Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 130
130 islam’s response to contemporary issues I am astounded to see many medieval-minded Muslim scholars, erroneously referred to as ‘fundamentalists’, subscribe to the view that Muslims must confront non-Muslims in an armed struggle and remain at war with them till either they are exterminated or they accept Islam. Islam, as found in the Holy Quran, has nothing whatsoever to do with this distorted and corrupt notion of a ‘holy war’. As many verses have been quoted in the section dealing with religious peace, there is no need to repeat them. Let me conclude by reaffirming that Islam truly advocates and suggests measures to bring mankind together through a peaceful process with the object of establishing world peace and the unification of mankind. As far as the attitude of the Holy Founder sa of Islam is concerned, the following excerpts from the Last Sermon (known as the Farewell Sermon) he delivered before his demise in front of the largest assembly of mankind he ever addressed should suffice: O men, lend me an attentive ear for I know not whether I will stand before you again in this valley and address you as I address you now. Your lives and your possessions have been made immune by God to attacks by one another until the Day of Judgement. God has appointed for everyone a share in the inheritance. No testament shall now be admitted which is prejudicial to the interests of a rightful heir. A child born in any house will be regarded as the child of the father of that house. Whoever contests the parentage of such a child shall be liable to punishment under the Law of Islam. Anyone who attributes his birth to someone else’s father, or falsely claims someone to be his master, God, His angels and the whole of mankind will curse him.