Fatwas and Osama Bin Ladin

[Devadatta]

This is an obvious question, so my apologies if it's already come up and been dealt with.

We all know about the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomenei and laying a death sentence against Salmon Rushdie for writing a novel thought to be disrespectful to the Koran. At the same time, it's been said that to date no prominent Muslim cleric has issued a fatwa involving any censure, much less a death sentence, against Osama Bin Laden, despite the incalcuably greater harm he's done (and is doing) to the cause of Islam.

If the above is accurate, I would welcome any Muslim's comments on why it is so. If this is not accurate, I would welcome news of any fatwas against Osama Bin Ladin that have been issued.

Below I've pasted a quick definition of "fatwa" I found online, so that you know the understanding I'm speaking from, and to save you some time.

Thanks in advance for your help in this.

Definition: A fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling, a scholarly opinion on a matter of Islamic law.

A fatwa is issued by a recognized religious authority in Islam. But since there is no hierarchical priesthood or anything of the sort in Islam, a fatwa is not necessarily "binding" on the faithful. The people who pronounce these rulings are supposed to be knowledgable, and base their rulings in knowledge and wisdom. They need to supply the evidence from Islamic sources for their opinions, and it is not uncommon for scholars to come to different conclusions regarding the same issue. As Muslims, we look at the opinion, the reputation of the person giving it, the evidence given to support it, and then decide whether to follow it or not. When there are conflicting opinions issued by different scholars, we compare the evidence and then choose the opinion to which our God-given conscience guides us.

[Yaqinud Din]

Here is what Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz had to say about OBL

"So my advice to al-Masari, al-Faqih, Bin Laden, and all those who traverse their way is to leave alone this disastrous path, and to fear Allah and to beware of His vengeance and His anger, and to return to guidance and to repent to Allah for what has preceded from them…"

Also here is the Islamic view on Suicide Killing

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen on Attacking the enemy by blowing oneself up in a car

Question: What is the ruling regarding acts of jihaad by means of suicide, such as attaching explosives to a car and storming the enemy, whereby he knows without a doubt that he shall die as a result of this action?


Response: Indeed, my opinion is that he is regarded as one who has killed himself (committed suicide), and as a result he shall be punished in Hell, for that which is authenticated on the authority of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam).

[((Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever)), [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)]].

However, one who is ignorant and does not know, and assumes his action was good and pleasing to Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala), then we hope Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) forgives him for that which he did out of (ignorant) ijtihaad, even though I do not find any excuse for him in the present day. This is because this type of suicide is well known and widespread amongst the people, so it is upon the person to ask the people of knowledge (scholars) regarding it, until the right guidance for him is differentiated from the error.

And from that which is surprising, is that these people kill themselves despite Allaah having fordbidden this, as He (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says:

{And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you}, [Soorah an-Nisaa., Aayah 29].

And many amongst them do not desire anything except revenge of the enemy, by whatever means, be it halaal or haraam. So they only want to satisfy their thirst for revenge.

We ask Allaah to bless us with foresight in His Deen and action(s) which please Him, indeed He is all Powerful over all things.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Kayfa Nu'aalij Waaqi'unaa al-Aleem - Page 119

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen on Committing suicide

Question: What is the ruling regarding suicide in Islaam?

Response: Suicide is when a person kills himself intentionally by whatever means. This is haraam and regarded as amongst the major sins, and likewise included in the general statement of Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala):

{And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allaah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him}, [Soorah an-Nisaa, Aayah 93].

And it is established from the Sunnah on the authority of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) who said:

((Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever)), [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)]. In reality, the one who commits suicide, generally does so because of his desperate situation, either as a direct result of an act of Allaah or a human being. So you find him unable to cope with that which has afflicted him, and in actual fact he is like one who is calling for help from the scorching heat of the fire. So he has progressed from that which was tough (bad) to that which is worse. And if he was patient, then Allaah would have assisted him in dealing with the difficulty.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Hope this helps

[Devadatta]

Originally Posted by Yaqinud Din

Here is what Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz had to say about OBL

"So my advice to al-Masari, al-Faqih, Bin Laden, and all those who traverse their way is to leave alone this disastrous path, and to fear Allah and to beware of His vengeance and His anger, and to return to guidance and to repent to Allah for what has preceded from them…"

Also here is the Islamic view on Suicide Killing

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen on Attacking the enemy by blowing oneself up in a car

Question: What is the ruling regarding acts of jihaad by means of suicide, such as attaching explosives to a car and storming the enemy, whereby he knows without a doubt that he shall die as a result of this action?


