My name is Syed Sibt-e-Hassan and I belong to Pakistan. I recently had a chance to join a forum where atheists dominate. I joined this forum just to convince them that they should not insult Prophet Muhammad (sws). But instead, these people started criticising Islam. Each time I said that Islam is a peaceful religion, they quoted some material to which I had no answer. For example, following is a news from the CNN website, posted to me by a non-Muslim, and he asked why such acts are allowed in Islam and if these are allowed, then why should Islam be called a civilized religion? Please read the text and guide me about the problem asked:
(CNN) — A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, “Fahd” and “Hadian.”
*Fahd told the policeman he had the right to be there, because Sawadi had breast-fed him as a baby and was therefore considered to be a son to her in Islam, according to Al-Watan. Fahd, 24, added that his friend Hadian was escorting him as he delivered bread for the elderly woman. The policeman then arrested both men.*
Waiting for your response,
Syed Sibt-e-Hassan.
Answer
My dear brother, there is a difference between defending Islam and defending Muslims. When one finds a bad behaviour in a Muslim and then criticises Islam we need to explain to him that he has an irrational judgement. We cannot accuse a belief because of an unjustified practice of a believer.
At some point in the history of Church they used to burn those who they would consider ‘witches’. Galileo was trailed and was put under house arrest for being accused of heresy when he said the Earth was not static. Shall we call Christianity a wild religion that is against advances of science?
No Muslim and no group of Muslims or a Muslim state is the representative of Allāh in our days. What is reported from the Saudi police has nothing to do with Islam. There are at least 5 things in this story that are not in line with Islam:
1. In general the Qur’ān has relaxed the rules about old women. This attitude should stop us from being so strict about an old lady being in the company of two men, when there is no evidence to suggest anything evil has taken place.
2. It is not inline with Islam to go and seek what is happening in the private house of people. Quite contrary the attitude of the Prophet (sws) and his Companions (rta) was to ignore what was happening in private places as much as possible, unless it was made public.
3. With no witnesses to suggest anything evil has taken place, there is no reason why the police should not believe the given story. At least 4 witnesses are needed to testify that an evil act has taken place.
4. Even if the men were there for inappropriate reasons, unless something had actually happened, no such harsh punishment can be given.
5. Even if it was proved that an evil act had taken place and that slashing should be carried out, given the age of the old lady, the sentence needs to be thought of carefully as slashing should not cause permanent damage or death (which is very likely in the case of a 75 years old lady).
I really do not see anything Islamic in the narrated story to defend.
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