By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
25 May 2018
Again the issue of moderation and secularism has been pressed to conflict with Islam; this time by Zakir Musa, the head of Al-Qaeda's new offshoot Ansar Ghawzat-ul-Hind in Jammu and Kashmir against India. The scenario is as follows;
In a five-minute video Zakir Musa, a former top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, warned Hurriyat leaders against becoming “thorns” and that he will chop off their heads if they continue to term the Kashmir freedom struggle as a political one instead of a religious one to establish Islamic rule. A day after Zakir Musa’s threatening message caused a flutter in Kashmir, Hizbul spokesperson Saleem Hashmi said, “The statement of Musa is not acceptable. This is the personal opinion of Zakir Musa”. He further said that any such provocative statement would harm the freedom movement of Kashmir.
A few hours after the Hizbul spokesperson’s statement, Zakir Musa quits Hizbul through another video and makes clear that his threat was only for those who were talking about a secular state. “I have not said anything against a particular person or Geelani Sahab. My talk about hanging people has nothing to do with Hurriyat as I had talked about those moderates who support a secular state,” Zakir says. “If we get freedom for secularism, we will have to start another battle against them so telling this thing was very important.” He further says, “From today onwards, I have no association with Hizbul Mujahideen. And one more thing they say ISIS and Al Qaeda. Neither I know anything about ISIS or Al Qaeda nor can I say they are wrong because I have not done any research on them. I don’t get much time for research. But I cannot call them wrong. But I also cannot trust those who are sitting on their mattresses, eating sweets and issue fatwas against them (ISIS and Al Qaeda). I also cannot say whether they are right or wrong because I have not done any research or read about them.” (1)
Musa’s threat-to-kill message came after Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said on May 9 that the Kashmir issue is political and the ongoing movement is indigenous and has nothing to do with organisations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. They blamed “Indian agencies maligning the movement under a well-thought-out plan”. “The groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda are nonexistent in the State and that there is no role for these groups within our movement. The agencies are hiring some sick-minded and Ikhwan-type goons who have been assigned the task of creating chaos in the state. They have decided to go for mysterious killings, burglary, loot, plunder and vandalism under the garb of these groups, to defame the freedom struggle and to influence the international viewpoint,” the trio said in a statement. (2)
In the dramatic events mentioned above we can see objectives of Zakir Musa, such as 1) chopping off the heads of those who continue to term his freedom struggle as political one instead of a religious one to establish Islamic rule, 2) hanging those moderates who support a secular state 3) pretending to be unknown to ISIS or Al Qaeda to decide whether they are right or wrong but criticizing the Islamic clerics issuing fatwas against ISIS and al-Qaeda, without doing any research or reading about them.
From the afore-mentioned points made by Zakir Musa, Islamic scholars can only observe severity of insanity, intellectual inability, disturbed balance, waywardness and un-Islamic behaviour on the part of Zakir Musa. They would know that Zakir Musa’s statements cannot be seen to have any Islamic justification. However, for the sake of saving theologically ignorant Kashmiri youth from possible risk of radicalization with statements like these, it is necessary to refute his statements in the light of Quran and Ahadith.
Refutation of Zakir Musa’s Statement 1
Zakir Musa says “he will chop off the heads of those who continue to term his freedom struggle as political one instead of a religious one to establish Islamic rule.”
This statement of Zakir Musa having failed to demonstrate religious justification, we can deem it merely a threat to the Kashmiri civilians and their freedom of speech. Have you ever seen anywhere in the Quran and Hadith any exhortation about chopping off heads of those who call any so-called freedom struggle as political one? Never does Islam say so. Therefore, this will amount to chopping off the heads of innocent civilians and we know that Islam strictly forbids the killing of innocent lives. Killing of one such civilian is considered equal to killing the entire humanity, as the Quran unambiguously establishes this notion in Surah Maida verse 32:
“Whoever kills a human being except in lieu of killing or causing turmoil in the earth, so it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoever saves the life of one person, is as if he had saved the life of all mankind; and undoubtedly Our Noble Messengers came to them with clear proofs – then after this indeed many of them are oppressors in the earth”. (5:32)
The above-mentioned verse witnesses that killing one person unjustly is tantamount to kill all mankind and saving one person is like saving all mankind. The message of this verse is applicable to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
The utterance of Zakir Musa’s murderous statement being in context of Kashmiri Muslims, we should see how and what Islam says about deliberate and unjust killing of Muslims.
The holy Quran says:
“But he who kills a Muslim deliberately, his sentence will be Hell wherein will he abide for ages. Allah will afflict him with His wrath and will cast His curse on him. And He has prepared for him a dreadful torment”. (4:93)
From this we can infer that deliberate killing of a Muslim is a great sin that will send its perpetrators to the Hell for a long time. Zakir Musa should observe this Quranic verse.
Allah Almighty also says:
“And do not kill the soul whose (killing) Allah has forbidden, except when it is rightfully due (according to law in self-defence against disruption and whilst combating terrorism). It is these (injunctions) He has enjoined upon you so that you may apply reason”. (6:151)
From the verse above it is evident that unlawful killing of any soul i.e. any human being is forbidden. Through his statement, Zakir Musa has promised to do the acts that Allah has forbidden. Does he not have faith in the Day of Judgement where he will have to recompense the killing of innocent lives? Does he not see he will face a dreadful torment if he kills any person unjustly as mentioned above in the verse (4:93)?
