Hazrat Aisha's Real Age at Marriage Time - The Most Complete Explanation

There is a lot of misunderstanding in the Muslim world regarding the age of Hazrat Aisha at the time of her marriage to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This misunderstanding has often led to the belief that child marriage is permissible in Islam; and still remains one of the favourite points used by many non-Muslims to create skepticism against the religion of Islam.

              The popularly believed notion is that Hazrat Aisha was 6 years old when her Nikah was performed in Mekkah; and 9 years old when she moved in to live with the Prophet (PBUH).

              However, an in-depth study of historical facts and authentic ahadith actually reveals that this information can not be true, and Hazrat Aisha was atleast 16-19 years old when she was married to the Prophet (PBUH).

    We will prove this fact in two parts:

1. Invalidating the authenticity of the narration(s) that state Hazrat Aisha's age to be 9 years at the time of her marriage.
2. Proving the actual age of 16-19 years via several ahadith from the AUTHENTIC books on ahadith
   

PART 1: 
              First, we must consider that there is ONLY ONE HADITH reported by Hisham bin Urwah that states Hazrat Aisha's age to be 9 when she moved in. (Note: Although this information is widely quoted and found in many Hadith and history books, it must be noted that this information has come from a single person, i.e. Hisham bin Urwah, who is the last narrator in this Hadith's chain of narrators, on the authority of his father. Thus, this Hadith is primarily a single Hadith. In general, a Hadith has more credibility if it is narrated by more people independently from diverse chains of narrators. In this case, there is basically only one source.)

              Hashim bin Urwah lived for 71 years. In the first part of his life, he lived in Madina. Following 131 AH, he moved to Iraq. Hashim had a huge number of students at Madina, and NONE of them - not even the most famous ones like Malik ibn Anas - reported to have learnt any such hadith from him. Practically, all the narrators of this Hadith were Iraqis. 

However:

• It is reported that Hisham bin Urwah's memory suffered in his later years in Iraq - to the extent that some of the traditions reported from Hisham bin Urwah could not be trusted for authenticity. (Mizanu'l-ai`tidal, by Al-Zahbi , Arabic, a book on the life sketches of the narrators of the Hadith, Al-Maktabatu'l-athriyyah, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, Vol 4, pg 301).

• Yaqub ibn Shaibah is reported to have said, "narratives reported by Hisham are reliable EXCEPT those that are reported through the people of Iraq". 

•  Even Malik ibn Anas, the most popular student of Hisham, discredited all narratives of Hisham that were reported through people of Iraq. (Tehzibu'l-tehzib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Arabic, Dar Ihya al-turath al-Islami, one of the most well known books on the life and reliability of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet (PbuH), vol 11, pg 48 - 51).

 
PART 2:


              There are ahadith from Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and also from earlier Islamic histories, that suggest that Hazrat Aisha must have been older than nine when married. We list some of them below:

• According to ahadith in Bukhari and Muslim, Hazrat Aisha is said to have joined the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the raid that culminated in the Battle of Badr, in 624 CE. However, because no one below the age of fifteen was allowed to accompany raiding parties, Hazrat Aisha should have been at least fifteen in 624 CE and thus at least thirteen when she was married following the Hijra in 622 CE.

•  The earliest surviving biography of Hazrat Muhammad PBUH (Ibn Hisham’s recension of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rashul Allah), records Hazrat Aisha as having converted to Islam before Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab, during the first few years of Islam around 610 CE. In order to accept Islam she must have been walking and talking, hence at least three years of age, which would make her at least fifteen in 622 CE.

• According to many Ahadith in Bukhari, it is believed Hazrat Aisha participated in the battle of Badr and Uhud. Also in Bukhari (Kitabu’l-maghazi) Ibn `Umar states that the Prophet did not permit me to participate in Uhud, as at that time, I was 14 years old. But on the day of Khandaq, when I was 15 years old, the Prophet permitted my participation. So if it was not allowed to participate in Uhud for people younger than 15, then Hazrat Aisha would be atleast 15 in those battles, indicating she could not be 9 at the time of her marriage.

• Tabari (an authentic and early history of Islam) reports that Hazrat Abu Bakr wished to spare Hazrat Aisha the discomforts of a journey to Ethiopia soon after 615 CE, and tried to bring forward her marriage to Mut`am’s son. Mut`am refused because Hazrat Abu Bakr had converted to Islam, but if Aisha was already of marriageable age in 615 CE, she must have been older than nine in 622 CE.

• Tabari also reports that Hazrat Abu Bakr’s four children were all born during the Jahiliyyah, the pre-Islamic period, which could be said to have ended in 610 CE, making Hazrat Aisha at least twelve in 622 CE.

