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Freedom of Faith in Islam 

Zain vs. Sina 

Hello I was going through your site and have a few comments you might find helpful:  

You have criticized Muslims in your site for not having the ability to freely think yet every muslim from day one has had the ability to freely read the quran and Islam's teachings and develop a personal understanding, while reading of the Bible in Christianity and personal interpretation was not allowed by an average person for centuries before the church reforms. In addition, it is every Muslim's responsibility to research and investigate beliefs and religions upon reaching puberty to find out what is the true religion he/she would wish to pursue. I am simply sorry if this critical part of Islam was not available in your sect and your particular experience with Islam did not allow you to freely practice beliefs according to your fancy.  

 

 

Dear Zain,  

It is always refreshing to receive an email from a polite Muslim. Go to the Muslims’ Comments page and you’ll see what I mean. Polite Muslim is a rarity.  

So when I see a polite Muslim I become interested in him/her because I see a potential apostate and a fellow comrade. Of course politeness is one essential ingredient to become an apostate, the other, and perhaps the more important ingredient is fairness. I hope you are as fair as you are polite.  

You say in Islam people are free to choose their religion. I beg to disagree. I am not going to talk about the practice of the Muslims because this will give you the chance to say Muslims are not following the true Islam. We all know that in no Islamic country Muslims are allowed to leave their religion and become Murtad. We know that the penalty of apostasy in Islam is death and we know that if someone is caught preaching his religion to a Muslim he could be put to death. Just ask how many Baha’is or Qadianis have been executed because they left Islam to embrace these religions. Just ask how many people in Pakistan were killed for converting to Christianity. Just ask how many Sunnis and Shiites were murdered because the followers of each group call the members of other group heretics. I am not going to talk about the practices of the Muslims. But I am curious to know in which Islamic country Muslims are allowed to investigate the truth of other religions and leave Islam without fearing for their lives. We know that in Saudi Arabia , anyone who converts to other religions will lose his head. In fact if you are caught with a copy of the Bible you are in deep troubles.  

Let us see what Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen says about freedom of faith in Islam:  

"if your wife leave Islam and “if she does not repent then the ruling of Allaah should be carried out on her, which is execution, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever changes his religion [leaves Islam], execute him.”  

Muhammad Iqbal Siddiqi, a popular Pakistani writer on Islam and Islamic law,  in his book The Penal Law of Islam claims that:

". . . the sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the decision and practice of the Caliph Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him), the consensus of the opinion of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and all the later Muslim jurists, and even certain verses of the Holy Qur'an all prescribe capital punishment for an apostate. [Muhammad Iqbal Siddiqi, The Penal Law of Islam, (Lahore: Kazi Publications, 1979) p. 97]  

In several verses Muhammad makes it clear that the apostates will be severely punished in the other world.

Sura 16:106-107, 109  

“Anyone who after accepting faith in Allah utters unbelief except under
Compulsion …. Allah will not guide those who reject faith. Without doubt, in the hereafter they will perish.”  

Sura 88: 23-4

"But if any turn away and reject God, God will punish him with a mighty Punishment".  

Sura  3: 86-91 emphasizes that on apostates rests “the curse of God, of His angels and of all mankind.” And their penalty will not be lightened. Then adds:  

3:90 “But those who reject faith after they  accepted it and then go on adding to their defiance of faith never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have (of set purpose) gone astray.
91.
As to those who reject faith and die rejecting never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains though they should offer it for ransom.  For such is (in store) a penalty grievous and they will find no helpers.”

You may think that these are penalties in the other world. But not so! Muhammad ordered the immigrants to kill their own peer if they return back to Mecca and said:

4: 89 if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,

Now this does not give any impression that the choice of religion in Islam is free. Dear Zain, you and I know perfectly that you are lying when you say “It is every Muslim's responsibility to research and investigate beliefs and religions upon reaching puberty to find out what is the true religion he/she would wish to pursue.”  

We both know this is not what Islam teaches and this is not how Islam is practiced. So how about dropping that game of deception and being honest to each other? You can play these games with the gullible westerners but not with me.  

A few hadith will make this point much more clearer.  

Bukhari9,83,17
Narrated 'Abdullah:
Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."
 

(Sahih Bukhari 4.260)
Narrated Ikrima:
Ali burnt some people [hypocrites] and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' "  

see also Sahih Bukhari 9,84,57:  

The following is another Islamic site that unabashedly says:

“The punishment for apostasy (riddah) is well-known in Islaamic Sharee'ah. The one who leaves Islaam will be asked to repent by the Sharee'ah judge in an Islaamic country; if he does not repent and come back to the true religion, he will be killed as a kaafir and apostate, because of the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever changes his religion, kill him." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3017).

http://thetruereligion.org/apostatepunish.htm  

So, Muslims are free to investigate the truth of other religions only though Islamic sources and at the end they MUST accept Islam as or face death. They are not allowed to own or read a Bible or the sacred books of other religions. They are free to investigate these religions by asking about them from their Imams. 

 

You are under the odd impression that Islam is a religion of oppression, yet the basic greeting consists of exchanging wishes of peace and it foundations are against tyranny and exploitation. I guess you are not aware of the message of Karbala . You believe a person has no right to choose its faith and that a muslim is somehow chained to Islam if he is born into it, yet in the Quran it clearly states "There is no compulsion in faith..."

