Quranic verses about Jews, Christians and two genders recited in Alberta Legislature

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Jamac Hareed leading prayer in Alberta mosque. Photo: YouTube video – screenshot

On September 14, 2018 the Edmonton Journal reported:

“The sounds of the Qur’an reverberated off the marble pillars in Alberta’s legislature rotunda Wednesday night as part of Eid al-Adha [Holiday of Sacrifice] celebrations.” Human Services Minister Irfan Sabir was quoted as saying: “Here in Alberta, we are united by the freedom to enjoy, to worship in our own way and that’s what makes this province and this country great.”

Video from the event features Alberta Imam Jamac Hareed, who served as the Imam of the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) Islamic Center (Rahma Mosque) in Edmonton. Imam Jamac Hareed recited the first chapter the Quran (the mandatory prayer recited by Muslim believers 17 times in their 5 daily prayers) and a verse 13 from chapter 49 (Al-ḥujurāt – The Dwellings) of the Quran (translation The Quran – Saheeh International):

The Opening (Al-Fatiha – The first chapter of the Quran)

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds –

The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path –

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.

Chapter 49 (Al-ḥujurāt – The Dwellings), Verse 13

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.

Islamic commentary: The first chapter of Quran speaks about Jews and Christians

Osman Haji Madad, Sahaba Masjid. Edmonton, Alberta: “Who are those who earned the wrath of Allah?… They are the Jews… Those who were cursed by Allah. Allah was angry at them and turned them into monkeys and pigs.” (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcQHKY-Pfbg)

Muhammed Alshareef is the founder and President of Huston (TX) based AlMaghrib Institute, now operating in “40 cities around the globe,” and boasts of having more than 80,000 students. Alshareef, who was born and raised in Canada, kicked-off the AlMaghrib Institute in 2002, in College Park, Maryland. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42cSYW-P1iU) In the video, Alshareef says: “Adiyy ibn Hatim [one of the companions of Muhammad], May Allah, Exalted be He, be please with him, asked the Prophet, blessings. and peace of Allah be upon him, he said: Who are the “Al-Maghdoubi Alaihim”? Who are those that evoked Allah’s anger? That made Allah angry at them? And the Prophet, blessings, and peace of Allah be upon him, said: “Houm Al-Yahood” [Arabic], they are the Jews. And so every time you’re reciting Surah [chapter] Al-Fatiha [first chapter of the Quran], and in fact is some Muslim countries they want to take out the verses because they want to have good relationships with Israel… they said let’s not teach in our curriculum the verses that deal of and speak about the Jews and praise be to Allah, the scholars said: what are going to do with “Ghairi Al-Maghdoubi Alaihim” [not those who have incurred [Your] wrath]? Are they going to take Surah [chapter] Al-Fatiha from the curriculum? They cannot take it out… And so because the Muslim youth aren’t growing up on the “Aqida” [Islamic faith], and most beloved people to them are becoming actors and actresses, Jewish actresses, Christian actresses, when they hear a speech about how Allah, Exalted, and Glorified be He, condemned the Jews, they say: What’s wrong with Seinfeld? Every Wednesday at 8 pm, prime time television, they’re watching Seinfeld, and he’s funny. [They say:] Are you telling me Seinfeld is going to hellfire? And that’s in their mind. Because they have laughed and spent very joyous moments with the sitcom and now they cannot understand what Allah, Exalted, and Glorified be He, is telling them in the Quran… If the Jews evoked Allah’s anger, then they did it for a reason, and Allah page after page in the Quran shows us the reason why the Jews evoked Allah’s, Exalted and Glorified be He, anger.”

