The Qur’an And Violence

THE QUR’AN AND VIOLENCE

Dr Robert Morey says on pg.39 of his book Islamic Invasion:

This should not be a surprise to anyone because Islam not only condones such violence (talking about assassination) but actually commands in certain instances, in the Qur’an Muslims are told in Sura 9:5 ‘Kill the disbelievers wherever you find them’ what are Muslims supposed to do to the people who resist Islam? Sura 5:33 says “their punishment is …<question as to why he did the dot dot dot> execution, or crucifixion or the cutting off of the hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land.” In the west such things as cutting off someone’s hands or feet because he would not accept your religion is unthinkable

[Dr Robert Morey, Islamic Invasion, pg. 39]

Dr Morey has quoted verse 5:33 from the Qur’an but he has left 3 dots to indicate he has partially quoted the text, he intentionally left out:

“Those who wage war against Allah and Allah and His Messenger and strive to make mischief in the earth”

By leaving this part out Morey has attempted to paint the picture that Islam allows the indiscriminate killing of anybody that chooses not to accept the Islamic faith but actually this verse refers to those who wage war on Allah and His Messenger by waging war and causing mischief in the earth.

to be more elaborate about the type of people this verse from the Qur’an applies to we have to look at the context of Sura 5 verse 33 before and after where Allah relates the happenings of Kane and Abel in which Kane kills his brother unjustly out of envy and in doing so, earned the sin as if he had killed the whole of humanity. Allah tells us the very reason why He revealed the verse:

Who killed a human being unless it be for manslaughter or mischief in the earth then it is as if he killed the whole of humanity”

By revealing this verse Allah is informing us about the sanctity of human life and the blood of mankind, this is why directly after this verse Allah says:

The punishment of those who wage war with Allah and His Messenger and strive with might to make mischief through the land is execution, or crucifixion or the cutting off of the hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land.”

So this verse refers to a particular type of people and it also strongly indicates that killing people is a form of waging war against God and His Messenger, it does not condone the killing of any westerner who does not want to embrace Islam as Dr Morey would like us to believe.

Plus Dr Robert Morey tends to forget that there are a great number of Arabic Coptic Christians still living within the Arabian Peninsula, and we can’t forget about the Jews and Christians that lived within the Holy land of Jerusalem at the time of Muslims rule

In Islamic Sharia there are four Punishments laid down for those who disobey the rulings of Allah and His Prophet (in subject to killing and so forth) who attempts to spread mischief on earth or who arm themselves and overtly intend to kill others…

1) If one of the mentioned persons kills another then he himself will face the death penalty. If the victims heirs forgive him, he will still be executed because this is not a personal matter of the heirs but involves the social peace and harmony of the whole community (unless accidental)

2) If he killed the person and also took his wealth then he will be publicly hanged so that it acts as deterrence (for others who desire to commit the crime)

3) If the person who stole the wealth and did not kill the victim, then his right hand and left foot will be cut off.

4) If the person does not steal nor kills anyone but instead aimed a weapon to infuse fright and terrorise people, then he will be extradited from his land. In other words, he will be separated from his family and will be imprisoned in another region.

Some Scholars have commented that such a person should be extradited since there is a possibility that he will continue his crime in the new region. Instead the criminal should be imprisoned until he repents. The real aim is to protect the public from his behaviour, this will not be achieved by extradition but by ensuring he is kept behind bars and he repents sincerely. Makhool writes under this verse that Umar [r] remarked “I will keep such criminals in prison until I am sure they have repented. I will not let them go free into other regions where they will become a source of mischief for the inhabitants.” (Tafseer Qurtubi)

The reason for revelation of this verse was when the people from the tribe of urena came to Madinah to accept Islam, they became sick. The Holy Prophet [s] advised them to drink milk mixed down with camel’s urine that they were given in charity. On doing this they were cured but they became so reviled that they killed the Shepard of the camels and ran away with 15 camels. The Holy Prophet [s] sent Hazrat Yassar [r] after them. These wretches however martyred Hazrat Yassar [r] after burning his eyes out and cutting of his hands and his feet. Later these people were arrested and bought back. The verse was revealed on this occasion.

the punishment is applied to these following 3 types of people:

1) He who obstructs and blocks the road (the highway man)
2) He who blocks the way and seizes the wealth of the people
3) and he who kills the people and seizes their goods.

