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By Dr. John Andrew Morrow

AMUST (March 27, 2018)

Prophet Muhammad (s) authored hundreds of letters. They are found in books of prophetic biography, traditions, jurisprudence, history, and Qur’anic commentary. Dozens of letters are cited in Jewish, Samaritan, Christian, and Zoroastrian sources. More than half a dozen originals survive in mosques, monasteries, museums, and private collections.

These documents were dictated by the Prophet himself. Although he used many different scribes, the major covenants with the People of the Book were written down by ‘Ali (r) and Mu‘awiyyah (r) and witnessed by dozens of prominent Companions of the Prophet, including Abu Bakr (r), ‘Umar (r), and Uthman (r), among many others.

The Messenger of Allah signed some of his correspondence with his palm-print and, later, when his ring was made, he marked them with his famous seal.

Most of the letters, treaties, and covenants of the Prophet can be found in al-Watha’iq, by Dr Muhammad Hamidullah, Makatib al-Rasul by Ayatullah Ahmadi Miyanji, and Kalimah Rasul al-A‘zam by Ayatullah Hasan Shirazi.

The most important studies on the subject include Power Manifestation of the Sirah by Zafar Bangash, the Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World by Dr John Andrew Morrow, and Islam and the People of the Book: Critical Studies on the Covenants of the Prophet, edited by the former, which features contributions by dozens of leading scholars.

The letters, treaties, and covenants of the Prophet Muhammad (s) form a central part of his Sunnah. They permit us to properly interpret the Holy Book based on the Prophet’s instructions.

As a prophet, messenger, statesman, political leader, and military strategist, Muhammad (s) engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts to spread Islam, invite people, tribes, and nations to the Muslim faith, or offer them to enter into an alliance with the Confederation of Believers that he created.

By means of the Covenant of Madinah, the Prophet produced the first constitution in the history of humanity.

By means of the Covenants with the People of the Book, he produced declarations of human rights and charters of civil rights and freedoms, the likes of which would not be seen until the rise of modern Western democracies.

Prophet Muhammad (s) granted rights and privileges the People of the Book who formed part of the Muslim Ummah or who were its allies.

These include:

  • The Covenant of Madinah.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Najran.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Persia.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Assyrian Christians.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Syriac Orthodox Christians.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Coptic Christians of Egypt.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Armenian Christians.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Samaritans.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Jews of Maqna.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Yemenite Jews.
  • The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Zoroastrians.
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Por Roberto Verttuti

By At lunes, marzo 19, 2018

Por cierto, el título también sería correcto si se dijese “¿Quién le teme a la verdad?”. Porque de eso se trata. Se teme tanto a la verdad como a quien la propala.  Se teme a Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, porque estos y la verdad van junto con pegado. Pero el título de la nota entendemos que es mejor porque “verdad” es un sustantivo abstracto que adquiere “vida” al aplicárselo: la verdad va ligada al objetivo del conocimiento y se manifiesta cuando se obtienen resultados que no se pueden cuestionar porque resultan evidentes con seguridad y certeza. Independientemente del peso que tenga. Y Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, objeto de conocimiento, no tienen nada de abstractos sino que son una realidad como el universo, como el río que corre, como el texto que usted lee. E incluso se teme más aún la difusión y/o aplicación de Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo. Nos explicamos. Luego del redescubrimiento de estos Pactos por parte del Dr. John Andrew Morrow, hubo intentos de volver a ocultarlos y desvirtuarlos, de distintas maneras, como decir que correspondieron a un período histórico que ya no tiene vigencia. También se ha usado aquello de “cambiar algo para no cambiar nada”, bajo la forma de “decir algo para no decir nada, para que todo quede igual”. A ese tratamiento de los Pactos, prácticamente perverso, se opone ―lo que hace a la diferencia― el estudio histórico, racional, en contexto, profundo, cimentado en pruebas. Esta es la consideración que les dio y da el Dr. John Andrew Morrow, lo cual creó un verdadero maremoto en las mentes anquilosadas y/o malintencionadas tanto de Oriente como de Occidente. Son esas mentes  decrépitas las que, asustadas, balbucean algo para no decir nada de peso ―como presentar el texto o supuesto texto de un pacto sin ningún tipo de explicación o clarificación―, excepto, de hecho, la negación y rechazo de los mismos. De ahí lo majestuosamente brillante del redescubrimiento de Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo  por parte del Dr. John Andrew Morrow, quien los analiza de manera muy profunda y meticulosa, expone sus investigaciones en distintos idiomas, polemiza de manera cierta y documentada con quienes los niegan-rechazan-desconocen y demuestra cómo fueron aplicados exitosamente ―aunque con muchas lagunas― a lo largo de los siglos. Y una actitud así, destaca sobremanera y ejemplarmente hasta al más humilde transeúnte de ese camino. Vale la pena destacar que quien lo transita, en este caso el Dr. John Andrew Morrow, se juega permanentemente en todos los planos de la vida en esa tarea pues quienes objetan dichos Pactos saben que de aplicárselos hoy día se terminaría con la mayor parte de la sangría asesina en pos del enriquecimiento sin límites que persiguen, precisamente, bastantes de quienes los denigran. Efectivamente, los grandes enemigos de la vida, que son los grandes enemigos de la verdad, y también los grandes enemigos de la humanidad, ven cómo el trabajo con esos documentos va creando los anticuerpos que anularán sus maniobras canallescas basadas en la mentira, el engaño y el robo criminal genocida.
El Dr. John Andrew Morrow devuelve a la luz del día un trabajo magnífico por su contenido y su meta: contiene estipulaciones dadas por Dios al género humano y persigue la tan ansiada paz, concordia y fraternidad entre todos los seres humanos de buena voluntad que buscan transformar los armamentos en instrumentos de progreso y bien público; los conciliábulos del mal y de la codicia en asambleas populares de la alegría y la felicidad; la miseria y egoísmo vejatorio de la dignidad en solidaridad, hermandad y convivencia pacífica. Y esto es odiado por los poderosos, por quienes quieren poner a toda la humanidad a su servicio a través de un esclavismo sanguinario y por medio de una mentira gigantesca que pasa por la demonización del Islam y la repulsa absoluta de Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, a los que tratan, entre otras cosas, de “inventos de los cristianos”. Peor aún, esos poderosos que odian todas las religiones aunque se disfracen con algunas de ellas, quieren hacer desaparecer, para beneficio propio, a una sexto o más de la humanidad, como está documentado en distintas partes. Allí tenemos las Piedras Guía de Georgia (EEUU) erigidas en 1980, que proponen mantener la población mundial en 500 millones de personas gobernadas por un solo ejecutivo global, cifra parecida a la propuesta, con el mismo fin, por Mijail Gorbachov. También tenemos la propuesta del creador de CNN, Ted Turner, quien dice que como máximo deberían habitar el planeta solo 300 millones de individuos. O peor aún, contamos asimismo con la propuesta de Dave Foreman ―cofundador de “Earth First” ― que habla de que esa cantidad no debe pasar los 100 millones… Pero lo que sostiene el Dr. John Andrew Morrow, en base a Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, es que el planeta está en condiciones de cobijar una población mucho mayor a la actual y que la condición a ese efecto es aplicar las estipulaciones enunciadas por el Profeta Muhammad en sus Pactos: que la Tierra sea una Confederación de Pueblos Libres regida por las pautas del Creador. Es por eso que hoy día lo más temido por los manipuladores del genocida Nuevo Orden Mundial es la posibilidad de que se vuelvan a aplicar Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo.
Quienes temen a ese redescubrimiento del Dr. John Andrew Morrow, es decir a Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo ―que no son pocos―, se sobrecogen ante la verdad. Porque Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo y la verdad son uno, como dijimos, en esencia y en espíritu.
¿Quiénes temen a la verdad? La verdad aterroriza al transgresor, al perverso, al terrorista, al egoísta, al usurpador, al timador, al criminal, al ególatra, al mezquino, al ruin, al materialmente poderoso, al salvaje militarista a ultranza, al mentiroso, al explotador y esclavista, al racista, al elitista, al farsante, al canalla, al inmoral, al hipócrita, al gobernante corrupto, es decir, a quienes adoran el escarnio…
Todos los que atentan contra la verdad, porque no les conviene o porque el odio cegador y absurdo los devora, se valen de cuanta maniobra política o acto repudiable les venga a mano para seguir manteniendo sus privilegios o conductas abominables. Por eso alguien dijo que la verdad y la política nunca se llevaron demasiado bien y que la verdad nunca fue considerada una virtud política. La política solo enaltece y se vuelve una virtud cuando es guiada y fundamentada en la normativa sagrada de los textos revelados y/o grandes expresiones espirituales o tradiciones genuinas. Resulta clarísimo. Los que temen a la verdad, es decir, los amantes de sus intereses políticos normalmente mezquinos, son los amantes del escarnio. Y cuando ante ellos se presenta un sol de justicia, amor, fraternidad, honestidad, entrega, esfuerzo, solidaridad y sacrificio por los demás ―las cosas que exhiben los textos revelados por Dios a la humanidad y Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo―, la cólera demente y arrasadora de quienes se sienten marcados por el oprobio trata de anular, por los medios que sean, esa manifestación. Por eso se teme a quien ilumina con ese sol.
La gran arma, la primera en usarse para anular algo, es la tergiversación, la mentira, el engaño. Enterémonos de quiénes abierta o encubiertamente se oponen al trabajo del Dr. John Andrew Morrow con Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo y conoceremos a las almas en las sombras que odian esos documentos. Desgraciadamente, no pocas veces se trata de individuos iluminados permanentemente por las lámparas de los escenarios pomposos o por la apariencia, en sus vidas de “grandes personajes”, “intelectuales probos”, “religiosos eméritos”, etc. Esas almas de la penumbra y la sombra podrán ser todo lo malvadas que se quiera pero por lo general no dejan de ser astutas. Usan todos los medios del caso para presentar la verdad como mentira y viceversa. Usan todo tipo de instrumentación intelectual-filosófica-ideológica-psicológica-política para hacer creer que algo no tiene existencia real o es inapropiado. Ponen en duda prácticamente todo, al punto de hacerlo increíble: lo existente no existe; lo que se dice nunca sucedió; las fechas que se dan como documentadas carecen de comprobación; se desconoce quienes redactaron tal y cual cosa aunque haya una lista de 10, 20 o 30 personas; las circunstancias históricas dadas son incomprobables y así de seguido. Crean una confusión muy enmarañada con el objetivo de que la gente se aburra, se sienta impotente para develar lo real, impotente para discernir. De lograrlo, “convencen” de que nunca aconteció tal cosa y hasta atacan con vehemencia y con las acusaciones más absurdas a quienes demuestran palmariamente la realidad de los hechos.
Por el contrario, quien se mueve con la verdad, quien presenta los hechos con fundamentos comprobables y sólidos, no necesita nada de eso. El de la verdad por lo general es Abel y el del engaño o tergiversación por lo general es Caín. La verdad, indiscutiblemente, siempre está en inferioridad de condiciones materiales frente a la mentira. Porque quien usa esta recurre a cualquier artilugio, por más falso e incierto que sea, para imponerse. Pero quien opera con la verdad jamás hace tal cosa. Por eso la mentira, engaño u ocultamiento resultan más “prácticos” en lo simplemente mundanal. Además y por lo general, la verdad molesta a muchos pues les impide, de atenerse a ella, la obtención de placeres y situaciones de regocijo ordinarios así como de poder material mediante la explotación y violación de los más elementales derechos humanos. Por eso son bastantes los que se alejan de los que no transigen con la mentira y la distorsión de la verdad. Muchas veces esta produce dolor y casi nadie está dispuesto a sufrir. Por eso muchos aceptan solo formalmente Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo. Dicen que están bien, que son auténticos, pero no obran en consecuencia. Ni los terroristas encubiertos en la mentira más enloquecida, ni los sátrapas genocidas disfrazados de buenas personas islámicas, ni otros con un gran morbo hacia el Islam ―que tampoco son pocos― están dispuestos a reconocer Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo ―más allá de lo formal― y actuar en consecuencia: proceden así porque de otro modo dañarían o irían en contra de sus intereses mezquinos, egoístas o antirreligiosos. Los hijos de la sombra, de la oscuridad que alberga a los bellacos, solo deambulan, se reproducen y son fuertes en las tinieblas. Por eso niegan la verdad, en este caso Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo.
En cambio, la verdad busca la luz, es amiga de la luz, evita ocultarse, se manifiesta con una gran transparencia.
Pero en el mundo, especialmente el actual, el engaño, la tergiversación, la mentira son las formas “normales” de operar. La mentira se ha metido en el conjunto de la sociedad humana como un hábito o costumbre y desprecia con pavor lo opuesto: la verdad. En esta sociedad, para mal de la inmensa mayoría de la población mundial y resultados calamitosos, se invierte todo. Los déspotas y mancilladores de la verdad se presentan como demócratas y paladines de la honestidad y la moral; los terroristas y violadores se presentan como liberadores; el corrupto se presenta como puritano virtuoso y persona de bien; el agresor como agredido; los que más promueven la violencia injusta y ruin como promotores y receptores de premios por la paz; los más injustos o incapaces intelectualmente como dignos “académicos de renombre”; etc.
Para las almas de la sombra todo vale, incluidas las mentiras y el invento de situaciones inexistentes. A eso los lleva el temor a Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo. Ya dijimos quienes son los que temen Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo. Y el porqué de ese pavor es evidente. Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo reducen a polvo toda la mentira ideológica y supuestamente religiosa que nutre al terrorismo antiislámico disfrazado de islámico y marca a fuego, de hecho, a quienes fueron y son los creadores del mismo: los imperios genocidas de Occidente (IGO) y sus viles servidores de la península arábiga y aledaños. La presentación de Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo a los reyezuelos antiislámicos de la península arábiga, a los terroristas y a los países integrantes de una de las alianzas más asesina como es la OTAN, tienen el mismo efecto que la presentación de La Biblia a Drácula: se caen todas su mentiras, quedan expuestas, de hecho, sus malditas tramas y complots urdidos a costa de sucesivas matanzas de inocentes en Occidente y en Oriente.
Para todos los artífices del mal, Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo son temibles porque no se trata de una teoría sino de algo aplicado con éxito. Intentar revivir esa práctica genera odio y temor a los habitantes de las sombras quienes, por ahora, la desconocen, la niegan, la rechazan.
Por último, no debemos dejar de tener en cuenta que, en grandísima medida, el mundo está manejado por los injustos, por las almas de la sombra. Pero están quienes, como Kant, sostienen que “los hombres no pueden tolerar la vida en un mundo privado de justicia” y que ese “derecho humano se considera sagrado sin tomar en cuenta los sacrificios que exija”. Todo indica que en ese camino está el Dr. John Andrew Morrow con su redescubrimiento y estudio de Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, por lo que corresponde apoyarlo.-
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Crescent International

