TAQIYYA (DISSIMULATION)

Taqiyya means “concealing, precaution, guarding.” The concept appears as follows in the Qur’an:
Those who reject God after having had faith – except for someone forced to do it whose heart remains at rest in its faith – but as for those whose breasts become dilated with disbelief, anger from God will come down on them...(Qur'an, 16:106)

This verse is describing a very special state of affairs; it is permissible for someone to say that he denies God or conceal his faith on a temporary basis even though he actually believes in order to escape oppression. Dissimulation has no other meaning in the Qur’an.

The main problem with both sides is that they are in fact ignorant of the Qur’an.

There is one very important condition attached to the dissimulation that appears in the Qur’an:

“...except for someone forced to do it whose heart remains at rest in its faith”... The condition attached to dissimulation in the verse concerns a person being in danger, under difficult circumstances, and concealing his faith to escape persecution; not to conceal rancor and enmity.

Almighty God reveals in the Qur’an how there was a member of Pharaoh’s family who had faith, but who concealed it:

A man among Pharaoh’s people who had faith, but kept his faith concealed, said, “Are you going to kill a man for saying ‘My Lord is God...’” ” (Qur'an, 40:28)

 This person who concealed his faith was in clear and present danger. He lived alongside Pharaoh, the cruelest despot of his time, and concealed his faith, or dissimulated, because he was under the threat of death. This is compatible with the condition attached to dissimulation in the Qur’an. That person concealed his faith, even though he was a believer, because he was under severe threat. That is the only way, in the view of the Qur’an, in which dissimulation is acceptable.
Practices under the name of dissimulation of the part of some peddlers of nonsense, and some opponents of Islam who imagine that these practices are compatible with Islam, attempt to block the way to peace and love because they are far removed from the Qur’an. Dissimulation being perceived and applied differently from its true definition made in the Qur’an supports the current climate of war and conflicts that brings violence to the world. By doing this, the impression is given that peace will never come, and that mass slaughter and savagery will continue.

 A Muslim cannot live his life with a lie. That is unlawful according to Islam. A true Muslim always lives in accordance with the Qur'an. In the light of the verses of the Qur'an, Muslims have a duty to bring love to the world (Qur’an, 19:96), to establish peace in the world (Qur’an, 2:208), and to bring about unity and union (Qur’an, 8:73). They are commanded to protect even the unbelievers, if necessary at the cost of their own lives (Qur’an, 9:6). They have a responsibility to be friends and brothers of the People of the Book, who occupy a special place in the Qur'an. They have a responsibility to embrace them, because they love them and because that is what God commands and because they say, “God is One.” They are not commanded to slaughter them and force them to convert to their own faith. Those who falsely misuse the concept of dissimulation to portray Islam as a religion of war will fail in their insidious plan, because evil plots are created as doomed to fail. Despite all the scenarios of war, representatives of the three faiths will bring peace on the world. God always bestows victory on the truth, and desires peace and love. He has created mankind and the whole universe on the basis of love.( via there is no contradictions in quran )

Throughout the Glorious Quran, Allah Almighty spoke in 100s of Noble Verses about the liars and deceivers, and Promised them Hell Fire for their evil:

"And, do not cloak (and confuse) the truth with falsehood. Do not suppress the truth knowingly.  (The Noble Quran, 2:42)"

"And for those who launch a charge against their spouses, and have (in support) no evidence but their own,- their solitary evidence (can be received) if they bear witness four times (with an oath) by God that they are solemnly telling the truth; And the fifth (oath) (should be) that they solemnly invoke the curse of God on themselves if they tell a lie. But it would avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four times (with an oath) By God, that (her husband) is telling a lie;  (The Noble Quran, 24:6-8)"

"Why did they not bring four witnesses to prove it? When they have not brought the witnesses, such men, in the sight of God, (stand forth) themselves as liars!  (The Noble Quran, 24:13)"

"No vanity shall they hear therein (in Heaven), nor lying:-  (The Noble Quran, 78:35)"

"God give thee grace! why didst thou grant them until those who told the truth were seen by thee in a clear light, and thou hadst proved the liars?  (The Noble Quran, 9:43)"

"If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge Hath come to thee, say: "Come! let us gather together,- our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of God on those who lie!"  (The Noble Quran, 3:61)

"Yea, in their own (eyes) will become manifest what before they concealed. But if they were returned, they would certainly relapse to the things they were forbidden, for they are indeed liars.  (The Noble Quran, 6:28)"

"The leaders of the Unbelievers among his people said: "Ah! we see thou art an imbecile!" and "We think thou art a liar!"  (The Noble Quran, 7:66)"

"And there are those who put up a mosque by way of mischief and infidelity - to disunite the Believers - and in preparation for one who warred against God and His Apostle aforetime. They will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good; But God doth declare that they are certainly liars.  (The Noble Quran, 9:107)"

"And the Unbelievers say to those who believe: "Follow our path, and we will bear (the consequences) of your faults." Never in the least will they bear their faults: in fact they are liars!  (The Noble Quran, 29:12)"

"Is it not to God that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than God (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to God." Truly God will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But God guides not such as are false and ungrateful.  (The Noble Quran, 39:3)"

"Ah! they will know on the morrow, which is the liar, the insolent one!  (The Noble Quran, 54:26)"

(osama abdallah)

To accuse Islam of teaching dissimulation(taqiyyah) and its adherents of practising it is one of the most common tactics employed by critics and detractors of Islam in their relentless crusade to demonise Islam. Many Christians gladly hop on the bandwagon peddling the mantra at every street corner, shouting to one and all, “Muslims do taqiyyah. Never believe them!”. Do Christians never lie? “No, real Christians will not lie!” answers the deluded cultic Christian. The more edified ones will concede saying, “yes, Christians do lie as well, but the difference between Islam and Christianity is that the Bible does not teach or promote lying in any way while the Qur’an and Sunnah do.” Really? Even a “white lie” is sinful according to the Bible? “Yes, even a white lie is wrong. No such thing as a white lie!” says the confident Christian.

