A Living Text

Sir Richard Burton penned this description of how a pious Muslim drinks water, which illustrates the larger picture of how Islam permeates all of life and is not a ‘private in your mind’ religion:

Look, for instance, at that Indian Muslim drinking a glass of water. With [the English] the operation is simple enough, but his performance includes no fewer than five novelties. In the first place he clutches his tumbler as though it were the throat of a foe; secondly, he ejaculates, “In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful!” before wetting his lips; thirdly he imbibes the contents, swallowing them, not sipping them, as he ought to do, and ending with a satisfied grunt; fourthly, before setting down the cup, he sighs forth, “Praise be to Allah” - of which you will understand the full meaning in the Desert; and, fifthly, he replies, “May Allah make it pleasant to thee!” in answer to his friend’s polite “Pleasurably and health!” Also he is careful to avoid the irreligious action of drinking the pure element in a standing position.”

Edward Rice writes of the Aga Khan during Richard Burton’s day, in 1835. 

“The country was in turmoil at the time. Popular expressions of dissatisfaction with Qajar rule were rampant, and wandering ascetics preached an otherworldly doctrine that God was immanent in all things and that imams, the elect of God, were personifications of the divine attributes.”

So says this Professor and blogger. He writes:

I find some consistent evidence that the Ottomans’ European military campaigns dampened the incidence of military engagements between the Protestant Reformers and the Counter-Reformation forces between the 1520s and 1650s. I also show that, while the Protestant Reformation might have benefitted from – and perhaps even capitalized on – the Ottoman advances in Europe, the latter seems to have played some role in reducing conflicts within Europe more generally. 

The entire paper is here. 

In a lecture called “A Treasure of Heresies”: Christian Polemics Against the Koran, delivered by Hartmut Bobzin, Bobzin outlines the polemics of Ricoldo da Montecroce against the Qur’an as follows:

Ricoldo’s principal criticisms could be summed up in the following way:

1)    The Koran is nothing else than a mixture of old heresies which were earlier refuted by the Church authority. I think it is not necessary to enumerate all these “errors” here.
2)    The Koran could not be accepted as “divine law” because it is predicted neither by the Old nor by the New Testament; furthermore, in some instances the Koran explicitly refers to the Bible; the Islamic doctrine of Christian and Jewish falsification of the Holy Scripture (tahrif) cannot be accepted.
3)    The Koranic style does not conform with that of a “Holy Scripture.” This point is really interesting and I will return to it later on.
4)    Nor can the content of the Koran claim divine origin as seen in the many fantastic stories which have no basis in the Biblical tradition. Furthermore, some ethical conceptions contradict basic philosophical convictions.
5)    The Koran is full of internal contradictions. Similar to this is another reproach, that the Koran is in total disorder.
6)    The reliability of the Koran is not proved by miracles. At this point Ricoldo rightly remarks the contradiction between the popular opinions about Muhammad who is said to have performed miracles and the testimony of the Koran itself.
7)    The Koran is against reason; this is proved by Muhammad’s immoral way of life, and by the Koran itself which contains blasphemous as well as nonsense-convictions in divine things, and so on.
8)    The Koran preaches violence to spread Islam and admits iniquities, e.g. perjury, the classic instance for the face being Surah 66.
9)    The history of the Koranic text which Ricoldo gives in some detail reveals the “uncertainty” of the text.
10)   The story of Muhammad’s ascent to heaven which Ricoldo relates is considered by him as pure fiction and invention. This chapter is of special importance for the reconstruction of the so-called Liber scalae Mahometis.

Furthermore Ricoldo enumerates in one of these chapters the principal lies and errors which the Koran contains, and which are regarded as misunderstandings or misconceivings of Biblical or dogmatic conceptions, e.eg. the problem of the Trinity, the crucifixion of Jesus, and other well known controversial topics which I do not like to enumerate here.

Christianity emerged from within the state. Islam emerged to become the state at the time of the hejira. The attitude of the Enlightenment has been aptly stated by Jeanbon Saint-Andre during the French Revolution:

Worship the Author of Nature in your own way. Jews, Christians, Mohammdans, disciples of Confucius or worshipers of the Grand Lama, your are all equal in the eyes of a free people.” The one thing necessary was that no one religion should become predominant (Aulard 1966).

