The Dark Danger: Bigotry: God Loves Music, and Causes His Servants to Love It
Contents
- The Misunderstood Islam
- The Two Basic Concepts Misused by Those Who Portray Islam as a Violent Faith: Sharia and Jihad
- Islam: The Religion of Ease
- The True Sharia in the Qur'an
- What Does the True Qur'anic Sharia Bring to A Country?
- The True Jihad in the Qur'an
- An Examination of Verse 95 of Surat an-Nisa'
- An Examination of Verse 52 of Surat al-Furqan
- A Muslim Has a Responsibility to Believe in Every Verse of the Qur'an, Without Exception
- The Qur'an Is a "Preserved" Book
- The Mistakes in Differentiating between the "Meccan Period Muslims" and "Medinan Period Muslims"
- The Harsh Testing of Muslims in the Meccan Period
- The Medinan Period and the Battles
- Who Were Battles Fought Against?
- The Description of War in the Qur'an
- Polytheists with Whom Agreements Were Made
- The First Multilateral and Most Democratic Constitution Ever: The Constitution of Medina
- Verses about War and the Interpretation Thereof
- There Is No Justification for War in Islam Except for Self-Defense
- War for Ideological or Ethnic Superiority?
- One of the Main Causes of Radicalism: Tribal Culture
- War for the Purpose of Spreading the Rules of Islam to be Introduced by A Muslim Leader?
- War for the Elimination of Enemies?
- Who Desires War?
- Conclusion
- The False Faith of the Fanatics
- Fabricated Hadiths that Shape the Religion of the Fanatics
- Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Not Allow Any Hadith To Be Written Down
- The Rightly-Guided Caliphs Did Not Allow the Writing of Hadiths
- Some of the Companions of Our Prophet (pbuh) Objected to Collecting Hadith
- The Idolaters and Hypocrites Tried to Harass Our Prophet (pbuh)
- Where Did Fabricated Hadiths Come from?
- Differences between the Islamic Schools of Thought
- Those Who Seek Commandments outside the Qur'an Must Turn to the Truth of the Faith
- Radicals Seek to Hold on to "What They Learned from Their Forefathers"
- The Islamic World's Abandonment of the Qur'an
- The Qur'an Is Our Guide and Should Be in Our Hands at All Times
- A Major Problem: The Defamatory Idea that the Hadiths Have Abrogated Verses
- Understanding the Limits of the Fanatical Mindset
- The Killing of People Who Drink Alcohol
- The Killing of People Who Commit Adultery
- Adultery in the Eyes of the Qur'an
- The Killing of People Who Steal
- The Killing of Apostates
- The Killing of Those Who Cease to Pray
- The Beating of Children Who Stop Praying
- The Killing of People Who Do Not Give Alms
- The Imprisonment and Starvation of Those Who Do Not Fast
- The Killing of People Who Abjure the Faith When Drunk
- The Killing of Those Who Speak Improperly about the Prophet without Calling on Him to Repent
- The Superstition of "Accursed Animals" in the Religion of the Fanatics
- Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Away with the Cruel Customs that Mistreated Animals
- Our Prophet (pbuh) Forbade Animals from Being Overworked
- Working Animals' Right to Rest
- Our Prophet (pbuh) Prohibited the Abuse and Mistreatment of Animals
- Our Prophet's (pbuh) Cat, "Muezza"
- Our Prophet's (pbuh) Affection toward a Mother Bird and Her Young
- The Baby Goat
- A Starving Camel and Its Owner
- A Sleeping Antelope
- A Donkey Branded on the Face
- Treating Animals Well
- The Foul Nature of the Fanatic
- A Dirty Conception of Faith and A Low-Quality Conception of Being a Muslim
- Women Are One of the Finest Blessings in This World
- Women in the Qur'an
- The Idea that Women Are Deficient in Intelligence and Faith
- The Idea that Women Are Crooked
- Hadiths and Claims Fabricated to Debase Women
- The Idea that Women Are a Barrier to People Living by the Faith
- The Idea that One Should Never Be Guided by Women
- The Defamatory Idea that Women Are Second-Class Citizens and that God Has Left Women Backward
- Allegations Prohibiting Women from Adorning Themselves
- The Fanatics' Idea of How Muslim Women Should Treat Their Husbands
- The Rights and Superiority Bestowed on Women in the Qur'an Are Nowhere in the Religion of the Fanatic
- The Position of a Woman Who Divorces Her Husband
- A Woman Being Regarded as a Sinner until Her Husband Is Pleased with Her
- Women Being Unable to Go out, and the Idea They Are Prone to Deception by Satan
- The Idea that A Woman Is Misfortune and Annuls Prayer
- Examples of the Fanatical Mindset that Compares Women to Animals
- Verses Addressing the Wives of Our Prophet (pbuh)
- Conclusion: The Qur'an Attaches the Greatest Value to Women
- The Addition of the Word "Headscarf" to Translations of the Qur'an As a Means of Restricting Women
- Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 1st Part
- "Khimar" / Cover
- "Yadribna" / To strike
- "Juyub" / Collar opening
- Misleading or Incorrect Translations Based on Fabricated Hadiths
- A False Interpretation: "That They Should Draw Their Head Coverings"
- 1-Care over the Use of Words in Arabic
- 2-Examination of Words in the Qur'an Through Other Verses
- 3-Care Being Taken Over Ascribing Meaning to Arabic Words in Parenthesis
- Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 2nd Part
- Misinterpretations Regarding "Women's Adornments"
- The Idea that Women Are Instruments of Trial
- The Error of Making Adornments and Accessories Unlawful
- How Is the Word "Ornament" Used in the Qur'an?
