ISIS, Other Terrorist Groups, and Misuse of Islamic Terminologies – Part 1
By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
11 May 2024
ISIS and Their Hypocrisy
Main Points
1.
During the Prophet’s
lifetime, it was impossible to misapply Islamic teachings due to the revelation
of the Qur'an.
2.
The Quran exposed
the immoral schemes of hypocrites who claimed to be believers but were not
sincere.
3.
Hypocrites suffer
from internal and outward contradictions, leading to conflict and anxiety in
their personal lives.
4.
Hypocrites see
believers as fools while thinking themselves to be wise and intelligent.
5.
Actions of ISIS and
its likes have led to negative stereotypes between Muslims and non-Muslims.
6.
Their destructive
impact on the world necessitates a comprehensive and repeated response to
combat and dismantle them.
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Iman, Islam, Sharia, Jihad, Sunnah, Quran, and Hadith are
the holy words of Islam. During the blessed time of the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him), it was impossible to abuse these terminologies. However, in the
modern day, radical groups such as ISIS have been utilising Islamic
terminologies to continuously cause trouble and riots on Earth, all while
participating in the schemes of some hidden powers. Particularly from the news
from Syria and Iraq, we learnt about the massacres of citizens by terrorist
groups and the human and financial losses these countries had to pay for their
retaliation.
These days, pictures of Zionist Israeli violence against
Gazan civilians flash before our eyes, and the cries of women, children,
parents, the old, and the weak are constantly ringing in our ears. These
devastating scenes are not unnoticed by us. Even human tears have dried up as
well. Nevertheless, the tenacity, bravery, and faith of the downtrodden
Palestinian civilians continue to make us think very hard. However, groups such
as ISIS are working to further harm Muslims, to execute them as heretics and
apostates, and ultimately to obliterate the goodwill that Muslims and Islam
have with non-Muslims.
They identify as Islamic organisations. Even if their
activities have nothing at all to do with Islam, they utilise Islamic
terminologies to defend their behaviour.
Before delving into the subject, it is imperative to
acknowledge that during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), nobody could misapply the teachings and terminologies of Islam. This was mostly due to two factors:
First, it was the period—roughly twenty-three years—during
which the Qur'an was revealed. Had
someone dared to spread disinformation against Islam, Allah would have exposed
his immoral schemes by revealing His verses. For instance, Islam had to contend
with a group of hypocrites during this time who claimed to be believers on the
tongue but were not sincere believers. These liars joined the ranks of sincere
Muslims. They were hard to identify since they appeared to be Islamic, and as a
result, they posed a serious threat to Muslims. Thus, the Qur'an explained
their signs and warned Muslims of all ages to exercise caution.
Allah says in the Quran:
“And of the people are some who say, "We believe in
Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers.” (2:8)
The hypocrites believed that their deception was a brilliant
strategy and a clever move, and they believed that by doing this, they would be
able to deceive both Allah and the Muslims. However, the Holy Quran exposed
their schemes. Allah says in the Quran:
“They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but
they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.” (2:9)
Throughout their lives, hypocrites consistently stray from
the Right Path, squandering all of their power and abilities for the sake of immoral
schemes, and all they receive in return is shame and divine retribution. In the
next verse, the Almighty Allah states, "And there is a disease in their
hearts" (2:10).
Anyone who gives in to their deceit will have their doubts
tear apart their faith; anyone who lets their horrible trials enter his heart
will end up in a fiery furnace; and anyone who listens to their lies will let
them stand in the way of his unwavering faith. Although most people are
unaware, the hypocrites do greatly contribute to earthly corruption.
Hypocrisy is certainly a unique type of disease which does
not bring harmony between the outer and the inner ideas. Hypocrites suffer from
internal and outward contradictions to such an extent that it causes them to
feel conflicted and anxious in their personal lives. As a result, the Holy
Qur'an states, "...and for them is a painful punishment"
(2:10).
The hypocrites are known for their tendency to lie,
misbehave, and create chaos on Earth. One of their falsehoods is that, although
being rioters in actuality, they pose as reformers. In the Quran, Allah
declares:
“And when it is said to them,
"Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but
reformers.” (2:11)
Then Allah says,
“Unquestionably, it is they
who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.” (2:12)
One of the traits of the hypocrites in the Holy Qur'an is
that they see believers as fools while thinking themselves to be wise and
intelligent.
