Question sheet

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Read through Al-Qaeda's Declaration in full with the brief explanations and, if possible, the Supplementary Materials also. Now choose three or more of questions below and jot down your answers, so you will be ready to discuss them in class.

1. The Qur’an teaches us to (Q. 4:59): {Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority amongst you.} What authority, if any, do those who wrote the Declaration have to order us, as Muslims, “to kill Americans and their allies, be they civilian or military”?
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2. Read the long passage from Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni in Supplementary Materials. Now make two lists of whom he said it was definitely lawful for Muslims to kill in war, and who it was definitely unlawful to kill according to Ibn Qudamah and the authors of the Declaration. How do you explain the differences, if any?

Lawful to kill (Ibn Qudamah)
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Lawful to kill (Declaration)
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Unlawful to kill (Ibn Qudamah)
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Unlawful to kill (Declaration)
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The reason for the difference is: ......................................................................................................................................
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3. Pick four types of people from the above list, and write them below. Does it make a difference if you add labels like 'Afghan', 'Arab', 'atheist', 'Bangladeshi',  'Catholic', 'disabled', 'homosexual', 'Hindu', 'Jewish', 'Muslim', 'Pakistani', 'retired', 'Shiite', or 'Somali' to them (e.g. a British Muslim policeman, a pregnant Jewish woman)?
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4. According to Al‑Qaeda's Declaration, who, if anyone, was killed in the 9/11 and the 7/7 attacks who should not have been?
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5. Imam al-Qurtubi says that the general wording of the Qur'an to {kill the idolaters} must be interpreted in the light of the Prophet's (PBUH) Sunnah. Ibn Qudamah considered the fact that they do not fight is sufficient reason for not killing non-combatants, for example, children, farmers, the chronically ill, women, disabled soldiers, or old men. However, the Declaration states that, like prayer, it is an absolute obligation (fard 'ayn) on every Muslim “to kill the Americans and their allies, be they civilian or military.” Who is right, and why?
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6. Write down any points in the Declaration that you feel Al-Qaeda needs to explain.
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7. The Qur'an teaches us (Q. 5:32): {And for that reason we decreed for the Israelites that whoever kills a soul not in retaliation, or to cause corruption on earth, it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever preserves a soul, it is as though he has preserved the whole of mankind.} In five other verses (e.g. Q. 6:164), the Qur'an states that: {No one shall bear another's burden [i.e. sin].} How far does “the ruling to kill the Americans and their allies, be they civilian or military” agree with the principle of 'retaliation', which the Sharia allows, or 'revenge' of the pagan Arabs?
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8. The Declaration refers to the “Jewish-Crusader alliance”, yet most of the Qur'anic verses that it quotes relate to fighting against the idol-worshippers of Mecca and their allies at the time of the Prophet (PBUH). Is it absolutely certain that the word 'idolaters' in the Qur'an includes Jews and Christians? Try to find a phrase in what either Imam al-Qurtubi or Ibn Qudamah wrote that supports your answer.
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9. The Declaration begins by quoting the first half of a verse (Q. 9:5) to justify its ruling “to kill the Americans and their allies, be they civilian or military.” What effect does reading God's Word in context have on understanding the Declaration's ruling?

{فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ * وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لا يَعْلَمُونَ}

(Q. 9:5-6): {Then, when the sacred months have past, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, seize them, surround them, lay in wait in every place of ambush. However, if they repent, perform the prayer and give zakat, let them go their way. God is Forgiving, Merciful. * And if one of the idolaters asks you for protection, grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of God, then convey him to a place of safety. That is because they are people who do not know.}......................................................................................................................................
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10. Imagine you were one of the 7/7 bombers, for example, standing before God on the Day of Judgement. Describe how confident you feel that the Sharia was on your side?
In a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurayrah narrated: 

 سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إن أول الناس يقضى يوم القيامة عليه رجل استشهد، فأتي به فعرفه نعمه فعرفها. قال فما عملت فيها؟ قال قاتلت فيك حتى استشهدت. قال كذبت، ولكنك قاتلت لأن يقول جريء فقد قيل. ثم أمربه فسحب على وجهه حتى ألقي في النار.

“I heard God's Messenger (PBUH) say that the first person to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who was martyred. He will be brought forth and told of his blessings, and he will acknowledge them. [God] will say: 'What did you do with them?' He will say: 'I found in Your way until I was martyred.' [God] will say, 'You have lied. You fought so it would be said you were brave, and it was said.' Then he will be ordered away and dragged face down until he is cast into Hell fire...”
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