Month: November 2012
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MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES 11-12-12
ARE YOU MAKING THE BEST YOU CAN OF YOUR LIFE? UNKNOWN. Bro. Doc
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T&M 11-12-12 DOUBLE BLESSING
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Mt 6:3&4
Whatever one possesses becomes of double value when we have the opportunity of sharing with others.
PRAYER: FATHER, HELP US TO NOT SAY LOOK AT ME WHEN WE DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE, BUT HELP US TO DO IT AND HOPE NO ONE NOTICES IT. THANK YOU. HALLELEUYAH! Bro. Doc
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THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT PART 3 EXODUS 12:29 PREACHED 11/10/12
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT Part 3
X.The Death of the Firstborn Ex 12:29
In this vision we notice--
I.That a single blow is given in a moment for many received over a long period.
A man may be condemned to sudden death who has been guilty of many murders committed secretly at different times during a number of years. His execution settles the outstanding debt against humanity and human law in a few seconds. The one blow gives retribution for many. King Pharaoh and his subjects, and their ancestors, had been the murders of the Hebrew children for 80 years. Many a mother's heart during that time had refused to be comforted, because her firstborn was not. The Judge of all the earth had made no sign, but “He that keepeth Israel” had not slumbered(Ps 121:3). The long-standing was now settled in a single night.
II.That the justice which ad been refused to be rendered from choice, was now wrung from Egypt bu an appeal to her selfishness (Ex 12:33-36).
There can be no doubt that the Egyptians had grown rich upon the unpaid labour of Israel; but the Eternal had determined that there should be an inquisition for wages as well as for blood (Ps 9:12), and the payment for both came in a lump sum.
III.National crimes will be visited with national punishment.
IV.All will receive its wages. If those who earn them do not receive it, their heirs will. By a natural law of Yahvah, water finds its level. He has a financial law also by which work and wages come to a level. In a work of fiction the author generally brings the property to the rightful owner at last, though it may have been long withheld. So the Divine Ruler will hand over the balance to those to whom it belongs in due time, if not in money, in money's worth. There is a leveling up, and leveling down in His government.
V.Yahvah will have His special deeds to be commemorated. The overthrow of a tyrant is an event which men generally deem worthy of commemoration, because they look upon it as a merciful dispensation. Yahvah countenances this feeling. “O, give thanks unto Yahvah...who slew famous kings, for His mercy endureth for ever.” (Ps 136; Isa 40:23-24).
VI.The feast growing out of this, the last of the plagues, contains both analogies and contrasts to its anti-type in the Restored Covenant dispensation.
1.The Passover celebrated the central fact of Jewish history, and formed a basis of communion for all the tribes of Israel. The Messiah's Supper celebrates the central fact of Gospel history, and forms a common basis for the footwashing and the Memorial for all Saved Ones.
2.The Passover was instituted by Yahvah before Israel's redemption was wrought. The Memorial was instituted before our Saviour wrought man's redemption.
3.The Passover sets forth a deliverance by death, not by miracle; the Memorial sets forth a deliverance by the Saviour's death, not by His miracle.
4.Those who partook of the Jewish Passover proclaimed a redemption from bodily bondage; those who partake of the Memorial rejoice in a deliverance from the bondage of sin (Col 1:15).
5.The commemoration of the lesser redemption has been abolished by the greater, as the blade and the green ears are abolished by the full corn which yet includes them, and as the infancy and childhood of the Son of man were abolished by His manhood, which included them. Messiah destroyed the law and the prophets by fulfilling them (Mt 5:17; Heb 9:11)
VI.Invisible messengers of Yahvah are used, when visible ones are debarred.
Pharaoh may exclude Moshe and Aharon, but cannot shut out Yahvah's Messenger.
VII.Evenmore, when Yahvah's messengers are abandoned, destruction is near.
Pharaoh says to Moshe “Get thee from me,” and Moshe sees him no more till he is dead upon the sands.
VIII.This plague had been the first threatened, but was the last executed. See how slow Yahvah is to wrath.
