Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves after having been wronged – no blame whatever attaches to them. e) Surah 42 Ayat 42. Blame attaches but to those who oppress (other) people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store. f) Surah 42 Ayat 43 . But withal, if one is patient in adversity and AJN 128 forgives – this, behold, is indeed something to set ones heart upon! g) Surah 49 Ayat 13. O men! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply consciousness of Him. Behold, God is allknowing, allaware.” This Ayat contains the idea of essential human oneness. h) Surah 13 Ayat 7 . However, they who are bent on denying the truth [refuse to believe and] say “Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him on high by his sustainer? [But] thou art only a warner; and [in God] all people have a guide. According to the classical commentators, the AJN 129 sentence “[But] thou art only a warner; and [in God] all people have a guide” lends itself several interpretations and one of the interpretations is that Thou art only a warner bound to do no more than deliver the message entrusted to thee, while it is God alone who can truly guide mens hearts towards faith. i) Surah 8 Verse 48 . And unto the... Unto every one of you we appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if God has so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community : But [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you, Vie then, with one another in doing good works! Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were want to differ. The Quaran impresses upon all who believe in God- Muslims and non-Muslims alike – that the differences in AJN 130 their religious practices should make them “vie with one another in doing good works” rather than lose themselves in mutual hostility. j) Surah 6 Ayat 188 . But do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they revile God out of spite, and in ignorance, for goodly indeed have we made their own doings appear unto every community. In time, [however] unto their sustainer they must return and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing. While Muslims are expected to argue against false beliefs of others, they are not allowed to abuse the objects of those beliefs and to hurt thereby the feelings of their erring fellow-men. k) Surah 14 Ayat 4 . AND NEVER have we set forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own peoplesAJN 131 tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them; but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray] and guides him that wills [to be guided] – forHe alone is almighty truly wise. God bestows His favour upon him who, as he knows, will choose faith; which means that He makes the issue dependent on[mans] free choice. l) Surah 11 Ayat 117 . For never would thy sustainer destroy a community for wrong [beliefs alone] so long as its people behave righteously [towards one another]. m) Surah 11 Ayat 118 . And had thy sustainer so willed, He could surely have made all mankind one single community: but [Hewilled it otherwise, and so] they continue to hold divergent views. n) Surah 2 Ayat 256 . THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of AJN 132 faith. Distinct has now become the right way from [the way of] error: hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way : for God is all hearing, allknowing. ...... all Islamic jurists, without exception,hold that forcible conversion is under all circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to accept the faith of Islam is a grievous sin : a verdict which disposes of the widespread fallacy that Islam plans before the unbelievers the alternative of “conversion by sword”. 76. On polygamy and treatment to women, our attention is drawn to following Ayats. a) Surah 4 Ayat 3 . And if you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably towards orphans, then many from among [other] women such as are lawful to you – [even] two, or three, or four : but if you have reason to AJN 133 fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then [only] one – or [from among] those whom you rightfully possess. This will make it more likely that you will not deviate from the right course. Islam gives permission to marry, two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them. b) Surah 4 Ayat 129. And it will not be within your power to treat your wives with equal fairness, however much you may desire it, and so, do not allow yourselves to incline towards one to the exclusion of the other leaving her in a State, as it were, of having and not having a husband. But if you put things to right and are conscious of Him – behold, God is indeed muchforgiving, a dispenser of grace. These Ayats impose a moral restriction on plural marriages. AJN 134 c) Surah 33 Ayat 35 . Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves unto God, and all believing men and believing women and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves [before God], and all men and women who give in charity, and all selfdenying men and selfdenying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly : for [all of] them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward. This Ayat indicates that Quaran addresses both the genders and gives them spiritual benefits. d) Surah 9 Ayat 71. And [as for] the believers, both men and women – they are close unto one another : they [all] enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and are constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and pay heed unto God and His AJN 135 Apostle. It is they upon whom God will bestow His grace: verily, God is almighty, wise! Role of men and women towards each other is complementary. They are protectors of each other. e) Surah 4 Ayat 19 . O. You who have attained to faith ! It is not lawful for you to [try to] become heirs to your wives [by holding onto them] against their will; and neither shall you keep them under constraint with a view to taking away anything of what you may have given them, unless it be that they have become guilty, in an obvious manner, of immoral conduct. And consort with your wives in a good manner; for if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something which God might yet make a source of abudant good. The Quaran does not regard woman as a commodity but as human being with her own individuality with bundle AJN 136 of spiritual social, economic and legal rights. 77.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 13:40:01 +0000