• Why is bigotry dangerous in Islam?
• How is it explained in the Qur’an that Islam is a religion of love, compassion, beauty and happiness?
Bigotry, which is one of the greatest barriers to beauty, love, friendship and happiness, is a very common mentality. Every religion, every thought, every ideology have their bigots. Bigotry is generally defined as evaluating one's religion or system of thought in a radical way but bigotry is actually beyond that. A bigot makes his religion and thought a shield for himself and uses this accordingly, but in reality he follows and applies a completely different understanding of religion. This is why bigotry is very dangerous.
The world of Islam has been wrestling with the danger of bigotry and radicalism for a long time now. There are not many people who try to add bigotry to Islam however many people believe in this minority group. Especially in the media, these people are introduced as “devout Muslims”. These people in question have generally been at the forefront with hatred, weapons, threats, fear and anger, and have repeatedly used violence and thus remained on the agenda. The word “Muslim” evokes war, hatred and anger due to these people’s loveless faces coming to mind.
Bigots who claim to be Muslims have introduced their pseudo-religion made up of their own rules as Islam. However this false religion has no relation with Islam whatsoever. A majority of such people does not even know the misconception they are truly in. These people strive to show what is halal and the beauties revealed in the Qur’an as haram, bring a lack of quality to the world of Islam and show Islam (religion of peace) as a religion of war and hate. When they are asked about the source of all superstitions they have included in their false religion, they never mention the Qur’an. Most of them behave against the verse of our Almighty Lord, “You who have faith! Do not make haram the good things Allah has made halal for you, and do not overstep the limits.” (Surat al-Ma’ida, 87) and make the beauties praised in the Qur’an haram to themselves and other Muslims. As a result, they have formed a cold, poor quality religion of hatred.
Islam Is the Religion of Love, Compassion, Beauty and Happiness
Contrary to the false religion claimed by bigots, Allah reveals in the Qur’an that Islam is a religion of beauty, quality and happiness:
Love is essential in Islam:
Allah loves to love. Our Almighty Lord reveals in the verse “As for those who have faith and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them” (Surah Maryam, 96) that there is love in the hearts of Muslims instead of hatred.
In Islam there is no hatred against the People of the Book (Jews and Christians):
Compassion, protection and love for the People of the Book is essential. Almighty Allah made the food of Jews and Christians halal for Muslims in Surat al-Ma'ida 5. In the same verse, it is revealed that a Muslim can marry from a woman of the People of the Book. So according to the verses of the Qur’an, a Jew or a Christian is not a being to be hated but a loved companion whom he can spend his life with in this world and the hereafter. Allah reveals in verse 159 of al-A‘raf that there is “a group that guides by the truth” among Jews. In verses 113, 114 and 199 of Surah Al ‘Imran and verse 52 of Surat al-Qasas, verse 162 of Surat an-Nisa, verse 62 of Surat al-Baqara, verses 12 and 69 of Surat al-Ma’ida, Allah revealed “The existence of Jews and Christians who believe Allah with deep faith” and heralded them with good deeds. So the People of the Book - whom some people mention with hate - are actually friends and even companions of Muslims in the Qur’an.
According to Islam everyone can read the Qur’an in his own language in any way and every where:
Our Lord reveals with the verse “And remember the Signs of Allah and the wise words which are recited in your rooms” (Surat al-Ahzab, 34) that the verses of the Qur’an need to be read all the time and understood. The Qur’an can be read every where at every time. There is no command that forbids reading the Qur’an. It is essential to understand the Qur’an. Therefore everyone should read it in his own language and understand the meanings of the verses. According to verse 44 of Surat az-Zuhruf, in the hereafter all Muslims will be asked about the Qur’an, which the bigots hang on the Wall and forget about or read in Arabic and do not properly understand. Thus no one should believe in the path that bigots use to divert people away from the Qur’an and acts of worship.
There is no sorrow in Islam:
Islam is the religion of joy and happiness. Allah associates Muslims with laughter and happiness. Crying and sorrow are the qualities of the people of hell according to the Qur’an. Allah says of the people of hell “…let them laugh little and weep much” (Surat at-Tawba, 82). Therefore a Muslim is responsible to live his life by laughing, being happy and pleased with Allah in complete joy.
There is quality, cleanliness, beauty, art, aesthetics, science, education and grooming in Islam:
Those who say that they represent Islam with their scruffy and ragged clothes have attempted to turn a superstition into a commandment of religion. However Allah tells Muslims to clean their clothes and homes in the verses “Purify your clothes. Shun all filth.” (Surat al-Muddaththir, 4-5). Allah says to think deeply and gain in knowledge. In the Qur’an, the Prophet Solomon (pbuh)’s palace is given as one of the best examples of beauty and aesthetics. Therefore a Muslim must be the most well-groomed, most high-quality and most cultivated individual in the world.
