amberamin

Every time I reply to your post Thesius you just change the topic.Now you started the rights of women in Islam.Here's your reply. The Status of Women in Islam I. INTRODUCTION The status of women in society is neither a new issue nor is it a fully settled one. The position of Islam on this issue has been among the subjects presented to the Western reader with the least objectivity. This paper is intended to provide a brief and authentic exposition of what Islam stands for in this regard. The teachings of Islam are based essentially on the Quran (God's revelation) and Hadith (elaboration by Prophet Muhammad). The Quran and the Hadith, properly and unbiasedly understood, provide the basic source of authentication for any position or view which is attributed to Islam. The paper starts with a brief survey of the status of women in the pre-Islamic era. It then focuses on these major questions: What is the position of Islam regarding the status of woman in society? How similar or different is that position from "the spirit of the time," which was dominant when Islam was revealed? How would this compare with the "rights" which were finally gained by woman in recent decades? II. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES One major objective of this paper is to provide a fair evaluation of what Islam contributed (or failed to contribute) toward the restoration of woman's dignity and rights. In order to achieve this objective, it may be useful to review briefly how women were treated in general in previous civilizations and religions, especially those which preceded Islam (Pre-610 C.E.). Part of the information provided here, however, describes the status of woman as late as the nineteenth century, more than twelve centuries after Islam. Women in Ancient Civilization Describing the status of the Indian woman, Encyclopedia Britannica states: In India, subjection was a cardinal principle. Day and night must women be held by their protectors in a state of dependence says Manu. The rule of inheritance was agnatic, that is descent traced through males to the exclusion of females. In Hindu scriptures, the description of a good wife is as follows: "a woman whose mind, speech and body are kept in subjection, acquires high renown in this world, and, in the next, the same abode with her husband." In Athens, women were not better off than either the Indian or the Roman women. Athenian women were always minors, subject to some male - to their father, to their brother, or to some of their male kin. Her consent in marriage was not generally thought to be necessary and "she was obliged to submit to the wishes of her parents, and receive from them her husband and her lord, even though he were stranger to her." A Roman wife was described by an historian as: "a babe, a minor, a ward, a person incapable of doing or acting anything according to her own individual taste, a person continually under the tutelage and guardianship of her husband." In the Encyclopedia Britannica, we find a summary of the legal status of women in the Roman civilization: In Roman Law a woman was even in historic times completely dependent. If married she and her property passed into the power of her husband... the wife was the purchased property of her husband, and like a slave acquired only for his benefit. A woman could not exercise any civil or public office, could not be a witness, surety, tutor, or curator; she could not adopt or be adopted, or make will or contract. Among the Scandinavian races women were: under perpetual tutelage, whether married or unmarried. As late as the Code of Christian V, at the end of the 17th Century, it was enacted that if a woman married without the consent of her tutor he might have, if he wished, administration and usufruct of her goods during her life. According to the English Common Law: ...all real property which a wife held at the time of a marriage became a possession of her husband. He was entitled to the rent from the land and to any profit which might be made from operating the estate during the joint life of the spouses. As time passed, the English courts devised means to forbid a husband's transferring real property without the consent of his wife, but he still retained the right to manage it and to receive the money which it produced. As to a wife's personal property, the husband's power was complete. He had the right to spend it as he saw fit. Only by the late nineteenth Century did the situation start to improve. "By a series of acts starting with the Married women's Property Act in 1870, amended in 1882 and 1887, married women achieved the right to own property and to enter contracts on a par with spinsters, widows, and divorcees." As late as the Nineteenth Century an authority in ancient law, Sir Henry Maine, wrote: "No society which preserves any tincture of Christian institutions is likely to restore to married women the personal liberty conferred on them by the Middle Roman Law." In his essay The Subjection of Women, John Stuart Mill wrote: We are continually told that civilization and Christianity have restored to the woman her just rights. Meanwhile the wife is the actual bondservant of her husband; no less so, as far as the legal obligation goes, than slaves commonly so called. Before moving on to the Quranic decrees concerning the status of woman, a few Biblical decrees may shed more light on the subject, thus providing a better basis for an impartial evaluation. In the Mosaic Law, the wife was betrothed. Explaining this concept, the Encyclopedia Biblical states: "To betroth a wife to oneself meant simply to acquire possession of her by payment of the purchase money; the betrothed is a girl for whom the purchase money has been paid." From the legal point of view, the consent of the girl was not necessary for the validation of her marriage. "The girl's consent is unnecessary and the need for it is nowhere suggested in the Law." As to the right of divorce, we read in the Encyclopedia Biblical: "The woman being man's property, his right to divorce her follows as a matter of course." The right to divorce was held only by man. "In the Mosaic Law divorce was a privilege of the husband only.... " The position of the Christian Church until recent centuries seems to have been influenced by both the Mosaic Law and by the streams of thought that were dominant in its contemporary cultures. In their book, Marriage East and West, David and Vera Mace wrote: Let no one suppose, either, that our Christian heritage is free of such slighting judgments. It would be hard to find anywhere a collection of more degrading references to the female sex than the early Church Fathers provide. Lecky, the famous historian, speaks of (these fierce incentives which form so conspicuous and so grotesque a portion of the writing of the Fathers... woman was represented as the door of hell, as the mother of all human ills. She should be ashamed at the very thought that she is a woman. She should live in continual penance on account of the curses she has brought upon the world. She should be ashamed of her dress, for it is the memorial of her fall. She should be especially ashamed of her beauty, for it is the most potent instrument of the devil). One of the most scathing of these attacks on woman is that of Tertullian: (Do you know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil's gateway: you are the unsealer of that forbidden tree; you are the first deserters of the divine law; you are she who persuades him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man. On account of your desert - that is death - even the Son of God had to die). Not only did the church affirm the inferior status of woman, it deprived her of legal rights she had previously enjoyed. III. WOMAN IN ISLAM In the midst of the darkness that engulfed the world, the divine revelation echoed in the wide desert of Arabia with a fresh, noble, and universal message to humanity: "O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate (of same kind) and from them twain has spread a multitude of men and women...". [Noble Quran 4:1] A scholar who pondered about this verse states: "It is believed that there is no text, old or new, that deals with the humanity of the woman from all aspects with such amazing brevity, eloquence, depth, and originality as this divine decree." Stressing this noble and natural conception, them Quran states: "He (God) it is who did create you from a single soul and therefrom did create his mate, that he might dwell with her (in love)..." [Noble Quran 7:189] "The Creator of heavens and earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves"[Noble Quran 42:11] "And Allah has given you mates of your own nature, and has given you from your mates, children and grandchildren, and has made provision of good things for you. Is it then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of God that they disbelieve?" [Noble Quran 16:72] The rest of this paper outlines the position of Islam regarding the status of woman in society from its various aspects - spiritually, socially, economically and politically. 1. The Spiritual Aspect The Quran provides clear-cut evidence that woman is completely equated with man in the sight of God in terms of her rights and responsibilities. The Quran states: "Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds" [Noble Quran 74:38] It also states: "...So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I will not suffer to be lost the work of any of you whether male or female. You proceed one from another..." [Noble Quran 3:195] "Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to their actions." [Noble Quran 16:97, see also 4:124] Woman according to the Quran is not blamed for Adam's first mistake. Both were jointly wrong in their disobedience to God, both repented, and both were forgiven. [Noble Quran 2:36, 7:20-24] In one verse in fact [20:121], Adam specifically, was blamed. In terms of religious obligations, such as the Daily Prayers, Fasting, Poor-due, and Pilgrimage, woman is no different from man. In some cases indeed, woman has certain advantages over man. For example, the woman is exempted from the daily prayers and from fasting during her menstrual periods and forty days after childbirth. She is also exempted from fasting during her pregnancy and when she is nursing her baby if there is any threat to her health or her baby's. If the missed fasting is obligatory (during the month of Ramadan), she can make up for the missed days whenever she can. She does not have to make up for the prayers missed for any of the above reasons. Although women can and did go into the mosque during the days of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and thereafter attendance at the Friday congregational prayers is optional for them while it is mandatory for men (on Friday). This is clearly a tender touch of the Islamic teachings for they are considerate of the fact that a woman may be nursing her baby or caring for him, and thus may be unable to go out to the mosque at the time of the prayers. They also take into account the physiological and psychological changes associated with her natural female functions. 2. The Social Aspect a) As a child and an adolescent Despite the social acceptance of female infanticide among some Arabian tribes, the Quran forbade this custom, and considered it a crime like any other murder. "And when the female (infant) buried alive - is questioned, for what crime she was killed."[Noble Quran 81:8-9] Criticizing the attitudes of such parents who reject their female children, the Quran states: "When news is brought to one of them, of (the Birth of) a female (child), his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on (sufferance) and contempt, or bury her in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on?" [Noble Quran 16:58-59] Far from saving the girl's life so that she may later suffer injustice and inequality, Islam requires kind and just treatment for her. Among the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in this regard are the following: Whosoever has a daughter and he does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, God will enter him into Paradise. [ibn Hanbal, No. 1957] Whosoever supports two daughters till they mature, he and I will come in the Day of Judgment as this (and he pointed with his two fingers held together). A similar Hadith deals in like manner with one who supports two sisters. [ibn-Hanbal, No. 2104] The right of females to seek knowledge is not different from that of males. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim". [Al-Bayhaqi] Muslim as used here including both males and females. As a wife: The Quran clearly indicates that marriage is sharing between the two halves of the society, and that its objectives, besides perpetuating human life, are emotional well-being and spiritual harmony. Its bases are love and mercy. Among the most impressive verses in the Quran about marriage is the following. "And among His signs is this: That He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21] According to Islamic Law, women cannot be forced to marry anyone without their consent. Ibn 'Abbas reported that a girl came to the Messenger of God, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent. The Messenger of God gave her the choice... (between accepting the marriage or invalidating it). [ibn Hanbal No. 2469] In another version, the girl said: "Actually I accept this marriage but I wanted to let women know that parents have no right (to force a husband on them)" [ibn Majah, No. 1873] Besides all other provisions for her protection at the time of marriage, it was specifically decreed that woman has the full right to her Mahr, a marriage gift, which is presented to her by her husband and is included in the nuptial contract, and that such ownership does not transfer to her father or husband. The concept of Mahr in Islam is neither an actual or symbolic price for the woman, as was the case in certain cultures, but rather it is a gift symbolizing love and affection. The rules for married life in Islam are clear and in harmony with upright human nature. In consideration of the physiological and psychological make-up of man and woman, both have equal rights and claims on one another, except for one responsibility, that of leadership. This is a matter which is natural in any collective life and which is consistent with the nature of man. The Quran thus states: "...And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, and men are a degree above them." [Noble Quran 2:228] Such degree is Quiwama (maintenance and protection). This refers to that natural difference between the sexes which entitles the weaker sex to protection. It implies no superiority or advantage before the law. Yet, man's role of leadership in relation to his family does not mean the husband's dictatorship over his wife. Islam emphasizes the importance of taking counsel and mutual agreement in family decisions. The Quran gives us an example: "...If they (husband wife) desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, there is no blame on them..." [Noble Quran 2:233] Over and above her basic rights as a wife comes the right which is emphasized by the Quran and is strongly recommended by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); kind treatment and companionship. The Quran states: "...But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein God has placed much good." [Noble Quran 4:19] Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you is the best to his family and I am the best among you to my family." The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and best of you are those who are best to their wives. [ibn-Hanbal, No. 7396] Behold, many women came to Muhammad's wives complaining against their husbands (because they beat them) - - those (husbands) are not the best of you. As the woman's right to decide about her marriage is recognized, so also her right to seek an end for an unsuccessful marriage is recognized. To provide for the stability of the family, however, and in order to protect it from hasty decisions under temporary emotional stress, certain steps and waiting periods should be observed by men and women seeking divorce. Considering the relatively more emotional nature of women, a good reason for asking for divorce should be brought before the judge. Like the man, however, the woman can divorce her husband with out resorting to the court, if the nuptial contract allows that. More specifically, some aspects of Islamic Law concerning marriage and divorce are interesting and are worthy of separate treatment. When the continuation of the marriage relationship is impossible for any reason, men are still taught to seek a gracious end for it. The Quran states about such cases: "When you divorce women, and they reach their prescribed term, then retain them in kindness and retain them not for injury so that you transgress (the limits)..." [Noble Quran 2:231] [see also Quran 2:229 and 33:49] c) As a mother: Islam considered kindness to parents next to the worship of God. "And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to his parents: His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness..." [Noble Quran 31:14] [see also Quran 46:15, 29:8] Moreover, the Quran has a special recommendation for the good treatment of mothers: "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none save Him, and that you be kind to your parents..." [Noble Quran 17:23] A man came to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asking: O Messenger of God, who among the people is the most worthy of my good company? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Your mother. The man said then who else: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Your mother. The man asked, Then who else? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Your mother. The man asked, Then who else? Only then did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say, Your father. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] A famous saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is: "Paradise is at the feet of mothers." [in An-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad] "It is the generous (in character) who is good to women, and it is the wicked who insults them." 3. The Economic Aspect Islam decreed a right of which woman was deprived both before Islam and after it (even as late as this century), the right of independent ownership. According to Islamic Law, woman's right to her money, real estate, or other properties is fully acknowledged. This right undergoes no change whether she is single or married. She retains her full rights to buy, sell, mortgage or lease any or all her properties. It is nowhere suggested in the Law that a woman is a minor simply because she is a female. It is also noteworthy that such right applies to her properties before marriage as well as to whatever she acquires thereafter. With regard to the woman's right to seek employment it should be stated first that Islam regards her role in society as a mother and a wife as the most sacred and essential one. Neither maids nor baby-sitters can possibly take the mother's place as the educator of an upright, complex free, and carefully-reared children. Such a noble and vital role, which largely shapes the future of nations, cannot be regarded as "idleness". However, there is no decree in Islam which forbids woman from seeking employment whenever there is a necessity for it, especially in positions which fit her nature and in which society needs her most. Examples of these professions are nursing, teaching (especially for children), and medicine. Moreover, there is no restriction on benefiting from woman's exceptional talent in any field. Even for the position of a judge, where there may be a tendency to doubt the woman's fitness for the post due to her more emotional nature, we find early Muslim scholars such as Abu-Hanifah and At-Tabari holding there is nothing wrong with it. In addition, Islam restored to woman the right of inheritance, after she herself was an object of inheritance in some cultures. Her share is completely hers and no one can make any claim on it, including her father and her husband. "Unto men (of the family) belongs a share of that which Parents and near kindred leave, and unto women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be a little or much - a determinate share." [Noble Quran 4:7] Her share in most cases is one-half the man's share, with no implication that she is worth half a man! It would seem grossly inconsistent after the overwhelming evidence of woman's equitable treatment in Islam, which was discussed in the preceding pages, to make such an inference. This variation in inheritance rights is only consistent with the variations in financial responsibilities of man and woman according to the Islamic Law. Man in Islam is fully responsible for the maintenance of his wife, his children, and in some cases of his needy relatives, especially the females. This responsibility is neither waived nor reduced because of his wife's wealth or because of her access to any personal income gained from work, rent, profit, or any other legal means. Woman, on the other hand, is far more secure financially and is far less burdened with any claims on her possessions. Her possessions before marriage do not transfer to her husband and she even keeps her maiden name. She has no obligation to spend on her family out of such properties or out of her income after marriage. She is entitled to the "Mahr" which she takes from her husband at the time of marriage. If she is divorced, she may get an alimony from her ex-husband. An examination of the inheritance law within the overall framework of the Islamic Law reveals not only justice but also an abundance of compassion for woman. 4. The Political Aspect Any fair investigation of the teachings of Islam into the history of the Islamic civilization will surely find a clear evidence of woman's equality with man in what we call today "political rights". This includes the right of election as well as the nomination to political offices. It also includes woman's right to participate in public affairs. Both in the Quran and in Islamic history we find examples of women who participated in serious discussions and argued even with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself (see the Noble Quran 58:14 and 60:10-12). During the Caliphate of 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, a woman argued with him in the mosque, proved her point, and caused him to declare in the presence of people: "A woman is right and 'Umar is wrong." Although not mentioned in the Quran, one Hadith of the Prophet is interpreted to make woman ineligible for the position of head of state. The Hadith referred to is roughly translated: "A people will not prosper if they let a woman be their leader." This limitation, however, has nothing to do with the dignity of a woman or with her rights. It is rather, related to the natural differences in the biological and psychological make-up of men and women. According to Islam, the head of the state is no mere figurehead. He leads people in the prayers, especially on Fridays and festivities; he is continuously engaged in the process of decision-making pertaining to the security and well-being of his people. This demanding position, or any similar one, such as the Commander of the Army, is generally inconsistent with the physiological and psychological make-up of woman in general. It is a medical fact that during their monthly periods and during their pregnancies, women undergo various physiological and psychological changes. Such changes may occur during an emergency situation, thus affecting her decision, without considering the excessive strain which is produced. Moreover, some decisions require a maximum of rationality and a minimum of emotionality - a requirement which does not coincide with the instinctive nature of women. Even in modern times, and in the most developed countries, it is rare to find a woman in the position of a head of state acting as more than a figurehead, a woman commander of the armed services, or even a proportionate number of women representatives in parliaments, or similar bodies. One can not possibly ascribe this to backwardness of various nations or to any constitutional limitation on woman's right to be in such a position as a head of state or as a member of the parliament. It is more logical to explain the present situation in terms of the natural and indisputable differences between man and woman, a difference which does not imply any "supremacy" of one over the other. The difference implies rather the "complementary" roles of both the sexes in life. Women in IslamIn the west, the common picture of a Muslim woman is the stereotype of a woman hidden behind a veil, a voiceless, silent figure, bereft of rights. It is a picture familiar to all of us, in large part because this is invariably how the western media portrays women in Islam. Islam covers many lands with many diverse cultures. From the borders of Arabia to the coasts of Africa, from Bosnia to Indonesia, large groups of people practice Islam. Islam is growing in European and American countries. Each one of these Islamic nations has its own distinct culture; there is a great diversity of cultures within Islam. One cannot bring all these cultures, political systems, national heritage, belief systems, geographical locations, historical backgrounds, and the peoples who embody them under one uniform category or think of them as one system. Islam is practiced in each nation according to those nations characteristics. And nations are, by existing as nations, distinct and different from one another. No two cultures are alike. Conceptual Issues Nations in the Middle East, among many other Muslim countries, have long been notorious for their unequal treatment of women especially among the Western nations. Catching a glimpse of a special on Middle Eastern women while channel surfing or reading from the Middle Eastern chapter in history books is the furthest most people have gone to research the role of women in Islam. Images of submissive, timid women covered in black veils are there to be found — and, with such a unanimity of popular information, what point could there be in understanding the subject more thoroughly? What I will provide here is just an outline, a brief summary, as Islam is, in fact, more than just a name, a religion, a social movement. It is recognizing the essence of Divine permeating all there is; it is timeless, priceless, beyond cultures, traditions, and all human limitations. There are few scholars who have described women in Islam without prejudice or some inclination towards either side of the extreme. In order to understand the role of women in Islam and to learn how the rules of Islam apply to them, we need to become familiar with Islam, apart from politics practiced in Muslim nations, and to examine the place of women in the pre-Islamic era, the rules and regulations of Islam, and the cultural backgrounds of the countries that are the base of our research, and finally to compare the position of women in the Muslim world with the position of women in western cultures. Position of Women Before the Advent of Islam Islam was born in the Arabia Peninsula, now Saudi Arabia, in the seventh century AD. The pre-Islamic era dates back to more than 1400 years ago. Many cultures, nations and countries, other than Arabia, existed during that time. Let’s begin with a review on the Arabian culture. In that era, in the tribal culture of Arabs, women were not equal to men with respect to many social and personal conditions and systems, such as marriage, inheritance or education, among other areas. Women did not have businesses, own property, or have independent legal rights. Even though we read about Khadijeh (who later became a wife of the Prophet (swa), and the first Muslim woman) who owned her own business, which is an indication that there are always exceptions in any recorded history. In Arabia, female infants were often abandoned or buried alive; and the practice of polygamy was common. The position of women, in countries other than Arabia, in the 7th century, was not much different. In Europe, it was not until the turn of the century (13 centuries later) that French women became legally able to sell property without the permission of their husbands. In many nations, sons would inherit the name, wealth and position of the family and daughters were hoped to marry rich. In many western or eastern countries, women could not chose their husbands, and, widows were expected to mourn for their husbands until the end of their lives (still practiced in some countries). Standards Set by Islam One cannot emphasize enough the influence of the teachings of the Prophet (swa) and the verses of the Qur’an upon the advancement of civilization. In the history of humankind, none worked so much to protect human rights, especially women’s, with such integrity, strength, strategic genius, beauty and divinity, or to honor humanity, by freeing it from the chains of prejudice, manipulations, personal and social injustice. His teachings regarding education, social and political rights, property rights, and ultimately human rights, are among the most valuable chapter in the book of civilization. Education: “The pursuit of knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, man and woman”, said the Prophet (swa). With this instruction it became a religious duty of Muslims to educate themselves, their families, and their societies. Education and learning became a religious duty, no Muslim could prevent another human being from the pursuit of knowledge. Gender or race, culture or tradition could not become the cause for prohibiting a person from educating one’s self. Pursuit of knowledge became a religious law, therefore necessary to attain. With such instruction, the Prophet (swa) not only created an equal right to education, but also opened the door to a better understanding. Social and Political Rights “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers”, announced the Prophet (swa). With this instruction, a Divine law, it became a religious responsibility, a praiseworthy act, to respect and honor women. “Men are support for women,” “Among the praiseworthy acts to Allah is to treat your mother with honor and respect,” “Be just among your children, daughters and sons, provide them good education and proper upbringing.” Narrated from the Prophet (swa). With these Divine laws, it became religious duty for every Muslim, male or female, to honor women, treat sons and daughters justly, and for male to provide support, not obstacles, for women and their achievements. There are many recorded historical references that at the beginning of Islam, at the time of the Prophet (swa), Muslim men or women chose to join the Prophet’s army to fight against his enemies, leading wars after his passing. There are also recorded in the history of Islam that men and women, equally, would take bayat (agreement) with the Prophet, voting and choosing him as a political leader. Such positions, rights and equality among all were the result of the support and the teachings of the Prophet (swa). Women could take part in social, political, and military affairs. The result of his teachings was not only promoted human rights but also encouraging individuals to stand for their own rights. Fatima, daughter of the Prophet (swa), was well educated and highly respected. It is said that whenever Fatima entered the room, the Prophet would stand and give his seat to her. Her sacrifices to protect and support human rights were among the most praiseworthy acts. Property Rights Under the laws of Islam, women have obtained the right to sell and buy properties, own business, take legal actions, vote, and participate in political affairs. Inheritance law was/is also among the most important rights. According to Islam, a woman inherits, half the share of her brother. At the same time a daughter, can chose but has no the obligation to support her parents or children, while her brother does. A man, a brother, has the obligation, by the rules of Islam, to support his mother, wife, children, sisters, and the children of his sisters if necessary. If a woman, a mother, a sister did not have the wealth or the desire to support her children, it would become the duty of her brother to support them. The Prophet (swa) has introduced the rules and the laws for humanity, some honor the rules and some chose not to. Under Islamic law, women also have control not only over their property but also dowry claims. Once she is married, she may demand her dowry from her husband at any time, and in the case of divorce, she would receive her share of the property. Marriage and the Right to Divorce According to the laws of Islam a man and a woman have the right to choose their partner and they should not be forced into marriage. Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter was educated, beautiful and respectful. It is narrated that when Amir al momenin Ali asked for Fatima’s hand in marriage Prophet (swa) did not respond to Ali until he asked Fatima for her decision. Divorce is permitted in Islam under specific terms and conditions. According to the laws of Islam one may end a marriage by divorce if there is a definite cause for such an action. Polygamy is a tradition practiced in many cultures, yet Islam restricted it by setting regulations. These regulations are very severe, and a very few can practice it. Quran (IV:3) reads: “If you feel that you will be able to deal justly with orphans, marry the women of your choice one, two, three, or four. But if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then marry only one.” The verse emphasize being just not only to the women but also to their children, who would, otherwise, remain fatherless after their mothers became widowed — a frequent occurrence during the early centuries of Islam, when men were often killed in wars. “Deal justly” refers to equal treatment, not only emotionally but also financially. The particular historical context of polygamy in Islam followed one of the harshest wars, where many men were killed, leaving a multitude of women widowed, fatherless, and without support. Also a Muslim man cannot marry a second wife without the permission of the first wife. With all these restricted regulations, according to the Islamic law, polygamy is possible but rare in practice. Post Islamic Expectations Set by Political Entities A few centuries after the Prophet (swa) many of these rules changed into cultural, national, or political regulations. Islam entered different cultures and each culture embraced it according to its own traditions. Even in its homeland, rules and regulations changed according to the political rulers and the traditional culture of the land within one or two centuries after the passing of the Prophet (swa). Let us examine a few of these changes: Prophet had said (Quran, XXIV:30, 31): “Tell believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty, that will make for greater purity for them and say to the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and they should not display their beauty and ornaments….” In the course of time, this law changed into the rule that women should wear veils, covering themselves from head to toe. Being modest changed into a dress code. Yet this dress code was not applied to the “believing men”, and did not become a cause for their social or economical oppressions. Women, who at the beginning of Islam, were leading armies and making political decisions, were now, a few centuries later, expected to sit separately from men in mosques and in prayer ceremonies. A similar situation also obtain in non-Islamic countries. For example a century ago, when the World Anti-Slavery Association met in England, the women delegates were refused seats. They had to sit silently behind the curtain in the balcony. That, of course, led to Seneca Falls Convention that eventually gained a few rights for women such as becoming able to sell properties, the right to education, and the like. The Prophet instructed that women have the right to own property, to choose their own partners, and have equal rights to education. In accordance with prevailing culture, these rights became transformed into the duties of women to take care of children and remain in the house. This is not all that different than a century ago in America where women were expected the duties of “Republican Motherhood,” which did not take them beyond the household sphere. To justify the prejudice held against women, we can blame a religion, we can blame a culture, we can blame a system, and we can even blame women themselves. Yet these superficial “making you feel better” justifications will not remove the responsibility from generations of humanity. While it is true that the media misleads people, political leaders mislead people, and superficial ideology misleads people — yet people remain in a state of being misled. The guilt of the oppressor is not lesser that the guilt of the oppressed, said the Prophet. Islam is a religion where the standard for superiority is the level of ones knowledge, where human being was created in the best figure, and thus where advancing knowledge is a duty. According to Islam, the human being has the potentiality to ascend to the level of the Divine, knowledge of the law of the existence is the right of every human being. Islam is a religion where your temple is not a building but your heart; your preacher is not a priest but your intellect; and if your religion is founded upon mere imitation, you are a blasphemer. In Islam, ignorance is an unforgivable sin, so is your evasion of responsibility for yourself as well as towards all the members of the living world, past and present. It is incorrect to blame such Islam for the shortcomings of its followers, which are the failings of most of mankind. A religion that is centered on the rights of human being, and sets both men and women free from the chains of bondage should not be used in propaganda for the sake of condemnation. It is not Muslim women as such, but women everywhere who have been imprisoned by prejudice and cruelty. This form of prejudice that goes beyond simple racial or national boundaries, is sexual in nature. Whether women are constantly being held to an impossible standard, or subject to discrimination solely based on the fact that they are not equal to men, they are, by far, the group most affected by this form of prejudice. Depending on the society women may be seen as having the wrong weight, the wrong height, the wrong level of intelligence, or the wrong religion. We can conclude that women have yet to be welcomed with open arms into countries that they have been a part of from the beginning. True equality becomes a characteristic of Utopia and seems almost impossible to achieve in the society in which we live in. The question that remains is one of personal morals. Do we, as small pieces of society, have the capacity to interlock and form a beautiful mosaic? I have to say it takes more than just a few to fulfill a dream that is centuries old.

