Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His

forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone, having no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. My dear brothers and sisters in Islam and fellow seekers of the truth, I greet you with the greatest greetings, the greetings of Islam: As-salaamu 'alaikum... Islam has been for a long time the main focus of many discussions all over the world: whether in the news, street talks, international conferences etc. What stirs such commotion about Islam? What is Islam? Islam, coming from the two Arabic words Silm (submission) and Salaam (peace), is the peaceful submission to the Will of Allah and complete obedience to His immaculate Law. Allah said in the Quran: This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islm as your religion [al-Maaidah 5:3] Allah also said in the Quran:

"He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad SAW) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islmic Monotheism) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the Mushrikn (polytheists etc.) may detest it" [As-Suaf] One manifestation of the absolute truth underlying this message is that the Vatican officially declared in 2008 that Islam has overtaken Catholic faith as the worlds largest religion, as reported in the Vatican Statistical Yearbook 2008 and based on 2006 population data. This news was well publicized by major media establishments including the CNN, FOXnews, the REUTERS, NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, GUARDIAN.CO.UK and many more. "For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican daily. Islam's clear expansion, to the East and to the West, across the globe, is a continuous phenomenon many fail to comprehend. Islam is arguably the most

misunderstood religion, and it is through this misunderstanding that the so-called unfounded Islamophobia arose, leaving many threatened by the rise of Islam. Some of the most misunderstood areas in Islam are freedom, freedom of expression and art, which is why I am honored to be here to shed some light on this topic and help clarify some misunderstandings. When we speak of freedom, a vast variety of subtopics come to mind. The concept of freedom of speech is derived from the Capitalist ideology that is based on the belief that God and religion should be separated from lifes affairs (secularism). Human beings define how to live their lives free of the constraints of religion. The right to speak and what are the limits of speech are therefore all defined by human beings. This view completely contradicts Islam. In Islam it is the Creator of human beings Allah who gave the right of speech to people and defined the limits on what is acceptable and unacceptable. This is why one of the names of the Qur'an is Al-Furqaan, meaning the Criterion to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Would anyone of you wish for all kinds of crimes to exist and thrive in society: murder, prostitution, rape, pornography, theft, child abuse? Who's to draw a line? Imagine with me for a second a simple example: roads without traffic lights and traffic wardens: who can be assured of road safety? Who can claim one's right of way? Such setting may simply not exist! A sound system is required! Penalties should be laid down for those who disobey as a deterrent. But when we come to a greater picture, when we speak of the welfare of all mankind, the environment and all else in it, who can claim perfect knowledge as to decide what is best for all? To what extent may humans who err have the freedom to express and demand for what they desire and lust? Is it not that the One who has created all of us, the One who sustains all, the One who is All-Knowing, All-Powerful, the One True God Allah deserving to define for us what is good and what is evil? Allah said:

He is Allh, the Creator, the Inventor of -all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names . All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. [al-Hashr 59:24 interpretation of the meaning] Contrary to what is being spread, freedom is inherent in Islam, which is why many are reverting to Islam. The freedom we speak of here pertains to all that is right and good because Islam enjoins the right and forbids the wrong. Islam is always in line with the good natural human instinct (what is also known as fitrah). Allah says:


Let there arise from amongst you a group(s) which calls to al-Khair (Islam), enjoins al-maaruf (good) and forbids al-munkar (evil), and they are the successful ones. The Messenger of Allah said: Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, then let him speak good (khair) or remain silent. Khair in this hadith means Islam or what Islam approves of. Every word a human being speaks is recorded by the two angels Kiraman Katibeen. Even the speaking of one bad word may lead someone to the hellfire.

The Messenger of Allah said: "The person who utters a word which meets with Allah's favour may think it has not been heard, yet for this Allah will raise him to a higher level of Paradise. Conversely, the person who utters a word that stirs Allah to anger may give no thought to what he said, only to have Allah cast him in Hell for seventy years." This is why the Prophet emphasized the importance of controlling the tongue.

Mu'az ibn Jabal narrated: I was in company with the Prophet in a travel, and one day I was close to him while we were travelling. So I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from Hell fire"shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that? I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah, and he took hold of his tongue and said: Restrain this. I said: O Prophet of Allah, will what we say be held against us? He said: May your mother be bereaved of you, Muaz! Is there anything that topples people on their faces - or he said on their noses into Hell-fire other than the jests of their tongues? Islam allows for freedom of religion. Muslim societies, who correctly follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah, have coexisted with people of other faiths in peace and harmony. This includes many great examples as Muslim Spain and Jerusalem. Allah said:

"Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error; whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.[Al-Baqarah 2]