• According to Ibn Hajar, Hazrat Fatima was five years older than Hazrat Aisha. Hazrat Fatima is reported to have been born when Muhammad (PBUH) was thirty-five years old, meaning Hazrat Aisha was born when he was forty years old, and thus twelve when Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) married at fifty-two.

• According to the generally accepted tradition, Aisha was born about eight years before Hijrah. However, according to another narrative in Bukhari (Kitaab al-Tafseer) Hazrat Aisha is reported to have said that at the time Surah Al-Qamar, the 54th chapter of the Qur’an , was revealed, “I was a young girl”. The 54th Surah of the Qur’an was revealed nine years before Hijrah. According to this tradition, Hazrat Aisha had not only been born before the revelation of the referred Surah, but was actually a young girl, not even only an infant at that time. So if this age is assumed to be 7 to 14 years then her age at the time of marriage would be 14 to 21.

•  According to almost all the historians, Hazrat Asma (the elder sister of Hazrat Aisha), was ten years older than Hazrat Aisha. It is reported in Taqreeb al-Tehzeeb as well as Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah that Hazrat Asma died in the 73rd year after migration when she was 100 years old. Now, obviously if Hazrat Asma was 100 years old in the 73rd year after Migration to Medina, she should have been 27 or 28 years old at the time of migration. If Hazrat Asma was 27 or 28 years old at the time of hijrah, Hazrat Aisha should have been 17 or 18 years old at that time. Thus, Hazrat Aisha – if she got married in 1 AH (after Migration to Medina) or 2 AH – was between 18 to 20 years old at the time of her marriage. 

  
THE ABSOLUTE VERDICT: 


              In the light of the above discussion, it is quite certain that Hazrat Aisha could not have been 6 years old at the time of her Nikah; or 9 years old when she moved in to live with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). She was about 18-19 years old at the time of Nikah Prophet’s house and around 21 when she moved in to live with him.

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April Fool’s Day – Removing the Muslim World’s Misconceptions

Intro: For the past several years, some highly emotionally charged stories regarding the origin of the April Fool’s Day have been circulating all over Pakistan, and to a great extent, the entire Muslim world.

Since most of our fellow Pakistanis and Muslim brothers seem very keen to take up such stories without really bothering to verify them, so we thought we’d write a little feature on it.

Falsifying the April Fool stories that we hear in Pakistan (and the Muslim world):

Several stories about the origin of the April Fool’s Day have been circulating in Pakistan, usually through text messages but sometimes through emails and blogs.

We shall falsify the two major ones here:

1.     FAKE THEORY NO. 1: Reported online with the name of a fictitious scholar ‘Aasim Ibn ‘Abdullaah Al-Qurawayti,  the most famous story is summarized below:

           “When the Muslims ruled Spain, approximately one thousand years ago, they were a force that could not be destroyed. the disbelievers sent their spies to Spain to study and find out the secret of the Muslims’ strength, who attributed it to their taqwa.

           To break this strength, the Christians began to send wine and cigarettes to Spain for free.

           The faith of the Muslims began to weaken,and the western Catholic Christians subdued the whole of Spain and put an end to the Muslim rule of that land which had lasted for more than eight hundred years. The last stronghold of the Muslims, in Grenada, fell on April 1st; hence they considered this to be the “trick of April."

FALSIFYING THIS THEORY: The last stronghold of Granada fell not on 1st April, but on January 2, 1492, when Muhammad XII of Granada surrendered the Emirate of Granada, the city of Granada, and the Alhambra palace; following the Granada wars. 

Moreover, it would be worth mentioning that cigarette was not yet invented when Isabella and Ferdinand were planning to take over Granada in the 1480s. In fact, tobacco itself was not yet known to the Europeans.  

Furthermore, Reconquest was not so easy as to have been accomplished by making Spanish Muslims addicted to smoking cigarettes. It took almost 500 years of ceaseless Christian military campaigns in spite of anarchy and dispersion of power that had prevailed in Muslim Spain since the fall of Spain’s Umayyad dynasty in 1031 CE, and 11 years of cleverly crafted strategy of Ferdinand-Isabella team to unseat an incompetent Muslim monarch.

2.      FAKE THEORY NO. 2: In 1492 when Spain was captured, the Christians promised the Muslims that they would be transported to Africa safely; but they were burnt alive in the ships on 1^st April, and hence they celebrate the April Fool’s Day to spite us.

FALSIFYING THIS THEORY: Although Spain was captured in 1492,  the Muslims were not expelled until the 16^th century. 

In addition, the order to expel the Muslims was given on 9^th April, 1609. So once again, this event is clearly not linked to the 1^st of April!

The Actual Origin of April Fool’s Day:

There is more than one theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day.

The most credible of these theories states that the tradition began in 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1583. The transition was in accordance with the orders of Council of Trent, the 16^th century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.