Omar Subedar, Imam at Makki Masjid in Brampton, Ontario and Vice President of Mathabah Institute: “First I’m going to recite the verse. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the accursed. In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful. Not the path of those who have incurred Your anger or the path of those who have deviated, who have fallen astray. Now, who are these people? Whom are these categories Allah (swt) is referring to? The first group, the prophet (pbuh) has identified as the Jews (اليهود), and the second group ‘those who have deviated,’ the prophet, peace, and blessing be upon him, has identified them as the Christians (النصارى).” (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP_9fZC1KjI&t=9s)

Musleh Khan, Toronto Police Muslim Chaplain: “Al-Timidhi reports in an authentic Hadith the the Prophet (PBUH) was asked by a companion: those who have earned your anger غير المغضوب عليهم, the Prophet (PBUH) says this refers to the Yahoudi [Jews] and then companion continue to ask والضاليين the Prophet responds and says this refers to the Nasara [Christians] and those who have gone astray…” (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fL00VOTPZI&t=183s)

Younus Kathrada, of Vancouver, British Columbia: “Pointing specifically at different groups here. As we said, although the Ayat (verses) include all non-Muslims whether they’d be Christians or Jews or other than them. But we speak about المغضوب عليهم those who earned the wrath and the anger of Allah, Exalted, and Glorified be He, specifically here the scholars (علماء) speak of the Jews Al-Yahoud [Jews]. Why? Well, if you look in the Quran, it’s because they are the ones who are the most argumentative. They’re the ones who knew, they have knowledge of things, and yet they rejected it. So, of course, they earned the wrath and the anger of Allah, Exalted, and Glorified be He… We find that even in the Sunnah [narrations attributed to Muhammad statement or deeds] the Prophet [Mohammad], peace be upon him, they, because they know and yet they reject. الضالين those who went astray, you know, because they don’t base things on knowledge. It’s all about emotion. And Glorified be Allah, the more we think about it, look at today even, you know, if you look at many of the Christians today, they like to talk about, everything is love, it’s not based on knowledge. Nothing is knowledge-based. Everything is emotions, ok, and so they’ve gone astray because they refused to seek that knowledge and they refuse to act upon this knowledge that is present غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين. ”

Sheikh Mashhoor Hasan, explained in a lecture in a Toronto mosque the meaning of this chapter. The following are excerpts from his lecture translated by Abu Umar Abdulaziz: “Not those whom you have become angry on, not those who have deviated. The prophet [Mohammad], peace be upon him, said in Jami` at-Tirmidhi [collection of hadiths, narrations attributed to Mohammad], after he recited this verse, he said: Those whom Allah is angry on [are] the Jews and those who deviated they are the Christians. Why were the Jews called the ones whom Allah is angry on? And why the Christians called the ones went astray? It is very easy, but most of the Muslims they resemble themselves with these ones [Jews] or with these ones [Christians]… The Jews have been called the ones whom Allah is angry on because they had knowledge. They have knowledge, but they don’t act on this knowledge. And those who are astray [the Christians] are called astray because they do actions and they do acts of worship, but they do have knowledge.” (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8U4UUrca9Y)

Toronto Imam based inQatar, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is the Founder and Dean of the Islamic Online University operating also in USA and Canada. Here are excerpts from Bilal Philips’ lecture entitled “Enlightenment on Surah Al-Fatiha” (August 5, 2007):

And He said the most important thing you can ask for, is what? الهداية guidance. اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ [Guide us to the straight path].This is the most important thing. It is the one thing that will carry us to paradise. Everything we ask for is useless. We die, we can’t take it with us. The only thing that we can take with us is guidance. If we are following the الصراط المستقيم [straight path] then we are following the essence of what this life is about. So this is the most important thing that we should ask [Allah for]. And Allah goes on to explain to us what is the الصراط المستقيم [straight path]. [Quoting from verse 7 of Surah-Chapter Al-Fatiha-The Opening of the Quran] صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ the path of those on whom is Your blessing, and Allah in the Quran describes this path as being the path of the prophets, the messengers, the righteous, the truthful and He goes on to say and it is not the path of those who on whom is His wrath غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ nor those who have gone astray وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ. Now the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, told us that المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ [those who on whom is Allah’s wrath] are the Jews and the الضَّالِّينَ [those who have gone astray] are the Christians. So follow the path of the the righteous, the truthful, the path of the prophets and not the path of the Jews and the Christians. Why? Why did he specify it, not the path of the Jews and the Christians? What is there about the Jews that we have to be aware of? The Jews have knowledge. They have the Torah. they still have the Torah. They may have changes in it, some, but the essence is there. They have the Book [Torah], but they don’t follow it. They don’t follow it. Allah said: أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنْسَوْنَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ [Quran, Surah-Chapter 2, verse 44] You call people to righteousness and forget yourselves? they have the knowledge, they talk about it, they don’t do it. They hide the knowledge وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِنْدَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ [Quran, Surah-Chapter 2, verse 140] There is no worse on this earth than he who hides a witness which he has received from Allah, the knowledge that has to be be given not only in words but in actions and has to be lived, because if you tell someone to do something and you do something else, then you are telling that person that you really don’t to do that, because if it so good and so important why aren’t you doing it? If you have knowledge and you don’t apply it then you are cursed. You are cursed. Allah’s wrath is on you. You become among the المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ [those who on whom is Allah’s wrath]. It is very serious. Can any of us say that we can stand having Allah’s curse on us? Of course not. We seek refuge from the wrath of Allah. That means that whatever knowledge we have, we have to apply it.

