format_quote Originally Posted by
syed_z
Absolutely not. Do Dawah because the Quran orders us to. And InshA'Allah Dawah will continue till the end of the world. Allah (swt) says in the Quran:
And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner unless it be such of them as are bent on evildoing and say: "We believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us as well as that which has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that We [all] surrender ourselves."
(Surah Al Ankabut Verse 46)
Where does it say by Allah (swt) after giving them Dawah to conclude that they are going to the hellfire because they choose to maintain their identity as jews and christians? And that includes all modern Jews and Christians.
:sl:
As brother Abz2000 mentioned in one of his posts above, there is a big difference between tolerance and encouragement to stay on error.
He has mentioned a number of examples of tolerance and good treatment of non-Muslims
in his post.
But what you are saying here
@
syed_z
is active encouragement to stay on error even after being knowing and believing that Qur'an and Islam is the Truth. You are reading the Ayaat selectively and partially.
See the explanation of above Ayah from Ma'ariful Quran:
The advice given in this verse for a polite and dignified treatment in the case of a debate with the people of the book is also accorded in Surah An-Nahl with regard to the pagans. At this place the people of the book are especially identified for the reason given right after this. That is, if they were to ponder, there is a great deal common in the two faiths, which should help them accept Islam. Hence it is said قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ (And say: We believe in what is sent down to us and sent down to you - 29:46). It means that the Muslims should tell the people of the book at the time of argument 'we have faith in the revelations sent to us through our Prophet :saws1:, and also on those revelations which were sent to you through your prophets. Hence, you have no reason for any hostility against us'.
Does this verse endorse the authenticity of Torah and Injil in their present form?
The manner in which this verse endorses the belief of Muslims in Torah and Injil is their general faith in them, as they were revealed in their original form. It means that whatever Allah Ta'ala had revealed in these books, they had faith in that. It does not mean that they have faith in their altered and distorted form of the text as well. Many of the alterations were made in the books even before the time of the Holy Prophet :saws1:, and many more were carried out later. This work on amendments has not ceased yet. Muslims have faith only on that part of Torah and Injil that were revealed on Sayyidna Musa :as: and Sayyidna 'Isa' :as: respectively. The altered part of the books is excluded from that.
Torah and Injil in their present form can neither be believed nor rejected altogether
It is recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari that Sayyidna Abu Hurairah :ra: has reported that the People of the Book used to read Torah and Injil in their original language, Hebrew, but for Muslims they would relate only its translation in Arabic. the Holy Prophet :saws1: instructed the Muslims in this regard that they should neither believe nor reject what they (Jews and Christians) tell them, and instead simply say آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ (We believe in what is sent down to us and sent down to you - 29:46). That is 'We have symbolic faith in that what was revealed on your prophets, but what you are telling us we do not consider it as authentic. Therefore, we abstain from endorsing or rejecting it'.
I can also put that question to you as to why would you do Dawah to them because according to you the above Verse was revealed at the time of the Prophet (sallAllahu Alaihi Wassallam) so why are going to apply it in our modern times? If I was to take the methodology that the above Verse was revealed in history and has historical significance only then it means we shouldn't do Dawah to them? Right?
I am not implying that, neither do I say that those verses have only historical significance. Instead of taking one or two ayat selectively and partially, you should read them in context and understand the complete message.
Once again, see the tafsir:
The previous verse spoke of how the Israelites drew upon themselves the wrath of Allah through their habitual insolence and disobedience. Now, this account may lead the listeners, or the Jews themselves, to suppose that, in view of such transgression, their Taubah (repentance), if they agree to offer it, would not be acceptable to Allah. In order to dispel such a misgiving, the present verse lays down a general principle: no matter how a man has been behaving earlier, so long as he submits himself fully to the commandments of Allah in his beliefs and in his deeds both, he is acceptable to Allah, and will get his reward.
