Singapore Wahhabi Spotlight: Celebrating National Day, Killing Apostates & Interfaith Dialogue

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

This is Murad ibn Muhammad Sa’id.  He had some interesting things to say about celebrating National Day, killing apostates and participation in interfaith dialogue. 

On the 09^th August 2016, he posted this on his Facebook account. 

He said, in Malay, “The Prophet did not make the Opening of Makkah a national day of celebration, or independence.  Is your country worthier than Makkah?” 

The Arabic is the first verse in Surah al-Fath: 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَتْح

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

إِنَّا فَتَحۡنَا لَكَ فَتۡحً۬ا مُّبِينً۬ا (١) 

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Verily We have Granted thee a Manifest Victory: (Surah al-Fath:1)

In other words, he is questioning the piety of Singaporean Muslims who celebrate National Day.  Since the Prophet (s.a.w.) did not celebrate it, then this must be a bid’ah adh-dhalalah, a reprehensible innovation, according to Wahhabis like him.  He is listed as being on the Dakwah Advisory Panel of Salsabil; what is he teaching his students?  We certainly hope that MHA will look into this, because MUIS are obviously doing nothing.

The following is the header of a note by this same Murad.  It is dangerous when we have Wahhabis teaching in Singapore that there is ijma’, consensus, that it is wajib, compulsory, to kill people who leave Islam.  It is not a consensus, since there are many of the Salaf and the later scholars who disagree with this.

For example, there was an early convert who renounced Islam and became a Christian.  ‘Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh was the brother of Sayyidatina Zaynab bint Jahsh (r.a.), Sayyidina Hammanah bint Jahsh (r.a.) and Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh (r.a.).  He was famed as one of the prominent hunafah mentioned by Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ishaq, (r.a.) along with Sayyidina Waraqah ibn Nawfal (r.a.), ‘Utsman ibn Huwarits, and Sayyidina Zayd ibn ‘Amr (r.a.).  He married Sayyidatina Umm Habibah Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan (r.a.).  They had a daughter named Sayyidatina Habibah bint ‘Ubaydullah (r.a.).  His wife and he converted to Islam and took part in the first hijrah to Christian Abyssinia in order to escape persecution.  At Axum, they were given sanctuary.  Sayyidatina ‘Ubaydullah eventually converted to Christianity and testified his new faith to the other Muslim refugees. 

Shaykh ibn Ishaq (r.a.) related, “‘Ubaydullah went on searching until Islam came; then he migrated with the Muslims to Abyssinia, taking with him his wife who was a Muslim, Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan.  When he arrived there he adopted Christianity, parted from Islam, and died a Christian in Abyssinia.  Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Zubayr told me that when he had become a Christian, ‘Ubaydullah, as he passed the Prophet’s companions who were there, they used to say, ‘We see clearly, but your eyes are only half open.’” 

Due to his conversion, he was divorced from his wife.  Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) eventually married his former wife, Sayyidatina Ramlah (r.a.) and later on his sister, Sayyidatina Zaynab (r.a.).  When reports of his apostasy reached the Prophet (s.a.w.), he did not order any action to be taken upon him.  This is the sunnah. 

With regards another early convert to Islam, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurthubi (r.a.) reported from Sayyidina ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (r.a.), “One night, I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab touring Madina when we sighted a lamplight in a house whose facing door shut off some people with loud voices and clamour.  ‘This is the house of Rabi’ah ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and they are now drinking; what do you think?’ asked ‘Umar. 

I said, ‘I think we have done what is prohibited by Allah (s.w.t.); He Said, ‘And spy not’, but we have spied,’ upon which ‘Umar turned away and left them.” 

This same Rabi’ah went to Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq (r.a.) and said to him, “Last night, I dreamt I left a rich and fertile land for a sterile land, and I saw my hands tied to my neck.” 

Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r.a.) interpreted it thus: “If your dream is confirmed, you will renounce Islam for disbelief.  As for me, my hands do not covet the goods of this world.” 

In the Caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab (r.a.), Rabi’ah did indeed leave Madina and join the Byzantines, becoming a Christian.  The seeds of his unbelief were planter earlier.  Just as conversion is a process, so too is apostasy. 

The Qur’an is Clear on this matter: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ‌ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشۡدُ مِنَ ٱلۡغَىِّ‌ۚ فَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (٢٥٦) 

There is no compulsion in religion.  The right direction is henceforth distinct from error.  And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower. (Surah al-Baqarah:256) 

If there really were a mandatory death penalty for apostasy, why is it not in the Qur’an Itself?  This is not a small matter.  And why is that the Prophet (s.a.w.) did not have all the apostates killed?  How can there be an agreement on something that is contrary to the Qur’an and the sunnah. 

And here, we have him stating that interfaith dialogue is contrary to Islam.  Essentially, the nature of his postings are about segregation from the non-Muslims, denigrating them and condemning them.  This, in itself, is contrary to Islam.