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(Author�s note: To find out whether or not democracy is compatible with Islam, it is necessary for me to describe first those concepts based on which this religion was founded 1,400 years ago. Understanding its founder�s ken of knowledge and the limited purpose to achieve which he had set up Islam in the middle of a desert are also crucial. I have, therefore, begun this article with a short discussion on Islam�s limitations and some of the weird concepts it propounds with a demand placed on its adherents to adhere to them to make their life good and meaningful). No religion on earth is free from controversy. Each one of them has numerous doctrines and principles, most of which are redundant for the time we are now living in. This redundancy arose from the fact that all the major religions of the world were founded by ignorant people in the eras, when the thinking abilities of common folks were not as good as these are today. Take, for example, the so-called god-like qualities of Jesus Christ. Islam claims that he had begun talking to people immediately after his birth. His god-like qualities brought visitors from distant lands to pay him homage. After his adoptive father took him to Egypt to escape persecution at the place of his birth, his god-like nature disappeared or went into a long hibernation. It, however, resurrected only when he returned to Israel to bewilder those who were likely not only to dispute him; many among them were also willing to kill him for blaspheming their Jewish faith. Islam also infers that Jesus Christ enjoyed more favors from God than did Muhammad, its founder. While Muhammad looted the Arabian caravans, killed and plundered the Jews to feed his hungry followers, God sent food from heaven, at Christ�s behest, to save his followers from starvation (Quran; 5:117, 118). While Muhammad died on earth and remains buried in the sandy soil of Medina, God lifted a living Jesus Christ to heaven, where he continues to live in God�s presence even today. He has been enjoying all the felicities of heaven, including the companionship of numerous houris from the day he entered it, whereas Muhammad would meet God, and begin enjoying all of its good things only after being resurrected on the Day of Judgment. In the past, people hardly raised questions on the above anomalies; but they have started doing it now. This change in people�s attitude is the result of the thinking ability they have been able to achieve for themselves over a long period of time. With their newly acquired abilities and knowledge, many people have been weighing in all the religions of the world with a new and different standard in order to find out if what the religions have been teaching their adherents for thousands of years are really beneficial for them as well as for their other compatriots. In this article, I intend to highlight some important aspects of Islam. I have selected Islam as a subject of my discussion not because I have an extra ax to grind against it, but on account of the fact that it is the youngest among the three main religions of the world and also because of the fact that it claims to be the best and most perfect religion for all mankind. But before laying out my case against Islam and its baneful effects on humanity, I want to discuss briefly whether or not God is an All-knowing Being, and also, if He was the real founder of Islam. Allah is not All-Knowing? The Quran is replete with verses that claim that Allah - - the Muslim God - - is not only Kind, Generous, Magnanimous, Forgiving and the Sustainer of mankind; He is also All-Knowing. As Islam was founded on a doctrine that claims that what the Quran contains are the words of Allah, Muslims are required to believe in all of its claims, without ever trying to find out their truthfulness. In fact, Islam forbids its followers from developing in them an ability to search for, or to inquire into anything that are related to their faith. The Quran makes this point very clear: all Muslims must believe in the Unseen (2:2) in order to become, and to remain Muslims, for, �blindness and ignorance� are the basic ingredients of their faith. Had not their religion made them blind, Muslims would have found out a long time ago from the Quran itself that what their Allah has claimed in it about His Omniscience was an outright lie. Here is what He Himself has said about the ken of His knowledge: �What! Have they partners (in godhead), who have established for them some religion without the permission of Allah? Had it not been for the Decree of Judgment, the matter would have been decided between them (at once): but verily the wrong-doers will have a grievous Penalty� (Quran; 42:21). It is clear from the above passage of the Quran that some people in the time of Muhammad had established a different religion other than Islam for themselves, and Allah did not know about it. He would have known about it, had the concerned people sought His permission before setting up their religion. Since they had not sought His permission in advance, Allah did not know about the existence of another religion. When someone told Allah (or was it Muhammad?) about the unauthorized action of some people, He was totally taken aback. His utter surprise is discernible from the way He has expressed Himself by the word �What� in the verse! For a thinking people, the above passage of the Quran would have been a good ground to dismiss its divine origin, but it is unfortunately not the case with the Muslims. Many of them know very well about the presence of this and other verses, like it, in the Quran, but none of them has ever tried to grasp their true meaning and significance, fearing loss of their faith. And this fear is what has been