Jumada’ al-Akhirah 13, 14392018-03-01

In this first part of or our interview, we talk to Dr. John Andrew Morrow, author and scholar, about his life’s journey and thoughts. He is best known for his Covenants’ Initiative that aims to create better understanding between Muslims and Christians in the world today.

CI: Let us begin with your journey to Islam; tell us something about it.

Like most Métis and French Canadians, I was raised Roman Catholic and I am profoundly grateful that my parents, the Church, and the Bible cultivated my faith, morals, ethics, and values. Raising children without a divinely-revealed religion and without a sense of Natural and Divine Law is detrimental to both self and society. Like all human beings, I was born with a divinely-instilled inclination to believe. Consequently, I am who I was: a believer in the One. I am not a “New Muslim” nor am I a “revert” or a “convert.” I was raised as a follower of Jesus (a) as well as the prophets and messengers who preceded him. Due to historical, cultural, and geographical reasons, the message of Muhammad (pbuh), the final messenger of God, had not reached my people. My transition into Islam was natural. I did not move from disbelief to belief or from immorality to morality. I simply perfected my religion. I graduated from Christianity to Islam. At the time of the Prophet, there were unbelievers — pagans, heathens, idolaters, polytheists, and atheists — and there were believers: Jews, Messianic Jews or Judeo-Christians, and Christians. There were also the Hanifs, the Arabs who followed the ancient religion of Isma‘il and his father Ibrahim (a). Most members of these faith communities made a smooth transition into Islam. They recognized it as a continuation and completion of their faith traditions. So it was for me. Regardless of where I was born, I would have been a believer in one God: a Brahman in ancient India, a believer in the Great Spirit in pre-Columbian North America, a follower of Nezahualcoyotl in Mesoamerica, a Jew in the time of Moses, a Christian in the time of Jesus, and now, a Muslim in the age of Muhammad (a). I started to study Islam at the age of 13 and took shahadah at the age of 16. I have been a practising Muslim for 30 years and have never ceased to study. What was so appealing about Islam? Divine unity and divine justice; spirituality and social commitment; ethics and morality as well as the importance of family.

CI: Your book, Covenants of the Prophet with the Christians of the World, has received wide recognition among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Let’s start with addressing some key issues in your book. You claim to have found evidence that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spent a great deal of time with the Christian monks in Sinai during his twenties. Some detractors would argue that this claim feeds the orientalist narrative that the Prophet learned his teachings from Christians and Jews and then self-invented Islam. What is your response?

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was well-traveled. This is a fact. It is well-established in classical Muslim sources. Abundant references to these can be found in The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World along with Islam and the People of the Book: Critical Studies on the Covenants of the Prophet. Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah, who was both a Western academic and a traditionally trained Muslim scholar, held this to be true. Consequently, one cannot exclude the possibility that he traveled to Mt. Sinai as it was located along the main trading routes that the Arabs, including Abu ˇalib, routinely employed.

As Muslims, we do not believe that Islam is a new religion. Islam, namely, the belief in One God, divine revelation, and the hereafter, along with major moral laws, was the religion of Adam, Idris (Enoch), Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Yahyå (John), Jesus, and Muhammad (a). The Prophet did not draw upon Jewish and Christian doctrines to create a new religion: he was the heir of the Judeo-Christian tradition and its culmination. Although some orientalists have argued that the Prophet learned his teachings from Jews and Christians and invented Islam — and they base this belief on the Cycle of Bahira Legends that circulated among some Christians who were unfriendly toward Islam, Muslims, and the Prophet — this is not the tradition that was passed down by the monks who were acquainted with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The tradition of the Prophet’s travel to the Sinai — which could have taken place when he was a youth, during the early days of his mission in Madinah, or even toward the end of his prophetic mission, namely, when he went to Maqna — has been transmitted by large numbers of sources over the past 14 centuries. I have cited them in “The Covenants of the Prophet: Questions and Concerns” and “The Provenance of the Prophet’s Covenants,” both of which are found in Islam and the People of the Book.

Curiously, none of these original traditions claim that the Prophet studied with Christian monks. On the contrary, they assert that a Christian abbot from St. Catherine’s Monastery witnessed a sign of God clearly showing him that Muhammad (pbuh) was destined to greatness and that he would become a powerful leader; hence, the abbot asked him to protect the monastery after he proclaimed his prophecy. This tradition does not reinforce the orientalist narrative any more than the tradition that both Bahira the Monk and Nastura the Monk recognized young Muhammad as a future prophet. These are not the only instances in which seers, monks, priests, and rabbis prophesized that Muhammad was the long-awaited prophet who would come from Arabia. They are found in both ancient Christian and Muslim sources. They confirm, rather than deny, his divinely-ordained prophetic mission and the truth of his teachings.

CI: You reside in the US. There is currently a great deal of polarization between the so-called left and the right spectrum of the political trend. Many Muslim organizations have accepted the mainstream liberal narrative that leftists are friends of Muslims and rightists are outright racist and enemies of Islam. Neither the left nor right is monolithic. Are there any healthy right/conservative groups and organizations in the US with whom Muslims could build a mutually beneficial alliance?

Most Muslims in the West have cast their lot with the liberals. They have naively bought into the lie that liberals are tolerant people who care about Muslims. Tell a liberal that you oppose abortion on demand, that you oppose fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, gay marriage, and transgenderism, that you are convinced that the traditional family structure is in danger, that you believe that there are only two genders, that you oppose the use of alcohol and drugs, that you believe that both men and women should dress modestly, and that you are against illegal immigration since you believe in the rule of law, and see how tolerant they really are. You will be called by every profanity excluded from the dictionary. At the very least, you will be accused of being a racist, a sexist, and a fascist.

While I disagree with half of what Michael Savage has to say, I do agree with the other half, particularly his assertion that liberalism is a mental disorder. At the same time, however, I am equally convinced that conservatism is a mental disorder. Both are extremes. Both are symptomatic of spiritual, psychological, and social imbalance. While the political spectrum varies from country to country and from age to age, I stand at the center that was marked by Muhammad (pbuh), the Messenger of Allah, and the other Prophets of God who preceded him. Liberalism, both classical and social, had a platform in the past: opposition to slavery, racism, segregation, and discrimination, the right to vote for women, equal pay for equal work, along with a call for civil rights and human rights. Now, they spend their time cavorting with transsexuals, anti-white racists, and takfiri terrorists. The liberals sure have strange bed fellows.

What does liberalism stand for today? The right of children to choose their own gender? The right for illegal immigrants to invade Western nations with impunity? The right to blame white Westerners for crimes that they never committed and that most of their ancestors never committed? What does liberalism stand for today? Sexual anarchy? The destruction of the traditional family? The supplanting of religion by secularism? The right to change the ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious background of a country overnight as it ensures liberal votes, spreads secularization, and promotes globalization? The right to create a single people, speaking a single global language, sharing a single global culture, and sharing faiths “that are all the same” since they are all under the umbrella of the One World Religion? What does liberalism mean today? The right to destroy the sovereignty of nation-states to subject them to a New World Order controlled by the one-percenters, a bunch of billionaire elites who wish to exterminate most human beings who are overcrowding a planet they view as their personal country club and resort? As Muslims we categorically reject racism. We do, however, value diversity. Hence, we must oppose efforts to homogenize humanity, to weaken resistance, and to facilitate subservience. For the globalists, races, religions, languages, cultures, and ideologies are sources of division and conflict. If they are suppressed, there will only be submission, not to God, but to the real rulers of the world.

Although most Muslims feel that they share more affinities with liberals, who pretend to profess an unflinching belief in pluralism and an appreciation for diversity, they share just as much in common with certain conservatives, including, in some sectors, a clear sense of right and wrong derived from the prophets of the Old and New Testaments. As a Muslim, if I must choose between a person who believes in God and a person who is an atheist or an agnostic, I will side with the person of faith. As a Muslim, if I must choose between a person who believes in chastity and a person who advocates sexual immorality, I will side with the person who has a sense of human decency. Despite the slanderous propaganda of liberals, leftists, socialists, communists, anarchists, secularists, atheists and Satanists, most religious conservatives are not racist nor are they sexist. Simply because one believes in the teachings of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, the traditional family and the existence of two genders, does not mean that one is a racist, a bigot, a misogynist, an extremist, a fascist, or a terrorist. Tolerating the intolerable is not tolerance: it is complicity and advocacy. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have the right to stand their moral ground, stand for what is sacred, and advocate for what they believe is best for society based on revelation and reason.

While liberals and conservatives take different positions on social issues such as abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, the role of the public sector, education vouchers, embryonic stem cell research, energy, euthanasia, climate change, gun control, healthcare, homeland security, immigration, private property, religion, same-sex marriage, social security, taxes, the role of the United Nations, and welfare, they are, in reality, but two sides of the same coin and the difference between liberal and conservative governments in the West is generally superficial since the world revolves around economic as opposed to social interests. Both liberals and conservatives are secular and believe in the separation of church and state. Both believe, not in the Great Prophet Moses, the Great Prophet Jesus or the Great Prophet Muhammad (a) but in the Great Profit Margin. Both serve the interests of the global economic elites as opposed to the interests of God, the Prophets, and the people. They place their trust, not in God, but in the Market, some type of Supreme Force that “regulates itself.” We just need to submit to it. We, believers in God and followers of His Prophets, however, hold that human beings were not created to serve the economy but rather the economy was created to serve people.

Although conservatism, like liberalism, has been co-opted by the economic elites, the neocons, and the alt-right, who are just as diabolical as the liberal degenerates they denounce, having turned conservatism into savage capitalism, racism, sexism, and imperialism, there are some conservatives with whom traditional Muslims can make common cause. This would include cultural conservatives, moral conservatives, religious conservatives, fiscal conservatives, paleo-conservatives, and traditionalist conservatives — but certainly not neoconservatives.

Despite their shortcomings, shortsightedness, and ignorance in certain areas, practicing Catholics have been firm when it comes to defending the fundamentals of their faith and its relevance in the world today. Orthodox Christians, in general, who tend to be even more conservative in theology and practice, also share universal, time-honored values. Although I am partial to the Catholic Church, both East and West, I admit that bridges can also be built with Protestants, particularly with conservative groups like the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Hutterites, as well as more liberal denominations like the Anglicans and Methodists.

I had long written off Southern Baptists, assuming erroneously that these predominantly white anglophones were all intolerant racists and white supremacists. My views changed when I met an old white preacher who was a Southern Baptist. He listened to a lecture I delivered in Jackson, Mississippi, in which I lambasted ISIS and shared the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Not only did I change the way he viewed Islam and Muslims, the man made me change the way I viewed Southern Baptists. Although Muslims tend to gravitate toward liberal Jews who share the same values, or lack thereof, of liberal Christians, there are plenty of conservative, orthodox, and even ultra-orthodox Jews who are very close to traditional Muslims in their worldview. Just like it is unfair to claim that all Muslims are anti-Jewish, it is also unfair to claim that all Jews are anti-Muslim. The message is clear: we, human beings, of different races, ethnicities, cultures, languages, religions, and political beliefs, must get to know one another. Then, and only then, will we see how much we share.

CI: What could Muslims in the US and Canada do to reach out to the conservative segment in society in these two countries?