IX.The nature and intent of the Plagues of Egypt
It is evident that in the day of Moshe, the israelites, to some degree, taught the superstitions of Egypt (Ex 32:1-9; Josh 24:14), and it is observable that Yahvah, through the course of His manifestation, had chiefly in view of the convincing of Israel, as well as Egypt and the rest of the nations, that He alone was the truth Yahvah, and that there was none else beside Him. It is the fundamental principle of Divine government, to work upon rational creatures in a rational manner. The most rational method of reclaiming people from error is to make it plan to their understanding that things are, in fact, just the reverse of what they conceive. Apply this to the case before us.
These miracles may be easily reduced to four classes, and were transacted in the four elements, which were esteemed in Egypt the four principal deities.
1.The Egyptians held Water in high veneration, more particularly the river Nile, as the source of their choicest blessings. Yahvah's depriving it of all utility was a likely means of convincing them that the river was His own. If they were, as it is said, so barbarous as, at a particular season, to stain its current with human sacrifices, then His turning the water into blood was an especially suitable punishment.
Then again the baks of this river were the grand scene of their magical operations, in which blood and frogs made the principal part of the apparatus, frogs being not only the instruments of their abominations, but also the emblems of those impure demons whom they invoke by their incantations.
2.The Earth was an object of their worship, to which they offered up the first fruits of harvest. Yahvah now reversed the nature of its productions, causing it to bring forth lice. And because they held the cattle of the field—yea, noisome beasts, reptiles, and insects—for deities, therefore the former were killed by a murrain, and a mixture of the latter (Ex 8:21-24) were sent to torment them, that they might experimentally know that wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also shall be punished.
3.The Air was another of their chief divinities to whom they attributed the salubrity of their climate, and whom they therefore sought to propitate by offering of daily incense. Yahvah now rendered it pestilential, exciting inflamed tumors and virulent ulcers, both in man and beast. He likewise caused it to produce such storms as had hitherto been unknown. And the east wind, which they adored, brought locusts.
4.The supreme object of their worship, were the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Yahvah suspended their lights, and covered the land with darkness. To these miracles, in proof of His sovereignty, Yahvah added one more, as a demonstration of His providence. The death of the first born bore so natural a relation to their sin, in destroying every male of the Egyptians, that they must have perceived it was inflicted as a punishment for that cruelty, and consequently might have concluded that Yahvah of Israel took particular cognizance of human transactions.
The manner in which they were wrought was admirably calculated to exclude or obviate every suggestion of prejudice, and to forward every good emotion which reflection might inspire.
5.As the Egyptians, who had high notions of the art of sorcery, might imagine that Moshe performed these prodigies by some fascination, their own magicians were freely permitted to exercise their skill to the utmost, but in vain. Although these seducers had made the people believe that they could secure their persons and property from all kinds of evil, they were now seen involved in the common calamities.
6.The people were forewarned of the day when every plague should befall them, and permitted to assign their own time for their removal, whereby they might clearly see that Yahvah alone was the Author, both of their sufferings and deliverance.
7.These miraculous judgments came upon them by leisurely advances, and proper intervals were allowed for reflection and repentance.
8.The obvious visible distinction between the two nations might lead to the conclusion that Yahvah was as truly gracious to the obedient as He was terribly severe to the rebellious.
9.Observe the order in which these successive strokes are arranged, and their gradual advance from the mediate to the immediate hand of Yahvah. They are in number ten, which is one of the numbers denoting perfection. They are divided first into nine; and one, the last one, stands apart from all the others. The nine are arranged in threes. In the first of three the warning is given to Pharaoh in the morning (Ex 7:15,20; 9:13). In the first and second of each three, the plague is announced beforehand (Ex 8:1; 9:1; 10:1), in the third not (Ex 8:16; 9:8; 10:21). In three Aharon uses the rod, in the second three it is not mentioned. In the third three Moshe uses it, though only his hand is mentioned. All these marks of order lie on the face of the narrative and pint to a deeper order of nature and reason from which they spring.
10.Note the gradation in the severity of the strokes.
