers remained there, married, and adopted the “elite” new custom.
So. the purdah or hijab, is an INNOVATION AFTER Mohammad.
During Gamael Abdul Nasar’s time (1960’s) in Egypt, Turkey and many Muslim countries, the hijab was not common.
Reference: Prophets and Princes, by Mark Weston, page 30.
February 8th, 2013 at 1:45 pm
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ISLAM DON’T SEE THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES OR SOME MUSLIMS. READ THE QURAN AND HADITH WITH CORRECT SOURCE.
February 8th, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Look at what is happening in Sri lanka compared to 30 years ago (i.e. pre Prabhakaran era).
Lanka is now more and more like Tamil Nadu in behavior of politicans, people, religion, race , law and order.
Prabhakaran PBUB has won.
February 8th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
swamir
Why? muslim countries donot follow the koran? where are these good muslims who follow the coorect hadith and correct koran
How many people got killed by Prop.. Mohommed? was he a good islamist . Did Jesus killed anybody
Did Lord Buddha killed even an ant? Can u call a warrior a religious leader?
What good has done by the koran to the world— only killing–killing
Why dont u atleast give the right to women to keep their clitories in their vaginas? Do u all ask women before u do that or do u ask from boys before u cut their foreskin?
What is the relationship between thes things. A religion religion does not lie on vaginas and penises
Religions are there to develop our minds
February 8th, 2013 at 11:58 pm
Sawmeer,
when will use your allah given intellect and common senses and accept that the quran and hadith are the sources for all these miseries in the past and now. There are too many contradictions between the sayings in quran and hadith that causes so many problems and confusions, not only among muslims but muslims towards non muslims, too!
February 9th, 2013 at 12:42 pm
Did Jesus killed anybody? Read the bible what Jesus teaching to his people
The Old Testment shows us a lot of battles that both Moses and David took part in, and both these men killed a lot of people, including women and children
Zephaniah 2:12-15
“You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered by my sword,” says the LORD. And the LORD will strike the lands of the north with his fist. He will destroy Assyria and make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland, parched like a desert. The city that once was so proud will become a pasture for sheep and cattle. All sorts of wild animals will settle there. Owls of many kinds will live among the ruins of its palaces, hooting from the gaping windows. Rubble will block all the doorways, and the cedar paneling will lie open to the wind and weather. This is the fate of that boisterous city, once so secure. “In all the world there is no city as great as I,” it boasted. But now, look how it has become an utter ruin, a place where animals live! Everyone passing that way will laugh in derision or shake a defiant fist
Ezekiel 9:5-7
“Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple.” So they began by killing the seventy leaders. “Defile the Temple!” the LORD commanded. “Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!” So they went throughout the city and did as they were told.”
Did Lord Buddha killed even an ant? But Buddhist monk who back to killed thousand of innocent people in the world history, In Myanmar, Sri lanka, Tibet, etc.
Can u call a warrior a religious leader? Yes he was worrier only for self defense from the enemy. If you see Sri Lanka history their were so many war happen, because its a practice by all over the world to occupied other countries. We know so many Indian king wage war against Sinhala kings, Even western countries so the citizen of own country has to fight for their self defense. Its same prophet Muhammad pbuh done.
He was not only a worrier, he was president of a Arab nation, he was good family leader, He was good husband for their wife, He was good father of their children. Thats the reason Michel A heart (American Historian) He select 100 most influential people in the world history and given 1st rank to prophet Muhammad pbuh and given 3rd place to Jesus and other people, Even he given the reason as a christian why he select Prophet Muhammad as most influence person in the world history.
February 9th, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Senevirath Says:
February 8th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
swamir
Q1. Why? muslim countries donot follow the koran? where are these good muslims who follow the coorect hadith and correct koran
Q2. How many people got killed by Prop.. Mohommed? was he a good islamist . Did Jesus killed anybody
Did Lord Buddha killed even an ant? Can u call a warrior a religious leader?
