Ingawa Waarabu kabla ya Uislamu hawakumkana Mungu kabisa, hawakumjua kwa utambulisho wake halisi kama Mmoja na Milele. Hawakuonyesha uelewa wowote wa kweli kuhusu Mungu, wala hawakumwabudu ipasavyo. Badala yake, walimfanyia Mungu washirika, yaani masanamu ambayo yalidhaniwa kuwakilisha mababu zao wakubwa na wacha Mungu, au, katika baadhi ya hali, malaika ambao walidai kuwa binti za Mungu.
Although the Arabs before Islam did not deny God altogether, they did not know Him by His true identity as the One and the Eternal. They neither showed any true understanding of God, nor worshipped Him properly. On the contrary, they ascribed to Him, as partners, idols that were supposed to represent their great and pious ancestors or, in some cases, the angels whom they claimed to be God’s daughters.
Zaidi ya hayo, walidai kuwepo kwa undugu kati Yake na majini. Hata hivyo, mara nyingi walipuuza sifa hizi zote, na wao wenyewe waliabudu sanamu hizo. Lakini katika hali zote walidai, kama Qur’ani inavyowanukuu, kwamba “hatuwaabudu [yaani miungu yao mbalimbali] ila ili watupeleke karibu kwa Mungu.” (39: 3)
Moreover, they alleged a kinship between Him and the jinn. They often ignored all these qualifications, however, and worshipped those idols themselves. But in all cases they claimed, as the Qur’ān quotes them, that they “only worship them [i.e. their various deities] so that they may bring us near to God.” (39: 3)
Qur'ani pia inasema: "Na ukiwauliza ni nani aliyeumba mbingu na ardhi, na akaifanya jua na mwezi viwe chini ya sheria maalum, watasema: Mwenyezi Mungu." (29: 61) Na tena: "Na ukiwauliza ni nani anayeteremsha maji kutoka mbinguni, na kwayo akaihuisha ardhi baada ya kufa kwake, watasema: Mwenyezi Mungu." (29: 63) Zaidi ya hayo, Mwenyezi Mungu aliwaondolea miungu yao nafasi katika viapo vyao na dua zao.
The Qur’ān also states: “If you ask them who it is that has created the heavens and the earth, and subjected the sun and the moon (to fixed laws) they will say: God.” (29: 61) And again: “If you ask them who it is that sends down water from the sky, and thereby revives the earth after it has died, they will say: God.” (29: 63) Moreover, God superseded their deities in their oaths and supplications.
Lakini licha ya imani yao kwa Mungu, shirki waliyokuwa nayo iliharibu dhana zao, mila zao na ibada zao, kiasi kwamba waliwatengea miungu wao wanaodaiwa sehemu ya mapato na mali zao, hata watoto wao. Kwa kweli, wakati mwingine walilazimika kuwachinja watoto wao. Kuhusu jambo hili, Qur'ani inasema yafuatayo:
But in spite of their belief in God, the polytheism they entertained fouled their concepts, traditions and rites to the extent that they assigned to their alleged deities a portion of their earnings and possessions, and even their offspring. In fact, they were at times forced to sacrifice their children. Concerning this, the Qur’ān has the following to say:
Kutokana na mazao na mifugo aliyoiumba, wao hutenga sehemu kwa ajili ya Mungu, wakisema:
Out of the produce and the cattle He has created, they assign a portion to God, saying:
"Hii ni kwa Mungu" — au ndivyo wanavyojifanya — "na hii ni kwa washirika tunaowashirikisha [naye]." Kile wanachowapa washirika wao hakimfikii Mungu kamwe, lakini kile kinachotolewa kwa Mungu kinawafikia washirika wao. Wanahukumu vibaya kiasi gani! Kadhalika, washirika waliowashirikisha [pamoja na Mungu] wamewafanya wengi wa washirikina waone kuwa ni jambo zuri kuwaua watoto wao wenyewe, wakitaka kuwaangamiza na kuwachanganya katika dini yao.
‘This is for God’ — or so they pretend — ‘and this is for the partners we associate [with Him].’ Whatever they assign to their partners never reaches God, but that which is assigned to God does reach their partners. How ill they judge! Thus have the partners they associate [with God] made the killing of their own children seem goodly to many idolaters, seeking to bring them to ruin and to confuse them in their faith.