Reaching out to conservatives is the same as reaching out to liberals. Make some calls. Send some emails. Knock on doors. Meet some people. Agree to agree. Focus on similarity. Learn from one another in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect. Work together toward common causes. Personally, I would focus more on religious conservatives, including some of the denominations I previously mentioned, than political conservatives. I would not advise Muslims to reach out to extreme Trumpians, the violent side of the alt-right, racist neocons, radical Zionists, and other overtly anti-Islamic parties. I know some brothers, both African American and Caucasian American, who dialogue with people on the fringe. It takes proper training and preparation — not to mention, courage. As normative Muslims, we should be willing to talk to anyone who wishes to talk to us in a constructive fashion. We should respond to those who reach out to us and, at times, we should also reach out to others. Some may or may not respond, but the offer of dialogue, peace, collaboration, and reconciliation should always be on the table.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow

Dear Signatories and Observers:

The last full COVENANTS INITIATIVE REPORT was issued in June of last year. Since then our publication efforts, in terms of both books and articles, have expanded exponentially. In addition, Dr. Morrow has been giving numerous lectures, generally on a weekly basis.

1} As I mentioned in the last INTERIM report, Islam and the People of the Book: Critical Studies on the Covenants of the Prophet is now available from Amazon. It can be purchased at:

2} The Italian version of The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World—I Patti del Profeta Muhammad con I Cristiani del mondo—has been published and is being distributed to hundreds of Catholic and Muslim leaders in Italy by Imam Yahya Pallavicini. It can be purchased at:

3} The Arabic version of the book, Uhud al-Nabi li-Masihiyyi al-‘alam should soon be published by Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah in Beirut, Lebanon, one of the largest publishers in the Arab world. It features a preface from Shaykh Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari, the Egyptian-born, British scholar of Islam, and founder of the Ihsan Institute.

4} A second encyclopedic work on the Covenants containing material by Dr. Morrow and entitled The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad: Past, Present, and Future, is currently being prepared under the direction of Dr. Emad Shahin and Dr. Ibrahim Zein from Hamad bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar.

5) Arabia Jewel has published a book titled A Hijazi Gift of Love that includes an article by Dr. Morrow on the Sinai Covenant, along with poetry about the Ahdname. It can be found at:

Home

Arabia Jewel is committed to spreading the Covenants of the Prophet throughout the Arabian Peninsula and plan to share the Covenants with diplomats and ambassadors based in the region. The Covenants Initiative will be training their members to speak about the Covenants of the Prophet and will provide them with lectures and Power Point presentations.

8} Here is the list of Covenants Initiative articles and speeches since June 21, 2017; links to these can be found at https://johnandrewmorrow.com/newsreviewsevents/ :

Rahyafteha. “Escritor y activista nuevo musulmán.” Rahyafteha (12 de enero de 2018).

Perra, Daniele. “Heidegger el islam y la cuarta teoría (política).” Revista Cultural Biblioteca Islamica (5 de enero de 2018).

Castleton, Barbara. “Tesoros Islámicos: Los Tratados del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos de su Época.” Shafaqna (28 de diciembre de 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Message of Love: Concluding Part.” New Age Islam (December 25, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Muslim Documents Everyone Should Know.” Khutbah Bank (December 24, 2017).

Castleton, Barbara. “Hallelujah! Recently Unearthed Islamic Texts Unlock the Prophet Muhammad’s Intentions.” Medium (December 23, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Message of Love: Part 1.” New Age Islam (Dec. 21, 2017).

Castleton, Barbara. “Islamic Treasures: The Treaties of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of His Time.” Islamicity (December 22, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “No Fear Shall be Upon Them, Nor Shall They Grieve: The Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with the Christians.” Shafaqna (December 18, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “El Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos: Nada tendrán que temer ni se afligirán.” Shafaqna (December 13, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Muslims Documents Everyone Must Know.” Islamicity (December 6, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Hamza Yusuf: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Shafaqna (December 6, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Message of Love: Part 2.” The Muslim Vibe (December 6, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Coalition Building as a Major Strategy of Prophetic Success.” The Muslim Post (December 5, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Hamza Yusuf: Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo.” Shafaqna (5 de diciembre de 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Slayer of Dragons.” Shafaqna (December 3, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Americans Honored for Massacre.” Crescent International (December 1, 2017).

Daniels, Justin. “International lawyer Karim Khan argues peace at core of Islam.” The Stanford Daily (December 1, 2017).

Shafaqna. “Hujjat El-islam Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai speaks on Arbaeen.” Shafaqna (November 16, 2017).

Demoslimkrrant. “De Islam en de Mensen van het Boek.” Demoslimkrant (November 15, 2017).

اختصاصی مشرق/ نویسنده و محقق آمریکایی در اجتماع جهانی اربعین +عکس

Considine, Craig. “Islam and the People of the Book: Critical Studies on the Covenants of the Prophet.” Craig Considine (November 1, 2017).

“The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World.” Religions for Peace Australia (October 29, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Prophetic Wisdom and Advice on Vinegar.” The Muslim Village (Oct. 29, 2017).

Upton, Charles. “An An Open Letter To Steve Bannon from an American Muslim and Follower of René Guénon.” Sophia Imaginalis: Journal of Visionary Art, Sacred art, Traditionalism and Esoteric Studies (Oct. 26, 2017).

Tabatabai, Taraneh. “Reconocimiento al Dr John Morrow por parte del Congreso Americano.” Shafaqna (23 de octubre de 2017).

“Muhammad (s): Mtume aliyelingania uhuru wa itikadi na ibada.” Risala (October 21, 2017).

Considine, Craig. “Modern Day Lessons from Prophet Muhammad’s Religious Pluralism.” Muftah (October 20, 2017).

Tabatabai, Taraneh. “Dr. John Morrow Recognised by US Congress.” The Australasian Muslim Times (October 19, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Los Kurdos Frente a los Pactos del Profeta.” Shafaqna (15 de octubre de 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Calling Iran to the Covenants of the Prophet: Dr. John Andrew Morrow’s Address to President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations.” The Muslim Post (October 12, 2017).

Harbi, Hanan al-. “The Covenants of the Prophet in California.” The Muslim Post (October 12, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Message of Love: Part 1.” The Muslim Vibe (October 8, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Covenants of the Prophet Confirmed: The Official Response of the Caliphs, Sultans, and Shahs of Islam.” Shafaqna (October 8, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Los pactos del Profeta son reales.” Shafaqna (7 de octubre de 2017).

Tabatabai, Taraneh. “President Rouhani and American Muslim Leaders.” Crescent International (Muharram 1439).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Terroristët masakrojnë një fshat të tërë.” Gazeta Impakt (September 26, 2017).

Upton, Charles. “An Open Letter to Steve Bannon.” Geopolitika (September 13, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Muslim Menace Next Door.” Crescent International (September 1, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Terrorists Massacre Entire Village.” Crescent International (September 1, 2017).

Helminsky, Kabir. “Why Muslims Must Help Counter Totalitarian Islamism.” Tikkun 32.3 (Summer 2017).

A.H.M. Azwer, Former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. “Passage to Bliss.” Daily News (August 30, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Muslim Scholar and the US Marine.” Islamicity (August 29, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Being and Becoming Métis and Muslim. ” The Muslim Vibe (August 24, 2017).

The Quran Love. “Surah al-Saff: the Ranks.” The Qur’anic Compassion (August 23, 2017).

MARTÍN RUBIO, MARÍA DEL CARMEN. “El islam de Mahoma y el de hoy.” ABC (22 de agosto de 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Iraqi American Receives Humanitarian Award.” The Islamic Monthly (August 22, 2017).

Harbi, Hanan al-. “Muslim Leader Maligned for Moderation.” The Muslim Post (August 11, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Dr. John Andrew Morrow’s address at the 69th Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA.” The Muslim Times (August 10, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Being and Becoming Métis and Muslim.” The Muslim Vibe (August 9, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Justice, Kindness and Kinship: An Islamic and American Imperative.” Muslim Writers Guild (August 3, 2017).

Seraaj, Intisar. “Power of Muslim Museum Extends Far Beyond Jackson.” Mississippi Today (August 1st, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Horror in the Hot Desert Sand.” Crescent International (August 2017).

Manzolillo, Hector. “Who is ‘We’? Humera Khan’s Dismissal of Divine Decrees.” Crescent International (August 2017).

Upton, Charles, and John Andrew Morrow. “An Offering of The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World in the Twenty-First Century.” Veterans Today (July 30, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Justice, Kindness and Kinship: An Islamic and American Imperative.” Islam Ahmadiyya (July 25, 2017).

Harbi, Hanan al-. “Muslim Leader Was Harassed by a US Marine and Here is Why it’s Problematic.” Mvslim (July 23, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “83 Years Old and Graduates from Grade One: Why Women’s Education Matters in Morocco.” Morocco World News (July 22, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Leveraging the Medina Charter.” Islamicity (July 15, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “The Role of Faith in a Culture of Fear in America.” The Muslim Post (July 14, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Who Hates Whom?” Crescent International (July 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “Takfirism and Islamophobia: Two Sides of the Same Coin.” Crescent International (July 2017).

Azwer, Alhaj A.H.M. “Islam’s Tolerance and Justice Equal to All.” Ceylon Today (June 29, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “US Military Actively Training White Supremacist Terrorists.” Shafaqna (July 1, 2017).

Morrow, John Andrew. “US Military Actively Training White Supremacist Terrorists.” Veterans Today (June 28, 2017).

Upton, Charles, and John Andrew Morrow. “Templar Resonances: Part 2.” Knight Templar (July 2017).

7} Last but not least, 7th century Covenant of the Prophet was reportedly rediscovered in Mar Bahman in northern Iraq. Miraculously, it survived the attacks of both ISIS and the US.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow
Medium (December 23, 2017)

By Barbara Castleton

Even with so much information bombarding every one of us all day every day, it is still a rare moment when we can legitimately stop and say, “Wow! I didn’t know that!” Such was my reaction when a co-author and friend, Dr. John A Morrow asked me to review his book “The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of His Time” pre-publication. A rigorously researched book, The Covenants .. details documents composed by the Prophet Muhammad in the early days of his caliphate which granted unheard of rights to non-Muslims, including Christians and Jews.

Wait! Aren’t we told almost daily that Muslims despise these two groups? Certainly, some may think so, either out of true belief or politically driven agendas, but just as our plantation-owning southern forefathers thought slavery was a condition approved by God and promoted in the Bible, the modern reigning view of Islam has a not a few fallacious quirks as well.

As much as Muhammad was the prophet of God and the receiver of divine instruction, he was also the soul and architect of the Islamic state, or Ummah, a body of influence, culture, religious strength, and expansion that had more to do with acculturation than subjugation. His connections with the ultimate wisdom enabled him to see both the societies of the Middle East and beyond with clarity and pragmatism, but also to construct a vision of what steps would produce a society in which all were safe and received in brotherhood. Says Morrow, “ A visionary long-term planner, the Prophet understood that the spread of Islam could take centuries. What he sought to create were the conditions under which the seeds of Islam could be planted and watered, thus enabling Muslim seeds to sprout, grow, and spread. If a population preferred to remain heathen, Christian or Jewish, they were entitled to do so as long as they entered into a covenant with the Islamic State as protected people.”

It began with the Constitution of Medina, one of the first governmental texts of its kind. Muhammad and around 75 disciples and family members were invited to Medina to be a catalyst for peace and civility within a conflicted population. Composed within months of his arrival in Yathrib (Medina), in 622 CE, the Constitution detailed an explicit administrative and governmental structure and specific rights and benefits of all citizens, including, “To the Jew who follows us belong help and equality. He shall not be wronged nor shall his enemies be aided.”

Al-Waqidi, a historian writing 200 years after the fact, explains that “ …when the Messenger of God arrived in Medina, the Jews, all of them, were reconciled with him, and he wrote an agreement between him and them. The Prophet attached every tribe with its confederates and established a protection between himself and them. He stipulated conditions to them, among which it was stipulated that they would not help any enemy against him.” In addition to this, the Constitution of Medina drew up laws that took the Ummah, the Islamic nation state, from a mere theocracy, or even a strictly political entity, into a social construction that had never before been attempted, a hybrid state in which a benign umbrella was spread over all, regardless of whether they were Muslim, Christian, Sabean, or Jew, all monotheists in the Abrahamic tradition.

As Islam spread among the people of Yathrib and the Arabian Peninsula, the Prophet went further, reaching out to multiple communities with an eye to achieving a mutually beneficial relationship. Two of the first recipients were the Christian community in Najran, in what is now the southern part of Saudi Arabia, and strangely, the monks who occupied the Monastery of St. Catherine, located far away at the base of Mount Sinai.

Abbey of St. Catherine — Mount Sinai

Tradition as well as ancient religious writings place Muhammad on the Sinai in his early years, accompanying his uncle on caravans that took them far and wide. It is said that the abbot of the monastery spotted an eagle circling young Muhammad’s head as the cleric looked down from the abbey’s heights. He prophesied that the young man would become a great leader, and when, in fact, that is what happened, the leadership of the monastery asked the Prophet Muhammad to honor their long-term relationship. The resulting covenant, signed with Muhammad’s palm print, served to to protect the abbey, the monks, the service workers, and all the physical structures as long as the “sea wets the shells.”