It is obvious enough that after the revelation of the Holy Qur'an, which is the last message of Allah, perfect obedience to Allah can only mean accepting Islam and following the Last Prophet Muhammad :saws1:.23 The verse, in effect, assures everyone that once a man has accepted Islam, all his former transgressions, whether in the matter of beliefs or in that of deeds, will be forgiven, and he will become worthy of receiving the rewards of the other world.
Let us note, in passing, that nothing is definitely known as to the beliefs and the practices of the Sabeans, and different opinions have been expressed on the subject. (Most probably they used to worship the stars).
One might also ask why the verse mentions the Muslims, for if it is an invitation to Islam, there is no need to extend the invitation to those who have already accepted Islam. But if we keep in mind the richly concentrated style of the Holy Qur'an, and try to look beyond the literal sense of the words into the implications and suggestions contained in the verse, we would find that the inclusion of the Muslim factor has added a new dimension to the meaning. It is as if a king should, in a similar situation, say that his laws are impartially applicable to all his subjects, and that whosoever obeys them shall receive his reward for obedience irrespective of whether he has earlier been a friend or a foe. Obviously, the friend has always been loyal and obedient, and the warning and the promise have really been addressed to the foe. But the suggestion contained in such a formulation is that the favours of the king do not proceed from any personal attachment to the friends, but depend on the quality of obedience and loyalty, and hence the foes too will become worthy of his favours if they acquire the necessary quality. This is the raison d'etre of mentioning the Muslims along with the non-Muslims in this verse, which should never be taken to imply that salvation can be attained without accepting Islam.
We had better dispel another misunderstanding which is likely to arise from the wordings of the present verse -- and, which is actually being promoted by certain 'modernizers'. The verse mentions only two articles of faith of the Islamic creed -- faith in Allah and faith in the Day of Judgment. This should not be taken to mean that in order to attain salvation it is enough to have faith only in Allah and in the Day of Judgment. For, the Holy Qur'an repeatedly declares that he who does not believe in the prophets, in angels and in the Books of Allah is not a Muslim. Faith in Allah is the first article in the Islamic creed, while faith in the Day of Judgment is the last. By mentioning only these two, the verse intends to say in a succinct manner that it is necessary to have faith in all the articles of the creed, from the first to the last. Moreover, it is through the prophets and the Books of Allah alone that man can acquire any knowledge of the essence and the attributes of Allah and of what is to happen on the Day of Judgment, while the Books of Allah are revealed to the prophets through an angel. So, it is not possible to have faith in Allah and the Day of Judgment until and unless one has faith in the angels, in the Books of Allah and in the prophets.
Footnote
23. Contrary to the flaccid fancies of some "modernizers" who are very happy with themselves over their "liberalism" and "tolerance", the present verse does not open the way to salvation for each and every "man of good will" irrespective of the creed he follows. If one reads the verse in its proper context and along with other relevant verses of the Holy Qur'an, one will easily see that the verse, in fact, promises salvation in the other world only to those who accept Islam. It is an invitation to Islam extended to the Jews, the Christians, the Sabeans and, as a matter of fact, to the followers of all possible religions, and even to non-believers -specific names only serve as examples.
Please stop doing your own tafsir and always refer to the authentic Tafsir of Qur'an. Ma'ariful Qur'an is one the of the authentic Tafsir of the Qur'an, compiled by Mufti Shafi 'Uthmani :rh:, father of Mufti Taqi 'Uthmani.
Yes correct I agree that is an errant view. But who is it for? Allah (swt) say
s "And if you were to follow their errant views after all the knowledge that has come unto you" ...
Once again, it is an out-of-context and selective reading of the Qur'an. Please read the Ayaat from the beginning of the passage, from Ayah 142:
The foolish among the people will say, "What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?" Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path." [2:142]
And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you. And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful. [2:143]
Do you not see how Allah :swt: calls them foolish, and that the changing of the Qiblah as a test for those who are stubborn and refuse to follow the Last Prophet and remain on their own path?