Allah says in the Quran:
“And when it is said to them,
"Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we
believe as the foolish have believed?" (2:13)
Then in the next part of the same verse, Allah said:
“…Unquestionably, it is they
who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.” (2:13)
In private, the hypocrites used to call Muslims stupid. They
considered their deceitful behaviour to be their speciality. However, when they
stood in front of Muslims, they would pretend to be true believers, hoping that
the Muslims would fall for their deceit. Put differently, each one of them had
two personas: the one he presented to Muslims and the other he used to interact
with his deviated friends. They had two tongues: a false tongue that they used
to interact with Muslims, and a true tongue which conveyed their actual
beliefs. The Holy Qur'an gave Muslims explicit instructions to avoid falling
for the smooth rhetoric of these hypocrites and to be wary of their tricks.
There are two types of hypocrisy: (1) creedal hypocrisy
[NIfaaq-e-I’teqaadi also known as An-Nifaq Al-Akbar] and (2) practical
hypocrisy [Nifaaq-e-Amali/ An-Nifaq Al-Asghar].
Creedal or doctrinal hypocrisy is the term for when someone
verbally affirms their faith while his heart is obsessed with unbelief and
categorical denial of the truth. It occurs when someone pretends to believe in
Allah, His book, His prophets, His angels, and the day of judgement, yet their
actual beliefs run counter to all or part of these assertions.
Creedal hypocrisy is a concealed occurrence, making it
difficult to identify. Only Allah is aware of a person's true heart. Because
the succession of revelations continued during the blessed time of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him), it was not only feasible but also a reality for
hypocrisy to be exposed through revelations.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
is said to have once addressed 36 persons by name from the pulpit on a Friday,
saying, "O So-and-so, get out because you are a hypocrite." (Narrated
on the authority of Ibn Abbas, Al-Rauz p. 97). But it is hard to spot hypocrisy
because we do not live in the age of the coming of revelation.
A milder variation of hypocrisy is called practical
hypocrisy. This kind of outward manifestation—that is, the goodwill and good
deeds that are outwardly shown—ignores the person's inner self. In contrast to
the hypocrisy based on beliefs, practical hypocrisy can be distinguished by its
indications as stated in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Practical hypocrisy can take many forms, but some traits and
indicators include lying, undermining trust, breaching agreements and treaties,
and more. From this perspective, it can be observed that modern radical groups
such as ISIS, which distort Islamic terminologies, are essentially lying. They
are well aware that the Muslim Ummah places its reliance on Islamic sources.
The radical groups are thereby betraying Islam and Muslims by misinterpreting
Islamic concepts and rules mentioned in Islamic sources.
These radical organizations violate the promises made in
favour of the country's constitution. These organizations use the instructions
related to the wars fought against oppression mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah
to attack the common citizens, women, children and the innocent in most Muslim
countries. Since the Muslim Ummah has been made fully aware of their deceit and
lies, the vast majority of Muslims have consistently denounced their acts of
terrorism.
These radical organizations use Islamic terms, and following
a terrorist attack, they release comments attempting to disseminate the idea
that their actions are a means of advancing Islam or its principles. Because of
what they are perpetrating, there is a chance that the friendly environment
will be ruined and a climate of hostility towards Islam will be fostered in the
media. Thankfully, though, most countries have been able to defeat their evil
schemes significantly.
Though several nations have banned periodicals, magazines
and journals published by groups such as ISIS, some of their sayings continue
to surface in the media. We have collected some of their statements which will
be featured in an upcoming piece. The key argument here is that because of the
actions of these radical organizations, both Muslims and non-Muslims have
suffered and formed negative stereotypes of one another. It is simple to
believe that such extreme groups are supported and funded by sinister, unseen
forces. But since they are destroying the world and hurting both Muslims and
non-Muslims, we have to be prepared to combat, disprove and put an end to them
at all costs.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Stay away from them
and keep them away from you, so that they do not lead you astray; lest they
lead you into temptation.” (Sahih Muslim, Chapter: The Weak Narrators, Liars,
and Those Whose Hadith are Avoided Hadith: 7)
(Continued)
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A regular
Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical
Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.