01.04.07
Was Saddam a “Leader?”
Due to multiple requests, I thought I would comment on other people’s analysis and “love” for Saddam. It really hurts my heart to see people praising the likes of this man. I pray its due to ignorance and nothing else. I will try to address some of the points that were brought up, and inshaAllah try to explain it in a more rational manner.
When we look at an individual, we can look at the person’s good deeds or bad deeds, or both. I feel that the Shi’as have always concentrated on his bad deeds. And of course I may be accused of only concentrating on his good deeds.
I challenge all of us– Shi’as, Sunnis, Kurds, Americans, Arabs, etc.– to do our best to look at both sides of Saddam. It is completely detrimental to us all, especially the Muslims to ignore one side over another.
Both sides? If a man prays, yet steals that is an act of injustice towards the people and ultimately towards Allah(swt). And an act injustice, any type of injustice is hyprocricy. Now in the case of Saddam, he definately took part in some of the worse insjustices in the world. He butchered thousands of Shi’i in the south, and thousands of Sunnis in the north. He banned all popular religious rituals, and he forcibly named masjids under his name. He slaughtered hundreds of both Sunni and Shi’i clerics and scholars. He was a secular tyrant, who wanted to eradicate Islam from Iraq, because he knew Islam is much more powerful tool and way of life than everything and anything he represented and adovcated.
He stood for PALESTINE for PALESTINIANS for PALESTINIAN LAND for JERUSALEM. Just to give you an example, he helped the families of lost breadwinners and relatives. He would offer them thousands of dollars and even pay for their Umrah, Hajj, and/or education.
He stood for Palestine? If offering few thousand (actually around 3,000) to families in Palestine, makes you a champion of Palestinian rights, than the United States out-dues him significantly. We need to think rationally and un-biasly, inshaAllah. We all know it was and is a political move. He could care-less about the rights of the Palestinians. Sadly to say (or gladly to say), but the only government that does genuinely support the cause are non-arab.
Like any other leader would have done, Saddam began to see them as his enemy as well. I agree with him on that! However, he went overboard in many events that could have been avoided. The case he was tried for was of his killing of 182 Shi’as in Dujail villiage
Look at this logic. Collateral damage is haram in Islam. Collective punishment according the Qur’an and Sunnah is forbidden. Going overboard is an understatement. Killing children and women based on their religious affiliation is wrong. And labeling all Shi’a arabs as “Iranian Agents” is wrong. He certainly did send a message to all. That he does not care about the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. He has no compassion for women and children. And no shame for allowing women to be raped and harassed.
Todays Iraqi gov’t is an illegitimate gov’t! The Sunnis boycotted the gov’t, it was implemented by the US and it is controlled by men and militias that are as evil as you can be (i.e. Muqtada).
Today’s government is as illegitimate as Saddam’s “government.” Both governments were installed by the United States. And both are puppets of the West. So, according to this person’s own arguement, everything Saddam did is now nullified, since he was an illegitimate leader. And do you have evidence that Muqtada al-Sadr, whom by the way supports the rights of Palestinians, and builds hospitals and schools, ordered anyone to take part in “evil” acts?
Saddam was not tried for his actions against the Sunnis (very rare crimes) nor his actions agaisnt the Kurds. He was only tried for his actions agaisnt Shi’as, the same people in charge of the Iraqi gov’t and court system.
Saddam was not tried for a lot of his atrocities, because he was only executed for his killings in Dujail. And I explained why earlier posts. This person has also fallen victim to the US strategy of “divide and conquer.” Its absurd to categorize Iraqis into “Sunni”, “Shi’a” and then “Kurds.” First of all Sunni and Shi’a is a religious denomination, while Kurd is a ethnical denomination. We are all forgetting that Kurds are mostly Sunni (approx. 90%). Hence, he killed thousands of Sunnis. Lets get the facts straight. He rarely committed crimes against “Sunni Iraqi Arabs.” I say Iraqi, because we all know how he treated the Sunni gulf arabs.
Saddam was not a leader, because he was installed by the United States. And then strenghtened by the United States and then further strengthened by the United States (UN Sanctions). And finally ultimately met his fate under occupation by the United States. An oppressor killed an oppressor. He was an illegitimate leader, who oppressed his own people. He tried to replace Islam with “Arabism.” May Allah unite and guide us all. Ameen.
