OUR DIALOGUE

Q: Muslims today have made their religious practices difficult by resorting to difficult methods and burdening themselves with secondary or marginal issues that are not the essence of their religion. Why are they not following the Prophet’s way of life? Do they assume that they will be rewarded immensely by God for being extremists?

A: Tampering with religious principles or trying to overdo what has been prescribed by God is a sin. But, currently, it is a commonplace occurrence. We give too much importance to aspects that deserve less attention while ignoring the fundamentals of our religion. The Prophet (Pbuh) said: “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.” (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, No. 38). Unfortunately, we have made our religion very difficult and complex, burdening ourselves with practices that are contrary to Islam. The Qur’an says: “Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Patron, Supporter and Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 286). The above verse underlines the fact that God does not burden people more than they can cope with. We have been advised to pray to God to make things easy for us. Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he opted for the easiest one. The Prophet at times used to fast for a few consecutive days, some of his companions tried to emulate him, but he prevented them from doing so, saying he got subsistence from God that provided him nourishment. The Prophet in all his dealings had been very simple and straightforward. The Prophet who loved prayer more than anything else used to shorten it when he felt prolonging it would burden others. The Prophet said, “When I start the prayer I intend to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I cut it short because I know that the cries of the child will incite its mother’s passions.”
Islam stresses on living among the people and helping them in their adversity. It advocates a social order where people can live in peace and harmony sharing their problems and solving them with concerted efforts. The Prophet said: “Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day (of Judgment) should not harm his neighbor. Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously. And anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should say what is good or keep quiet.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, No. 47).
We tend to become extremists in our religious practices assuming we will be rewarded immensely for our deeds. But, in reality, we are transgressing the limits set by our religion, that advocates moderation in all our day-to-day affairs.

Q: The hate campaigners, both in the East and West, are bent on painting Islam as a religion of savage laws despite the fact that Islam has never approved any kind of barbaric practices. History shows that prisoners of war have been the victims of the worst imaginable forms of human cruelty. What is Islam’s stand on the treatment of prisoners of war?

A: It has been made clear in a verse of the holy Qur’an, which describes the qualities of a virtuous man. “And they feed for the love of God, poor, the orphan and the prisoner (Surah Insan, verse 8). Islam gives great emphasis on manners during a battle. There are many other Hadiths that urge Muslims not to kill others. Before engaging in a battle, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) used to instruct his soldiers: • “Do not kill any child, any woman, or any elderly or sick person.” (Sunan Abu Dawud). “Do not practice treachery or mutilation. Do not uproot or burn palms or cut down fruitful trees. Do not slaughter a sheep or a cow or a camel, except for food.” (Al-Muwatta). “If one fights his brother, (he must) avoid striking the face, for God created him in the image of Adam.” (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). “Do not kill the monks in monasteries, and do not kill those sitting in places of worship.” (Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal). “Do not destroy the villages and towns, do not spoil the cultivated fields and gardens, and do not slaughter the cattle.” (Sahih Bukhari; Sunan Abu Dawud). “Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy. Pray to God to grant you security, but when you (are forced to) encounter them, exercise patience.” (Sahih Muslim). The Prophet had also issued clear instructions for good treatment of prisoners of war. The first group of prisoners ever taken captive in the history of Islam was in the Battle of Badr, which was fought between the Muslims and pagans of Makkah in 624 AD. Almost all of the 70 Makkans who were captured in that war were set free with or without ransom. “When they ate their morning and evening meals, they gave me the bread and ate the dates themselves in accordance with the orders that the Prophet had given about us. If anyone had a morsel of bread he gave it to me,” Ibn Ishaq, an early biographer of the Prophet wrote, quoting a prisoner of war. A prisoner should not be coerced into renouncing his religion. He should be invited to Islam and given the choice to accept or reject the call. “O Prophet! Say to those who are captives in your hands: ‘If Allah finds any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you and He will forgive you. For Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah Anfal, Verse 70). In the battle of Badr, the Prophet showed that a prisoner had, among other rights, the right to be decently clothed. “After the Battle of Badr, prisoners of war were brought. Among them was Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib. He did not have a shirt on, so the Prophet looked for a shirt for him. It turned out that a shirt of Abdullah bin Ubayy was the right size, so the Prophet gave it to Al-Abbas to wear and compensated Abdullah with his own shirt.” (Bukhari). Muslims are ordered to treat prisoners of war kindly. Prisoners cannot be abused on account of the fact that they were fighting against the Muslims. There is no Islamic law that permits punishment for a prisoner because of his faith. Imam Malik said he had never come across any teachings of Islam that sanctions torture of a prisoner of war to extract information.