called “Muslims” supported by Western neo-con think tanks who are full-time “da'ees” inviting people to the path of Shaitan, in the name of Islam. These “Muslims” go to great length to explain how we should not practice our faith. In short keep the title only, but discard the religion. They are the new modernists created and funded by a people who are working non-stop in their war against Islam. Nothing is obligatory for them. No rules at all. Here are some general issues with these people: 1. They attack the sources They do not want to understand the Qur'an in the way it should be understood, even though the verses are very clear. They belittle the second most important source of Islam – the Hadith. They either play on the ignorance of Muslims or invent blatant lies about the Hadith. Let there be no doubt left that the way Hadith has been preserved is superior to any standard of authentication ever known to human history and that will ever be known till the Day of Judgment. Such are the sciences of Hadith. Such is the manner in which the Hadith were preserved. The Ahadith are 500% more verifiable, more authentic, and hence have more reasons to be believed in, than the front-page report of any newspaper. Such were the strict conditions applied for the acceptance of Hadith. Usool Al-Hadith (sciences of Hadith) will testify to that. 2. Changing Islam These “Muslims” really believe in secularism, not in the pure Shariah. So they try to fit Islam according to the world's ever-changing standards of ethics. They have a problem with accepting some of the laws of Islam or few things that may have been permitted or prohibited in Islam. Allah says: “Do you believe in some parts of the Book and disbelieve in other parts? Whosoever does that would be subjected to humiliation in this life and a severe punishment on the day of resurrection.” (Qur'an. 2:85) Realize O Muslim! Whose Messenger was Muhammad? Allah's! His actions, his sayings and his commands are based on the revelation from Allah. It is sufficient for non-Muslims and the skeptics to verify if Muhammad (peace be upon him) was truly a messenger or not and if the Qur'an is truly divine or not. And there are overwhelming evidences that would leave no room of doubt about the truthfulness of Islam. So if you have verified this to be true, then you cannot question the commandments of your Creator. We are Muslims – we submit to Allah and His Messenger. When Allah and His Messenger have said something, we humbly accept it. Muslims submit to the truth immediately. “It is not fitting for any believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have a choice in their affair. And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has gone astray into manifest error.” (Qur'an, 33:36) “But no, by your Lord (Rabb), they can have no faith until they make you the judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept (them) fully with submission.” (Qur'an, 4:65) What Allah and His Messenger say is right, is right, and what they say is wrong, is wrong. End of discussion. Yet, Islam is a natural religion. It is a religion of Fitrah – the natural state in which man is born. It is based on our Creator's Guidance. So it doesn't order or command anything that is against the general interest of man. One such “Muslim” writer of a recent article that was supposedly defending the Prophet (peace be upon him) called for the separation of the state and the religion in Muslim lands, called for the Hadith to be limited to “common history” and to detach away from “man-made laws” of “medieval word” and step into “21st century”. What fallacy! Just tell me how this isn't different from the secular propaganda? So, a typical secular propaganda has come in the form of an “Islamic article” that “defends” the Prophet (peace be upon him). Yet this “defense” in effect calls to reject the commandments of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in our daily life, in our economic life, and in our political life! What love and what defense?! Let's break down these general phrases of the writer into something practical to understand its implications, shall we? The following is the direction of the “secular states” we see in our world today: • Man is the superior being. No place for God. • Ribaa (Interest) is perfectly “OK” for 21st century. • Premarital sex: It's people's choice! Marriage: Debasement and abuse. • Homosexuality: Must be permitted. We're in the 21st century. Freedom! The writer says if we Muslims don't “step into 21st century” and accept these “universal human rights”, which I have summarized above, “then we better be prepared to be mocked at as stragglers in the caravan who are slowing down the progress of all humanity.” Mr. Writer, Muslims need not leave their religion to escape mockery of a people who don't believe in Allah! Just tell me how and why should man's stances change on these immoral issues I've listed above? These evils don't change into good because of advancement. What is advancement? What is enlightenment? What we see in today's world is only scientific advancement. Socially, we are falling and regressing to new lows. Nay, Muslims need not change their fundamentals to be accepted by the world. The world is stumbling down towards its destruction by adopting hedonism in the name of freedom. Muslims need not follow that path. Islam dictates every aspect of our life, and we should be proud of that! Our Creator did not leave us to wander without guidance and fall into the pits that we see the world falling into. We are the ones who believed in His Message. Yes, the divine laws came down 1400 years ago. But they were with imbued such wisdom that they could be applied in the 21st century and in the centuries to come. While Shariah has specific laws for things that don't change, it largely has general outlines and principles that can be applied to any issue that may come up with the advancement of time. There have been in the past and will always be in the future people who call people towards the path of Shaitan and who work tenuously to misguide Muslims. But Allah has promised to protect Islam. So Islam has not changed through ages and it will continue to be protected till the Day of Judgment. We as Muslims must be careful about the sources where we take our Islam from. We should learn Islam from the roots – the Qur'an and the Sunnah. We should learn Islam from scholars who stick to the Qur'an and Sunnah and the interpretation of the early generations of Muslims. Because the understanding of the early generations is what is authentic and has been approved of by Allah and His Messenger.