Kama Mungu angetaka, wasingalifanya hivyo. Basi waache na uzushi wao. Wao husema: "Wanyama hawa na mazao haya ni haramu. Hakuna awezaye kula isipokuwa wale tunaowaruhusu" — hivyo ndivyo wanavyodai kwa uongo. Pia wanatangaza kuwa wanyama wengine ni haramu kupandishwa migongoni mwao, na wapo wanyama ambao hawalitaji jina la Mungu juu yao, wakizua uongo dhidi Yake. Hakika Mungu atawalipa kwa uzushi wao. Pia husema: "Kilicho tumboni mwa wanyama hawa ni kwa ajili ya wanaume wetu pekee, na ni haramu kwa wanawake wetu." Lakini kikizaliwa kimekufa, basi wote wanashiriki kula humo.
Had God willed otherwise, they would not have done so. Leave them, then, to their false inventions. They say: Such cattle and crops are forbidden. None may eat of them save those whom we permit’ — so they falsely claim. Other cattle they declare to be forbidden to burden their backs; and there are cattle over which they do not pronounce God’s name, inventing [in all this] a lie against Him. He will surely requite them for their inventions. They also say: ‘That which is in the wombs of these cattle is reserved to our males and forbidden to our women.’ But if it be stillborn, they all partake of it.
Atawalipa kwa yote waliyosema uongo. Yeye ni Mwenye hekima, Mjuzi wa yote.
Hakika wamepotea wale ambao, kwa ujinga wao, huwaua watoto wao kwa upumbavu, na huharamisha yale ambayo Mwenyezi Mungu amewaruzuku, wakimzulia Mungu uongo. Wamepotea, wala hawana mwongozo. (6: 136-140)
He will requite them for all their false assertions. He is Wise, All-Knowing. Losers indeed are those who, in their ignorance, foolishly kill their children and declare as forbidden what God has provided for them as sustenance, falsely attributing such prohibitions to God. They have gone astray and they have no guidance. (6: 136-140)
Waarabu pia waliamini kwamba wao ni wafuasi wa dini ya Ibrahimu, na kwamba walikuwa wameongozwa vizuri zaidi kuliko watu wa wahyi wa zamani [yaani
The Arabs were also convinced that they were the followers of the religion of Abraham and that they were better guided than the people of earlier revelations [i.e.
Wayahudi na Wakristo] waliokuwa wakiishi Rasi ya Arabia wakati huo: Wayahudi na Wakristo walihubiri kwa mtiririko kwamba Ezra na Yesu walikuwa wana wa Mungu, ilhali wao, Waarabu, waliabudu malaika na majini, ambao, kwa mujibu wao, ndio watoto halisi wa Mungu. Imani yao, walishikilia, ilikuwa yenye mantiki zaidi na inayoeleweka zaidi kuliko ile ya Wakristo na Wayahudi. Hata hivyo, zote zilikuwa aina za ushirikina.
the Jews and Christians] inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula at the time: the Jews and Christians preached respectively that Ezra and Jesus were the sons of God whereas they, the Arabs, worshipped angels and jinn — the true offspring of God according to them. Their belief, they maintained, was more logical and more conceivable than that of the Christians and Jews. Nonetheless, all were forms of idolatry.
Wakati Muĥammad (ﷺ) alipotangaza kwamba dini yake ni ile ya Ibrahimu, walibisha kwamba hakuna sababu kwao kuacha imani zao na kufuata ile ya Muĥammad (ﷺ), kwa sababu nao pia walikuwa wa dini hiyo hiyo. Wakati huo huo, walitafuta aina fulani ya maelewano naye, wakipendekeza kwamba ajisujudu mbele ya miungu yao kama malipo ya wao kusujudu kwa Mungu wake, na kwamba aache kuikemea miungu yao na namna yao ya kuabudu, kwa kubadilishana na chochote alichowadai! Mkanganyiko huu wa mawazo yao, ulioonekana wazi katika kuabudu miungu mbalimbali huku wakikiri Mungu, ndio huenda uliowafanya waamini kwamba pengo kati yao na Muĥammad (ﷺ) halikuwa lisilozibika. Walidhani kwamba makubaliano yanawezekana kwa namna fulani kwa kuruhusu makundi hayo mawili kuishi pamoja katika eneo hilo na kwa kumpa yeye baadhi ya mapendeleo binafsi! Ili kuondoa mkanganyiko huu, kukatisha mabishano yote na kutofautisha kwa uthabiti kati ya aina moja ya ibada na nyingine, na kwa hakika kati ya imani moja na nyingine, sūrah hii iliteremshwa kwa sauti hii ya uamuzi na ya kujiamini. Iliteremshwa kwa namna hii ili kuweka mipaka kati ya tawĥīd, yaani umoja wa Mungu, na shirk, yaani ushirikina, na kuweka kipimo cha kweli, kisichoruhusu mabishano zaidi wala hoja zisizo na maana.