Everybody has the right to live peacefully.No one is allowed for any terrorism.We are always with the innocents whether the christian community of iraq or whether the muslims of palestine.Just broaden your thinking gymrat76542.

Great news all those terrorists should be killed.

Yep thanks Maggie for your encouraging posts.I totally agree with you.Kind heart people like you always stand against cruelty & terrorism of any group,community or country.Not like the people like Thesius,who defend the terrorism of the people they like and blame the whole community or religion(they don't like)for the terrorism of some so called jihadist groups. And Thesius everyone has the right to choose his religion,his way of living.Don't argue with me.The terrorism of ISIS & IDF are the same.You haven't the right to defend both or one of them.If you defend the act of terrorism of your favourit religion or country then you are one of those terrorists.

Hamas announces ceasefire as Israeli military resumes Gaza operationsGaza Strip's rulers announce '24-hour humanitarian calm' shortly after Israel calls off its own ceasefire following fresh rocket fire Share654 inShare9 Email Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem and Toby Helm theguardian.com, Sunday 27 July 2014 15.26 BST Link to video: Israel resumes Gaza military operationsHamas has announced a 24-hour ceasefire in Gaza from 2pm local time on Sunday, just hours after Israel resumed its military operation following fresh rocket fire. There was no immediate response from Israel to Hamas's move. "In response to UN intervention and considering the situation of our people and the occasion of Eid, it has been agreed among resistance factions to endorse a 24-hour humanitarian calm, starting from 2pm on Sunday [midday BST]," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is one of the most important holidays in the Muslim calendar, is set to begin on Monday. But shortly after the ceasefire was to have started warning sirens sounded in southern Israel and the military said three rockets landed in the area, without causing casualties or damage. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told US TV: "Hamas doesn't even accept its own ceasefire; it's continuing to fire at us as we speak." Israel called off its own unilateral ceasefire earlier on Sunday after renewed rocket fire from Gaza. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said one of its soldiers was killed by a rocket on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of military deaths to 43. Three civilians have been killed in Israel; more than 1,000 Palestinians have died. Following a 12-hour humanitarian pause in its bombardment on Saturday, Israel initially extended its ceasefire by four hours, and then a further 24 hours, until midnight on Sunday. However, in a statement on Sunday morning, the IDF said: "Following Hamas' incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the welfare of the civilian population in Gaza, the IDF will now resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip." Following the IDF's announcement, there were reports of three deaths in Gaza as Israeli tanks and artillery pounded targets along the coastal enclave, sending thick plumes of black smoke rising into the sky, according to Reuters. The Islamic Jihad group said one of its field commanders was killed by tank fire near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, the Associated Press reported. Explosions could be heard in Gaza City and there were reports of renewed shelling in eastern Gaza, according to AFP. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev wrote on Twitter: "Hamas again rejects a UN humanitarian ceasefire, Hamas responsible for the continuation of the fighting and the bloodshed." Earlier Hamas, which rules Gaza, had said it would not countenance any ceasefire in which the IDF maintained a presence in Gaza and continued to destroy its strategic assets. Israel had said its forces would remain in Gaza to search for and destroy cross-border tunnels, the principal aim of the ground operation which began 10 days ago. The confusing sequence of unilateral humanitarian ceasefires followed US secretary of state John Kerry's return to Washington on Saturday after failing to broker a long-term truce. The US, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Turkey and Qatar called for an extension to the temporary ceasefire after a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris. Following the meeting, the UK foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said: "The necessity right now is to stop the loss of life. And we stop the loss of life by getting this ceasefire to roll over for 12 hours, 24 hours or 48 hours – and then again until we have established the level of confidence that allows the parties to sit around a table to talk about the substantive issues." The death toll in Gaza exceeded 1,000 on Saturday as around 150 bodies were pulled from rubble during the lull in bombing. Thousands of Gazans ventured out from homes and shelters for the first time in days to find that whole streets and neighbourhoods had been destroyed in the past week after Israel and Hamas both agreed to a UN request to cease military activity from 8am until 8pm. Scenes of devastation were discovered by those who returned to areas that had been the centre of particularly intense fighting. Shortly before the ceasefire, at least 16 members of one family, including several children, had been killed in an air strike in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The family had recently fled there to escape fighting in a nearby village, according to a Palestinian health official. Around 5,000 people took part in a protest against the war in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, with a heavy police presence to deter rightwing extremists who abused and attacked the demonstrators. In London, tens of thousands of people protested against Israel's military campaign, making clear their anger outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London, before marching on to Westminster. Condemnation of both Israel and Hamas has intensified. Former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw described Israel's actions as amoral and deeply damaging to its own cause. "It is time for Israel to stop," he told the Observer. "Both because what it is doing is abjectly amoral but also in terms of its own self-preservation. Its actions are doing incremental damage to everything Israel is supposed to stand for." Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the Israelis were using sophisticated weaponry against innocent civilians when they could have deployed them in a more targeted way to limit loss of life. But another former foreign secretary, the Tory MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind, refused to single out Israel, saying both sides must agree an unconditional ceasefire. "I would like to see that, but it can't be observed by one side alone," he said. Kerry had expressed confidence on Friday that there was a framework for a ceasefire agreement which could ultimately succeed, saying "serious progress" had been made, although he admitted there was more work to do. He has led international efforts to reach a truce along with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, while keeping in regular contact with the Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers, who have been acting as interlocutors with Hamas. But there were also signals that if the ceasefire ended, the fighting could intensify. Israel's defence minister, Moshe Ya'alon, said: "At the end of the operation, Hamas will have to think very hard if it is worth it to taunt us in the future. You need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will order the military to significantly broaden ground activity in Gaza." The violence has spread to the West Bank and East Jerusalem in recent days. Nine Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded as protests over the bloodshed in Gaza have erupted into clashes with Israeli security forces. The Palestine Liberation Organisation called for more demonstrations in the West Bank and said it was helping to try to secure a ceasefire deal. At least 6,000 Palestinians have been injured in the war. The UN said more than 160,000 people had sought shelter in its buildings, with thousands more fleeing their homes to stay with relatives and friends in seemingly safer areas. IN JUST 10 DAYS THE DEATH OF INNOCENT PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS ABOVE 1000 AND THE ISRAELIS JUST 3 LOOK FOR YOURSELF WHO IS CRUEL & TYRANT.

And one more thing whatever your religion is I want to ask you one thing,''do your religion allow you to kill the innocents?As of my knowledge there is no such religion.If yes then let me inform please.

Whatever your religion is Thesius,you keep insisting muslims are tyrant.You are very partial.On one side you say everybody has the right to defend including Israel whether they kill the innocent children,women and the old ones and on the other you hand the you blame muslims that they are extremist while Islam stictly forbids the killing of the children,women and the old ones even in the battle field.Its so mean that the laws of peace only apply on the muslims and not on any other religion.There is no single in the history that in the name of war the mulsims killed the innocent children,women & old once in the wars.

Hi Maggie it seems the biggest peace lover Thesius can't see the inhumanity of the Israel.The so called follower of Jesus is defending the tyranny of Israel.So sad.

