| Analysis:
Who are the Taleban? The world first
became aware of the Taleban in 1994 when they were appointed by Islamabad to protect
a convoy trying to open up a trade route between Pakistan and Central Asia.
The
group - comprised of Afghans trained in religious schools in Pakistan along with
former Islamic fighters or mujahedin - proved effective bodyguards, driving off
other mujahedin groups who attacked and looted the convoy.
They went on to
take the nearby city of Kandahar, beginning a remarkable advance which led to
their capture of the capital, Kabul, in September 1996.
Anti-corruption
The
Taleban's popularity with many Afghans initially surprised the country's warring
mujahedin factions.
As ethnic Pashtuns, a large part of their support came
from Afghanistan's Pashtun community, disillusioned with existing ethnic Tajik
and Uzbek leaders.
But it was not purely a question of ethnicity. Ordinary
Afghans, weary of the prevailing lawlessness in many parts of the country, were
often delighted by Taleban successes in stamping out corruption, restoring peace
and allowing commerce to flourish again.
Their refusal to deal with the existing
warlords whose rivalries had caused so much killing and destruction also earned
them respect.
Islamic state
The Taleban said their aim was to set up the
world's most pure Islamic state, banning frivolities like television, music and
cinema. Their attempts to eradicate
crime have been reinforced by the introduction of Islamic law including public
executions and amputations.
A flurry of regulations forbidding girls from
going to school and women from working quickly brought them into conflict with
the international community.
Such issues, along with restrictions on women's
access to health care, have also caused some resentment among ordinary Afghans.
Extending control
The Taleban now control all but the far north of the
country, which is the last stronghold of the ethnic Tajik commander Ahmed Shah
Masood.
With 90% of the country under their control, the Taleban have continued
to press claims for international recognition.
But the Afghan seat at the
United Nations continues to be held by former President Burhanuddin Rabbani.
The
UN sanctions which have now been imposed on the country make it even less likely
that the Taleban will gain that recognition.
The sanctions are intended to
force the Taleban to hand over the Saudi-born militant Osama Bin Laden, who is
accused by the United States of plotting the 1998 bombings of US embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 250 people.
The Taleban say that
Osama Bin Laden is a guest in their country, and they will not take action against
him.
Afghanistan has suffered 20 years of war, and this year has brought the
worst drought in decades.
There is little sign that sanctions will change
the Taleban's policies, or weaken their position within the country.
From:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/south_asia/144382.stm
The
True Religion
By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
THE RELIGION OF ISLAM
The
first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the
word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after
a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism
after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx.
Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism
after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such,
its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion;
the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam"
means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of
worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim",
The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total
submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) I in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion
of Allah re-expressed in its final form.
Islam is the religion which was given
to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion
of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion lslam
was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself
and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine
revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah states the following:
"This day have I
perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen
for you Islam as your religion". (Soorah Al-Maa'idah 5:3) "If
anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will
It be accepted of Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85)
"Abraham was not
a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:67)
Nowhere
in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses' people or their descendants
that their religion is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion
is Christianity. In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The
name "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means the annointed.
That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah".
The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew
name Esau.
For simplicity's sake, I will however continue to refer to Prophet
Esau (PBUH) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his followers
to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to surrender their will
to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he warned them to stay away from the
false gods of human imagination.
According to the New Testament, he taught
his followers to pray as follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in
Heaven".
THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
Since the total submission of one's will
to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine
religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed
to any person, place or thing other than Allah.Since everything other than Allah,
the Creator of all things, is Allah's creation; it may be said that Islam, in
essence calls man away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship
only its Creator. He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by
His will that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are
answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah who allowed
the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious,"
however, to tree-worshippers it might not be. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha,
or Krishna, to Saint Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered
by them but are answered by Allah. Jesus did nottell his followers to worship
him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'aan states:
"And behold Allah will
say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship me and my mother
as gods besides Allah He will say-"Glory to you I could never say what I
had no right (to say')" (Soorah Al-Maa'idah- 5:116)
Nor did he worship
himself when he worshipped but rather he worshipped Allah. This basic principle
is enshrined in the opening chapter of the Qur'aan, known as Soorah Al-Faatihah,
verse 4:
"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help".