In the first three no distinction is made among the inhabitants of the land; in the remaining seven Israel is exempted. Three refer to the animal creation, and three to the vegetable world, the support of animal life. The last of these six is darkness, and the seventh is death. The first three affect the health and comfort of man;. The next three take away the staff of life; then comes death itself.
11.Understand the deep import of the conflict
Bear in mind that now, for the first time since the dispersion of mankind, the opposition between the children of Yahvah and the children of disobedience is coming out into broad daylight. This nation is, for the time being, the representative of all heathendom, which is the kingdom of the Prince of Darkness; and the battle here fought is the type of all future warfare between the seed of the woman and the serpent. Hence its transcendent importance, and hence it fitly holds a place in the preface to the Ten Commandments.
X.The Change From A Rod Into A Serpent, And From a Serpent Back Again Into A Rod.
This may have reference to the serpent-worship which prevailed in Egypt. The serpent was there regarded as an emblem of divine wisdom and power, and as such it was reverenced. The transformation of Aharon's rod into a serpent, and the swallowing up of all the other serpents by it, was therefore calculated to impress the Egyptians with the greatness and supremacy of Yahvah of Israel.
The plague of lice was a reproof to the Egyptians for the uncleanness of their religious ceremonies, which were carried on under an outward show of purity. The Egyptian priests were very particular not to harbor any vermin, and vermin, and considered it a dreadful profanation of their temple, if any creeping things were carried into them. Now, polluted as they were, they could not enter into their temples, nor had they an victims fit to offer sacrifice, for the animals were also defiled.
The plague of darkness may have been produced by a deprivation of sight. The sun may have set as usual upon the land, yet the eyes of all the Egyptians being closed and blinded, no ray of light could reach them; this, if it were attended with pain in the organs of vision, might be properly described as “darkness to be felt.” The men of sodom were stricken with blindness for their sin, and so was the host which came to take Elisha. Moshe, when he threatens Israel with the botch of Egypt. Reminding them of the plague of boils, says immediately afterwards, alluding probably to this plague, “Yahvah shall smite thee with blindness.” (Dt 28:27-29) Blindness was the punishment inflicted upon Elymas the sorcerer; and the Egyptians were famous for their sorceries. The darkness therefore may have been a painful but temporary loss of eyesight. But whatever the cause, it was a condition full of horror and misery represented most forcibly in the sentence, “Neither rose any from his place for three days.” Pharaoh might call in vain for his guards; but they could not come to him. Moshe and Aharon were no longer within reach, for none could reach them. Masters could not command their slaves, nor slaves obey their masters' call; the wife could not flee to the husband, nor the child cling to its parent; the same paralysing fear possessed them every one. As says Job, they “laid hold on horror” (Job 18:20). If there be any truth in Jewish tradition there were yet greater alarms. Darkness is a type of Satan's kingdom, and Jewish Rabbis tell us that the devil and his angels were let loose during these three dreadful days. They describe them as frightening the wretched people with fearful apparitions and hideous shrieks and groans.
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Devotional Lancaster Baptist Church
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Daily Inspiration Quotes
Daily Inspiration
Motivational Quote of the Day…
“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.”
Thomas Henry Huxley
Love Quote of the Day…
“No one is a friend to his friend who does not love in return.”
Plato
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Muslim Law i.e. Sharia Law
IF ONE WANTS TO REALLY KNOW THE WHOLE ON MUSLIM LAW OR SHARIA LAW YOU CAN GO HERE TO READ THE WHOLE 336 PAGES.
www.shafiifiqh.com/maktabah/relianceoftraveller.pdf
Bro.Doc
P.S. This brings up a pdf to download so you can read it.
You tell me if this is what you want here in America?
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Another Take on Shariah Law
Shariah Law
also Sharī'ah, Shari'a, Shariah or Syariahis the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah.
Islam classically draws no distinction between religious, and secular life.Hence Sharia covers not only religious rituals, but many aspects of day-to-day life, politics, economics, banking, business or contract law, and social issues.
