Mani (Mainstream): I tried to read Sura (chapter) 5 for three days. I knew what the ayats (verses) mean, but I did not quite get the context. Everything seems spread out. I seem to be missing something.
Modi (Moderate): In order to make sense out of the sura, you must know that it was revealed after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. That treaty cast a giant shadow over the entire sura.
Radi (Radical): There is nothing wrong with that treaty; it was a great victory.
Modi: I did not say there was anything wrong with the treaty—yet. If you remember, Radi, in the year 6 of the Hijra, Muhammad (pbuh) had either exiled or eliminated the tribes in and around Medina whom he did not trust. It included the hapless Banu Qurayzah.
Radi: Ha! They surrendered to Muhammad, and he decapitated all the men. I wish I had been there to help.
Mani: I think seeing 800 men decapitated like that would be too much for even you, Radi. It included many unfortunate male children also, who were just old enough to have some pubic hair starting. The women and girls went into slavery.
Modi: Radi is just posturing. I always feel bad just thinking of it. All those people getting into line to have their heads sliced off. And the children…how horrified they must have been!
Radi: Forget that trash! As far as Muhammad could see at the time, Mecca had to be next; there was no city left he needed to take.
Mani: That is when he gathered a force to gain entrance to Mecca for the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah). I bet that shook up the Meccans.
Modi: Yes, indeed. The Meccans still had an effective army, but they were losing the trade caravans and could not protect them and protect Mecca also.
Mani: So that is why the Meccans were eager to conclude a treaty. They were losing money and losing fighters.
Modi: The Meccans needed a breather, so they proposed that the Muslims could begin their pilgrimages to the Kaaba the following year. In addition, both sides pledged to cease hostilities for a ten-year period.
Radi: Heh-heh. What a brilliant general! For the next eighteen months, Mecca took its breather while Muhammad built up his forces. He had no intention of waiting ten years to take Mecca. When he felt strong enough, Muhammad started again for Mecca with a large army to invade the city in defiance of the treaty.
Mani: That is when the Meccan leader went to Muhammad to try to call off the attack.
Radi: The leader’s daughter tried that first, and the Believers just captured her. When her father showed up, they were threatened with decapitation if they did not convert.
Modi: You are only partly right. Abu Sufyan’s daughter, Ramlah, was Muhammad’s wife since the second year of the Hijra. About Abu Sufyan; even though his safety was guaranteed by Muhammad (pbuh), Abu Sufyan indeed was threatened by decapitation if he did not convert.
Mani: After he converted, Modi, he traveled to Mecca and assured the Meccans that the Muslims were ten thousand strong and they were inviting a blood bath if they did not convert. So the Muslims strolled into Mecca triumphantly.
Modi: So, when Yassir Arafat had returned from signing a treaty with the Jews, he assured everyone it was another Treaty of Hudaibiyya. It turned the boos into cheers. Some of the Jewish diplomats understood, but none of the Americans.
Radi: Yeah, I remember that. That was another brilliant move. When you cannot beat the enemy, sign a treaty with him. Then, when he is enjoying the peace, you build up your army to attack him.
Modi: It can have unintended consequences, Radi. Who in his right mind would want to sign a treaty with us? Our treaties have no credibility.
Mani: I understand now. The rest of the sura was about the Believers consolidating their position by expanding and enforcing the laws they worked on in Medina, building mosques, and creating new laws for trade and commerce.
Modi: You are right. They were building a new civilization and culture with the Qur’an, the Hadiths, and their past history as the foundation documents. The Muslim state would now dominate every aspect of Muslim life in Arabia.
Mani: That is why I saw ayats insisting upon justice and guarding against the corrupt administrations of their predecessors.
Modi: You should have noticed also that Allah stressed that the people pay strict attention to their Prophet and remain obedient to him and to Allah. He laid out the case that if they did not obey the Prophet in all things they could not save themselves from ghastly punishments.
Radi: Yes, and I am one of those punishments. See? I told you guys that Allah wants all these sinners purged from the face of the earth.
Modi: Down boy. You may interpret the ayats so, Radi; however, others do not interpret them the same way. You and people like you never have been commissioned as judge and jury over people.
Mani: I believe that, Radi. We have the Sharia all right, but you are not the one to implement it. As Modi said, you and your cronies have no such credentials.
Radi: We don’t need no stinking badges.
Modi: Nice try, Radi. However, the new Constitution, which is still getting attention, calls for a police force, judges, and juries. It will not be long before they will be adding in statutes against so-called religious executions.
Radi: They said they will make no laws that conflict with the Sharia or the Qur’an.