The covenants laid out a system of behavior, rights, privileges, and expectations for both parties, the Islamic state and its Muslim adherents, and other members of the community. Prime among these was the ongoing respect and protection of the religious institutions of the non-Muslim citizens. In document after document, the same phrases appear, anchoring these concepts. In the Covenant with the Monks from the Monastery of Saint Catherine, written in 2 AH, or 624 CE, the dictated treaty stipulates, “ No bishop is to be driven out of his bishopric. No monk is to be expelled from his monastery. No changes will be made with regards to their rights and sovereignty or anything in their possession provided that they remain friendly [towards Islam and Muslims]. They will reform the rights incumbent on them. They will not be oppressed nor will they oppress.” The Covenant with the Christians of Najran echoes these ideas, “To the Christians of Najran and its neighboring territories, God’s protection and the pledge of His Prophet extend to their lives, their religion, and their property. It applies to those who are present as well as those who are absent. There shall be no interference with the practice of their faith or their religious observances. There will be no change to their rights and privileges. No bishop shall be removed from his bishopric; no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his parish. They shall all continue to enjoy everything they previously enjoyed great or small. No image or cross shall be destroyed. They will not oppress or be oppressed.”

Finally, in the The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, we can read, “Never should any Christian be subjected to tyranny or oppression in this matter. It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric, a monk from his monastic life, or anchorite from his vocation as a hermit. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims. Whoever does such a thing will have violated the pact of Allah, disobeyed his Messenger, and become estranged from the Divine Alliance.”

In treaty after treaty, these core promises were transcribed onto parchment and upheld, with rare exceptions, for centuries as each successive caliph honored the Prophet’s intentions by rewriting verbatim the original texts as they aged flaked, cracked, and gradually disintegrated.

Dr. Morrow has authenticated over a dozen covenants, documents written for communities that criss-crossed what was then the Islamic world, and in every one, the terms resonated with acceptance, community, and tolerance. Just a portion of the covenants researched and verified include:

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Assyrian Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Persia
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Armenian Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Jews of Maqna
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Yemenite Jews
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Zoroastrians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Coptic Christians of Egypt
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Syriac Orthodox Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Samaritans
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Zoroastrians

John Morrow believes in and has launched a campaign to promote the idea that it is incumbent upon Muslims to adhere to the divinely composed wishes laid down by the Prophet Muhammad. This Covenant Initiative asks that members of all sects of Islam sign off on a declaration which says, “We the undersigned hold ourselves bound by the spirit and the letter of the covenants of the Prophet Muhammad…with the Christians of the world, in the understanding that these covenants, if accepted as genuine, have the force of law in the shariah today and that nothing in the shariah, as traditionally and correctly interpreted, has ever contradicted them.” The declaration, mirroring the intention of the covenants themselves, continues, specifically seeking to rebuild the bridge first outlined by the Prophet Muhammad between all the major monotheistic religions.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow
Por Barbara Castleton
Shafaqna
SHAFAQNA –

Según la tradición judía y cristiana, mil años después de Abraham el pueblo judío fue esclavizado y pasó a estar en perpetua servidumbre en Egipto antes de ser conducido a la libertad por Moisés. En su épico viaje a Palestina, Moisés se detuvo en los alrededores del Monte Sinaí. Fue en su cumbre que Moisés recibió de Dios una serie de convenios o leyes, grabados en tablillas de arcilla. Esos 10 mandamientos se convirtieron en el fundamento de una existencia moral.

Más de 1000 años después, en el 2 H. o 624 C., el Profeta Muhammad escribió y otorgó un pacto de otro tipo a los monjes en el Monasterio de Santa Catalina, una abadía cristiana con 60 años de antigüedad en la base del Monte Sinaí. El mismo no ordenaba a los destinatarios honrar a su madre y padre o desistir en la creación de ídolos sino que, algo sin precedentes en los anales de la historia, prometía proteger a los monjes cristianos y residentes de la región de incursiones y ataques o de asaltos al sitio de peregrinación cristiana. El Profeta Muhammad juró proteger a cada uno y todos los monjes en donde sea. Además, se comprometió a permitir que los habitantes tuviesen la religión de su elección. Las palabras manuscritas sobre pergamino, firmado con la impresión de la mano del Profeta, comprometía a la nación islámica honrar esas promesas de manera permanente y “hasta el día del juicio y el fin del mundo”.

Presentación del Dr. John A. Morrow en Seattle (Estado de Washington) – Diciembre de 2017

El Dr. John A. Morrow, académico, investigador, erudito, profesor, miembro y activista de la comunidad canadiense Métis, se convirtió al Islam a los 16 años mientras estudiaba en la escuela secundaria en su país natal. Aún adolescente, persistió en la abundante investigación bibliográfica del Islam y se encontró con un texto del siglo XVIII escrito por Richard Pococke que describe y traduce partes del Tratado que el Profeta Muhammad redactó con los monjes del Monte Sinaí.

En un apartado del documento se lee: ” Cada vez que los monjes en sus viajes se instalen sobre cualquier montaña, colina, pueblo u otro lugar habitable, (se encuentren) en el mar, o en los desiertos o en cualquier convento, iglesia o casa de oración, yo estaré en medio de ellos, como protector y cuidador de ellos, de sus bienes y efectos, con mi alma, ayuda y amparo……”. Estos sentimientos y otros parecidos daban basamento firme a las enseñanzas del Islam y a la compasión de la que está imbuido.

Luego de treinta años de investigaciones, varios grados académicos y docenas de publicaciones, el Dr. Morrow da a conocer “Los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo”. Esta obra revoluciona el mundo islámico y cristiano. Intencionalmente o no, el tratado con los monjes del Monte Sinaí y más de una docena de documentos similares pasaron al olvido durante siglos y quedaron archivados entre miles de otros documentos en distintas bibliotecas, dispersos por Europa y Medio Oriente. Con su extravío virtual, se perdía un mensaje de paz, inclusión y tolerancia.

“Nada tendrán que temer ni se afligirán”. Este versículo del Sagrado Corán (2:62) se refiere a todos los monoteístas del tiempo del Profeta, es decir, los judíos, cristianos y sabeos. Y promete que si estos grupos actúan con justicia y creen en un Dios como los musulmanes, estarán protegidos. La revelación divina citada ―(Corán, 2:62)― transmitida por Dios al Profeta Muhammad, garantiza un futuro de unidad y de seguridad. Sin embargo, como una característica esencial de sus esfuerzos en la construcción de la nación, el Profeta Muhammad fue incluso más allá por medio de generar documentos a favor de grandes poblaciones. Estas quedaban protegidas bajo las normas islámicas en tanto “el mar mojase las conchas en la playa”.

Gracias a estos pactos, recientemente analizados por el Dr. Morrow, los musulmanes cuentan ahora con un recurso religioso adicional rigurosamente autenticado —un preciso Ashtiname—, es decir, cartas de paz o acuerdos literales del Profeta. A través del dictado y la diplomacia, Muhammad dio lugar a tratados con la mayor parte de las comunidades religiosas en la península arábiga y otros lugares. Algunos de los pactos más importantes son:

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Monjes de Monte Sinai.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos de Najran.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo (I).

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo (II).

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos Asirios.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos de Persia.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos Armenios.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Judíos de Maqna.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Judíos Yemenitas.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Zoroastrianos.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos Coptos de Egipto.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos Siriacos Ortodoxos.

Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Samaritanos. 

En pocos años, la Ummah o nación islámica se expandió ampliamente y gradualmente incluyó territorios y pueblos de distintos grupos. El Dr. Morrow sugiere en su libro que «el Profeta era un visionario planificador a largo plazo que entendía que la propagación del Islam podía tomar siglos. Entonces intentó crear las condiciones en las que se podrían plantar y regar las semillas del Islam, de modo que los musulmanes las hiciesen germinar, crecer y reproducirse. Si una población prefería seguir siendo pagana, cristiana o judía, tenía derecho a ello en tanto acordaran con el estado islámico ser personas protegidas». Así, en lugar de iniciar un conflicto con las poblaciones con las que, en gran medida, se había vivido en armonía durante generaciones, Muhammad decidió asegurarse que se siguieran sintiendo parte de la comunidad mediante un apoyo mutuo determinado. De ese modo tendrían su protección y luego el de la Nación Islámica y su sucesores o califas designados.

Además de dar protección, estos pactos vedan ciertas acciones,  prohibiéndose a los musulmanes llevarlas a cabo. Los derechos y privilegios concedidos a los cristianos de Najran ― esta localidad se ubicaba en lo que hoy es el sur de Arabia Saudita, donde el cristianismo echó raíces en el siglo IV― se reflejan en la mayoría de los demás tratados:

“La promesa de protección del Profeta de Dios a los cristianos de Najaran y territorios aledaños, abarca sus vidas, su religión y sus bienes. Se aplica a los presentes y a los ausentes. Nadie interferirá en las prácticas de su fe o celebraciones religiosas. Nada modificará sus derechos y privilegios. Ningún obispo será expulsado de su obispado, ningún monje de su monasterio y ningún sacerdote de su parroquia. Todos seguirán gozando de las cosas que gozaban antes, grandes o pequeñas. Ninguna imagen o cruz será destruida. No oprimirán ni serán oprimidos” (Nota del traductor: esta es una de las versiones existente de dicho tratado).

En un lugar y tiempo donde la religión y creencias paganas eran factor importante de conflictos y guerras casi perpetua, los pactos del Profeta Muhammad proporcionaron un paraguas de seguridad y libertad para cientos de comunidades. En los pactos escritos para comunidades heterogéneas ―a diferencia del celebrado con los monjes del Monasterio del Monte Sinaí, donde solo había hombres― Muhammad añadido derechos previamente desconocidos para las mujeres:

“Los cristianos no deben ser sometidos a abusos que les hagan sufrir por medio de matrimonios que no desean. Los musulmanes no deben tomar a niñas cristianas en matrimonio contra la voluntad de sus padres ni deben oprimir a sus familias en caso de que rechazaran sus ofertas de compromiso y matrimonio. Los matrimonios no deben tener lugar sin su deseo y acuerdo y sin su consentimiento y aprobación. Si un musulmán toma a una mujer cristiana como esposa, debe respetar sus creencias cristianas. Ella tendrá libertad de escuchar a sus superiores [a sus clérigos] y seguir el camino de su religión en tanto lo desee”.

El Dr. Morrow, al sacar nuevamente a la luz los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad en una época que necesita desesperadamente modelos de tolerancia, compasión y unión comunitaria, espera llegar a los musulmanes que desconocerían el trabajo en perspectiva del Profeta así como a los cristianos que posiblemente estén muy influenciados por la parcialidad de los medios de comunicación. Invitado a hablar en conferencias, iglesias, mezquitas e instituciones, desde Dubai a California, el Dr. Morrow busca restaurar la trayectoria del liderazgo benevolente instituido por el profeta Muhammad hace más de 1400 años. 

Barbara Castleton, con el grado de Master of Arts o Maestría en Humanidades, es profesora de inglés en el Colegio South de Seattle. Es coautora de “Arabic, Islam, and the Allah Lexicon: How Language Shapes Our Conception of God” y ha publicado diversos artículos sobre sociolingüística árabe en revistas especializadas.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow

By Barbara Castleton

Source: IslamiCity

Dec 23, 2017

Category: Faith & Spirituality, Featured, Highlights Topics: Christianity And Judaism, Covenants Of The Prophet, Interfaith Values: Tolerance

According to Jewish and Christian tradition, a thousand years after Abraham, the Jewish people were slaves, locked in perpetual servitude in Egypt before being led to freedom by Moses. On their epic trek to Palestine, Moses broke the journey in the area around Mount Sinai. It was at its peak that Moses received from God a set of covenants, or laws, etched into clay tablets. These 10 Commandments became the foundation for a moral existence.

Over 1000 years later, in 2 AH or 624 CE, the Prophet Muhammad wrote and granted a different covenant to the monks at the Monastery of St. Catherine, a 60-year-old Christian abbey at the base of Mount Sinai. Though not commanding the recipients to honor their mother and father or desist in the creation of idols, the covenant from the Prophet Muhammad did something unheard of in the annals of history — it promised to protect the Christian monks and residents of the region from any incursions, attacks, or efforts to take over the Christian pilgrimage site. It swore to protect the monks singularly and as a group wherever they were. Further, the contract vowed to allow all inhabitants to keep the religion of their choice. The handwritten words on parchment, signed with the Prophet’s hand-print bound the Islamic nation to honor these promises “for all time, even unto the Day of Judgment and the end of the world.”

Dr. John A. Morrow, academic, researcher, scholar, teacher, a member of the Canadian Métis community, and an activist, converted to Islam at the age of 16, while a high school student in his native Canada. Still a teen, Morrow continued to research Islam through dozens of texts, and he came across an 18th-century text written by Richard Pococke which described and translated parts of the treaty the Prophet Muhammad had initiated with the Monks of Mount Sinai.

In one section of the document, the text reads, “That whenever any of the monks in his travels shall happen to settle upon any mountain, hill, village, or other habitable place, on the sea, or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid, and protection…” These sentiments and others like them anchored Morrow’s attachment to the demonstrated compassion and teachings of Islam.

