Islam Protects Human Life

الخطبة الأولى

Part of the perfection and completeness of Allah's final message to mankind is that He made it "a mercy to all the nations".

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلاَّ رَحْمَةً لّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ [الأنبياء:107]

The "nations" ('aalameen) here means everything that Allah created and at the head of them are the sons of Adam - humans - with all their different colors, languages and nationalities.

The examples of this mercy are many in Allah's final message to mankind.  First and foremost among them is Islam's requirement to protect and preserve human life. This requirement does not only apply to its own people - as is the case either openly or in reality of most of the nations - but rather includes all of mankind.

The clearest sign of this mercy and this concern is the program of the entire prophetic sunnah unique in its sublime manifestations of concern for all human life. This is the sunnah that all Muslims are commanded to follow and prohibited from straying from regardless of whether they find themselves in times of peace and security or whether they find themselves in times of war and oppression.

In times of peace, we have the Prophet's stern warning against anyone who would dare to harm any non-Muslim who is under treaty protection, a visitor in the Islamic realm or one against whom there is any current state of war or who is not a combatant in such war.

((من قتل معاهداً لم يَرح رائحةَ الجنة، وإنَّ ريحَها يوجد من مسيرة أربعين عاماً))[1]،

As for times of war, the advice of the Prophet (sas) to his military commanders speaks for itself:

((اغزُوا في سبيل الله، وقاتِلوا من كفرَ بالله، اغزُوا ولا تغُلّوا ولا تغدِروا ولا تمثِّلوا ولا تقتُلوا وليداً)) الحديث[2].

وفي رواية لأحمد في مسنده وأبي داود في سننه: لمَّا رأى رسولُ الله امرأةً مقتولةً قال: ((ما كانت هذه لتقاتِل))، ثم قال لأحدهم: ((الحَق خالداً فقل له: لا تقتلوا ذرية ولا عسيفاً))[4] يعني أجيراً.

The khulufaa and rulers after the Prophet (sas) continued on this divinely ordered sunnah. For example, the advice of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq given to Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, one of his generals:

(إنِّي موصيك بعشر خلال: لا تقتل امرأة ولا صبياً ولا كبيراً هرماً، ولا تقطع شجراً مثمراً، ولا تخرّب عامراً، ولا تعقرنّ شاةً ولا بعيراً إلا لمأكلة ـ أي: لطعام ـ، ولا تعقرنّ نخلاً ولا تحرقه، ولا تغلل) أخرجه الإمام مالك في الموطأ[5].

Similarly, the advice of Umar ibn Al-Khattab to his military leaders and generals:

 (بسم الله، وعلى عون الله، سيروا بتأييد الله، وما النصر إلا من عند الله ولزومِ الحق والصبر، فقاتِلوا في سبيلِ الله من كفَر بالله، ولا تعتَدوا إنَّ اللهَ لا يحبّ المعتدين، ولا تجبُنوا عند اللقاء، ولا تمثِّلوا عند القدرة، ولا تسرفوا عند الظهور، ولا تقتُلوا هرماً ولا امرأة ولا وليداً، واجتنبوا قتلَهم إذا التقى الصفَّان وعند شنِّ الغارات)[6].

In fact, there is no Khalifa in any time period who did NOT offer such counsel to his military. Counsel which shows on the true and beautiful face of this deen - the greatness, the justice and the mercy which it demands from every Muslim - and especially those burdened with jihad in Allah's path.  As Allah put it:

وَقَـٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلاَ تَعْتَدُواْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ [البقرة:190].

It is only - and can ONLY be - fighting FOR Allah and in His path and His cause. It cannot be for material gain or imperialist purposes. It is JUST WAR and war for justice and peace and restricted to the means and methods which Allah has allowed. Only that can be called jihad truthfully. There is NO allowance for transgression, wanton destruction or immorality - as is seen from most of the armies and other fighters on the planet today.

Is not this deen whose Book and whose Messenger (his example) came with such light which drove darkness from the land appropriate and NEEDED that its light may once more spread on the earth as it did before?  This deen is the only one truly described with justice, peace, freedom and truth. It cannot be described with terrorism, murder and thirst for blood.  Whatever can be described that way is NOT Islam.

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم: يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِئُواْ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفْوٰهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَىٰ ٱللَّهُ إِلاَّ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ [التوبة:32].

نفعني الله وإياكم بهدي كتابه وبسنة نبيه ، أقول قولي هذا، وأستغفر الله العظيم الجليل لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه، إنه هو الغفور الرحيم.

الخطبة الثانية

الحمد لله الذي كتبَ الظهورَ لدينه إلى يوم الدّين، أحمَده سبحانَه يُعزُّ المؤمنين ويتولَّى الصالحين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلاً الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن نبينا محمداً عبده ورسوله، المبعوث رحمة للعالمين، اللهم صل وسلم على عبدك ورسولك سيدنا ونبينا محمد، وعلى آله وصحبه الأئمة الأخيار المتقين.

Dear brothers! Always fear Allah and seek knowledge of His deen. And always remember that no matter how much mud is slung in the face of the truth and how much propaganda of falsehood is aimed at it that victory, might and establishment belong to Allah's deen in the end of all affairs. Just as He send His dhikr and His final message to mankind on the tongue of His chosen and beloved Messenger Muhammad (sas), so likewise, He undertook an absolute pledge and self-imposed obligation (and NONE can impose upon Allah!) to PRESERVE this message and also for the final victory for this deen and its appearance on this earth and the raising high of its flag for all mankind. His promise is TRUTH and there is no possibility of changing or delaying what He has decreed.  Allah said:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى ٱلدّينِ كُلّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ [الصف:9].

So it is upon each and every one of us to understand our Lord and these promises of His and to promise and believe absolutely that his word is bond and what he decrees for us must be and whatever He does not decree can never be. And then dedicate yourself to undertake your role in this destiny and to obey Allah with steadfastness and patience with adversity in everything you due for Allah's sake. Do not allow despair or negativity into your heart. This is not the way of the believers nor the character of the people of taqwa.

ألا وصلوا وسلموا على خاتم النبيين ورحمة الله للعالمين، فقد أمرتم بذلك في الكتاب المبين، حيث قال الربّ الكريم قولاً كريماً: إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰئِكَـتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىّ يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً [الأحزاب:56].

اللهم صل وسلم على عبدك ورسولك سيّدنا ونبيّنا محمد، وارض اللهم عن خلفائه الأربعة...