Yes, You Are A Skeptical Muslim!

Mr. Saeed Qureshi:

As-salaamu Aloikom.

Your first name means 'fortunate, blissful, lucky', while Qureshi means 'one from the Quresh tribe'. If having the sort of surname that you have meant salvation, all men would rush to name themselves Qureshi.

Your article (http://www.chowk.com/articles/am-i-a-skeptical-muslim-saeed-qureshi.htm) deserve answers which are as follows:

You say, "I am a Muslim but I am a skeptical Muslim. There should be countless like me. My skepticism remains stuck up on several intellectual roadblocks...

There is no such thing as a skeptical Muslim or a half-Muslim. If you are indeed one, I offer you my shoulder to cry on to your heart's content.

You say, "The caliphs themselves entered into a race for succession of the prophet. The annoyance of Hazrat Ali, the son in law and cousin of the prophet, over the choosing of Abu Bakr as the prophet’s successor led to the division in Islam that continues to this day."

What sort of no-sense is THIS? The Qur'an states about the companions: '...pleased is God with them, and well-pleased are they with Him: this is the triumph supremeare...'

THIS statement settles everything! [see the Qur'an 5:119, 9:100, 48:18, 98:7, 58:22 for more on what 'well-pleased' means].

Neither any caliph was promised the throne by Allah nor was anyone deprived of leadership. Have you been singing "Ali da pehla number' for a long time now?

Down with all thse untruths of the schismatic lot. Read Nahj al-Balagha's relevant sermons and letters where Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib vents out, in no uncertain terms, against those who want him to challenge the system and cause a rift!

If you're still looking for model Muslim states, DO NOT start with the last prophet-messenger who merely revived it with a very big bang. Islam DID NOT start with Muhammad (peace on him), Allah's previous messengers--some of them kings--preached essentially the same doctrine. Why can't you understand this basic fact by reading the Qur'an? The prophets were all reformers authorized by Allah to restore order on earth, and to do that they struggled most actively against all that was evil.

As for the alleged taking up of swords by the companions against each other, Allah will surely question them if at all they were wrong. Humans are in perpetual danger of following satanic advice.

You say, "The fact is that Muslims were never united between themselves. So to ask them to unite against the enemies of Islam is asking for the moon."

I must add here, that you grew up watching too much television. How exactly did the Muslims rule for centuries over vast lands if they were so disunited?

Human history is full of stories of greed but let that not put you to sleep regarding Muslim history. You seem angry at your own existence. Just believing in the tenets is never enough. So, pray, be patient, but keep at it in whatever capacity you can work in towards a pious goal.

I must pray for you now.

Your loving brother,

Tahir