“O you who believe, Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin; and whether it be against rich or poor… (4:135)”
amel Said:
January 4, 2007 at 12:35 am
that so many arabs foolishly posited all their dignity and salvation in this one dictator is pathetic. i guess all it takes is to denounce israel and america to become a leader. i love the standards we set for ourselves. maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to accomplish a damn thing for our people. his death is being used as a tool to create further hostilities between sunni and shia and i dont understand why arabs dont see that. yes, the way his execution was carried out was wrong. but this deep emotional attachment that arabs seem to have towards this dictator is really strange and sick.
Ali Said:
January 4, 2007 at 7:21 am
Who is to blame in this story…
Kolkata, India - A 15-year-old girl from eastern India hanged herself in response to the execution of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, police and family members said on Thursday.
“She said they had hanged a patriot. We didn’t take her seriously when she told us that she wanted to feel the pain Saddam did during the execution,” the girl’s father, Manmohan Karmakar, told AFP by phone from the town of Kharda.
He said his daughter, called Moon Moon, had become extremely depressed after watching Saddam’s execution on television.
“She kept watching the scene over and again and didn’t take food on Saturday and Sunday to protest the hanging,” he said.
Police superintendent Pravin Kumar confirmed the suicide, saying the girl had strung herself up from a ceiling fan and was found dead early on Wednesday.
The communist-ruled state of West Bengal has condemned Saturday’s execution of Saddam, with thousands of people taking to the streets.
Sapa-AFP
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2051037,00.html
zulfaqar Said:
January 4, 2007 at 9:55 am
I could not agree with you more. I think what has happened is that we are finally seeing the reality of Arabs. They are simply arrogant nationalist who only adhere to Islam becuase of the fact that Prophet Muhammad was a muslim. They continue to interpret the Sunnah and Quran in light of their age old cultural backwardness. Insha Allah true Muslims (Arab, Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, Asian, Erupean, etc.) will rise and hold the banner of Islam and continue holding tyrants to account.
As. Said:
January 4, 2007 at 11:54 pm
You cannot look at a few deeds of a man and judge him. The Prophet saw always used to pray to make his last deeds his best ones. Saddam Hussein, may Allah have mercy on him, died as the penultimate anti-puppet. While the entire Muslim world is led by puppet dictators who march to Bush’s drum, Saddam made the rallying cry of his last years his message of independence for Iraq. Iraq is a sovereign country, he said. Who the hell are you to come in and demand to inspect every inch of our land as if you owned the joint.
Damned if that’s how the rest of the Muslim world operates, as fiefdoms of the US. And for that defiance he lost his life. He was invaded by the same thugs and criminals who propped him up for so many years.
Over the past three years, as we have witnessed yet another Muslim country become re-colonized by the West, we saw what Saddam truly symbolized. The rape of Iraq symbolized the rape of the Muslim world. We watched helplessly as the West invaded one of our countries and overthrew their government, propping up their own new puppets.
Playing off the Muslims against themselves, the West propped up Shia thugs–not really Iraqis since most of them had spent the past 30 years in the West anyway–who sent around death squads to rape and silence the Sunni population. Then we saw who Saddam was: iron-fisted and harsh he may have been, but at the end of the day, he was a leader. A leader who kept the warring factions–Sunni, Shi’a, Kurd–at relative calm with one another. America for all its might was helpless to prevent the country from descending into brutal civil war.
Saddam’s history is diverse and vast, but it is blind to say that he is a symbol for genocide and murder. The reason this group is growing so quickly is because there is a deep desire down in our souls as Muslims–for honor, for respect, for ‘izzah.
That is how Saddam is remembered. The Americans and their agents tried to humiliate him, like the cowards they are. And there he stood like a lion- Asadullah il-Ghalib- reciting the Kalima without fear or worry. America said: Look at yourself. You were the ruler of Iraq, the country of the two rivers, where Islamic civilization developed one thousand years ago. Today, look at yourself. We can kill you on the day of Eid just like that. And he stood back and proclaimed without blinking that Allah is one and Muhammad is his messenger. They said: Look at Moqtada, running around with his death squads, all powerful, and look at yourself about to die. He said: Hai Marjala, Is THAT your manhood? Being puppets of Bush making civil war between the Muslims? No America, and no Shia. THIS is true manhood.
