Islam is a religion for all human everywhere and every time.

Not Muslims

Not knowledge Not angels

Not middle east only

Not ancient time only

(1) Islam not Muslims(1) Islam not Muslims

• Islam is a religion, but Muslims are the people who follow this religion.

• And we need to follow the religion, not the followers of the religion.

• So why do we need to follow Islam not Muslims?

• There are three reasons for that.

The First Reason

• Islam, as God and his prophet transmitted it to us, is perfect. That is why the last verse that the prophet Muhammad received from God in the Quran was this verse:

نعمتي عليكم وأتممت دينكم لكم أكملت اليومدينا اإلسالم لكم ورضيت

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. (5:3)

• And that is why Prophet Muhammad said in his last sermon “the farewell speech”:

عليه الله صلى ه الل رسول أن بلغه ه أن مالك، عن وحدثنيقال بهما " وسلم كتم تمس ما وا تضل لن أمرين فيكم تركت

ه " . نبي ة وسن ه الل كتابYahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, "I have left two matters with you. As long as you hold to them, you will not go the wrong way. They are the Book of God and the traditions of His Prophet."

• But on the other hand, Muslims are not perfect, because they are a nation, like every nation, they have good people and bad people... honest and lairs... stupid and smart… leaders and followers… sincere and hypocrites … peaceful and terrorists … etc.

• So, like what happens in every religion and every county, there are some Muslim scholars say an opinion just to please their political leaders, or to follow the public opinion, just to keep their positions. God described these types of people in Quran when he said:

ن� ل�و ن� ع� ن ل�وا ن ا ن�ا ن� ن�ا ع� ل� �� ن إ�ا � إ� إ� إ�ي ن� ن�ن ل��وا ن� ن ل"ا إ�ي ن$ ل%ا ن� ن& إ� �� ن ال إ) نا آا إ* عوا ن+ ن, ع- اThey have purchased with the verses of God a small price and averted [people] from His way. Indeed, it was evil that they were doing. (9:9)

• Of course, there are very good and respected Muslim scholars who refuse to purchase with the verses of God a small price, and they pay the price, such Imam Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal who was locked down; just because his opinion did not please the caliph.

• But, even such these scholars, they are still human beings like me and like you.

• They are not gods, or prophets, or angels. They are not perfect.

• They have a lot of right opinions and some mistakes. • That is why they do not agree with each other sometimes.

والس%ة خذوا" الك,اب وا ق �ا أاي، كل ر أاصيب، ا�ظ+وا ي و أ@اخطئ *ش+ أ@ا�ا �@ا��ا". والس%ة ات+ وه الك,اب وا ق ل� و�ا ،�*

“Surely I am only a man: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: all that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it.''

Imam Mālik ibn Anas said:

• Also, he said:

. الق�+ : " هذا صاحب �الا و+د $ول� �ن ؤخذ ل �الك �ا�ام ال "$ال''Everyone after the Prophet will have his sayings accepted and rejected – except the Prophet.''

• 25 years after prophet’s death, his companions fought against each other in the Battle of the Camel.

• Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abd Allah ibn Abbas and ʻAmmār ibn Yāsir were in one army against the mothers of the believers ‘Ā’ishah bint Abī Bakr, Talha bin Obaidullah and Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Awam.

• Ali ibn Abi Talib was asked: ““Is it possible that all these companions of Prophet Muhammad have all gathered together for falsehood? How can they be wrong? Is such a thing possible?” Imam Ali gave such a powerful response. He said:

.. .. تعرف الحق فاعرف بالحق الرجال يعرف وإنما بالرجال اليعرف الحقأهله

“The truth is not to be known by the men, but the men are to be known by the truth. Get to know the truth, and then you would know the people of truth.”Which means that the truth is not to be measured by the values and personalities of men, but the values and personalities of men are to be measured by the truth.

The Second Reason• Muslims now are divided into many different sects and

schools of thoughts after the prophet’s death, even though God in the Quran warned them of these divisions and splits.

المشركين من تكونوا دينهم . وال قوا فر ذين ال منفرحون لديهم بما حزب كل �وكانواشيعا

Do not be of those who associate others with God. [Or] of those who have divided their religion and become sects, every faction rejoicing in what it has. (30:29-32)

• Also, He said:قون فات كم رب وأنا واحدة أمة أمتكم هذه وإن

لديهم بما حزب كل بينهمزبرا أمرهم �فتقطعوافرحون

And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me." But the people divided their religion among them into sects - each faction, in what it has, rejoicing. (23:51-53)

• The first split was resulted in the conflict for leadership after the prophet’s death.

• The Muslims was divided into two sects: a sect believed that the leader for Muslim nation should be from his household (family), and another sect does not agree about that.

• The first sect is called “Shia”, and the other sect is called “Sunni”.

• This split started more political than theological, but over time theological differences have developed.

• The second split started when some Muslims tried to interpret the Quran.

• The Muslims was divided into two schools of thoughts: The school of thoughts that refuses any interpretation of the

Quran is called “Salfi” (predecessors). They understand Quran literally (outward aspects its apparent meaning), and they explain its meanings linguistically using another portion of the Quran, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, or saying of his companions.