- The Region Referred to in Verse 31 of Surat an-Nur
- Fabricated Hadiths on the Subject of the Head-Covering and Their Internal Inconsistencies
- Forbidden Things Are Not Left Obscure in the Qur'an
- The Desire to Shut Only Women and Their Bodies Away
- The Qur'an Refers to the Jilbab, Not to the Headscarf
- Surat al-Ahzab Verse 59
- Espousing the Head-Covering but Never Mentioning the "Jilbab"
- Which Important Topics Do Some of the Passionate Defenders of the Headscarf Never Talk About?
- A Muslim Woman Knows How to Dress in Accordance with the Qur'an
- The "Two Women = One Man" Error
- Women and Witness Testimony in Loans
- Women's Inheritance Rights
- A Woman's Right to Divorce
- Divorce and the Protection of Women Thereafter
- Women Being Kept Happy and Content in the Event of Divorce
- Women Being Given Financial Security after Divorce
- Assets Given to Women Must Not Be Taken back after Divorce
- Ensuring Women Have a Place to Live after Divorce
- Women Not Being Inherited by Force
- The Value Placed on Mothers
- The Slander of Male Superiority and the Nonsense about Beating Women
- The Idea of Male Superiority
- The False Idea of the "Beating of Women"
- Other Misconceptions concerning Women
- Sayings of Our Prophet (pbuh) in Praise of Women
- The Fanatics' Hatred of Art
- The Idea that Joking, Humor and Laughter Must Be Avoided
- According to the Qur'an Grief and Unhappiness Are Attributes of Unbelievers Alone
- The Joy in Paradise and the True Meaning of Sorrow
- The Idea of Avoiding Humor
- The Allegation that Music and Poetry Are Forbidden
- The Dishonesty of Fanatics Who Seek to Ban Music
- God Loves Music, and Causes His Servants to Love It
- The Idea that Painting and Sculpture Are Unlawful
- The Idea that Gold and Silk Are Prohibited
- Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Pleasant Scent
- Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Tattoos, Removal of Facial Hair, Esthetic Dental Work
- Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Women from Going out of Doors in Attractive Clothes
- Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Lose Paradise by Preoccupying Themselves with Gold and Clothes
- Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Should not be Given Nice Clothes
- If the Spirit of the Fanatics Dominated This World
- Make-up, Grooming, Cleanliness, Modernity and Culture, "Quality" for Short, Are All Requirements of Islam
- Women Are Lovely Beings, of course They Must Be Well-Groomed
- The Horrifying Nature of the Misogyny of the Fanatical Mindset
- The Perversion that Leads to Running inside and Locking the Doors upon Seeing a Boy
- The Lie that Young Boys are Accompanied by Eighteen Satans
- The Perversion that Claims Boys Can Be 19 Times More Seductive than Women
- The Perversion that Claims ‘Young Boys Are Same as Women’ And ‘Boys Can Be Lusted After just like Women’
- The Claim that a Young Boy's Voice is Forbidden
- Muslims Have the Right to Wear Attractive Stylish Clothing and Own Fine Cars and Nice Homes
- Jews and Christians in the Religion of the Fanatics
- Responses from the Qur'an to Those Who Look to the Qur'an for Enmity toward the Jews
- The Comparison with "Monkeys and Pigs" and What the Qur'an Really Says about the People of the Book
- Examination of Verse 60 of Surat al-Ma'ida
- Jews Who Are Praised
- Examination of Verse 166 of Surat al-A'raf
- Examination of Verse 65 of Surat al-Baqara
- The Error of the Jews Being Cursed
- An Examination of Verse 88 of Surat al-Baqara
- Examination of Verse 155 of Surat an-Nisa'
- The Idea of Not Taking Jews and Christians As Friends
- Misunderstandings About War and the Jizya
- What Does the Expression "The Religion with God Is Islam" Mean?