Saddam is a martyr for the Ummah. His dying call was not one for genocide—he did not say go and kill all the Shia or the Kurd. His call was for peace—it was for unity, for ittihad. For the Iraqis to join together as one and expel the invaders and the puppets. To defend their land and Islam from he occupation. The Sunnah of the Prophet saw tells us to judge a man by what he died on. Abu Dawud records in a sahih hadith that the Prophet said: “He whose last words in life were ‘La ilaha illallah’ shall enter Paradise”
In Sahih Bukhari it says, “A man may do the deeds of the people of the Fire while in fact he is one of the people of Paradise, and he may do the deeds of the people of Paradise while in fact he belongs to the people of Fire, and verily, (the rewards of) the deeds are decided by the last actions (deeds)”.
Looking at the end of the life of Saddam Hussein, we see the clear signs of a shaheed and we pray that Allah swt accepts him as such.
naqvia Said:
January 5, 2007 at 1:02 am
How did he die as an “anti-puppet?” For being anti-american? What did he do for the Ummah? He was not only put in power by the US, but at the same time strenghtened and obeyed the orders of the hegemonic powers to be (ie. US and Britain). We certaily did see what he symbolized. His hiding portrayed his cowardice. He was a “leader,” who gained his ranks by raping, harassing, burning, torturing all those around him, including his own near relatives. He kept the “warring factions” calm, because he killed all dissent similar to how Muawiyah (l) did when he fought Imam Ali (a).
Saddam’s history is filled with genocide and atrocity. He has the blood of millions of believers on his hands. Here is one example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGkDFVRq_08&mode=related&search=. Anyone, I don’t care if you’re Arab, non-Arab, Muslim or non-Muslim, sees this as acceptable I humbly ask them to re-evaluate their imaan and taqwa. Nothing can justify such brutality and injustice. Is this your idea of unity? Is this how you want unity? Please refer to http://thenlightenment.whatheblog.com/2006/05/17/islamic-unity-a-commandment-from-god/ for what unity ought to be.
Are you forgetting that in the first three years there were mass demonstrations called by Shi’i leaders in solidarity with the Ahlus Sunnah? Are you forgetting that after the Samarra shrine attack, al-Sadr ordered his people to protect Sunni masjids and mosques in Baghdad? Are you forgetting Grand Ayatollah Sistani disapproved the idea of partitioning Iraq into three regions, because it would have been unfair to the arab Sunni minority? The burden of proof is on you since you made the claims. Your assertions of Muqtada al-Sadr needs evidence and proof.
How easily we forget and how easily we are blinded when arrogance and pride takes control. We look at the hadith when the Qur’an is clear to us. One of the biggest tyrants in history had recited the shahada.
[10:90] And We made the children of Israel to pass through the sea, then Firon and his hosts followed them for oppression and tyranny; until when drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god but He in Whom the children of Israel believe and I am of those who submit.
[10:91] What! now! and indeed you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers.
[10:92] But We will this day deliver you with your body that you may be a sign to those after you, and most surely the majority of the people are heedless to Our communications.
Just when the Pharoah was to meet his death, in the last moment he said: “I believe that verily there is no god save Allah in whom the followers of Musa believe, and I am of those who submit to the will of Allah”, but it was too late. Saddam’s confession and recitation does not absolve him from his goals to eradicate Islam and to spread injustice. Can you see the similarity?
I conclude with yet another verse from the Qur’an,
[63:6]It is alike to them whether you beg forgiveness for them or do not beg forgiveness for them; Allah will never forgive them; surely Allah does not guide the transgressing people.
-Abbas
Abdullah Said:
January 5, 2007 at 1:12 am
Dear “As” or whoever you are,
It is frightening the message that you proclaim, and the tyrant you support. But history will be against you, as history was against Yazid. The people of Yazid paraded Yazid and proclaimed him victorious after Karbala, but it was history that judged Yazid (through Allah (swt) bringing the Ummah out of darkness into light) and put him as the most cursed person in Islamic history. Yet while Karbala is mentioned as a historical event, you my friend have repeated the mistakes of Karbala over again, not realizing the message of that horrible day.
