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In debates concerning Islam, lots of people maintain, in the face of a mountain of evidence to the contrary, that Islam is a religion of peace.
The usual refutation is a set of verses from the Quran which explicitly preach hatred.
The usual response to that is that the verses were taken out of context, and that they need a proper "interpretation" to get at their true meaning.
It is at this point that debate comes to a standstill, because this is a point so contentious that argument over it can go on back and forth practically forever.
However, most people ignore the fact that the Quran is merely the text, it is the Hadith, or collection of incidents from the Prophet's life, which provide both the context, and the instantiation of the principles given in the Quran.
Also, the Hadith are quite simple in nature, requiring no "interpretation". They are like little moral fables. One of the reasons they are ignored is that, though they are the primary source of Islamic law even now, they are not given a "holy" status. They are, however, as important to the religion as the Quran is, at least in practical matters.
How do the people who claim that "Islam is a religion of peace" reconcile themselves with Hadith like the following:
Link
Book 38, Number 4348:
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas:
A blind man had a slave-mother who used to abuse the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and disparage him. He forbade her but she did not stop. He rebuked her but she did not give up her habit. One night she began to slander the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and abuse him. So he took a dagger, placed it on her belly, pressed it, and killed her. A child who came between her legs was smeared with the blood that was there. When the morning came, the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was informed about it.
He assembled the people and said: I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right to him that he should stand up. Jumping over the necks of the people and trembling the man stood up.
He sat before the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Apostle of Allah! I am her master; she used to abuse you and disparage you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not abandon her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was my companion. Last night she began to abuse and disparage you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her.
Thereupon the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Oh be witness, no retaliation is payable for her blood.
Though I was aware of the Prophet's brutality (he was, after all, living in a tribal society, where blood and honour were intimately involved with the law), this took my opinion of him to a new low.
Would the Defenders of the Islamic Faith please tell me how the "interpret" this particular Hadith?
It is only recently that I have started seriously investigating the Hadith, and I will post more instances and findings as I go along.
The real problem, IMO, is not that these Hadith exist, but that such Hadith, and the life of such a man, is used as the source of modern Islamic law, which has caused and still causes untold suffering all over the world. If they were just stories in a book, nobody would really give a damn.
The usual refutation is a set of verses from the Quran which explicitly preach hatred.
The usual response to that is that the verses were taken out of context, and that they need a proper "interpretation" to get at their true meaning.
It is at this point that debate comes to a standstill, because this is a point so contentious that argument over it can go on back and forth practically forever.
However, most people ignore the fact that the Quran is merely the text, it is the Hadith, or collection of incidents from the Prophet's life, which provide both the context, and the instantiation of the principles given in the Quran.
Also, the Hadith are quite simple in nature, requiring no "interpretation". They are like little moral fables. One of the reasons they are ignored is that, though they are the primary source of Islamic law even now, they are not given a "holy" status. They are, however, as important to the religion as the Quran is, at least in practical matters.
How do the people who claim that "Islam is a religion of peace" reconcile themselves with Hadith like the following:
Link
Book 38, Number 4348:
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas:
A blind man had a slave-mother who used to abuse the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and disparage him. He forbade her but she did not stop. He rebuked her but she did not give up her habit. One night she began to slander the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and abuse him. So he took a dagger, placed it on her belly, pressed it, and killed her. A child who came between her legs was smeared with the blood that was there. When the morning came, the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was informed about it.
He assembled the people and said: I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right to him that he should stand up. Jumping over the necks of the people and trembling the man stood up.
He sat before the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Apostle of Allah! I am her master; she used to abuse you and disparage you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not abandon her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was my companion. Last night she began to abuse and disparage you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her.
Thereupon the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Oh be witness, no retaliation is payable for her blood.
Would the Defenders of the Islamic Faith please tell me how the "interpret" this particular Hadith?
It is only recently that I have started seriously investigating the Hadith, and I will post more instances and findings as I go along.
The real problem, IMO, is not that these Hadith exist, but that such Hadith, and the life of such a man, is used as the source of modern Islamic law, which has caused and still causes untold suffering all over the world. If they were just stories in a book, nobody would really give a damn.
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