People who were not aware of the transition kept on celebrating the New Year during the last week of March through 1 April instead of 1 January. And they became the objects of jokes and hoaxes such as placing a paper fish on their backs and was also called "poisson d'avril" (April fish) meaning an easy to fool person.

(Some people disagree with the above theory, stating that the OLDEST mention that we find about the April Fool dates back to 1392 in Chaucer’s book “Canterbury Tales”. That is explained as below:

In Canterbury Tales, the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set “Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two”. Readers apparently believed this line to mean "March 32", i.e. April 1. Somewhere in the storyline, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox; implying to the reader’s that this refers to April Fool’s Day

 Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, “Syn March was gon thritty dayes and two.” Thus the passage originally meant 32 days after April, i.e. May 2, the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381.)

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The Absolute Verdict:

The above discussion makes it clear that the April Fool's Day is not a tradition made to spite the Muslims.

 Reacting to these rumours over the internet, Abdul-Halim V, has rightly remarked on Planet Granada blog: "...sometimes I get the feeling that as a group, Muslims need to develop a lot more critical-thinking and need to learn not to pass on everything we hear from so-and-so as the truth".

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New Year - 5 Simple Reslutions All Pakistanis Should Make!

 This is a VERY short but meaningful post for the New Year! :) Explanations have been deliberately omitted for brevity and simplicity.

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Everyone makes bright plans and resolutions for himself/herself as the new year approaches. The practice is effective if followed properly; it helps them improve themselves and live more comfortably.

But apart from the personal resolutions which you all must have made, why not make some SIMPLE but highly valuable resolutions for the good of our homeland Pakistan?

The 5 resolutions given below, though exceedingly simple, will surely do wonders for Pakistan if you follow them well!


1. Say "No" to Provincialism; and "Yes" to Nationalism. Eliminate provincialsm from your heart.

2. Put an end to racism and hate-promoting factors e.g. sms campaigns against certain casts, people and races; jokes are jokes only when they don't hurt anyone.

(Note: We have emphasized these points in detail in other articles by us.
http://absoluteverdict.blogspot.com/2011/12/appeal-to-all-pakistanis-unity-faith.html
http://absoluteverdict.blogspot.com/2011/10/all-pakistanis-please-put-end-to-jokes.html )

3. Keep your homeland clean, make a small habit to not throw trash/wrappers or anything at all on the roads.

4. Speak up against what is wrong and try to change it: violence, injustice, child abuse, racism etc.

5. Convey the beneficial points you discover/learn to everyone you know. Spreading your enlightenment is necessary to bring about change on a huge scale.

I request you to keep these points in your mind at all times! :)

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In the end, the Absolute Verdict Team wishes all the readers a very happy new year! May you all achieve all your noble desires and play your role in Pakistan's rise! :)

Thanks for being with us! :)
Best wishes!

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APPEAL TO ALL PAKISTANIS! - "Unity, Faith, Discipline", Do we follow Quaid's Message?

Introduction:

“Unity, Faith, Discipline” – this was the motto of our national hero, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan was built on the cardinal principles of these three words, and Pakistan is to survive on these three words. But today, do we follow our Quaid’s words? Have we got what it takes to survive? This post is an appeal to the reader, to ponder over and to understand the depth of the issue, and to spread his/her enlightenment and understanding to others.

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Unity – a great force and a vital necessity is sadly lacking to a great extent among the Pakistanis. Division due to racism, provincialism and language are ever so high. Prior to our independence of Pakistan, nearly 200 years of torment were required to make us realize the necessity of unity. In the present crises, we need unity more than ever, and we should surely not turn a blind eye to our past experiences.

For the good of our nation, we urge you dear reader, to understand the need for unity AND convey it to all those who you see suffering from the poison of racism, provincialism and other elements causing division. Mere understanding is not enough; you need to spread the message as is your duty as a Pakistani. (This includes practically shunning hate-promoting factors like Pathan jokes, etc, read our post here: http://absoluteverdict.blogspot.com/2011/10/all-pakistanis-please-put-end-to-jokes.html)

In the words of our Quaid, Muhammad Ali Jinnah:

                "We are now all Pakistanis--not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on--and as Pakistanis we must feet behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else." (Reply to the Civic Address presented by the Quetta Municipality on 15th June, 1948.)

                "Yet this is a truth people so easily seem to forget and begin to prize local, sectional or provincial interests above and regardless of the national interests. It naturally pains me to find the curse of provincialism holding sway over any section of Pakistan. Pakistan must be rid of this evil." (Reply to the Civic Address presented by the Quetta Municipality on 15th June, 1948)

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Faith – referring to both - our religious values, and the essence of hope that drives our struggles -is also a vital necessity for us in this time. We should not despair and give up hope (as we see most people when it comes to Pakistan). People seem to think that Pakistan can not be brought back to the right track and everything they do for it will go in vain. They are WRONG!

Understand this fact, dear readers, and never give up your hope for Pakistan if you truly are a patriot.

