What does Islam have to do with ISIS?

Since 9/11, the world has changed. An unprecedented hatred has emerged; this is due to what happened on 9/1, the 7/7 London bombing and then many different places that have been targeted by terrorists. If terrorism strikes in Pakistan or if terrorism causes thousands of people to lose their lives in Africa and Southeast Asia, it doesn't really leave any significant impact on people.

If a terrorist activity strikes in Europe, then a wave of hatred goes across all different types of Muslims - whether or not they approve of terrorism.

Sufi Muslims have been known to be very compassionate, kind and tolerant. In relation to dealing with members of other religions they have shown themselves to be adaptive, accommodating and harmonious. However, whenever an Islamist carries out an act of terrorism, then even the Sufi Muslims have to suffer the aftermath and the backlashes. This is a tragedy.

These terrorists who kill innocent people cannot be considered as human beings.

But as a retaliation, if somebody in Canada, the United States of America, France, England or anywhere else in the world targets an innocent Sufi Muslim, causing them to die, then this act of killing an innocent is equal to an act being carried out by ISIS.

You have gone down to their level of brutality because that particular Muslim you pushed onto the railway track was innocent. They didn't do anything nor did they believe in terrorism. If you do something like this, you are telling people that you are just like ISIS. Although you may not part of ISIS, you are doing the same thing that they are.

A debate is going on in the United States of America: does ISIS really have nothing to do with Islam?

Every time an atrocity takes place by Islamists, peaceful Muslims, Sufi Muslims, and law abiding Muslims of different countries condemn the terrorist activities. Their statement has to include one sentence, ‘ISIS is not a Muslim organisation and they are not Muslims.’

If you are not a Muslim and you see what ISIS is doing, you will say to yourself, ‘They are holding the Quran. They are growing beards. They talk about Sharia. They are called the  “Islamic State.” How come they are not Muslims?’

This is a big question. There is an article in the Washington Post titled, ‘Does ISIS really have nothing to do with Islam? Islamic apologetics carry serious risks.’

In the article, the author said what he could think of as a common man who does not have spiritual knowledge or profound insight into the religion; one who is not well aware of the history of Islam or what happened 1400 years ago. He may have a very limited approach towards understanding this topic.

However, to say, ‘ISIS has nothing to do with Islam,’ is a sentence that needs a lot of explanation.

Although I have used this sentence myself and I have also said that ISIS in reality has nothing to do with Islam, what I said is very profound and technical.

For example, all Muslims go to the mosque and offer prayers. If a Muslim goes to a mosque five times a day to offer prayers and I say, ‘He doesn’t offer prayers,’ people will say, ‘We have seen him offering prayers at the mosque.’ In order to justify my statement, I say, ‘I know he goes to the mosque and offers prayers five times a day. But I also know what Prophet Mohammad said about Salat (prayers).’

‘There is no Salat if the heart is absent from the Salat.’ - Prophet Mohammad

If a person does not have the presence of the heart in Salat, God doesn’t accept it; in the eyes of God, he never offered Salat. His Salat is not qualified to be known as Salat; therefore, technically we can say that he is a non-Musali (one who offers Salat).

‘Destruction is for those who offer Salat and are not aware of the reality of Salat. When they go to the mosque and stand in Salat they are only making a scene; they show off.’

Quran, (107:4-6)

Individuals who offer Salat yet are not aware of reality of Salat are doomed; their religion is destroyed.

I mentioned in the beginning that I have also made a statement such as, ‘ISIS has nothing to do with Islam.’ There are people who say, ‘How come? They are holding the Quran in their hands, they are growing beards. They want to impose Islamic Sharia; they have already occupied a greater part of Syria and Iraq. They have already established an Islamic State. They are doing everything according to the Quran but you say they are not Muslim.’

Without explanation, it remains to be pretty dubious. Oftentimes common people do not seek profound explanation; they simply say, ‘Their inspiration is coming from the Quran and they are doing everything for establishment of Sharia Law.’

The reason I say, ‘They are not Muslim,’ is very technical. They may be Muslims in your eyes; but they are not Muslims in the eyes of Islam or God.

You can safely say ISIS has everything to do with Islam - this is how you understand it. But if you ask the Quran, if you ask God, then you will understand that these individuals do not follow the Quran.

They talk about Islamic Sharia but they do not follow Islamic Sharia.

Most of these ‘warriors of God’ are those who do not even know one verse from the Quran.

A Christian family were fleeing Syria. They were born and bred there; they recited the Bible in Arabic. They were travelling in their car and were stopped by ISIS thugs. The ISIS members asked them, ‘What is your religion?’ The father replied, ‘I am Muslim.’ They asked him to recite the Quran; he recited the Bible and they let him go!

If you apply these technical points that I am talking about on each and every Muslim, whether that Muslim is a terrorist or peace-loving citizen, that person will be screened as non-Muslim. Now it’s easy to say, ‘ISIS has nothing to do with Islam because Islam doesn’t exist.’

This was the technical side.  On the other hand, there is a Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) according to which you will have to admit that ISIS is a Muslim organisation. It is a long Hadith but I’ll give you a few sentences.

Prophet Mohammad said, ‘A time will come on my Nation (Ummah) when nothing will be left in Islam for except its name. Nothing will be left in Quran for except the practice of reciting it.’ Prophet Mohammad talks about the mosques of this time. ‘Their mosques will be beautiful but they will be void of guidance. They will recite Quran but the Quran will not go beyond their throats.’

Then, Prophet Mohammad talks about ISIS. He said, ‘Mischief (fitna) will emerge from within Islam.’ This proves that they are Muslim. ISIS is mischief.

Prophet Mohammad said, ‘This mischief will emerge from within Islam and within Islam, this mischief will come to an end.’ This is interesting.

It means that this mischief of ISIS has emerged from Islam and somebody from within Islam will stand up and he will terminate this mischief of ISIS. It is referred to Imam Mehdi (as).

This Prophetic Tradition in particular tells us that ISIS recite the Kalima (Declaration of Faith) and the Quran, though it does not go beyond their throats. Although they are severely misguided, Prophet Mohammad has already mentioned that these are the people who, as mischief, will emerge from within his Ummah. They will be the worst creatures under the sky (Khwarijeen).

This is written on the wall. What is happening now is exactly what the Prophet foretold 1400 years ago.

One of the signs of the end of the world was the fire which would rise from Syria. You can see that fire today.

Prophet Mohammad spoke about the state of Muslims towards the end of the world, saying ‘Nothing will be left in the Quran for except the ritualistic recitation and nothing will be left in Islam for except its name.’

As I mentioned earlier, Islam does not exist. We only have Islam’s name. Everybody is creating stories and declaring the source as Quran. This mischief of Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Daesh (ISIS) is the mischief that Prophet Mohammad had already foretold. The good news is Prophet Mohammad said this mischief would rise from within Islam and it will come to an end within Islam. We are going through this horrific phase of time.

I think we should raise awareness of what was foretold in regards to the events leading to the end of the world. These facts should be known by almost everybody who lives in this world: by Christians, by Jews, by Hindus, etc. so they should have a clear understanding of what’s going on.