Kassim Ahmad And The Shahadah

Note : This is heavy stuff, from the Quran. The non Muslim readers may not find it
as easy to follow. But you will understand why the Muslims are so twisted into so
many knots. Contrary to what many say (including you) the Muslims dont read
their own Quran, which is actually a very simple book (again contrary to what
many say, including you).
A few days ago DJ Blogger Din Merican was issued a notice by the MCMC for
carrying the latest statement by Kassim Ahmad in defence of his views about the
Shahadah.
I dont know how Abang Din has responded to the MCMC's challenge.
This is just more evidence that Sunnis (and Shias) are so afraid that their belief
system will be compromised, even by the simplest of discussion or questioning.
What a fragile faith.
Yet they feel the truth is on their side. It is actually a cocoon.
And the way to protect their cocoon is by banning, suppressing, oppressing,
jailing and killing people who question their beliefs. Such simple mindedness.
Refusing to speak calmly and intelligently is actually cowardice. These people
are just cowards. Village cowards - hiding behind their powers of arrest, authority
to prosecute and other chicken sh*t instruments of oppression.
(By the way for those who are interested in Dr Kassim's statement.you can
access it here : http://kassimahmad.blogspot.my/2016/06/the-idolization-ofprophet-muhammad.html)
Ok for those who are not familiar here is some back ground on the Shahadah aka
the Testimony of Faith with which Kassim has taken issue.
The shahadah is just a one line sentence, that believers must utter. It forms the
first of the Five Pillars of Islam.
What are the Five Pillars of Islam? Here they are :
1) The Testimony of Faith (Shahadah): The testimony of faith is saying with
conviction, La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah. This saying means
There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah),1 and Muhammad is the Messenger
(Prophet) of God.
(Err...here I must clarify. The "other" way that this is said is : "Ash hadu anlaa

ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Muhammadur rasoolu Allah" which means "I
bear witness there is no god except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is
the messenger of Allah". The words "I bear witness" are added.)
2) Prayer: Muslims perform five prayers a day.
3) Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy)
4) Fasting in the Month of Ramadan
5) The Pilgrimage to Makkah
Ok. Coming back to Dr Kassim, he is a staunch believer in the Quran. This means
Kassim is highly doubtful of all "extra-Quranic" religious teachings. Extra
Quranic means it is not in the Quran.
Kassim says (correctly) that the second part of the Shahadah "and I bear witness
that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" is "extra Quranic" ie it is not in the
Quran.
Then he says that it is false and so it is wrong to mention the second part of the
Shahadah. Kassim's view is that adding the 'muhammad' to the shahadah is
actually id*l worship. This is why the powers-that-actually-are-not have taken
issue with Kassim Ahmad.
Actually ALL THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM above are not fully detailed in the
Quran.
Jangan marah saya ok. I did not say this. Bukan saya cakap. The religious people
say this, again and again. For example the religious people tell us that the FIVE
DAILY prayers (the 2nd Pillar) are not detailed in the Quran at all.
"If you only follow the Quran, then you cannot perform your five daily prayers
because the five daily prayers are NOT detailed in the Quran" they say.
I say "What a clever observation". They are 100% correct.
In the Quran there is mention of salat Fajar and salat Isyak, names which are
familiar to us. However Salat Zuhur, Salat Asar and Salat Maghrib are not
mentioned by name in the Quran.
There is however a salat wusta mentioned in the Quran which is not found in the
common usage. No one asks 'Have you performed the Salat Wusta'?
The religious people say that zakat (the 3rd Pillar) is compulsory charity and that
it is 2.5% of your wealth (as defined by them) which you must pay annually.

Firstly in the Quran there is no connection between the word zakat and
compulsory charity.
Secondly the 2.5% is definitely not mentioned anywhere in the Quran. And on it
goes.
So Kassim has some different thoughts about the Shahadah - the First of the Five
Pillars of Islam.
It will be interesting to look at some of the verses in the Quran that are related to
this topic. Please allow me to make a simple suggestion.

If we wish to discuss hudud from the Quran, then we must study the word
hudud as it appears in the Quran.

If we wish to discuss hijab from the Quran, then we must study the word
hijab as it appears in the Quran.

If we wish to discuss salat from the Quran, then we must study the word
salat as it appears in the Quran.