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Discipline – a system of rules of conduct, or a method of practice – is also of utmost importance. A regiment or any army without discipline is a mere mob. We should organize ourselves with discipline in our struggles to bring about changes in Pakistan.

                "In our solidarity, unity and discipline lie the strength, power and sanction behind us to carry on this fight successfully. No sacrifice should be considered too great….” (Broadcast Message February, 1948)

                “Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students, who are nation builders of tomorrow. They must fully equip themselves by discipline, education, and training for the arduous task lying ahead of them.”

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Unity, faith, and discipline, although are strong words on their own, but neither word taken alone can help us take Pakistan to its destiny of greatness. For us to bring about any meaningful change in Pakistan, these three words have to be taken together as a single entity. Together, these three words form the spirit of the Quaid, with which he achieved the impossible.

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THE LAST WORDS:

I hope, dear readers, that you will not take this post merely as an article for reading, but shall act upon it to take our beloved Pakistan to the greatness that the Quaid dreamed of! (as he expressed below)

                “I have full faith in my people that they will rise to every occasion worthy of our past Islamic history, glory and traditions.” (14 Aug 1948)

                “Remember! We are building up a State which is going to play its full part in the destinies of the whole Islamic World.” (12th April, 1948)

In the light of all the above facts, consider what we wrote your duty as a Pakistani, and do it with good faith! Best wishes! :)

                “I can assure you that there is nothing greater in this world than your own conscience and, when you appear before God, you can say that you performed your duty with the highest sense of integrity, honesty and with loyalty and faithfulness.” (Broadcast Message February, 1948)

 
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NOTE: You might also like our post containing tributes to Jinnah from significant people in history. Click below:

Tribute to Muhammad Ali Jinnah - Testimonials from Politicians, Leaders and Historians

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Tribute to Muhammad Ali Jinnah - Testimonials from Politicians, Leaders and Historians

This post, written for the occasion of Quaid-e-Azam Day (25th December), is a tribute to one of the greatest man the world has ever seen - Muhammad Ali Jinnah, known to Pakistanis as "Quaid-e-Azam" (The Great Leader). This man, the voice of one hundred million Muslims, fought for their religious, social and economic freedom. He was a man of solid character and a deep sense of honour, impartiality and justice. His bravery, courage and devotion to his mission are unparalleled throughout the history.


Prof. Stanley Wolpert writes in his book "Jinnah of Pakistan" (1984) :
         "Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three." 

         He left his impression on all the people who had the chance to interact with him. Hence, he was the recipient of some of the greatest tributes paid to any one in modern times, some of them even from those who held a diametrically opposed viewpoint.

         The following are the tributes/comments given by significant people in the history about Muhammad Ali Jinnah:


Allama Iqbal (Pakistan's national poet): "He is incorruptable and unpurchasable" [Ghulam Dastagir Rashid, Asrar-i lqbal (Hyderabad Deccan, 1944), p. 41.]

Gandhi (Indian leader and national hero): "Jinnah is incorruptible and brave" [Interview with Louis Fischer]

John Biggs-Davison (Member of UK Parliament): "Although without Gandhi, Hindustan would still have gained independence and without Lenin and Mao, Russia and China would still have endured Communist revolution, without Jinnah there would have been no Pakistan in 1947."

The Aga Khan (Imam of Ismaeeli followers) considered him "the greatest man he ever met", and added "I have met many politicians in my life, like Churchill, Mesoleni, Kaizon, Gandhi; but Jinnah was different from all of them. There was no other politician with such a strength of character"

Lord Mountbatten (Last Viceroy of India): "Muslims will perhaps never get such an honest leader."

Sir Stafford Cripps (British Labour politician who brought Cripps mission to the Sub-continent): "A most accomplished lawyer, outstanding amongst Indian lawyers, and a fine constitutionalist."

Sarat Chandra Bose (Indian barrister & Freedom Fighter): "Mr Jinnah, was great as a lawyer, once great as a Congressman, great as a leader of Muslims, great as a world politician and diplomat, and greatest of all as a man of action, By Mr. Jinnah's passing away, the world has lost one of the greatest statesmen and Pakistan its life-giver, philosopher and guide." [My Brother(1987),biography by Fatima Jinnah.]

Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha (Secretary General of the Arab League): "(He was) one of the greatest leaders in the Muslim world."

Gordon Johnson (Director Center of South Asian Studies): "He set a great example to other statesmen to follow by his skill in negotiation, his integrity and his honesty."

Harry S Truman (US President): "[He was] the originator of the dream that became Pakistan, architect of the State and father of the world's largest Muslim nation. Mr. Jinnah was the recipient of a devotion and loyalty seldom accord to any man"

Lord Lothian (British politician and diplomat): "Though Jinnah’s scheme of partition was good, it would take at least 25 years to take shape. But great wars and great men shorten history, and Jinnah was such a man who could alter the history of a nation"

 Lord Wavell (Viceroy of India 1943 - 1947 who brought the Wavell plan): "Mr. Jinnah was one of the handsomest men I have ever seen; he combined the clear cut, almost Grecian features of the West with oriental grace and movement."

