Islam is the religion of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad(SAW) has come to live it for humanity. Allah do angry but when one read through the Quran, there is no doubt that Allah’s anger comes last even late to unbelievers and violators of His order, yet with open hand to accept their repentance at the last minute. Prophet Muhammad(SAW) was no difference in the act of patience and forgiveness, the hadith is replete of his kindness and perfect quickness in doing good and forgiveness but highly reluctant in rebuking, punishing his offenders or fighting and killing his enemies at war, for which Allah recognized him and commended him upon: “Surely thou Muhammad hast sublime morals” Q68: 4.


Prophet’s motto in the use of power seems to be one of his sayings: “He is not strong one who overcomes people by strength but he is strong, the one that can control his anger” (Bukhari).

His moral was so encompassing and responsible for establishing both the theology of Islam and its main ethical and moral principles, and as a proselytizing the Islamic faith and in establishing the religious practices of Islam to the satisfaction of Allah-(Q5:3).

It is this attribute of forgiving sins and acceptance of repentance and meekness of the Prophet, Allah wants Muslims to emulate when He recommends: “Verily you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model, for him who fears Allah and the last day and who remember Allah much” Q33:21.


The sacredness of life and justice is of high importance to Prophet Muhammad(SAW) in his model, as Islam makes it a serious sin for any human being to engage in indiscriminate killing and deliberate injustice under any disguise. Both carry serious punishment and in fact a Muslim who perpetrates any of the two or other big sins cannot be peaceful or establish the peaceful message of Islam. He is therefore not different from a disbeliever or pagan by the virtue of the above hadith. Allah says: “O you who believe! Be strict in observing justice and be a witness for Allah even though it be against yourselves, or your parents and kindred…” Q4: 135.

The ‘powerful Islamic militant groups’ like Al-Qeda, Ashabab, ISIS and Boko Haram and host of others lay claim to represent Islam and understand Islam better than any other people even renown Muslim scholars in the world today but they lack true sample of rationale, maturity, flexibility, tolerance kindness and forgiveness exhibited by the Prophet as ordered by Allah.
Unlike the Prophet and his sahaba, this group of people are quick in brutal killing, committing suicides, kidnapping, enslavement, impregnating women whom they don’t even have right to under Shariah of Islam which, they claim to implement with unimaginable brutalities even among themselves to prove their strictness and holiness even than angels in faith.
And in order to justify their atrocities especially killing of all sorts, they are quick in pointing to the Quranic verses like Q9:29, Q2:191……. etc using both Quranic and hadith texts in a decontexualized way to suit their purpose even to extreme point, and trying to make Gracious Good God a co-conspirator in their evil and genocidal project.

Fortunately enough, Allah didn’t praise or report the Prophet as good or excel in hatred, evil, fighting or killing but of good moral, kindness and forgiveness Q9:128; Q21:107; & Q68:4. Murder or killing is physical termination of the life of a fellow human being and injustice is to kill a person mentally, psychologically and spiritually by denying him his right. These are deeds of these militants which are in contrary to the nature and mission of Prophet of Islam who said: “A Muslim is not given to character assassination or to harsh, foul language” (Muslim). “One who wields a weapon against us is not one of us” (Muslim) and “One who deceives is not one of us” (Trimidhi)


Meanwhile their error and evil as well as short witted mind come to the fore as these people failed woefully in many simple, better and clear orders of the Quran and Hadith in terms of worship and devotion that would have portray them better Muslims than senseless killing of non-combatant westerners and Muslims they come across in their mission.
For example, Allah commands: “O you who art bearing heavy responsibility stand up at night in prayer except a small portion thereof, half of it or make it a little less than that or make it a little more than that and recite the Quran slowly and thoughtfully” Q73: 1-4 . Do these killers who hide about in fear and apprehension have time to perform this simple but weighty and beneficial act ordered by Allah? Even if they do it, how often do they do it compared to their shooting spree, killing and wanton of destruction?


Likewise Allah orders: “…And ask forgiveness for your frailties and for believing men and believing women…” Q47: 19. And He directed us to the best supplication and conduct towards others:
“Say ‘Our Lord forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and leave not in our hearts any rancor against those who believe…” Q59: 10.


