Waging a Struggle Consistent with the Qur'an's Ethics

All Muslims should live according to the ethics Allah revealed in
the Qur'an. However fair and just Muslims are in their everyday
life, their business affairs, or in their personal relationships,
they must demonstrate the same values during times of war, while
defending themselves, or even while being driven from their lands.
They must still put themselves in Allah's hands, obey Allah's laws,
and adhere strictly to His instructions.
The word "Islam" has the same meaning as the word "peace" in Arabic.
The Qur'an calls people to the ethics of Islam, through which the
world can be made a haven for peace and love. Allah commands us to
rule justly and without discriminating among people, to preserve
people's rights, oppose cruelty, and help those in need. This
justice requires each Muslim to protect the rights of both parties,
evaluate events objectively, and think without bias. It requires
justice, honesty, love, mercy, and compassion.
As Allah reveals in the Qur'an: "O you who believe! Show integrity
for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let
hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just, for
that is closer to heedfulness. Fear Allah. Allah is aware of what
you do." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 8), true Muslims must not let their
decisions or practices be tainted by such feelings as resentment,
hatred, and rage. Muslims must always conduct themselves according
to the Qur'an, behave with patience and restraint, and avoid
exaggerated responses. As Allah reminds: " We will test you with a
certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and
fruits. But give good news to the steadfast ." (Surat al-Baqara,
155). Thus, given that this life on Earth is merely a trial, we must
never forget that Allah tests His believers with war, attack,
oppression, and all manner of difficulties. The most important thing
is for Muslims to respond to such trials in a manner that pleases
Allah and always to behave in accord with Islamic teachings and
principles.
Thus the Palestinians must remember, as they respond to Israel, that
every difficulty they endure is really a test of their faith. In
addition, they must strictly adhere to Allah's ethics, justice, and
commands not to overstep their bounds. They must follow only those
opposition methods revealed in the Qur'an. The result of such an
intellectual struggle is most certainly salvation, for "Allah only
did this for it to be good news for you and so that your hearts might
be set at rest by it. And victory is not except from Allah, the
Exalted in Might, the Wise." (Surah Al 'Imran, 126)
Attacks against Defenseless Jews Are Incompatible with the Qur'an
The verse: "Allah does not forbid you from being good to those who
have not fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes,
or from being just toward them. Allah loves those who are just."
(Surat al-Mumtahana, 8) describes how the Palestinians must behave
toward civilians as they oppose the Israeli government. In the
Qur'an, Allah forbids killing innocent people, unarmed women,
children, and the elderly. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) gave specific orders to his commanders going to war,
and warned them not to harm civilians.
In the last few years, however, some Palestinians have carried out
bombings against civilian settlements occupied by unarmed
civilians, children, women, and the elderly. These attacks have made
targets of a cafeteria, a school bus, and places where teenagers
hang out, and have resulted in dozens of civilian deaths. According
to Israeli reports from various news agencies, suicide bombings
since September 2000 have killed 30 Israeli children and injured
272 more. Out of 177 Israelis killed, 128 were civilians; out of
1,743 Israelis injured, 1,216 were civilians. ("Palestinian
Terrorism - The Israel Side," Bridges for Peace Website,
http://www.bridgesforp eace.com/public ations /dispatch/signsoftimes
/Article- 2.html .) These attacks provoked a strong reaction
throughout the world and did more harm than good to the Palestinian
cause. Even those in the West who had opposed Israel's pro-violence
policy were forced to condemn the Palestinians and withdraw their
support.
