Why Terrorism is to Islam what Jesus is to Christianity
One of the most subtle and unnoticed driver of terrorism in Islam is the below verse,
“… Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful…”
(Surah 11:114)
Good deeds cancel bad deeds. Think about this…
In Islam, if you do something bad, you can atone for your sins and cancel the bad deeds in the sight of Allah by doing something good. The good thing you do will make up for the bad thing you initially did.
This still sort of makes sense, until you consider this..
What is the best possible deed in Islam? We turn to the prophet Muhammad himself,
“It was narrated from Abu Dharr that he asked the prophet of Allah (ﷺ) which deed was best. He said:
“Belief in Allah and Jihad in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.””
(Sunan-An’Nasai Book 25 Hadith 45)
And again,
“Narrated Abu Dhar:
I asked the Prophet, “What is the best deed?” He replied, “To believe in Allah and to fight for His Cause.””
(Sahih Bukhari Book 46 Hadith 694)
And again,
“Narrated Abu Hurairah:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: ‘Which deed is the most virtuos ? And which deed is the best ?’ He (ﷺ) said: ‘Faith in Allah and His Messenger.’ It was said: ‘Then what ?’ He said: ‘Jihad is the hump (the most prominent) of the deeds.’…”
(Jami-at-Tirmidhi Book 22 Hadith 41)
And again,
“Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said, “Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).” He replied, “I do not find such a deed.”…”
(Sahih Bukhari Book 56 Hadith 4)
The above hadiths show that the best possible deed is Jihad. This was such common knowledge that Aisha says in the hadith,
“Narrated `Aisha:
(the mother of the faithful believers) I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! We consider Jihad as the best deed.”…”
(Sahih-Bukhari Book 25 Hadith 9)
And again,
“O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! We consider Jihad as the best deed. Should we not fight in Allah’s Cause?”
(Sahih-Bukhari Book 56 Hadith 3)
And again,
“The Mother of the Believers, ‘Aishah, said:
“I said: ‘O Messenger of allah, shall we not go out and fight in jihad with you, for I do not think there is any deed in the qur’an that is better than jihad.’”
(Sunan An-Nasai Book 24 Hadith 10)
So if good deeds cancels bad deeds, what is the best deed that can be done to cancel out all evils done in the sight of Allah? Waging Jihad! In layman’s terms, committing acts of terror.
By the way, Aisha specifies that she gets the idea that Jihad is the most superior deed from the Quran! Isn’t it weird that when someone who isn’t Muslim says that, our Muslim friends say that it is a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of the Quran?
Now, the road to Allah’s paradise is full of uncertainty and randomness. Allah forgives who he wills, punishes who he wills. A good person would be good and then what Allah wrote for him at his birth will take over and make him bad and vice versa. A kid dies and the prophet Muhammad indicates he might not be in paradise. Nobody knows where he stands with Allah. Even Muhammad himself says,
“Say, “I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you…”
(Surah 46:9)
Even Uthman, a guy who fought alongside Muhammad was not guaranteed paradise according to the hadith cited in Ibn Kathir’s commentary on the above verse.
In the midst of all of this uncertainty about Allah’s paradise, do you know the one guarantee of paradise? If you die while in the act of committing Jihad!
“It was narrated from Miqdam bin Ma’dikarib that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“The martyr has six things (in store) with Allah: He is forgiven from the first drop of his blood that is shed; he is shown his place in Paradise; he is spared the torment of the grave; he is kept safe from the Great Fright; he is adorned with a garment of faith; he is married to (wives) from among the wide-eyed houris; and he is permitted to intercede for seventy of his relatives.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah Book 24 Hadith 47)
And again,
“Narrated Al-Miqdam bin Ma’diykarib:
That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There are six things with Allah for the martyr. He is forgiven with the first flow of blood (he suffers), he is shown his place in Paradise, he is protected from punishment in the grave, secured from the greatest terror, the crown of dignity is placed upon his head — and its gems are better than the world and what is in it — he is married to seventy two wives along Al-Huril-’Ayn of Paradise, and he may intercede for seventy of his close relatives.”
(Jami A’Tirmidhi Book 22 Hadith 46)
This is also confirmed in the Quran. Allah gives Muslims paradise in exchange for acts of violence committed in his cause,
“Indeed, Allāh has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allāh, so they kill and are killed….”
(Surah 9:111)
And again,
“O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment?
[It is that] you believe in Allāh and His Messenger and strive in the cause of Allāh with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if you only knew.
He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment.”
(Surah 61:10–12)
Do we now see why Aisha would have gotten the idea Jihad is the greatest deed of all according to the Quran? It is the one deed that is guaranteed to get you into Allah’s paradise!
Committing acts of terror is a guaranteed path of salvation in Islam in the exact same way Jesus is the guarantee of salvation in Christianity. This is why terror is to Islam what Jesus is to Christianity.
Remember that good deeds annul bad deeds and the best ever deed for which there is no parallel is committing acts of terror. This is why we sometimes hear of Muslims drinking alcohol, smoking and doing “haram” (i.e. forbidden according to Islam) acts right before they commit acts of terror. The terror they are about to inflict would atone for all the “haram” things they have just done. So far from proving the terrorist could not have been Muslim, it just shows they understand Islamic theology well.
The New Orleans terrorist Shamshud told his landlord he will be moving without his belongings because “his new apartment would be furnished” and his Quran was opened to Surah 9:111 cited above.
Terror is essential to Islam and there is no Islam without terror. I close with these words from the prophet Muhammad,
“Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “… I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy)…”
(Sahih Bukhari Book 56 Hadith 186)