Thirty years, several academic degrees, and dozens of publications later, Dr. Morrow’s most recent work, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of His Time, is shaking up both the Islamic and Christian worlds. Whether intentionally or circumstantially, the treaty with the monks of Mt. Sinai and over a dozen other, similar documents, had receded from religious consciousness over the centuries and were squirreled away amid thousands of other papers in libraries scattered around Europe and the Middle East. With their virtual burial, a message of peace, inclusiveness, and tolerance was lost.

“No fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve.” This verse from the Holy Qur’an (2:62) refers to all the monotheists of the Prophet’s time, Jews, Christians, and Sabeans, and promises that these groups, being righteous in action, and aligned with Muslims in their belief in one God, would be protected. The above divine revelation, an edict transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad from God, guaranteed a future of unity and safety. Nevertheless, as an essential feature of his nation-building efforts, the Prophet Muhammad went even further, creating documents meant to serve vast populations living under Islamic rule as long as “the sea wets the shells on the shore.”

Due to those covenants, newly explored by Dr. Morrow, Muslims now have an additional rigorously authenticated religious resource — the detailed Ashtiname — peace letters or covenants spoken by the Prophet and written down verbatim. Through dictation and diplomacy, the Muhammad formulated treaties with most of the religious communities on the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. Some of the major covenants include:

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Najran
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World I
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World II
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Assyrian Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Persia
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Armenian Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Jews of Maqna
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Yemenite Jews
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Zoroastrians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Coptic Christians of Egypt
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Syriac Orthodox Christians
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Samaritans
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Zoroastrians

Over just a few years, the Islamic Ummah, or nation, expanded widely, until it gradually encompassed territory that included peoples of various sects. As Dr. Morrow suggests in his book, “A visionary long-term planner, the Prophet understood that the spread of Islam could take centuries. What he sought to create were the conditions under which the seeds of Islam could be planted and watered, thus enabling Muslim seeds to sprout, grow, and spread. If a population preferred to remain heathen, Christian or Jewish, they were entitled to do so as long as they entered into a covenant with the Islamic State as protected people.” Thus, rather than initiate any conflict with those populations, groups who had largely lived in harmony for generations, Muhammad resolved to ensure that they continued to feel connected and protected by detailing the mutuality of the support each provided, first from the Prophet, the Islamic Nation, and his designated successors or caliphs, and then from the group specified in the treaty.

Beyond protection, these covenants outlined forbidden actions, that is acts which the Muslims in these areas were prohibited from initiating. The rights and privileges granted to the Christians of Najran, a place in what is now southern Saudi Arabia where Christianity took root in the 4th century, are mirrored in most of the other treaties as well:

“To the Christians of Najran and its neighboring territories, God’s protection and the pledge of His Prophet extend to their lives, their religion, and their property. It applies to those who are present as well as those who are absent. There shall be no interference with the practice of their faith or their religious observances. There will be no change to their rights and privileges. No bishop shall be removed from his bishopric; no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his parish. They shall all continue to enjoy everything they previously enjoyed great or small. No image or cross shall be destroyed. They will not oppress or be oppressed.”

In a place and time where religion and pagan beliefs were a major driver of conflict and almost perpetual warfare, the covenants of the Prophet Muhammad provided an umbrella of safety and freedom for hundreds of communities. In covenants written for general societies, unlike the abbey on Mount Sinai which was an exclusively male population, Muhammad added previously unheard-of rights for women:

“Christians must not be subjected to suffer, by abuse, on the subject of marriages which they do not desire. Muslims should not take Christian girls in marriage against the will of their parents nor should they oppress their families in the event that they refused their offers of engagement and marriage. Such marriages should not take place without their desire and agreement and without their approval and consent. If a Muslim takes a Christian woman as a wife, he must respect her Christian beliefs. He will give her freedom to listen to her [clerical] superiors as she desires and to follow the path of her own religion.”

By bringing the Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to light in an age that sorely needs models of tolerance, compassion, and community, Dr. Morrow hopes to reach and influence Muslims who may not be aware of the more global and far-reaching intentions of the Prophet and Christians who may have relied too heavily on the one-faceted view of Islam promulgated by the media. Invited to speak at conferences, churches, mosques, and institutions from Dubai to California, Dr. Morrow seeks to restore the trajectory of benevolent statecraft instituted by the Prophet Muhammed over 1400 years ago.

Barbara Castleton, MA, is a professor of English at South Seattle College. She is the co-author of Arabic, Islam, and the Allah Lexicon: How Language Shapes Our Conception of God and has published several articles on Arabic sociolinguistics in peer-reviewed journals.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow
By Dr. John Andrew Morrow

SHAFAQNA – (Presented at the St. Luke Church in Renton, Washington, USA, on Saturday, December 9, 2017)

In the Name of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, the Lord of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace be upon all the prophets, messengers, and friends of God.

I would like to welcome you to this gathering focused on “Achieving a Better Understanding of the Other.” I come in peace seeking peace in the hope of building bridges of understanding between Muslims and the People of the Book for the sake of this planet and humanity.

I would like to thank Sister Zahra Abidi, the Executive Director of Roots of Conflict, for organizing this important event. Islam, true Islam, has a long tradition of powerful women: women with spiritual might and women with political clout: Asiyyah, the wife of Pharoah; Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Khadijah, the pillar of Muhammad; Fatimah, the wife of ‘Ali, and Mother of the Imams; Zaynab, the sister of Husayn, the Lord of the Martyrs; Hamidah, the wife of Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, and Narjis, the Mother of Imam al-Mahdi, the Savior of Humanity who, along with Jesus, will ride the world from corruption and exploitation and establish a global government of peace and justice.So, I commend Sister Zahra for her initiative and call upon the Muslim community, as a whole, and the Shiite community, in particular, to support her efforts. It is not true that only scholars can lead: leaders are those who should lead. Some scholars should just focus on leading prayers.

I would also like to thank our friends and allies from St. Luke’s Church and St. Mark’s Cathedral for hosting this event. I would also like to thank Sheikh Noor-uddin, a respected scholar, for sharing the podium with me this evening. God-willing, he will be providing you with some important insights on the origin and early development of Islam. By the grace of God, I begin:

“No fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve” (2:62). Such are the words of the Qur’an. Such are the words that were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel, peace and blessings be upon them both. Such is the attitude of Islam, true Islam, towards the People of the Book. Allow me to place this line of verse in its broader context. As Almighty Allah states in the Glorious Qur’an:

Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. No fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve. (2:62)

The verse in question is clear. It establishes that all monotheists who do good deeds will ultimately attain salvation: they have nothing to fear. As Almighty Allah elucidates in the Glorious Qur’an:

For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. (5:48)

We, believers in One God, whether we are Jews, Samaritans, Christians, Muslims, Sabeans, Zoroastrians, Brahmans, or monotheistic members of the First Nations, have theological differences. Big deal. Get over it. Almighty Allah Himself (or Herself if you prefer) explicitly expresses opposition to uniformity. The Creator espouses unity within diversity. Rather than fight over petty religious differences, God challenges us to “compete with each other in righteousness” (5:48). As Almighty Allah explains once again:

O mankind [my apologies for the gender-centric translation]… O humankind, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing, and All-Aware. (49:13)

Differences enrich us. Homogeneity is boring. Rather than focus on areas of disagreement, Almighty Allah asks us to concentrate on areas of agreement:

Say: We believe in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. We believe in what given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit” (3:84)

In other words, Allah asks us to seek common ground with the People of the Book:

O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah. (3:64)

Although there is little common ground between monotheists, polytheists, and atheists in theological matters, there are areas of agreement in ethical and moral areas. Consequently, Allah encourages Muslims to adopt a tolerant attitude towards those who do not share their beliefs. As Almighty Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an: “To you your religion and to me mine” (109:6).

As far as Islam is concerned, nobody has a monopoly on truth. We should all respect the elements of true found in different religious traditions. Did not the Prophet ask Muslims to “Travel, for even if you don’t gain wealth, you will certainly gain wisdom” (Makarim al-Akhlaq). In other words, we must be open-minded and learn from others.

Whether people believe or disbelieve, they are all human beings. As Imam ‘Ali, the successor of the Prophet, peace be upon them both, said: “People are of two kinds, either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity.” Our religions may or may not unite us; however, our humanity can and should bring us together. Islam’s mercy and tolerance extends even to agnostics and atheists. As Imam Husayn, the grand-son of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon them both, said on the Day of ‘Ashurah: “If you do not have a religion, then at least be free and open-minded in your present life.”

Yes, I know, this sounds too lovie-dovie to some of you. It sure stands in stark contrast to the teachings of ISIS. Yes, indeed, it’s day and night, white and black, God versus Satan. It’s like comparing Christ to Slavery, Christ to Segregation, Christ to the Klan, and Christ to colonialism, imperialism, and globalism. Just like there are demonic entities that have exploited Judaism and Christianity to political purposes, perverting their teachings to turn them into tools of oppression and exploitation, so have some diabolic forces corrupted the teachings of Islam for the most sordid of reasons.  Please allow me to give you a short history of Islam: the enemies of the Prophet Muhammad, those who fought and opposed him savagely during his lifetime, usurped the spiritual and political authority of his successors, and turned Islam into an imperial dynasty.

The Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids ruthlessly hunted down the descendants of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and slaughtered them like the innocent lambs that they were. The enemies of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, did not simply kill the Progeny of the Prophet, they killed Islam in the process. They destroyed it from within. Truth became mingled with falsehood but, as Almighty Allah states in the Glorious Qur’an: “Truth stands clear from falsehood” (2:256). So, let us talk a bit about the Covenants of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and see what true Muhammadan Islam teaches.

In accordance with the Qur’an, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, consulted with the community in Madinah. He met with tribal and faith leaders. He deliberated with them. Then, under his leadership, but in collaboration with non-Muslims, he created and promulgated the Covenant of Madinah, the first constitution in the history of humanity which provided equality for all, regardless of religion, tribe, race, gender or social class. “They are one community [or ummah],” proclaims the Covenant of Madinah: “conditions must be fair and equitable to all.” Jews, Muslims, polytheists all had to contribute equally to the defense of the Ummah.

The religious rights of the People of the Book were protected: “The Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs.” “To the Jew who follows us belong help and equality,” it proclaims, “he shall not be wronged, nor his enemies aided.” Muslims were even obliged to protect and defend the allies of the Jews: “The close friends of the Jews are as themselves.”

The enemies of the Ummah, namely, the pagans from Quraysh, who persecuted the Muslims and non-Muslims who followed the Prophet, the Muslims and non-Muslims who followed the Prophet, were to be given no protection. All members of the Ummah were bond “to make peace and maintain it.” However, in the event they were attacked by their common enemies, they were all required to rally in defense of it.

The Covenant of Madinah established the rule of law among a lawless people: “Whenever you differ about a matter it must be referred to Allah and to Muhammad.” The teachings of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, became the law of the land, governing their respective communities. The Prophet was to oversee their implementation impartially. He was the final arbiter.

Word of the Prophet Muhammad’s rise continued to spread to the four corners of the world. In the second year of the hijrah, a delegation of monks from St. Catherine’s Monastery visited him in Madinah where they reminded him of his promise of protection. There, in his mosque in Madinah, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, dictated to ‘Ali the ‘ahd al-nabi, the ‘ahd nabawi, the ashtinameh, the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai, which guaranteed freedom of religion, protected religious establishments, granted tax-free status to priests, monks, and nuns, and prohibited forced conversions.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, provided the same protections to the People of the Book throughout the Greater Middle East. He protected the Christians of Najran, Aylah, Egypt, Syria, Persia, Armenia, and the world. He protected the Samaritans in Palestine. He protected the Jews from the Yemen and Maqnah. He also protected the Zoroastrians.

The authenticity of Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the People of the Book is documents is indisputable. They have been transmitted consecutively from the 7th century to the present. Hundreds upon hundreds of scholarly authorities have concluded that they are genuine. What is more, they were treated as authentic and established as law by Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali, by the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, the Ottomans, and the Safavids, among others. So, what do these documents say? They are quite lengthy, and time is of the essence. Allow me then to provide you with some key quotes for the sake of clarity and concision.

The Treaty of Najran, which appears in the Tafsir of Muqatil ibn Sulayman al-Balkhi (d. 767 CE), the Kitab al-kharaj of Abu Yusuf (738-798 CE), the Kitab al-Siyar of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (d. 805 CE), the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa‘d (845 CE), and the Kitab al-Amwal of Ibn Zanjawayh (d. 865 CE), reads: “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his priestly vocation.”

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Najran, the original of which was found in the House of Wisdom in 878/879 CE, and entered the Chronicle of Seert in the 9th century, reads: It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric, a monk from his monastic life or an anchorite from his vocation as a hermit. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims.

The Treaty of Najran, cited in Baladhuri’s (d.  892 CE) Kitab Futuh al-Buldan, reads: “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no hermit from his hermitage.” The Treaty of Najran, which was recorded by Ibn Qayyim, prior to 1350 CE, is very similar to the version published by Ibn Sa‘d in the 9th century. It reads: “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his priestly vocation. No changes will be made with regards to their rights.”