While in the secularized West Islam enjoys the protection of the law and can be openly propagated, what would happen if it gained a majority status? If in any of these countries it was to emerge as a cultural, political primary entity? Would Sharia law come to have status in non-religous settings? Would a mixed public tolerate Islamic law as influential on national and state law?
Islam, like all world relgions, faces an overwhelming and decentralized foe: secularism. The secular vision of many faiths ‘worshiping freely’ so long as that worship has no bearing on the laws, mores or direction of a nation has now come to Islamic countries. It is this vision and its attendant social revolutions such as pornography, drunkeness, and impiety that revolts believers of most religions, Islam included. But it it this privitization of religion that the United States seeks to fight for across the Muslim world.

Where does power lie? In some sense the source of earthly power is the ability to inflict physical pain and to kill. Say you want someone to move aside. “Move” you say. “No” the person says. If you are the state, you might threaten them and tell them that unless they move, you will fine them, sanction them, or imprison them. But if the person refuses to move then the state must employ force to move them. Say we want them to go to jail because they refused to move, unless they willingly walk to jail, we must corral them and shove them into jail.

Social mores such as the fear of shame are another incentive to produce behavior. Trying to get someone to talk in a criminal investigation for example, relies on people’s propensity to talk. The wise and the devious might say nothing unless coerced by threats, intimidation, or physical suffering. The person who refuses to move may have to be shoved or hit to get moving.

In the case of politics and Islam, some Wahabbi’s believe that God’s law should be supreme over the laws of man. But this is not the case in practice. A state is imposing secular or mixed laws which do not reflect God’s rule. Since the Wahabbi’s do not have the coercive power of the state at their disposal to take away jobs, money, or impose other sanctions, they resort to raw exercises of power via brute force. In other words they kill and maim those in their way. States are supposed to have a monopoly on killing, as it is the ultimate form of power on earth. The Wahabbi’s aim to control the world, expanding the Umma through killing, and to usurp the state’s monopoly on killing, or achieving rule in states like Pakistan, so that their power is legitimated.

But I find it odd to ponder on the fact that the bottom line is that all that keeps us in line is the threat of ultimate power that resides behind every institution. The power to tax, fine, imprison or kill.

The origin of the ‘assassin’ is found within Islam.

The ‘Assassins’ attacked the Seljuk armies from their strongholds in Iran and Syria. They specialized in killing the commanders, since this usually caused the Seljuk formations, bound by personal loyalties, to disband. (Ruthven, 2000)

In 1092 Nizam was stabbed to death in the middle of the street by a warrior for the faith (fedain) - the first prominent victim of the sect by whose hand kings, sultans and caliphs were to perish. (Hattstein 2004)

Byzantine royal Anna Comnena describes the murder of Nizam-al-Mulk in 1092 in this way:

To this end he summoned twelve bloodthirsty individuals called in the Persian dialect Chasioi (assassins) and sent them at once as envoys to him (Nizam). He gave them instructions as to the killing: ‘Go,’ he said, ‘and first of all make an announcement that you have certain secret information for the sultan, and when you are granted the right of entry, approach as if you desire to speak with him privately, and then massacre him at once.’ The ambassadors, or rather murderers, as if setting out for some dinner or festive occasion, most gladly departed to commit this crime. They found the victim in his cups and when they could do it with impunity (the sultan’s guards were standing some way off) they went near, drew their scimitars from under their arm-pits and straightway cut the wretched man to pieces. The Chasioi delight in that sort of bloodshed; their idea of pleasure is merely the plunging of a sword into human entrails.  (The Alexiad, Book VI)

Oleg Grabar on the Islamic attitude towards art:

