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From: zama@midway.uchicago.edu (iftikhar uz zaman)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Questions regarding Israel
Message-ID: <1990Nov22.010727.30258@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 22 Nov 90 01:07:27 GMT
References: <212609@<1990Oct24> <1990Oct27.003307.14824@wpi.WPI.EDU>
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    A gentleman has asked regarding the "Islamic" view of the state of
Israel.  The discussion this is generating is already bordering on issues
of free-will and determinism.  This is natural: if the Prophet said something
will happen it will--and this is deterministic.  But note this: even
if we know *for sure* that something will happen, and even if we know that
it is the will of God, this does not determine that it is also the will of
God that we be happy with it.  It might be the will of God to set up the
most stringent tests of our faith--in which we would demonstrate our 
committment to doing what is good by doing it against literally insurmountable
odds.

     I am reminded of Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan who, when he was imprisoned
in Malta, would take a bath (as well as he could), dress in his best clothes
and try to do what he could to prepare for Friday prayers.  Then he would
go to the jailkeeper and tell him "I have to go for Friday prayers, please
open the door."  The jailkeeper, who had grown to respect him, would apologize
and say "you know I can't do that."  Then the Maulana, satisfied that he had
done his best, would pray Zuhr, instead, in his cell.  This ritual would be
repeated every Friday for the many years he was there...

In article <1990Oct27.003307.14824@wpi.WPI.EDU> yaser@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>If we accept this logic, then every evil can be considered the will
>of god.  

If God tests us by creating an evil for us to fight then: (i) we can consider
that evil to be the will of God, (ii) we can consider it our duty to struggle
against that evil--our struggle being the "will of God" in a higher sense
(i.e. in the sense of morally responsible behaviour) than the existence of
that evil which is the "will of God" in a lower sense (in that it is like
the circumstances of our struggle -- it is determined, like the weather in 
which we are being commanded to follow God's will).

>The fact that an evil survives for a while does not legitimize the evil.

Again, this is based on the idea that "will of God" means just one thing.
No. Fuqaha distinguish between "al iradah al-takwiniyya" (the will in the
sense of creation) and "al iradah al-tashri'iyya" (the will in the normative
sense).  God creates circumstances.  Then he gives his commands.  The word
"will of God" is used in both places, but obviously it means very different
things.

>Allah says in Quran that god will not change the conditions of a nation until
>they change it themselves.  

I do believe that the translation should actually be "God *does not* change
the circumstances..." i.e. He is explaining his "habit" (sunna) and not 
telling us about the future.  I believe the justification for this is the
context of the aya.

>Islam can not accept, or even tolerate the existence of such an immoral and
>corrupt government in the Muslim land.  

This use of the word "Islam" plays right into the ambiguity of the two
types of "will."  God can certainly tolerate the existence of lots of
evil in this world (look around you...).  But Man is not allowed to live
in the midst of evil without struggling against it.  He is not even
responsible for destroying it--the success and failiure of his efforts is
in God's hands who will determine the such results according to his
Wisdom (which we have neither any inkling of, nor do we have the capacity
to comprehend).

>Only the will and determination of all Muslims can determine the course of the
>history.

I must say very strongly that this last statement is %^&%^%$$%#.  Only the
will of Allah determines the course of anything...(at least as far as
La ilaha illa Allah, and La Hawl wa la Quwwata ila Allah tell us).  Muslims
will certainly be judged on the basis of their will and determination.
May Allah grant us all that we be careful in what we say in the heat of
the moment...

Aameen.

To return to the question which raised all of this:  
(i) The People of Israel -- Bani Isra'il -- are not the same as "residents
of the modern state of Israel."  (minor point)
(2) Prophecies regarding the signs of the Final Days (ashrat al-sa'ah) 
are numerous.  But to tie them together in a relative fashion in order
to determine a chronology (first the Jews will gather together, then
the Mahdi will appear, then the Antichrist [dajjal] will appear and
his armies will conquer everything until only Medina is left, beseiged,
then armies will come "from the East" etc...) is ALWAYS speculative.
There is an admirable attempt by someone (whose name I forget) in a
book "Israel and the Prophecies of the Holy Quran" but one must
really remember quite clearly: this is speculative.  The hadiths tell
us only so much, after that it is guesswork. And, of course, some
guesses seem more well-founded than others...

I remember when Moshe Dayan was alive, many felt that this had to
be Dajjal since the hadiths tell us that he will be "a'war" (blind in
one eye)...There is a great Arabic word which I would recommend here
"al-ta'anni"--a rendering would be "don't be hasty."

--
La yajrimannakum shan'anu qawmin `ala an-ta`dilu; i`dilu huwa aqrubu li
al-taqwa...
zama@ellis.uchicago.edu        xpszama@uchimvs1.uchicago.edu