Nelson Mandela (Ex-South African President): Ali Jinnah is a constant source of inspiration for all those who are fighting against racial or group discrimination.' (Nelson Mandela had come to Islamabad in 1995 and had insisted on including Karachi as a destination to visit Jinnah's Grave and his house in Karachi where upon reaching he drove straight to the Quaid's Mazar) At another occasion while addressing the ANC Mandela mentioned three names Ali Jinnah, Gandhi and Nehru as sources of inspiration for the movement against apartheid.'

Beverley Nichols (author of `Verdict on India’) called him “the most important man in Asia”

Dr. Kailashnath Katju (the West Bengal Governor in 1948) thought of him as “an outstanding figure of this century not only in India, but in the whole world”.

Sir Patrick Spen (the last Chief Justice of undivided India): "There is no man or woman living who imputes anything against his honour or his honesty. He was the most upright person that I know, but throughout it all, he never, as far as I know, for one moment, attempted to deceive any body, as to what he was aiming at or as to the means he attempted to adopt to get it"

Mr. M.C Chagla (Foreign Minister of India): "Jinnah was a pure artist in the manner and method of his presentation. Even the most complex facts became simple and obvious when he waved his wand over them. He could be ferociously aggressive and almost boyishly persuasive as and when the occasion arose, and what particularly helped him in his advocacy, was the absolute clear head that he possessed, and on which he justly prided himself. He had common sense, that most uncommon of qualities in an uncommon degree"

Mr. Frank Moraes (Chief Editor of The Indian Express): "Watch him in the court room as he argues a case. Few lawyers command a more attentive audience. No man is more adroit in presenting his case. If to achieve the maximum result with minimum effort is the hallmark of artistry, Mr. Jinnah is an artist in his craft. He likes to get down to the bare bones of a brief. In stating the essentials of a case, his manner is masterly. The drab courtroom acquires an atmosphere as he speaks. Juniors crane their necks forward to follow every movement of his tall, well groomed figure; senior counsels listen closely; the judge is all attention."

Secretary of State Montagu - 1918: "Jinnah, young, perfectly mannered, impressive looking, armed to the teeth with dialectics and insistent upon the whole of his scheme --- he would rather have nothing if he could not get the whole lot. ---Chelmsford tried to argue with him and was tied up into knots. Jinnah is a very clever man, and it is of course an outrage that such a man should have no chance of running the affairs of his own country."

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NOTE: We highly recommend you to read our follow up post regarding Quaid-e-Azam's motto, and how we Pakistanis have forgotten it.

APPEAL TO ALL PAKISTANIS! - "Unity, Faith, Discipline", Do we follow Quaid's Message? 

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USA's attacks on sovereignty of Pakistan: How they caused only harm (An Exclusive Look)

Introduction:

      In this post, we examine the various attacks on the sovereignty of Pakistan (e.g. Drone attacks, land attacks and more), highlighting their backgrounds, harms & implications on Pakistan, and on the war against terror. 

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      Since 9/11, Pakistan has been an ardent supporter of war against terror and has been a useful ally to USA under all circumstances (at the heavy cost of valuable lives and economy). However, the same “ally” is now being called the haven of terrorists and its sovereignty is constantly being violated through air and ground strikes at the hands of NATO, ISAF and USA. This has been continued even though Pakistani officials and army have pleaded that the strikes are causing more harm than good.

      Probably the most offensive of these strikes took place yesterday (26th November, 2011 at 2:00 a.m. PST) at the hands of NATO. Furthermore, it was directed (without any provocation) at a MILITARY CAMP rather than a terrorist spot, killing 24 soldiers and injuring another 13.

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DRONE ATTACKS SPAWNING SUICIDE BOMBING IN PAKISTAN:

      The first of these cursed attacks came in 2004, killing about 5 people. The number of drone attacks gradually rose. In 2010 alone, there were a total of 118 attacks, killing about 1000 people.

After such massive figures, we must question: Did these drone attacks do any good?

      The greatest “ADVANTAGE” these drone attacks served was the momentous rise in the number of suicide bombers in Pakistan. In 2003, about 190 people were killed in such suicide attacks. However, in 2009 alone, the number of people who died in these attacks was about 12,000.

Why was it that drone attacks have caused production of suicide bombers in Pakistan???

      The answer is simple. If a person loses his family member in an attack; he would want revenge for it. Since USA army isn’t here, such a person from the family of the victim would take revenge from Pakistan instead as they have supported USA in this purpose, causing so many suicide bombers to form.

