MUSLIM RIGHTS (MURIC): "WHOEVER IS WORSHIPPING BIN LADEN..."

WHOEVER IS WORSHIPPING BIN LADEN …

Nobody will doubt the fact that Muslims love Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) with passion. The love is undiluted. They believe in him and his prophecy and follow him almost without questioning. This faith in Muhammad is not a new phenomenon among Muslims.

It led Ali bin Abi Talib to boldly and readily take the Prophet's place on his bed as the latter slipped out of his house to escape being killed by the idolators of Makkah who had surrounded his house. But of course the enemies fell into a mysterious sleep when the prophet came outside! The same love fired Abubakr into accompanying Muhammad on the long and dangerous journey to Madina with the Makkans in hot pursuit. Abubakr did not waver a little bit inside the cave when he was alone with the Prophet and they watched the enemies surrounding the cave.

The same passionate love for Prophet Muhammad motivated his companions to spontaneously offer their lives in place of Muhammad's in a moment of grave danger at Uhud. A vicious arrow had hit the Prophet on the forehead and he fell. This was during the battle of Uhud in 625 C. E. Though the Muslims had gained the upper hand ab initio, a group of archers numbering fifty whom the Prophet had placed strategically at the other side of Mountain Uhud to guard the rear of the Muslim flank abandoned their vital position because they thought it was all over.

The enemy did not miss this great opportunity. They came from the rear and rained an array of arrows on the Muslims. The Prophet turned to face the marauding enemy. That was the moment one of the arrows struck him. Realizing that the Prophet was down, the enemy rushed forward to finish the job. Upon seeing the deadly danger facing their beloved leader, the Muslims surged forward. Umar was the first to lie on top of the Prophet, others began to pile up on his body to give him protection. Another group of fighters ran a ring round him, fencing off his aggressors. The prophet was saved.

Though the Muslims readily sacrificed their own lives for the Prophet on the above occasions, none of them could save him from death when it finally snuffed life out of him in 632 C. E. The Prophet had been knocked down by fever for about a week. It was a different scenario. No life could have replaced his. They all watched helplessly until he died.

That was when hell was let loose. Many of them expressed disappointment that Muhammad had died. How could the Prophet die: a whole prophet? Didn't he have the power to stop death? They had thought he was immune to death. One after another they expressed skepticism, their faith diminishing in the burning desert sun.

Then Abubakr climbed a raised platform and addressed the mourning assembly thus: "Whoever is worshipping Muhammad, verily indeed I say unto you: Muhammad is dead. But whoever is worshipping Allah, verily indeed ALLAH IS ALIVE. He never dies!" (Hayun la yamut). Upon hearing this, the Muslims went into a frenzy, shouting 'ALLAHU AKBAR'!!!

Without committing the blasphemy of comparing Osama Bin Laden to the Holy Prophet, we have seen the mood among Muslims worldwide since news of Bin Laden's death was broken. To many it was incredible, impossible. Some cried, some wailed. Only a few knowledgeable ones took the news in good faith, with deep Iman.

But it was clear that terrorist or no terrorist, Muslims loved Bin Laden. Many may have been intimidated into refusing to admit this but deep in their hearts they still love him, even in official circles. Many will not like to be seen associating with terrorists, but the same axiom in international politics is true in Muslim circles, viz, the enemy of my enemy if my friend. Simple mathemagics, isn't it? Yes, mathemagics. If mathematics will not find the solution, mathemagics will definitely do.

Bin Laden embarked on his militant jihad because of the obvious injustice in the world today particularly the subjection of Palestinians to oppression in the hands of Israel, backed by the United States and the rest of the West. There is also no gainsaying the fact that he enjoyed the sympathy of majority of Muslims worldwide though some did not approve of his violent method, yours sincerely included. No other figure was so popular in Islamdom.

Therefore the news of his death appeared to have broken the myth surrounding him, hence the incredulity. The registration of reality in the medulla oblongata is capable of shattering those Muslims whose faith is not so strong, those who have little or no knowledge about their faith. It is for such Muslims that I write today.

Death is a reality in Islam. Islam teaches a fatalistic philosophy of death as a necessary end. Qur'an 3:185 says, "Every soul shall taste of death". I have no doubt that Bin Laden's death has come at his appointed time because the Qur'an affirms that no soul shall enjoy an extra minute or second nor shall any be denied a single minute (Qur'an 7:34). The Qur'an also says that only Allah can cause death (Qur'an 3:145). In reality, therefore, Allah allowed the killing of Bin Laden when his appointed time came.

Otherwise why do you think the Prophet escaped death several times? Many other people have escaped death before, some of them are known to you. But did they not die eventually? So has Bin Laden escaped death on many occasions. But when the time appointed by Allah that he would die came, He created an avenue for his death to take place in melodramatic fashion.

Come to think of it. Who heard the news when Bin Laden was born? Did any radio or television announce his birth? Was it published by any newspaper? But Bin Laden became a household name today, even in death. Pathologically hated by his foes, passionately loved by friends, Shakespeare probably had Bin Laden in mind when he said, "When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes".

The death of Bin Laden should not create any 'down syndrome' for Muslims. For me it is jihad continua, victoria asserta. I don't worship Bin Laden. I might have admired him. I never belonged to his school of thought. To me human life is sacred. I abhor violence. Dialogue is my choice. My jihad is intellectual jihad. It is more effective. It is positive and productive. No collateral damage.

Therefore verily verily I say unto you Muslims, like Abubakr to the Ummah, "Whoever is worshipping Bin Laden, verily indeed Bin Laden is dead. But whoever is worshipping the One and Only Allah, He (Allah) is ALIVE indeed. He never dies, not even for one second." Jihad continua!!!

Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),

234-818-211-9714

E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk

muslimrights@gmail.com

Website: www.muric.net

Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights

Blog: muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com

Twitter: twitter.com/muslimconcern