In order to test the Queen of Sheba, and ultimately to demonstrate his superiority over her, Solomon orders the construction of a sarh covered with or built of slabs of glass or of crystal (Suran 27.45)…The peculiarity of whatever it is that Solomon built is that it is supposed to be interpreted by the Queen of Sheba as a body of water, as something different from what it really is. The pious implications of the story need not concern us here, but what is important is that a work is manufactured in order to create an illusion of reality. Two aspects of the story are pertinent to Islamic attitudes toward the arts, in partial contradiction with each other. One is that a work of art is something to wonder about, to be amazed by; it belongs to the category of wondrous things that become known as the ajaib (pl. of ajib, “wonderful” or “astonishing”), a term used constantly to praise manufactured items of all sorts. The other implication is that a work of art is a falsehood, a lie, because it gives you the impression of something that is not. It can be seen, therefore, as reprehensible, and some Muslim thinkers, even in our own time, continue to argue this point.
The unique omnipotence of God is an essential feature of Islam and one of its corollaries is the absolute opposition to idols (for instance 6.74). The artistic representation of life was seen as idolatry and eventually considered sinful by most theologians. According to many traditions, artists would be expected on the day of the Last Judgment, to put life into their creation and to be tossed into the fire of hell when they fail to do so.

I received the following email from an Iranian Muslim who I am sort of corresponding with. They are in Iran mind you, so I need to respond carefully, read on:

As a Muslim, the believer should live in state of hope and fear.

To despair of the mercy and blessings of Allah is a great sin, even if someone feels that he had committed many sins.

Also those who have done many good deeds, should not take for granted that they would be saved. It is good for a believer to believe that he is under the mercy of God at all times, and they should fear His punishment to prevent themselves from committing sins. Such a belief will lead us to be careful about our conduct which will result in our perfection and prosperity.

No one can be sure about his/her situation in the Hereafter because of the following reasons: a. The final moments of life will play a main role in the prosperity and wretchedness of every person. The final moment of one’s life is the moment in which all ones deeds and behaviors during ones life from the point of view of their aims are reflected. How many people have there been who were apparently bad but were saved, because they did good deeds and conducted themselves well with other people in secret? And vise versa. b. Probably someone’s repentance had not been accepted by God but he supposed it had been accepted or they might do something which might result in cutting of God’s favor or God might forgive a behavior which might lead to other behaviors being forgiven.

In conclusion, if man obeys the Divine orders on the whole, he will certainly be rewarded and those who always obey Allah and repent when they commit a sin will be saved.

Peace

The Last Night
1) Making an oath to die and renew your intentions.

Shave excess hair from the body and wear cologne.

Shower

2) Make sure you know all aspects of the plan well, and expect the response, or a reaction, from the enemy.

3) Read al-Tawba and Anfal [traditional war chapters from the Qur'an] and reflect on their meanings and remember all of the things that God has promised for the martyrs.

4) Remind your soul to listen and obey [all divine orders] and remember that you will face decisive situations that might prevent you from 100 percent obedience, so tame your soul, purify it, convince it, make it understand, and incite it. God said: “Obey God and His Messenger, and do not fight amongst yourselves or else you will fail. And be patient, for God is with the patient.”

5) Pray during the night and be persistent in asking God to give you victory, control and conquest, and that He may make your task easier and not expose us.

6) Remember God frequently, and the best way to do it is to read the Holy Qur’an, according to all scholars, as far as I know. It is enough for us that it [the Qur'an] are the words of the Creator of the Earth and the plants, the One that you will meet [on the Day of Judgment].

7) Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called “this world” [or "this life]. The time for play is over and the serious time is upon us. How much time have we wasted in our lives? Shouldn’t we take advantage of these last hours to offer good deeds and obedience?

8] You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where God is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss “in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company.” Ask God for his mercy and be optimistic, because [the Prophet], peace be upon him, (used to prefer optimism in all his affairs).

9) Keep in mind that, if you fall into hardship, how will you act and how will you remain steadfast and remember that you will return to God and remember that anything that happens to you could never be avoided, and what did not happen to you could never have happened to you. This test from Almighty God is to raise your level [levels of heaven] and erase your sins. And be sure that it is a matter of moments, which will then pass, God willing, so blessed are those who win the great reward of God. Almighty God said: “Did you think you could go to heaven before God knows whom amongst you have fought for Him and are patient?”