      Following an attack on a peaceful Jirgah killing 48 tribesmen including 6 tribal elders, Malak Gulabat Khan, a leader of a similar tribe, said the same thing explicitly in the TV Show “Capital Talk” (on April 19^th, 2011), and further added that revenge is the way of their tribes and there would be no forgiveness for Pakistan and American forces.

LINK: (See the video at 21:40)

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ROLE OF PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT IN DRONE ATTACKS:

      We can not consider Pakistani government innocent in this aspect. Their hypocrisy is very obvious as on one side, they “condemned” the drone attacks; but on the other hand they took no practical step to stop them, and also stated that they do not care for collateral damage accompanying the attacks. It has also been stated that Pakistani government has officially granted permission for these attacks to take place, and the drones also take off from Pakistani air bases.

      In this news report (LINK: http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-01/us/wikileaks.pakistan.drones_1_drone-attacks-predator-strikes-interior-minister-rehman-malik?_s=PM:US ) WikiLeaks stated that Pakistani government quietly approved drone attacks.

We share an interesting abstract from an article to support our words.

      "CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden and his deputy, Stephen Kappes, had gone to meet with Zardari to gauge his reaction to the drone strikes, which were generating widespread protests in Pakistan. According to Woodward's account of the meeting, Zardari said: "Kill the seniors. Collateral damage worries you Americans. It does not worry me." Hayden had told Zardari that "many Westerners, including some U.S. passport holders, had been killed five days earlier on the Kam Sham training camp in the tribal area of North Warziristan," Woodward writes. "But the CIA would not reveal the particulars due to the implications under American law."  "

More details here: http://www.pakistanideology.com/pakistan-news/asif-zardari-authorized-cia-to-kill-pakistanis-with-usdrone-missiles-the-washington-post/

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9/11 AS AN INSIDE JOB & THE ABOTTABAD OPERATION TO GRAB OSAMA BIN LADEN:

      Just as 9/11 was an inside job of USA, so was the operation to grab Osama bin Laden from Abottabad.

      Excluding the details of undeniable conspiracy theories on 9/11, it is worth mentioning that Bin Laden officially said he wasn't behind the attacks [CNN September 16, 2001].

A few days after this denial, all other poor quality video/audio tapes started emerging which were found to be fakes by experts

See the news report here: http://articles.cnn.com/2001-09-16/us/inv.binladen.denial_1_bin-laden-taliban-supreme-leader-mullah-mohammed-omar?_s=PM:US.

      Now, speaking of Osama’s alleged “capture” from Pakistan, a documentary states that the intelligence was highly in doubt that Laden was in Abottabad, yet Obama ordered the go-ahead and the operation was carried out without Pakistan’s prior permission or approval, violating Pakistan’s sovereignty.

      This puts the entire operation in doubt, revealing it as an inside job and a case of willful violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, further reinforced by the fact that NO DEFINITE PROOF OF OSAMA’s CAPTURE WAS PROVIDED. He might as well as not have been there, as the intelligence reported.

See the news report here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032028/Targeting-Bin-Laden-Documentary-claims-raid-nearly-called-minute.html

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NATO’s ATTACK ON PAKISTANI MILITARY CAMP:

      By far, this was one of the most offensive attacks on Pakistan, killing 24 soldiers and wounding another 13. It took place yesterday on 26th November, 2011 at 2:00 a.m. PST.

Paramilitary forces patrol the streets of Peshawar, in northwest Pakistan November 26.(Reuters)

      Killing the soldiers of a nation in an unprovoked attack is a serious crime which can not be tolerated. They are not only damaging for Pakistan but are also causing further uproar against USA, NATO etc, and this uproar is certainly justified. If these attacks are not stopped, hatred for USA shall further prevail in the hearts of Pakistanis

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THE ABSOLUTE VERDICT:

      The drone attacks to supposedly take out the terrorists in Pakistan have done no good; they have merely caused a rise in suicidal bomb attacks in Pakistan (as proved above). Hence, the overall damage to Pakistan in the war on terror has been the loss of about 35,000 lives and $70 million, and these figures are rising as USA & NATO continue the attacks.

It is time that the government of Pakistan stops its two-faced hypocrisy and that the USA understands the implications of the good-for-nothing drone attacks and ceases them (assuming that it is loyal to its ally Pakistan). It will not only help democracy and peace in Pakistan but will also eliminate the hatred against USA and help USA in achieving its motives in an easier way.

(Protests against USA & NATO following the November 26 attack.)

