by unknown
The recent allegations and confession that president Clinton had a sexual relationship with the White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, has raised a lot of concerns. Some of these concerns are about the moral standard of the man who rules the strongest country in the world and who presents himself as a family man, a man who concerns himself with issues like women's rights and child care.
As Muslims living in this country we will have the chance to reflect on the position of Islam, and specifically Quran on allegations or actual sexual misconduct.
Summary: Islam (Submission) condemns sexual misconduct and also condemns in the strongest language the spread of rumors or allegations of sexual misconduct. God warns the people in the Quran from spreading allegations of sexual misconduct that have not been proven or have been denied by any of the parties involved.
If the accuser cannot prove his/her accusations in the face of denial by the accused, then the word of the accused would be accepted. God however, warns the accused that if he/she is lying to save him/herself, to expect a miserable requital in this life and in the Hereafter. God promised His curse upon those who would lie in this mater. God reminds us with two incidents in history, one involving Joseph and the other involved Aysha, the Prophet Muhammed's wife.
Islam (Submission in English) , Like the other two great religions, Judaism and Christianity, strongly condemns sexual misconduct and considers it a gross offense. See 17:32, 27:54
Islam (Submission) does not only condemn sexual misconduct but it also condemns the false accusations of people with such an offense and spreading rumors about such accusations. God, the Most Merciful, knows that accusing innocent people with such a crime is detrimental to the society and to the spirit of the people living in such a society.
Accusations of people with sexual misconduct has been the new game of today's society in an attempt to destroy the life, the career or the credibility of people, usually those in a prominent position.
From the presidents, presidential hopefuls, the prominent politicians or writers, Congressmen, Religious leaders, top executives of big corporations...and many others, no-one was saved such an accusation. In many circumstances it is the word of the accuser against the word of the accused that is considered.
The tendency among the people is usually to accept the word of the accused or of the accuser, depending on their political, social or religious stand in the society. The rule usually reverses in a democratic society compared to an oppressive society.
In the USA, for example, it is usually the word of the accuser against the word of the accused. In some other societies, if the accused belongs to a higher social class, his/her word will be accepted instead of the accuser.
God in the Quran does not take but the side of Justice and well-being of the society as a whole. The message that comes out of the Quran is that accusation of someone with sexual misconduct or spreading rumors with such accusations is a very serious matter and is not looked upon lightly by God.
God used the strongest language possible to admonish those who commit such an offense by spreading rumors and repeating accusations of sexual misconduct for which they do not have a proof. The proof here is the personal knowledge of a proof and not just hearing about a proof.
Sura 12 Joseph and Sura 24 (The Light ) (Al-Noor in Arabic)like all the other suras of the Quran, have great lessons for all of us.
"In their history, there is a LESSON for those who possess intelligence. This is not a fabricated narration this (Quran) confirms all previous scriptures, and provides the details of everything. It is a beacon andmercy for those who believe." 12:111
God insists on reminding us with the reasons for telling us the history of previous messengers, prophets, communities and nations.
".......God thus cites the examples for the people, that they may take heed." 14:25
Let us take heed and reflect on the Quranic Justice in this important issue, the issue of accusations of sexual misconduct and spreading rumors about such accusations. This issue is so important, that God explained it in detail in Sura 24 and gave us a great example of it in Sura 12.
After studying this issue in the Quran we will know "How to handle the rumors or allegations of sexual misconduct in our society?"
The incident in Sura 24 is in reference to the false accusation of Aysha, the Prophet's wife with sexual misconduct, for which the prophet Muhammed was very upset and disturbed.
God meant by that incident to teach His true believers a great lesson. Read every word in these verses slowly and reflect on the implications that God put in these words and these verses.
24:11-13
"A Gang among you produced a big lie. Do not think that it was bad for you, in fact it was good for you (as a lesson). Meanwhile, each one of them has earned his share of guilt. And the one who initiated the whole incident has incurred a terrible retribution. When you heard it, the believers should have had better thoughts about themselves, and should have said, "This is obviously a big lie." You should have demanded four witnesses. If the WITNESSES were NOT PRODUCED, then they are according to God, LIARS."
Accusations of sexual misconduct that is carried out against anybody who denies them and without verifiable proofs, are considered by God a gross sin. The failure to produce four witnesses means this person or these persons should be considered according to God, LIARS.
"You fabricated it with your own tongues, and the rest of you repeated it with your mouths without proof. You thought it was simple, when it was, according to God, gross." 24:15
YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SIMPLE, WHEN IT WAS, ACCORDING TO GOD, GROSS.
What should they do ?
24:16
"When you heard it, you should have said, "We will not repeat this. Glory be to You. This is a gross falsehood."
