Countering Islamic Propaganda: 4:74

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What can we learn about
Islam from this woman?

"Discover the Truth's" Game

4:74
"Sell the Life of This
World for the Hereafter..."

From Discover the Truth:

Deceptive critics of Islam quote first part of Q 4:74 and beginning of Q 4:76-77, and show people who have no knowledge about Islam, that Muslims are encouraged in the Quran to wage violence against unbelievers. However, when we read the passage in its context, it exposes Islamophobe lies.
(August 24, 2014)

What the Quran Says

4:74. Let those who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter fight in the Cause of Allah, and whoso fights in the Cause of Allah, and is killed or gets victory, We shall bestow on him a great reward.

4:75. And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help."

4:76. Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Satan. So fight you against the friends of Satan; Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Satan.

4:77. Have you not seen those who were told to hold back their hands (from fighting) and perform prayer, and give to charity, but when the fighting was ordained for them, behold! a section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more. They say: "Our Lord! Why have you ordained for us fighting? Would that you had granted us respite for a short period?" Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.

What the Apologists Want You to Believe

Verse 4:74 clearly speaks of martyrdom for the cause of Allah, which motivates every believer who dons a suicide vest. While DTT seems to concede this point, they take issue with the idea that the "cause of Allah" is the advancement of Islam.

DTT complains that verse 4:74 is quoted by critics in isolation without the benefit of the next verse, which talks about fighting for the "weak, ill-treated and oppressed." Thus they argue that the "cause of Allah" referred to in verse 74 is really means the just cause of people being persecuted.

How They Do It: 'Adding' to the Quran

It would be helpful to DTT if the Quran left out the part about "cause of Allah" and instead spoke only of the cause of the "weak, ill-treated and oppressed." Instead they are compelled to argue that the two are synonymous, with the latter defining the first.

How They Do It: Citing Contemporary Apologists and Weak Hadith

Since the Muslims in Medina were neither weak, ill-treated or oppressed (unlike those they were evicting from their homes and throwing out into the desert), the argument is that the 'oppressed' referred to those Muslims left at Mecca, where the Quraish ruled.

How They Do It: Ignoring Reliable Sources

A verse in the same Sura, 4:24, gives Muslims the right to rape women captured in battle, even if their husbands are still alive. A verse from Sahih Muslim explains the background of the verse:

They took captives (women) on the day of Autas who had their husbands. They were afraid (to have sexual intercourse with them) when this verse was revealed:" And women already married except those whom you right hands posses (4:24)" (Sahih Muslim 8:3433)

There are not many people weaker or more 'ill-treated' than a woman who is captured in battle and then raped. That this episode is canonized in the same chapter that DTT holds as a model mandate to defend civilians against an unjust enemy is a pretty clear indication that they are not on the same page with Muhammad-"Allah".

How They Do It: Sleight of Hand

Verse 4:74 begins with a self-contained directive to fight in the cause of Allah and ends with a promise of reward for those who do. The next verse still compels believers to fight in the cause of Allah but adds the cause of the "weak, ill-treated and oppressed" to this. Although the verse refers to them distinctly, DTT pretends that they are the same.

Why They are Wrong

The Arabic phrase clearly contains the word "and" to denote a distinction between the cause of Allah and the cause of the "weak, ill-treated and oppressed." They are not contradictory in this context, but neither are they the same.

The purpose of verses 74-77 is to encourage fighting. Verse 74 says that martyrdom is rewarded. Verse 75 belittles those who will not fight, saying there is something wrong with them. Verse 76 casts the battle as a titanic struggle between Allah and Satan. Finally, verse 77 says that religious rituals are not enough - God "ordains" fighting, and those who hold back are trading eternal reward for material comfort (Sura 9 goes on to call these peaceful Muslims "hypocrites" subject to "harsh" treatment).

This is why suicide bombings are so prevalent in the Islamic world - some justified even by respected scholars and clerics.

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4:74 "Sell the Life of This World for the Hereafter..."