Yasir Qadhi is the Dean of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib Institute in Houston, Texas and a regular guest speaker in Canada. On July 24, 2014 Yasir Qadhi delivered a lecture explaining the first chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha. The first chapter of the Quran is a mandatory prayer recited by Muslim believers at least 17 times in their 5 daily prayers. Here are excerpts from Yasir Qadhi’s lecture:

And we notice this in the Quran غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ [the people upon whom anger is shown and the people who are astray] it is as if, and of course this is true, even though the concept of ‘qadar’ [divine fore-ordainment] is deep,we’re not going to fully understand it, much less explain it in a five-minute discussion over an idea [خاطرة]. It is as if the people upon whom anger is shown and the people who are astray, they deserve the anger and they deserve to be astray. It’s not that Allah forced them. It’s not that there’s any injustice being done. There is no Injustice. Those upon whom anger is shown they deserve that anger, but those who are blessed, those who are fortunate, they do not earn that fortune. Allah blessed them with that fortune. Also one could also say, and this is the interpenetration of many scholars غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ, not the path of those whom anger has been shown means multiple entities are angry, not just Allah. Evil people is not just Allah who’s angry with them. The tyrants, the sinners, the people who cheat and steal, the people who caused sedition [فتنة] and corruption [فساد], who is angry with them? Not just Allah. The angels are angry with them, and all of humanity is angry with them. So when we say ‘people upon whom anger is shown’ [مغضوب عليهم] we are saying: Evil people are despised by the creation. Evil people are despised by the creation. And how true is this. We don’t like tyrants. We don’t like people who cheat and lie. We don’t like people who caused sedition and corruption. People upon whom anger is shown [مغضوب عليهم] the world is angry with them. So committing sins earns you the anger, not just of Allah, of the angels and of the righteous and even of all of humanity. Now, Our Prophet [Mohammad], peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, he gave some examples, and he said that an example of ‘the people upon whom anger is shown’ [غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ] are some of the followers of the Prophet Musa [Moses], peace be upon him, and an example of what ‘the people who are astray’ [الضَّالِّينَ] some of the followers of Jesus, Issa bin Maryam. Now, this is, as Imam Fakhr al-Din [al-Razi] says an example that two categories of people ‘the people upon whom anger is shown and the people who are astray’ [المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ] and the Prophet [Mohammad] illustrated these categories by two religions [Judaism and Christianity]. Now what is the illustration? ‘The people upon whom anger is shown’ [مغضوب عليهم] are people are people who know the truth but do not follow it. ‘The people who are astray’ [ضالين] are those who don’t know the truth and they’re trying to follow it sincerely. So the difference between the two is what? ‘The people upon whom anger is shown’ [مغضوب عليهم] they know the truth but for some reason they refuse to follow. They don’t have sincerity. They know what is right and wrong, and an example of this is Shaytan [Satan], and this is worse than what is ‘the people who are astray’ [الضالين], to know the truth and to not follow is worse, as for what ‘the people who are astray’ [الضالين]? They don’t know the truth. They’re trying to find the truth and this is exactly how Allah, May He be glorified and exalted, describes the modern followers of the Prophet Musa [Moses, meaning the Jews] and the modern followers of the Prophet Issa [Jesus, meaning the Christians]. The modern followers of the Prophet Musa [Moses, meaning the Jews] by large they know the truth, and yet they do not want to follow it. And the followers of Jesus Christ in our times they think they know the truth. Generally speaking Allah says: You’ll find them the most sincere people. The true followers of Jesus Christ they’re misguided. They think Jesus taught Christianity, the Trinity. They think Jesus taught whatever they believe he taught, but he didn’t teach that. But they are sincere. They want to follow what they think is Jesus Christ’s methodology. And this is an example our the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said. Now what this means therefore this means therefore is the true Muslim avoids both of these paths. The path of knowledge without action and the path of action without knowledge.

