...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

The kafir menagerie: An expert on the subject discusses how Allah views non-believers—as creatures who are lower down on the food chain. From FrontPage magazine:

…Kasem: Those who have not read the Qur’an in detail have very little idea about the unremitting hatred Allah has for the non-Muslims. One striking aspect of Islam’s unbound rage and hatred for the unbelievers is that Allah is obsessed with tagging the unbelievers with animals—various types, such as dogs, camels, cows, pigs, apes, goat and so on.

FP: Can you share some verses from the Qur’an, ahadith, and other important sources in Islam on this theme?

Kasem: Sure. Allah sees unbelievers as worse than animals. Let us start with verse 8:55 of the Qur’an. In essence this verse says: the unbelievers are the worst beasts (or worst animals) in the eyes of Allah.

According to ibn Abbas and Jalalyn, the most eminent exegetes of the Qur’an, Allah revealed this verse regarding the B. Qurayzah Jews. These Jews had unconditionally surrendered to Muhammad’s invading army. Earlier, Muhammad had asked these hapless Jews, comprising of women children and adult males, to convert to Islam if they wanted to be reprieved from the genocide that was pronounced on them by the judge appointed by Muhammad. But these Jews steadfastly refused to embrace Islam, preferring death instead. So, when they turned down Muhammad’s offer of ‘mercy’, around 700 to 900 of the adult males were beheaded right in front of Muhammad. Muhammad’s companions participated in this orgy of beheadings. This was similar to the scene of an abattoir where animals are driven to be slaughtered by Islamic swords and knives.

Commenting on this frenzy of slaughter of these Jews, ibn Kathir, another eminent tafsir writer, writes that the unbelievers who do not embrace Islam and break treaties are the worst moving creatures on earth; Muslims should punish them harshly and inflict heavy casualties among them.

In Qur’an 25:44, Allah says that unbelievers are worse than cattle and animals.

Ibn Kathir provides the reason why non-Muslims are worse than animals and grazing cattle: cattle only do what they were created to do, but these people were created to worship Allah alone without associating partners with Him, but they worship others with Him, even though evidence has been established against them and Messengers have been sent to them.

Allah hurls further insults to the Jews and Christians if they do not accept the Qur’an. Allah says in Qur’an 4:47 that the Qur’an confirms the books sent before it; the people of the book are cursed if they do not believe in the Qur’an. Because of this calumny Allah may efface their faces. According to ibn Kathir effacing means turning them blind; turn their faces backward means to put their faces on their backs and make them walk backwards, and curse them means to turn them into animals.

Allah says in Qur’an 6:122 that He raises the believers from the dead and provides them with light to enable them to move among the disbelievers; but the unbelievers move in total darkness.

Commenting on this verse Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, a modern exegete of the Qur’an writes (Tafheem ul Quran commentary number 6/88):

'Death' signifies here the state of ignorance and lack of consciousness, whereas 'life' denotes the state of knowledge and true cognition, the state of awareness of Reality. He, who cannot distinguish between right and wrong and does not know the Straight Way for human life, may be alive on the biological plane, but his essential humanity is not. He may be a living animal but is certainly not a living human being. A living human being is one who can distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, honesty from dishonesty.

Readers should note that ‘Straight Way’ means Islam. The gist of Maududi’s comment is that a human being who does not accept Islam is a living animal.

FP: So what should happen to these lowest of animals according to Islam?

Kasem: Islam decrees that they be slaughtered Islamically, just in the manner as animals are killed, that is, by beheading…

All together now: Moooooo!

Posted by: scaramouche at 11:12 | link | comments

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