Their punishment will be the following, banishment, cut of the hands and the feet, execution.

Also in regards of Islamic Shari ‘a we find In the Shafee fiqh book Umdat as Salik (reliance of the traveller) on pg. 616

Section 015.0: the penalty for highway robbery

015.1: the Caliphs obliged to summon whoever uses a weapon (o: though force suffices to be considered a weapon or taking money by dint of ones fists.) and makes people afraid to use the road (o: no matter whether in the wilderness, a village, or in the country, meaning he frightens those who pass along the way by means of his strength or weapons) if the highway man responds to the summons before he has injured anyone, then he is only disciplined. (Def: 017). If he steals the equivalent of 1.058 grams of gold under the previously mentioned conditions (014.1) both his right hand and his left foot are amputated. (A: the difference between a highway man and someone who takes by forcible seizure (dis: 014.6) is that the latter does so within earshot of help. While the offence of the highway man is far greater because he menaces the life line of the community and its trade routes.)

015.2: if a highway man kills someone, he must be executed, even when the person entitled to retaliation (def: 03) aggress to forgo it. If the highway man robs and kills, he is killed and then left crucified for three days, if he wounds or maims someone; retaliation is taken against him, though it may be waived by those entitled to take it.

The book further reads:

015.3: (N: the penalty for highway robbery such as mandatory execution, crucifixion, and amputating the hand and the foot is cancelled if the highway man repents. (A: desists, and gives himself up) before he has been apprehended, though he is still liable to retaliation (def: 03) by parties entitled to it (A: for injuries or deaths he caused to victims and is financially responsible for restoring the money he has taken.) 616 Umdat as Salik.

from the evidences I have shown we see clearly that the verse 5:33 does not refer to non Muslims who wish not to embrace Islam as Morey would have us think but it refers to those terrorists who rob, kill, harm and oppress people by use of force and so forth and here again we see Islam opposes terrorism.

Indeed the Islamic law is just and am sure many people would nod their head in agreement with the above but yet there are some that still would think this ruling of the chopping of the hands and the feet to be extreme as many Christians voice but yet when missionaries quote this verse they do great injustice to the context.

Further on in verse 34 in Sura 5 Allah says:

Except those who repent before you have them in your power so know that Allah is the all forgiving and Merciful. (5:34)

If the bandit or the mischief maker repents for his behaviour before the capture and publicly announces his desire to lead a life of peace, then the set punishments (i.e. public execution, to cut of the hands and the feet, to imprison) will be dropped, however if the victim of the crime does not forgive the offender, then the criminal will still face the decreed punishment. A criminal’s repentance will not be accepted after he has been arrested for his crime, but in fact will face the full extent of the law.

The reason for this is because his repentance is no longer based on sincerity and truthfulness. This case is similar to a person who repents to Allah as he draws his last breathe before dying (Tafseer Qurtubi) and repentance at such a time is not accepted. (Tirmidhi, book of supplications)

So the criminal has chance to repent and in doing so avoids the punishment only if the victim’s family overlook and pardon his wrongdoing. This is the nature of Allah the all Loving God who is willing to forgive, unlike the God of the Bible whom the Christians and Jews call Yahweh.

In Jewish law if a burglar breaks into your home and you start fighting him but yet the man is too strong and overpowers you and you are on the brink of being killed when all of a sudden your wife comes to your rescue by grabbing his private's and squeezing them causing the attacker to flee in pain and by this method she saved your life but yet you are commanded by Yahweh to:

cut of her hands and not to pity her (Deuteronomy 25:11-12)

is this Just?

In this respect which is more Just the Qur’an? Or the Bible? Is Yahweh really the God of love as Christians say? In reply to Morey cutting of your wife’s hands because she saves your life by squeezing the secrets of the attacker is unthinkable!