And now for the tafsir:
Now, when the Ka'bah was finally established as the Qiblah sixteen or seventeen months after the Hijrah, some Jews, associators and hypocrites began to scoff at the Holy Prophet :saws1: and his Companions :rahm: for being so capricious in the matter of their Qiblah. The Holy Qur'an reports this objection, adding that such an objection can come only from stupid people - just as earlier in this Surah those who turn away from the religion of Sayyidna Ibrahim :as: have been described as people who have besotted themselves. In replying to this objection, the second part of the verse shows that their stupidity lies in not realizing that the East and the West both belong to Allah Himself, and that He guides whomsoever He likes on the straight path. The verse, thus, explains the meaning of adopting an orientation - that is to say, neither does the Ka'bah nor the Baytul-Maqdis by itself possess any exclusive merit in this regard, and it is the divine commandment alone which gives to it the distinction of being the Qiblah - it could have as easily chosen some other place to serve the purpose. Moreover, the only merit in adopting a particular Qiblah lies in one's obedience to the divine commandment and in one's total submission to the will of Allah, which is the basic principle of the religion of the founder of the Ka'bah, Sayyidna Ibrahim :as:.
...
When the Holy Prophet :saws1: came to Madinah, he had to deal with the Jews, and in order to familiarize them with Islam he adopted their Qiblah under divine commendment. But, by and by it became evident that a stubborn people like the Jews would not easily give up their hostility to Islam. So, Allah allowed him to go back to the original Qiblah, which, being the Qiblah of his forefathers, Sayyidna Ibrahim :as: and Sayyidna Isma'il :as:, was naturally dearer to him. In fact, the mosque of Sayyidna Salih :as: was oriented towards the Baytullah, as is shown by an incident reported by al-Qurtubi from Abu al-'Aliyah al-Riyahi.
...
...
Now, according to those who prefer the first of the two views, the raison d'etre was that it was necessary at Makkah to differentiate the Muslims from the idol-worshippers and to emphasize the distinction between the two, and hence the Baytul-Maqdis was appointed as the Qiblah of the Muslims instead of the Baytullah which was at that time the Qiblah of the mushrikin. Then, after the Hijrah, there arose a new need at Madinah - that of highlighting the distinction between the Muslims and the Jews. So, the Qiblah of the Jews was given up, and the Baytullah was adopted as the Qiblah of the Muslims.
...
... the commandment with regard to the change in orientation is a test of the faith of those who claim to be the followers of the Holy Prophet :saws1:, which would openly demonstrate the distinction between those who are genuinely obedient to Allah and His Messenger :saws1:, and those who follow their individual opinion. History records that after this verse had been revealed, those who were weak in their faith, or were just hypocrites, forsook Islam, and even accused the Holy Prophet :saws1: of having gone back to the ways of his own people - that is, of the mushrikin.
...
...
In continuing the discussion on the subject of the Qiblah, or the divinely-ordained orientation, the present verse provides yet another instance of the maliciousness of the People of the Book. It is not that they demand solid and convincing arguments in order to be able to accept the new injunction with regard to the Qiblah: it is sheer stubbornness which does not allow them to give their assent, and no proof in the world, declares the Holy Qur'an, is ever going to satisfy them. In fact, their two groups display an equal malice even towards each other - the Jews have adopted the Baytul-Maqdis as their Qiblah, while the Christians have chosen the East, and each group rejects the Qiblah of the other. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet :saws1:, cannot accept either of these two orientations, for the new Qiblah of the Muslims - the Baytullah - has been instituted by a divine commandment, and is never going to be abrogated. So, there is no likelihood of an agreement between the People of the Book and the Muslims in this matter. The Baytul-Maqdis, no doubt, had once been instituted by a divine commandment, but that commandment has now been abrogated. Anyone who follows an abrogated injunction, and ignores the new injunction which has replaced the earlier one, is actually disobeying Allah, and acting upon his individual opinion and personal desire. Naturally, it is impossible for the Holy Prophet :saws1: to follow the desires of the People of the Book. But, supposing for the sake of supposition, were he to do so even after having received a definite injunction through the Wahy (Revelation), he would be counted among the unjust - that is, among those who disobey divine commandments. Such a situation, however, can never arise. Being a prophet, he is essentially sinless, and as such cannot possibly be among the unjust. From this principle it logically follows that it is impossible for him to favour the desires of the People of the Book, and to accept their Qiblah as his own.