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DEBUNKING WESTERN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM: ON VIOLENCE, INTOLERANCE, MODERNISM, EDUCATION & FREEDOM OF WOMEN

INTRO: The balance of media is in favour of the non-Muslims, due to which alot of misconceptions about Islam have been presented to the world. Media has been used as a weapon to present a corrupted, manipulated image of Islam, showing it as a violent,intolerant and backward religion.
To debunk these lies with proper justification, arguments and examples, this post has been written.
This post is divided into 2 parts.
(i) On Violence
(ii) On Modernism, Worldly Issues, Education & Respect for Women____________________________________________

PART 1: ON VIOLENCE

    This is the major misconception propagated against Islam, and has been addressed in more detail.


WHAT NON-MUSLIMS PROPAGATE ABOUT VIOLENCE IN ISLAM:

       I have often seen non-Muslims in the media using the following verses of the Quran to indicate that Muslims are violent and show no tolerance towards non-Muslims, labelling them as the reason for lack of world peace:


1. The infidels are your sworn enemies (4:101)
2. Prophet, make war on the infidels (66: 9)
3. Never be a helper to the disbelievers (28:86)

DEBUNKING THEIR MANIPULATION:

   Let us analayze the actual Arabic expression in these verses.

   "Al-Kaferrin" or "Al-la-dhina Kafaru." are the words which are used for the non-Muslims in the Quran. The use of "Al-" or "Al-la-dhina" limits the verse (and also the commandment) to:

1. A specific time and place in history
2. A specific group of people who were obstacles to the establishment of Islam in its early stages.

     Had the intentions of the Quran been to extend the application of these verses in perpetuity, it would have used the expression "Man Kafar" rather than "Al-Kafereen" or "Al-La-dhina Kafaru".

    "Man Kafar," literally means any one who does not believe in God; while "Al-Kafereen," - the infidels - refers to a specific group of people who fought Prophet Muhammad in the early stages of Islam.


RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE & PEACE AS INSTRUCTED IN ISLAM:

      Islam is a religion of love, mercy and tolerance. Naturally, religious tolerance is of utmost value in Islam. Muslims are commanded to respect the rights of non-Muslims and grant them complete freedom of practising their religion. They are not to be forced into accepting Islam.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES FROM THE MUSLIMS:

      It is worth mentioning that the non-Muslims living in an Islamic State during the Arab time were called "zimmies" (protected people), because they lived in peace under the protection of the Islamic State.

       During prophethood, the non-believers had full liberty to practice their religion. Their scriptures, holy places and areas of worship were respected. No synagogue or churches were destroyed. There was permission to establish new areas of worship. They were even allowed to have their own courts and laws for decisions on civil cases. Islam even allowed them to maintain activities that were against Islam laws (e.g. drinking, gambling etc).

        The conquest of Makkah is another example to debunk any accusations of violence on Islam. It is a story in itself, but keeping it extremely short, the deadliest foes of Islam, who for nearly twenty one years, injured, insulted and prosecuted the prophet Muhammad PBUH, were forgiven without any penalty and there was no bloodshed.

      Almost all Muslim conquests followed this pattern. Another popular one is Salahuddin's conquest of Jerusalem, where the non-Muslims were granted general forgiveness.


     (Perhaps it is worth mentioning briefly that in the non-Muslim conquests of Jerusalem and Spain, the Muslims were massacred and executed brutally).


QURANIC VERSES ON THE ISSUE:

   There are numerous verses in the Quran to support the above mentioned arguments. Selected verses are given below.


              "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error...."
               (2:256)


              "But if they turn away from you, (O Prophet remember that) your only duty is a clear delivery of the Message (entrusted to you)."
              (16:82)


              "(Say to everyone of them,) 'Whatever good betides you is from God and whatever evil betides you is from your own self and that We have (O Prophet) sent you to mankind only as a messenger and all sufficing is God as witness. Whoso obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys God. And for those who turn away, We have not sent you as a keeper."
              (4:79, 80)


              "And tell my servants that they should speak in a most kindly manner (unto those who do not share their beliefs). Verily, Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men; for verily; Satan is mans foe .... Hence, We have not sent you (Unto men O Prophet) with power to determine their Faith."
              (17:53,54)


              "(O Prophet) 'We have not sent you except to be a mercy to all mankind:" Declare, "Verily, what is revealed to me is this, your God is the only One God, so is it not up to you to bow down to Him?' But if they turn away then say, "I have delivered the Truth in a manner clear to one and all, and I know not whether the promised hour (of Judgment) is near or far."
              (21:107,109)


              "And so, (O Prophet!) exhort them your task is only to exhort; you cannot compel them to believe."
              (88:21,22)


              "He it is Who has sent forth His Messenger with the (task of spreading) Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to the end that tie make it prevail over every (false) religion, and none can bear witness to the Truth as God does."
              (48:28)


              "(Three Messengers to their people)Said (the Messengers), "Our Sustainer knows that we have indeed been sent unto you, but we are not bound to more than clearly deliver the Message entrusted to us.' "
              (36:16,17)