Do extremist militants ever deem it fit to pray for other Muslims outside their camps? Can they even pray this prayer or is this possible for the group that goes about killing anybody? And one that is quick in labeling anybody who disagrees with its warped ideology unbeliever; that holds every Muslim who refuses to join its camp a suspect, traitor or infidel. In fact rancor, hatred and suspicion are their norm. And do they ever ponder over their actions as wrong and sinful against Allah and humanity which, need to ask forgiveness upon?


Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said:
“If the people knew the reward for pronouncing the adhan and for standing in first row in salat and found no other way to get that except by drawing lots they would draw lots…” (Bukhari).

Do the militant groups draw lots in their salat or do all of them stand in first row during salat? Even if all Muslims came to mosque at the same time can all stand in the front row? Are all Muslims callers to salat? Do the callers draw lots or fight on who is to call salat or who is to stand in front? That shows the idiocy in claims of the extremist militants on their choice of hadith and Quranic verses which they misinterpret in a decontexualized way to suit their purpose.

Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet said:
“Whoever misses the Asr prayer, it is as if he has lost his family and property” (Bukhari).

Do the extremist militants kill themselves and burn their properties when they miss Asr prayer or does this happen to their family? Does any Muslim do this rather and must we really do it? Correct sense will tell one that only the significant and reward are being stressed by the Prophet to make us be on guard and perceive the gravity. Common sense are said to be uncommon and it seems this has root among Muslim extremists and militants which they have copied from the history of militants of other faiths. Certainly this is not the way of Prophet of Islam and the foremost Muslims in history. Extremists are only using veneer of Islam for their own end. Reason why they quickly claim the mantle of Islam for themselves with their hand soaked in blood of innocent Muslims and non-Muslims.


Samurah bin Jundah narrated that the Prophet said: “Anybody among Muslims who meets, gathers together, lives and stays (permanently) with a mushrik and agrees to his way, opinion and enjoy his living with him (Mushrik), then he (that Muslim) is like him (the mushrik). (Abu Dawud).

This hadith is interpreted to be the verdict about residence in the land of Ash-shrik – land where polytheism is practiced. The popular scholars said it indicates that ‘a Muslim should not stay in a non-Muslim State, he must emigrate to a Muslim country where Islam is practiced’. But how possible is this? Can the Arab lands accommodate or ready to accept all Muslim world? Did the Prophet(SAW) say all Muslims should go and live in Arabia peninsular? And does it mean those leaders of Muslim lands, their families and other Muslims who frequent and find it comfortable and satisfied to live in America and Europe are polytheists?

Muslim extremists reject modern innovations of the westerner yet their sense did not tell them to stop using western weapons to kill their own brothers and halt the modern communication gadgets to communicate their agenda to the world. What then is their pride and which side of Islam precisely do they stand upon?



Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said:
“No salat is more heavy for the hypocrites than the fajr and the Isha prayer, but if they knew the reward for these salat at their respective times they would certainly present themselves in the mosque even if they are to crawl. The Prophet added, ‘certainly I intended to order the call-maker to pronounce iqamah and order a man to lead the salat and then take a fire flame to burn all those (men along with their houses) who had not yet left their houses for the salat in the mosque”. (Bukhari).

But did the Prophet ever attempt this once on the hypocrite of his time? Today, the Muslim militants and extremists would be quick in executing this simile, not thinking why the Prophet said it but never carried out a single attempt!
Anas bin Malik reported that Allah Messenger said : “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say Lailaha illallah. And if they say so, perform As-salat, like our salat face Qiblah and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah” Bukhari. And reference to Q3: 110, narrated Abu Hurairah, “the verse means the best for the people as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam (and thereby save them from the eternal punishment in the Hell fire and make them enter Paradise in the hereafter)” (Bukhari).


The militants’ and extremists’ facts include these hadiths but no doubt, the statements are exclusive and biding on Prophet alone for some specific time and condition, as there were some Jews and Christians and hypocrites Muslims during his lifetime which, is clearly shown in the Quran. And this was proved as the Prophet pet his uncle Abu Talib with Islam till death but to no avail! An extremist or militant would not see or do this; instead, he is ready to kill his own father and son not for outright rejecting Islam like Prophet’s uncle but for simple disagreement of his understanding of Islam. Aside where are we to put Q2: 256 when Allah says: “ There should be no compulsion in the religion. Surely right has become distinct from the wrong…”, and “Say O you disbelivers. I worship not that which you worship, nor worship you what I worship … for you your religion, and for me my religion” Q107: 1-6 . Why did the messenger not put chain on the disbelievers of his time like Abu-Lahab to accept Islam? When Allah says:
“Verily you guide not whom you like but Allah guide whom He will and He knows best those who are the guided” Q28:56. All these have absolved the Prophet and Islam from the evils and misinterpretations of the extremists of any Quranic verse or hadith narration and have vindicated the Muslims of their stand.