Response: Indeed, my opinion is that he is regarded as one who has killed himself (committed suicide), and as a result he shall be punished in Hell, for that which is authenticated on the authority of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam).

[((Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever)), [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)]].

However, one who is ignorant and does not know, and assumes his action was good and pleasing to Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala), then we hope Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) forgives him for that which he did out of (ignorant) ijtihaad, even though I do not find any excuse for him in the present day. This is because this type of suicide is well known and widespread amongst the people, so it is upon the person to ask the people of knowledge (scholars) regarding it, until the right guidance for him is differentiated from the error.

And from that which is surprising, is that these people kill themselves despite Allaah having fordbidden this, as He (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says:

{And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you}, [Soorah an-Nisaa., Aayah 29].

And many amongst them do not desire anything except revenge of the enemy, by whatever means, be it halaal or haraam. So they only want to satisfy their thirst for revenge.

We ask Allaah to bless us with foresight in His Deen and action(s) which please Him, indeed He is all Powerful over all things.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Kayfa Nu'aalij Waaqi'unaa al-Aleem - Page 119

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen on Committing suicide

Question: What is the ruling regarding suicide in Islaam?

Response: Suicide is when a person kills himself intentionally by whatever means. This is haraam and regarded as amongst the major sins, and likewise included in the general statement of Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala):

{And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allaah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him}, [Soorah an-Nisaa, Aayah 93].

And it is established from the Sunnah on the authority of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) who said:

((Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever)), [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)]. In reality, the one who commits suicide, generally does so because of his desperate situation, either as a direct result of an act of Allaah or a human being. So you find him unable to cope with that which has afflicted him, and in actual fact he is like one who is calling for help from the scorching heat of the fire. So he has progressed from that which was tough (bad) to that which is worse. And if he was patient, then Allaah would have assisted him in dealing with the difficulty.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Hope this helps

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this, Yaqinud. While the question of the comparative silence on OBL remains open, the comments regarding his foot solidiers and suicide bombing are most welcome.

As a follow up question, do you think that many clerics are intimidated from more decisively condemning and opposing OBL?

Otherwise, I think it would be interesting and helpful to many of us if you continued to post these sorts of opinions. I personally will read them with great interest.

One final request: it would also be helful to include some background on the clerics you quote, i.e., where they're located, whom the represent, etc.

Thanks again for your time & effort on this important question.

Peace.

[Yaqinud Din]

I don't think they are intimidated I think they don't have a voice in the west Muslims have been condemning OBL even before 9/11 but nobody would listen to what we had to say.

Who is Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen

Abu 'Abdullaah Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymeen at-Tameemee an-Najdee was born in the city of Unayzah, Qaseem Region on 27th Ramadhaan 1347 A.H./1926 C.E. in a famous religious family.

He received his education from many prominent scholars like Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa'dee, Shaykh Muhammad Ameen ash-Shanqeetee and Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz.

When he entered into teaching, a great number of students from inside and outside Saudi Arabia benefited from him. He had his own unique style of interpretation and explanation of religious points. He was from among those scholars who served Islaam without any type of religious prejudice and kept themselves away from the limitations of blind-following. He was distinguished in his great exertion of effort in religious matters and analogical deductions which clearly prove the religious understanding he possessed, and the correct usage of the principles of religion, he adopted.


In giving religious verdicts, like Shaykh ibn Baaz, his Fataawa were based on evidence from the Qur.aan and Sunnah . He had about fifty compilations to his credit. He taught Religious Fundamentals at the Sharee'ah Faculty of Imaam Muhammad ibn Sa'ood Islaamic University, Qaseem Branch. He was also a member of the Council of Senior Scholars of the Kingdom, and the Imaam and Khateeb of the big Mosque of Unayzah city.

