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Anwar Shaikh reviews Ibn
Warraq's book:
Why I am not a Muslim |
The above mentioned book is a nice aggregate of
learning, intellect and courage. I was delighted when its author paid me a visit
in the early part of 1997. During the conversation, I was impressed by his
motive and mastery of the subject.
Ibn Warraq is the pen-name of the author whose parents
emigrated from India to Pakistan as a result of the Partition. He was brought up
in Pakistan, which was supposed to be an Islamic Republic. His experience
revealed to him that the Muslims of India had been cheated in the name of Islam
and its projected principles of equality, free will and democracy. As he grew
up, he noticed that Island had become an effective tool of convenient morality
and achieving political goals; a religious or secular leader could prove
anything from the Koran and Hadith to suit his purpose, yet every faithful
believes that there is no contradiction in the verses of the Koran! During his
long cogitation on the subject, Ibn Warraq, became suspicious about the Divine
Origin of the Koran: it is a case of intellectual anarchy, he realised. But the
curiosity that had been spurred by the zeal of enquiry, demanded a thorough
study of the Koran, the Hadith and the History of Islam. As a result, came into
being his famous work: "Why I am Not a Muslim." It testifies to the
fact that he has abandoned Islam, which he once dearly loved as a matter of
faith, without realising what it was all about. To him, faith is the enemy of
reason, which is the root of humanity; a man with suppressed intellect is no
better than a monkey: religion is the source of regression and not progression.
Thus, blind faith, the essence of religion, is not acceptable.
Unless Ibn Warraq had the courage of his convictions,
he could not have dealt with the major principles of Islam to expose their
irrelevance to humanity in general, and problems of the modern age in
particular. As it is not possible to enumerate all aspects of this book, I may
mention the Koranic view of government from the religious dogma. And he is quite
right in his observation because the Koran clearly states:
God has created mankind only to worship Him (L1: 55).
It goes without saying that worship denotes a mentality
and discipline much viler than slavery. According to the Koran, man is God's
slave and therefore, he must do what he is told by Allah, the Master, who makes
it crystal clear that "He associates in His government no one." (XVIII:
25)
Thus, Allah is the greatest dictator that human mind
can imagine. Therefore, a Muslim ruler being His representative on earth, is an
absolute ruler, immune from public accountability. However, Allah does encourage
the man, who rules in His name (the Caliph) to set up a consultative body (III:
150). The Caliph may consult his advisers but their advice is not binding on
him. He comes to his own conclusions. The principle of majority-opinion has no
relevance in this process of consultation. Yet the Muslim jurists have drummed
up the idea of democracy!
This is nothing but a form of gross hypocrisy, which
nauseates Ibn Warraq, who grew up in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which
boasts of an elected Parliament. From the Koranic point of view, it is an
illegal institution because Islam, not only staunchly advocates Divine
dictatorship, but also forbids law-making by declaring the Koran an eternal and
unchangeable code of law.
Ibn Warraq's book is devoted to exposing the inadequacy
of the Koranic Law, which the Muslims cannot practice because of its irrelevance
to the problems of the modern age, yet believe in the veracity and supremacy of
the Islamic legal code. This is what has distorted the vision of the Muslim
world, and has become the major cause of its regression.
He had also noted that the high-sounding Islamic slogan
of human equality is nothing but an unfounded boast. He explains this fact with
reference to the rights of:
1. The non-Muslims, and
2. Women.
1a. With regard to non-Muslims, the Koran has stated in no
uncertain terms that:
1. "The true religion with God is Islam."
(III: 15)
"Whoso desires another religion than Islam, it
shall not be accepted of him." (III: 75)
"It is He (God) who has sent His Messenger
(Muhammad) with the guidance (the Koran)
and the religion of truth (Islam), that he may
uplift it above every religion ... " (XLVIII: 25)
These verses show that all religions are false except
Islam, and therefore, no other faith is valid. This is why Allah has sent the
Prophet Muhammad to raise Islam above every other religion. It is for this
reason that the Koran declares:
"God is an enemy of unbelievers." (II: 90)
In fact, hatred of non-Muslims is the fundamental law of
Islam: LVIII: 20 has laid it down that non-Muslims are the party of Satan and
Muslims are party of God. Allah, assuring victory to His party (i.e. the
Muslims), commands them to wage a war against the infidels until they are
humbled and pay tax as an expression of their humiliation (IX: 25).
Since Allah, being the enemy of unbelievers, has
declared a perpetual war against them until they are humbled, it is obvious that
in an Islamic state the non-Muslims cannot have any human rights. Ibn Warraq has
stated the pathetic plight of the Dhimmies (non-Muslims) under Muslim rule.
2b. The social status of woman in an Islamic state is
even worse: she is just a sexual delight for man, who can have four wives at the
same time, in addition to an unlimited number of concubines; Emperor Akbar of
India had five thousand concubines whereas his son, Saleem, had a harem of six
thousand women! A man can divorce his wife at will without giving a reason for
it; his share of inheritance equals that of two women; her evidence is not
readily acceptable in a court of law, and when it is admitted, two female
witnesses equal one man. Again, women are forced to veil themselves and stay
within the four walls of their houses; they are forbidden to participate in
social activities or hold public offices. Still worse, a wife is a tillage for
her husband who can treat her as he wishes (II: 220). If she does not please
him, he is empowered to beat her until she surrenders (IV: 35).
Disclosing the earthly sources of the Koran and
artificiality of the Hadith, Ibn Warraq has displayed the inappositeness of
Islam to real life. He has shown that Islam is neither a code of law nor can it
be practiced as such. It is only through the force of brainwashing that the
believers are driven to acknowledge it as the Word of God. It saddens him to see
the, almost every Muslim has come to possess a split personality for
unconsciously following a code of practice contrary to his Islamic faith, which
declares the Koranic Law as Perfect and Infallible during all ages.
"Why I am Not a Muslim" is a highly
readable and instructive book. It consists of 402 pages, bearing ISBN
0-87975-984-4 and has been published by the Prometheus Books, New York
14228-2197.
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