In this article we will not concern ourselves with what taqiyyah truly means in Islam and whether its representation by its critics is accurate or not. That execrcise can be done at a later date. In the meantime, it is sufficient to mention here that most Muslims have never heard of the term in their entire life as is readily admitted by so called ex-Muslims themselves (refer to the video at the end of the article). In this article we will unpack the question of whether the Bible is truly immune from promoting dissimulation or deception. Our first subjects are Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives of Exodus 1. Who were these fine women exactly? Let us turn to Exodus 1:15-22.(by Ibn Anwar BHsc)

Paul admits during his ministry, preaching his Paulinism (Christianity of today), he falsely acted in order to draw people to his faith. In the following passage he openly confesses that he used deception for conversion:

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul is confesses here that he acted as a Jew in order to convert them to his faith. He even acted as a pagan so that he can lure them to his religion. The above verse shows that Paul would go in great lengths to spread his religion by deception. Let’s see now what the experts have to say on the above passage.by DISCOVER THE TRUTH

 Also, read Br. Ibn Anwar’s article: ‘Biblical Taqiyyah (Dissimulation)‘, scroll down to read Jesus deceiving his brothers.

Lying in Hinduism 

By Sulaiman Razvi

Hindu god allows lying on five occasions especially while enjoying a woman, Krishna said,
Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Krishna Janma Khanda 98.38-44 ”…Hari began to laugh and thus addressed Uddhava, using words of good import and worlds sanctioned by the Vedas, ”O Uddhava, untruth spoken to women or on the sporting ground, or in an emergency which endangers life or for the good of the vows or the Brahmin is not contemptible…” Tr. Rajendra Nath Sen

Matysa Purana 31.16 ”Sarmistha said:- ”King! there is no sin in speaking untruth at the time of indulging in sexual pleasures, on the occasion of marriage, when life is in danger, wealth is at stake, and in joke. Lying on these five occasions is venal.” Tr. Various Sanskrit Scholars, Edited by B.D. Basu

Mahabharata 8.69 ”In a situation of peril to life and in marriage, falsehood becomes utterable. In a situation involving the loss of one’s entire property, falsehood becomes utterable. On an occasion of marriage, or of enjoying a woman, or when life is in danger, or when one’s entire property is about to be taken away, or for the sake of a Brahmana, falsehood may be uttered. These five kinds of falsehood have been declared to be sinless. On these occasions falsehood would become truth and truth would become falsehood.”

Mahabharata 1.82 “Sarmishtha then said, ‘It hath been said, O king, that it is not sinful to lie on the occasion of a joke, in respect of women sought to be enjoyed, on occasions of marriage, in peril of immediate death and of the loss of one’s whole fortune. Lying is excusable on these five occasions.” Tr. K.M. Ganguli

The Real Meaning of “Taqiyya”

The origin of this conjured term however is a ruling that permits a believer to conceal his or her faith when under the threat of persecution or attack from forces hostile to Islam (Qur’an 16:106, 3:28). The word literally connotes being ‘fearful’ (Lane’s Lexicon, p. 310), and in fact conveys a commonsense notion present amongst all cultures and faiths – in a context in which someone is trying to kill you or others because of your beliefs, it is appropriate to hide those beliefs. Another famous example is Corrie Ten Boom lying to Nazis that she was hiding Jews in her attic – no one with a moral conscience would fault her for lying to save lives from murderous criminals

Given that the word ‘taqiyya’ has only been used in Islam to refer to Muslims saving themselves from mortal danger by concealing their faith, that should readily dismantle the Islamophobic claim that Muslims are generally taught to lie to non-Muslims. However, when confronted with the fact that their use of the term ‘taqiyya’ is a grotesque misrepresentation, Islamophobes run to another concept in an attempt to buttress their caricature of Muslims as dishonest criminals. They cite a saying of the Prophet that “Warfare is deceit (Ar. khida’ah).” But here again they find no support as this reference to military strategy involving tricks has been echoed by practically every civilization in human history. It is most famous on the lips of Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu who stated in The Art of War, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” Once again, we find that behind the seemingly scary use of Arabic jargon, there are nothing more than run-of-the mill commonsense notions that every civilization has expressed.

Moreover, by unanimous consensus, Muslim scholars have explicitly pointed out that tricking the enemy on the battlefield (khida’ah) is very different from treachery (khiyanah) or breaking a covenant, the latter being universally prohibited

 What Islamophobes who peddle the myth of taqiyya choose to ignore is that while Islam permits believers to conceal their faith in the face of persecution, nowhere does Islam grant Muslims general permission to lie with the intention of deception. In fact, Islam strongly condemns dishonesty as a trait that is antithetical to true faith in God, and a sign of hypocrisy. (hoffingtonpost)(By Omar Suleiman and Nazir Khan)

 

 First, the Taqiyya argument is the ultimate “cop out” argument. It basically says, “You are wrong, and even if you prove you are right, you are lying, therefore wrong.” In other words, this argument does not prove anything against Islam—it baselessly assumes everything against Islam. Like a fixed sporting event, it determines the winner before the game is played. We find this tactic abhorrent in practical life, and any true seeker after truth should find this tactic abhorrent when discussing intellectual matters..