The holy Quran says,
“And those who hurt the believing men and the believing women without their doing anything (wrong), surely, they bear (themselves) the burden of a false allegation and an open sin” (33:58)
It is an open sin to hurt the believers who have not done anything wrong, according to the holy Quran. Zakir Musa must introspect himself and correct his line of thinking in the light of the above mentioned verses of the Quran. Let him see some Ahadith also which show that his path is against the tenets of Islam.
It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A true Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands, all other Muslims are safe; And a true believer is one from whom people’s lives and wealth are secured; And a true Mujahid is one, who subdues his inner self and forces it into God’s obedience; And a true Muhajir is one, who leaves everything that God has disapproved. By Him, Who controls my life in His hand, no such person shall enter Paradise, whose neighbour was not safe from his transgressions”. (This Hadith has been narrated with minor variations in Bukhari Shareef, Muslim Shareef, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Abu Daud, Ahmad Ibn Hambal, Darmi, Ibn Hibban, Bayhaqi, Nasai Sunan al-Kubra, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abd al-Razzaq, Abu Ya’la and Humaydi)
It is narrated that "Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (evil doing) and killing him is Kufr (disbelief)." (Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 197)
Sunan Ibn Majah, Imam Tabarani in his book “Musnad al-Shamiyyin”, Imam al-Mundhiri in ‘Targhib wa Tahrib’ have the following Hadith from Hadrat Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As that he said:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performing Tawaf around the holy Kaaba saying to it: ‘how pure and good you are! How pure and good your fragrance is! How great and exalted you are! And how great and exalted your sanctity is! But by Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, the sanctity of a believer’s blood and property in the sight of Allah is greater than your sanctity!”
How much importance Islam has given to the life of a believer can be easily perceived that the sanctity of his blood is greater than that of Kaaba. So Zakir Musa must correct his path.
It is narrated that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
“None amongst you should point a weapon towards his brother, for he does not know that Satan might cause the weapon (to slip) from his hand and (he may injure anyone) and thus he may fall into Hell-Fire” (Sahih Muslim; the Book of Virtue, Good Manners and Joining of the Ties of Relationship (Kitab Al-Birr was-Salat-I-wa'l-Adab) Imam Hakim narrated this Hadith in 'Al Mustadrak, Behqi in As Sunan Al Kubra.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
“He who pointed a weapon towards his brother the angels invoke curse upon him even if he is his real brother so long as he does not abandon it (the pointing of weapon towards one's brother Muslim). (Sahih Muslim, Imam Tirmidhi narrates the same Hadith in As Sunan, Imam Hakim in Al Mustadrak, Imam Bayhaqi in As Sunan Al Kubra)
Pointing a weapon like a knife, dagger, sword, or gun at a Muslim, even in play, is forbidden in Islam. It is strictly prohibited for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim unnecessarily. This is what we learn from the Hadith that the angels curse him who points a weapon at another Muslim.
Imam Behqi in Sunan al-Kubra, Sunan Ibn Majah, Imam Ar-Rabee in his Musnad have narrates the following Hadith that forbid providing any sort of help in killing a Muslim by even a half word:
“Whoever helps in killing a Muslim by even half a word will be brought on the Day of Judgment with the words ‘hopeless from the mercy of Allah’ written between his eyes.”
All the aforementioned divine verses and Ahadith strictly forbid killing Muslims. From these verses, Zakir Musa can observer Islam in its true essence, and see how badly he has been brainwashed by the Al-Qaeda and Talibani-type ideologues. How much Islamic as such people claim they are can be estimated that Allah Almighty will afflict them with His wrath and cast His curse on them and thus a dreadful torment for them, because they are those people who are killing innocent Muslims deliberately.
Another significant point to note is that Zakir Musa, inspired by Al-Qaeda and its likes, has forgotten to see his shortcoming that the freedom struggle he is seeking is actually going to enslave the people of Kashmir. His freedom struggle aims at denying freedom of speech of the people. He needs to know that freedom of speech is allowed in Islam as long as it does not go against Islam and that terming his freedom struggle as political one comes under the sort of “freedom of speech” which does not contradict Islam. As for freedom, the Kashmiris including the separatists have full freedom to practice their religion and participate in cultural and social development. Then it will be tantamount to fooling the people in the name of “freedom-struggle” slogan.
As for the establishment of “Islamic rule” in Kashmir, Zakir Musa must observe that Muslims living in India and its Kashmir have all the necessary religious freedom to fulfil their basic religious needs, which means they have already “Islamic ruling” in its spiritual sense. The only difference is that, In Islamic State the subjects are accountable to their King or Caliphate, but here in India the Muslims are accountable to Allah Almighty alone for their deeds on the Day of Judgment. Religious freedom given to Indian Muslims is enough for achieving spiritual development and adopting Taqwa and thus being in proximity to Allah Almighty and His beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Who stops Indian Muslims including Kashmiris from performing acts of worship, spiritual meditations, doing zikr [remembrance] of Allah and attaining spiritual perfection? No one stops them from practising Islamic rituals. They need to know Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz did not live under any Islamic State to set an exemplary spiritual model for ll Muslims to come, References:
risingkashmir.com/news/zakir-quits-hizb-says-not-said-anything-against-geelani
thewire.in/politics/kashmir-hizbul-mujahideen-hurriyat-zakir-musa)
(Continued)
A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
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