Etymology
The term Sharia itself derives from the verb shara'a, which according to Abdul Mannan Omar's Dictionary of the Holy Qur'an connects to the idea of "spiritual law" (5:48) and "system ofdivine law; way of belief and practice" (45:18) in the Quran.General
Mainstream Islam distinguishes between Fiqh, which means 'understanding of details' and refers to the inferences drawn by scholars, and Sharia, which refers to the principles that lie behind the fiqh.Scholars hope that fiqh and sharia are in harmony in any given case, but they cannot be sure.
Sharia has certain laws which are regarded as divinely ordained, concrete and timeless for all relevant situations (for example, the ban against drinking liquor as an intoxicant).
It also has certain laws which are extracted based on principles established by Islamic lawyers and judges (Mujtahadun).
The sharia as interpreted by Islamic lawmakers, is believed by Muslims to be merely a human approximation of the true Sharia, which is understood as the divine and eternal correct path.
In deriving Sharia law, Islamic lawmakers are not, therefore, actually creating divinely correct or incorrect actions beyond question, but rather attempting to interpret divine principles.
Hence Sharia in general is considered divine, but a lawyer's or judge's extraction or opinion on a given matter is not, though the process and intention to refer to Allah's law is divinely sanctioned.
An Islamic lawyer or judge's attempts to rule according to Sharia, can be described as 'ruling by Sharia'.
For Sunni Muslims, the primary sources of Islamic law are the Quran, the Hadith or directions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, the unanimity (ertsulovneba) of Mohammed's disciples on a certain issue (ijma), and Qiyas (drawing analogy from the essence of divine principles).
Qiyas - various forms of reasoning, including by analogy - are used by the law scholars (Mujtahidun) to deal with situations where the sources provided no concrete rules.
The consensus of the community or people, public interest, and others were also accepted as secondary sources where the first four primary sources allow.
In Imami-Shi'I (Shiism) law, the sources of law (usul al-fiqh) are the Qur'an, prophetMohammed’s practices and those of the 12 Imams, and theintellect (aql).
The practices called Sharia today, however, also have roots inlocal customs (Al-urf).
Islamic jurisprudence is called Fiqh and is divided into 2 parts: the study of the sources andmethodology (usul al-fiqh - roots of the law) and the practical rules (furu' al-fiqh - branches of the law).
History and Background
The first major source is the specific guidance in the Quran, and the second source is the Sunnah, literally the 'Way', i.e. the way that Mohammed lived his life. (The compilation of all that Mohammed said, did or approved of is called the Hadith.)A lesser source of authority is Qiyas, which is the extension by analogy of existing Sharia law to new situations. Finally, Sharia law can be based on ijma, or consensus (konsensusi, tanxmoba).
Justification for this final approach is drawn from the Hadith where Mohammed states; "My nation cannot agree on an error."
The role of ulema, i.e. scholars, is critical, since they are the ones who study the Islamic law and therefore have authority to represent it.
Sharia has largely been codified by the schools (madhhabs) of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh).
The comprehensive nature of Sharia law is due to the belief that the law must provide all that is necessary for a person's spiritual and physical well-being.
All possible actions of a Muslim are divided (in principle) into five categories:
- obligatory (valdebuleba)
- meritorious (damsaxureba)
- permissible (nebis darTva)
- reprehensible (dagmoba)
- forbidden
Fundamental to the obligations of every Muslim are the Five Pillars of Islam:
1. The Testimony of Faith (Shahadah) - the declaration that there is none worthy of worship except Allah (Arabic: God) and that Mohammed is His messenger.
2. Ritual Prayer (Salat) - establishing of the five daily Prayers.
3. Obligatory (religious) almsgiving (Zakat) - which is generally 2.5% of the total savings for a rich man working in trade or industry, and 10% or 20% of the annual produce for agriculturists. This money or produce is distributed among the poor.