On the other hand, the school of thoughts that tried to interpret the Quran was divided into 2 different schools of thoughts: o“Mu'tazila” who interprets the Quran based on reason and

rational thought, oand “Sufi” (Mystical) who interprets the Quran based on inner

esoteric.

Schools of Islamic theologyThey refuses any interpretation of Quran They tried to

interpret the Quran

They understand Quran literally (outward

aspects its apparent meaning), and they

explain its meanings of linguistically using

another portion of the Quran, or sayings of

the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, or saying of

the Companions.

based on

reason and

rational

thought

based on

inner

esoteric

Salfi Mu'tazila Sufi

• Of course, each split started very shallow, and then went deeper, because each sect and school of thought goes farther and extreme in their opinions.

The Third Reason

• the Muslims civilization’s stage now is in very low and down level... the aging level; because it is frozen for 8 centuries now. But Islam is a religion whose dogmas can be proven by reasoning. That is why the Quran reproved the slavish imitation of tradition, and encourage us to think; because the reason is the way for the faith in Islam.

ألفينا ما بع نت بل قالوا ه الل أنزل ما بعوا ات لهم قيل وإذاوال شيئا يعقلون ال آباؤهم كان أولو �عليهآباءVنا

ال . بما ينعق ذي ال كمثل كفروا ذين ال ومثل يهتدونيعقلون ال فهم عمي بكم صم Vدعاءونداء إال �يسمع

And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers did not have any sense, nor were they guided? The example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries cattle or sheep - deaf, dumb and blind, so they have no sense. (2:170-171)

• Also, the God asked Muslims in the Quran to think about his creations (the human body, the nature …etc) to find the laws that God set up for them. This law is what we called “science”.

يل الل واختالف واألرض ماوات الس خلق في إناس الن ينفع بما البحر في تجري تي ال والفلك هار والن

بعد األرض به فأحيا ماء من ماء الس من ه الل أنزل وماياح الر وتصريف ة داب كل من فيها وبث موتها

م@@@@م ع@@و ن@@ق ل@@ل م@@@) ا@@ آان@ ن@@@@ل R@@@@@إ نأاع@@ر ع@@@@ل ا@@ ن@@و إ@@� ا@@ ن@@� ن@@@@�س ا@@ل@@ ن@@@ن ع@@ي ن@* إ@@@+ ن@@�خ ن@@@@س ل@@� ع@@ل ا@@ إ@@@ب ا@@ S@@ن ن@@@@�س ا@@ل@@ ن@@ويعقلون

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what God has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason. (2:164)

• We see different Muslims sects called each other disbelievers, kill each other, and bomb each other’s mosques, even though the prophet Muhammad said:

صلى النبي أن عنه الله رضي الثقفى الحارث بن نفيع بكرة أبي وعن " : والمقتول فالقاتل بسيفيهما المسلمان التقى إذ قال وسلم عليه الله

" : " إنه قال المقتول؟ بال فما القاتل هذا الله، يارسول قلت النار في." صاحبه قتل على حريصا كان

Abu Bakrah Ath-Thaqafi (May God be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet said: "If two Muslims meet each other with their swords then (both) the killer and the killed one are in the (Hell) Fire." I said, "O Allah's Messenger! it is alright for the killer, but what about the killed one?" He said, "The killed one was eager to kill his opponent." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 83, Hadith 14)

• We see a Muslim group kill people because they refused to convert to Islam, even though the Quran said:

لي Tن عل ا نن إ� �ل ع- ل�+ ال نن �ي ن ن� �ت ن �ن$ � إن �ل ال إ ي نه ن+ا ع إ�ا نلاThere shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. (2:256)

• Islam has 1500 years history, and there was no one Islamic terrorist before Osama bin Laden changed the Jihad to be terrorism.

• Based on all these behaviors, we can tell that Muslims changed now, and they do not behave in the Islamic manners.

• It is very sad, but true, to say that we –Muslims– are a big reason behind Islamophobia.

• Our bad behavior makes people hate Islam. • When people see our bad behaviors they think these are the

behaviors of Islam. • That is why some of western converters said:

• Also, Imam Muhammad Abduh said in the last century: “I praised God; because I convert to Islam before I met Muslims.”

“I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam.”

• The problem is that each Muslim looks at Islam through a very small window.

• This window could be his personality, his sect, his school of thought, his era, or the stage of his civilization.

• That is why we need to judge Muslims by Islam, not to judge Islam by Muslims.

• We need to follow Islam not Muslims. • But what if we cannot understand the Quran or the

prophet’s traditions? Cannot we depend on the scholars’

• But what if we cannot understand the Quran or the prophet’s traditions? Cannot we depend on the scholars’ explanations?

• Of course we need their opinions to understand our religion.

• But we do not accept any opinion of any scholar without a proof from the Quran or the prophet’s traditions.

• But we need to be careful, because some people they says their opinion, and then say a Quranic verse as a proof to their opinion.

• But when you think, to find the connection between this opinion and this verse, you find this verse does actually not prove this opinion.