There is no difference of a single verse in the whole world,just only the difference of order.You can find a single verse from all the Qurans of the world.I've illustrated the truth.You wanted from Quran and Hadiths,I did it.I also gave the quotations of the christians.If you can't see it,it means you are blind of wisdom. The Quran is divided into chapters (sura) and further divided into verses (ayat). I think this will help you.There is only difference of order, not of chapters.They are all available in every part of the world. Sura # Arabic title(s) English title(s) Number of verses Meccan vs. Medinan Egyptian Standard Chronological Order[1][2][3] Noldeke's Chronological Order[1] Title refers to Main theme 1 Al-Fatiha The Opening 7 Meccan 5 48 Whole Sura [4]The fundamental principles of the Qur'án in a condensed form. [4] 2 Al-Baqara The Calf, The Cow 286 Medinan 87 91 v. 67-73[4]The necessity of God-consciousness.[4] The errors committed by followers of earlier revelations. [4] The abrogation of all earlier messages. (v. 106) [4] Legal ordinances (ethics, social relations, warfare etc.). [4] Abraham. [4] Kaaba. [4] Throne verse. (v. 255)[5] 3 Al Imran The Family of Imran, The House of 'Imrán 200 Medinan 89 97 v. 33, 35 [4]The human nature of Jesus.[4] The oneness of God. [4] Man’s faith and temptations. [4] The Battle of Uhud (3 AH). [4] 4 An-Nisa The Women 176 Medinan 92 100 Whole Sura [4]Unity of the human race and the mutual obligations of men and women towards one another. (v. 1) [4] Rights of women. [4] Questions related to family life (including marriage and inheritance). [4] Peace and war.[4] Relations of believers with unbelievers. [4] 5 Al-Ma'ida The Food, The Repast 120 Medinan 112 114 v. 112-114 [4]A series of ordinances (incl. Religious rites and social obligations). [4] Corruption of the original message of the Bible by Jews and Christians. (v. 68-77, 116-118) [4] 6 Al-An'am The Cattle 165 Meccan 55 89 v. 136ff.[4]Human nature of Muhammad. (v. 50) [4] Oneness and uniqueness of God. (e.g. v. 100, 103) [4] Pre-Islamic superstitions concerning animals. (v. 136ff) [4] 7 Al-A'raf The Heights, The Faculty of Discernment 206 Meccan 39 87 v. 46, 48 [4]The mission of the prophets. [4] Adam, Eve andIblis. (v. 16-25)[4] Stories of Noah,Hud, Salih, Lot,Shuáyb andMoses. (v. 59-171) [4] God'sCovenant with humanity. (v. 172) [6] What happens to those who discard God’s message. (v. 175) [4] 8 Al-Anfal The Spoils of War 75 Medinan 88 95 v. 1 [4]The Battle of Badr (2 A.H.).[4] Doctrine of sacrifice through action.[4] 9 At-Tawba The Repentance 129 Medinan 113 113 Problems of war between believers and their enemies.[4] The expedition to Tabuk (9 A.H.). [4] Those who cannot attain to faith. (v. 124-127) [4] 10 Yunus Jonah 109 Meccan 51 84 v. 98 [4]The revelation of the Qur’án to Muhammad (not Muhammad’s own work). (v. 15-17, 37-38, 94) [4] References to earlier prophets. [4] Fundamental tenets of Islam.[4] 11 Houd Hud 123 Meccan 52 75 v. 50-60 The revelation of God’s will through His prophets. [4] More stories of earlier prophets. [4] Just dealings between men.[4] 12 Yusuf Joseph 111 Meccan 53 77 Whole Sura The story of the prophet Joseph(as an illustration of God’s unfathomable direction of men’s affairs).[4] 13 Ar-Ra'd The Thunder 43 Medinan 96 90 v. 13 [4]God’s revelation, through His prophets, of certain fundamental moral truths, and the concequences of accepting or rejecting them.[4] 14 Ibraheem Abraham 52 Meccan 72 76 v. 35-41[4]The revelation of God’s word to all mankind, destined to lead man from darkness to light. [4] 15 Al-Hijr The Rocky Tract, The Stoneland, The Rock City, Al-Hijr 99 Meccan 54 57 v. 80 [4]God’s guidance to man through revelation of the Qur’án, which will remain uncorrupted for all times. (v. 9)[4] 16 An-Nahl The Honey Bees, The Bee 128 Meccan 70 73 v. 68-69[4]God’s creativeness: [4]Manifesed in the instincts of the bee. [4] Culmination: Guidance through His revealed word. [4] 17 Al-Isra The Night Journey 111 Meccan 50 67 v. 1 [4]Muhammad’s mystic Night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem. [4] The children of Israel. (v. 2-8, 101-104) [4] 18 Al-Kahf The Cave 110 Meccan 69 69 v. 13-20[4]A series of parables or allegories on the theme of faith in God versus excessive attachment to the life of this world. Including:[4]The men of the cave. (v. 13-20) [4] The rich man and the poor man. (v. 32-44) [4] Moses and the unnamed sage. (v. 60-82) [4] The allegory of ‘Dhu’l-Qarnayn, the Two-Horned One’. (v. 83-98) [4] 19 Maryam Mary 98 Meccan 44 58 v. 16-37[4]The story ofZachariah and his son John, the precursor of Jesus. (v. 2-15)[4] The story ofMary and Jesus. (v. 16-37) [4] 20 Ta-Ha Ta-Ha, O Man 135 Meccan 45 55 v. 1 [4]The guidance offered by God through His prophets. [4] The fundamental truths inherent in all revealed religions are identical. [4]The story of Moses. (v. 9-98) [4] 21 Al-Anbiya The Prophets 112 Meccan 73 65 v. 48-91[4]The oneness, uniqueness and transcendence of God. [4] The continuity and intrinsic unity of all divine revelation. [4]Stories of the prophets of old. (v. 48-91) [4] The believers of all faiths belong to one single community. (v. 92) [4] 22 Al-Hajj The Pilgrimage 78 Medinan 103 107 v. 25-38[4]The Meccapilgrimage and some of the rituals connected with it. (v. 25-38) [4] 23 Al-Mu'minoon The Believers 118 Meccan 74 64 v. 1 [4]True faith. [4] The evidence of the existence of an almighty Creator, and man’s ultimate responsibility before Him. [4] The unity of all religious communities, broken by man’s egotism, greed and striving after power. (v. 52-53) [4] The impossibility to believe in God, without believing in life after death. [4] 24 An-Nour The Light 64 Medinan 102 105 v. 35 [4]Mutual relations and ethical rules between men and women. [4] The mystic parable of the ‘light of God’ ("Verse of Light"). (v. 35)[4] 25 Al-Furqan The Criterion, The Standard, The Standard of True and False 77 Meccan 42 66 v. 1 [4]The purpose of every divine revelation is to provide a stable criterion of true and false. [4] The humanness of every apostle sent by God to man. (v. 20) [4] Divine revelation belongs to God’s creative activity. [4] 26 Ash-Shu'ara The Poets 227 Meccan 47 56 v. 224[4]Man’s weakness, which causes him to reject God’s message and worship power and wealth etc. [4] 27 An-Naml The Ant, The Ants 93 Meccan 48 68 v. 18 [4]The legend of king Solomonand queen of Sheba. [4] 28 Al-Qasas The Narrations, The Stories, The Story 88 Meccan 49 79 v. 25 [4]Human aspects of the life of Moses. [4] 29 Al-Ankabut The Spider 69 Meccan 85 81 v. 41 [4]The parable of ‘the spider house’, a symbol of false beliefs that are destined to be blown away by the winds of truth. (v. 41) [4] 30 Ar-Roum The Romans, The Byzantines 60 Meccan 84 74 v. 1 [4]Predictions of the near victory of theByzantines[over the Persians] and the Battle of Badr (2 A.H.). (v. 1-7) [4] God’s ability to resurrect the dead at the end of time, and the people’s ignorance of this. [4] 31 Luqman Luqman 34 Meccan 57 82 v. 12-19[4]The story ofLuqman, a legendary sage, counselling his son. (v. 12-19)[4] 32 As-Sajda The Prostration, Worship, Adoration 30 Meccan 75 70 v. 15 [4] 33 Al-Ahzab The Clans, The Confederates, The Combined Forces 73 Medinan 90 103 v. 9-27[4]The War of the Confederates(5 A.H.). (v. 9-27) [4] The relationship between Muhammad and his family. [4] 34 Saba Sheba 54 Meccan 58 85 v. 15-20[4]The insignificance of the knowledge accessible to man. (v. 9) [4] The story of the people ofSheba, as an example of the impermanence of human power, wealth and glory. (v. 15-20) [4] Always be conscious of God. (v. 46) [4] 35 Fatir The Originator 45 Meccan 43 86 v. 1 [4]God’s power to create and resurrect. [4] God’s revelation of His will through His prophets. [4] 36 Ya Seen Ya Seen, O Thou Human Being 83 Meccan 41 60 v. 1 [4]Man’s moral responsibility, resurrection and God’s judgment. [4] To be recited over the dying and in the prayers of the dead. [4] 37 As-Saffat Those Who Set The Ranks, Drawn Up In Ranks, Those Ranged in Ranks 182 Meccan 56 50 v. 1 [4] Resurrectionand the certainty that all human beings will have to answer before God. [4] Man’s constant need of prophetic guidance. [4]Stories of earlier prophets. (v. 75-148)[4] 38 Sad Sad 88 Meccan 38 59 v. 1 [4]Divine guidance and its rejection by those who are lost in fast pride. [4] 39 Az-Zumar The Crowds, The Troops, Throngs 75 Meccan 59 80 v. 71, 73 [4]The evidence of the existence and oneness of God in all manifestations of nature. [4] God forgives all sins to him who repents before his death. [4] Allegories of the Last Hour and the Day of Judgment. [4] 40 Ghafir The Forgiver (God), Forgiving 85 Meccan 60 78 v. 3 [4]Man’s false pride, worship of false values (wealth, power etc.) and his denial of divine guidance. [4]Stories of earlier prophets. [4] 41 Fussilat Expounded, Explained In Detail, Clearly Spelled Out 54 Meccan 61 71 v. 3[4]Man’s acceptance or rejection of divine revelation. [4] 42 Ash-Shura The Consultation 53 Meccan 62 83 v. 36 [4]God is undefinable and unfathomable. (v. 11, 16) [4] All prophets taught the oneness of God, so all believers of all ‘denominations’ should see themselves as ‘one single community’. (v. 13, 15) [4] The law of cause and effect: In the life to come man will only harvest ‘what his own hands have wrought’ in this world. [4] 43 Az-Zukhruf The Gold Adornments, The Ornaments of Gold, Luxury, Gold 89 Meccan 63 61 v. 35 [4]To equal anyone or anything with God is sprititually destructive and logically unacceptable.[4] People’s blind adherance to the faith of their forefathers. (v. 22-23) [4] 44 Ad-Dukhan The Smoke 59 Meccan 64 53 v. 10 [4] 45 Al-Jathiya The Kneeling Down, Crouching 37 Meccan 65 72 v. 28 [4]The humility with which all human beings will face their final judgment on resurrection. (v. 28) [4] 46 Al-Ahqaf Winding Sand-tracts, The Dunes, The Sand-Dunes 35 Meccan 66 88 v. 21 [4] 47 Muhammad Muhammad 38 Medinan 95 96 v. 2 [4]Fighting (qital) in God’s cause.[4] 48 Al-Fath The Victory, Conquest 29 Medinan 111 108 v. 1 [4]The Truce of Hudaybiyyah (6 A.H.). [4] 49 Al-Hujurat The Private Apartments, The Inner Apartments 18 Medinan 106 112 v. 4 [4]Social ethics. [4]Reverence to the Prophet and the righteous leaders after him. [4] The brotherhood of all believers and all mankind. (v. 10, 13) [4] The difference between true faith and outward observance of religious formalities. (v. 14 ff.) [4] 50 Qaf Qaf 45 Meccan 34 54 v. 1 [4]Death and resurrection. [4] 51 Adh-Dhariyat The Wind That Scatter, The Winnowing Winds, The Dust-Scattering Winds 60 Meccan 67 39 v. 1 [4] 52 At-Tour The Mount, Mount Sinai 49 Meccan 76 40 v. 1 [4] 53 An-Najm The Star, The Unfolding 62 Meccan 23 28 v. 1 [4]Muhammad’s mystic experience of an ascension to heaven (Mi’raj, including his vision of theSidrat al-Muntaha, the Lote-Tree of the Extremity). (v. 13-18) [4] 54 Al-Qamar The Moon 55 Meccan 37 49 v. 1 [4] 55 Ar-Rahman The Most Merciful, The Most Gracious 78 Medinan 97 43 v. 1 [4] 56 Al-Waqi'a The Inevitable, The Event, That Which Must Come to Pass 96 Meccan 46 41 v. 1 [4] 57 Al-Hadeed The Iron 29 Medinan 94 99 v. 25 [4] 58 Al-Mujadila The Pleading, The Pleading Woman 22 Medinan 105 106 v. 1 [4]Divorce. [4] Faith and denial. [4] Hypocrisy. [4] The attitude believers should have toward non-believers. [4] 59 Al-Hashr The Mustering, The Gathering, Exile, Banishment 24 Medinan 101 102 v. 2 [4]The conflict between the Muslim coummunity and the Jewish tribe of Banu’n-Nadir of Medina. [4] 60 Al-Mumtahana The Examined One, She That Is To Be Examined 13 Medinan 91 110 v. 10 [4]The believers’ relations with unbelievers. [4] 61 As-Saff The Ranks, Battle Array 14 Medinan 109 98 v. 4 [4]A call to unity between professed belief and actual behaviour. [4] 62 Al-Jumu'aa The Congregation, Friday 11 Medinan 110 94 v. 9-10[4]Obligatorycongregational prayer on Friday. [4] 63 Al-Munafiqoun The Hypocrites 11 Medinan 104 104 Whole Sura [4]Hypocrisy. [4] 64 At-Taghabun The Cheating, The Mutual Disillusion, The Mutual Loss and Gain, Loss and Gain 18 Medinan 108 93 v. 9 [4] 65 At-Talaq Divorce 12 Medinan 99 101 Whole Sura Divorce (waiting period, remarriage). [4] 66 At-Tahreem The Prohibition 12 Medinan 107 109 v. 1 [4]Certain aspects of Muhammad’s personal and family life. [4] 67 Al-Mulk The Dominion, Sovereignty, Control 30 Meccan 77 63 v. 1 [4]Man’s inability to understand the mysteries of the universe, and his dependance on guidance through divine revelation. [4] 68 Al-Qalam The Pen 52 Meccan 2 18 v. 1 [4] 69 Al-Haqqa The Sure Reality, The Laying-Bare of the Truth 52 Meccan 78 38 v. 1 70 Al-Ma'aarij The Ways of Ascent, The Ascending Stairways 44 Meccan 79 42 v. 3 [4]The unwillingness to believe, caused by the restlessness inherent in human nature.[4] 71 Nouh Noah 28 Meccan 71 51 Whole Sura The story ofNoah. [4]The struggle against blind materialism and the lack of spiritual values. [4] 72 Al-Jinn The Spirits, The Unseen Beings 28 Meccan 40 62 v. 1 [4] 73 Al-Muzzammil The Enfolded One, The Enshrouded One, Bundled Up, The Enwrapped One 20 Meccan 3 23 v. 1 [4] 74 Al-Muddathir The One Wrapped Up, The Cloaked One, The Man Wearing A Cloak, The Enfolded One 56 Meccan 4 2 v. 1 [4]This short early surah outlines almost all fundamental Qur’anic concepts. [4] 75 Al-Qiyama Resurrection, The Day of Resurrection, Rising Of The Dead 40 Meccan 31 36 v. 1 [4]The concept of resurrection. [4] 76 Al-Insan The Human, Man 31 Medinan 98 52 v. 1 [4] 77 Al-Mursalat Those Sent Forth, The Emissaries, Winds Sent Forth 50 Meccan 33 32 v. 1 [4]The gradual revelation of the Qur’án. [4] 78 An-Naba' The Great News, The Announcement, The Tiding 40 Meccan 80 33 v. 2 [4]Life after death.[4] Resurrection and God’s ultimate judgment. [4] 79 An-Nazi'at Those Who Tear Out, Those Who Drag Forth, Soul-snatchers, Those That Rise 46 Meccan 81 31 v. 1 [4] 80 Abasa He Frowned 42 Meccan 24 17 v. 1 [4] 81 At-Takweer The Folding Up, The Overthrowing, Shrouding in Darkness 29 Meccan 7 27 v. 1 [4]The Last Hour and man’s resurrection. [4] 82 Al-Infitar The Cleaving Asunder, Bursting Apart 19 Meccan 82 26 v. 1 [4] 83 Al-Mutaffifeen The Dealers in Fraud, Defrauding, The Cheats, Those Who Give Short Measure 36 Meccan 86 37 v. 1 [4] 84 Al-Inshiqaq The Rending Asunder, The Sundering, Splitting Open, The Splitting Asunder 25 Meccan 83 29 v. 1 [4] 85 Al-Burooj The Mansions Of The Stars, Constellations, The Great Constellations 22 Meccan 27 22 v. 1 [4] 86 At-Tariq The Night-Visitant, The Morning Star, The Nightcomer, That Which Comes in the Night 17 Meccan 36 15 v. 1 [4] 87 Al-A'la The Most High, The All-Highest, Glory To Your Lord In The Highest 19 Meccan 8 19 v. 1 [4] 88 Al-Ghashiya The Overwhelming Event, The Overshadowing Event, The Pall 26 Meccan 68 34 v. 1 [4] 89 Al-Fajr The Break of Day, The Daybreak, The Dawn 30 Meccan 10 35 v. 1 [4] 90 Al-Balad The City, The Land 20 Meccan 35 11 v. 1 [4] 91 Ash-Shams The Sun 15 Meccan 26 16 v. 1 [4] 92 Al-Lail The Night 21 Meccan 9 10 v. 1 [4] 93 Ad-Dhuha The Glorious Morning Light, The Forenoon, Morning Hours, Morning Bright, The Bright Morning Hours 11 Meccan 11 13 v. 1 [4]Man’s suffering and God’s justice. [4] 94 Al-Inshirah The Expansion of Breast, Solace, Consolation, Relief, Patient, The Opening-Up of the Heart 8 Meccan 12 12 v. 1 95 At-Teen The Fig Tree, The Fig 8 Meccan 28 20 v. 1 [4]A fundamental moral verity, common to all true religious teachings. [4] 96 Al-Alaq The Clinging Clot, Clot of Blood, The Germ-Cell 19 Meccan 1 1 v. 2 [4]The first five verses revealed to Muhammad. (v. 1-5) [4] 97 Al-Qadr The Night of Honor, The Night of Decree, Power, Fate, Destiny 5 Meccan 25 14 v. 1 [4] 98 Al-Bayyina The Clear Evidence, The Evidence of the Truth 8 Medinan 100 92 v. 1 [4] 99 Az-Zalzala The Earthquake 8 Medinan 93 25 v. 1 [4] 100 Al-Adiyat The Courser, The Chargers, The War Horse 11 Meccan 14 30 v. 1 [4] 101 Al-Qaria The Striking Hour, The Great Calamity, The Stunning Blow, The Sudden Calamity 11 Meccan 30 24 v. 1 [4] 102 At-Takathur The Piling Up, Rivalry in World Increase, Competition, Greed for More and More 8 Meccan 16 8 v. 1 [4]Man’s greed and tendencies.[4] 103 Al-Asr The Time, The Declining Day, The Epoch, The Flight of Time 3 Meccan 13 21 v. 1 [4] 104 Al-Humaza The Scandalmonger, The Traducer, The Gossipmonger, The Slanderer 9 Meccan 32 6 v. 1 [4] 105 Al-Feel The Elephant 5 Meccan 19 9 v. 1 [4]The Abyssinian attack against Mecca in the year 570 CE, the Year of the Elephant.[4] 106 Quraysh Quraysh 4 Meccan 29 4 v. 1 [4]The Quraysh, custodians of the Kaaba, should be thankful to God for protecting them from hunger and danger.[7] 107 Al-Maa'oun The Neighbourly Assistance, Small Kindnesses, Almsgiving, Assistance 7 Meccan 17 7 v. 7 [4]The meaning of true worship through sincere devotion and helping those in need.[7] 108 Al-Kawthar Abundance, Plenty, Good in Abundance 3 Meccan 15 5 v. 1 [4]Spiritual riches through devotion and sacrifice. Hatred results in the cutting off of all hope.[7] 109 Al-Kafiroun The Disbelievers, The Kafirs, Those Who Deny the Truth 6 Meccan 18 45 v. 1 [4]The correct attitude towards those who reject faith. [7] 110 An-Nasr The Help, Divine Support, Victory, Succour 3 Medinan 114 111 v. 1 [4]The last complete surah revealed before Muhammad’s death. [4] 111 Al-Masad The Plaited Rope, The Palm Fibre, The Twisted Strands 5 Meccan 6 3 v. 5 [4]The hostility of Muhammad’s uncle Abu Lahab. [4] 112 Al-Ikhlas Purity of Faith, The Fidelity, The Declaration of [God's] Perfection 4 Meccan 22 44 The oneness of God. [4] 113 Al-Falaq The Daybreak, Dawn, The Rising Dawn 5 Meccan 20 46 v. 1 [4]Seek refuge in God from evil of others.[7] 114 Al-Nas Mankind, Men 6 Meccan 21 47 v. 1 [4]Trust in God's protection from temptations.[7]And thanks Maggie for your appreciation

Hope they'll get a new prime minister soon but not Iraqi soon

Thanks Yota.

Thanks.

