The horrifying terrorist incident that took place on the evening of 10 November near the Red Fort has shaken the heart and mind. The cowardly and condemnable act has claimed the lives of almost 14 innocent people, destroyed several families, and left nearly 30 others seriously injured who would continue to suffer from the trauma for who knows how long.
Since this dreadful incident, the details that have emerged have deeply disturbed the mind even more. If our police and agencies had not acted in time, uncovering this conspiracy and recovering such a large quantity of explosives, who knows what would have happened. What prompted me to write this piece is video of the main culprit Dr. Umar, in which he is glorifying fidayeen attacks by calling them “Operation Shahadat” or “Operation Martyrdom”, I realized that terrorist organizations deliberately try to hide their filthy and cowardly actions and their personal agendas behind Islamic terminology. They try to create a false justification, intentionally distorting Islam’s clear and pure teachings that are entirely based on mercy, peace and safety.
What is worth thinking about is that the actions of these terrorist groups and their masters have never benefited Islam or Muslims. Instead, they have only caused damage, and have tarnished the image of Islam and Muslims globally. The shocking part is that these organizations impose their un-lslamic and condemnable ideology on innocent youth who have little real knowledge of Islamic teachings, brainwashing them through various means. They do not spare either the non-Muslim nations or the Muslim nations, mosques or graveyards, innocent children or the elderly and women. They target everyone-and they call the killing of innocents “jihad” or “martyrdom”, whereas Islamic teachings and Qur’anic verses clearly contradict their false ideology. Islam considers taking an innocent life as a grave sin.
Another thing to ponder: the masters who promote un-lslamic ideas like “Operation Shahadat/Operation Martyrdom” always save their own lives. They themselves never become fidayeen. They always choose those youth who are ignorant of Islam’s clear teachings-exactly as Dr. Umar hesitantly admits in his video.
Dr. Umar was a modern, educated man. His sister stated that he came from a poor family and became a doctor after facing severe hardship and poverty. His family hoped that their days of struggle would finally be over and that Umar would lift them out of poverty. But terrorist masters, for their own agendas, manipulated young men like him-under what circumstances, this is a subject of investigation. By misinterpreting an Islamic term, Dr. Umar not only took the lives of several innocent people but also committed suice, a grave sin as per Islam. He left behind a devastated family and destroyed the lives of dozens others, while tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims.
The originator of “Operation Shahadat/Operation Martyrdom” is believed to be Osama bin Laden. Before him, there is virtually no example of suicide or fidayeen attacks, even though many battles were fought in the name of Islam. Battles occurred during the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), during the eras of the four Caliphs, and later in the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid and Ottoman periods-but nowhere was the concept of suicide attacks found. Osama bin Laden propagated this un-lslamic and false ideology, but what is worth noting is that he himself never practiced it. He always lured others into it. Yet there is a clear hadith stating that anything newly invented in religion that does not belong to it is rejected- meaning it has nothing to do with Islam.
In the same way today, the masters of terrorist organizations are trapping innocent and religiously unaware youth in these false beliefs. Dr. Umar, too, was preparing someone else for a fidayeen attack. But when no one agreed and he realized his associates had been caught and that he too could be arrested soon, in haste he blew himself up near the Red Fort.
Now let us consider the Qur’anic verses that are misquoted and taken out of context by terrorist leaders to trap unaware youth. To justify killing innocent people, they misuse Surah 2, Ayah 154 and Surah 9, Ayah 111, ignoring their context. But the Qur’an clearly contains verses that oppose the distorted meanings these people fabricate.
Most importantly, Surah 2, Ayah 155 itself refutes the incorrect interpretation they derive from the previous verse. Ayah 155 states that Allah will test the believers through fear, hunger, loss of wealth, loss of lives, and loss in crops-but those who show patience are given glad tidings (of Paradise). So Paradise is promised for patience in trials-not for killing others or taking revenge. Surah 5, Ayah 32 is a well-known verse meaning: “Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed the whole of humanity. Surah 4, Ayah 29 clearly says: “Do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is merciful to you.’’ Surah 2, Ayah 195 says: “Spend in the way of Allah and do not throw yourselves into destruction, and behave kindly.” Surah 7, Ayah 56 says: “Do not cause corruption on earth after it has been set in order. Gail upon Him with fear and hope. Indeed, Allah’s mercy is near to those who do good.” Surah 6.
All these Qur’anic verses make it absolutely clear that Islam allows no killing of innocents. Suicide attacks are entirely un-lslamic. Those who distort some verses to mislead youth for their own agenda stand refuted by the Qur’an itself. Such people may spread fear and terror to achieve their false goals, but they commit a great crime against humanity- especially against Islam and Muslims-and become a source of defaming them. Islam has nothing to do with such people, and their actions have never brought any good to Muslims but only harm.
It is worth noting that the religion, which even, forbids insulting other religions-how can it ever permit killing innocents or spreading corruption on earth? In Islam, even during war, women, children and the elderly are not to be harmed. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned that a person who saved the life of a thirsty cat was given the glad tidings of Paradise-so how can killing innocent people lead to Paradise.
– The writer is an Islamic Scholar.