When Muĥammad (peace be upon him) declared his religion to be that of Abraham, they argued that there was no reason for them to forsake their beliefs and follow Muĥammad’s instead, since they too were of the same religion. In the meantime, they sought a sort of compromise with him proposing that he should prostrate himself before their deities in return for their prostration to his God, and that he should cease denouncing their deities and their manner of worship in reciprocation for whatever he demanded of them! This confusion in their concepts, vividly illustrated by their worship of various deities while acknowledging God, was perhaps what led them to believe that the gulf between them and Muĥammad was not unbridgeable. They thought an agreement was somehow possible by allowing the two camps to co-exist in the region and by granting him some personal concessions! To clear up this muddle, to cut all arguments short and to firmly distinguish between one form of worship and the other, and indeed between one faith and the other, this sūrah was revealed in such a decisive, assertive tone. It was revealed in this manner to demarcate monotheism, i.e. tawĥīd, from polytheism, i.e. shirk, and to establish a true criterion, allowing no further wrangling or vain argument.
Sema: "Enyi makafiri! Mimi siabudu mnayoabudu, wala nyinyi hamuabudu ninayoabudu. Mimi sitaabudu kamwe mnayoabudu, wala nyinyi hamtaabudu kamwe ninayoabudu.
“Say: ‘Unbelievers! I do not worship what you worship, nor do you worship what I worship. I shall never worship what you worship, nor will you ever worship what I worship.
"Sema: 'Enyi makafiri! Siabudu ninachoabudu ninyi, wala ninyi si waabudu ninachoabudu mimi. Wala mimi si mwabudu nilichokiabudu ninyi, wala ninyi si waabudu ninachoabudu mimi. Ninyi mna dini yenu, nami nina dini yangu.'" (Mistari 1-6) Kwa kufuatana kwa aina moja ya kukanusha, kuthibitisha na kusisitiza baada ya nyingine, sūrah inaweka ujumbe wake kwa uwazi kabisa. Inaanza kwa neno, 'Sema,' ambalo linaashiria amri wazi ya Mungu inayosisitiza ukweli kwamba jambo zima la dini ni la Mungu peke yake. Hakuna chochote chake kilicho cha Muhammad mwenyewe ﷺ. Zaidi ya hayo, inamaanisha kwamba Mungu ndiye Mmoja pekee wa kuamuru na kuamua. Mwambie, Muhammad ﷺ, kwa utambulisho wao halisi na wa kweli: "Sema:
You have your own religion and I have mine.” (Verses 1-6) Following one form of negation, assertion and emphasis after another, the sūrah sets its message in absolute clarity. It starts with the word, ‘Say,’ which denotes a clear divine order stressing the fact that the whole affair of religion belongs exclusively to God. Nothing of it belongs to Muĥammad himself. Moreover, it implies that God is the only One to order and decide. Address them, Muĥammad, by their actual and true identity: “Say:
"Enyi makafiri!" (Aya 1) Hawafuati dini yoyote iliyowekwa, wala hawakuamini nawe.
Unbelievers!” (Verse 1) They follow no prescribed religion, nor do they believe in you.
Hakuna sehemu ya kukutana kati yenu na wao popote pale. Hivyo mwanzo wa sura unakumbusha uhalisia wa tofauti ambao hauwezi kupuuzwa wala kusahauliwa.
No meeting point exists between you and them anywhere. Thus the beginning of the sūrah brings to mind the reality of difference which cannot be ignored or overlooked.
“Mimi siabudu kile mnachokiabudu,” ni kauli inayothibitishwa na “Sitawahi kuabudu kile mnachokiabudu.” Vilevile, “wala ninyi hamuabudu kile ninachokiabudu,” inarudiwa kwa msisitizo zaidi na ili kuondoa kabisa shaka yoyote au kuelewa vibaya.
“I do not worship what you worship,” is a statement affirmed by “I shall never worship what you worship.” Similarly, “nor do you worship what I worship,” is repeated for added emphasis and in order to eliminate all doubt or misinterpretation.
Hatimaye, hoja yote inafupishwa katika aya ya mwisho: "Nyinyi mna dini yenu, nami nina dini yangu," maana yake ni kwamba ninyi makafiri, na mimi, Muhammad ﷺ, tuko mbali sana, bila daraja lolote linalotuunganisha. Huu ni utengano kamili na mpakaulio wazi na wenye kueleweka.