Isnt that a simple and logical method? So if we wish to discuss SHAHADAH from
the Quran, then we must study the word SHAHADAH (AND ITS DERIVATIVES) as
THEY appear in the Quran.
In the Quran, to associate anything or anyone with Allah is known as 'shirk', the
highest degree of poly-Allahism which Allah does not forgive. This is made clear
in 4:48.
4:48 Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated (yushraka)
with Him, and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and
whoever associates (yushrik) anything with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin.
So if you associate (yushrik) anything else with Allah, then it is shirik. All Muslims
know this.
The Quran also stipulates that Muslims must place their trust in the one Allah and
not on anyone else.The Quran is quite clear on this :
39:45 And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe
in the hereafter shrink with aversion, and when those besides Him are mentioned,
lo! they are joyful.
This message is reinforced in the following verse as well :

72:18 The masjids belong to ALLAH alone; do not call on anyone else beside
ALLAH.
So it is Allah alone who must be mentioned. Some people will get angry over
this. Their anger will only subside when others besides Allah are also
mentioned. Likewise in the masjids, it is only Allah who must be called.
So which category are you in, dear Muslim reader? Can you live by Allah alone or
do you need to mention others beside Allah as well?
In putting forth his arguments, Kassim also mentions Surah 63:1.
Surah 63:1 says that it is the hypocrites (munafiks) who bear witness (nash-hadu)
on the messenger. Kassim refers to it as the shahadah of the munafiks or
hypocrites.
Here is 63:1 :
"When the hypocrites come to you and say: "WE BEAR
WITNESS (nash-hadu) THAT YOU ARE THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH. Allah indeed
knows that you are His Messenger. Allah bears witness (yash-hadu) that the
hypocrites are liars".
The Arabic is quite unmistakable. The hypocrites come and say nash-haduinnaka-la-rasuulillah which means we bear witness that you are the messenger
of Allah.
(nash-hadu is plural. ash-hadu is singular).
63:1 says "Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars".
Why?
Because "Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger. " And Allah suffices
as a witness.
These two messages:

"Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger"

And Allah suffices as a witness (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan)

do reverberate throughout the Quran. Here are some other related verses.
4:79 "We have sent you as a Messenger and ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..."

(Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).

We have sent you as a rasul and Allah is enough as a witness. Wa kafaa billaahi
shaheedan.
This message is repeated again :
4:166 "Allah bears witness concerning what He has revealed to you. He has
revealed it with His knowledge. And the malaikah bear witness as well, BUT
ALLAH IS ENOUGH AS A WITNESS (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).
This is what the Rasul , the Messenger told his followers : ALLAH IS ENOUGH AS
A WITNESS (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).
And the following verse even discourages attempts at witnessing other
Messengers:
28:44 "You were not on the slope of the western Mount when we gave Moses the
commandments. YOU WERE NOT A WITNESS" (wa maa kunta min alshaahideen).
Muslims believe that Moses was a Rasul or Messenger we were not there to
witness Moses receiving the commandments.
The Quran insists that only Allah is the witness that the Quran had been inspired
in the Messenger :
6:19 "Say, whose witness is the greatest'' (Kul 'aiyyu shai-in akbaru shahadatan')
Say, "Allah's (witness is the greatest). HE IS THE WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND
YOU (shahiidun baini wa bainakum) that this Quran has been inspired to me, to
preach it to you and whomever it reaches.."
DISCLAIMER : Now, I am not leading you to drawing any conclusions. No such
thing.
I am suggesting that this is how we read and study the Quran. Word by word,
verse by verse.
Surah 6:19, 28:44, 4:79 and 4:166 are some of the verses in the Quran where the
word 'WITNESS' is used.
Ustaz Darwin kata kita dah lama turun dari pokok. Jangan melompat tak tentu
pasai. Read first, analyse and then make up your own mind.
Its not over yet folks. Here are some other verses in the Quran about the

munafiks or hypocrites.
9:101 "Among the Arabs around you there are hypocrites, and among the city
dwellers as well. They persist in hypocrisy and while you may not know them, We
know them. We will double the punishment for them, then they will be returned
for a terrible retribution".
Here the prophet is told that there are hypocrites around him and that he does not
know who they are. Allah knows the hypocrites. But Allah promises :
29:11"... He will most certainly expose the hypocrites"
So the hypocrites will be exposed. And the hypocrites are worried about this too:
9:64 The hypocrites worry that a sura may be revealed exposing what is inside
their hearts. Say, "Go ahead and mock. ALLAH will expose exactly what you are
afraid of."
The munafiks or hypocrites will be exposed. The munafiks also worry about being
exposed. So how exactly shall the hypocrites be exposed?
Surah 47:30 If we will we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize
them just by looking at them. HOWEVER YOU CAN RECOGNISE THEM FROM
WHAT THEY SAY. Allah is fully aware of all your works"
The hypocrites can be recognised by what they say : HOWEVER YOU CAN
RECOGNISE THEM FROM WHAT THEY SAY
And one of the things which the hypocrites say is recorded in 63:1.
63:1 "When the hypocrites come to you and say: "WE BEAR WITNESS THAT YOU
ARE THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (nash-hadu-innaka-la-rasuulillah). Allah
indeed knows that you are His Messenger (wal-laahu ya'lamu in-naka la-rasuuluhuu). Allah bears witness (yash-hadu) that the hypocrites are liars".
Conclusion:
4:79 "We have sent you as a Messenger and ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..."
(Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).
ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS.
These are just some verses from the Quran which can be related to the subject.
Ask your religious guru to explain this. I can assure you they cannot. These
verses will be like Greek to them. They would have never seen it before. It is up
to you to read and research this. No need to get excited.