4. Fasting (marxva)
5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) - this is done during the month of Zul Hijjah, and is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it. If the Muslim is in ill health or in debt, he or she is not required to perform Hajj. They do this to show moral importance to Allah, and to join the Ummah (family of Islam)
Sections of Sharia law
Sharia law is divided into two main sections:I The acts of worship, or al-ibadat, these include:
1. Ritual Purification
2. Prayers
3. Fasts (marxva)
4. Charities
5. Pilgrimage to MeccaII Human interaction, or al-mu'amalat, which includes:
6. Financial transactions
7. Endowments (shecirva)
8. Laws of inheritance (memkvidreoba)
9. Marriage, divorce, and child care
10. Foods and drinks (including ritual slaughtering and hunting)
11. Penal punishments
12. Warfare and peace
13. Judicial matters (including witnesses and forms of evidence)Contemporary Practice of Sharia Law
There is tremendous variance in the interpretation and implementation of Islamic law in Muslim societies today.Some believe that colonialism, which often replaced religious laws with secular ones, has caused this variance.
More recently, liberal movements within Islam have questioned the relevance and applicability of sharia from a variety of perspectives.
As a result, several of the countries with the largest Muslim populations, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have largely secular constitutions and laws, with only a few Islamic provisions in family law. Turkey has a constitution that is strongly secular.
Likewise, most countries of the Middle East and North Africa maintain a dual system of secular courts and religious courts (shura), in which the religious courts mainly regulate marriage and inheritance.
Saudi Arabia and Iran maintain religious courts for all aspects of jurisprudence and religious police assert social compliance.
Sharia is also used in Sudan, Libya and for a time in modern Afghanistan.
Some states in northern Nigeria have reintroduced Sharia courts (shura). In practice the new Sharia courts in Nigeria have most often meant the re-introduction of relatively harsh punishments without respecting the much tougher rules of evidence and testimony.
The punishments include amputation of one/both hand(s) for theft and stoning for adultery.
But overall the implementation of the Sharia law is meant to create a just society where the law and people live in harmony.
Many Western views consider the punishments described above as harsh, but Islamic scholars argue, that if implemented properly, these punishments will serve as a deterrent to crime.
Alternatively it has been argued that the Prophet Mohammed would not run courts in such a manner nor introduce overly harsh punishments into societies rich enough to afford prisons.
Like Jewish law and Christian canon law, Islamic law is interpreted differently by different people in different times and places.
In the hands of moderates, religious law can be moderate and even liberal. In the hands of post-Enlightenment readers of philosophy, religious law becomes associated mainly with ritual, theology, or history and no longer regulates society or the state.
In the hands of fundamentalists, however, it is legally binding on all people of the faith and even on all people who come under their control.
Islamic law to American Muslims in Boston, or Houston is very different than Islamic law to religious Muslims in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Gaza Strip.
All follow Islamic law, yet their view of the law varies as much as individual Muslims vary.
The role of women under Sharia
Islam does not prohibit women from working, but emphasizes the importance of housekeeping and caring for the families of both parents.In theory, Islamic law allows spouses to divorce at will, by saying "I divorce you" three times in public.
In practice divorce is more involved than state proceedings vary. In 2003, for example, a Malaysian court ruled that, under Sharia law, a man may divorce his wife via text message as long as the message was clear and (mkapio). Such a divorce, known as the "triple talaq" is not allowed in most Muslim states.
In addition, women are generally not allowed to be clergy or religious scholars.
Many interpretations of Islamic law hold that women may not have prominent jobs, and thus are forbidden from working in the government.
This has been a mainstream view in many Muslim nations in the last century, despite the example of Mohammed’s wife Aisha, who both took part in politics and was a major authority on hadith.
Several non-Sharia Muslim countries have had female heads of government or state: BenazirBhutto in Pakistan, Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia, Tansu Ciller in Turkey, and Khaleda Ziaand Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh.
Muslim women also hold important positions in governments or in corporations; the head of Pakistan's Central Bank is a woman (Dr. Shamshad Akhtar), and so is the Chairperson of Unilever Pakistan, a Pakistani Army Female General is the first woman in the world to hold such a post, and the list goes on as there are countless examples.
A Muslim may not marry or remain married to an unbeliever of either sex.
A Muslim man may marry a woman of the People of the Book; traditionally, however, Islamic law forbids a Muslim woman from marrying a non-Muslim man. If the man chooses to convert to Islam then marriage would be allowed.