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai which was placed in the Ottoman Treasury in 1517 CE, reads:

A bishop shall not be removed from his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a hermit from his tower, nor shall a pilgrim be hindered from his pilgrimage. Moreover, no building from among their churches shall be destroyed, nor shall the money from their churches be used for the building of mosques or houses for the Muslims.

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, which was recorded in 1538 CE, reads:

It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric or a Christian from his Christianity, a monk from his monastic life or a pilgrim from his pilgrimage or a hermit from his tower. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims.

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, which was printed in 1630 CE, reads:

It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric or a Christian from his Christianity, a monk from his monastic life or a pilgrim from his pilgrimage or a hermit from his tower. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims.

Although no Arabic version of the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Persia is currently known to exist, it also contains a very similar clause:

Their building enterprises shall not be interfered with; their priests shall not be molested in the performance of their task… neither shall their churches be dismantled or destroyed, or their homes and mansions confiscated by Muslims, for mosques or residences…

And while a Persian version of the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Assyrian Christians survives, the Arabic is apparently no longer extant. Nonetheless, it conveys the same key components:

Leave their possessions alone, be it houses or other property, do no destroy anything of their belongings… their church buildings shall be left as they are, they shall not be altered, their priests shall be permitted to teach and worship in their down way… None of their churches are to be torn down, or altered into a mosque…

Enough with the repetition, you may think. However, its purpose is didactic. There are those who claim that the Covenants of the Prophet are 16thcentury forgeries. When that was proven to be false, they claimed that they were 10th century forgeries. However, even that has been proven to be false.

I am sorry to disappoint Islamophobic trolls, who refuse to believe that any good could come from the Prophet or Islam; however, the Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad were circulating in the 9th century, the 8th century, and yes, even the 7th century. They are what we call in Hadith Studies:mutawatir, transmitted by so many people, for so long, from the 7th century to the 21st century, that it is impossible to accept that they all agreed upon a falsehood.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, never said: “Follow the Qur’an and only the Qur’an.” No, he told us to hold fast to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt (Muslim). He told us to follow his Sunnah but only as transmitted and interpreted by his authorized representatives, the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt and their faithful followers.

A text has no life of its own. It is inert. It comes alive when it is read and interpreted. The Qur’an, on its own, in the hands of evil-ones, can become an instrument of evil. Just look at the way ISIS interprets the Qur’an. They turn the Qur’an into a Satanic Scripture just like white supremacists turn the Bible into the work of Beelzebub.

As al-Sharif Ahmad ibn Muhammad Sa‘d al-Hasani al-Idrisi al-Azhari, the Founder of the Ihsan Institute and a distinguished graduate from al-Azhar University, has stated, the Covenants of the Prophet “serve to clarify the true meanings of the verses of the Qur’an.” La yakfi al-Qur’an. The Qur’an does not suffice. We must follow the Qur’an and the Prophet. We must follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

We must follow the true Sunnah as transmitted by the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. And who transmitted the Covenants of the Prophet? None other than Imam ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. If we, as Muslims, hold on to the Qur’an and the Covenants of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon his and his purified progeny, we will never go astray.

Islam, true Islam, traditional, civilizational Islam, balances justice with mercy. It creates a tolerant, pluralistic, society, governed by the rule of law, which provides equality and equity for all its citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, gender, social class or economic status.

The Qur’an, the Sunnah, the Shari‘ah, the Constitution of Madinah, and the Covenants of the Prophet, the Imams, the Caliphs, the Sultans, and the Shahs of Islam all provide fundamental and universal civil and human rights. The Islam of the Prophet and the Islam of the Imams, peace and blessings be upon them all, provides safety and security for both Muslims and non-Muslims. As Almighty Allah commands in the Glorious Qur’an: “No fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve” (2:62).

Dr. John Andrew Morrow (Imam Ilyas Islam) is a proud member of the Métis Nation, one of the three aboriginal peoples recognized by the Canadian government. He embraced Islam at the age of 16 after several years of serious study. He has been a student of the Islamic Sciences for over thirty years and has acquired knowledge around the world. His teachers have included traditional scholars of Islam from various schools of jurisprudence and spiritual paths as well as Western academics. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto at the age of 29 and reached the rank of Full Professor by the age of 43. He retired from academia in 2016 to devote his time entirely to research, scholarship, and service. Dr. Morrow has authored hundreds of academic articles and over thirty scholarly books, the most influential of which is The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World (2013). He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Islam and the People of the Book, a three-volume encyclopedia on the Muhammadan Covenants which features critical studies by over twenty leading Muslim scholars along with translations of the treaties of the Prophet in over a dozen languages. Dr. Morrow received an interfaith leadership award from the Islamic Society of North America in 2016 and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the US House of Representatives in 2017. An award winning academic, author, and activist, he lectures around the world and acts as an advisor to world leaders.

Uncategorized by drjamorrow
Por: Dr. John Andrew Morrow

SHAFAQNA – (Presentado en la Iglesia San Lucas en Renton, Washington, EE. UU. el sábado 9 de diciembre de 2017)

En el Nombre de Dios, el Creador y Sustentador del Universo, el Señor de Abraham, Moisés, Jesús y Muhammad. Alabado sea Dios el Señor de los Mundos y la paz sea con todos los profetas, mensajeros y amigos de Dios.

Les doy la bienvenida a este encuentro centrado en “El Logro de una Mejor Comprensión del Otro”. Vengo en paz y busco la paz con la esperanza de construir puentes de entendimiento entre los musulmanes y la Gente del Libro por el bien de este planeta y la humanidad.

Quiero agradecer a la hermana Zahra Abidi, Director Ejecutivo de “Raíces de los Enfrentamientos”, por la organización de este importante evento. El Islam, el verdadero Islam, tiene una larga tradición de mujeres de peso: mujeres dotadas de una gran espiritualidad, capacidad de trabajo por el bien común e influencia política. Entre ellas encontramos a Asiyah, la esposa del Faraón (Ramsés II); María, la Madre de Jesús; Jadiya, la sostenedora de Muhammad; Fátima, la esposa del Imam ‘Ali y la madre de los Imames; Zaynab, la hermana del Imam Husein, el Señor de los Mártires; Hamida, la esposa del Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq y Nargis, la madre del Imam al-Mahdi, el Salvador de la Humanidad, quien junto con Jesús terminarán con la corrupción y explotación en el mundo y establecerán un gobierno mundial de paz y justicia. Por lo tanto, elogio a la hermana Zahra por su iniciativa y su llamamiento a la comunidad musulmana en general y a la shiita en particular, para que apoyen sus esfuerzos. No es cierto que solo los eruditos pueden conducir sino que son quienes deberían hacerlo. Algunos estudiosos deberían enfocarse en dirigir las oraciones.

También quiero agradecer a nuestros amigos y aliados de la iglesia de San Lucas y de la Catedral de San Marcos por dar acogida a este evento. Y al Sheikh Noor-uddin, respetado erudito, por compartir el podio conmigo esta noche. Dios mediante, nos proporcionará algunas ideas importantes sobre el origen y desarrollo temprano del Islam. Por la gracia de Dios, doy inicio a la conferencia.

“Nada tendrán que temer ni se afligirán” (2:62). Tales son las palabras del Corán. Tales son las palabras que fueron reveladas al Profeta Muhammad por el Arcángel Gabriel ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con ellos―. Tal es la actitud del Islam ―el Islam verdadero― hacia la Gente del Libro. Pondré lo manifestado del versículo mencionado en un contexto más amplio, citándolo completo:

Los creyentes, los judíos, los cristianos, los sabeos, quienes crean en Dios y en el Último Día y obren bien, esos tendrán su recompensa junto a su Señor. Nada tendrán que temer ni se afligirán (2:62).  

La cita coránica es clara. Establece que todos los monoteístas que hacen buenas obras alcanzarán en última instancia la salvación: nada tienen que temer. Aclara Dios Todopoderoso en el Corán:

…. A cada uno os hemos dado una norma y una vía. Dios, si hubiera querido, habría hecho de vosotros una sola comunidad, pero quería probaros en lo que os dio. (Los ha hecho como son). ¡Rivalizad en buenas obras! Todos volveréis a Dios. Ya os informará Él de aquello en que discrepabais (5:48). 

Nosotros, los creyentes en Dios Uno, seamos judíos, samaritanos, cristianos, musulmanes, sabeos, zoroastrianos, brahmanes o monoteístas miembros de las naciones originarias, tenemos diferencias teológicas. Algo importante, pero no dramaticemos y superémoslas. Dios Todopoderoso (o Él si lo prefieren) manifiesta explícitamente que se opone a la uniformidad. El Creador propugna la unidad en la diversidad. Antes que pelear por mezquinas diferencias religiosas, Dios nos reta a “rivalizar en buenas obras” (5:48). Dios Todopoderoso explica una vez más:

¡Hombres! [pido disculpa por la traducción centrada en el género]… ¡Oh humanidad! Os hemos creado de un varón y de una hembra y hemos hecho de vosotros pueblos y tribus, para que conozcáis unos a otros. Para Dios, el más noble de entre vosotros es el que más Le teme. Dios es omnisciente, está bien informado (49:13).

Las diferencias nos enriquecen en tanto que la homogeneidad o semejanza nos llega a aburrir. Seguramente a eso se debe que Dios Todopoderoso nos pide que lleguemos a acuerdos enriquecedores a partir, precisamente, de las diferencias:

Di: “Creemos en Dios  y en lo que se nos ha revelado, en lo que se ha revelado a Abraham, Ismael, Isaac, Jacob y sus descendientes. En lo que Moisés, Jesús y los profetas han recibido de su Señor. No hacemos distinción entre ninguno de ellos y nos sometemos a Él (3:84).

En otras palabras, Dios nos pide buscar un fundamento común con la Gente del Libro:

Di: “¡Gente del Libro! Convengamos en una fórmula aceptable a nosotros y a vosotros, según la cual no serviremos sino a Dios, no Le asociaremos nada y no tomaremos a nadie de entre nosotros como Señor fuera de Dios”… (3:64) 

Aunque hay poco en común entre monoteístas, politeístas y ateos en materia teológica, hay áreas de acuerdo en lo que hace a la ética y a la moral. Por lo tanto, Dios anima a los musulmanes a adoptar una actitud tolerante hacia quienes no comparten sus creencias. Dice Dios Todopoderoso en el Corán: “Vosotros tenéis vuestra religión y yo la mía” (109:6).

En cuanto al Islam se refiere, nadie tiene el monopolio de la verdad. Debemos respetar los elementos de verdad en las diferentes tradiciones religiosas. ¿No dijo acaso el Profeta a los musulmanes: “Viajen, porque aunque no obtengan riquezas sin duda obtendrán sabiduría” (Makarim al-Akhlaq). En otras palabras, debemos tener amplitud mental y aprender de los demás.

Todas las personas, crean o no, son seres humanos. Dijo el Imam ‘Ali, sucesor del Profeta (la paz sea con ellos): “Hay dos clases de personas. Tus hermanas en la fe y tus iguales en humanidad”. Nuestras religiones pueden unirnos o no. Pero nuestra humanidad puede y debe llevarnos a estar juntos. La misericordia y la tolerancia del Islam se extiende incluso a los agnósticos y ateos. Dijo el nieto del Profeta Imam Husein ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con ambos― el día de Ashura: “Si no tienes una religión por lo menos sé libre y ten amplitud mental mientras vivas”.

Ya sé que a algunos esto les puede sonar muy romántico. Seguramente ustedes están en una posición de marcado contraste con lo que “enseña” el ISIS. Sí, el contraste es el mismo que hay entre el día y la noche, entre lo blanco y lo negro, entre el bien y el mal. Es el mismo tenor de discrepancia que saltaría si se llegase a decir que Cristo apoyaría la esclavitud, la segregación, al Ku Klux Klan, al colonialismo, al imperialismo y al globalismo. Es decir, de la misma manera que hay entidades demoníacas que utilizaron el judaísmo y el cristianismo con fines políticos pervirtiendo sus enseñanzas para convertirlas en herramientas de opresión y explotación, otras fuerzas diabólicas hicieron lo mismo con el Islam.

Por favor, permítanme en este punto una breve síntesis de la historia del Islam. Los enemigos del Profeta Muhammad ―que se le opusieron y combatieron salvajemente mientras vivía― usurparon la autoridad espiritual y política de sus sucesores y convirtieron al Islam en una dinastía imperial. Los Omeyas y los Abasidas persiguieron despiadadamente a los inocentes descendientes del Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con él―, masacrándolos. Tales enemigos no solo asesinaron a la descendencia del Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con él― sino que en ese proceso destruyeron el Islam desde adentro. Se mezcló la verdad con la falsedad pero, como dice Dios Todopoderoso en el Corán, “La buena dirección se distingue claramente del descarrío” (2:256). Hablemos entonces un poco sobre los Pactos del Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean sobre él― y veamos lo que enseña el verdadero Islam, es decir, el Islam de Muhammad.