Modi: The Qur’an is not violated by such statutes.
Radi: What about killing infidels wherever you find them?
Mani: I guess you will need a time machine to take you back to Medina prior to 632. You could join with our Prophet (pbuh) and kill all the infidels and polytheists you can catch.
Radi: I think I have you on this one, though. What about killing apostates? If a person is a Muslim or was a Muslim, and now professes not to be a Muslim, no matter the reason, he is an apostate. THE SACRED LAW, o1.2 SAYS THAT EVEN “A CHRISTIAN OR A JEWISH SUBJECT OF AN ISLAMIC STATE” MAY KILL AN APOSTATE FROM ISLAM WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.
Modi: If you look further into Book O, Radi, you will find that o8.3 states that only the caliph or his representative may kill an apostate. If someone else kills him, the killer is disciplined. And still further, o25.1 and Qur’an 4:59 order Believers to obey Allah and obey the Prophet and "those of authority over you". Of course, any authority recognized as a fatwa authority, can give such an order . (sigh) Too many Islamic states simply do not enforce the statutory law on that issue.
Mani: From what I understand, Radi, not having a caliph does not give you the right to set yourself up as one. Wherever you are in a Muslim state, that state is your authority. You may kill an apostate and get away with it sometimes only because the state decides to take no action.
Modi: Mani is right. However, I am certain that once the police force is trained, they will arrest you and take you before a magistrate, who incidentally can be accepted as a representative of a caliph. You could be imprisoned for a long time, especially if the chap you killed is someone important.
Radi: I am not going to like these new rules.
Mani: Look how many people do not like YOUR RULES!
Modi: I have also been advised that people who have taken the law into their hands in these matters will not be given AMNESTY!
Radi: That is unfair! That is a change in the rule.
Mani: No way, Radi. The only change is that now they are going after people who have been implementing their own rules.
Modi: Yours did not agree with Q4:59, Radi.
Radi: That is beside the point.
Modi: That is the point. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD—NO AMNESTY, EVER. Justice as well as law and order cry out continuously, NO AMNESTY! And that includes AMNESTY with any other name.
Radi: Aaaargh! You guys also make me so…so...hungry!
HJS
Modi (Moderate): In order to make sense out of the sura, you must know that it was revealed after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. That treaty cast a giant shadow over the entire sura.
Radi (Radical): There is nothing wrong with that treaty; it was a great victory.
Modi: I did not say there was anything wrong with the treaty—yet. If you remember, Radi, in the year 6 of the Hijra, Muhammad (pbuh) had either exiled or eliminated the tribes in and around Medina whom he did not trust. It included the hapless Banu Qurayzah.
Radi: Ha! They surrendered to Muhammad, and he decapitated all the men. I wish I had been there to help.
Mani: I think seeing 800 men decapitated like that would be too much for even you, Radi. It included many unfortunate male children also, who were just old enough to have some pubic hair starting. The women and girls went into slavery.
Modi: Radi is just posturing. I always feel bad just thinking of it. All those people getting into line to have their heads sliced off. And the children…how horrified they must have been!
Radi: Forget that trash! As far as Muhammad could see at the time, Mecca had to be next; there was no city left he needed to take.
Mani: That is when he gathered a force to gain entrance to Mecca for the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah). I bet that shook up the Meccans.
Modi: Yes, indeed. The Meccans still had an effective army, but they were losing the trade caravans and could not protect them and protect Mecca also.
Mani: So that is why the Meccans were eager to conclude a treaty. They were losing money and losing fighters.
Modi: The Meccans needed a breather, so they proposed that the Muslims could begin their pilgrimages to the Kaaba the following year. In addition, both sides pledged to cease hostilities for a ten-year period.
Radi: Heh-heh. What a brilliant general! For the next eighteen months, Mecca took its breather while Muhammad built up his forces. He had no intention of waiting ten years to take Mecca. When he felt strong enough, Muhammad started again for Mecca with a large army to invade the city in defiance of the treaty.
Mani: That is when the Meccan leader went to Muhammad to try to call off the attack.
Radi: The leader’s daughter tried that first, and the Believers just captured her. When her father showed up, they were threatened with decapitation if they did not convert.
Modi: You are only partly right. Abu Sufyan’s daughter, Ramlah, was Muhammad’s wife since the second year of the Hijra. About Abu Sufyan; even though his safety was guaranteed by Muhammad (pbuh), Abu Sufyan indeed was threatened by decapitation if he did not convert.
Mani: After he converted, Modi, he traveled to Mecca and assured the Meccans that the Muslims were ten thousand strong and they were inviting a blood bath if they did not convert. So the Muslims strolled into Mecca triumphantly.