10) Remember the words of Almighty God: “You were looking to the battle before you engaged in it, and now you see it with your own two eyes.” Remember: “How many small groups beat big groups by the will of God.” And His words: “If God gives you victory, no one can beat you. And if He betrays you, who can give you victory without Him? So the faithful put their trust in God.”

11) Remind yourself of the supplications and of your brethren and ponder their meanings. (The morning and evening supplications, and the supplications of [entering] a town, and the [unclear] supplications, and the supplications said before meeting the enemy.

12) Bless your body with some verses of the Qur’an [done by reading verses into one's hands and then rubbing the hands over things over whatever is to be blessed], the luggage, clothes, the knife, your personal effects, your ID, your passport, and all of your papers.

13) Check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. (You must make your knife sharp and you must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter).

14) Tighten your clothes [a reference to one making sure his clothes will cover his private parts at all times], since this is the way of the pious generations after the Prophet. They would tighten their clothes before battle. Tighten your shoes well, wear socks so that your feet will be solidly in your shoes. All of these are worldly things [that humans can do to control their fate, although God decrees what will work and what will won't] and the rest is left to God, the best One to depend on.

15) Pray the morning prayer in a group and ponder the great rewards of that prayer. Make supplications afterwards, and do not leave your apartment unless you have performed ablution before leaving, because (The angels will ask for your forgiveness as long as you are in a state of ablution, and will pray for you). This saying of the Prophet was mentioned by An-Nawawi in his book, The Best of Supplications. Read the words of God: “Did you think that We created you for no reason…” from the Al-Mu’minun Chapter.

The second step:

When the taxi takes you to (M) [this initial could stand for matar, airport in Arabic] remember God constantly while in the car. (Remember the supplication for entering a car, for entering a town, the supplication of place and other supplications).

When you have reached (M) and have left the taxi, say a supplication of place ["Oh Lord, I ask you for the best of this place, and ask you to protect me from its evils"], and everywhere you go say that prayer and smile and be calm, for God is with the believers. And the angels protect you without you feeling anything. Say this supplication: “God is more dear than all of His creation.” And say: “Oh Lord, protect me from them as You wish.” And say: “Oh Lord, take your anger out on them [the enemy] and we ask You to protect us from their evils.” And say: “Oh Lord, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see.” And say: “God is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.” Remember God’s words: “Those to whom the people said, ‘The people have gathered to get you, so fear them,’ but that only increased their faith and they said, God is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.” After you say that, you will find [unclear] as God promised this to his servants who say this supplication:

1) They will come back [from battle] with God’s blessings

2) They were not harmed

3) And God was satisfied with them.

God says: “They came back with God’s blessings, they were not harmed, and God was satisfied with them, and God is ever-blessing.”

All of their equipment and gates and technology will not prevent, nor harm, except by God’s will. The believers do not fear such things. The only ones that fear it are the allies of Satan, who are the brothers of the devil. They have become their allies, God save us, for fear is a great form of worship, and the only one worthy of it is God. He is the only one who deserves it. He said in the verses: “This is only the Devil scaring his allies” who are fascinated with Western civilization, and have drank the love [of the West] like they drink water [unclear] and have become afraid of their weak equipment “so fear them not, and fear Me, if you are believers.”

Fear is a great worship. The allies of God do not offer such worship except for the one God, who controls everything. [unclear] with total certainty that God will weaken the schemes of the non-believers. God said: “God will weaken the schemes of the non-believers.”

You must remember your brothers with all respect [?]. No one should notice that you are making the supplication, “There is no God but God,” because if you say it 1,000 times no one will be able to tell whether you are quiet or remember God. And among its miracles is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (Whoever says, ‘There is no God but God,’ with all his heart, goes to heaven.” The prophet, peace be upon him, said: (If you put all the worlds and universes on one side of the balance, and “No God but God” on the other, “No God but God” will weigh more heavily.” You can repeat these words confidently, and this is just one of the strengths of these words. Whoever thinks deeply about these words will find that they have no dots [in the Arabic letter] and this is just one of its greatnesses, for words that have dots in them carry less weight than those that do not. And it is enough that these are the words of monotheism, which will make you steadfast in battle [unclear] as the prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, and those who came after them, God willing, until the Day of Judgment.