Según el Corán, el Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con él― consultaba con la comunidad en Medina. Se reunía con los líderes tribales y de la fe. Deliberaba con ellos. Luego, bajo su liderazgo pero en colaboración con los no musulmanes, creó y promulgó el Pacto de Medina, la primera Constitución en la historia de la humanidad que declara que todos son iguales como ciudadanos, independientemente de la religión, tribu, raza, género o clase social a la que se pertenezca. El Pacto de Medina proclama: “Son una comunidad [ummah]”…. las condiciones deben ser justas y equitativas para todos”. Judíos, musulmanes, politeístas, es decir, todos, tenían que contribuir igualmente a la defensa de la Ummah.

Las derechos religiosos de la Gente del Libro estaban protegidos: “Judíos y musulmanes tienen, cada uno, su religión”. La Constitución declara: “Al judío que nos acompaña le corresponde la ayuda y el trato igualitario” y “No será perjudicado ni se ayudará a sus enemigos”. Incluso los musulmanes estaban obligados a proteger y defender a los aliados de los judíos: “Los amigos cercanos de los judíos son como ellos mismos”. A los enemigos de la Ummah, es decir, los paganos de Quraish, que perseguían a los musulmanes y no musulmanes que secundaron al Profeta, no debía dárseles ningún tipo de protección. Todos los miembros de la comunidad “están obligados a hacer la paz y mantenerla”. Y en el caso de que fuesen atacados por enemigos de unos y otros, era necesario que se uniesen en la defensa de la comunidad.

El Pacto de Medina estableció el estado de derecho en un pueblo sin ley: “Si surge cualquier diferencia….. debe ser referida a Allah y a Muhammad”. Las enseñanzas de la Torah, el Evangelio y el Corán, se convirtieron en la ley de la tierra, rigiendo sus respectivas comunidades. El Profeta iba a supervisar su aplicación imparcial. Él era el árbitro final.

La palabra del Profeta Muhammad continuó propagándose a las cuatro esquinas del mundo. Una delegación de monjes del Monasterio de Santa Catalina visitó al Profeta en Medina en el segundo año de la Hégira y le recordaron su promesa de protección. Allí, en su mezquita en Medina, el Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con él― dictó a ‘Ali el ‘ahd al-nabi, el ‘ahd nabawi, el ashtinameh (el Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Monjes del Monte Sinaí), los cuales garantizaban la libertad de religión, la protección de los establecimientos religiosos, la exención de impuestos a los sacerdotes, monjes y monjas y la prohibición de las conversiones forzadas.

El Mensajero de Allah ―lo bendiga Allah y le conceda paz― proporcionó la misma protección a la Gente del Libro en todo el Gran Oriente Medio. Protegió a los cristianos de Najran, Aylah, Egipto, Siria, Persia, Armenia y el mundo. Protegió a los samaritanos en Palestina. Protegió a los judíos de Yemen y Maqnah. También protegió a los zoroastrianos.

Resulta indiscutible que la documentación que hace a los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con la Gente del Libro es auténtica. Los Pactos se transmitieron permanentemente desde el siglo VII hasta la actualidad. Centenares de autoridades académicas han concluido que son genuinos. Más aún, fueron tratados como auténticos y con carácter de ley por Abu Bakr, Omar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, los fatimíes, los ayyubíes, los otomanos, los safávidas, etc. ¿Qué dicen estos documentos? Puesto que son muy largos, veamos lo esencial de ellos por medio de citas claves, en consideración de la claridad y la síntesis.

El Tratado de Najran, que aparece en el Tafsir de Muqatil ibn Sulayman al-Balkhi († 767 C.), en el Kitab al-kharaj de Abu Yusuf (738-798 C.), en el Kitab al-Siyar de Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani († 805 C.), en el Ṭabaqat de Ibn Sa‘d (845 C.) y en el Kitab al-Amwal de Ibn Zanjawayh († 865 C.), dice: “No se permite remover a un obispo de su obispado, a un monje de su vida monástica o a un sacerdote de su vocación sacerdotal”.

El Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los cristianos de Najran, cuyo original se encontró en la Casa del Saber en 878/879 C. y se lo conoce enChronicle of Seert en el siglo IX, dice:

No se permite remover a un obispo de su obispado, a un monje de su vida monástica o a un anacoreta de su vocación de ermitaño. Tampoco está permitido destruir cualquier parte de sus iglesias, tomar parte de sus edificios para construir mezquitas o casas de musulmanes.

Leemos en el Tratado de Najran, citado en el Kitab Futuh al-Buldan de Baladhuri († 892 C.): “Ningún obispo será expulsado de su Obispado, ningún monje de su monasterio y ningún ermitaño de su ermita.” El Tratado de Najran registrado por Ibn Qayyim antes de 1350 C., es muy similar a la versión publicada por Ibn Sa‘d en el siglo IX. Allí dice: “ningún obispo será expulsado de su Obispado, ningún monje de su monasterio y ningún sacerdote de su vocación sacerdotal. Sus derechos se mantendrán inalterables”.

En el Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los monjes del Monte Sinaí, depositado en el Tesoro Otomano en 1517 C., podemos leer:

Un obispo no será removido de su obispado, ni un monje de su monasterio, ni un ermitaño de su torre, ni se dificultará a un peregrino su peregrinación. Además, no será destruida ninguna iglesia o capilla, ni lo que es propiedad de las iglesias será usado para edificar mezquitas o casas para los musulmanes.

El Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo, fechado en 1538 C., expresa:

No se permite sacar a un obispo de su obispado o a un cristiano de su cristiandad, a un monje de su vida monástica o a un peregrino de su peregrinación o a un ermitaño de su torre. Tampoco está permitido destruir cualquier parte de sus iglesias, tomar partes de sus edificios para construir mezquitas o las casas de los musulmanes.

El Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo impreso en 1630 C. dice lo mismo:

No se permite sacar a un obispo de su obispado o a un cristiano de su cristiandad, a un monje de su vida monástica o a un peregrino de su peregrinación o a un ermitaño de su torre. Tampoco está permitido destruir cualquier parte de sus iglesias, tomar partes de sus edificios para construir mezquitas o las casas de los musulmanes.

Aunque por ahora no se conoce ninguna versión en árabe del Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos de Persia, contiene una cláusula similar:

No se interferirá en sus actividades de construcción; sus sacerdotes no serán molestados en el cumplimiento de sus tareas….. Sus iglesias no serán desmanteladas o destruidas ni confiscadas sus casas y mansiones para convertirlas en mezquitas o en residencias para musulmanes….

Si bien sobrevive una versión del Pacto del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos Asirios, aparentemente ya no se conserva la versión en árabe. No obstante, comunica los mismos elementos claves:

Dejen en paz todas sus posesiones, se trate de viviendas u otras propiedades, no destruyan nada de sus pertenencias….. sus iglesias quedarán como están, sus sacerdotes podrán enseñar y adorar a su manera….. Ninguna de sus iglesias será derribada o convertida en mezquita….. 

Cada uno puede sacar sus conclusiones sin necesidad de seguir repitiendo esas expresiones. Pero la repetición tiene un objetivo didáctico. Lo hacemos ante la afirmación de algunos de que los Pactos del Profeta son falsificaciones del siglo XVI. Al demostrarse que eso era erróneo alegaron que las falsificaciones, en realidad, eran del siglo X. Pero se demostró que también eso era erróneo.

Siento decepcionar a esos troles islamofóbicos que se niegan a creer que del Profeta o del Islam pueda venir algo bueno. Empero, los Pactos del Profeta Muhammad circulaban en el siglo IX, en el siglo VIII e incluso en el siglo VII. Son lo que en el estudio de los hadices llamamos mutawatir, es decir, algo transmitido por tantas personas y durante tanto tiempo ―desde el siglo VII al XXI― que cae por su propio peso que no se trata de algo falso.

El Profeta Muhammad ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con él― nunca dijo: “Sigan el Corán y solo el Corán”. Lo que dijo es que nos aferremos al Corán y a Ahl al-Bayt [lo expresa, entre otros, Abu al-Husein Muslim en su Sahih, refiriéndose al hadiz de Az-Zaqalain (Los Dos Tesoros)]. Nos dijo que sigamos su Sunna (enseñanzas y dichos) transmitidas e interpretadas por sus representantes autorizados: los Imames de Ahl al-Bayt y sus fieles seguidores.

Un texto no tiene vida propia. Es inerte. Cobra vida cuando se lo lee e interpreta. El Corán, por sí mismo y en manos de malhechores, puede convertirse en un instrumento del mal. Basta observar la manera en que el ISIS interpreta el Corán. Lo convierte en una escritura satánica, de la misma manera en que los supremacistas blancos convierten a la Biblia en el trabajo de Belcebú.

Al-Sharif Ahmad ibn Muhammad Sa’d al-Hasani al-Idrisi al-Azhari ―fundador del Instituto Ihsan y graduado distinguido de la Universidad al-Azhar― ha dicho que los Pactos del Profeta “sirven para aclarar el verdadero significado de los versículos coránicos”. La yakfi al-Qur’an (el Corán no es suficiente). Debemos seguir el Corán y al Profeta. Debemos seguir el Corán y la Sunna. Debemos seguir la verdadera tradición, transmitida por los Imames de Ahl al-Bayt ―la paz sea con ellos―. ¿Y quién transmitió los Pactos del Profeta? Nada menos que el Imam ‘Ali. Si nosotros, como musulmanes, nos aferráramos al Corán y a los Pactos del Profeta ―la paz y las bendiciones sean sobre él y su descendencia purificada― nunca nos extraviaremos.

El Islam, el verdadero, el tradicional, el que impulsó la civilización, el que equilibra la justicia con la misericordia, el que crea una sociedad tolerante, pluralista, gobernada por el imperio de la ley, facilita la igualdad y la equidad para todos sus ciudadanos independientemente del origen étnico, filiación tribal, género, clase social o situación económica. El Corán, la Sunna, la Sharía, la Constitución de Medina, los Pactos del Profeta, los Imames, los califas, los sultanes y algunos otros, brindan los derechos humanos y civiles fundamentales y universales. El Islam del Profeta y el Islam de los Imames ―la paz y las bendiciones sean con todos ellos― proporciona seguridad y protección para los musulmanes y no musulmanes. Dios Todopoderoso dispone en el glorioso Corán: “Nada tendrán que temer ni se afligirán” (2:62).

El Dr. John Andrew Morrow (Imam Ilyas Islam) es un orgulloso miembro de la Nación Métis, uno de los tres pueblos indígenas reconocidos por el gobierno canadiense. Abrazó el Islam a los 16 años de edad luego de estudiarlo seriamente durante cierto tiempo. Lleva más de treinta años analizando las ciencias islámicas y recorrió el mundo en búsqueda de conocimiento. Entre sus maestros se cuentan académicos tradicionales del Islam de diferentes escuelas de jurisprudencia y caminos espirituales. Asimismo, académicos occidentales. Se doctoró en la Universidad de Toronto a la edad de 29 años y alcanzó el rango de profesor titular a la edad de 43 años. Se retiró de ese trabajo en 2016 para dedicar todo su tiempo a la investigación y el culto. Lleva escritos cientos de artículos académicos y más de treinta libros académicos, el más influyente de los cuales es Pactos del Profeta Muhammad con los Cristianos del Mundo (2013). También es el director de redacción de Islam y la Gente del Libro, una enciclopedia de tres tomos sobre los Pactos Muhamadianos que cuenta con estudios críticos de más de veinte de los principales eruditos musulmanes y las traducciones de los Pactos del Profeta en más de una docena de idiomas. La Sociedad Islámica de América del Norte (ISNA) confirió al Dr. Morrow en 2016 el premio de liderazgo interreligioso y en 2017 la Cámara de Representantes de EEUU le otorgó un Certificado de Reconocimiento Especial. Además de ser un académico galardonado, escritor y activista, dicta conferencias en distintas partes del mundo y asesora a líderes mundiales.

 

Uncategorized by drjamorrow

By: John Andrew Morrow   

Source: IslamiCity Dec 6, 2017

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace be upon the Prophets and the Messengers of God, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, and peace be upon you all and God’s mercy and blessings. I welcome you wholeheartedly to “The Muslim Documents Everyone Must Know.”

So, what are these documents that every Muslim must know? Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler? The Protocols by the Learned Elders of Zion?  The International Jew by Henry Ford? Join the Caravan by Abdullah Azzam? How about the Al-Qaedah Handbook?  No, not quite. This is completely and totally false: just like the claim that Muslims are devoid of a sense of dark humor. What do you expect? We Muslims are the bomb!

What is the most important book in Islam? The Arabian Nights? The Perfumed Garden by Shaykh Muhammad al-Nafzawi? The Sources of Pleasure by Harun al-Makhzumi? No. It is the Qur’an:  the Glorious Qur’an. And what goes hand and hand with the Qur’an? Terrorism? No. I must be watching too much Fox News. I must be reading too many tweets from President Trump. Astaghfirullah. May God forgive me. No, the second most important source in Islam is the Sunnah:  the teachings, traditions, sayings, and actions of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. And within the Sunnah, we find some sparkling jewels: the Constitution of Madinah and the Covenants of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Let us commence, then, with the Qur’an, which, as Muslims, we believe to be the Word of God. The Qur’an is a book. Texts are inert. You can pray all day and wait your whole life, but the Qur’an is not going to speak to you. A text only comes alive when we engage with it through reading, thought, analysis, contemplation, and interpretation. It only comes to life when we put its teachings into practice. Although it is important to read the Qur’an, it is even more important to understand how to read the Qur’an.