Islam is a religion of mercy to all people, both Muslims and non-Muslims. The Prophet was described as being a mercy in the Quran due to the message he brought for humanity: “And We have not sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds.” (Quran 21:107) When a person analyzes the legislations of Islam with an open mind, the Mercy mentioned in this verse will definitely become apparent. One of the aspects constituting an epitome of this Mercy is the way the legislations of Islam deal with people of other faiths. The tolerant attitude of Islam towards non-Muslims, whether they be those residing in their own countries or within the Muslim lands, can be clearly seen through a study of history. This fact is not only purported by Muslims, but many non-Muslim historians also accept it. Patriarch Ghaytho wrote: ‘The Arabs, to whom the Lord has given control over the world, treat us as you know; they are not the enemies of Christians. Indeed, they praise our community, and treat our priests and saints with dignity, and offer aid to churches and monasteries.’[1] Will Durant wrote: ‘At the time of the Umayyad caliphate, the people of the covenant, Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Sabians, all enjoyed degree of tolerance that we do not find even today in Christian countries. They were free to practice the rituals of their religion and their churches and temples were preserved. They enjoyed autonomy in that they were subject to the religious laws of the scholars and judges.’[2] These just relations between Muslims and people of other faiths were not due to mere politics played by Muslim rulers, but rather they were a direct result of the teachings of the religion of Islam, one which preaches that people of other religions be free to practice their own faith, only accepting the guidance offered by Islam by their own choice. God says in the Quran: “There is no compulsion in religion…” (Quran 2:256) Not only does Islam demand their freedom to practice religion, but also that they be treated justly as any other fellow human. Warning against any abuse of non-Muslims in an Islamic society, the Prophet stated: “Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud) How far is this mannerism than the majority of nations, to this day, which not only suppress the rights of foreign religions, but also foreign peoples and races! In a time when Muslims were being tortured to death in then pagan Mecca, Jews were being persecuted in Christian Europe, and various peoples were being subjugated due to their particular race or caste, Islam called to the just treatment of all peoples and religions, due to its merciful tenets which gave humanity the right to their humanness. Muslim jurists use the term ‘ People of the Covenant ’ (Arabic ‘dhimmi’ or ‘Ahl ul-Dhimma’ ) to refer to non-Muslim residents. It is not a derogatory term, as some have made it seem. In Arabic language the word ‘dhimma’ means a treaty of protection for non-Muslims living in Muslim territory. A similar term, ‘Ahl ul-Dhimma’ , means ‘People of the Covenant ,’ because they are protected under the covenant extended to them by Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims.[1] Non-Muslims are guaranteed protection in the Muslim society as long as they pay a head tax and abide by the specific legislations mentioned in Islamic Law. This covenant of protection is not limited to a specific duration; rather, stays in effect as long as those with whom the covenant is made abide by its conditions.[2] The good intent behind the term ‘dhimmi’ can be seen in the letter written by the Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq[3] to the non-Muslims of Najran: ‘In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is the written statement of God’s slave Abu Bakr, the successor of Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of God. He affirms for you the rights of a protected neighbor, in yourselves, your lands, your religious community, your wealth, retainers, and servants, those of you who are present or abroad, your bishops and monks, and monasteries, and all that you own, be it great or small. You shall not be deprived of any of it, and shall have full control over it…’[4] Another example is the statement of a famous classical scholar of Islam, Imam Awza’i[5] in his letter to the Abbasid governor Salih b. ‘Ali b. Abdullah about the People of the Covenant, “They are not slaves, so beware of changing their status after they have lived in freedom. They are free People of the Covenant.”[6] Acknowledging this fact, Ron Landau wrote: ‘In contrast to the Christian Empire, which attempted to impose Christianity on its subjects, the Arabs extended recognition to religious minorities, and accepted their presence. Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians were known to them as the People of the Covenant; in other words, the nations who enjoyed a protected status.’[7] The General Rights of Non-Muslims The expression “human rights” is relatively new, having come into everyday usage only since World War II, the founding of the United Nations in 1945, and the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.[8] Although its emergence in international law is a relatively recent development, the idea of human rights itself is not new. If one were to study and compare the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the human rights granted by Islam 1400 years ago, one can clearly see the level of high moral ground achieved by Islam before the Universal Declaration.[9] This moral standard did not come as a result of human intellectual endeavor. The source of Islamic morality is God. The divine standard provides true comprehensiveness and depth in human needs. It provides for everything that benefits the human race and shields it from any harm. Objective study is likely to conclude, ‘there is no religion or moral code on earth that has given more generous attention to faithfully affirming these rights than Islam, detailing them, clarifying them, and expressing them.’[10] The Shariah, which is the legal and moral code of Islam, does not confine itself to giving rights to Muslims only. One of its distinguishing features is that non-Muslim share many of these rights. As a matter of fact, the general principle is that non-Muslims have the same rights and obligations as Muslims.[11] This aspect of religion is unique to Islam, and perhaps has not been attained by any other world religion. If we look at Christianity, for example, Professor Joseph Heath of the University of Toronto, says, ‘It should go without saying that you can scour the Bible and not find one single mention of “rights.” You can also pick through the following 1500 years of Christian thought without finding any rights. That’s because the idea is entirely absent.’[12] The God-given status of humanity forms the basis of the principle of human dignity in Islam, whether the person is Muslim or non-Muslim. Islam emphasizes the origin of all humanity is one; therefore all human beings have certain rights over one another. God says:“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (and not hate one another). Surely, the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who) is the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (Quran 49:13) The Messenger of God declared in his farewell sermon, addressing the largest gathering in Arab history till that point: “People, hear that your Lord is One, and that your father is one. You must know that no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, no non-Arab has superiority over an Arab, or a red man over a black man, or a black man over a red, except in terms of what each person has of piety. Have I delivered the message?”[1] An example of the preservation of the human dignity of non-Muslims is the right that their feelings be respected, for example, that they are shown good manners in speech and debate in obedience to the divine command: “And dispute you not with the People of the Scripture, except in the best way, unless it be with those who do wrong, but say, ‘We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit (in Islam).’” (Quran 21:46) Non-Muslims have the right not to have their religious beliefs mocked. It may not be an exaggeration to state that no other religion or sect in the world is as fair as Islam to people of other faiths. For example, let us look at a verse from the Quran: “Say, ‘Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘It is God; and it is certain that either we or you are on the right guidance or in manifest error.’” (Quran 34:24) The verse ends with what Arabs linguists call a rhetorical question whose answer is common knowledge to the intended audience. The verse blends certainty with doubt: Muslims following guidance and the error of the unbelievers is presented as something doubtful. In doing so, God emphasizes the truth by allowing the reader to draw his own conclusion. God does not state in this verse who is following guidance and who is not. The verse treats the fictitious “opponent” with justice by presenting the argument and allowing the listener to judge God has also forbidden Muslims from speaking ill of the gods and deities worshipped by non-Muslims so that they do not speak ill of the One, True God. It will be difficult to find a similar example in any scripture of the major world religions. If the polytheists were to hear Muslims speak ill of their gods, it might lead them to speak ill of Allah (the personal and proper Name of God). Also, if Muslims were to speak ill of pagan gods, it might instigate the polytheists to soothe their wounded feelings by hurting the feelings of Muslims. Such a scenario is against human dignity of both sides and would lead to mutual rejection and hatred. God says in the Quran: “Do not revile those whom they call upon besides God, lest they revile God out of spite in their ignorance. Thus, We have made alluring to each people its own doings. In the end will they return to their Lord and He shall then tell them the truth of what they did.” (Quran 6:108) Another example of how Islam gives regard to human dignity in the following example. A famous story illustrates the degree to which the caliphs of early Islam protected the dignity of non-Muslims. Amr ibn al-As was the governor of Egypt. One of his sons beat up a Coptic Christian with a whip, saying, ‘I am the son of a nobleman!” The Copt went to Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Muslim caliph who resided in the city of Medina, and lodged a complaint. These are the details as related by Anas ibn Malik, the personal servant of the Prophet in his lifetime: “We were sitting with Umar ibn al-Khattab when an Egyptian came in and said, ‘Commander of the Faithful, I come to you as a refugee.’ So, Umar asked him about his problem and he answered, Amr had a custom of letting his horses run free in Egypt. One day, I came by riding my mare. When I passed by a group of people, they looked at me. Muhammad, the son of Amr got up and came to me, saying, ‘I swear by the Lord of the Kaaba, this is my mare!’ I responded, ‘I swear by the Lord of the Kaaba, the mare is mine!’ He came up to me and began beating me with a whip, saying, ‘You may take her, because I am the son of a nobleman (meaning I am more generous than you).’ The incident got to Amr, who feared that I might come to you, so he put me in jail. I escaped, and here I am before you.” Anas continued: “I swear by God, the only response Umar made was to tell the Egyptian to take a seat. Then, Umar wrote a letter to Amr, saying, ‘When this letter reaches you, come and bring me your son, Muhammad.’ Then he told the Egyptian to stay in Medina until he was told Amr has arrived. When Amr received the note, he called his son and asked him, ‘Did you commit a crime?’ His son stated he has not. Amr asked, ‘Then why is Umar writing about you?’ They both went to Umar.” Anas narrates the incident further: “I swear by God, we were sitting with Umar, and Amr arrived wearing the clothes of common people. Umar looked around for the son, and saw him standing behind his father (to appear less conspicuous). Umar asked, ‘Where is the Egyptian?’ and he responded, ‘Here I am!’ Umar told him, ‘Here is the whip. Take it and beat the son of the nobleman.’ So he took it and beat him vigorously, while Umar said over and over, ‘Beat the son of the nobleman.’ We did not let him stop until we were satisfied he had beaten him enough. Then, Umar said, ‘Now you must take it and hit me on my bald head. This all happened to you because of my power over you.’ The Egyptian responded, ‘I am satisfied and my anger has cooled.’ Umar told him, ‘If you had beaten me, I would not have stopped you until you had wished to. And you, Amr, since when have you made the people your slaves? They were born free.’ Amr began to apologize, telling him, ‘I did not know that this is what happened.’ So, Umar said turned back to the Egyptian, telling him, ‘You may go, and be guided. If anything untoward happens to you, write to me.’”[1] Such was Umar who said when first chosen as Caliph, ‘The weak will be made strong, because I take for them what is their right. And the strong will be made weak because I will take from them what is not rightfully theirs.’ History has recorded him as a just ruler because of his equity towards the oppressed, regardless of their social status, and because of his firmness against the oppressor, regardless of their rank. ‘The value of this story is that it records how people had a sense of their humanity and dignity under the rule of Islam. Even an unjust blow was disapproved and despised. Many incidents of injustice similar to this story occurred at the time of the Byzantine Empire, but nobody moved to rectify them. However, under the protection of the Islamic state, we see an example of an oppressed person having the conviction of his dignity and access to his rights so strong that he was willing to undertake the hardship and privation of a trip from Egypt to Medina, because of his trust that he would find someone to listen to his compliant.’[2] Islam does not compel people of other faiths to convert. It has given them complete freedom to retain their own faith and not to be forced to embrace Islam. This freedom is documented in both the Quran and the prophetic teachings known as Sunnah. God addresses the Prophet Muhammad in the Quran: “If it had been your Lord’s will, they would all have believed – all of who are on earth! Will you then compel humankind, against their will, to believe?” (Quran 10:99) Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, would give people a choice between entering Islam and retaining their religion. He would ask them to accept Islam only after making an agreement with them, once they had become residents in the Islamic state and felt secure about their personal safety and property. This allowed them to appreciate the security of the covenant with God and His Prophet. It is precisely for this reason that the non-Muslim citizens are referred to as dhimmis.[1] When the Prophet of God sent a commander of an army or a battalion off to war, the Prophet would command him to be conscious of God in his conduct and to treat his Muslim companions well. Then the Prophet of Mercy would instruct him: “Set out for battle for the sake of God and fight those who disbelieve in Him. Go into battle, but do not go to extremes, behave treacherously, mutilate their dead, or kill children. When you meet your enemies, the unbelievers, offer them three options, and accept any one of them to which they agree and cease the battle: (a) Invite them to join Islam. If they agree, then accept this and cease the battle. Then invite them to move from their lands to the Land of the Immigrants (Medina), and inform them that if they do so, they will have the same privileges and obligations as the other migrants. If they refuse to migrate from their lands, inform them that they will have the same status as the nomadic Muslims: that they will be subject to the Law of God which applies to all Muslims, and that they do not have a share in wealth obtained from conquest, unless they participate in the jihad with the Muslims. ( If they refuse, then ask them to pay the jizyah,[2] and if they agree, then accept it from them and cease the battle. © If they refuse all this, then seek God’s help and battle with them.’”[3] These directives of the Prophet were in obedience to what God says in the Quran: “Let there be no compulsion in religion; truth stands clear from error: whoever rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256) Edwin Calgary, an American scholar, wrote about this verse, ‘There is a verse in the Quran that is filled with truth and wisdom, and it is known to all Muslims. Everyone else should know it as well; it is the one that says there is no compulsion in religion.’[4] This verse was revealed concerning some of the residents of Medina. When none of the children of the pagan women of Medina survived infancy, they would make a vow to make the child a Jew or a Christian if he lived. When Islam came to Medina, they had adult children who were Jewish or Christian. The parents tried to compel them to embrace the new religion, so this verse was revealed to prevent them from doing so. The verse and the history of its revelation reveals that it is not permissible to force anyone to become a Muslim. This is the case even if it is the parent who wants the best for their offspring, and their children become members of another religion. The Quran rejects forcing anyone to join Islam.[5] God says in the Quran: “Say, ‘The truth is from your Lord,’ let him who will, believe and let him who will, reject, it. For the wrongdoers We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames are) like the wall and roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be granted water like molten brass that will scald their faces. How dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!” (Quran 18:29) Not only does Islam give the freedom of religious freedom to non-Muslims, its tolerant law extends to the preservation of their places of worship.[6] God says in the Quran: “(They are) those who have been evicted from their homes without right — only because they say, ‘Our Lord is God.’ And was it not that God checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of God is much mentioned (praised). And God will surely support those who support Him (meaning His cause). Indeed, God is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (Quran 22:40) The Muslim caliphs used to order their military leaders who went on military campaigns to take steps to guarantee this matter. The first example is the command of Abu Bakr to Usamah ibn Zayd: ‘I command you to do ten things: kill no woman, no child, nor an elderly person; do not cut down fruit trees, or vandalize homes, or wound a sheep or camel except if you must eat it; do not drown a palm tree, or burn it, do not be treacherous; do not be cowardly; and you will pass by people who have devoted themselves to monastery life; leave them alone to their devotions.’[7] The second example is the treaty of Umar ibn al-Khattab with the people of Iliya of Jerusalem: ‘This is the security given by the slave of God, Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, to the people of Iliya: they are guaranteed the security if their persons, possessions, churches, crucifixes, and everyone within, whether sick or in good health, as well as everyone in their community. Their churches will not be occupied or demolished, nor will anything be taken from them: neither furnishings nor crucifixes or money. They will not be forced away from their religion, or harmed because of it. They will not be occupied by the Jewish settlers in Iliya.’[8] As a result, since the era of the rightly-guided caliphs, Jews and Christians have held their services in freedom and security.