The invasion of Kabul by the Taliban
has opened a whole new chapter in the life of the Afghan people.
The modus operandi adopted by them
for the implementation of Islam may be criticised vis-a-vis the implementation
strategy and the true meaning of Islam.
‘Adulterers and addicts to face stoning’,
‘Grow beards or face punishment’, ‘Women not to report for work’ are the
few examples of the headlines of local newspapers that swirled after a
few days of the fall of Kabul to Taliban. An in-depth analysis of these
headlines and the detailed news quickly divert one’s attention towards
the way Taliban are implementing Islam in Afghanistan. The question that
rises in one’s mind at this time is: Are they doing the right thing at
the right time? In our humble opinion the answer to this question is in
the negative.
What is the sunnah (custom,
way) of Allah regarding the implementation of religion? The answer lies
in the first and foremost source of Islam -- the Qur’an.
It is stated in the Qur’an that
God does not hold a person responsible beyond his or her capacity. Moreover,
the period of 23 years in which the Qur’an was gradually revealed is a witness to the sunnah of Allah, that is
Allah desires a gradual but a deep rooted change in the minds and souls
of human beings, which ultimately reflects from their actions. The philosophy
of this gradual implementation of religion is the avoidance of imbalance
in the life of an individual and in the society, which can lead to the
denunciation of religion by the people.
A criticism on this argument can be
that the gradual implementation of Islam was restricted only to the time
of its revelation, and now there are no reasons for the delay in the implementation
of Islam. The answer is that all the laws related to moral values were
already present in the previous religions, and Islam did not introduce
those laws for the first time. For example, the punishment of adultery
in Torah is stoning to death. But we know that it was some time after the
establishment of the Islamic government in Madinah
that these laws were implemented. So it can be safely concluded that
Islam only holds an individual responsible for his or her deeds after it
provides the environment in which the violation of laws can have no justification.
As far as the correct interpretation
of Islam is concerned, only that interpretation is reliable which emanates
from the Qur’an and the Sunnah
or the establishment principles of human intellect and nature.
Now, if we focus on the current situation
in the above mentioned context, we safely conclude that Taliban are neither
striving to implement Islam in a gradual manner nor are they trying to
evaluate the true Islam and understand the needs and requirements of the
twentieth century. Ultimately, the outcome of the whole situation may be
that after a short while it will become impossible for the people to act
upon various principles of Islam, which may result in either a hatred for
Islam or a strong retaliation against the Taliban government.
If people retaliate against them then
according to the principle of Islam their own government will become un-Islamic
as the Taliban are not in the majority (see the Qur’an 42:38).
Now let us take a look at some of
the steps taken by the Taliban:
i) No education for women:
Imagine for a few moments what the
fate of a country will be where women have no access to education. The
whole nation will suffer generation after generation. The first school
of a child is its mother. What is the legitimate reason in favour of education
being forbidden for women?
ii) Hanging of Najeeb Ullah and his brother:
It seems that Taliban has forgotten
the attitude of the Prophet (sws) on the conquest of Makkah when
he even pardoned the murderer of his own close relative.
The bottom line is:
i) Are Taliban presenting the true picture of Islam in
front of the world? If not, wouldn’t they be held responsible for distorting
the religion of Allah on the day of Judgement and paving the way for the
enemies of Islam in this world?
ii) Are they ready to face the wrath of Allah on the Day
of Judgement as a result of taking out their swords against Muslims?
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