In Dubai, two prominent converts to Islam exhort Muslims: Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam says Muslims should follow the example of Muhammad as detailed in the Hadith, and Hamza Yousef praises jihad. From the Khaleej Times, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
DUBAI “” The Muslim society has lost the ability of strategic thinking, which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) exemplified by compromising on several points with the enemy when he signed the Treaty of Hudaibia, said leading American Muslim, Shaikh Hamza Yousuf, at a lecture on Monday.
Interesting. This is a treaty that Muhammad broke nearly two years after he had signed it. In those two years the strength of the Muslims had grown rapidly, so he seized upon the pretext of a minor skirmish between Muslims and some allies of the pagan Quraysh, with whom he had concluded the treaty, to launch a full-scale attack on the Quraysh stronghold in Mecca. His victory sealed the success of his movement. So is Hamza Yousef recommending that Muslims conclude treaties in order to gather strength, and to fight again more effectively when it is opportune to do so? It would seem so:
Elaborating his point, Shaikh Hamza Yousuf said, “There are times when you have to live like a sheep in order to live in the future like a lion.”
I wonder if he was referring in any way to the statements and positions of American Muslim advocacy groups.
Earlier in the event, Yousuf Islam exalted the virtues that identify the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), and described him as the very personification of compassion and generosity….
Yousuf Islam pointed out that if more people were introduced to the true Islam, there would be peace, and this does not happen because the propaganda is strong.
That sounds like the Islamic peace of Sayyid Qutb: the peace that will result from the hegemony of the Sharia. Can the Cat envision any peace without people being introduced to Islam — in other words, a peace that comes from mutual respect without agreement? A secularist, pluralist peace? Or can peace only come from the introduction of Islam?
Yousuf Islam pointed out that despite its spiritual waywardness, the one good thing the West really teaches its people is to keep an open mind….
The Traditions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), or Hadith, is a unique account of the lifestyle and behaviour of a messenger of God ever, and offers the Muslims a ready and detailed reference to living their lives as its reflection.
“So many have come and gone, and their teachings have changed…, sometimes people wonder if they really ever existed. The hadith, with its minute detail, makes sure that there are no queries left unanswered,” he said.
Indeed. For one thing, it contains specific instructions from Muhammad on the offer Muslims are to give to non-Muslims: conversion, submission, or death.
Replying to a question on Jihad, Shaikh Yousuf Hamza said that irrespective of what many say, Jihad is the duty and responsibility of all Muslims.
“Jihad is actually considered a Rahma (mercy) in Islam. If there is an oppressor and there is Jihad to stop his oppression, it is a mercy on him (the oppressor),” he said, adding that Islam, however, does not allow Muslims to terrorise prisoners and innocent people.
Once again this statement contains less than meets the eye. If only the definitions of “terrorize” and “innocent” weren’t so elastic. Islamic law allows for prisoners to be either killed, enslaved, ransomed, or freed outright, depending on what is deemed best for the Muslims. So doing any of these is not, from the standpoint of Islamic law, to “terrorize” prisoners.