Traits of the Salves of The Rahman: 07 No Murder
Written by: SK.
Omar Ali
Translated by Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
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The slaves
of the Rahman as described in the Koran, those who are contented with Allah
and Allah is contented with them. Allah describes them in chapter (surat) Al-Forkan
when He says:
{And
the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are:
Those who
walk on the earth in humility, and;
When the
ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!" and;
Those who
spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and stand;
Those who
say "Our Lord! Avert from us the wrath of Hell, for its wrath is indeed a
grievous affliction. Evil indeed it is; as an abode and as a place to rest in"
and;
Those who,
when they spend, are not extravagant and not tight, but are moderate and in
balance between extremes and;
Those who
invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made
sacred except for a just cause, nor commit adultery; and any that does this
meets punishment.}
They do not
associate another God with Allah. They only call Allah alone. They worship
Allah alone. They ask Allah alone for help. Just like this they maintain the
first thing targeted by all messages of Allah to His creation; that is
conviction and faith.
But, all
celestial religions and messages did not come just to maintain conviction. It
also came to protect life, blood, dignity, sanctity. Also; it came to protect
the minds, affinity (or relationship through marriage) and to protect the
money of individuals.
The Koran
equated murder with polytheism (or associating other partners with Allah or
Kufr). For polytheism is an aggression on conviction; and murder is an
aggression on to life itself.
Islam came
to prohibit the spilling of blood; and stops a human from transgressing
against another human being without a just cause. The slaves of the Rahman
will not kill a life that has sanctity. A life with sanctity is the life of a
Muslim and the life of those (non-Muslims) with covenant or a treaty.
The
messenger said: {who ever says: 'No other gods but Allah, and Muhammad is His
messenger', then his blood and his money is sanctified except with a just
cause. And those that go into a treaty with Muslims with covenant of
conscience; or a treaty of security or safeguard given by a Muslim leader, Or
one who is given sanctuary or asylum by a Muslim can not be transgressed
against.} This is the sanctified soul that must not be killed.
In fact
anyone who makes peace with Muslims, and anyone who extended peace to them,
and held back from attacking them; it is not right to kill. For Allah says:
{and if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you
(guarantees of) peace, then Allah Has opened no way for you to war against
them}
But right
from the start of time, humans have been lured from within their soul to
commit murder against one another. All is because of trivial worldly matters,
or because of a temporary anger or rage; or because of envy or hatred and
revulsion; or for some other reason.
The son of
Adam killed his brother. The first crime committed in human history. The time
when man didn’t even know how to hide the body of another. Allah sent a crow
to teach man how to hide the body of his victim, his brother.
People
learned aggression a long time ago. And people learned to kill other humans
for no reason. But also there were people who were good and peaceful; who
wouldn’t kill even when attacked. This was the case with the two children of
Adam. And there was no society to provide the causes for crime as some claim
today that all criminals are victims of society. Or it is society that creates
the criminal and pushes them to crime.
Man’s
aggression is as old as man himself. And what a greater aggression than the
aggression against life itself? The messenger was angry and said: {If a soul
killed unlawfully, then the son of Adam will bear part of the blame for it,
because he was the first to start the killing.}
The Koran
says: {On that account: we Ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one
kills a human being – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the
land – it would be as if he has killed all human kind. And if any one saved a
human life, it would be as if he saved the life of all human beings.}
Allah also
says: {It is not permissible for a Muslim to kill another Muslim except by
mistake} and the Koran then in the case of the killing by mistake specified
the compensation money and specified the act of atonement or penance of
fasting for 60 days to cleanse oneself from such a forbidden act done
accidentally.
And for
what may a believer kill another? Is there anything in this life that would
condone such an act? Remember Allah says: {and whoever kills a believer
intentionally, his/her punishment will be hellfire, everlasting in it, and
Allah becomes so infuriated with him/her, and Allah curses him/her, and Allah
prepares for him/her a great torture.}
The
messenger (PPBU) said {The perishing of the entire worldly life would bother
Allah less than would bother Him the killing a Muslim}. And he also said: {if
all the occupants of the heavens and the earth took part into the killing of a
believer then Allah would dump them all into Hellfire.}
The
messenger (PPBU) once held the cover of the holly Kaabah and said: {How good
you are, and how good you fragrance is. How great you are and how great your
sanctity is. But I pledge by the one in whose hands my soul is, that the
sanctity of a believer is greater than your sanctity} meaning the sanctity of
a believers blood, money and honor.
The
messenger (PPBU) said: “The entire Muslim is forbidden (or Haram) to another
Muslim, the Muslims’ blood, money and honor”. For a believer is one that
people will be safe and secure from in respect to their lives, moneys and
honor.
For how;
with all such clear and undisputed statements and regulations; that within the
mind, conscience and faith of a Muslim human being that his/her hand would
commit the sin of unlawfully killing another human.