Finally, the whole argument is summed up in the last verse: “You have your own religion, and I have mine,” meaning that you, unbelievers, and I, Muĥammad, are very far apart, without any bridge to connect us. This is a complete distinction and a precise, intelligible demarcation.
Mtazamo wa aina hiyo ulikuwa wa lazima wakati huo ili kufichua tofauti za msingi katika kiini, chanzo na dhana za imani hizo mbili, yaani kati ya tauhidi na ushirikina, imani na kufuru. Imani ni njia ya maisha inayomwelekeza mwanadamu na dunia nzima kwa Mungu peke yake, na inamwekea chanzo cha dini yake, sheria zake, thamani zake, vigezo vyake, maadili yake na tabia yake. Chanzo hicho ni Mungu. Hivyo maisha ya muumini yanaendelea bila aina yoyote ya ushirikina. Ushirikina, kwa upande mwingine, ni kinyume cha imani. Hizo mbili hazikutani kamwe.
Such an attitude was essential then in order to expose the fundamental discrepancies in the essence, source and concepts of the two beliefs, i.e. between monotheism and polytheism, faith and unbelief. Faith is the way of life which directs man and the whole world towards God alone and determines for him the source of his religion, laws, values, criteria, ethics and morality. That source is God. Thus life proceeds for the believer, devoid of any form of idolatry. Idolatry on the other hand is the opposite of faith. The two never meet.
Kwa ujumla, tofauti tunayozungumzia hapa ni ya lazima kwa wale wanaowaita watu kuukubali Uislamu na kwa watu wenyewe, kwa sababu dhana za jāhiliyyah mara nyingi huchanganyika na zile za Uislamu katika jamii zile ambazo hapo awali zilifuata mfumo wa maisha wa Kiislamu, lakini baadaye zikapotoka kutoka kwake. Miongoni mwa jamii zote, hakika hizi ndizo zenye ukaidi mkubwa zaidi na uhasama zaidi dhidi ya wazo la kurejesha imani katika umbo lake lenye afya, lililo wazi na lisilopindapinda, hakika zaidi kuliko wale ambao hawakuwahi kulijua Uislamu tangu mwanzo. Wao wanachukulia kwa hakika kwamba wao ni wema, wakati wanazidi kuwa potovu zaidi na zaidi! Kuwepo kwa imani na fikra tukufu katika jamii hizo, ingawa zimechanganyika na zile duni, kunaweza kumjaribu mtetezi wa mfumo wa Kiislamu kutumaini kurejea kwao haraka, akifikiri huenda akaweza kuimarisha mambo hayo mema na kuyasahihisha kwa usahihi vipengele visivyotakiwa! Hata hivyo, jaribu la namna hii linapotosha kwa hatari.
On the whole, the distinction we are dealing with here is indispensable both for those who call on people to accept Islam and the people themselves, because jāhiliyyah concepts are often mixed with those of Islam in those societies which previously followed the Islamic way of life, but have later deviated from it. Of all communities, they are certainly the most rigid and hostile to the idea of regaining faith in its healthy, clear and straightforward form, certainly more so than those who have not known Islam originally. They take it for granted that they are righteous while they grow more and more perverse! The existence of noble beliefs and thoughts in those societies, albeit mixed with base ones, may tempt the advocate of the Islamic system to hope for their quick return, thinking he may be able to strengthen such good aspects and rightly correct undesirable features! Such temptation is, however, dangerously misleading.
Jāhiliyyah na Uislamu ni mambo mawili tofauti kabisa, yaliyotenganishwa na pengo kubwa. Njia pekee ya kuziba pengo hilo ni jāhiliyyah kujiondoa kabisa, na badala yake sheria zake zote, maadili yake, viwango vyake na dhana zake kubadilishwa na zile zinazolingana nazo katika Uislamu.
Jāhiliyyah and Islam are two totally different entities, separated by a wide gulf. The only way to bridge that gulf is for jāhiliyyah to liquidate itself completely and substitute for all its laws, values, standards and concepts their Islamic counterparts.