Q3. What good has done by the koran to the world— only killing–killing
Q4. Why dont u atleast give the right to women to keep their clitories in their vaginas? Do u all ask women before u do that or
Q5. do u ask from boys before u cut their foreskin?
What is the relationship between thes things. A religion religion does not lie on vaginas and penises
Q6.Religions are there to develop our minds
COMMENTS: These are ALL veryGOOD qiestions, and let me try to answer based on what I know.
Q1. Why? muslim countries donot follow the koran? where are these good muslims who follow the coorect hadith and correct koran
A1. According to the WAHABIS only those countries that follow the WAHABI interpretation of Quran are Muslim Countries. So, ONLY Saudi Arabia Qualifies.
Q2. How many people got killed by Prop.. Mohommed? was he a good islamist . Did Jesus killed anybody
Did Lord Buddha killed even an ant? Can u call a warrior a religious leader?
A2. Between all the wars, both defensive and offensive, probably around 2,000. Sawneers can probably give the accurate number. However, after Prophet Mohammed, during the expansioni people got killed.
A2.Did Jesus Kill anybody? I do not think there is any record of it. That was not Jesus’s mission according to Christians. The mission was to pay o atone for the ORIGINAL SIN mankind INHERITED when ADAM and EVE DISOBEYED GOD, listened to the Serpent SATAN, and ate the FRUIT of the FORBIDDEN Tree ( Apple tree?). So Jesus DID NOT come to kill. He CAME to DIE for the Original SIN of MANKIND. So, Jesus HAD TO DIE.
A2. Did Lord Buddha kill even an Ant ? Don’t know, others might know.
A2. Can you call a warrior a religious leader? YES. Emperor Asoka.
Q3. What good has Islam given the World only Killing?
A2. A lot besides Killing
1. Look at Islamic Science form about 700 AD to 1200 AD. The translations of Greek Philosophy and Science. Bringing together the medieval knowledge together. Optics and Astronomy. Chemistry, Alcohol navigation, medicine and many others. Just Google. They have brought more than Christianity has brought in the first 1,500 years before the reformation and enlightenment, when Science took over. However, credit should be given to Christian education of the Priests that included besides religion, mathematics, astronomy etc. Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler were all educated by the church.
The Islamic Scince went down AFTER Hamid Al Ghazali, around 1150 who wrote several books, and argued that Revelation ia Above Reason, and the bright scholoars started doing Theology instead of Philosophy or Natural science. That is one of the reasons. The other is the Mongol invasion, that lead to Ibn Taymiak and later Abdul Wahab of the Wahabism( Salfism).
Q4. Why dont u atleast give the right to women to keep their clitories in their vaginas? Do u all ask women before u do that or
A4. This is NOT an ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS REQUIREMENT, I understand .This is an African or Egyptian tradition, they continued after accepting Islam. Widely practiced by both by Muslims and Christians in East Africa.
Q5. do u ask from boys before u cut their foreskin?
What is the relationship between thes things. A religion religion does not lie on vaginas and penises
A5. People confuse a RELIGIOUS REQUIREMENT with TRADITION.
The believer believers that he will go to HELL if he does not Follow a religious requirement. However, he confuses the TRADITION with the Religious requirement., and follows both.
I am NOT aware of Muslims circumcision as a RELIGIOUS requirement. For the Jews circumcision is a RELIGIOUS requirement. So a Jew believers he will go to Hell if he is not circumcised. The circumcision tradition was picked up either from the Egyptians or Babylonians.
I am NOT quite sure if Prophet Mohamed was circumcised or when the practice was introduced to the Muslims? Sawmeer may be able to answer that.
Q6. Religions are there to develop our minds
A6. WRONG: It is NATURAL PHILOSOPHY and SCIENCE that is there to develop our minds.
Religions will give us feeling and spirituality and comfort us in things science cannot answer.
In the end the scientific method and reason can be applied under any circumstances.