Lack of Quality Harms People Morally and Materially
Quality is a critical characteristic in every aspect of life. However people who misunderstand the religion of Islam tend to live and have a poor quality understanding of Islam. Therefore some people identify Islam with the life of these people and develop an attitude against Islam. Because of the strange actions of these people, Muslims draw coarse reactions in many places of the world because they offer a very ragged, dirty, ugly structure that is not in line with Islam and the Qur’an or the religion of Islam. They act very poor in their quality of dining, clothing and speech and they are very insistent in presuming this lack of quality. They form a model to eliminate beauty completely and consider beauty as haram, while claiming that a dirty-looking and poor quality person has piety (taqwa). They do not listen to music nor do they appreciate art; they stay away from people, do not talk to them or make any compliments. Due to these strange thoughts they also become weary of life since they experience the lack of quality in every moment of their lives.
A similar worldly image of the beauty and quality Allah created in the Garden can only be achieved with the true moral values of Islam. In true Islam, there are compliments, atonement, sacrifice, kind thoughts, peace, love, compassion, mercy, democracy, freedom of thought, fun, joy, aesthetic architecture and beautiful, well-groomed, charming people. Such an understanding of Islam would cause the Islamic Union to be accepted and the moral values of Islam to prevail throughout the world. Today, Hazrat Mahdi (as) is the one who will be an instrument in the dominance of this understanding of Islam.
In Islam All Beauties and Blessings Belong to The Friends of Allah
Bigots who abandon all blessings in the world, who consider love as opposition to Islam and who ascribe beautiful houses, beautiful clothes, and a life full of blessings not to themselves but to those who lead a life away from Allah, seek to show a wretched life as religion. However Allah ascribed all the most beautiful blessings to believers. Those who seek to make blessings haram are revealed in one verse as such:
“Say: ‘Who has forbidden the fine clothing Allah has produced for His slaves and the good kinds of provision?’ Say: ‘On the Day of Rising such things will be exclusively for those who had faith during their life in the world.’ In this way We make the Signs clear for people who know.” (Surat al-A‘raf, 32)
Beauty, joy, quality, happiness, modernity, love and compassion are all for Muslims. This is the Muslim model described in the Qur’an. Muslims in the Qur’an are smart and educated. They are modern, out-going and decent. Muslims in the Qur’an abandon hate and bring love. Muslims in the Qur’an hold joy as upright instead of sorrow and peace instead of conflict. Muslims in the Qur’an are beautiful and well-groomed; they dress well, smell well and sit in clean homes. There is no need to be rich for this. Beauty, modernity, nobility and quality form naturally with clean clothes, a well-groomed body, a good turn of phrase and a loving bright face.
The world of Islam needs enlightened and peaceful people who apply the true meaning of the Qur’an. The false model that puts superstitions into Islam, turn what is halal into haram and brings hatred and anger to the world has to be abandoned. Therefore it is vitally important that true Muslims who abide by the Qur’an show the Muslim model described in the Qur’an to the world, be of the highest quality and loving and endeavor to educate those who misunderstand Islam. This is what Allah wants from us. Those who do what Allah wants will prevail in the end by Allah’s leave. The superiority of believers with good morals is revealed in one verse as such:
“Allah has written, ‘I will be victorious, I and and My Messengers.’ Allah is Most Strong, Almighty.” (Surat al-Mujadala, 21)
Mr. Adnan Oktar says that when there is a society and environment of quality made up of Muslims, the whole world would accept Islam
“The world would not accept Islam unless there is a quality society and a quality way of life. If there is no music, no art, no sculpture, no quality people, no quality life, no compliments, no nice words, no positive atmosphere, no beautiful architecture, no democracy, no freedom of thought, no happy people, and we can continue to count these “no”s, the world would not accept Islam and the Islamic Union will never be formed. Therefore this is the reason Allah destroyed the Ottoman Empire. This is why the Ottomans collapsed.
But all these exist in the system of the Mahdi. Therefore, the morality of Islam will prevail througout the world.
Otherwise Europe will never accept it. The model in Afghanistan, in Iran is very disturbing. People would be bothered by that. That model has nothing to do with Islam. It has nothing to do with the Qur’an. That is a structure according to their own minds.” (from interview on A9 TV dated January 8th, 2013)