Hatua ya kwanza ambayo inapaswa kuchukuliwa katika suala hili na mtu anayewaita watu kuukubali Uislamu ni kujitenga na jāhiliyyah. Lazima ajitenge kiasi kwamba makubaliano yoyote au mahusiano yoyote kati yake na jāhiliyyah yasiwezekane kabisa, isipokuwa pale tu watu wa jāhiliyyah watakapoukubali Uislamu kikamilifu: hakuna kuchanganyikana, hakuna nusu-nusu wala maridhiano yanayoruhusiwa, hata kama jāhiliyyah ina ujanja kiasi gani katika kujipachika au kuiga nafasi ya Uislamu. Sifa kuu ya mtu anayewaita wengine kuufuata Uislamu ni kuwa na uwazi wa jambo hili ndani ya nafsi yake na imani thabiti ya kwamba yeye ni tofauti kabisa na wale wasiokubaliana naye katika mtazamo wake. Wao wana dini yao, na yeye ana dini yake. Kazi yake ni kubadilisha msimamo wao ili waweze kufuata njia yake bila uongo wala maelewano. Ikishindikana hivyo, lazima ajiondoe kabisa, ajitenge na maisha yao na awaambie waziwazi: “Ninyi mna dini yenu, nami nina dini yangu.” (Aya ya 6)
The first step that should be taken in this respect by the person calling on people to embrace Islam is to segregate himself from jāhiliyyah. He must be separated to the extent that any agreement or intercourse between him and jāhiliyyah is absolutely impossible unless and until the people of jāhiliyyah embrace Islam completely: no intermingling, no half measures or conciliation is permissible, however clever jāhiliyyah may be in usurping or reflecting the role of Islam. The chief characteristic of a person who calls on others to adopt Islam is the clarity of this fact within himself and his solemn conviction of being radically different from those who do not share his outlook. They have their own religion, and he has his. His task is to change their standing point so that they may follow his path without false pretence or compromise. Failing this, he must withdraw completely, detach himself from their life and openly declare to them: “You have your own religion, and I have mine.” (Verse 6)
Hili ni sharti lisilobadilika kwa wanaolingania Uislamu leo. Wanahitaji sana kutambua kwamba wanalingania Uislamu katika mazingira ya kijahiliyya mamboleo kabisa, miongoni mwa watu waliotoka katika Uislamu ambao nyoyo zao zimekuwa ngumu zaidi na imani zao zimeporomoka kwa kiasi kikubwa. Wanahitaji kuelewa kwamba hakuna nafasi ya suluhisho za muda mfupi au za nusu nusu, wala maridhiano, wala ukombozi wa sehemu au marekebisho ya sehemu tu, na kwamba wito wao ni wa Uislamu wa kipekee uliotofautishwa, tofauti na dhana ya watu hao. Ni lazima wakabiliane nao kwa ujasiri na kuwaambia waziwazi: nyinyi mna dini yenu, na sisi tuna yetu. Dini yetu imejengwa juu ya Utauhidi kamili ambao dhana zake, maadili, imani na sheria zake zinagusa kila nyanja ya maisha ya binadamu, na zote zinatoka kwa Mwenyezi Mungu peke yake na si kwa mwingine yeyote.
This is a sine qua non for contemporary advocates of Islam. They badly need to realize that they are calling for Islam today in entirely neo-jāhiliyyah surroundings, amongst ex-Muslim people whose hearts have grown harder and whose beliefs have deteriorated considerably. They need to understand that there is no room for short- term or half-baked solutions, compromises, or partial redemption or adjustment, and that their call is for a uniquely distinguished Islam, in contrast to such people’s conception. They must face these people bravely and put it to them explicitly: you have your own religion, and we have ours. Our religion is based on absolute monotheism whose concepts, values, beliefs and laws cover all aspects of human life and are all received from God and no one else.
Bila utengano huu wa msingi, mkanganyiko, unafiki, shaka na upotoshaji hakika vitaendelea. Na na ieleweke wazi akilini mwetu hapa kwamba harakati inayolingania Uislamu haiwezi kamwe kujengwa juu ya misingi yenye utata au dhaifu, bali lazima ijengwe juu ya msimamo thabiti, ubainifu, uwazi na ujasiri, kama ilivyo katika amri ya Mungu kwetu ya kutangaza: "Nyinyi mna dini yenu, nami nina dini yangu." (Aya ya 6)
Without this basic separation confusion, double-dealing, doubt and distortion will certainly persist. And let it be clear in our minds here that the movement advocating Islam can never be constructed on any ambiguous or feeble foundations, but has to be built upon firmness, explicitness, frankness and fortitude as embodied in God’s instruction to us to declare: “You have your own religion, and I have mine.” (Verse 6)
Ndivyo ilivyokuwa njia iliyochukuliwa na ujumbe wa Kiislamu katika siku zake za mwanzo.
Such was the way adopted by the Islamic message in its early days.