Also, do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy, optimistic calm because you are heading for a deed that God loves and will accept [as a good deed]. It will be the day, God willing, you spend with the women of paradise.

[poetry]

Smile in the face of hardship young man/For you are heading toward eternal paradise

You must remember to make supplications wherever you go, and anytime you do anything, and God is with his faithful servants, He will protect them and make their tasks easier, and give them success and control, and victory, and everything…

The Third Phase:

When you ride the (T) [probably for tayyara, airplane in Arabic], before your foot steps in it, and before you enter it, you make a prayer and supplications. Remember that this is a battle for the sake of God. As the prophet, peace be upon him, said: (An action for the sake of God is better than all of what is in this world), or as he said. When you step inside the (T), and sit in your seat, begin with the known supplications that we have mentioned before. Be busy with the constant remembrance of God. God said: “Oh ye faithful, when you find the enemy be steadfast, and remember God constantly so that you may be successful.” When the (T) moves, even slightly, toward (Q) [unknown reference], say the supplication of travel. Because you are traveling to Almighty God, so be attentive on this trip.

Then [unclear] and then it takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember God, as He said in His book: “Oh Lord, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.” And His words: “And the only thing they said Lord, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.” And His prophet said: “Oh Lord, You have revealed the book, You move the clouds, You gave us victory over the enemy, conquer them and give us victory over them.” Give us victory and make the ground shake under their feet. Pray for yourself and all of your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets and [unclear] and ask God to grant you martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and the feeling that anything that happens to you is for Him.

Then every one of you should prepare to carry out his role in a way that would satisfy God. You should clench your teeth, as the pious early generations did.

When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, “Allahu Akbar,” because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers. God said: “Strike above the neck, and strike at all of their extremities.” Know that the gardens of paradise are waiting for you in all their beauty, and the women of paradise are waiting, calling out, “Come hither, friend of God.” They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.

If God decrees that any of you are to slaughter, you should dedicate the slaughter to your fathers and [unclear], because you have obligations toward them. Do not disagree, and obey. If you slaughter, do not cause the discomfort of those you are killing, because this is one of the practices of the prophet, peace be upon him. On one condition: that you do not become distracted by [unclear] and neglect what is greater, paying attention to the enemy. That would be treason, and would do more damage than good. If this happens, the deed at hand is more important than doing that, because the deed is an obligation, and [the other thing] is optional. And an obligation has priority over an option.

Do not seek revenge for yourself. Strike for God’s sake. One time Ali bin Abi Talib [a companion and close relative of the prophet Muhammad], may God bless him, fought with a non-believer. The non-believer spit on Ali, may God bless him. Ali [unclear] his sword, but did not strike him. When the battle was over, the companions of the prophet asked him why he had not smitten the non-believer. He said, “After he spit at me, I was afraid that I would be striking at him in revenge for myself, so I lifted my sword.” After he renewed his intentions, he went back and killed the man. This means that before you do anything, make sure that your soul is prepared to do everything for God only.

Then implement the way of the prophet in taking prisoners. Take prisoners and kill them. As Almighty God said: “No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood. You want the bounties of this world [in exchange for prisoners] and God wants the other world [for you], and God is all-powerful, all-wise.”

If everything goes well, every one of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence that (M) and (T) number (K). Remind your brothers that this act is for Almighty God. Do not confuse your brothers or distract them. He should give them glad tidings and make them calm, and remind them [of God] and encourage them. How beautiful it is for one to read God’s words, such as: “And those who prefer the afterlife over this world should fight for the sake of God.” And His words: “Do not suppose that those who are killed for the sake of God are dead; they are alive…” And others. Or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle, to bring calm, tranquility and joy to the hearts of his brothers.

Do not forget to take a bounty, even if it is a glass of water to quench your thirst or that of your brothers, if possible. When the hour of reality approaches, the zero hour, [unclear[ and wholeheartedly welcome death for the sake of God. Always be remembering God. Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: "There is no God but God, Muhammad is His messenger".

Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, God willing.

* If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how God gave victory to his faithful servants. God said: “When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what God and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.”

And may the peace of the God be upon the prophet