How do you answer these verses of Qur'an asked by non-Muslims in Myanmar and in the world?

Answer 1

Elaboration on the Question:

The Muslim terrorists mobs have murdered a Buddhist monk at Mosque in Meiktila, Burma.

The Muslim terrorists mobs have murdered many people in the world such as US, UK, Japan, China, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.

And by the way, can someone help me to answer this question asked by a Non-Muslims?

How does the Qur'an portray the Muslim Faith to be a religion of peace?

In a previous question I was criticized by certain members of Webanswers for typing an English translation of certain passages from the Qur'an which confuse me and others into believing Islam is a religion of hate and violence. These passages are :

• Quran: 9:5 “Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.”

• Quran: 9:112 “The Believers fight in Allah’s Cause, they slay and are slain, kill and are killed.”
• Quran: 8:39 “Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah. So fight them until there is no more Fitnah and all submit to the religion of Allah alone

• Quran: 4:89: "They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away (convert from Islam to other religion), then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper."

• Quran: 9:14 “Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands, lay them low, and cover them with shame. He will help you over them.”
• Quran: 8:12 (Allah punishment)
• Quran: 2:191-193 (Killing infidels)
• Quran: 4:89-91 (Killing disbelievers)
• Quran: 9:123 (Fighting unbelievers)
• Quran: 8:72 “Those who accepted Islam and left their homes to fight in Allah’s Cause with their possessions and persons, and those who gave them asylum, aid, and shelter, those who harboured them—these are allies of one another. You are not responsible for protecting those who embraced Islam but did not leave their homes to fight until they do so.”
• Quran: 9:29 (Fight non-Muslims)
• Quran: 5:33; 5:38 (Cut off their hands)
• Quran: 9:38 “Believers, what is the matter with you, that when you are asked to go forth and fight in Allah’s Cause you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless you go forth, He will afflict and punish you with a painful doom, and put others in your place.”

I am very disappointed but I simply fail to understand how you can rationally maintain the preceding verse in the Qur'an of each of those passages I typed somehow changes the meaning of every single one of the verses to the precise opposite of what it actually appears to say if translated into English?. How can we respect to Islam as a religion that condones brutality for any reason?

Answer 1

One should differentiate between killing for a personal or political reason and one killing for a religious reason. If one killing for a political or personal reason he/she should called by his/her nationality and not by his/her religion. In this context, you find many American, Japanese, European, and African people killing others or committing terrorist acts that could not be justified by their own faiths or religions.

Never ever Muslims killed others due to their beliefs but either due to political reasons or in defending themselves against occupation or oppression.

Many massacres had been committed by Christians and Jews against Muslims because of their Islamic faith. Examples are the Massacres committed against Muslims in Bosnia, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Burma, Iraq, Russia, ...

A question for the reader: Who waged the WW1 and WW2 that resulted in millions of victims? Are Muslims or Christians? Who expelled Muslims and Jews from Spain when Muslims lost control of Spain and despite that Jews had been welcomed in Morocco, Egypt, and many Muslim Countries?

The Qur'an verses mentioned above are truncated from their texts to give a false impression about Islam religion and to illustrate different and opposite meaning. War is justified in Islam only in defense of their lands and religion when attacked by non Muslims. Even during war, Muslims are forbidden to cut a tree, destroy worship houses, burn any house, kill any old or ill man who can't fight, kill a child, or kill a woman.

As an example of truncated verses is that mentioned under item 1 above.

• The Qur'an verse before (9:5) says that: " Excepted are those with whom you made a treaty among the polytheists and then they have not been deficient toward you in anything or supported anyone against you; so complete for them their treaty until their term [has ended]. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him] (9:4).
• The verse mentioned in item 1 above says that: "And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."(9:5).
• While the one after, says that "And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.:"(9:6).

You find from the three verses together that Muslims are not allowed to kill any non Muslim or polytheist unless he attacks you. Not only that, but even if a non Muslim or a polytheist seeks your protection, then give him your protection until you can deliver him to a safe place.

This example clarifies clearly that the truncation of verses from their complete meaning could propagate a false meaning that is intended to reflect on purpose non peaceful impressions about Islam. It is the same for all verses mentioned in Answer A above but not enough space to explain them all.

Qur'an says (meaning English translation): " Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.

Allah 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." (Qur'an, verses 60:8-9)

Refer to related questions below.

Answer 2

The Qur'an is not the only holy book with exhortations to violence. The Bible commands genocide no less than ten distinct times. In fact, in I Samuel Chapter 15, God explicitly removes the kingship from Saul for his failure to complete a genocide. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Divine Avatar Krishna tells Prince Arjuna that he has no choice but must go to war and kill his enemies. It is his dharma or lifetime requirement to do this and he cannot disobey. This would seem to indicate the same problem with Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism that Islam has according to the Question.

The important thing to note is that in each holy book, the exhortations to violence are limited to specific circumstances and events. Very few Jews, Christians, and Hindus advocate for violence based on the violence in their holy books. (They may advocate for it on other grounds, but not because it is holy.) Liberal and Conservative Muslims function in much of the same way, limiting the violence in the Qur'an to the Mecca-Medina War and/or the Conquest of Arabia. It is more fanatical Muslims who wish to extend the use of the violent verses and promote their applicability. Unfortunately, since the context behind any particular Qur'anic verse being revealed is not present in the Qur'an, it prevents Non-Muslims and uneducated Muslims from knowing these contexts and being able to apply them in order to properly read the verses.

As for me personally, I find the term "religion of peace" to be ridiculous and not just as concerns Islam, but for any religion (even pacifist ones). Humans are not by nature purely peaceful creatures. We have internal conflict and external disagreement. Any religion that claims (like Islam) to be able to guide a person's actions and account for his entire life will naturally deal with both peace and war, comfort and violence. Islam does account for both sides.

I also disagree with some of the claims in Answer 1, but since those are not germane to the question at hand, I have written this in the Discussion Section.