Many Muslims missed these lessons but again God reminds them in
24:17
"GOD ADMONISHES YOU THAT YOU SHALL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN, IF YOU ARE REALLY BELIEVERS."
...............SHALL NEVER DO IT AGAIN..........
Stories and history in the Quran are meant to teach us today, great lessons for our everyday life and was never meant only for the previous generations.
Our generation, needs this guidance and this kind of justice now as much as the previous generations needed them and even more.
Even for those who might have missed 24:17, God gave us another great lesson in 49:6,
"O you who believe, if a wicked person brings news to you, you shall first investigate, lest you commit injustice towards some people out of Ignorance, then become sorry for what you have done."
It is God's Quranic justice system that requires four witnesses to prove an accusation of sexualmisconduct of a man or a woman, See 24:3-9.
However, the utmost justice is represented by the fact that, if you have no witness then it is the word of the ACCUSED against the word of the ACCUSER and it is God who will then judge among them and condemn the liar.
WHEN THERE IS NO WITNESS, GOD REFUSED TO GIVE THE JUDGMENT TO US (Humans), knowing that man is biased by nature, where hatred, politics, prejudice, ignorance and jealousy may influence his judgment. The judgment then rests with God and His law in the Quran.
For those who falsely accuse women of sexual misconduct, God specified the punishment for them in this life, as well as His wrath in the Hereafter.
24:4 "Those who accuse married women of adultery, then fail to produce four witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not EVER accept any testimony from them; they are wicked."
24:23 "Surely, those who falsely accuse married women who are pious believers have incurred condemnation in this life and in the Hereafter; they have incurred a horrendous retribution."
For the accusations of sexual misconduct that is exchanged between husbands and wives, God set their rule also in Sura 24.
24:6-10 "As for those who accuse their own spouses, without any other witnesses, then the testimony may be accepted if he swears by GOD four times that he is telling the truth. The fifth oath shall be to incur GOD's condemnation upon him, if he was lying.
She shall be considered innocent if she swears by GOD four times that he is a liar. The fifth oath shall incur GOD's wrath upon her if he was telling the truth.
This is GOD's grace and mercy towards you. GOD is Redeemer, Most Wise." 24:6-10
God spared no words to tell us that He means every order in these verses of Sura 24.
" A sura that we reveal, and DECREE as a law. We reveal in it CLEAR revelations, that you may take heed." 24:1
"We have revealed to you clarifying revelations and examples from the past generations, and an enlightenment for the righteous." 24:34
ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND THE MESSENGER OF GOD:
The prophets and messengers, being humans like us, had been subjected to all kinds of crimes that can be committed against a human being. They were subjected to everything from accusations of sexual misconduct to murder and anything in-between.
The prophet Muhammed was verbally abused , physically assaulted and emotionally insulted by those who lived around him and could not accept his message of worshipping God alone.
They even insulted his beloved wife Aysha by falsely accusing her of sexual misconduct and spreading rumors about it.
As we know now these insults and accusations did not represent the weakness of the prophet Muhammed, but rather the strength of his message. People with poor issues need not be attacked because their message will fall apart by itself. People with strong issues are like a tree full of fruits at which people throw all kinds of rocks. Nobody throws rocks at a dry fruitless tree.
History will repeat itself. When the people cannot face the issues, they try to assail the character - a game one may play in politics, but not with God. The example given to us in sura 12, is almost a reflection of what some misguided people can do these days.
A messenger of God, Joseph, was accused of sexual misconduct with his master's wife. Although he was innocent, he was thrown into the prison. According to the misguided people, Joseph is a fraud, because he was accused, convicted and jailed.
Despite that, Joseph was chosen as a messenger of God even before he was sent to the prison. God could have spared him these false accusations and the prison, but God wants to teach us a lesson. What happened to Joseph did not change the fact that Joseph was a messenger of God and did not change his message of worshipping God alone.
Accusations, insults, physical abuses or murders are part of our testing, we, the human beings. We are put through these tests to have the disbelievers and the hypocrites exposed and to purify the true believers and advance them to higher ranks.
"We must test you with some fear, hunger, and loss of money, lives and crops and give good news to the steadfast." 2:155
More important is the fact that these accusations,insults or murders of the messengers, the prophets and/or the ordinary people will not change the truth, or the message, because the truth will always prevail. The message will always be the same, WORSHIP GOD ALONE.
"They want to put out God's light with their mouths, but God insists upon perfecting His light, in spite of the disbelievers." 9:32.
The lessons in Sura 12 and Sura 24 cannot be disregarded except by those who refuse to believe God in His own book, the Quran. For them, to call themselves Muslims is an insult to Islam , an insult to GOD of the book and an insult to the Prophet who brought that same book.