Jesus Meets Muhammad (Chapter Six: Some Thoughts on Violence)

JESUS MEETS MUHAMMAD (CHAPTER SIX: SOME THOUGHTS on VIOLENCE))

"CONVERSATIONS" BETWEEN JESUS AND MUHAMMAD. A "FASCINATING" DISCUSSION

The Quran states: ‘Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors.’

However, this fatwa refers to the historical context in which the Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him) fought against other nations (my comment: and should be seen as such). The Prophet Muhammad did not initiate agression against anyone; rather he and his followers were under attack from all who sought to crush the new Islamic state.

Jihâd of a military nature was only permitted to help Muslims defend their religion and remove oppression from the people.

9:29 Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, [even if they are] of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Some people have falsely concluded from verse 9:29, that Muslims are commanded to attack all non-Muslims until they pay money. In fact, such an interpretation is completely false and contradicts authentic Islamic teachings.

The command to fight in verse 9:29 relates to those non-muslims who commit agression and not those who are committed to live in peace .

The laws of Islam forbid Muslims from opressing non-muslims and command them to treat others with justice and compassion. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad ‘pbuh’ himself forbade Muslims from harming non-muslim citizens of an Islamic state, or any non-muslim with whom there was an agreement of peace , as he said,

“The one who wrongs a covenanter or impairs his right or overworks him or forcibly takes something from him, I will be his prosecutor on the Day of Judgment.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 170/3 no. 3052, Sunan an-Nasa’i 25/8 no. 2749, and verified by Al-Albani no. 2626).

In conclusion, verse 9:29 commands Muslims to fight against only those who initiate agression as illustrated by its historical context. Muslims may only fight under strict conditions, and are commanded to live peacefully with peaceful non-muslim neighbors.
Finally, freedom of religion is an essential aspect in an Islamic state.

Sourced from: http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/quran_929_comment...

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm

and
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-Advocate-Of-Islam/1301088
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Jesus: Muhammad, we should and I think BOTH of us DO preach a message of forgiveness … as this is the only way "the endless circle of violence and hatred" between our descendants, Israelis and Palestinians can and will one day be broken. Also between conflicts and division in so many other tribes and nations around the globe too.

And we both know that this simple message does take a long time to filter, to seep through to people‘s mindsets; but then it seeps and spreads rapidly through the consciousness of a nation (as in South Africa). This path is the right way to move ahead… TODAY. And it‘s the ONLY way to start building a new generation, a new generation who understand how to forgive... and one that knows how to love.

“When people’s hearts are full of love, the world is filled with hope.”

Shared by craig

About the submitter:
In his various writings, little by little, one mind, one heart, one soul at a time, Craig strives to break down and economic, social, cultural and religious barriers. Craig believes that whilst we should celebrate our differences, what we share in the form of our common humanity is way more important than what divides us.
He is currently "writing" 'Jesus Meets Muhammad'.

The submitter's blog (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) is at http://en.search.wordpress.com/?q=%22craig+lock%22&t=post and http://craiglock.wordpress.com

"What we believe is not nearly as important as how we relate, interact with each other... and how we live. Only when we can say, 'I am first and foremost a human being, and second a Jew, Muslim, Shi'ite, a Sunni, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu ,or a Sikh...' will we progress and break down barriers between peoples, nations and cultures, both east and west. Let not our beliefs , but our shared humanity (ALL of us) define who we really are. "- craig

" Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it's an ongoing state of mind. A long and ardous journey that starts with a single large step - in spite of immense pain, the decision to forgive, a commitment to the ideal... and one that gives freedom... to the forgiven, yet also to the forgiver."

"When you forgive (another person or country), you empty your mind of negative thoughts (perhaps even thoughts as strong as hate). Then the infinite Spirit of God makes a fresh space in our hearts to allow new positive feelings to take their place.. to pour into our hearts. The 'freed' person then moves forward with a new spirit...which takes root in people's minds, hearts, spirits and even in the deepest recesses of their souls."craig

Together, one mind, one heart, one life at a time, let's plant the seeds, the hope of a better and brighter future.