Let us make it quite clear that this warning is outwardly addressed to the Holy Prophet :saws1:, but is, in fact, intended for his Ummah, which is being asked to realize fully the gravity of the sin of ignoring or disobeying the injunction which has finally established the Baytullah as the Qiblah of the Muslims.
As for the phrase, "You are not to follow their Qiblah", it is meant to declare that the Baytullah shall now stay as the Qiblah upto the end of the world. Thus, the declaration refutes the scoffing allegation of the People of the Book that there was no stability in the Islamic injunctions, and that the Muslims might again adopt the Baytul-Maqdis as their Qiblah. (Al-Bahr al-Muhit)
Verses 144 and 145 have told us how the People of the Book knew in their hearts that a divine commandment itself had instituted the Baytullah as the Qiblah of the Muslims, and yet denied this fact in public. Now, the two present verses show that their conduct towards the Holy Prophet :saws1: was equally dishonest and malicious.
The Torah and the Evangile had already foretold the coming of the Holy Prophet :saws1:, and set down the signs and indications which should help the people to recognize him. On the basis of the irrefutable evidence provided by their own Sacred Books, the Jews and the Christians knew him to be the promised Last Prophet :saws1:, but many of them refused to acknowledge him as such out of sheer obstinacy.
Yes Muslims are asked to be just according to the Quran and that methodology accepted Najashi as a man of God even though he died Christian.
Najashi had accepted Islam. He did not die a Christian. Qur'an specifically prohibits the Messenger and the Muslims from praying for non-Muslims (for their forgiveness).
Najashi's aceptace Of Islam:
---------------------------------
Ishaq also reports that Muhammad sent a letter to the Negus, inviting the latter to embrace Islam:
"The apostle sent Shuja' b. Wahb, brother of B. Asad b. Khuzayma, to al-Mundhir b. al-Harith b. Abu Shimr al-Ghassani, lord of Damascus... (T. via Salama. The apostle sent 'Amr b. Umayya al-Damri to the Negus about Ja'far b. Abu Talib and his companions and sent a letter with him ... 'From Muhammad the apostle of God to the Negus al-Asham king of Abyssinia, Peace. I praise Allah unto you the King, the Holy, the Peace, the Faithful, the Watcher, and I bear witness that Jesus son of Mary is the spirit of God and His word which he cast to Mary the Virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. God created him from His spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His hand and His breathing. I call you to God the Unique without partner and to His obedience, and to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the apostle of God. I have sent to you my nephew Ja'far with a number of Muslims, and when they come to you entertain them without haughtiness, for I invite you and your armies to God. I have accomplished (my work) and my admonitions, so receive my advice. Peace upon all those that follow the true guidance.'
"The Negus replied: ... '
From Negus al-Asham b. Abjar, Peace upon you, O prophet of Allah, and mercy and blessing from Allah beside Whom there is no God, who has guided me to Islam. I have received your letter in which you mention the matter of Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth he is not one strap more than what you say. We know that with which you were sent to us and we have entertained your nephew and his companions .
I testify that you are God's apostle, true and confirming (those before you). I have given my fealty to you and to your nephew and I have surrendered myself through him to the Lord of the worlds. I have sent to you my son Arha. I have control only over myself and if you wish me to come to you, O apostle of God, I will do so. I bear witness that what you say is true. '
"I was told that the Negus sent his son with sixty Abyssinians by boat, and when they were in the middle of the sea the boat foundered and they all perished.)" (Ishaq, pp. 657-658)
Allah knows best.
See also:
http://www.muftisays.com/qa/question...pian-king.html