Read the Qur’an with an open-mind, an open-heart, and an open-spirit. Absorb what you can from the surface of the text. Ensure that you understand all the vocabulary and all the terminology. Unless you read the Qur’an in Arabic, consider reading and comparing many translations of the Qur’an for every translation represents an interpretation. They convey different shades of meaning. In the past, this required comparing half a dozen physical translations of the Qur’an. Now, fortunately, one can easily compare over a dozen translations in English, not to mention numerous other languages, using Quran.Com, SearchQuran.Com, Islamicity’s Qur’an Search, and other sites.

To understand a text, one must also understand its context: the time and place in which it was produced. This is where the sirah, the biography, and the sunnah, comes into play. You also need a broader understanding of Middle Eastern history, culture, and religion. Unless you are familiar with the broader Judeo-Christian tradition, you will have a challenging time comprehending all the allusions and references found in the Qur’an. You get what you put in to it. In other words, what you derive from the text is what you bring to the text. The greater your knowledge, your culture, and your points of reference, the broader and deeper your understanding of the text will be.

After you have read the Qur’an, dozens and dozens of times, at the very least, it is valuable to consult works of commentary. Know that works of exegesis are of various kinds. There are Qur’anic commentaries that focus on language and linguistics. Some are theological in nature. Some are legal in nature. Some are political in nature. And others are spiritual in nature.

Commence with classical commentaries of the Qur’an. On the Sunni side, that would include commentaries of Tabari, Suyuti and Mahalli, Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Ajibah, Ibn Juzayy, Wahidi, Baydawi, Nasafi, Razi, Tustari, Kashani, Qushayri, and Sabuni, among others. On the Shiite side, that would include Tusi, Qummi, Tabarsi, Ayashi, Kufi, Bahrani, Tabatabai, Amuli, and Makarem Shirazi, among others.

Understand that the Qur’an has seven, seventy, or seven hundred layers of meaning: both inner and outer. Understand that the Qur’an is both literal and allegorical. Understand that Qur’anic commentaries convey opinions and should never be accepted blindly, uncritically, and unconditionally. They represent an independent intellectual effort to understand the sacred text. They are not binding upon believers. One is not required to accept an interpretation as if it were divine revelation. According to Sunni and Shiite Islam, it is the Prophet Muhammad who is mas‘um or infallible: not Qur’anic commentators and scholars.

Recognize that Islam represents a spectrum at the center of which is found Sunni Islam, and its major schools of law, alongside Twelver Islam, and its major school of law. Stick to the center as much as possible. Maintain moderation. Avoid extremes. Stay far away from fringe groups. This applies in matters of theology, jurisprudence, and spirituality. Stick, as much as possible, to the straight path while recognizing elements of truth found on the periphery of Islam and even on the outside of it. One can study, analyze, and appreciate marginal aspects; however, one should stand firmly at the center of the spectrum.

Keep away from anyone who claims to have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Run from any literalist or fundamentalist who claims that there is only one interpretation of the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and Islam. Flee from pompous pretenders who believe that they know the Qur’an better than anyone. Hide from arrogant extremists who believe that they, and only they, are right and that anyone who disagrees with them are unbelievers. As Obi-Wan Kenobi has said, “Only a Sith speaks in absolutes.”

Now that we have a general idea of how to approach the Qur’an, let us examine some of its most important teachings regarding the Muslim attitude towards the Other. As Almighty God revealed in the Glorious Qur’an:

The verse in question is clear. It establishes that all monotheists who do virtuous deeds will ultimately attain salvation. This is confirmed by several traditions of the Prophet. In fact, it is a fundamental Sunni belief. As Ghazali stated: “The believer must give credit to the final leaving of Hell of all the monotheists; for no one who believes in God’s Unity will abide eternally in the Fire.” As Almighty God elucidates in the Glorious Qur’an:

For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So, vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. (5:48)

We, believers in One God, whether we are Jews, Samaritans, Christians, Muslims, Sabeans, Zoroastrians, Brahmans, or monotheistic members of the First Nations, have theological differences. Big deal. Get over it. Almighty God explicitly opposes uniformity. The Creator espouses unity within diversity. Rather than fight over religious differences, God challenges us to “compete with each other in righteousness” (5:48). As Almighty God explains once again:

O humankind, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing, and All-Aware. (49:13)

Differences enrich us. Homogeneity is boring. Rather than focus on areas of disagreement, Almighty Allah asks us to concentrate on areas of agreement:

Say: We believe in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. We believe in what given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit. (3:84)

In other words, Allah asks us to seek common ground with the People of the Book:

O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah. (3:64)

Although there is little common ground between monotheists, polytheists, and atheists in theological matters, there are areas of agreement in ethical and moral areas. Consequently, Allah encourages Muslims to adopt a tolerant attitude towards those who do not share their beliefs. As Almighty Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an: “To you your religion and to me mine” (109:6). As far as Islam is concerned, nobody has a monopoly on truth. We should all respect the elements of truth found in different religious traditions and socio-political and economic philosophies.

There are, no doubt, verses of the Qur’an that are harsher when they speak of the People of the Book. However, these need to be properly interpreted and placed into context. There is also a tendency, among extremists, to take verses of the Qur’an that were revealed regarding belligerent unbelievers, polytheists, that is, and apply them, erroneously and unfairly, to Christians and even to Muslims. The term mushkrikin or polytheists, as used in the Qur’an, applies to pagan Arab polytheists and idol-worshippers. It does not, and cannot, apply to Christians, who are monotheists. It does not, and cannot, apply to Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims or Shiite Muslims as a pretext to persecute and kill them.

Second only in importance to the Qur’an is the Sunnah, the teachings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In accordance with the Qur’an, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, consulted with the community in Madinah. He met with tribal and faith leaders. He deliberated with them. Then, under his leadership, but in collaboration with non-Muslims, he created and promulgated the Covenant of Madinah, the first constitution in the history of humanity which provided equality for all, regardless of religion, tribe, race, gender or social class. “They are one community [or ummah],” proclaims the Covenant of Madinah: “conditions must be fair and equitable to all.” Jews, Muslims, polytheists all had to contribute equally to the defense of the Ummah.

The religious rights of the People of the Book were protected: “The Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs.” “To the Jew who follows us belong help and equality,” it proclaims, “he shall not be wronged, nor his enemies aided.” Muslims were even obliged to protect and defend the allies of the Jews: “The close friends of the Jews are as themselves.”

The enemies of the Ummah, namely, the pagans from Quraysh, who persecuted the Muslims and non-Muslims who followed the Prophet, were to be given no protection. All members of the Ummah were bond “to make peace and maintain it.” However, in the event they were attacked by their common enemies, they were all required to rally in defense of it.

The Covenant of Madinah established the rule of law among a lawless people: “Whenever you differ about a matter it must be referred to Allah and to Muhammad.” The teachings of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, became the law of the land, governing their respective communities. The Prophet was to oversee their implementation impartially. He was the final arbiter.

Word of the Prophet Muhammad’s rise continued to spread to the four corners of the world. In the second year of the hijrah, a delegation of monks from St. Catherine’s Monastery visited him in Madinah where they reminded him of his promise of protection.

There, in his mosque in Madinah, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, dictated to ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, the ‘ahd al-nabi, the ‘ahd nabawi, the ashtinameh, the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai, which guaranteed freedom of religion, protected religious establishments, granted tax-free status to priests, monks, and nuns, and prohibited forced conversions.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, provided the same protections to the People of the Book throughout the Greater Middle East. He protected the Christians of Najran, Aylah, Egypt, Syria, Persia, Armenia, and the world. He protected the Samaritans in Palestine. He protected the Jews from the Yemen and Maqnah. He also protected the Zoroastrians.

The authenticity of Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the People of the Book is indisputable. They have been transmitted consecutively from the 7th century to the present. Hundreds upon hundreds of scholarly authorities have concluded that they are genuine. What is more, they were treated as authentic and established as law by Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali, by the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, the Ottomans, and the Safavids, among others. So, what do these documents say? They are quite lengthy, and time is of the essence. Allow me, then, to provide you with some key quotes for the sake of clarity and concision.

The Treaty of Najran, which appears in the Tafsir of Muqatil ibn Sulayman al-Balkhi (d. 767 CE), the Kitab al-kharaj of Abu Yusuf (738-798 CE), the Kitab al-Siyar of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (d. 805 CE), the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa‘d (845 CE), and the Kitab al-Amwal of Ibn Zanjawayh (d. 865 CE), reads:  “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his priestly vocation.”

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Najran, the original of which was found in the House of Wisdom in 878/879 CE, and entered the Chronicle of Seert in the 9th century, reads:

It is not permitted to remove a bishop from his bishopric, a monk from his monastic life or an anchorite from his vocation as a hermit. Nor is it permitted to destroy any part of their churches, to take parts of their buildings to construct mosques or the homes of Muslims.

The Treaty of Najran, cited in Baladhuri’s (d.  892 CE) Kitab Futuh al-Buldan, reads: “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no hermit from his hermitage” (online edition). The Treaty of Najran, which was recorded by Ibn Qayyim, prior to 1350 CE, is very similar to the version published by Ibn Sa‘d in the 9th century. It reads: “No bishop is to be driven from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, and no priest from his priestly vocation. No changes will be made with regards to their rights.”

The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai which was placed in the Ottoman Treasury in 1517 CE, reads:

A bishop shall not be removed from his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a hermit from his tower, nor shall a pilgrim be hindered from his pilgrimage. Moreover, no building from among their churches shall be destroyed, nor shall the money from their churches be used for the building of mosques or houses for the Muslims.

We find the very same protections in the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, which was recorded in 1538 CE and in the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, which was printed in 1630 CE.

Although no Arabic version of the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of Persia is currently known to exist, it also contains a very similar clause:

Their building enterprises shall not be interfered with; their priests shall not be molested in the performance of their task… neither shall their churches be dismantled or destroyed, or their homes and mansions confiscated by Muslims, for mosques or residences…

And while a Persian version of the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Assyrian Christians survives, the Arabic is apparently no longer extant. Nonetheless, it conveys the same key components:

Leave their possessions alone, be it houses or other property, do no destroy anything of their belongings… their church buildings shall be left as they are, they shall not be altered, their priests shall be permitted to teach and worship in their down way… None of their churches are to be torn down, or altered into a mosque…

Enough with the repetition, you may think. However, its purpose is didactic. There are those who claim that the Covenants of the Prophet are 16th century forgeries. When that was proven to be false, they claimed that they were 10th century forgeries. However, even that has been proven to be false.

I am sorry to disappoint Islamophobic trolls who refuse to believe that any good could come from the Prophet or Islam; however, the Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad were circulating in the 9th century, the 8th century, and yes, even the 7th century. They are what we call in Hadith Studies: mutawatir, transmitted by so many people, for so long, from the 7th century to the 21st century, that it is impossible to accept that they all agreed upon a falsehood.

There are those who claim that I am full of it. I cannot say what “it” is. I can only say that it is not chocolate ice cream. There are those who accuse me of lying about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Hundreds upon hundreds of scholars, writers, political and religious authorities have authenticated the Covenants of the Prophet from the 7th century to the 21st century. Are all these sources, half of whom are Muslim authorities, including myself, full of “it” as well? Yes; yes, we are: we are full of chocolate ice cream! Not only do we make Islam palatable: we make it down right delicious. Provecho! L’chaim! Salud! A votre santé! To your health!

Islam, true Islam, traditional, civilizational Islam, balances justice with mercy. It creates a tolerant, pluralistic, society, governed by the rule of law, which provides equality and equity for all its citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, gender, social class or economic status.

“I have left two things,” said the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, “the Qur’an and my Sunnah” (Malik and Muslim). The Qur’an and the Sunnah, which includes the Constitution of Madinah and the Covenants of the Prophet, provide fundamental and universal civil and human rights. Islam, and by Islam, I mean traditional Islam, I mean classical Islam, provides safety and security for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

As al-Sharif Ahmad ibn Muhammad Sa‘d al-Hasani al-Idrisi al-Azhari, the Founder of the Ihsan Institute and a distinguished graduate from al-Azhar University, has stated, the Covenants of the Prophet “serve to clarify the true meanings of the verses of the Qur’an.”

So, let us hold fast to the Qur’an, in its true, traditional, balanced, orthodox, mainstream, normative, and moderate interpretation, and avoid excesses and extremes. Let us hold fast to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, particularly the Constitution of Madinah and the Covenants of the Prophet with the People of the Book.

I close with greetings of peace: peace be upon you, que la paix soit sur vous, que la paz sea con ustedes, salaamu ‘alaykum, and shalom aleichum. And Allah Akbar, God is the Greatest. We need to reclaim the takbir.

*****

Presented at Sound Vision’s Annual Seerah Conference in Chicago, Illinois, on December 3, 2017

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