Saddam was no saint. Nor did he die one. You quote Sahih Bukhari by mentioning “…by the last actions (deeds)”. Have you not read the Qur’an al-Kareem? Pharoah’s last action was that of SHAHADA as he was drowning. But verily Allah (Swt) cast him into hellfire. Saddam died the death of the Pharoah, for he not only murdered the believers and had people worship false idols (such as Arab nationalism) and praised himself (by having everything named after him)…..but he proclaimed Shahada at the end of his life like Pharoah.
If the whole Muslim world is filled with tyrants and puppets of the West, it does not clean Saddam’s hands or make him a saint compared to them. Your perception of the Muslim world is limited. Maybe you don’t consider the Shi’a as Muslim, even though they proclaim the same shahada you do. Is not the Islamic Republic of Iran independent of the West? It’s leaders are enemies of the West, and Iran is the only country in the world still willing to fund the Palestinian cause.
It is Iran that helped Lebanon free itself from Israeli occupation in the 80’s while it was wrestling against Saddam the invader.
It is Iran that provided leadership and support to Hezbollah to keep Lebanon independent and successful.
It was Iran’s leadership that allowed Hizbullah to beat Israel within 3 days (while 6 Arab countries including Iraq lost the war against Israel within 6 days).
I have another problem with your response as well. You called Saddam the lion of God, “asadullah”. How dare you! Asadullah was the title given to Imam Ali by the Prophet of Islam (S). Ali fought like a lion.
Did you ever find a single narration of Hadith were Ali was found in a hole hiding from his enemies? How dare you compare Ali to Saddam by giving Saddam the title “Asadullah”. It is an insult to the man you call the 4th caliph of Islam. For Saddam was found in a RAT HOLE instead of embracing the “shahadah” that you claim he was at the end of his life.
The Qur’an says that anyone intentionally killing a believer will get no respite and their destination is hellfire. The Qur’an also says that the message was revealed so that we may judge Man with it.
It is sad that you have defended Saddam as those before you defended Yazid. I will assume it is out of your ignorance and refrain from judging you as an oppressor for defending an oppressor.
Peace to you
Abdullah Said:
January 5, 2007 at 1:18 am
Another note:
You talk about “shi’a death squads”, etc. Do you take history out of context as the Zionists do?
For the first 3 years of the occupation we witnessed 1 suicide bombing AFTER THE NEXT against the Shi’a. Do you remember all the suicide bombings against the Shi’as that left THOUSANDS of shi’as dead, and hundreds of thousands more injured?
The Sunni death squads would go around blowing themselves up killing shi’as left and right.
What did the Shi’as do? Ayatullah Sistani kept making fatwas making it forbidden for Shi’as to act in revenge and kill Sunnis. Muqtada Sadr too kept calling for his followers to remain calm and not retaliate.
But 3 years passed and now its out of control. Ayatullah Sistani and Muqtada Sadr BOTH still call for peace and anti-retaliation. But some Shi’as have taken the law into their own hand and are retaliating against all their loved ones that were killed by the Sunnis (mostly foreign insurgents from other countries).
It just shocks me that you randomly take history out of context and start blaming the Shi’as for all the sectarian violence happening in Iraq. Just go into the archives of the news and read about all the Sunni attacks in Iraq the first years, including Sunnis forcing Shi’as out of the villages.
I condemn BOTH sides now for continuing this cycle of violence. But I also don’t have a short memory and blaim the Sunnis (and they weren’t even Iraqi sunnis, but foreign sunnis coming into Iraq) for starting this sectarian violence. Shi’as weren’t attacking Sunnis the first 3 years (except maybe 1 or 2 isolated incidents that were widely condemned by the Shi’a ulema).
So how dare you call the Shi’a the people trying to divide and murder. Condemn first the Sunni insurgents that started it, and condemn both sides for continuing it.
May God curse anyone who tries to create seperation between Sunnis and Shi’as, and not recognize the One Ummah that includes both.
Abdullah Said:
January 5, 2007 at 1:59 am
I feel bad for Sunnis who out of either jealousy or hatred refuse to see Shi’as and Shi’a countries as part of the Muslim world.
You know why? Because currently Allah (swt) has blessed Iran with enormous power and influence right now (and power only comes from Allah (swt)), and Iran’s leadership is not installed by the West, nor is it influenced by the West (read current books coming out by ex-CIA agents that claim that Russia, China and Iran are the 3 strongest countries in terms of intelligence gathering and espionage right now). The Qur’an says that the disbelievers plan and Allah (Swt) plans, and verily Allah (swt) is the best of planners.