Some of the
scholars say that there may not be repentance from the sin of unlawful
killing. And the messenger (PPBU) was reported saying: {All sins may be
forgiven by Allah, except for a man to die as an unbeliever, or a man
intentionally killing a believer}
The
messenger (PPBU) was also reported saying: {Whoever is an accessory to a
murder of a believer even by part of an unlawful word; will meet Allah with
the words written between his two eyes: ‘No hope in the mercy of Allah’}
The
messenger (PPBU) in the speech he gave in his farewell Haj trip said: {Do not,
after I am gone, go back to being unbelievers chopping each others head.}. He
was also reported saying: {cursing at and verbal abusing a Muslim is an
immoral crime and killing a Muslim is becoming an unbeliever}
The
messenger (PPBU) also said: {whoever kills someone given sanctity by a treaty
(meaning non-Muslim), will not find the smell of heaven} and remember that its
smell can be found at a distance of 40 years walk.
The
scholars say that murder is one of the greater sins because the killer would
have transgressed over three rights: The rights of Allah, and the rights of
those who survive him/her and thirdly; the rights of the victim individual.
Some
reports that the messenger (PPBU) said that a victim of a murder will come in
the day of resurrection holding his/her head with one hand and holding his/her
killer with the other hand. At the throne he says to the Lord of all the
worlds, this is my killer, and Allah says: You are damned. And then the killer
is taken to Hellfire.}
Islam
states not to kill and not to be an accessory killing. The messenger said: {Do
not attend a killing, just in case the victim is unlawfully killed (being
innocent), the anger of Allah descends and may include you with the
transgressors.}.
We ask
Allah to guide us to what contains our benefit. And may Allah guide Muslims to
save the killing amongst them.
Notes:
-
Adhan
- The call to prayer.
-
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the
messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of
Islam.
Assalam Alaikum -
The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace
be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching
it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during
leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
Aya (or Ayah):
is a verse of the Koran.
It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
is a mountain
outside the city of Mecca
that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing
Hajj must stay at this location on the same
day.
Badr
- The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the
pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph
- A Muslim ruler. See:
(Khalifa)
Dajjal
- Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah
- The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din)
- Religion or way of life.
Duaa:
a prayer in the form of
talking to Allah;
praising him and asking him for help.
Fatwa
- Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are
the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose:
is the highest level of
the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh
- Religious law.
Hadeeth:
is something reported
that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave.
It is usually narrated or told by one
of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are
reported and checked to be genuine. No
more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar -
The Black Stone set into the corner of the
Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj -
The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in
the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas:
is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith
- The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his
followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is
the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or
Hejrah):
the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This
event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12
months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a
name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah -
Worship. All the words and deeds with which
Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese):
On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used
by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar
or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn
Omar.
Imam
(or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman:
belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) -
The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the
Christians.
Islam
- Submission, the religion of all the
prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah -
The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of
the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad:
is striving in the
line
of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving
oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection
of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the
fight one's self against temptations.
It also means "holy war."
Jinn
-
Supernatural, invisible beings race of
beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst
them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on
Judgment Day.
Ka'aba:
A cube shaped building in
Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say
Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by
Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage
in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa:
is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation:
"Successor".
Khutbah -
A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr -
Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for
anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran
- Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book
of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran
literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to
the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the
Arabian
peninsula
(in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to
immigrate to.
Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid -
A
center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah -
A
sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah:
is
the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous
black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim
house of worship.
Muhajir -
(Muhajireen)
Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It
was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median
and Ethiopia.
Muhammad -
the final messenger and
prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He
received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in
Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad
ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim
- One who holds faith to the religion of
Islam.
Nafilah:
a voluntary prayer other
than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara -
Christians. Nasrani:
A Christian individual. Nasraniah:
Christianity.
Ommah:
is the Arabic word for a
nation. It usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise -
Another word for heaven. A
garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and
imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels.
All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty
Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise
is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU
(P.B.U.H.) :
Peace and Prayers Be
Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the
messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar -
Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all
things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr):
The night when the first
revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the
last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to
the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and
few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the
holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla -
The direction which Muslims turn for daily
prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish -
An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger
Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan -
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which
is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat -
Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of
worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is
performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa:
A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion
leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants
of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who
ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk -
Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with
Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of
Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam-
Fasting
Sunni:
is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life
style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah):
Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he
dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought.
Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered
the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an
important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes.
It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all
Muslims.
Surah -
A
chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf:
part of the pilgrimage (Hajj)
ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise
direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed -
Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that
there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement
of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new
Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah -
Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person
to understand God.
Taurat: The old
Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah -
the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah):
A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to
Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic
year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual
done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor -
The
Psalms
Zakat -
The
third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