keeping them tied to Islam, despite the fact that it is laden with numerous incongruities and inanities. Can an ignorant Allah establish a religion for the entire mankind? The answer to the question is an empathetic No. Though there was no reason to believe that God or Allah, if He ever existed, went around the earth, distributing different religions over different periods of time to different people of the world, yet Muslims believe that that is exactly what He had done until the early part of the seventh century. He created one religion first for the entire mankind. They distorted it to fulfill their needs. To turn His defeat into a success, He established another religion. Humans again turned it upside down. Frustrated, Allah established Islam, His final religion. Learning from His past mistakes, He took all precautionary measures to protect His latest religion from being corrupted by its followers. Consequently, Muslims not only believe, they also proclaim proudly that theirs is the only religion in the world that maintains its pristine nature, even though it has been existing among the Muslims for almost fourteen hundred years. But is it true that Allah had established Islam for the entire population of the world? Did He make such a claim through the Quran? To find answers to these questions, let us read what the following Quranic verse, which says: �Thus have We sent by inspiration to thee an Arabic Quran: That thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her,- and warn (them) of the Day of Assembly, of which there is no doubt: (When) some will be in the Garden, and some in the Blazing Fire� (42:7). At the time Allah was in the process of establishing Islam, Mecca appeared to Him as the �Mother of {all} Cities� on earth, even though history tells us that Baghdad in Iraq and Alexandria in Egypt were two of the most advanced, enlightened and prosperous cities of the Arabian and African regions. The belief that Mecca was the Mother of all Cities must have developed in Him out of His ignorance. Had he visited the two great cities of Iraq and Egypt then, He would have held a different view of Mecca. His exposure to Baghdad and Alexandria might as well have had induced Him to shift His Meccan Headquarters to either of the two cities in order not only to better the standard of His own life, such a move on His part would also have helped His kindred, then living in Mecca, to become civil and human-like as well. But Allah missed His opportunity, and He still remains bogged down in a city, the citizens of which are even today dependent on charity to support their lives. But Allah is Allah, and there is none who can change His mind or thoughts. So, who are we to express our disgust over His stupidities? From the contents of the verse, quoted above, it is apparent that Allah never wanted to make Islam the religion of the entire mankind. He had designed it only for the Arabs; He also did everything possible within His power to promulgate it among them only. Let us evaluate the contents of the above verse, in conjunction with verses 39:28 and 43:3, to find out Islam�s scope, as well as its inapplicability in the life of those humans, who are not Arabs, and who do not live within the boundaries of the Arabian Peninsula. Allah has said: {I have sent} an Arabic Quran {to the Arabs} without any crookedness so that they {the Arabs} may guard (against evil) (verse 39:28). He also stated clearly that He has �made it an Arabic Quran so that they {the Arabs} may understand it {with ease} (verse 43:3). Read the above verses together with verse 42:7, it becomes crystal clear that Allah has sent the Quran only for the benefit of the Arabs. It has no relevance to, or importance for the non-Arabs, as they are not supposed to understand its contents due to their inability to read and understand Arabic. Had He wished the non-Arabs to become Muslims, and to reap its benefits, He would also have sent them Qurans in their own tongues, thus making the understanding of their respective Qurans easier for them. But He has not done so. His failure to come up with Qurans in languages other than Arabic makes it clear: He had no intention of saving the non-Arabs from His wrath, either in this world or in the world hereafter. That Islam was intended only for the Arabs is also clear from what is stated clearly in verse 42:7. It asked Muhammad only to �warn the people of Mecca and all around her� of the Day of Assembly. If Allah had any good intention for the other people of the world, He would not have limited Muhammad�s preaching to a limited space; rather He would have made it obligatory for him to go out of it, and to announce His warning among all the people of the world. He has not done so for a simple reason, and it is this: Either He did not know that the world was not confined to Mecca and its vicinity, or He did not want to help the non-Arabs avoid the fire of hell on the Day of Judgment. In the light of what the Quran says, the non-Arab Muslims have been carrying the heavy burden of Islam unnecessarily. It is not intended, nor was it designed for their wellbeing. It is, therefore, not helping them, either in their ephemeral life, nor can it be expected to help them in their next life, if there is one to be lived in after their death. The sooner the non-Arabs will come out of Islam�s yoke, the better it would be for them. Failure to get themselves rid of this monster soon is likely to make their lives more miserable. So, hurry up, and bury this demon under the ground once for all, for in this action of yours lies not only the salvation of your own generation, it would also ensure a better life for your future generations as well. Continued to part-2 September 4, 2004 |
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