Islam's rich history and culture has produced numerous works of art. "The huge field of Islamic architecture is the subject of a separate article, leaving fields as varied as calligraphy, painting, glass, ceramics, and textiles, among others." [Wikipedia] Once again, Islam, being a complete way of life, has laid down the guidelines as to what is acceptable and what is unacceptable when it comes to art. Perhaps most relevant in this modern era, is that, while Islam allows for beautiful paintings of nature and encouraging lines of poetry, it is completely against the misuse of art to mock and slander anyone especially when this one in particular is the best man who was ever created, the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah, Muhammad. Why do those behind those foolish cartoons and those who support such "art" and "freedom of expression" resent the leader of mankind, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? They resent him because he called people to believe in the Oneness of God (Tawheed), and they do not believe that God is One. They resent him because he venerated his Lord and declared Him to be far above what these fabricators say, as they attributed partners to Him. They resent him because he called people to the loftiest of morals and to give up the lowest. He called them to virtue and to block all the means that lead to immorality, but they want moral disorder and unlimited shameful liberty. They want to indulge in the swamp of evil whims and desires, and they have got what they want! They resent him because he is the Messenger of Allah! Allaah is the One Who chose him above all mankind to convey His message and receive His revelation. Would you wish similar works of "art" in portrayal of your brother, your sister, your father or your mother? Or to anyone you loved so dearly? We love our Prophet Muhammad, whose signs of prophethood are many, the best of them being the Qur'an, for which none can truly spot any error. Michael Hart said in his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (p. 13), where he put Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the head of his list of one hundred: "I chose Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be top of this list because Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels." The conflict between truth and falsehood is indeed an ancient one. And in spite of all the hatred towards the truth that is Islam, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today. CNN and FOXnews confirm Islam being the worlds fastest growing religion with CNN featuring Fast-growing Islam as winning converts in Western world. In spite of all the Islamophobic propaganda, such as the well-known hate-mongering Dutch film, many in Holland and the rest of the world are rushing to buy Islamic books and copies of the Quraan, to see what is in them, and they will see in them that which will show the falseness and fabrication of what that failed filmmaker has produced. There are certain situations where Islam has obliged Muslims to speak out against oppression and evil (munkar).

The Prophet said: "Whoever saw a Munkar, let him change it by his hand and if he cannot then by his tongue and if he cannot then with his heart and that is the weakest of Imaan." Many Muslims nowadays are attracted towards the concepts of human rights and freedom of speech due to the medieval oppression waged against them by the corrupt governments in the Muslim world. In the majority of Muslim countries today, speaking out against the munkar and oppression of the governments is made illegal by the rulers and their agents. They brutally suppress all political opposition and try to silence Muslims through torture and imprisonment. Even in the west they are also moving towards silencing Muslims who criticize foreign policy or hold what they deem extreme political views under the guise of anti-terror policy. Despite all these limits they are trying to impose on Muslims speaking out, the fact remains that it is Allah who defined what is acceptable and unacceptable speech.

The Prophet said: The master of martyrs is Hamza bin AbdulMuttalib and a man who stood to an oppressor ruler where he ordered him and forbade him so he (the ruler) killed him.15 Muslims who account their governments or speak out against oppression are not doing it because of freedom of speech or because the west allows them to speak. Rather they are doing it as an obligation from Islam even if it leads to

death. In the Khilafah/rule of Umar bin al-Khattab, some cloth from the spoils of war was distributed to the people, out of which each companion had one piece of clothing cut. One day `Umar got up to speak and said: Lower your voices so that I may hear you. He was wearing two pieces of that cloth. Salman al-Farisi said, By Allah, we will not hear you, because you prefer yourself to your people. How is that? asked Umar. He said: You are wearing two pieces of cloth and everyone else is wearing only one. Umar called out: O Abdullah! No one answered him. He said again, O Abdullah ibn Umar!' Abdullah, his son called out: At your service! Umar said, I ask you by Allah, don't you say that the second piece is yours? Abdullah said Yes. Salman said: Now we shall hear you.20 Freedom of speech is a western concept that completely contradicts Islam. In reality there is no such thing as absolute free speech. What exists is speech within predefined limits that differ between nations. Allah , the Creator and NOT human beings decides the limits on speech. We will be accountable for every word spoken on the Day of Judgement. All have the right to freely express their opinions, whether in speech or in art, so long as they are within the bounds of truth and goodness, determined by Allah the Most Great. Never should one be free to slander, as this is a major sin in Islam, or to spread evil as to cause harm to others and distort peace in society. I conclude my speech by inviting everyone to the straight path, everyone to Islam, for there may never be true peace in the people's hearts, there may never be true peace amongst nations until everyone embraces the religion of peace, that is Islam. Allah says:

If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. (all spiritual good). (85) http://islamqa.com/en/ref/34898/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/82360/justice http://islamqa.com/en/ref/39962/justice http://islamqa.com/en/ref/20806/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/94840/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/97827/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/86109/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/811/freedom http://islamqa.com/en/ref/44594/slander http://islamqa.com/en/ref/14055/instinct http://islamqa.com/en/ref/13532/instinct

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/71170/cartoon

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