The CIA has tried so many methods to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran, yet time after time they have been foiled and their plans destroyed or backfired. For example, the CIA gave millions of dollars to its top CIA chief in Tehran with a list of names of CIA operatives to distribute the cash to.
Guess what happens? That CIA chief was an Iranian counter-agent which took the list of names of CIA operatives in Iran, and over 5,000 CIA agents in Iran were killed within a month. This happened in 2001. The CIA has repeatedly told Congress and Senate that they currently have a blind eye in Iran because they don’t have deep agents working in the country anymore.
It also reminds me of Bosnia. When the Christians were massacring the Muslims in Bosnia, the UN (during Clinton’s rule) imposed sanctions on the country while putting a blind eye to the Russians and Europeans that were smuggling arms to the Christians to continue their onslaught of the Muslims. It was Melosavich’s happiest day.
The Muslim world (except Iran) obeyed the UN’s orders of arms embargo, leaving the Bosnian Muslim helpless.
Iran on the other hand built a 2 mile long tunnel under ground leading into Yugoslavia, into Muslim territories, and the first thing they sent in was medicine and food. Then they started smuggling both weapons as well as elite Iranian Revolutionary Gaurds (Pasdaran-eh Islamee) into the country to help quickly train the Bosnian Muslims.
THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT HELPED THE BOSNIAN MUSLIMS were the IRANIAN SHIAS. Even though their wasn’t even a Shi’a population in Bosnia. To this day, while the Bosnians are grateful for this Iranian Shi’a support, they have remained Sunni. Iran didn’t force them to become Shi’a, didn’t even build a Shi’a mosque. They only helped their Sunni brothers out, and left when the war was over. (Saudi Arabia on the other came into the country after the war was over, and built Wahabi mosques that spread messages that Shi’as are Kafir and are worse than Jews and Pigs).
That is the way of the Shi’as. To consider both Sunnis and Shi’as as Muslim, and to help Muslim causes anywhere they can, without imposing their aqeeda and madhab (school of thought).
Lets look at today’s Palestine. While all Arab countries have cut ties and funds to Palestinian organizations (except Mahmoud-Abbas’s puppet government)….including Saddam’s Iraq that also stopped sending the Palestinians money…… it is Iran that still questions Isreal’s right to exist, and sends millions and millions of dollars to Hamas (which happens to be a Sunni organization, yet Shi’as still are the only ones funding them).
Is it not ironic that Hosni Mobarak (of Egypt), Abdullah (of Jordan) and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of trying to create a Shi’a crescent and talk about fighting its influence,…..while the first two have relations with Israel, and Saudi Arabia is considering creating relations with Israel (it already sleeps with the US, why not a threesome?).
While the Gaurdian of the Two Holy Mosques (Mecca and Madina) live grandiose lives (The Saudi Family all live in castles that would make the Queen of England jealous), and cosy up to the non-Muslim West…….look at Iran’s Islamic rulers.
Seyed Khamenei (the Spiritual Leader of Islamic Iran) lives in a modest home in the middle of Tehran and walks amongst the people to find out their concerns.
Ahmadinejad lived in a modest home, and even refused to have the Presidential residence furnished with persian rugs, for he claimed that he should live like the people. He refuses to get paid more than what a teacher gets paid in Iran, until the wages of teachers are increased.
So we compare Khamenei and Ahmadinejad with Mubarak, Saddam, King Abdullah and King Fahad…..what do you see?
Who lives more closely to that of the Prophet (S) and who lives like Abu Sufyan?
Saddam’s palaces were extravegant. Did the Prophet (S) live like that? Not living like the Prophet (S) doesnt’ make you evil, but I’m asking you who are the REAL leaders of the Muslim world.
While Saudi Arabia keeps meeting Bush in the White House and cosing up to him, Ahmadinejad (a Shi’a) is addressing the United Nations and standing up to power. He is speaking of justice and equity, and an end to oppression. He stands up for Palestinian rights, while living humbly himself (he is not a hypocrite).
My point is this.