Born and raised in Birmingham, UK, Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, PhD, is the Head of Qur’an and Hadith Sciences Department of AlMaghrib Institute, located in Houston, Texas. In a lecture at Green Lane Masjid in London, UK entitled “The Cure & The Remedy: Lessons From Surah Al-Fatihah,” Ahsan Hanif said (the video was published on Apr 13, 2012): And you are not from amongst those people who incurred the wrath and anger of Allah, nor are you from amongst those people who are the misguided [Quote from the Surah Al-Fatiha, the first chapter of the Quran]. Those people who incurred the wrath of Allah, some of the scholars of tafseer [exegesis] said, they are the Jews or they are like the Jews. Those people who know the truth, yet they refuse to act in accordance to it. And the people who are misguided are like Christians, those people who act but without knowledge, act based upon ignorance. And so from the mercy of Allah and the blessings of Allah and the favors of Allah is not only that you have the straight path [الصراط المستقيم], but you have the book of Allah [Quran], and you the authentic Sunnah [teachings] of our Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him. So when you worship Allah, you do it based upon knowledge. When you praise Allah it is based upon knowledge. When you came closer to Allah it is based upon knowledge. When you seek the pleasure of Allah it is based upon knowledge. And when you have that knowledge you act in accordance to it. So just from Surah Al-Fatiha [first chapter of the Quran “The Opening”] when we say we worship Allah alone, if a person was then to go and make dua [prayer, supplication] to other than Allah then he is like the Yahood [Jews], he is like the Jews. He has knowledge, but he is not acting in accordance to it. And if a person was to go and pray without knowing how to pray, then they are the misguided, because the knowledge is there but they are acting upon misguidance.

Website: gloriousquranhistory.ca, Quran exegesis by Muhammad ash-Shawkani: “In this 7th and last Ayah [verse] of [Surah – chapter] Al Fatiha, Allah [SWT] mentions the Muslims who practice Islam, the Jews and Christians… Those who have evoked the Wrath of Allah [SWT] are the Jews [or Israelites] who knew the full truth through Prophet Mousa [Alyhi Al Salam: AAS] but deviated from this truth with selfishness, pride, and prejudice. They thus deserved the Wrath of Allah [SWT]. The astray, on the other hand, are the Christians who deviated from the Message of Prophet Isa [AAS] out of ignorance and ill-knowledge…”

“In his book Commentary on The Holy Quran (Volume 1, SURAH AL-FATIHA), Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad, the leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, explained verse no. 7 of-of Al-Fatiha. The following are excerpts from the book (p. 338-340): “All commentators are agreed that those who incurred Divine wrath and those who went astray are the Jews and Christians respectively. A prayer to be safeguarded against these mischiefs, not to be included among those who went astray, nor among those who incurred Divine wrath, has been taught. This must be repeatedly offered in the five daily Prayer services. It is thus clear that this is the biggest and most serious mischief which must be safeguarded against. It should be called the mother of mischiefs… Those who incurred Divine displeasure are the Jews, and those who went astray are the Christians…”

The booklet “Muslim Prayer Handbook For Beginners” has been handed out at the Islamic booth at Toronto’s Dundas Square. Printed and distributed by the Walk-In Islamic InfoCenter located at Toronto (collectfreequran.org), the booklet introduces the daily prayers for Muslims. In some of the supplications dealing with the “Kafiroun,” the disbelievers or infidels, Muslims are ordained to ask Allah to help them overcome and defeat their enemies who are identified as the disbelieving people. The following are the recommended daily prayers for Muslims in which the disbelievers are mentioned: “Du’a [supplication] to overcome enemies… Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (3:147)… The Witr (The Last Night prayer) … we also abandon and reject anyone who disobeys you… Your punishment surely overtakes the disbelievers… The most comprehensive Supplication… You are our protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.”