Domestic Justice
According to most interpretations, authorization for the husband to physically beat disobedient
wives is given in the Quran.First, admonishment is verbal, and secondly a period of refraining from intimate relations. Finally, if the husband deems the situation appropriate, he may hit her:
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and illconduct,
admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all)." (Quran 4:34 English translation: Yusuf Ali)The medieval jurist ash-Shafii, founder of one of the main schools of fiqh, commented on this verse that "hitting is permitted, but not hitting is preferable."
The Arabic verse uses idribu-hunna (from the root daraba برض ), whose commonest meaning in Arabic has been rendered as "beat", "hit", "scourge", or "strike".
Besides this verse, other meanings for daraba used in the Qur'an) include 'to travel', 'to make a simile', 'to cover', 'to separate', and 'to go abroad', among others.
For this reason - particularly in recent years some consider "hit" to be a misinterpretation, and believe it should be translated as "admonish (darigeba, rcheva) them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and separate from them."
Certain modern translations of the Qur'an in the English language accept the commoner translation.
Several Hadith urge strongly against beating one's wife, such as:
"How does anyone of you beat his wife as he beats the stallion camel and then embrace (sleep with) her? (Al-Bukhari, English Translation, vol. 8, Hadith 68, pp. 42-43),
"I went to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked him: What do you say (command) about our wives? He replied: Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them."(Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 11, Marriage (Kitab Al-Nikah), Number 2139).
“Honor killings” are, in the Western world, often erroneously identified as part of Islamic teaching, though they are in fact a cultural practice which is neither exclusive to, nor universal within, the Islamic world.
Such killings take place within the Muslim communities around the Mediterranean as well as in the Penjab, India, non-Muslim parts of West Africa, and in Central America; while in Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic country, the status of the practice is unknown.
The stated reason for honour killings is the belief that the woman had caused the clan or family to lose honour by her alleged sexual activity and therefore deserved to be killed.
Islamic teaching holds that life is given by Allah and should not be taken lightly, but it allows severe punishment, up to and including capital punishment, for certain kinds of crime; these include, in strict interpretations, all extramarital sexual relations (zina) by both men and women - though only married adulterers may be punished with death.
Crimes in Islam
Crimes under Islamic Law can be broken down into 3 major categories.Each will be discussed in greater detail with some common law analogies. The three major crime categories in Islamic Law are:
1. Hadd [plural Hudud] Crimes (most serious).
2. Tazir Crimes (least serious).
3. Qesas Crimes (revenge crimes restitution).Hadd crimes are the most serious under Islamic Law and Tazir crimes are the least serious.
Some Western writers use the felony (sisxlis samartlis kvalipikacia) analogy for Hadd crimes and misdemeanour (samokalako danashauli) label for Tazir crimes.
The analogy is partially accurate, but not entirely true.
Common Law has no comparable form of Qesas crimes.
Punishments are prescribed in the Qur’an and are often harsh with the emphasis on corporal and capital punishment.
Theft is punished by imprisonment or amputation of hands or feet, depending on the number of times it is committed.
Hadd Crimes
Hadd crimes are those which are punishable by a pre-established punishment found in the Qur’an. These most serious of all crimes are found by an exact reference in the Qur’an to a specific act and a specific punishment for that act.There is no reducing the punishment for a Hadd crime. Hadd crimes have no minimum or maximum punishments attached to them.
The punishment system is comparable to the determinate (dadgenili) sentence imposed by some judges in the United States.
If you commit a crime, you know what your punishment will be.
No judge can change or reduce the punishment for these serious crimes.
The Hadd crimes are:
1. Murder
2. Apostasy from Islam (Making war upon Allah and His messengers)
3. Theft
4. Adultery
5. Defamation (ciliswameba) (False accusation of adultery or fornication)
6. Robbery
7. Alcohol-drinking (any intoxicants)The first four Hadd crimes have a specific punishment in the Qur’an. The last three crimes are mentioned but no specific punishment is found.