At this critical time in history, let us stand by the real leaders of the Muslim world. I’m not claiming only Shi’as (even though right now Sheikh Nasrullah (of Hizbullah), Ahmadinejad and Khamenei do stand out).
I’m claiming that Saddam was never a real leader of the Muslim world. He was a munafiqh that has the blood of millions on his hands. We don’t need leaders like him. With leaders like him, why do we even consider the West our enemy? If you consider Saddam a leader and shaheed, then pray that the West gives you more Saddams and they will gladly provide.
Lets stand for those who want unity in the Muslim world, and have fought hard for Islamic Unity, as well as fought for real Muslim causes the real way. Sending Palestinian a few million dollars doesn’t make you a leader. But training Hamas, Bosnian Muslims, and fighting alongside Hezbollah to free nations makes you a leader. Standing up to the US and its oppression at the UN makes you a leader. Living humbly and following Rasulallah (S) makes you a leader.
If anyone who stands up to power becomes a good leader, then Abu Lahab and Abu Sufyan too were “good” leaders (for they too stood up to the rising power of the Muslims). Muawiya becomes the best of leaders. Yazid becomes a god (astaghfirullah) with that definition.
I pray we unite around good Muslim role models, that we strive for unity, and that we put Saddam behind us, and work toward fixing ourselves and our communities in that we may not become a tyrant ourselves. That we neither oppressor others, nor oppress ourselves. I pray that real Islamic movements become successful, and that we may spread the Truth of this deen to the world.
zeinab Said:
January 5, 2007 at 9:16 am
salaam,
it seems rather sad that the arab-muslim world is constantly looking for a savior to salvage the remnants of its “dignity.” let’s face it, arab-muslim dignity was gone the minute their leaders began selling their countries to the highest bidder and the arab people stood idly by. sadly, the place that was once the center of the civilized world is now the west’s prostitute.
i cannot believe that of all people, palestinians support saddam! do the millions killed and oppressed by saddam not matter because he gave the palestinians some money and talked tough for them? do the palestinians not see that it is their shi’a neighbors to the north who are the ONLY ones willing to lay down their lives for freedom from the zionist regime? is it not sayed nasrallah–a *gasp* SHI’A–whom the palestinians were celebrating this past summer, even writing songs for him? sadly most arabs (even the ones who should know better) can be bought and sold at the market.
how ironic that a man who was rumsfeld’s best friend at one point is now being celebrated as a martyr for the arab-muslim cause. wake up people, if it weren’t for the west, saddam would not have had power. it’s just utterly amazing how stupid most of the arab world is. being arab used to be a source of pride, but we have contributed to destroying our own identity.
Ali Said:
January 5, 2007 at 9:47 am
Salaamun ‘Alaikum,
Do not confuse bravery with arrogance.
Do you know when Shaitan will tell his story, many of us will feel sorry for Shaitan. Similarly how some of us are feeling sorry for Saddam.
What do Muslims do before going to Hajj? They ask people around them for forgiveness because they may not return from their pilgrimage. Yet what did Saddam do before meeting his Maker?
Remember… not to feel sorry for Shaitan.
Wa Salaam,
Ali
rahat Said:
January 6, 2007 at 1:04 pm
With such a title, I felt this was appropriate:
028.041
YUSUFALI: And we made them (but) leaders inviting to the Fire; and on the Day of Judgment no help shall they find.
malangbaba Said:
January 7, 2007 at 12:05 am
As Salaam u Alaikum,
I disagree with both sides as to the sincerity of the Shahada or Iman of Saddam in his last days. While someone rightfully cited the verse about Pharaoh hypocritically proclaiming faith before drowning, there are also ahadith in which the Prophet questions companions about whether they looked into the heart of people who proclaimed Shahada right before their death. In the end ONLY…i repeat…ONLY Allah know whether his faith was sincere.
HOWEVER, the matter of his transgressions against the people of Iraq is a separate matter. There is the hadith that Allah may forgive a man of his sins against Allah, but a man’s sins against other humans may only be forgiven by those people first. From this we derive the concept of Huqooq-Ullah and Huqooq-ul-ibad. It is important that Saddam never apologized or sought forgiveness from the people of Iraq (Sunni, Kurd, or Shia, or other) for his crimes against them. And we have no right to ignore that.
Still, there were many things wrong in the timing, method, politics behind the trial and execution.