Inside the cocoon you have familiarity, your comfort zone, a sense of security.
Outside the cocoon lies the real world. Super strong. Allah's creation.

THE IDOLIZATION OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

THE IDOLIZATION OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

By: Kassim Ahmad
5th June, 2016
kassimahmad333@yahoo.com.my
The first and only syahadah or declaration of Muslim faith is found in the
Quran in verse 18 of Surah 3. It goes like this: God bears witness that the is no
god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge, standing
firm with justice. He is the absolute god; the is no god but He, the Almighty, Most
Wise. There are many other verses that proclaim this paramount concept of tauhid
or divine unity throughout the Quran. Furthermore, God states that He forgives all
sins, except that of associating Him with his creatures, including Prophet
Muhammad.
Now Prophet Muhammad is the last of a series of divine prophetmessengers from Adam right up to Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Before Muhammad
they were all sent to human communities of their times, in other words, they were
national prophets. Moses and Jesus were sent to the Israelites. But prophet
Muhammad was sent to all mankind with the last divine scripture, the protected
Nobel Quran. The verse proclaiming this goes like this: those who follow the
gentile prophet whom they find written in their Torah and the Gospel O people I
am Gods messenger to all of you you shall believe in God and His messenger,
the gentile prophet, who believes in God and His word. Follow him that you may
be guided. (7: 157-158)
Prophet Muhammads sole mission was to deliver the Quran. He was
warned by God never to introduce any other teachings except the Quran. Let me
give this verse. It goes, Had he uttered any other teachings, We would have
punished him. We would have stopped the revelation. None of you could have
helped him. (69: 44-47)
But 136 years after him, the great jurist Shafie (768-820) promulgated a
new doctrine of two principle sources, the Quran and the Sunnah/Hadith. On the
heels of this new doctrine, the hadith collectors went to work and collected and

selected the so-called authentic hadiths of todays two Sunni and Shiah sects that
have caused confusion and trouble in the Muslim world.
To tell the truth, hadiths were invented soon after the Prophets death by
different political and theological factions and falsely ascribed them to the great
name of the Prophet. Its proliferation by Shafiss time was so widespread that
made Shafie do what he did. He should not have done this. What he should have
done was to uphold the primacy of the Quran and treat the so-called sunnah/hadith
as a subsidiary source. This is a case of deterioration in faiths in history. It has
happened before with all great teachings.
God has warned that most believers will not believe without associating
God, especially in the case of Prophet Muhammad. Thus the second syahadah,
elevated Muhammad to a position equal to God. Again our great jurist Shafie
played his role. It was he who interpreted the verse, Obey God and obey the
messenger (4: 59) to make way for the emergence of the sunnah/hadith by stating
that the phrase obey God means upholding the Quran and obey the
messenger means upholding the hadith, thus splitting the principle of one source
to become two. I would shiver to be in the place of Imam Shafie on the Day of
Judgement! God will ask him, :Did you say to the people Worship My
messenger other than Me? , what will he answer?
The second syahadah practiced by most Muslims today is null and void,
according to verses 1 and 2 of Surah 63. Look at most mosques and Muslim homes
where the words Allah and Muhammad are written on the same level,
implying that Muhammad is on par with God. To clinch the matter, the Quran has
clearly warned, Do not worship two gods. There is only one god (16:51)
I want to give another example of idolizing Muhammad by most Muslim
today. In the chapter Al-Ahzab (33) there are two verses stating that God and His
angels bless and support first the believers ( verse 43) and then the Prophet (i.e.
their leader) (verse 56). Today most Muslims make a talisman of the verse 56,
blithely forgetting verse 43. Evert time Prophet Muhammads name is mentioned,
they would repeat the talisman!
Our leaders should be reminded of the lightning speed with which early
Islam under the Prophet and the righteous caliphs liberated the then world under
the hegemonic Persian and Byzantine empires to become the number one power in
the 8th Century until the 13th, lasting for eight centuries. Medieval Europe sat the
feat of Muslim teachers in Baghdad for three centuries, resulting in the emergence
European Renaissance. Today where are the Muslims? Remember what scholar
Muhammad Abduh of the early 20th Century said, I went to the West and saw
Islam. I came back to the East and saw Muslims.
Our leaders must think of how to reclaim our rightful position in the world.

KASSIM AHMAD is a Malaysian author. His website is

www.kassiahmad.blogspot.com