Modi: So, when Yassir Arafat had returned from signing a treaty with the Jews, he assured everyone it was another Treaty of Hudaibiyya. It turned the boos into cheers. Some of the Jewish diplomats understood, but none of the Americans.
Radi: Yeah, I remember that. That was another brilliant move. When you cannot beat the enemy, sign a treaty with him. Then, when he is enjoying the peace, you build up your army to attack him.
Modi: It can have unintended consequences, Radi. Who in his right mind would want to sign a treaty with us? Our treaties have no credibility.
Mani: I understand now. The rest of the sura was about the Believers consolidating their position by expanding and enforcing the laws they worked on in Medina, building mosques, and creating new laws for trade and commerce.
“O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah
or [the sanctity of] the sacred month or [neglect the marking of] the
sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] or [violate the safety of] those
coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval.
But when you come out of iúram (hajj-pilgrimage), then [you may] hunt. And do
not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-haram
lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not
cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in
penalty.” Qur’an 5:2.
Modi: You are right. They were building a new civilization and culture with the Qur’an, the Hadiths, and their past history as the foundation documents. The Muslim state would now dominate every aspect of Muslim life in Arabia.
Mani: That is why I saw ayats insisting upon justice and guarding against the corrupt administrations of their predecessors.
Modi: You should have noticed also that Allah stressed that the people pay strict attention to their Prophet and remain obedient to him and to Allah. He laid out the case that if they did not obey the Prophet in all things they could not save themselves from ghastly punishments.
“Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous
deeds [that] for them there is forgiveness and great reward.” 5:9.
“But those who disbelieve and deny Our signs - those are the companions of
Hellfire.” 5:10.
Radi: Yes, and I am one of those punishments. See? I told you guys that Allah wants all these sinners purged from the face of the earth.
Modi: Down boy. You may interpret the ayats so, Radi; however, others do not interpret them the same way. You and people like you never have been commissioned as judge and jury over people.
Mani: I believe that, Radi. We have the Sharia all right, but you are not the one to implement it. As Modi said, you and your cronies have no such credentials.
Radi: We don’t need no stinking badges.
Modi: Nice try, Radi. However, the new Constitution, which is still getting attention, calls for a police force, judges, and juries. It will not be long before they will be adding in statutes against so-called religious executions.
Radi: They said they will make no laws that conflict with the Sharia or the Qur’an.
Modi: The Qur’an is not violated by such statutes.
Radi: What about killing infidels wherever you find them?
Mani: I guess you will need a time machine to take you back to Medina prior to 632. You could join with our Prophet (pbuh) and kill all the infidels and polytheists you can catch.
Radi: I think I have you on this one, though. What about killing apostates? If a person is a Muslim or was a Muslim, and now professes not to be a Muslim, no matter the reason, he is an apostate. THE SACRED LAW, o1.2 SAYS THAT EVEN “A CHRISTIAN OR A JEWISH SUBJECT OF AN ISLAMIC STATE” MAY KILL AN APOSTATE FROM ISLAM WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.
Modi: If you look further into Book O, Radi, you will find that o8.3 states that only the caliph or his representative may kill an apostate. If someone else kills him, the killer is disciplined. And still further, o25.1 and Qur’an 4:59 order Believers to obey Allah and obey the Prophet and "those of authority over you". Of course, any authority recognized as a fatwa authority, can give such an order . (sigh) Too many Islamic states simply do not enforce the statutory law on that issue.
Mani: From what I understand, Radi, not having a caliph does not give you the right to set yourself up as one. Wherever you are in a Muslim state, that state is your authority. You may kill an apostate and get away with it sometimes only because the state decides to take no action.
Modi: Mani is right. However, I am certain that once the police force is trained, they will arrest you and take you before a magistrate, who incidentally can be accepted as a representative of a caliph. You could be imprisoned for a long time, especially if the chap you killed is someone important.
Radi: I am not going to like these new rules.
Mani: Look how many people do not like YOUR RULES!
Modi: I have also been advised that people who have taken the law into their hands in these matters will not be given AMNESTY!
Radi: That is unfair! That is a change in the rule.
Mani: No way, Radi. The only change is that now they are going after people who have been implementing their own rules.
Modi: Yours did not agree with Q4:59, Radi.
Radi: That is beside the point.
Modi: That is the point. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD—NO AMNESTY, EVER. Justice as well as law and order cry out continuously, NO AMNESTY! And that includes AMNESTY with any other name.
Radi: Aaaargh! You guys also make me so…so...hungry!
HJS
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