Verse 13 of Chapter 49 (Al-ḥujurāt – The Dwellings) and its relation to LGBTQ

Wael Shihab is the Imam of the mosque Masjid Toronto, affiliated with the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) and the former Head of Shari`ah [Islamic Law] Department at Onislam.net.

On 10 May 2012 Wael Shihab issued the folloewin Islamic ruling (fatwa) titled “Same-Sex Marriage and Objectives of Shari`ah”:

Recently, US President Barack Obama made clear his view that same-sex couples should have the right to wed. Obama’s controversial argument has sparked anger from faith groups and Republican rivals, though it has been highly praised and embraced by gay supporters and activists.

“I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said in an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts.

Like all the world’s major religions and traditions, Islam has a clear stand on this issue, as it emphatically forbids homosexuality and lesbianism and regards them as a violation of the commands of Allah. It states clearly that same-sex marriage poses a serious and dangerous threat to human societies and communities.

Islamic Concept of Marriage

Islamic Sharia pays great attention to marriage as it is the straight path towards establishing strong and healthy human communities. Sharia, therefore, lays down the basic foundations that guarantee the stability and wellbeing of married couples. For instance, the consent of both parties—the prospective wife and husband—is a condition per se for the validity of “Islamic” marriage. Prospective spouses are Islamically recommended to consider important factors—such as social, educational, cultural, and religious compatibility—so as to lead a happy marital life.

So it’s clear that the Islamic concept of marriage is totally different from “gay or lesbian” styles of marital relationships. Islam considers “marriage of a man and a woman” as a sacred, solemn bond that entails specific mutual rights, duties, values, and responsibilities that should not be violated. The Quran describes marriage contract as a sacred bond and calls on married husband and wife to observe kindness, true love, and marital rights and duties. The Quran says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah , through whom you ask one another, and in kinship. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.

[Surah An-Nisa 4:1]

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا بِبَعْضِ مَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّا أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take back part of what you gave them unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them – perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.

[Surah An-Nisa 4:19]

Islam also perceives marriage as one of the great favors, gifts, and signs of Allah Almighty. The noble Quran says:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.

[Surah Ar-Rum 30:21]

So marriage, as far as Sharia is concerned, is meant to build a happy, stable, and prosperous family, to raise healthy committed children, to preserve offspring and social order, to satisfy human physical and psychological needs, and to create sound faithful communities and societies. Marriage in Islam, as in all divine religions, does not mean sexual enjoyment only but also the establishment of a family on hygienic and safe foundations.

Marriage and Preservation of Humankind

Among the main goals of marriage, in Islam and other religions and systems, is reproduction and the preservation of humankind. Reproduction serves to preserve the entire human species all around the globe until the point when life comes to an end. Allah Almighty says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.

[Surah Al-Hujjurat 49:13]

Moreover, preserving one’s lineage and offspring is one of the main essential objectives of Islamic Sharia that almost all Muslim scholars agree on. Imam al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH), for instance, specifies five objectives of Sharia, saying:

ومقصود الشرع من الخلق خمسة: وهو أن يحفظ عليهم دينهم ونفسهم وعقلهم ونسلهم ومالهم؛ فكل ما يتضمن حفظ هذه الأصول الخمسة فهو مصلحة، وكل ما يفوت هذه الأصول فهو مفسدة، ورفعها مصلحة

Maslahah (benefit), which we are concerned about here, means the protection of the objectives of shar’, namely the preservation of religion, life, offspring, reason, and property. Anything that furthers theses five objectives is maslahah, and anything that runs contrary to them is mafsadah (corruption).