              "Assuredly, We have sent down the Book to you in right form for the good of man. Whoso guided himself by it does so to his own advantage, and whoso turns away from it does so at his own loss. You certainly are not their keeper."
              (39:41)


              "And whoso takes for patrons others besides God, over them does God keep a watch. Mark, you are not a keeper over them. But if they turn aside from you (do not get disheartened), for We have not sent you to be a keeper over them; your task is but to preach...."
              (42:6,48)


              "Obey God then and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away (no blame shall attach to our Messenger), for the duty of Our Messenger is just to deliver the message."
              (64:12)


              "And they ask, "When shall the promise be fulfilled if you speak the Truth?" Say, "The knowledge of it is verily with God alone, and verily I am but a plain warner." "
              (67:25,26)

The following verses further show that Islam did not forbid friendship with non-Muslims of the time, unless they had been obstacles to the establishment of Islam in early stages.

              "Allah forbids you not (from having friendship), 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)


              "Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong."
              (60:9)


AHADITH OF THE PROPHET PBUH ON THE ISSUE:

       The Prophet Muhammad PBUH also strictly advised religious tolerance and kindness towards non-Muslim.

              "Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or 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)


              "Whoever kills a person who has a truce with the Muslims will never smell the fragrance of Paradise."
              (Bukhari, Muslim)


              "Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God."
              (Bukhari)


              "He who hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state, I am his adversary, and I shall be his adversary on the Day of a Judgement."
              (Bukhari)


              "Beware on the Day of Judgement; I shall mysefl be complainant against him who wrongs a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state or lays on him a responsibility greater than he can bear or deprives him of anything that belongs to him."
              (Al-Mawardi)
___________________________


PART 2: ON MODERNISM, WORLDLY ISSUES, EDUCATION AND RESPECT FOR WOMEN:

            Most people in the media call Islam a "backward" religion that needs reformation and moderation to survive in a highly advanced world like today. However, their arguments do not make sense and they are meant only to distort the image of Islam.

          Consider, for example, the general pattern of their manipulation:

         "XYZ is a Muslim and he is bad; backward; does not educate his children in anything except religion; does not treat his wife fairly and so on.
So as XYZ is bad and he is a Muslim, & so Muslims are bad"

       HOWEVER, there lies a flaw in such an argument. In a case like above, the conclusion should be that XYZ is a bad Muslim, not that Muslims are bad! It is the person who is to blame for these points, not the religion, as Islam infact opposes the way XYZ is living his life. Islam is against devoting one's life only to religion with no room to spare for other matters. It is also against illiteracy and disrespect for women.

Alot can be said on these issues, but for the purpose of brevity, they shall be shortly described.

       Islam has never been opposed to scientific modernization. Infact, no religion has stressed upon the importance of worldly education and learning more than Islam has done. Islam enforces education for BOTH MEN and WOMEN. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH said "Acquiring education is compulsory for every Muslim man and women" (MANY other ahadith conveying a similar message can be found. They are not included in the post for brevity.)

       Practically, Islam is one of the founders of modern scientific world. It was the religion to cause an intellectual and educational movement, shifting the Greek trend of theoretical science to practical science. Muslims excelled in all fields of science and arts. Countless names like Jabar bin Hayan, Prince Khalid bin Yazeed, Ibn-ul-Haitam, Alberuni, Bu Ali Sina, Abul Qasim Zahrawi, Ibn-ul Nafees etc. can be found in Islamic history. Their scientific work was driven by motivation from Islam.

       (In contrast, the Inquisition Department of the Church has been notorious for torturing and executing various scientists if found guilty for "heresy". Several great names, including the physics pioneer Galileo, were punished for making scientific theories and research. Isn't it quite ironic that nobody speaks of these points before raising fingers on Muslims.)

        Women have a special value in Islam. It was indeed with the coming of Islam that the position of women was raised to an honourable one in the society. Islam came as a liberator and benefactor of women. Islam teaches that women should be held in honour and their rights recognized in marriage, property and inheritance.

Dr. Annie Bessant, in her book, "The Life and Teachings of Muhammad" says:

              "I often think that women are more free in Islam than in Christianity. Women are more respected by Islam than by the faith that teaches monogamy."

In the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH said

              "You should be kind and most considerate towards your women."

Another well-known hadith says:

              "The best among you is the one who is best towards his wife."

(Various ahadith can also be found regarding the position and respect of women as mothers and as daughters, and are not included in the post for brevity.)

THE ABSOLUTE VERDICT:

The image of Islam presented by the biased International media is corrupted and manipulated. In practice, Islam is quite different.

It is clear in the light of the above arguments that Islam is not violent or non-tolerant. It is indeed a religion of peace, love and mercy.

We also conclude that anyone who mistreats his wife, does not educate his children and chooses to remain backward may be a bad Muslim, but that wouldn't mean that all Muslims are bad or that these actions are in accordance with Islamic teachings.

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