Salam Hamoudeh,
Je weet zelf ook wel dat officiële ulema meer dan amateurs als jij en ik gebonden zijn aan
contracten en overheden en daardoor minder vrijuit kunnen spreken. Er geldt hier en daar de moraal van het sprookje van de nieuwe kleren van de keizer, zoek maar eens op wat dat is. Een verschijnsel dat overigens niet alleen voor de islamitische umma geldt; andere vertogen hebben er ook een handje van.
Er wordt nogal eens gezegd dat de Qor'aan weliswaar willekeurig doden van ongelovigen en afvalligen verbiedt, doch dat er ahadith bestaan die het wel mogelijk maken. Is dat zo?
Er zijn verslagen over enkele
sahabah van de profeet saws, oa Muadh bin Jabal en Khalid bin Walid, doch ook over de laatste oprechte kalief en schoonzoon van de profeet, Ali, die twijfelaars en atheïsten lieten doden. Echter gebeurde dit telkens met toestemming van de profeet, of zelfs maar in zijn aanwezigheid? Navolgende ahadith lijken dat toch te weerspreken:
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 628:
Narrated Salim's father:
The Prophet sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to the tribe of Jadhima and Khalid invited them to Islam but they could not express themselves by saying, "Aslamna (i.e. we have embraced Islam)," but they started saying "Saba'na! Saba'na (i.e. we have come out of one religion to another)." Khalid kept on killing (some of) them and taking (some of) them as captives and gave every one of us his Captive. When there came the day then Khalid ordered that each man (i.e. Muslim soldier) should kill his captive, I said, "By Allah, I will not kill my captive, and none of my companions will kill his captive." When we reached the Prophet, we mentioned to him the whole story. On that, the Prophet raised both his hands and said twice, "O Allah! I am free from what Khalid has done."
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 630:
Narrated Abu Burda:
Allah's Apostle sent Abu Musa and Muadh bin Jabal to Yemen. He sent each of them to administer a province as Yemen consisted of two provinces. The Prophet said (to them), "Facilitate things for the people and do not make things difficult for them (Be kind and lenient (both of you) with the people, and do not be hard on them) and give the people good tidings and do not repulse them. So each of them went to carry on his job. So when any one of them toured his province and happened to come near (the border of the province of) his companion, he would visit him and greet him. Once Mu'adh toured that part of his state which was near (the border of the province of) his companion Abu Musa. Mu'adh came riding his mule till he reached Abu Musa and saw him sitting, and the people had gathered around him. Behold! There was a man tied with his hands behind his neck. Mu'adh said to Abu Musa, "O 'Abdullah bin Qais! What is this?" Abu Musa replied. "This man has reverted to Heathenism after embracing Islam." Mu'adh said, "I will not dismount till he is killed." Abu Musa replied, "He has been brought for this purpose, so come down." Mu'adh said, "I will not dismount till he is killed." So Abu Musa ordered that he be killed, and he was killed. Then Mu'adh dismounted and said, "O Abdullah (bin Qais)! How do you recite the Qur'an ?" Abu Musa said, "I recite the Qur'an regularly at intervals and piecemeal. How do you recite it O Mu'adh?" Mu'adh said, "I sleep in the first part of the night and then get up after having slept for the time devoted for my sleep and then recite as much as Allah has written for me. So I seek Allah's Reward for both my sleep as well as my prayer (at night)."
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 634:
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
Allah's Apostle said to Muadh bin Jabal when he sent him to Yemen. "You will come to the people of Scripture, and when you reach them, invite them to testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His Apostle. And if they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers to be performed every day and night. And if they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them Sadaqa (i.e. Rakat) to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them. And if they obey you in that, then be cautious! Don't take their best properties (as Zakat) and be afraid of the curse of an oppressed person as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah.
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 430:
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah:
We were in a Ghazwa and a man from the emigrants kicked an Ansari (on the buttocks with his foot). The Ansari man said, "O the Ansari! (Help!)" The emigrant said, "O the emigrants! (Help)." When Allah's Apostle heard that, he said, "What is that?" They said, "A man from the emigrants kicked a man from the Ansar (on the buttocks his foot). On that the Ansar said, 'O the Ansar!' and the emigrant said, 'O the emigrants!" The Prophet said' "Leave it (that call) for it Is a detestable thing." The number of Ansar was larger (than that of the emigrants) at the time when the Prophet came to Medina, but later the number of emigrants increased. 'Abdullah bin Ubai said, "Have they, (the emigrants) done so? By Allah, if we return to Medina, surely, the more honorable will expel therefrom the meaner," 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "O Allah's Apostle! Let me chop off the head of this hypocrite!" The Prophet said, "Leave him, lest the people say Muhammad kills his companions:"

Het is te makkelijk om te zeggen dat de ahadith geweld verplicht stellen en de Qor'aan niet. Dit zijn slechts enkele voorbeelden over een onderwerp waar heel veel over te zeggen valt: de plaats van de shariah in de moderne seculiere tijd. Persoonlijk zeg ik op grond van deze enkele voorbeelden reeds: de shariah is niet noodzakelijkerwijs een gewelddadige leer. Noch is het een leer waarin de moslim alle goeds voor zichzelf probeert te houden. Bovendien is het een leer waarin zelfs het begrip moslim heel wat ruimer gedefinieerd kan worden dan slechts de persoon die een voor buitenstaanders ingewikkelde set van normen, waarden en tradities probeert na te leven. Er is inderdaad geen dwang in de religie. Een gelovige is ook die persoon die zich verheugt op de ontmoeting met zijn of haar Schepper, en ook dat kunnen we in de ahadith terugvinden:
Volume 1, Book 3, Number 131:
Narrated Anas:
I was informed that the Prophet had said to Mu'adh, "Whosoever will meet Allah without associating anything in worship with Him will go to Paradise." Mu'adh asked the Prophet, "Should I not inform the people of this good news?" The Prophet replied, "No, I am afraid, lest they should depend upon it (absolutely)."
Volume 8, Book 76, Number 515:
Narrated Abu Musa:
The Prophet said, "Whoever loves the meeting with Allah, Allah too, loves the meeting with him; and whoever hates the meeting with Allah, Allah too, hates the meeting with him."