February 10th, 2013 at 8:47 am
Insula
if there are things science cannot answer how can that develop minds
buddhism is a philosophy which shows a path we have to go on for freedom –practising meditation– and not by praying
U cant have spirituality by blind faith without developing the mind Or the MANASA Then what can all other RELIGIONS do
If they had spirituality they dont kill millions Their sciences are worldly things
Asoka was a warrior when he was a non buddhist .CHADASHOKA BECAME DHARMASHOKAbecause of buddha dhamma
February 22nd, 2013 at 9:56 pm
Insula, Assalaamu Alaikum !
Circumsision was a pact between God and man ,with the earlier Prophets of God , made long time before Islam. It is in the Old Testament. Even Jesus was circumsised. Muslims did not pick it up, but is following the guidance given to Old Testament Prophets. Only the Jewish and Muslim people still maintain the Pact with God. It is purely a health requirement. (Google circumcision in America).
I think prophet Mohamed made the 1st rules of engagement, On how to conduct a war,and how to treat captured combatants,
Wa Assalaama!
March 25th, 2013 at 7:38 pm
At Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s lifetime one of the greatest disasters of history occured. The criminal soldier Phocas murdered the pious emperor of Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire), who was called Maurice. Phocas was a wicked usurper and established a horrific rule over Byzantium. Thus, the actual holy Christian Byzantium became a criminal state (at least Phoca’s armies could commit crimes around the Mediterranean sea) during Phocas’ rule.
Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh draw his conclusions, when he saw Roman soldiers committing crimes (consider that yet at that time the citizens of Byzantium where all Christians in Arab eyes). Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh thought that the Christian faith would not really improve people.
Of course, Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāhcommited crimes from the very outset of his reign (he raided guiltless people of caravans; he fighted guiltless Jewish Arabic tribes, which did not want to accept his Islam).
The wicked Phocas was assassinated by the pious general Heraclius (a son of a general, who had served Maurice) 610 A. D..
Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh started to preach around 613 A. D., three years after the pious Heraclius had become the new emperor. Muhammad should have considered that.
It is hard to assess, whether Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh had just satanic hallucinations, which prompted him to invent the Koran, or whether he was a very cunning Arabic warlord, who just needed a simple, primitive religion, to unite the Arabic tribes.
I think it is a mixture of both.
March 25th, 2013 at 7:39 pm
Warlord Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh created Islam to grab power from the other religions in the Middle East at the time. Before turned to be a prophet for fun and profit, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh – the merchant traveled quite widely and met Jews, Christians and Greeks, whose ideas emerged later in the inspiration he claimed to receive from Allah. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh was charismatic and intelligent. Idiots don’t build empires, but they sometimes run empires, like Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and George W Bush, but they never build empires. Founding an empire requires talent, intelligence, application, often charisma and ruthlessness. No halfwit or ignoramus has ever founded a civilization or started an empire.
It is not possible for a religion to arise which does evil and nothing more. Nobody would join it or bring their children up in it. Islam offered some improvements over the previous situation in pagan Arabia. The status of women improved, or so Muslims have claimed, they were no longer treated like field slaves to be whipped mercilessly, they rose in status to that of house slaves, to be patronized and whipped mercifully.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh also swept away much of the old order’s rigid structures of class, he had some tendencies which you could almost describe as egalitarian. Not democratic socialist of course, let’s not get carried away, but he did institute a taxation system which worked to alleviate absolute poverty. So, when you compare Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh to tyrants he stands alongside those tyrants who while conquering a lot of people, slaughtering his enemies, selling their children and raping their women did manage to do a few things to add to the positive side of the ledger. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh was a warlord, pure and simple. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh roused a disorganized group of nomadic tribes into a ruthless, fearless army. During his lifetime, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh conquered the Arabia and his followers eventually extended those conquests from Spain to India. By all rights, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh should take his place in history among of Alexander the Great, Genghis Kahn, and Tamerlane the Great as early history’s great military leaders. But when you compare him to great spiritual leaders like Confucius, Laozi or Gautama Buddha, well, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh looks like a ruthless tyrant.