[9] Muslims protected Christian churches in the lands they occupied from being harmed. In a letter to Simeon, the Archbishop of Rifardashir and leader of all the bishops of Persia, the Nestorian Patriarch Geoff III wrote: ‘The Arabs, to whom God has given power over the whole world, know how wealthy you are, for they live among you. In spite of this, they do not assail the Christian creed. To the contrary, they have sympathy with our religion, and venerate our priests and saints of our Lord, and they graciously donate to our churches and monasteries.’[1] One of the Muslims caliphs, Abdul-Malik, took the Church of John from the Christians and made it part of a mosque. When Umar bin Abdulaziz succeeded him as the new Caliph, the Christians complained to him about what his predecessor had done to their church. Umar wrote to the governor that the portion of the mosque that was rightfully theirs be returned to them if they were unable to agree with the governor on a monetary settlement that would satisfy them.[2] The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is known to historians to be the one of the holiest places of worship in Judaism. Some time ago, it was completely buried under rubble and heaps of debris. When the Ottoman caliph Sultan Sulayman came to know of this, he ordered his governor in Jerusalem to remove all the rubble and debris, clean the area, restore the Wailing Wall, and make it accessible for Jews to visit.[3] Unbiased Western historians acknowledge these facts. LeBon writes: ‘The tolerance of Muhammad towards the Jews and Christians was truly grand; the founders of other religions that appeared before him, Judaism and Christianity in particular, did not prescribe such goodwill. His caliphs followed the same policy, and his tolerance has been acknowledged by skeptics and believers alike when they study the history of the Arabs in depth.’[4] Robertson wrote: ‘The Muslims alone were able to integrate their zeal for their own religion with tolerance for followers of other religions. Even when they bore swords into battle for freedom for their religion to spread, they left those who did not desire it free to adhere to their own religious teachings.’[5] Sir Thomas Arnold, an English Orientalist, wrote: ‘We never heard of a report of any planned attempt to compel non-Muslim minorities to accept Islam, or any organized persecution aimed at uprooting the Christian religion. If any of the caliphs had chosen any of these policies, they would have overwhelmed Christianity with the same ease with which Ferdinand and Isabella exiled Islam from Spain, or with which Louis XIV made following Protestantism a punishable crime in France, or with which the Jews were exiled from England for 350 years. A that time Eastern churches were completely isolated from the rest of the Christian world. They had no supporters in the world as they were considered heretical sects of Christianity. Their very existence to this day is the strongest evidence of the policy of Islamic government’s tolerance towards them.’[6] The American author, Lothrop Stoddard wrote, ‘The caliph Umar took the utmost care to tend to the sanctity of the Christian holy places, and those who became caliph after him followed his footsteps. They did not harass the many denominations of pilgrims who came annually from every corner of the Christian world to visit Jerusalem.’[7] The reality is that non-Muslims were treated with more tolerance among the Muslims than anything they experienced with other sects of their own religion. Richard Stebbins spoke of the Christian experience under the rule of the Turks: ‘They (the Turks) allowed all of them, Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox, to preserve their religion and follow their consciences as they chose: they allowed them their churches to perform their sacred rituals in Constantinople and many other places. This is in contrast to what I can testify to from living in Spain for twelve years; not only were we forced to attend their Papist celebrations, but our lives and the lives of our grandchildren were in danger also.’[8] Thomas Arnold mentions in his ‘Invitation to Islam’ that there were many people in Italy at that time who longed for Ottoman rule. They wished they could be granted the same freedom and tolerance that the Ottomans gave to their Christian subjects, for they had despaired of achieving it under any Christian government. He also mentions that a great many Jews fled persecution in Spain at the end of the 15th century and took refuge in Ottoman Turkey.[9] It is worthwhile to reemphasize the following point. The existence of non-Muslims for centuries across the Muslim world, from Moorish Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa to Egypt, Syria, India, and Indonesia are clear evidence of the religious tolerance extended by Islam to people of other faiths. This tolerance even led to the elimination of Muslims, such as in Spain, where the remaining Christians took advantage of Muslim weakness, attacked them, and wiped them out from Spain by either killing them, forcing them to convert, or expulsion. Etienne Denier wrote, ‘The Muslims are the opposite of what many people believe. They never used force outside of the Hejaz.[10] The presence of Christians was evidence of this fact. They retained their religion in complete security during the eight centuries that the Muslims ruled their lands. Some of them held high posts in the palace in Cordoba, but when the same Christians obtained power over the country, suddenly their first concern was to exterminate Muslims.’[11]Islam does not compel non-Muslims citizens living in Muslim lands to be ruled by Islamic Laws. They are exempt from paying the zakah[1]. Under Islamic Law, a Muslim who does not pay the zakah and refuses its obligation becomes an unbeliever. Also, Islamic Law requires military duty from able Muslims, but non-Muslims are exempt from it, even though it is of benefit to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In return for these two exemptions, non-Muslim citizens pay a nominal tax known as jizya. Sir Thomas Arnold wrote, ‘The jizya was so light that it did not constitute a burden on them, especially when we observe that it exempted them from compulsory military service that was an obligation for their fellow citizens, the Muslims.’[2] Islam also permitted non-Muslims to observe their civil law in matters such as marriage and divorce. Regarding criminal justice, Muslim jurists would pass sentences on non-Muslims in issues considered sinful in their religion such as theft, but exempted them from issues they held to be permissible such as drinking wine and eating pork.[3] This is based clearly of the practice of the Prophet himself when he first came to Medina and established a ‘constitution’. He allowed for individual tribes who were not Muslims to refer to their own religious scriptures and their learned men in regards to their own personal affairs. They could though, if they opted, ask the Prophet to judge between them in their matters. God says in the Quran: “…If they do come to you, either judge between them or decline to interfere…” (Quran 5:42) Here we see that Prophet allowed each religion to judge in their own matters according to their own scriptures, as long as it did not stand in opposition to articles of the constitution, a pact which took into account the greater benefit of the peaceful co-existence of the society. Umar ibn Abdulaziz, a Muslim ruler, found it hard to accept how non-Muslims continued to follow their social regulations that went against the Islamic injunctions. He wrote a letter to Hasan al-Basri[4] seeking his legal advice, saying, ‘How is it that the Rightly-Guided Caliphs before us left the People of the Covenant as they did, marrying close relatives[5], and keeping pigs and wine?’ Hasan’s responded, ‘They paid the jizya so that they could be left to practice what they believed, and you may only follow the Islamic Law, not invent something new.’[6] The People of the Covenant had their own courts to settle their disputes, but if they wished, they could resort to Islamic courts. God commanded His Prophet: “So if they come to you, (O Muhammad), judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them never will they harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, God loves those who act justly.” (Quran 5:42) Adam Metz, a Western historian, writes in the Islamic Civilization in the Fourth Century of the Hegira: “Since the Islamic Law was specifically for Muslims, the Islamic state allowed the people of other religious affiliations to their own courts. What we know about these courts is that they were church courts and prominent spiritual leaders were the chief justices. They wrote a great number of books on canon law, and their rulings were not confined to matters of personal status. They included such problems as inheritance and much of the litigations between Christians that did not involve the state.”[7] Therefore, it can be seen that Islam did not punish non-Muslims for doing what they viewed as permissible according to their religious law, such as consuming alcohol or eating pork, even though they are forbidden in Islam. The tolerance extended by Islam towards non-Muslims is unmatched by any other religious law, secular government, or political system in existence even today. Gustav LeBon writes: “The Arabs could have easily been blinded by their first conquests, and committed the injustices that are usually committed by conquerors. They could have mistreated their defeated opponents or forced them to embrace their religion, which they wished to spread all over the world. But the Arabs avoided that. The early caliphs, who had a political genius that was rare in proponents of new religion, realized that religions and systems are not imposed by force. So they treated the people of Syria, Egypt, Spain, and every country they took over with great kindness, as we have seen. They left their laws, regulations, and beliefs intact and only imposed on them the jizya, which was paltry when compared to what they had been paying in taxes previously, in exchange for maintaining their security. The truth is that nations had never known conquerors more tolerant than the Muslims, or a religion more tolerant than Islam.”[8] Islamic justice towards non-Muslims is multifaceted. Islam gives them the right to go before their own courts; it also guarantees them equality in seeking justice with Muslims, if they choose to present their case in an Islamic court. God says: “So, if they come to you, (O Muhammad), judge between them, or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them – never will they harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Quran 5:42) If a Muslim were to steal from a non-Muslim dhimmi, he would be liable to the same punishment as the dhimmi would have been had he stolen from the Muslim. Similarly, a Muslim is liable to receive a sentence for defamation if he slanders a man or woman protected under the covenant.[1] Islamic history has some beautiful examples of justice meted out by Muslims towards non-Muslims. A man named Ta’ima stole a suit of armor from Qataada, his neighbor. Qataada had hidden the armor inside a sack of flour so, when Ta’ima took it, the flour leaked out of the sack through a hole, leaving a trail up to his house. Ta’ima then left the armor in the care of a Jewish man named Zayed, who kept it in his house, in order to conceal his crime. Thus, when the people searched for the stolen armor, they followed the trail of flour to Ta’ima’s house but did not find it there. When confronted, he swore to them he had not taken it and knew nothing about it. The people helping the owner also swore that they had seen him breaking into Qataada’s house at night, and had subsequently followed the tell-tale trail of flour, which had led them to his house. Nevertheless, after hearing Ta’ima swearing he was innocent, they left him alone and looked for further clues, finally finding a thinner trail of flour leading to the house of Zayed, and so arrested him. The Jewish man told them that Ta’ima had left the armor with him, and some Jewish people confirmed his statement. The tribe to which Ta’ima belonged sent some of their men to the Messenger of God to present his side of the story, and asked them to defend him. The delegation was told, ‘If you do not defend our clansman, Ta’ima, he will lose his reputation and be punished severely, and the Jew will go free.’ The Prophet was subsequently inclined to believe them, and was about to punish the Jewish man when God revealed the following verses of the Quran to vindicate the Jew.[2] The verse continues to be recited by Muslims today as a reminder that justice must be served for all: “Indeed, We have revealed to you, (O Muhammad), the Book in truth so you may judge between the people by that which God has shown you. And do not be an advocate for the deceitful. And seek forgiveness of God. Indeed, God is ever Forgiving and Merciful. And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, God loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver. They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from God, and He is with them (in His knowledge) when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And God ever is encompassing of what they do. Here you are – those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life – but who will argue with God for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative?” (Quran 4:105-109) Once, a dispute arouse between Ali ibn Ali Talib, when he was the Caliph, and a Jewish man who went to Judge Shurayh al-Kindi. Shuray tells the details of what happened: “Ali found he was missing his coat of mail, so he went back to Kufa and found it in the hands of a Jewish man who was selling it in the market. He said, ‘O Jew! That coat of mail is mine! I did not give it away or sell it!’ The Jew responded ‘It is mine. It is in my possession.’ Ali said, ‘We will have the judge rule on this for us.’ So they came to me and Ali sat next to me and said, ‘That coat of mail is mine; I did not give it away or sell it.’ The Jew sat in front of me and said, ‘That is my coat of mail. It is in my possession.’ I asked, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, do you have any proof?’ ‘Yes,’ Ali said. ‘My son Hasan and Qanbarah can testify that it is my coat of mail.’ I said, ‘Commander of the Faithful, the testimony of a son in his father’s favor is not admissible in court.’ Ali exclaimed, ‘How Perfect is God! You cannot accept the testimony of a man who has been promised Paradise? I heard the Messenger of God saying that Hasan and Husain are the princes of the youth in Paradise.’[1] The Jewish man said, ‘The Commander of the Faithful takes me before his own judge and the judge rules in my favor against him! I bear witness that no one deserves worship except God and that Muhammad is His Messenger [the Jewish man accepted Islam], and that the coat of armor is yours, Commander of the Faithful. You dropped it at night and I found it.’[2] Another amazing story of Muslim justice towards non-Muslims pertains to the conquest of the city of Samarkand. Qutayba, the Muslim military general, had not given the residents of Samarkand a choice between accepting Islam, entering into a protective covenant with the Muslims, or to accept fighting at the time. Years after the conquest, the people of Samarkand lodged a complaint with ‘Umar ibn Abdulaziz, the then current Muslim Caliph. Umar, upon hearing their complaint, ordered the governor of the city to turn it over to the people and vacate it, and then to give the people the three alternatives to choose from. Astounded by this display of instant justice, many of the residents of Samarkand embraced Islam![3] We also read in history instances where the general Muslim population was aware of the rights of the non-Muslim minorities and would demand justice for non-Muslims from their rulers. Waleed ibn Yazeed, an Omayyad Caliph, exiled the inhabitants of Cyprus and forced them to settle in Syria. The scholars of Islam did not approve his move at the time and declared it to be oppression after the event. They brought the issue up with his son when he became Caliph so that the people could be resettled in their native land once again. He agreed to the proposal, and is thus known to be one of the fairest rulers of the Umayyad dynasty.[4] Another similar historical instance is when the governor of Lebanon, Salih ibn Ali, expelled an entire village of non-Muslims because some of them refused to pay the toll on their produce. The governor was a close advisor of the Caliph, yet Imam Awza’i, a renowned Muslim scholar of Syria, came to their defense and wrote to letter of protest. Part of the letter reads: ‘How can you collectively punish people for the misdeeds of a few, going so far as to expel them from their homes? God states: “No bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.” (Quran 53:38) It is the most compelling evidence to consider and follow. And the most deserving command of the Prophet to preserve and follow is: “If anyone oppresses a dhimmi or burdens him with something he can not bear, I will argue against him on the Day of Judgment”[5] They are not slaves whom one is able to take from one place and move to another as one pleases. They are the free People of the Covenant.’[6] Secular writers and historians have been compelled to acknowledge the justice of Islam towards non-Muslims in their midst. The British historian, H.G. Wells, wrote the following: ‘They established great traditions of just tolerance. They inspire people with a spirit of generosity and tolerance, and are humanitarian and practical. They created a humane community in which it was rare to see cruelty and social injustice, unlike any community that came before it.’[7] Discussing the Christian sects at the beginning centuries of Islamic rule, Sir Thomas Arnold writes: ‘Islamic principles of tolerance forbade these actions [mentioned previously], that always involved some oppression. Muslims were the opposite of others, and it appears that they spared no effort in treating all of their Christian subjects with justice and equity. An example was the conquest of Egypt, when the Jacobites took advantage of the removal of the Byzantine authorities to dispossess the Orthodox Christians of their churches. The Muslims returned them to their rightful owners when the Orthodox Christians presented them with proof of ownership.’[8] Amari, a Sicilian Orientalist, observed: ‘At the time of the Muslim Arab rule, the conquered inhabitants of the island of (Sicily) were comfortable and content compared to their Italian counterparts, who were collapsing under the yoke of the Langiornians and Franks.’[9] Nadhmi Luqa commented: ‘No law can eradicate injustice and prejudice better than one that states: “…and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just.” (Quran 5:8) Only when a person holds himself to these standards, settling for no other, and devotes himself to a religion with these lofty principles and rectitude, accepting no other… only then can he claim to have honored himself.’[10] Islamic Law protects basic human rights like the preservation of life, property, and honor for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Whether the non-Muslims are residents or visitors, they are guaranteed these rights. These rights cannot be taken away except in a justified case permitted by law. For instance, a non-Muslim may not be killed unless he is guilty of killing. God says: “Say, ‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. (He commands) that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which God has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason.’” (Quran 6:151) The Prophet of Islam declared that the life of non-Muslims residents or visitor as inviolable when he said: “Whoever kills a person with whom we have a treaty, will not come close enough to Paradise to smell its scent, and its scent can be found as far away as forty years of travel.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Islam does not allow assaulting a non-Muslim, violating his honor or property, or hurting him. If someone steals from a dhimmi, he must be punished. If anyone borrows from a dhimmi, the property must be returned. The Prophet of Islam said: “You must know that it is not lawful for you to take the property of the People of the Covenant unless it is (in payment) for something.”[1] He also said: “Indeed God, Mighty and Majestic, has not allowed you to enter the homes of the People of the Book except by their permission, nor has He allowed you to hit their women, nor eat their fruit if they give you what is obligatory upon them [from the jizyah].” (Abu Dawood) There is an interesting story from the era of Ahmad ibn Tulun of Egypt. One day a Christian monk came to Tulun’s palace to complain about his governor. Upon noticing him, a guard inquired about the problem. On finding out that the governor had taken 300 dinars from the monk, the guard offered to pay the monk on the condition that he does not complain, and the monk accepted his offer. The incident reached Tulun who ordered the monk, guard, and the governor to come to his court. Tulun said to the governor, ‘Are not all your needs met with a sufficient income? Do you have needs that justify taking from others?’ The governor conceded to the force of his argument, yet still Tulun kept on questioning him, eventually removing him from his post. Tulun then asked the monk how much the governor had taken from him, and the monk told him it was 300 dinars. Tulun said, ‘It is too bad you did not say 3000, as he needs a larger punishment, but I can only base it on your statement,’ and took the money from the governor and returned it to the monk.[2] Non-Muslims have the right that their honor be protected. This right is extended not only to non-Muslim residents, but also to visitors. They all have the right to be secure and protected. God says: “And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of God (the Quran). Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.” (Quran 9:6) The right to asylum makes it a duty on every Muslim to respect and uphold the asylum granted by another Muslim according to the Prophet’s statement: “The obligation imposed by the covenant is communal, and the nearest Muslim must try hard to fulfill it. Anyone who violates the protection granted by a Muslim will be under the curse of God, the angels, and all people, and on Judgment Day no intercession will be accepted on his behalf.”[3] One of the female companions, Umm Hani, said to the Prophet: “Messenger of God, my brother Ali claims that he is at war with a man whom I have granted asylum, a man with the name of Ibn Hubayra.” The Prophet answered her: “Anyone you have given asylum to is under the protection of all of us, O Umm Hani.”[4] The right to asylum and protection requires a Muslim to give asylum and grant security to a non-Muslim who seeks it and warns of severe punishment for anyone who violates it. Asylum guarantees protection from aggression, or attack for anyone who has been given security, a right that is not explicitly granted in any other religion. The Quran instructs Muslims to treat non-Muslims courteously in a spirit of kindness and generosity, given they are not hostile towards Muslims. God says: “God does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from dealing kindly and justly with them. Indeed, God loves those who act justly. God only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – (forbids) that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Quran 60:8-9) Al-Qarafi, a classical Muslim scholar, describes the depth of the meaning of “dealing kindly” referred to in the above verse. He explains the term: ‘…gentleness towards the weak, providing clothing to cover them, and soft speech. This must be done with affection and mercy, not by intimidation or degradation. Furthermore, tolerating the fact that they may be bothersome neighbors whom you could force to move, but you do not out of kindness towards them, not out of fear or financial reasons. Also, praying they receive guidance and [thus] join the ranks of the blessed with external reward, advising them in all wordily and spiritual matters, protecting their reputation if they are exposed to slander, and defending their property, families, rights, and concerns. Assisting them against oppression and getting them their rights.’[1] Divine commandments to treat non-Muslims in this manner were taken seriously by Muslims. They were not just verses to be recited, but Divine Will to be acted upon. The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, himself was the first person to put the divine commands into practice, followed by his caliphs and the general population of believers. The life-story of the Prophet of Islam gives many instances of his kind, tolerant co-existence with non-Muslims. Some of his neighbors were non-Muslims and the Prophet would be generous towards them and exchange gifts. The Prophet of Islam would visit them when they fell sick and do business with them. There was a Jewish family he regularly gave charity to and the Muslims after his death maintained his charity towards them.[2] When a Christian delegation from Ethiopian churches came to Medina, the Prophet opened up his mosque for them to stay in, hosted them generously, and personally served them meals. He said: “They were generous to our companions, so I wish to be generous to them in person…” …referring to the event when they provided asylum to a number of his companions after they fled persecution in Arabia and took asylum in Abyssinia.[3] In another instance, a Jewish man named Zayd ibn Sana came to the Prophet of Islam to reclaim a debt. He grabbed the Prophet by his robe and cloak, pulled the Prophet close to his face, and said, ‘Muhammad, are you not going to give me my due? You and your clan Banu Muttalib never pay debts on time!’ Umar, one of the companions of the Prophet, got agitated and said, ‘Enemy of God, am I really hearing what you just said to God’s Prophet. I swear by the One who sent him with truth, if I were not afraid that he would blame me, I would have taken my sword and cut your head off!’ The Prophet looked calmly at Umar and censured him gently: “Umar, that is not what we needed to hear from you. You should have counseled me to pay my debts in time and asked him to seek repayment in a respectful manner. Now take him, repay him his debt from my money and give him an extra twenty measures of date.” The Jewish man was so pleasantly surprised by the Prophet’s behavior that he immediately declared his acceptance of Islam![4] The companions of Prophet Muhammad followed his example in how they treated non-Muslims. Umar set-up a permanent stipend for the Jewish family the Prophet used to take care of in his lifetime.[5] He found justification for allotting funds for the People of the Scripture in the following verse of the Quran: “Alms are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect (the funds) and for bringing hearts together, and for freeing captives (or slaves) and for those in debt and for the cause of God, and for the (stranded) traveler – an obligation (imposed) by God. And God is Knowing and Wise.” (Quran 9:60) Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, a famous companion of the Prophet Muhammad, would regularly give charity to his neighbors. He would send his servant to take portions of meat on religious occasions to his Jewish neighbor. The surprised servant asked about Abdullah’s concern for his Jewish neighbor. Abdullah told him the saying of Prophet Muhammad: “The angel Gabriel was so adamant in reminding me to be charitable with my neighbor that I thought he might make him my heir.”[6] Turning to the pages of history, we find a marvelous example of how a Muslim ruler expected his governors to treat the Jewish populace. The Sultan of Morocco, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, issued an edict on February 5th, 1864 CE: ‘To our civil servants and agents who perform their duties as authorized representatives in our territories, we issue the following edict: ‘They must deal with the Jewish residents of our territories according to the absolute standard of justice established by God. The Jews must be dealt with by the law on an equal basis with others so that none suffers the least injustice, oppression, or abuse. Nobody from their own community or outside shall be permitted to commit any offense against them or their property. Their artisans and craftsmen may not be scripted into service against their will, and must be paid full wages for serving the state. Any oppression will cause the oppressor to be in darkness on Judgment Day and we will not approve of any such wrongdoing. Everyone is equal in the sight of our law, and we will punish anyone who wrongs or commits aggression against the Jews with divine aid. This order which we have stated here is the same law that has always been known, established, and stated. We have issued this edict simply to affirm and warn anyone who may wish to wrong them, so the Jews may have a greater sense of security and those intending harm may be deterred by greater sense of fear.’[7] Renault is one of the unbiased Western historians who has acknowledged the kind and fair treatment of Muslims towards the non-Muslim minorities. He comments: ‘The Muslims in the cities of Islamic Spain treated the non-Muslims in the best possible way. In return, the non-Muslims showed respect to the sensibilities of the Muslims and would circumcise their own children and refrain from eating pork.’[8] Modern welfare states provide social benefits to their poor citizens, but Islam preceded all nations in establishing social security services. Islamic law set up financial provisions for needy Muslims through zakah (obligatory charity) and sadaqa (voluntary charity). Zakah was made obligatory on wealthy Muslims to take care of the poor, whereas sadaqa was left on individual discretion to help the needy. Social security provided by Islam includes non-Muslims as well. Islamic Law requires the state to provide for its citizens with disabilities – Muslim or non-Muslim - that prevent them from employment. They are provided for by the public treasury and the ruler is negligent if he does not do so. Many instances of Muslims providing social security to the non-Muslim citizens are recorded in history. Umar ibn al-Khattab the second caliph of Islam, once passed by a old, blind man begging in front of a house. Umar asked him which religious community he belonged to. The man said he was Jewish. Umar then asked him, ‘What has brought you to this?’ The old man said, ‘Do not ask me; ask …poverty, and old age.’ Umar took the man to his own home, helped him from his personal money, and then ordered the head of the treasury, ‘You must look after this man and others like him. We have not treated him fairly. He should not have spent the best years of his life among us to find misery in his old age.’ Umar also relieved him and others in his situation of paying the jizya.[1] Another example is found in Khalid ibn al-Walid’s letter to the people of the Iraqi city of Hira. It contains the terms of truce he offered them: ‘If God gives us victory, the people of the covenant will be protected. They have rights promised to them by God. It is the strictest covenant God has made incumbent on any of His prophets. They are also held by the duties that it places upon them and must not violate it. If they are conquered, they will live comfortably with everything due to them. I am commanded to exempt from jizya the elderly who cannot work, the disabled, or the poor who receive charity from their own community. The treasury will provide for them and their dependants as long as they live in Muslim lands or in the communities of Muslim emigrants. If they move outside of Muslim lands, neither they nor their dependants shall be entitled to any benefits.’[2] In another instance, Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Muslim Caliph, was visiting Damascus. He passed by a group of Christian lepers. He ordered that they be given charity and regular stipends for food.[3] Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, another Muslim Caliph, wrote to his agent in Basra, Iraq, ‘Search for the people of the covenant in your area who may have grown old, and are unable to earn, and provide them with regular stipends from the treasury to take care of their needs.’[4] Some of the early Muslims[5] used to distribute part of their post-Ramadan charity (zakat ul-fitr) to Christian monks, based on their understanding of the verse of Quran: “God does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from dealing kindly and justly with them. Indeed, God loves those who act justly. God only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – (forbids) that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.”(Quran 60:8-9) Finally, there are other rights that we have not discussed here, because of the assumption that they are elementary and taken for granted, such as the right to work, housing, transportation, education, and so forth.[6] However, before concluding, I would like to make the following observation. Our discussion has clarified how non-Muslims living in Muslim countries enjoy rights that they might not be granted in non-Muslim countries. Some readers may respond with the objection that these rights might have existed in history, but the experience of non-Muslims living in Muslim countries today is different. The author’s personal observation is that non-Muslims still enjoy many of these same rights today, perhaps even more. Allah Almighty has commanded us to be truthful, in the verse: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, God is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.”(Quran 4:135) Further, when we compare the conditions of non-Muslims living in Muslim countries to the status of Muslim minorities living in non-Muslim countries, whether now or in history, we see a profound difference. What happened to Muslims during the Crusades, under the Spanish Inquisition, in Communist China, or the Soviet Union? What is happening to them today in the Balkans, Russia, Palestine, and India? It would be worthwhile to reflect in order to give an answer based on fairness and declaration of truth and justice. Allah is the best of Judges, and He states: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not the enmity hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety; and fear God. Verily, God is Well-Acquainted with what you do.”(Quran 5:8) Non-Muslim citizens have a similar right to be protected from external enemies just as a Muslim fellow citizen does. The payment of jizya ensures protection against outside aggression, defense against enemies, and ransom to be paid on their behalf if they are taken captive by an enemy.[1] Writing a few centuries ago, Ibn Hazm, a classical scholar of Islam, said: ‘If we are attacked by an enemy nation who is targeting the People of the Covenant living among us, it is out duty to come fully armed and ready to die in battle for them, to protect those people who are protected by the covenant of God and His Messenger. Doing any less and surrendering them will be blameworthy neglect of a sacred promise.’[2] History has recorded many examples of Muslims fulfilling their sacred promise towards the dhimmis. The companion of Prophet Muhammad, Abu Ubayda al-Jarrah, was the leader of the army that conquered Syria. He made agreement with its people to pay the jizya. Realizing the faithful loyalty of the Muslims, the Syrian people of the covenant resisted Muslim enemies and aided the Muslims against them. The residents of each town would send some of their people to spy against the Byzantines, who conveyed the news of the gathering of Byzantine army to Abu Ubayda’s commanders. Finally, when the Muslims feared they would not be able to guarantee their protectect ,Abu Ubayda wrote to his commanders to return all the money they had collected as jizya with the following message for the Syrians: ‘We are returning your money to you because news has reached us of the awaiting armies. The condition of our agreement is that we protect you, and we are unable to do so, therefore, we are returning what we have taken from you. If God grants us victory, we will stand by out agreement.’ When his commanders returned the money and conveyed his message, the Syrian response was: ‘May God bring you back safely to us. May He grant you victory. If the Byzantines had been in your place, they would not have returned anything, they would have taken everything we own and left us with nothing.’ The Muslims were victorious in the battle. When people of other towns saw how their allies were defeated, they sought to negotiate a truce with the Muslims. Abu Ubayda entered into a truce with all of them with all the rights he had extended in the first treaties. They also requested that the Byzantines hiding among them be given safe passage back home, with their families and possessions, without any harm, which Abu Ubayda agreed to. Then the Syrians sent the jizya and opened their cities to welcome Muslims. On the way back home, Abu Ubayda was met by the representatives of townspeople and villagers requesting him to extend the treaty to them as well, to which he happily complied.[3] Another example of Muslims’ defending the non-Muslim citizens can be seen in the actions of Ibn Taimiyya. He went to the Tartar leader after they had sacked Syria for release of their captives. The Tartar leader agreed to release the Muslim prisoners, but Ibn Taimiyya protested: ‘We will only be satisfied if all the Jewish and Christian prisoners are released as well. They are people of the covenant. We do not abandon a prisoner whether from our own people or from those under a covenant.’ He persisted until the Tartars released all of them.[4] Furthermore, Muslim jurists have stated that protecting non-Muslims from external aggression is a duty just as their protection from internal harassment. Al-Mawardi stated: ‘The payment of the jizya entitles the people of the covenant to two rights. First, that they be left undisturbed. Second, that they be guarded and protected. In this way, they can be secure in society and protected from outside threats.’[5] Islam considers abandoning the protection of its non-Muslim citizens a form of wrongdoing and oppression that is forbidden. God says: “…And whoever commits injustice among you — We will make him taste a great punishment.” (Quran 25:19) Therefore, harming or oppressing people of the covenant is considered a serious sin. Upholding treaties with them is an obligation on the Muslim Caliph and his representatives. The Prophet promised to argue on the Day of Judgment on behalf of the dhimmi against someone who harms him: “Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawood) All evidence in Islamic Law points towards protecting the people of the covenant. Al-Qarafi, another classical Muslim scholar, wrote: ‘The covenant is a contract that has conditions that are compulsory for us, for they are under our protection as neighbors, and the covenant of God and His Messenger, and the religion of Islam. If someone harms them with inappropriate speech, defamation, any type of harassment, or is an accomplice to such actions, then he has made light of the covenant of God, His Messenger, and Islam.’[6] Umar, the second Caliph of Islam, would inquire from the visitors coming to meet him from other provinces about the situation of the people of the covenant and would say, ‘We may know that the treaty is still being upheld.’[7] On his deathbed, Umar is reported to have said, ‘Command whoever becomes Caliph after me to treat well the people of the covenant, to uphold the treaty, to fight whoever wants to harm them, and not to overwhelm them with burden.’[8] The writings of Muslim scholars and the actions of many Muslim rulers demonstrate the Islamic commitment from the earliest times to this right of non-Muslims. I think that's enough to satisfy you because there are also the quotations of the non-muslims.