Elsewhere,
in the final book of revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah also said:
"And your
Lord says:"Call on Me and I will answer your(prayer)."(Soorsh Mu'min
40:60)
it is worth noting that the basic message of Islam is that Allah and
His creation are distinctly different entities. Neither is Allah His creation
or a part of it, nor is His creation Him or a part of Him.
This might seem
obvious, but, man's worship of creation instead of the Creator is to a large degree
based on ignorance of this concept. It is the belief that the essence of Allah
is everywhere in His creation or that His divine being is or was present in some
aspects of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of creation
though such worship maybecalled the worship of Allah through his creation. How
ever, the message of Islam as brought by the prophets of Allah is to worship only
Allah and to avoid the worship of his creation either directly or indirectly.
In the Our'aan Allah clearlystates:
"For We assuredly sent amongst every
people a prophet,(with the command) worship meand avoid false gods " (Soorsh
Al-Nahl 16:36)
When the idol worshipper is questioned as to why he or she bows
down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually
worshipping the stone image, but Allah who is present within it. They claim that
the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah's essence and is not in itself
Allah! One who has accepted the concept of the presence of God's being within
His creation in any way will be obliged to accept this argument of idolatry. Whereas,
one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never
concede to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized. Those who have claimed divinity
for themselves down through the ages have often based their claims on the mistaken
belief that Allah is present in man. They merely had to assert that although Allah
according to their false beliefs, is in all of us, He is more present in them
than in the rest of us. Hence, they claim, we should submit our will to them and
worship them as they are either God in person or God concentrated within the person.
Similarly,
those who have asserted the godhood of others after their passing have found fertile
ground among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man. One who
has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree
to worship another human being under any circumstances. God's religion in essence
is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship
in any form. This is the meaning of the motto of Islam:
"Laa Elaaha lllallaah"
(There is no god but Allah)
Its repetition automatically brings one within
the fold of Islam and sincere belief in it guarantees one Paradise.
Thus,
the final Prophet of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: There
is no god but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter paradise".(Reported
by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
It consists in the
submission to Allah as one God, yielding to Him by obeying His commandments, and
the denial of polytheism and polytheists.
THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGION
There
are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world,
all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to Allah. How can
one determine which one is correct or if, in fact, all are correct? The method
by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences
in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify
the central object of worship to which they call, directly or indirectly. False
religions all have in common one basic concept with regards to Allah. They either
claim that all men are gods or that specific men were Allah or that nature is
Allah or that Allah is a figment of man's imagination.
Thus, it may be stated
that the basic message of false religion is that Allah may be worshipped in the
form of His creation. False religion invites man to the worship of creation by
calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited
his followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers today call
people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was Allah!
Buddha was a reformer
who introduced a number of humanistic principles to the religion of India. He
did not claim to be God nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object
of worship. Yet, today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have
taken him to be God and prostrate to idols made in their perception of his likeness.
By
using the principle of identifying the object of worship, false religion becomes
very obvious and the contrived nature of their origin clear. As God said in the
Our'aan:
That which you worship besides Him are only names you and your forefathers
have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority: The command belongs
only to Allah:
He has commanded that you only worship Him; that is the right
religion, but most men do not understand ". (Soorah Yoosuf 12:40)
It may
be argued that all religions teach good things so why should it matter which one
we follow. The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil, the
worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit
because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship
Allah alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Our'aan:
"I have only
created Jlnns and men, that they may worship me"(Soorah Zaareeyaat 51:56)
Consequently,
the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry, is the only unforgivable
sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life.
This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by Allah in his final revelation
to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him,
but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whom so ever He wishes"(Soorah
An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116)
THE UNIVERSALITY OF ISLAM
Since the consequences
of false religion are so grave, the true religion of Allah must be universally
understandable and attainable, not confined to any people, place or time. There
can not be conditions like baptism, belief in a man, as a saviour etc., for a
believer to enter paradise. Within the central principle of Islam and in its definition,
(the surrender of one's will to God) lies the roots of lslam's universality. Whenever
man comes to the realization that Allah is one and distinct from His creation,
and submits himself to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible
for paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the world can
become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the
worship of creation and by turning to Allah (God) alone-It should be noted however,
that the recognition of and submission to Allah requires that one chooses between
right and wrong and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held responsible
for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil.
