Understand the subject before judging it.

Submitted by Hamza Zuberi (United Kingdom), Nov 10, 2005 at 00:38

Unless and until we realise what the Quran truly is, we cannot distinguish between the criminal elements hiding amongst us, and the true muslims. The Quran is often described as "the final word of God", and "a rulebook for life". Yet, the truth is that these and other such descriptions can only be valid if we accept that the Quran is not meant to be used at RANDOM by half-baked Muslim scholars to issue hate-filled "religious" decrees.

The Quran is the story of the life of Prophet Muhammad. The Quran was not revealed in one go, but over a period of 22 to 23 years, with each topic being revealed depending on the current situation in Prophet Muhammad's life. Just as each verse in the Quran applies to a specific scenario faced by the Prophet and his followers, Muslim today need to realise that this is exactly how the Quran should be used.

For example, the widely quoted verse "...kill them wherever you find them..." does not mean that a Muslim's mission in life is to go around slaughtering all non-muslims. This verse was revealed during a war situation and applied only to COMBATANTS. Islam very clearly prohibits killing women, children, and old and sick men. Animals, crops, buildings, trees, everything is deemed sacred and cannot be harmed in anyway. Even unarmed combatants are to be shown mercy. Furthermore, suicide is also banned in Islam. So anyone who condones suicide bombings, especially those targeting civilians, is actually a criminal against God and mankind, and not a Muslim except by name.

There is a lot that I can say here, but the point i'm trying to make is that the Quran is "the book of life" for those muslims alone who accept that it is the story of the Prophet's life. We cannot flip through the pages of the Quran, stop and pick a verse at random and say to ourselves "Ok! This is my mission for today!" That is not how Islam works and those who believe that Islam preaches terror and oppression, say so because the muslims they know are either confused themselves, or actually one of the hidden criminals.

It is best not to say anything at all, when you don't know anything about the topic. Ignorance should be practised silently and conversation should be left to those who actually know what they're talking about. Otherwise things will only get worse and the innocent will continue to suffer, while the corrupt go from bad to worse.

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