May Allah allow the Ummah to see the truth, and be guided to faith, unity and justice.
Ali Said:
January 7, 2007 at 1:45 am
Walaikum Salaam, Malangbaba
I don’t think anyone has called Saddam a kafir, yet. But as we all know the punishment for a munafiq is greater than that of the nonbeliever.
Anyhow, it is reported that this “great champion” of the oppressed was hoping that US would save him from execution. And even till the last minute sources say the Americans tried to spare his life by disrupting the execution. It is my understanding that if the execution would have been delayed as requested by Mr. Khalilzad, Saddam would be drinking tea, err, coffee along side Usama in Crawford, Texas.
Maybe Saddam should have relied on Allah, his chances would have been greater. I guess he’s not a betting man. Atleast not when it comes to his own life.
Ummayads (and later the Abbasids) invented this notion of forgetting the past after a leader dies–forget their evils and exaggerate their good. A pretty sneaky attempt of removing the memory of Karbala from the hearts of Muslims. Frankly, I’d say it worked. Because a good majority of the Muslims today can careless about Imam Husain (as). Let’s not fall for it again.
Lest we forget.
Wa Salaam,
Ali
Muqtada Muqtada Muqtada ! Said:
January 8, 2007 at 12:16 am
In Islamic fiqh any one who kills a muslim or desecrates the quran dies the death of a kaffir.
Saddam killed hundreds of thousands of muslims both shia and sunni.
Saddam even had the blood used of people he executed to write a copy of the quran.
Even Bin Baz the Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who was a follower of the salafi/wahhabi school of thought, stated that Saddam was a kaffir during his invasion of Kuwait.
Saddam never once apologized for any of his evil deeds.
All I have to say is,
“Oh Allah bless Muhammad and the children of Muhammad and hasten the aperance of the “help” and curse the enemies of the family of Muhammad and bless his son Muqtada Muqtada Muqtada !
Death to Saddam and baathis.
Miss Ali Said:
January 11, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Salaam,
There are always two sides (or more) of an argument. There seems to be ayatul Quran and hadith that can argue for Saddam to be sent to Paradise, and also some that can argue for Saddam to be sent to the Hellfire. Again, only Allah(swt) knows. Therefore, do not concern yourselves with Saddam’s eternal destiny.
The purpose of this entry was to discuss whether Saddam was a leader. As defined by dictionary.com: leader - “a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.” Saddam fits this description, therefore I will consider him a leader. There are good leaders, and there are bad leaders. Whether he was a good leader or not is opinion, but not the proper topic of discussion here.
Everyone who posted here made some valid points, but also made some weak statements, because everyone has a bias opinion. Remove opinion from the situation. Use only factual statements that you can provide supporting documents for. By the definition of the word “leader,” can you still deny that Saddam was such a man?
As a side note:
“Death to Saddam and baathis.”
It is disappointing to see someone calling for the death of person or group of people. Shame on you. And besides, Saddam already is dead.
Salaam.
naqvia Said:
January 11, 2007 at 1:58 pm
but.. an illegitimate and oppressive one.. right?
Miss Ali Said:
January 11, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Oppressive? Most definitely.
Illegitimate? Tough one. I understand why he would be considered an illegitimate leader because he was put into power by an outside force. But what is a legitimate leader? I always refer to technical definitions of words. When I am online, dictionary.com is my primary source: legitimate = lawful. What is the law in Iraq? What was it before Saddam came to power and what was it while he was in power? My guess is that he probably was illegitimate, though.
Muqtada Muqtada Muqtada Said:
January 17, 2007 at 12:55 am
Its shamefull to call for the death of a tyrant and a political group that terrorized iraq like the ss and killed millions of innocent people?
Real Islam tells us to rise up against tyrants and criminals. Thats why we had the example of Hussain (as), and in real Islam we curse the enemies of Allah.
The only thing thats shamefull is that people on this earth follow an ideology which tells them its wrong to denounce criminals.
Allahuma Sali Allah Muhammad Wa Alihi Muhammad Wa ajil Farajahum wa AHLIK ADUAHUM , min al jinsi wal ins, min al awaleena wal akhireen
Oh Allah bless muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and hasten the “help” and DESTROY THE ENEMIES (of muhammad and his family) among the jin and the min, from the first to the last.