The ultimate good being the worship of Allah alone and the ultimate evil being
the worship of His creation along with or instead of Allah. This fact is expressed
in the final revelation as follows:
"Verily those who believe, those who
follow the Jewish (Scriptures), the Christians and the Sabians any who believe
In Allah and the last day, and work righteousness *hall have their reward with
their Lord;They will not be overcome by fear nor grief (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:62).
If
only they had stood by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent
to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There
Is from among them a party on the right course; but many of them follow a course
that Is evil.". (Soorah Al-.Maa'idah 5:66)
RECOGNITION OF ALLAH
The
question which arises here is, "How can all people be expected to believe
in Allah given their varying- backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people
to be responsible for worshipping Allah they all have to have access to knowledge
of Allah. The final revelation teaches that all mankind have the recognition of
Allah imprinted on their souls, a part of their very nature with which they are
created.
In Soorah Al-A'raaf, Verses 172-173; Allah explained that when He
created Adam, He caused all of Adam's descendants to come into existence and took
a pledge from them saying, Am I not your Lord? To which they all replied, "
Yes, we testify to It:'
Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear
witness that He is their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said,
"That was In case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, "Verily
we were unaware of all this." That is to say, we had no idea that You Allah,
were our God. No one told us that we were only supposed to worship You alone.
Allah went on to explain That it was also In case you should say, "Certainly
It was our ancestors who made partners (With Allah) and we are only their descendants;
will You then destroy us for what those liars did?" Thus, every child is
born with a natural belief in Allah and an inborn inclination to worship Him alone
called in Arabic the "Fitrah".
If the child were left alone, he would
worship Allah in his own way, but all children are affected by those things around
them, seen or unseen.
The Prophet (PBUH) reported that Allah said, "I
created my servants in the right religion but devils made them go astray".
The Prophet (PBUH) also said, "Each child is born in a state of "Fitrah",
then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian, the way an animal
gives birth to a normal offspring. Have you noticed any that were born mutilated?"
(Collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
So, just as the child submits to the
physical laws which Allah has put in nature, his soul also submits naturally to
the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, his parents try to make him
follow their own way and the child is not strong enough in the early stages of
his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. The religion which the child
follows at this stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allah does not hold
him to account or punish him for this religion.
Throughout people's lives
from childhood until the time they die, signs are shown to them in all regions
of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only
one true God (Allah). If the people are honest with themselves, reject their false
gods and seek Allah, the way will be made easy for them but if they continually
reject Allah's signs and continue to worship creation, the more difficult it will
be for them to escape. For example, in the South Eastern region of the Amazon
jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut to house
their main idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all creation. The homage
to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his
Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog walked into the hut, The young
man looked up in time to see the dog lift its hind leg and pass urine on the idol.
Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of the temple, but when his rage died down
he realized that the idol could not be the Lordof the universe. Allah must be
elsewhere. he now had a choice to act on his knowledge and seek Allah, or to dishonestly
go along with the false beliefs of his tribe. As strange as it may seem, that
was a sign from Allah for that young man. It contained within it divine guidance
that what he was worshipping was false.
Prophets were sent, as was earlier
mentioned, to every nation and tribe to support man's natural belief in Allah
and man's inborn inclination to worship Him as well as to reinforce the divine
truth in the daily signs revealed by Allah. Although, in most cases, much of the
prophets' teachings became distorted, portions remained which point out right
and wrong. For example, the ten commandments of the Torah, their confirmation
in the Gospels and the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery
in most societies. Consequently, every soul will be held to account for its belief
in Allah and its acceptance of the religion of Islam; the total submission to
the will of Allah.
We pray to Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path
to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from Him, He is indeed
the Most Merciful. Praise and gratitude be to Allah,the Lord of the worlds, and
peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammed, his Family, his companions, and those
who rightly follow them.
Curiosity
of: http://www.islamworld.net/true.html
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