I don’t give a damn to what the basic greeting of Muslims is. Salam was used by the pagans before Islam and even Jews have the same word for greeting. Just because Muslims greet each other in the way the pagans before them did does not make Islam a religion of peace. Actions speak louder than words. There is no doubt that Muslims are more aggressive than others and today 90% of wars are something to do with Islam and Muslims.  

Islam is tyrannical by its very nature and it has been used as the perfect tool of domination. Please see this article.  

As for that verse “no compulsion in religion”, it is abrogated. You can read all about the abrogators and the abrogated in this article.    

 

You disturbingly call for acts of violence and persecution of Muslims and Islam because you believe Islam is about violence and terrorism yet it endorses not such measures. If you previously hated hatred, violence and oppression you have simply become what you hate.

 

No, I am not for violence. But I firmly believe we need to grab the Muslims' attention. The best way to do that is to treat them the way their holy book says non Muslims should be treated. Muslims will not wake up unless they are given a taste from their own medicine.  Here is a sample of the constitution I am proposing to be adopted in Dar al Harb.

8:12 We will cast terror into the hearts of Muslims. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.  

3:28, Let not the non-Muslims take for friends or helpers the Muslims.  

8:65, Rouse the non-Muslims to the fight against Muslims.

9:5Then fight and slay the Muslims wherever ye find them,

9:14, Fight the Muslims, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame.

9:23, O ye the non-Muslims take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love Islam.

9:28, O ye the non-Muslims! Truly the Muslims are unclean.

9:123, O ye non-Muslims! fight the Muslims who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you.

47:4, Therefore, when ye meet the Muslims, smite at their necks; At length.      

Is that very cruel? Is that violent and inhumane? Does that bother you? Tell me why? Why these beautiful divine verses are offensive to you? Please tell me why you don’t like them.

 

You fail to recognize that the true Islam was not spread by the sword, Prophet Muhammad never did not even allow the firing of the first shot in a battle situations and even damaging green and wildlife needlessly are considered to be sins!

Really? Are you actually so uniformed of the history of Islam and its expansion or you think I am? Do you know the wars of Muhammad were called Qazwah and do you know that Qazwah means sudden attack or ambush? All the wars of Islam were aggressive. If you really don’t know the history of Islam, please get some education before debating with me. If you know, please stop this game of deception. Take a look as these hadiths.  

Narrated Anas:
The Prophet offered the Fajr Prayer near Khaibar when it was still dark and then said, "Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is destroyed, for whenever we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning for those who have been warned." Then the inhabitants of Khaibar came out running on the roads. The Prophet had their warriors killed, their offspring and woman taken as captives. Safiya was amongst the captives, She first came in the share of Dahya Alkali but later on she belonged to the Prophet. The Prophet made her manumission as her 'Mahr'
. (Sahih Bukhari V.5 B.59 N.512)

"Narrated Ibn Aun:
I wrote a letter to Nafi and Nafi wrote in reply to my letter that the Prophet had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiya on that day. Nafi said that Ibn 'Umar had told him the above narration and that Ibn 'Umar was in that army.”
Volume 3, Book 46, Number 717  

It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered the date-palms of Banu Nadir to be burnt and cut. These palms were at Buwaira. Qutaibah and Ibn Rumh in their versions of the tradition have added: So Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, revealed the verse:" Whatever trees you have cut down or left standing on their trunks, it was with the permission of Allah so that He may disgrace the evil-doers" (lix. 5).Muslim 019, 4324:

"It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) caused the date-palms of Banu Nadir to be cut down and burnt. It is in this connection that Hassan (the poet) said: It was easy for the nobles of Quraish to barn Buwaira whose sparks were flying in all directions. in the same connection was revealed the Qur'anic verse:" Whatever trees you have cut down or left standing on their trunks." 59:5   Muslim 019, 4325

 

I understand that while Muslims in general have not presented a handsome image of Islam, it is simply not one that Islam deserves. I believe that with just a quick glance of the true Islam you will come to know Islam of what it truly represents and not of the one that people like modern day villains and radicals preach. You only owe it to yourself.  

Thank you and may you find knowledge and peace.  

Thank you for your time.

Zain

 

 

I did glance at Islam and the Quran, not quickly but very meticulously and I reject it as a cult of terror and barbarity. I believe it is you who need to take a look at it. I am sure, that like most Muslims you have never read the Quran in its entirety and have not read any book on the history of Muhammad and the expansion of Islam. Your knowledge is second hand and superficial. Just like all other Muslims, you started writing your rebuttal before reading the debates that I had with other Muslims and just like the majority of them you don’t know the Quran, the hadith or the history of Islam.  I respond as I read and the reason I decided to respond to you is because you are a polite person. Had I read your entire message and realizing you have no knowledge of Islam and have not even read much from this site, I would not have responded.

If you don’t want to read this site, that is okay. But shouldn’t you read at least your own holy book before challenging me to debate? This debate is not even fair. Please increase your knowledge of Islam so we can have some meaningful debate.  

Regards  

Ali Sina

 

 

 

 

 

 

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