- The Idea of Killing Jews Who Enter Adolescence
- The Idea of Making Jews Responsible for the Sins of Muslims
- The Idea that Food Is Spoiled because of Jews
- The Idea that Two Faiths Should Not Co-exist in Arab Lands
- The Idea that Calling Someone a Jew Is an Insult and that Cursing Jews Is a Source of Reward
- The Idea of Forcing Them onto the Narrow Part of the Road
- The Gharqad, the Tree of the Jews
- Muslim Men Can Marry Women of the Book; Muslims Can Eat the Food of the People of the Book and They Can Eat the Food of Muslims
- Muslims' Invitation to the People of the Book
- The Just Behavior of Muslims toward the People of the Book
- Muslims Are Obliged To Protect Churches and Synagogues; It Is a Sin To Attack Places of Worship
- Our Prophet's (pbuh) Relations with the People of the Book
- The Gospel and the Torah in the Qur'an
- Our Prophet's Practices concerning the Torah and the Gospel
- The Jews Enjoy the Right to Live in the Holy Land in the Qur'an
- Afterword
Music and dance are blessings of paradise made lawful in Islam. It is God Who creates music, songs, musical instruments, fine costumes, adornments, dance and all lovely things. He makes people love all these blessings and has created the soul in such a way as to enjoy these delights.
The Torah also describes how the Prophet David (pbuh) sang psalms to the accompaniment of lyres, timbrels, cymbals and sistrums, and how he danced before God; it also says how there were people who envied that dancing. In the same way that there are people in Muslim societies today who try to ban what is lawful, so we learn from the Torah of the existence in those days of people who foolishly tried to ban music and dancing among the Jews. They even foolishly criticized the actions of a prophet.
... David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.... (Torah, 2. Samuel, 6:5) Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the Ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the Ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal*, daughter of Saul, watched from a window. And when she saw King David LEAPING AND DANCING before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. (Torah, 2. Samuel, 6:14-16)
- Michal, daughter of Saul, is one of the wives of David When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, Who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor." (Torah, 2.
Samuel, 6: 20-22)
They moved the Ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
(Torah, 1. Chronicles 13:7-8)
So all Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. As the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart. (Torah, 1. Chronicles 15:28-29)
People at that time, including the Prophet David's own wife, looked down on his enjoying himself and dancing with great joy. Yet God praises this fun-filled environment in the Torah, and the way that the Prophet David obeyed God's commandments about music and dance means that he behaved in the very best way. However, those who looked on from the outside, who had no faith in David's prophethood and who strove to fabricate a fanatic religion of their own invention, criticized this behavior of his.
The same criticism directed against the prophets is also turned against the Muslims of the Qur'an today. Preferring bigotry over the faith in the Qur'an has been one of the worst scourges over the course of history; women, dance and music are some of the areas where this scourge is most pronounced.
Yet, as with the example of the Prophet David (pbuh), our Prophet (pbuh) also delighted in music and dance, a blessing from God. Indeed, the hadiths speak of our Prophet's (pbuh) companions dancing, and there are even reports of the Prophet (pbuh) himself encouraging dancing and fun. Since these are in agreement with the Qur'an, there is every likelihood that these words in the hadiths, just a few of which are quoted below, are trustworthy.
Narrated by Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari:
Amir ibn Sa'd said:
"Going in and finding Qarazah ibn Ka'b and Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari at a wedding where girls were singing" I said, "Is this being done in the presence of you two who are companions of God's Messenger (pbuh) and were present at Badr?" They replied, "Sit down if you wish and listen along with us, or go away if you wish, for we have been given license (or permission) for amusement at a wedding." (At-Tirmidhi Hadith 3159) Narrated Salama: We went out with the Prophet to Khaibar. A man (from the companions) said, "O 'Amir! Let us hear some of your Huda (camel-driving songs.)" So he sang some of them (i.e. a lyric in harmony with the camels' walk). The Prophet said, "Who is the driver (of these camels)?" They said, "Amir." The Prophet said, "May God bestow His Mercy on him!" (Sahih Bukhari, Book 83, Hadith 29)
Aisha (ra) relates: The Messenger of God (pbuh) called on the women of Ansar at a wedding. They were singing songs... (Sunan Ibn Majah, Nikah: 21, Sahih Bukhari, Nikah: 48, al-Maghazi: 12) Narrated Ar-Rubai bint Muauwidh: The Prophet (pbuh) came to me after consuming his marriage with me and sat down on my bed as you (the sub-narrator) are sitting now, and small girls were beating the tambourine and singing... (Sahih Bukhari, Book 59, Hadith 336)
Narrated by Aisha (ra): I had a girl of the Ansar whom I gave in marriage, and God's Messenger (pbuh) said, "Why do you not sing, Aisha, for this clan of the Ansar like singing?" (At-Tirmidhi Hadith 3154) Anas narrates that when the Prophet (pbuh) first came to Medina the Ansar came out, men and women. … The women of Banu al-Najjar came out banging their drums and singing: "We are the girls of the Sons of Najjar. O delight of Muhammad for a neighbor!" The Prophet (pbuh) came out and said: "Do you love me?" They replied: "Yea, by God, O Messenger of God!"At this he said: "God knows that my heart loves you." (Sunan Ibn Majah, book of Nikah, Hadith 1889)