Obviously, such attacks cannot be excused. As explained above, such
a method is absolutely inconsistent with Islam. When we examine the
Qur'an and the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
actions, we find that Islam does not support attacks against
civilians. Whether during the conquest of Mecca or during other
wars, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
carefully protected the rights of innocent and unarmed people and
prevented them from being harmed. He reminded Muslims of this on
various occasions by telling them: "Set out for war in the name of
Allah and for the sake of Allah. Do not lay hands on the old verging
on death, on women, children and babies. Do good, for Allah loves
the virtuous and the pious." ( Sahih Muslim Hadiths ) Another
reminder is:
"Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman." ( Abu Dawud Hadiths )
"Do not kill the monks in monasteries" ( Musnad of Ibn Hanbal
Hadiths) or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of
worship." ( Musnad of Ibn Hanbal Hadiths)
As shown in the hadiths, Muslims must struggle in conformity with
the Qur'an. In other words, their struggle must be just,
compassionate, and free of extremism. Muslims should oppose both
tyranny and barbarism, and all forms of injustice. Another verse
reports that they must always be on the side of peace and
compromise:
If they incline to peace, you too incline to it and put your trust
in Allah. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (Surat al-Anfal,
61)
Muslim's stand on the subject of Israel and the Jews must also be in
line with these basic principles. Muslims who live in accordance
with the Qur'an must have an unbiased view of the Jews.
Jews believe in Allah's Oneness and follow a religion Allah revealed
through His messengers. Moreover, the Qur'an refers to them as
People of the Book. They embrace many values, based on Allah's
revelation, as well as the concepts of sin, haram (prohibited) and
halal (allowed). In the Qur'an, one can see that there was a
friendly relationship between Muslims and the People of the Book.
For this reason, if one of the People of the Book cooks some food,
Muslims can eat it and vice-versa, and Muslim men can marry their
women. These commands show that warm neighborly and even family
ties can be established among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and
that they can accept each other's invitations. Another verse calls
for the two groups to unite, based upon a common word for belief
(Surah Al 'Imran, 64).
For these reasons, Muslim communities historically have behaved
moderately and compassionately toward the People of the Book. This
situation is especially evident in the Ottoman Empire, which
accepted the Jews exiled by Catholic Spain at the end of the
fifteenth century and allowed them to live peacefully in the
empire.
Allah does not forbid you from being good to those who have not
fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes, or from
being just toward them. Allah loves those who are just. Allah
merely forbids you from taking as friends those who have fought you
in the religion and driven you from your homes and who supported
your expulsion. Any who take them as friends are wrongdoers. (Surat
al-Mumtahana, 8-9)
Justice and moderation also should be shown toward followers of
non-monotheistic faiths and toward those with no faith at all, both
of which are far more distant to Muslims. According to the Qur'an,
Muslims have an obligation to protect all, even idolaters, and to
ensure they reach their destination safely when they so request.
If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection
until they have heard the words of Allah. Then convey them to a
place where they are safe. … (Surat at-Tawba, 6)
Muslims with a responsibility to ensure the safety of all, even
idolaters, must obviously be affectionate and understanding toward
the People of the Book, who believe in the One Allah, are loyal to
the prophets and have the concept of lawful and forbidden. Simply
put, Muslims who are sincere in their religion, obey Allah, and
respect the Qur'an can neither nurture animosity toward Jews just
because of their religion and beliefs, nor treat them with hostility
just because they are Jews.
Islam Forbids Suicide
When discussing attacks on Israeli citizens, the Islamic view of
suicide also must be examined. Some people are gravely misinformed
about Islam, believing that this religion of peace permits suicide
bombings; nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Islam
forbids a Muslim from taking his or her life, just as it forbids
taking somebody else's life. Allah explicitly condemns suicide: " do
not kill yourselves " (Surat an-Nisa', 29), regardless of the
reason. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also
told his Companions that suicide leads one to eternal damnation:
Whoever purposely throws himself from a mountain and kills himself
will be in the (Hell) Fire falling down into it and abiding therein
perpetually forever. Whoever drinks poison and kills himself with
it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in
the (Hell) Fire, wherein he will abide eternally forever. Whoever
kills himself with an iron weapon will be carrying that weapon in
his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the (Hell) Fire,
wherein he will abide eternally forever. ( Sahih Bukhari Hadiths)
As explained in the hadith, committing suicide and engaging in
suicide bombings – not to mention killing innocent people thereby –
violates the Qur'an's ethics. Every Muslim should condemn these
incidents, which cast a pall upon the Palestinians' rights.
It must not be forgotten that those who compel Palestinian youths to
engage in such unjust and irrational behavior are also pulling
Israeli and Palestinian youths into an endless cycle of bloodshed
and retribution. These ongoing suicide bombings destroy these
young people's futures and that of the land itself. The young people
who strap on explosives and detonate them among civilians are
being destroyed on a road that will never lead to success. And it is
essential for this method, which is incompatible with the Qur'an,
to be condemned by all Muslims.
The Solution Is the Implementation of Qur'anic Ethics
Any mode of struggle outside of the Qur'anic value system – for
example, the guerilla tactics envisaged by communist ideology – is
not correct and cannot succeed. For this reason, the current
situation must be evaluated sensibly and realistically, and a method
consistent with Qur'anic values must be devised.
The Palestinians can only attain the rights and peaceful lives they
demand through a campaign waged on the level of ideas and supported
by a very powerful educational project. For this, the Palestinians
need a strong team of educated and cultured individuals who are
aware of legal, diplomatic, and international policies, and who
conduct themselves according to the ethics of the Qur'an.
Of course there are a great many highly cultured, open-minded
intellectuals among the Palestinian people. The important thing is
the work these intellectuals will engage in to raise the
consciousness of the young, turn them in the right direction and
defend the Palestinian cause before the people of the world. This
work could play an important role in raising the Palestinians'
awareness of true Islamic ethics, raising the level of education,
and helping them to explain their rights to the world.
At present a very different picture of the Palestinian people is
being presented to the world, a picture totally at variance with the
truth. The Palestinian cause is suffering serious damage on account
of the irrational attacks, incompatible with Islamic values, being
carried out by a few fanatics or subversive groups who oppose peace
with violence. In the same way that this harm is expressed by many
intellectuals, it is also described by commentators in various
countries, including Turkey. The daily Zaman writer Kerim Balci, who
lives in Palestine, drew attention to this in one of his articles:
Not only are the suicide attacks a violation of fundamental Islamic
values, they also damage the Palestinian cause. Not just me, but
rational thinking Palestinians say the same thing … The Palestinian
cause is a problem of the whole Islamic world. Those at the head of
this movement cannot act in the light of their own personal
interests, out of a desire for revenge and a concern over honor and
pride. The militants who kill innocent Jewish children in Palestine
may well believe they are serving Islam. Yet all of their actions do
is to make things much more difficult for those people who are
trying to repair the damage done to the Muslim image all over the
world … It is blatantly evident that attacks of this kind benefit
Israel much more than Palestine. ( Zaman Turkish Daily, 15 September
2002.)
There are even those Palestinians who, ignorant of the true
Qur'anic morality, may participate in these provocations without
realizing the nature of what they are doing.
Given this, a great education force must be mobilized and spread
among all Palestinians, particularly the young ones, to stamp out
this ignorance and fanaticism and to teach them the true values of
the Qur'an. Schools, universities, and mass education campaigns can
help to raise their awareness and will be the greatest possible
contribution. We say this because when these people recognize the
true Islam revealed in the Qur'an, when they learn that Islam is a
religion of peace and reconciliation, when they comprehend world
politics with the consciousness brought by the Qur'an, they will
understand that suicide bombings and killing innocent people in
cafeterias or on buses are not only wrong, but are not a solution.
It is far easier to reach a solution through compassion and
reconciliation, rational policies, a worldwide diplomatic
initiative, and an intellectual struggle that is consistent with
the Qur'an's moral values.
The many wars of the twentieth century, as well as the numerous
incidents that have inaugurated the twenty- first century, clearly
show that violence cannot undo violence, and that brutality cannot
undo brutality. The only way to stop violence is for the virtues of
the Qur'an's ethics – humility, compassion, reconciliation, and
rationality – to prevail upon people's thoughts and actions, and on
the entire world.