The claim that the status of women improved under Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh is disputed by many who say that the status of women went down under Islam. Women lost the right to own and control property. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s first wife, Khadijah, who was a wealthy widow and trader in her own right employed Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh before marrying him. Perhaps 25 years of being the husband of one older wife who was wealthy and powerful in her own right contributed to Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s rather extreme treatment of women.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh was a camel-mounted pirate, a warlord, a slave trader and the murderer of defenseless prisoners. During his ten years in Medina, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh personally led 27 military attacks. Prior to his death, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh conquered most of the Arabian peninsula. According to the Quranic verses written in Medina verses, Allah accepts converts who do not believe in him inwardly, but will kneel to him outwardly under threat of death. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh did not have this view of Allah until he became a warlord and used force to compel people to accept his rule. In Mecca, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh had one wife. During his last 10 years of his life at Medina, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh married 12 more women. A warlord does not tolerate those who question his decrees. Similarly, Muslims are warned by their teachers that asking too many questions about why Allah commands something is a sign of impiety. The corruption of Muslim officialdom in many countiries seems to follow the pattern set by Mohammed ibn ʿAbd Allāh when he was a corrupt warlord.
Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not invent monotheism. The Pharaoh Akhenaten in Egypt’s 18th dynasty had put a single sun deity at the centre of worship 2,000 years before Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh. Monotheism makes totalitarianism and intolerance much easier. Monotheism is responsible for more human suffering than any idea ever thought up by humans, with the possible exception of the idea that faith is a virtue, but we can’t blame Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh. Whatever his myriad faults are originality of thought is not one of them.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not initiate slavery. Slavery had been universal across Africa, Asia and Europe for several thousands of years. Slavery was considered to be totally normal. We can’t blame Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh for inventing slavery. But Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh thoroughly endorsed slavery and engaged in the trading, keeping and taking of slaves himself. Nobody wants to be enslaved and making, keeping and trading of slaves is totally abhorrent under any circumstances. Slavery is wrong period.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not invent the barbaric and primitive practice of marrying very young girls. Joseph was a 90 years old man at the time of marriage with the Mary – Mother of Jesus od Nazreth. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh married Aisha at the age of 6, he watched over her until the age of 9 when he took her into his household as his wife, with all that this normally entails. Aisha was accused of being unfaithful to Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh declared that Aisha was innocent after a convenient divine revelation and decreed that from then on all accusations of adultery which includes rape require 4 reliable men as witnesses. Even today Muslim women are being thrown into prison or even stoned to death in places where sharia law is applied for the sin of being raped without enough 4 reliable men as witnesses.
The common claim that Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh was a pedophile is unfair. If this had been the case Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh could have had a lot more children in his tent. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh’s first marriage was to an older widow Khadijah, which lasted 25 years during which time he had no other wife. Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh had something in the order of 16 wives and most of these were widows and older women. The statistics on the safety of childbirth among the under 14 give strong support to the idea that marriage at the first hint of puberty is an extremely bad example for any potential role-model to set. This bad example is blighting the lives of millions of girls and is directly responsible for many cases of miscarriage and horrific damage to young girls. Many women have a lifetime of incontinence and infertility because they followed the example of Islam’s “perfect man” Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not invent the ritual sacrifice of animals. The Jews had done it for thousands of years. Animal sacrifice was also done by many other civilizations including the Greeks.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not introduce animal sacrifice to Arabia as his tribe and many others had been sacrificing to their Pagan gods for centuries and the younger Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh himself had both sacrificed to pagan gods and eaten the meat of that sacrifice.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh took for granted that his followers would be having sex with the wives of the pagan warriors that they captured in the battles and the wives of the Jewish tribes that they had killed. Qur’an says that a Muslim may marry up to 4 wives and have sex with the captives that his right hand possesses, which refers to slave women captured in battle.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh did not invent the strange barbarous practice of circumcision. Jews copied male circumcision from the Egyptians. Circumcision was carried out across large parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Even today the butchery of the genitals of young girls is widespread across Africa, practiced by Muslims, practitioners of African traditional religions and Christians. Female Genital Mutilation is very common in Egypt and Ethiopia among Christians, and it is not right to blame this on Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh.