Sugarcane
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One important allegation Taliban make against Pakistani rulers is that they are not implementing the Islamic Shari'ah. By failing in doing it, they claim, they have become Kafir (incorrigible denier of the truth), Fasiq (deliberate transgressor of God's law), and Zalim (unjust) in the eyes of God. The Qur'an says: "Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are Kafir ... Zalim ... Fasiq." (5:44,45,&47) The Qur'an tells us that Kafir and Munafiq (the hypocrites) should be fought against and dealt with sternly: "Prophet, fight against those who deny the truth (Kuffar) and the hypocrites (Munafiqin) and deal severely with them." (Qur'an; 66:9) And that is exactly what Taliban are doing with the Pakistani Muslim rulers and whoever is supporting them in their system. If their claim that they are following exactly what God has desired them to do is not responded to properly, they will continue to influence the hearts and minds of a large number of Muslims.
The fact is that Taliban read the Qur'an in a dangerously naive manner. Add to it their problem of stubbornness, and you have a perfect example of a group of people who are fully dedicated to their ideology on the one hand but practically are its biggest enemies in the manner they understand and practice it on the other. Let us take into consideration a few facts.
The verses referred to above (5:44,45,&47) are condemning those who don't take into account what God has revealed while judging. What Taliban think is that God has revealed punishments for certain crimes which our rulers aren't implementing. The fact is that God has revealed much more in the Qur'an. For instance, the book of God requires the believer to invite people towards God's path with wisdom (16:125); it requires the reader to listen to others with an open mind and follow what is good (39: 18); it asks God's servants to talk to people politely (2:83); it strongly condemns those who take human life (5:32); and it requires Muslims to run their affairs on the basis of mutual consultation (42:38). How do Taliban fare in all these criteria? Who then qualify to be described as Kafir, Fasiq, and Zalim?
Let us also be clear that the Islam law (Shari'ah) was gradually revealed in Madinah where the prophet (pbuh) had become the unquestionable ruler. However, despite his inimitable personality and unquestionable status as a ruler, the law was not implemented in one go as Taliban are demanding it to be done in Pakistan. Prohibition of alcohol, for instance, was done in three stages, the first two of which didn't prohibit it categorically. (See Qur'an: 2: 184-5;4:43; 5:90-1) Likewise was the case with many other laws like punishment for extra-marital sex, fasting, prohibition of riba, and law of inheritance etc The wisdom behind the gradual process of Shari'ah implementation was to prepare believers morally and spiritually first before requiring them to follow the relatively demanding expectations of Shari'ah. While the Qur'an expects the society to improve morally and spiritually first before they are given to take the full responsibility of the Shari'ah, Taliban believe it is the full implementation of the Shari'ah that will bring about the requisite moral and spiritual change. We have already experienced it in General Zia's era how erroneous this understanding is. And let's not discuss the Saudi Arabian society as an example at the moment where non-Saudi Muslims enjoy the status of at best second-rate citizens if not worse.
What mechanism do Taliban suggest to implement the Shari'ah? They believe it is going to be a committee of scholars who will decide the Shari'ah law that will be implemented in accordance with the policy given by the committee? What role will the parliament play in it then? Their answer is categorical: None. The question is who are going to be the scholars who will form the committee: Are they going to be Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahle Hadith, Shia, extremist, moderate, or liberal? How many of them are they going to be and what is going to happen if they disagree? Are the Taliban suggesting that God's book has left all these questions unanswered? Haven't they ever reflected upon the verse of Surah Shura which states that good Muslims take consultation as seriously as they take take their prayers and Zakat: "... those who establish prayers and whose decisions are based on mutual consultation and who spend (in Our way) from the sustenance we gave them." (Qur'an; 42:38) Do they not realize that the constitution of Pakistan and its parliament is functioning exactly in accordance with the Qur'anic requirement of Shura (mutual consultation) and the only right way of introducing the Shari'ah is to do it gradually by teaching, preaching, and convincing the majority, doing all this in the democratic and constitutional way? Have they ever realized that by resorting to violence they are blatantly violating God's injunction of consultation? Do they not know that the constitution of Pakistan is a promise that binds all Pakistanis to follow it in letter and spirit? The Qur'an binds all believers to honour their commitments. The prophet of God (pbuh) clarified that the one who breaks promises has no religion.
The fact is that as good Muslims we are expected to be law-abiding citizens of Pakistan. We need to be well-wishers of both the rulers and the common people as indeed we are expected to be well wishers of God and His messenger. That is exactly what the famous hadith al-Din al-Nasihah requires. Did Taliban really consider all these religious arguments before they launched their killing spree to introduce the Shari'ah? If they are deliberately ignoring these facts, they might find themselves struggling to respond to several allegations in the court of the Almighty: for killing innocent people, breaking promises (Pakistani constitution), showing arrogance, and preventing humanity from coming close to God's message by tarnishing its image.
Talibans Demand to Implement The Shari’ah Law | Concerned Citizen - Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
The fact is that Taliban read the Qur'an in a dangerously naive manner. Add to it their problem of stubbornness, and you have a perfect example of a group of people who are fully dedicated to their ideology on the one hand but practically are its biggest enemies in the manner they understand and practice it on the other. Let us take into consideration a few facts.
The verses referred to above (5:44,45,&47) are condemning those who don't take into account what God has revealed while judging. What Taliban think is that God has revealed punishments for certain crimes which our rulers aren't implementing. The fact is that God has revealed much more in the Qur'an. For instance, the book of God requires the believer to invite people towards God's path with wisdom (16:125); it requires the reader to listen to others with an open mind and follow what is good (39: 18); it asks God's servants to talk to people politely (2:83); it strongly condemns those who take human life (5:32); and it requires Muslims to run their affairs on the basis of mutual consultation (42:38). How do Taliban fare in all these criteria? Who then qualify to be described as Kafir, Fasiq, and Zalim?
Let us also be clear that the Islam law (Shari'ah) was gradually revealed in Madinah where the prophet (pbuh) had become the unquestionable ruler. However, despite his inimitable personality and unquestionable status as a ruler, the law was not implemented in one go as Taliban are demanding it to be done in Pakistan. Prohibition of alcohol, for instance, was done in three stages, the first two of which didn't prohibit it categorically. (See Qur'an: 2: 184-5;4:43; 5:90-1) Likewise was the case with many other laws like punishment for extra-marital sex, fasting, prohibition of riba, and law of inheritance etc The wisdom behind the gradual process of Shari'ah implementation was to prepare believers morally and spiritually first before requiring them to follow the relatively demanding expectations of Shari'ah. While the Qur'an expects the society to improve morally and spiritually first before they are given to take the full responsibility of the Shari'ah, Taliban believe it is the full implementation of the Shari'ah that will bring about the requisite moral and spiritual change. We have already experienced it in General Zia's era how erroneous this understanding is. And let's not discuss the Saudi Arabian society as an example at the moment where non-Saudi Muslims enjoy the status of at best second-rate citizens if not worse.
What mechanism do Taliban suggest to implement the Shari'ah? They believe it is going to be a committee of scholars who will decide the Shari'ah law that will be implemented in accordance with the policy given by the committee? What role will the parliament play in it then? Their answer is categorical: None. The question is who are going to be the scholars who will form the committee: Are they going to be Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahle Hadith, Shia, extremist, moderate, or liberal? How many of them are they going to be and what is going to happen if they disagree? Are the Taliban suggesting that God's book has left all these questions unanswered? Haven't they ever reflected upon the verse of Surah Shura which states that good Muslims take consultation as seriously as they take take their prayers and Zakat: "... those who establish prayers and whose decisions are based on mutual consultation and who spend (in Our way) from the sustenance we gave them." (Qur'an; 42:38) Do they not realize that the constitution of Pakistan and its parliament is functioning exactly in accordance with the Qur'anic requirement of Shura (mutual consultation) and the only right way of introducing the Shari'ah is to do it gradually by teaching, preaching, and convincing the majority, doing all this in the democratic and constitutional way? Have they ever realized that by resorting to violence they are blatantly violating God's injunction of consultation? Do they not know that the constitution of Pakistan is a promise that binds all Pakistanis to follow it in letter and spirit? The Qur'an binds all believers to honour their commitments. The prophet of God (pbuh) clarified that the one who breaks promises has no religion.
The fact is that as good Muslims we are expected to be law-abiding citizens of Pakistan. We need to be well-wishers of both the rulers and the common people as indeed we are expected to be well wishers of God and His messenger. That is exactly what the famous hadith al-Din al-Nasihah requires. Did Taliban really consider all these religious arguments before they launched their killing spree to introduce the Shari'ah? If they are deliberately ignoring these facts, they might find themselves struggling to respond to several allegations in the court of the Almighty: for killing innocent people, breaking promises (Pakistani constitution), showing arrogance, and preventing humanity from coming close to God's message by tarnishing its image.
Talibans Demand to Implement The Shari’ah Law | Concerned Citizen - Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