Some more liberal Islamic judges do not consider apostasy from Islam or wine drinking as Hadd crimes. The more liberal Islamic nations treat these crimes as Tazir or a lesser crime.
Hadd crimes have fixed punishments because they are set by God and are found in the Qur’an.
Hadd crimes are crimes against God's law and Tazir crimes are crimes against society.
The Islamic judge must look at a higher level of proof and reasons why the person committed the crime.
A judge can only impose the Hadd punishment when a person confesses to the crime or there are enough witnesses to the crime. The usual number of witnesses is two, but in the case of adultery four witnesses are required.
Islamic law has a very high level of proof for the most serious crimes and punishments.
When there is doubt about the guilt of a Hadd crime, the judge must treat the crime as a lesser Tazir crime.
If there is no confession to a crime or not enough witnesses to the crime, Islamic law requires the Hadd crime to be punished as a Tazir crime.
Tazir Crimes
Modern Islamic Society has changed greatly from the time of the Prophet.Contemporary Shar'iah Law is now in written form and is statutory in nature.
Islamic concepts of justice argue that a person should know what the crime is and its possible punishment.
For example, Egypt has a parliamentary process which has a formal penal code written and based upon the principles of Islamic Law, but Saudi Arabia allows the judge to set the Tazir crimes and punishments.
Modern Islamic Law recognizes many differences between these two nations. It also allows for much greater flexibility (mokniloba) in how it punishes an offender.
The major myth of many people is that judges in Islamic nations have fixed punishments for all crimes.
In reality the judges have much greater flexibility than judges under common law.
Tazir crimes are less serious than the Hadd crimes found in the Qur’an.
Tazir crimes can and do have comparable "minor felony equivalents. " These "minor felonies" are not found in the Qur’an so the Islamic judges are free to punish the offender in almost any fashion.
Mohammed Salam Madkoar, who was the head of Islamic Law at the University of Cairo, makes the following observation (Ministry of the Interior, 1976, p.104):
“Tazir punishments vary according to the circumstances. They change from time to time and from place to place. They vary according to the gravity of the crime and the extent of the criminal disposition of the criminal himself.
Tazir crimes are acts which are punished because the offender disobeys God's law and word.
Tazir crimes can be punished if they harm the societal interest. Shar'iah Law places an emphasis on the societal or public interest. The assumption of the punishment is that a greater "evil " will be prevented in the future if you punish this offender now.”
Historically Tazir crimes were not written down or codified.
This gave each ruler great flexibility in what punishments the judge was able to dispense.
The judge under Islamic Law is not bound by precedents, rules, or prior decisions as in common law. Judges are totally free to choose from any number of punishments that they think will help an individual offender.
The only guiding principle for judges under Shar'iah Law is that they must answer to Allah and to the greater community of Muslims.
Some of the more common punishments for Tazir crimes are counselling, fines, public or private censure (gakicxva), family and clan pressure and support, seizure of property, confinement in the home or place of detention, and flogging (gajoxva).
In some Islamic nations, Tazir crimes are set by legislative parliament.
Each nation is free to establish its own criminal code and there is a great disparity in punishment of some of these crimes. Some of the more common Tazir crimes are: bribery (meqrtameoba), selling tainted or defective products, treason (galati), usury (mevaxsheoba), and selling obscene pictures.
The consumption of alcohol in Egypt is punished much differently than in Iran or Saudi Arabia because they have far different civil laws.
Islamic law has much greater flexibility than the Western media portrays.
Each judge is free to punish based upon local norms, customs, and informal rules. Each judge is free to fix the punishment that will deter (sheakavebs) others from crime and will help to rehabilitate an offender.
No Separation of Church and State
To understand Islamic Law one must first understand the assumptions of Islam and the basic tenets of the religion.The meaning of the word 'Islam' is"submission or surrender to Allah's (God's) will."
Therefore, Muslims must first and foremost obey and submit to Allah's will. Mohammed the Prophet was called by God to translate verses from the Angel Gabriel to form the most important book in Islam, the Qur’an, Muslims believe.