The Maliki jurist, Shihab ad-Din al-Qarafi (d. 684 AH) has added a sixth to the above list of five objectives of Sharia, namely the protection of ‘ird (honor). Ibn Ashur (d. 1973 CE), who has been known for his deep study and profound knowledge of the objectives of Sharia, has opened the scope of the Maqasid (objectives of Sharia) to include the preservation of the social order, promotion of the wellbeing and righteousness of the community, preservation of the family, etc.

Given the above, Islamic marriage aims, among others, at securing happiness, wellbeing, and prosperity of married man and woman, families, children, and the whole society at large. Happy, stable marriage of man and woman leads, of course, to sound, strong families and communities.

Same-Sex Marriage and Social Repercussions

Same-sex marriage endangers true faithful family atmosphere where children should be soundly and morally raised. Gay and lesbian marital relationships lack social acceptance and impose serious dangers to the family institution.

Same-sex marriage, moreover, threatens the existence of human species. Such relationships could not build human communities or secure the existence of humans. Marriage per se is universally known to be between a man and a woman, not between a man and a man or between a woman and a woman.

Allah tells us in the Quran that He created everything in pairs. Referring to this, Allah Almighty says:

وَمِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

Of all things We created two mates, so perhaps you will remember.

[Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:49]

For sure, the pairs referred to in the above verse are of different kinds, not of the same kind.

According to the divine laws and norms, nothing can ever perform its duty single-handedly. Allah meant everything to be in need of another of its kind, so that one would complement the other. In the field of electricity, positive and negative poles need to be in contact so as to induce an electric current, which in turn, yields light, heat, motion, etc. Male and female animals have to be in contact in order to reproduce. The Glorious Quran highlights this universal law saying:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Exalted is He who created all pairs – from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know.

[Surah Ya Sin 36:36]

In response to this law, Allah Almighty has legislated a sublime tradition for a man and a woman to be united in such a way as befits the lofty, status of human beings, namely through marriage.

Given the above, same-sex marriage imposes serious social dangers that destroy the basic foundations of families, societies, and human communities.

Religions Vs. Same-Sex Marriage

In fact, same-sex marriage is outlawed by all the world’s major religions and traditions. Dr. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah, professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religions at Al-Azhar University, makes it clear that:

This act (same-sex marriage) is an ugly sin which Allah forbids in all religions, even in the most primitive ones. It is against the ordinances of Allah and against the law of nature. I wonder how in this age of advanced knowledge, science, technology, we allow such things to take place in our human society, how someone allows or gives a legal sanction to such a widespread act that poses a threat to the whole human race and destroys our fabric of society like cancer… In both the Old and the New Testaments, all Prophets of God forbid such evil activities and punish severely those who practice them.

[Muhammad Abu Laylah, Gay Marriage: Islamic View]

Likewise, Tariq Ramadan, a well-known intellectual, says:

We must reiterate, as does Isabelle Levy, that all the worlds’ major religions and spiritual traditions—from the majority view in Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism to Christianity and Islam—condemn and forbid homosexuality. The great majority of rabbis hold the same position, as do the Pope and the Dalaï Lama, who condemns homosexuality. For these traditions, as for Freud (who speaks of “perversion”), homosexuality is considered to be “against nature,” an “expression of disequilibrium” in the growth of a person. The moral condemnation of homosexuality remains the majority opinion of all religions, and Islam is no exception. It would be senseless to wish to deny the facts, to contradict the textual sources and to force believers to perform intellectual contortions so that they can prove they are in tune with the times.

[Tariq Ramadan, Islam and Homosexuality]

Concluding Remarks

In Islam, marriage of a man and a woman is not just a financial and physical arrangement of living together but a sacred contract, a gift of Allah, to lead a happy, enjoyable life and continue the lineage. The main goal of marriage in Islam is the realization of tranquility and compassion between the husband and wife. Marriage, moreover, aims at the preservation of the human race and promotion of the human values. It maintains social order and stability of human communities and groups.

Same-sex marriage, on the other hand, imposes serious dangers to the family institution, lacks social support, endangers the real lovely family life, and breaks the social order of the human community.

(www.faithinallah.org / 15.05.2012)