Hi Thesius,I don't know where you studied Islam and where you find that verse.1st of all there is only one Quran in the whole world and there in no single difference of a single word.I've looked again and again,there is no such verse.Please go to shop and buy a Quran and study. And there is the reply for your post with Quran & Hadiths and from the book of an christian author. Let us start with the Islamic greetings as it is mentioned in the Old, New and Final testament. Salamun Alaykum - Peace be unto you (Qur’an 6:54 and that Allah is Himself Peace, see: 59:23), Sholom Aleichem as Jews accept to say (God is Peace, See: Judges 6:24) and as Jesus used to often say: Peace be unto you. [book of Luke 24:36 (KJV), Rather the exact word actually used by Jesus too was “shalom Aleichem” John 20:19, 21, 26] Author's Note: It is mostly Muslims who have kept this tradition alive and they say As-Salamu 'alaykum every time they meet, whereas others (including Christians) are paying the opportunity cost of changing this into Hello, Hi, Hiya and a more formal way of greeting starting as "Good morning (going up til Good night)" Saying Good morning to someone on a funeral for instance would be illogical or inappropriate, whereas the greeting with "Salam" is appropriate and soothing no matter what occasion or place we are at. In the world we live today, our dear Muslim faith called "al-Islam" has unfortunately become the most misunderstood faith out of all religions. The primary reason for this is constant anti Islamic propaganda or rhetoric and also some unaware/ignorant Muslims who do not understand Islam itself and hence give fuel to bigotry against their own faith without realizing it. Some ignorant ones assume themselves to be the champions of Islam and with this pride they end up doing things which Islam never allowed at first place (Hadith proves that, Pride and Faith cannot mix - Sahih Bukhari) We are making this post on rights which Islam gives to non-Muslims because currently our world is going through a very delicate phase as was already told by Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) when he said, that near the hour there would be a lot of killing. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) rather analyzed this present situation very deeply about 1450 Years ago We would like to write a commentary on this hadith and also go slightly off the topic so that when we come back we have proper understanding of context of why this world has become such a bad place to live and why Islam is deliberately made to be misunderstood the most? This hadith pretty much solves the problems faced by modern world today, the wars which are led by big countries upon smaller ones (Big fish eating small) but still putting the blame on the ones being mass murdered as always happened throughout history (Read Qur'an 2:11-12 to understand the ideology of state actors of terrorism), the preemptive full fledged genocides of people in Iraq and that too on false grounds of "Weapons of Mass destruction" (which were never found but rather had magical legs with which they ran into neighboring countries for future reference). Hence in this context the above hadith clearly proves that the killer (any state actor of terrorism) does not know why it killed and the ones being killed do not know why they were being bombarded (i.e. the majority of people of the world who differ with USA foreign policy for example). Remember ignorance has become a norm of this world. It is spread on a wide scale and the biggest tool of ignorance is “Generalization” i.e. if some Muslim commits a crime then not only that person is to be blamed but rather all Muslims and Islam is to be attacked. We know for sure that Islam is not alone targeted but this blame has been put and still is being put on other religions, for example blame of crusades firmly lies upon Christianity, Wars as mentioned in Old testament somehow prove the God of Moses as a war monger according to secularists and atheists. The Hadith: The Killer would not know why he killed and the one who got killed would not know why he was killed [Two most authentic books of hadith i.e. Sahih Bukhari and Muslim Hadith # 1356 in the latter] Many times certain terrorist activates are “created and orchestrated” to give justification to wide scaled acts of terrorism in return, take an example of September 9/11 and this is not some conspiracy theory we are talking about , so after such orchestrated terrorist activities the full fledged wars of terrorism (not “ON” terrorism) were imposed upon Afghanistan, Iraq and now Syria, Egypt, Libya, Iran and Pakistan have become prime targets with direct American attacks already taking place within the "so called" sovereign Islamic Republic of Pakistan (This should be an everlasting moment of shame for our puppet leaders). Not to forget elsewhere in the Muslim world where governments gone against USA are being toppled through the hands of rebels whom America has suddenly started to call as freedom fighters but not terrorists. The Muslims on the other hand are declared as terrorists by default in order to carry out the long term and wide scale terrorism upon them. We do not consider Muslims as infallible either as there are “Ignorant” Muslims too who legitimize the lame western propaganda by committing crimes which Islam never allowed them to do at first place. Let us now see what Islam says about rights of non-Muslims. Qur'an states: O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you”INTO NATIONS AND TRIBES” that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the ”MOST RIGHTEOUS OF YOU” . And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). [49:13] Quran states at another place: Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand- hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things. (2:256) This verse proves that If any Muslim forces a non-Muslim to accept Islam (let alone killing him due to difference in faith) then he is a blunt liar because Quran forbids compelling others into faith at first place. There is a whole Surah in Quran with the name of Al-Kafiroon (i.e. the disbelievers), some would assume straightaway that this Surah would have direct orders of killing all disbelievers at sight, but to their amazement let’s see what the Surah actually states 109.1: Say: O disbelievers! 109.2: I worship not that which ye worship; 109.3: Nor worship ye that which I worship. 109.4: And I shall not worship that which ye worship. 109.5: Nor will ye worship that which I worship. 109.6: Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion. [Translation by a revert from Christianity to Islam i.e. Marmaduke Pickthal] This short chapter of Qur'an which has been shown in its totality proves beyond doubt that Islam prescribes right in it's most holy scripture that everyone has freedom of religion and expression, without any if's and but's. Some would argue by taking Quranic verses out of context like many anti Islamic propagandists claim that Quran advises in 2:191 to kill disbelievers wherever one may find them (God forbid). They while grossly misquoting such verses know for sure that they are not being honest in the approach by hiding other part of the same verse itself and also ignoring 1 verse before and 2 verses afterwards which prove the context to be in regards to Battlefield only. Plus fighting was permitted against those disbelievers who had broken the treaties, initiated the fight, driven Muslims out of their own homeland etc… The amount of importance and respect given to minorities in Islam is unimaginable when we read these following words of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), these words are so strong that If Muslims do not follow them then there is a chance of them having total loss in their own faith. The Prophet said: Beware! Whosoever oppresses a Muahid (i.e. Non-Muslim living in Muslim land with agreement) or snatches (any of) his rights or causes him pain which he cannot bear, or takes anything from him without his permission, Then “I WILL FIGHT AGAINST SUCH A (MUSLIM) ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT” [sunnan Abu Dawud, Volume No. 3, Page No. 170, Hadith No. 3052] I.E. the Prophet (Peace be upon him) will be a lawyer against such a Muslim, hence no sane Muslim should expect to win the case when the lawyer against him shall be none other than Muhammad himself (Peace be upon him). This is not just an advice but a “LAW” in Islamic Jurisprudence. "Christians allowed to pray inside the Prophetic Mosque which is the most holy place after Mecca (apart from Prophetic grave which is more holier than even Ka'ba and Throne) " In another hadith the Prophet (Peace be upon him) is more explicit, he said: If any Muslim killed a Muahid (i.e. non-Muslim living in Muslim land with agreement) then he (muslim) shall not even smell the fragrance of Paradise although the fragrance of Paradise would have been perceived from the distance of travelling for 40 years [sahih Bukhari, Volume No. 3, Hadith # 2995] Hadith: Once a delegation of Christians comprising of 14 members came to Madina. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) made them stay in his mosque (i.e. Masjid an Nabwi) and he gave them permission to perform their worship in their own manner inside his Mosque. [imam Ibn Sa’d in his Tabaqat al Kubra, Volume No. 1, Page No. 357] The polytheists of Makkah had oppressed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his companions continuously to an extent that he and his companions remained expelled from their own homeland Makkah, however when Muslims won their freedom and went back to their homeland after a long and treacherous exile, a commander from Muslims exclaimed loudly: Today is a day of revenge (fight), at this the Prophet (Peace be upon him) became angry and said: Today is the day of open forgiveness, then he asked his enemies: How should I treat you today? They replied: We expect you to treat us Just like Prophet Joseph treated his wrongdoing brothers, the Prophet said in reply the same sentence which Joseph had said to his brothers: There is no questioning from you today and you are all free [imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani, Fath ul Bari, Volume No. 8, Page No. 18] The biggest enemy of Muslims at that time was Abu Sufyan, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:Whosoever takes shelter in “ABU SUFYAN’S HOUSE” is safe [sahih Muslim, Volume No. 3, Hadith # 1780] Abu Lahab against whom a whole Surah has been revealed in Quran, his two sons who used to cause a lot of pain to Prophet (Peace be upon him), they after conquest of Makkah took shelter behind curtains of Kaaba,the Prophet himself brought them out and forgave them [imam Zayli, Nasb ar Raiya 3:336] The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: To protect the rights (of non-Muslims) is amongst the primary duties of mine [sunnan Baihaqi, Volume No. 8, Page No. 30] Once a governor of Egypt punished a non-Muslim wrongly, the case was brought to the caliph of time i.e. Umar ibn ul Khattab (the second caliph of Islam), the Muslim governor was proven to be wrong, Umar the great (ra) told the non Muslim to punish the Egyptian governor in same fashion, after it Umar (ra) said: Since when have you considered people as your slaves? Although their mothers gave birth to them as free living people [Kanz ul Amaal, Volume No. 4, Page No. 455] Quran states the ethics with which people could be invited towards Islam: Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (16:125) The decision of guidance or misguidance of someone is to be attributed to Allah as authority over it is only in His hands, even Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was told by Allah (sometimes strictly) that his duty was only to convey the message. Quran states: If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe?(10:99) The Prophet (Salallaho alaihi wasalam) said: Najran (i.e. Christian land) and its leaders are assured the security from Allah and his Apostle. Their lives, their legislation, land, wealth, near and far away people, their worship places will be protected. No priest from his religious post, no officer of his official post shall be removed [Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Volume No. 1 Page No. 228] As Muslims have to give “OBLIGATORY CHARITY” similarly the non-Muslims living in Muslim lands had to give Jiziya Tax, however Islam does not put this condition upon “POOR, OLD AND INCAPABLE” non Muslims. It states in one of the leading book of Islamic Jurisprudence: If they are poor, old or suffering (from financial or physical ailments) to the extent that people from their own faith start giving them charity then the Law of Jiziya will be “LIFTED” from them and from Bayt ul Maal (Muslim house of wealth i.e. a bank) they will be helped instead but till the time they live in the Muslim land [imam Abu Yusuf, Kitab al-Khiraaj, Page No. 155] Quran states: Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes,from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just. (60:8) Quran states: Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful(16:90)