There are over 1.2 billion Muslims today world-wide, over 20% of the world's population.
There are 35 nations with population over 50% Muslim, and there are another 21 nations that have significant Muslim populations. There are 19 nations which have declared Islam in their respective constitutions.
The most difficult part of Islamic Law for most westerners to grasp is that there is no separation of church and state.
The religion of Islam and the government are one.
Islamic Law is controlled, ruled and regulated by the Islamic religion. The theocracy controls all public and private matters. Government, law and religion are one.
There are varying degrees of this concept in many nations, but all law, government and civil authority rests upon it and it is a part of Islamic religion. There are civil laws in Muslim nations for Muslim and non-Muslim people.
Shar'iah is only applicable to Muslims.
Most Americans and others schooled in Common Law have great difficulty with that concept. The U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights) prohibits the government from "establishing a religion."
The U.S. Supreme Court has concluded in numerous cases that the U.S. Government can't favour one religion over another. That concept is implicit for most U.S. legal scholars and many U.S. academicians believe that any mixture of "church and state" is inherently evil and filled with many problems. They reject all notions of a mixture of religion and government.
Conclusions
Contemporary treatment of Islamic Law and "Radical Muslims" is filled with stereotypical characterizations.Some in the Western media have used the "New York City bombings" as a way to increase hate and prejudice.
They have taken the views of a few radicals and projected them onto all Muslims. This action has done a great disservice to the Muslim world. Some academic writings also have been distorted and not always completely accurate and some researchers have concluded that Islamic Law requires a fixed punishment for all crimes.
Islamic Law is very different from English Common Law or the European Civil Law traditions.
Muslims are bound to the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed whose translation of Allah or God's will is found in the Qur’an.
Muslims are held accountable to the Shar'iah Law, but non-Muslims are not bound by the same standard (apostasy from Allah).
Muslims and non-Muslims are both required to live by laws enacted by the various forms of government such as tax laws, traffic laws, crimes of business, and theft.
These and many other crimes similar to Common Law crimes are tried in modern "Mazalim Courts." The Mazalim Courts can also hear civil law, family law and all other cases.
Islamic Law does have separate courts for Muslims for "religious crimes" and contemporary non-religious courts for other criminal and civil matters.
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What Is Sharia (Law)
The reason I am bring this up, is because on another blog, this was brought up. And it seems people do not understand the difference in Sharia Law in different countries.
So I thought I would post here what it is.
What is Sharia?
Sharia is Islamic law, which is taken from the Qur’an and from other sources depending upon one’s Muslim sect. The law may be applied completely in theocracies, or it may be applied partially, depending upon the country. Some predominantly Islamic countries interpret Sharia and have secular judicial systems. Some have both secular and religious courts, and other have courts based only on strict interpretations of Sharia
When Sharia is used in a theocracy it governs all aspects of life. It tells one what to eat, the punishment for adultery, how one can get a divorce, or what clothing is required. Sharia may be modernized and interpreted, but this is more common in countries that recognize a secular court. When there is separation between church and state, Sharia governs social behaviors, but does not set punishments for violation of social behaviors or for criminal behaviors.
When debate about a certain code in Sharia occurs, this is called fiqh. It is not considered wrong to attempt fiqh so one can best interpret Sharia. Other books besides the Qur’an may be considered when determining law. For example, the Sunni Muslims tend to use both the Qur’an and the Sunna to determine laws. Some Muslims use only the Qur’an for legal guidance.
Interpretation of Sharia, and its importance comes down to four basic groups of Islamic thought. Salafis advocate for a return to the old Islamic ways, and attempt to strictly follow the laws of the Qur’an. Secularist Muslims, wish a distinct separation between Sharia and civil and criminal laws. Traditionalists tend to follow Sharia but attempt to reconcile it to the modern world, particularly in the case of women’s rights. Reformers back new Islamic theories on legal proceedings, particularly as they relate to the modern women.
THIS IS ONE FORM OF THE LAW.
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DAILY INSPIRATION QUOTES
Daily Inspiration
Motivational Quote of the Day…
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Ralph Sockman
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