The Shaykh passed away on Wednesday 15 Shawwaal 1421 A.H. / 10 January 2001 C.E. He was 74 years of age. May Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) have Mercy upon his soul, aameen.

Here is a good website http://www.fatwa-online.com
Here is a good site http://www.thewahhabimyth.com
You can find Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz bio on the fatwa-online site in biographies 15 century (1400H-1499H)

Hope this helps

[Devadatta]

Originally Posted by Yaqinud Din

I don't think they are intimidated I think they don't have a voice in the west Muslims have been condemning OBL even before 9/11 but nobody would listen to what we had to say.

Thanks for the links, Yaqinud. I had previously downloaded "The Wahabbi Myth", but haven't had the chance to read through all of it, or explore all of the Web site. The other site looks to be informative as well.

The capsule definition there of Salafism and why the term is preferred over "Wahabbism" is the most straightforward one I've seen. On the other hand, my feeling is that most in the West don't use the term to denigrate Islam. In large measure, I think what we have is a difference in the way we view history. Salafism is what we might call an ahistorical term; it relates to the example of Muhammed and his companions and not to any particular way this example has been followed historically. "Wahabbism", on the other, specifically centres on particular individuals and social histories. I'm sure you would agree that Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab lived in a particular time and place and promoted Salafism against what he viewed as the innovations of the time. His activities had measurable impacts that can be traced over time. Our view of history in the West centres among other things on just these kinds of individuals and social movements; it's only natural that we view something called "Wahabbism" as a discrete phenomenon in the history of Islam.

I do agree with you that since Salafism is the self-defining term of people in the tradition, it would be better and more respectful if people outside the tradition adopted that term as well. But in terms of better understanding between the West and Islam, it would only be a change of labels: the real difficulties would remain.

One real difficulty was in effect alluded to in your response, when you dated the Shaykh using the Islamic calendar. No problem with that in itself of course - but it only points to the fact that arguably the West and Islam live in alternate universes that to this day only partially overlap. So when you suggest that our media ignores Muslim voices you're right. But it's not just bigotry and self-interest - it's an indication of a general ignorance for which both sides bear responsibility. KSA, for example, is still a land of mystery in the West. I had the experience not long ago of going to the library to find a video on KSA. You may be aware that there are many series of travel and related videos on most countries in the world. For KSA, I found one - and it was issued by the Saudi government, and expressed only a very limited and "official" view.

Hopefully, this situation is changing and evolving even as I type. But I guess what I'm saying is that however important terminological issues may be, what we really need from one another is information bearing on the concrete situations we face.

With that in mind, would you feel free to answer some direct questions based on your own experience as a Muslim? I have no thesis to prove; I'm not looking to lay traps of any kind. Any question I ask regarding your culture, I'll be happy to match with the view from my end, to the best of my ability.

Peace.

[Yaqinud Din]

Yes you can ask me anything about Islam and yes I'm a Muslim

[Devadatta]

Originally Posted by Yaqinud Din

Yes you can ask me anything about Islam and yes I'm a Muslim

Hi again. To begin at the beginning I'm interested in your take on the perceptions of the West in your corner of the Islamic world, including what is taught in school and the range of ideas, attitudes or myths that you observe in your own culture. Now, as I said, I'll do the same from my side, which I was about to do, except that I realized I don't know for sure what part of the world you're speaking from I've assumed it's the KSA, and hence what you might find of interest. So I guess that would be the first thing I'd like to know. I'm in Canada and in a North American milieu which is significantly different in range of attitudes even in comparison to Europe.

So that's the topic I'm proposing. You can start it off, or let me know where you're writing from and I'll start.

Cheers.

[I, Brian]

Just to add to the original subject of fatwa:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4694441.stm

More than 500 British Muslim religious leaders and scholars have issued a fatwa in response to the London bombs. The religious decree expresses condolences to the families of the victims of the atrocity and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

It states Islam condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives and says suicide bombings are "vehemently prohibited".

The formal legal opinion was issued by the British Muslim Forum at Parliament.

More than 50 Muslim religious leaders from around the UK stood together outside the Houses of Parliament to hear the fatwa read out.