Delete the zeros and the new currency you are the solution to combat inflation? By: wab Date: Monday 21/07/2014 23:24 * Afraid citizen and government decision is still delayed!! * New currency citizen wants a great value and low volume! Baghdad news / achieve / Duraid Thamer Still cash transactions in the Iraqi market needs to finance the cash many and the transfer of funds in the form of bags in case of transactions of large, may be the reforms in the payments system and the policy of the monetary authority by issuing a new currency and the abolition of three zeros from the currency will contribute to ease the payments system and the elimination of waste inflation and monetary block dealing powerful and easy-Iraqi citizen in order to be able to buy a small amount of money from a large amount of goods. Will the issuance of a new currency is the treatment of liquidity? Why not be the currency of cash in a small place ease the process of buying and dealing between the citizen and the markets? And when it is achieved the dream of the citizen to carry small amounts of cash to buy a large quantity of goods?. (Baghdad (news)) I spoke with a number of citizens and owners of competence in this subject and came up with this investigative reporting. An important step * Hassan Abbas Mohammed (employee): We hear daily lot of the projects that will contribute to increased economic development in the country, including the issuance of a new currency and coins metal, it is true that the coins had been raised previously and distributed in the salaries of employees and retirees, but to deal with it was in the range of tight Kajor transport, for example, and others, but gradually disappeared, so we hope that such projects in the state approval of important steps and serious in addressing the liquidity in Iraq as the largest coin found in daily dealings between the hands of the citizens are (25) thousand dinars, which is the purchasing power is not Balqoah. The study reviews * As Fouad Ali Abbas (Diploma in Management and Economics): processors economic still need to review and study going on between now and then because of the changes that will occur at the level of the country and the world, for example, the issuance of small coins, as was the Iraqi Central Bank to deal with previously did not work and did not also considering the reasons for failure with that we were desperately needed for the absence of these groups currently and that they facilitate the process of dealing and purchase between the citizen and the markets while became handle groups of small almost non-existent and the category of (500) JD is the dominant currency and the least in transactions in the markets or in transport fares . * According to Ahmed Fathi al-Naimi (an employee in one of the private banks): The Iraq now need economic support for its currency through lack of sleep to the current currency through the issuance of other currencies to financial markets and substantially similar to currencies, global foreign sedentary category (100) dollars, Valtaamlat cash is still needed to finance large cash which leads to delay the process of financial obligations in major projects and the difficulties faced by those projects such as transferring money in the form of bags in case of large transactions. Deferred wish * They hoped Lamia military (an employee at the Ministry of Commerce) from the Iraqi Central Bank to work on reform of the payments system in Iraq and activate the policy of the monetary authority in accordance with the economic outlook and plans for the correct strategy without financial imbalances in the future when it is applied and through the issuance of a new currency and the abolition of three zeros from the new currency because it is one of the important measures that need special operations management of the currency reform, which will be reflected in the ease of the payments system and then eliminate the remnants of inflation frightening hear about it daily so that we can treat the mass of strong cash and easy. * Called Ali Anwar (shop owner Zamzam to sell groceries in the neighborhood of teachers) saying: suffering constant when shopping some goods to Mahna from commercial markets near and far from our house because of the large quantities that I carry with me when buying I do not hide a secret that I draw some psychological distress through apprehension of robbery with such large amounts of money because I do not wish that I deal with a large amount of money to buy a small amount of goods and I hope that I am dealing with a small amount of money to buy a large quantity of goods and this only gets issuing currency cash reduced these amounts in our pocket or purse I carry that, similar amounts of dollars that I can carry them (30) sheet of the class (100) dollars with ease while I can not carry (35) million in my pocket without a single note of the citizens when I buy goods Mahna. The poor victim * Confirmed Ahmad Ayyash al-Husseini (Driver): Any plan set by the authorities responsible for the economic side in Iraq should bear in mind the lack of prejudice to the national economy and citizens in the case of approval or implementation, because this will be reflected on the owners with limited income who live for their day success of projects economic will include everyone but damaging (God forbid) will fall on the poor warheads who work to earn their daily bread and who do not Imklon Thayet source of income such as employees and retirees. * Ridiculed Muhannad Hussain Hamed (earner) of fears that he hears from some citizens on the draft issue currency and delete the zeros of them, saying: We do not care that issued a new currency or omitted zeros including the fact that we get to go in the day and we can not spare him nothing but the fear of the owners of the millions who hoard gold and silver without the benefit of it in the investment might benefit them and taken advantage of the country it however I am with the issuance of the new currency deleted zeroes them whatever the shape and size because dealing with it as we have heard not be compulsory after putting them on the market, but little by little you will find citizen Dealing with it will not cause any damage to the national economy nor the citizens and this opinion humbly. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://www.baghdadnp.com/news.php%3Faction%3Dview%26id%3D21072&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25D8%25AD%25D8%25B0%25D9%2581%2B%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A3%25D8%25B5%25D9%2581%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B1%26lr%3D%26safe%3Dactive%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Dqdr:w