The Prophet was rather more accommodating, flexible and tolerant and did not behave irrationally or unintelligently where and when necessary, and said: “The most beloved religion to Allah is the tolerant Hanafiyyah” He also said: “Religion is very easy and whoever over burden himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded, and gain strength by offering the salat in the morn and afternoon and during the hours of nights” (Bukhari).


A popular narration of an idolater who found the Prophet sleeping under a tree and woke him up after seizing his sword, only to ask the Prophet who will save him from his (idolater’s) hand before he chop off the Prophet’s head. But which fate have it that the Prophet got hold of the sword and instead of killing the idolater forgave him and allow him to go! Allah says: “And good and evil are not alike. Repel evil with that which is best. And he between whom and thyself was enmity will become as though he were a warm friend” Q41: 34.

This would not appeal to extremist militants who claim to be following the footstep of the merciful Prophet to letter. But whether you are armed or not, whether you are friend or enemy, Muslim or non-Muslim does not appeal to them. They act unintelligently killing anybody, children, old people and females. Destroying properties, schools, and farms at will and yet would like to come and rule over those people whom they have brutalized and traumatized. Is peace visible in such governance? They are best described by a local idiom, “A powerful man who is deprived of intelligent is a failure and the chief of all weak persons!”

The Prophet attained so powerful position to do whatever he likes but he applied intelligent and wisdom. That was the secret of his success at both religious and secular levels that continue to appealing to reasonable and people with spark of truth in them and to the acceptance of Islam by many non-Muslims. The Prophet(SAW) was narrated to have said: “He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the hell fire forever, and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep stabbing himself in the hell fire forever”. (Bukhari).
He indeed warned against what the extremist militants have embarked upon. Narrated Abdullahi bin Umar, the Prophet said: “After me do not become disbelievers, by striking (cutting) the necks of one another” (Bukhari).


The case of Muslim extremists is like the case of a man who accused the Prophet of injustice and not fearing Allah. It seems present day militants are bent at condemning the Prophet humane nature and Allah mercy of not knowing what practicing true Islam is according to this narration: “Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: “Ali bin Abi talib sent a piece of gold not yet taken out of its ore, in a tanned leather container to Allah’s Messenger. Allah Messenger distributed that amongst four persons… On that, one of his companions said, “We are more deserving of this gold than these persons.” When that news reached the Prophet, he said, “Don’t you trust me though I am the trustworthy man of the One in heaven…? There got up a man… and said “O Allah’s messenger! Be afraid of Allah” The Prophet said “woe to you! Am I not of all the people of the earth the most entitled to fear Allah? Then that man went away. Khalid bin Al-Walid said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Shall I chop his neck off?” The Prophet said No, maybe he offers prayers” Khalid said, “numerous are those who offer prayer and say by their tongues what is not in their hearts.” Allah’s Messenger said, “I have not been ordered to search the hearts of people or cut open their bellies” . Then the Prophet looked at him while he the man was going away and said, “From the offspring of this man, there will come out people who will recite the Quran continuously and elegantly but it will not exceed their throats. They will go out of the religion as an arrow goes out through a game’s body.” (Bukhari).

Do the extremist militants care to know Muslims who offer salat and how many throats and bellies they have cut open? Is there any proof that today’s extremists or militant groups have not gone out of true teaching of Islam but are defacing the faith. Certainly Prophet Muhammad(SAW) can never be the mentor of this kind of people bereft of mercy and moral sense.

By Ustadh Ayoola AbdulRazaq

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Mahatma Gandhi
“I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.” (A statement published in 'Young India'.1924).

Islamic thought includes all educational endeavors and scholarly opinions made in distinguishing Islam’s core principles, its simplicity and its tenderness and compassion in its approach to all aspects of human relations. Today there are many individuals/groups just like the BOKOHARAM who study Islam from a superficial point of view and emerge with their own ideas andimaginary interpretations which often diverge greatly from the established legislation in the area of study. Because of such studies lacking a true basis in Islamic jurisprudence, many non- Muslims are given a bad understanding about Islam.