[Yaqinud Din]

Devadatta I can not answer because I'm not from the Kingdom in fact I'm Irish

[Devadatta]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

Just to add to the original subject of fatwa:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4694441.stm

Thanks, Brian. Excellent news. There was also a very good bbc article online dealing with the madrassas in Pakistan, Musharraf, and the unfortunate underlying politics. I missed the article you've posted here (or it wasn't there yet), so much appreciated.

Cheers.

[I, Brian]

I actually had to do some digging around for the story - didn't see it in the normal areas, just as a footnote in another story.

[earl]

Thanks for posting the "good" news, Earl

[Devadatta]

For the first time Muslims leaders in Canada meet collectively to condemn terrorism. Here's the link: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...se-050721.html

[thipps]

H|,
Interestingly, Shiekh bin Baaz and Shiekh Ibn Uthaymeen are exactly those people whom, when the time is convenient, people will label as Wahhabis (synonymous with terrorist). go figure.
Al-Qaeda is not & never has been an "Islamic force" if i cud call it that. The vast majority of imams in the Muslim world both since & well before 9/11 have consistently & widely condemned suicide bombings in particular & terrorism in general. a few days ago, 500 British imams issued a fatwa prohibiting suicide bombing & the killing of innocents, while Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, considered a high authority for the world’s one billion Sunni Muslims, has repeatedly condemned terrorism in all its forms. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned the Sharm El-Sheikh blasts. In 2004, CAIR launched a petition drive, called "Not in the Name of Islam," designed to disassociate Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition, signed by some 700,000 Muslims, states in part: "We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]." I read on the CAIR website that CAIR turned that petition into a television public service announcement that is being distributed nationwide.
Hopefully, this helps to stop a view being generalized that the word Muslim is synonymous with terrorist... at least in the general public.

[Devadatta]

Originally Posted by thipps

Hopefully, this helps to stop a view being generalized that the word Muslim is synonymous with terrorist... at least in the general public.

Hi Thipps.

Leaving aside the two Sheiks you mention, which were cited earlier in the thread, the 500 Imams are based in the U.K., and CAIR is based in Washington D.C. – and then there’s the Muslims leaders I cited in Canada. Do we see a pattern here?

And as far as the Muslim leaders in Canada go, I understand they did not in fact constitute a majority, did not go so far as issuing a fatwa and – as the new report says – had never issued this kind of statement before, even in the wake of 9/11.

So while I welcome this kind of news and any like news you can pass along, much remains to be done, and I remain of the opinion that not enough has been done within the Muslim community to combat this terrible virus.

Of course I could be wrong, and would be happy to be proved so, but understand that among non-Muslims my opinion is not uncommon. And it’s not an opinion based on racism or bigotry or hatred of Islam or the belief that Al Qaeda represents Islam. It’s based on the simple observation that a virus originating from Muslim countries continues to spread and the Muslim world as a whole appears fairly passive or acquiescent in the face of it.

The political complications are of course enormous. Many hands have stirred the pot. American money, Western money, and Saudi money have all gone to the funding and training of jihadis, first to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. Pakistan, for its own complicated political and strategic reasons has variously supported, tolerated or been intimidated by jihadis grown on its own soil. Not just one genie but thousands have been created and let out of the bottle. This is a hideous problem.

But you know I have simple messages for both sides, the West and Islam. On my side of the pond, I say forget about dully wondering “why do they hate us”, and do more than the never-ending round of hunting down the bad guys. Find out what’s going on from our end and make structural and political changes, and changes in the shape of alliances which have become counter productive. The time of either apologetics or apologies for Western power is over. It’s time for intelligent rather than simply military action.

And to Muslims I say the time of public relations is over. The bigots are not your problem. Your problems are within your midst. I personally feel no compunction or guilt in claiming that Muslims are not doing enough and in urging Muslims to do more. It’s been said many times that this highjacking of Islam is a Muslim problem and can only be solved by Muslims. I believe that. But the rest of us can’t be content to sit by, wringing our hands, out of fear of offending.

It may an extraordinary presumption on my part to speak so directly. But there are far more terrible things going on than a bit of plain & honest speech between fellow human beings.

Peace to you, your family & your country.