An open Letter to the ISIS from Prophet Muhammad.

While browsing reddit I came across something that I forgot about .

In light of recent tragedy towards the Christians at the hands of the ISIS . I thought that a little reminder of a contract /letter
To Christians of time should be reflected upon by these extremist groups.

The Achtiname of Muhammad, also known as the Covenant or (Holy) Testament (Testamentum) of the Prophet Muhammad, is a document or ahdname which is a charter or writ allegedly ratified by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad granting protection and other privileges to the monks of Saint Catherine's Monastery. It is sealed with an imprint representing Muhammad's hand.[1]

English Translation of the Achtiname by Richard Pococke:

Muhammad the son of ‘Abd Allah, the Messenger of Allah, and careful guardian of the whole world; has wrote the present instrument to all those who are in his national people, and of his own religion, as a secure and positive promise to be accomplished to the Christian nation, and relations of the Nazarene, whosoever they may be, whether they be the noble or the vulgar, the honorable or otherwise, saying thus.I. Whosoever of my nation shall presume to break my promise and oath, which is contained in this present agreement, destroys the promise of God, acts contrary to the oath, and will be a resister of the faith, (which God forbid) for he becomes worthy of the curse, whether he be the King himself, or a poor man, or whatever person he may be.
That whenever any of the monks in his travels shall happen to settle upon any mountain, hill, village, or other habitable place, on the sea, or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid, and protection, jointly with all my national people; because they are a part of my own people, and an honor to me.
Moreover, I command all officers not to require any poll-tax on them, or any other tribute, because they shall not be forced or compelled to anything of this kind.
None shall presume to change their judges or governors, but they shall remain in their office, without being deported.
No one shall molest them when they are travelling on the road.
Whatever churches they are possessed of, no one is to deprive them of them.
Whosoever shall annul any of one of these my decrees, let him know positively that he annuls the ordinance of God.
Moreover, neither their judges, governors, monks, servants, disciples, or any others depending on them, shall pay any poll-tax, or be molested on that account, because I am their protector, wherever they shall be, either by land or sea, east or west, north or south; because both they and all that belong to them are included in this my promissory oath and patent.
And of those that live quietly and solitary upon the mountains, they shall exact neither poll-tax nor tithes from their incomes, neither shall any Muslim partake of what they have; for they labor only to maintain themselves.
Whenever the crop of the earth shall be plentiful in its due time, the inhabitants shall be obliged out of every bushel to give them a certain measure.
Neither in time of war shall they take them out of their habitations, nor compel them to go to the wars, nor even then shall they require of them any poll-tax.
In these eleven chapters is to be found whatever relates to the monks, as to the remaining seven chapters, they direct what relates to every Christian.
Those Christians who are inhabitants, and with their riches and traffic are able to pay the poll-tax, shall pay no more than twelve drachms.
Excepting this, nothing shall be required of them, according to the express order of God, that says, ‘Do not molest those that have a veneration for the books that are sent from God, but rather in a kind manner give of your good things to them, and converse with them, and hinder everyone from molesting them’ [29:46].
If a Christian woman shall happen to marry a Muslim man, the Muslim shall not cross the inclination of his wife, to keep her from her church and prayers, and the practice of her religion.
That no person hinder them from repairing their churches.
Whosoever acts contrary to my grant, or gives credit to anything contrary to it, becomes truly an apostate to God, and to his divine apostle, because this protection I have granted to them according to this promise.
No one shall bear arms against them, but, on the contrary, the Muslims shall wage war for them.
And by this I ordain, that none of my nation shall presume to do or act contrary to this my promise, until the end of the world.
English Translation of the Achtiname by Anton F. Haddad:

You can read more here en.m.wikipedia.org...

Thus far I have found no errors in Wikipedia explanation.


Humbly

LSH

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere


A little more to Add

English Translation of the Achtiname by Anton F. Haddad:

This is a letter which was issued by Mohammed, Ibn Abdullah, the Messenger, the Prophet, the Faithful, who is sent to all the people as a trust on the part of God to all His creatures, that they may have no plea against God hereafter. Verily God is the Mighty, the Wise. This letter is directed to the embracers of Islam, as a covenant given to the followers of Nazarene in the East and West, the far and near, the Arabs and foreigners, the known and the unknown.

This letter contains the oath given unto them, and he who disobeys that which is therein will be considered a disobeyer and a transgressor to that whereunto he is commanded. He will be regarded as one who has corrupted the oath of God, disbelieved His Testament, rejected His Authority, despised His Religion, and made himself deserving of His Curse, whether he is a Sultan or any other believer of Islam. Whenever monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley, or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship, verily we are [at the] back of them and shall protect them, and their properties and their morals, by Myself, by My Friends and by My Assistants, for they are of My Subjects and under My Protection.

I shall exempt them from that which may disturb them; of the burdens which are paid by others as an oath of allegiance. They must not give anything of their income but that which pleases them—they must not be offended, or disturbed, or coerced or compelled. Their judges should not be changed or prevented from accomplishing their offices, nor the monks disturbed in exercising their religious order, or the people of seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells.

No one is allowed to plunder the pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His Messenger.

Poll-taxes should not be put upon their judges, monks, and those whose occupation is the worship of God; nor is any other thing to be taken from them, whether it be a fine, a tax or any unjust right. Verily I shall keep their compact, wherever they may be, in the sea or on the land, in the East or West, in the North or South, for they are under My Protection and the testament of My Safety, against all things which they abhor.

No taxes or tithes should be received from those who devote themselves to the worship of God in the mountains, or from those who cultivate the Holy Lands. No one has the right to interfere with their affairs, or bring any action against them. Verily this is for aught else and not for them; rather, in the seasons of crops, they should be given a Kadah for each Ardab of wheat (about five bushels and a half) as provision for them, and no one has the right to say to them this is too much, or ask them to pay any tax.

As to those who possess properties, the wealthy and merchants, the poll-tax to be taken from them must not exceed twelve drachmas a head per year (i.e. about 200 modern day US dollars).

They shall not be imposed upon by anyone to undertake a journey, or to be forced to go to wars or to carry arms; for the Islams have to fight for them. Do no dispute or argue with them, but deal according to the verse recorded in the Koran, to wit: ‘Do not dispute or argue with the People of the Book but in that which is best’ [29:46]. Thus they will live favored and protected from everything which may offend them by the Callers to religion (Islam), wherever they may be and in any place they may dwell.

Should any Christian woman be married to a Musulman, such marriage must not take place except after her consent, and she must not be prevented from going to her church for prayer. Their churches must be honored and they must not be withheld from building churches or repairing convents.

They must not be forced to carry arms or stones; but the Islams must protect them and defend them against others. It is positively incumbent upon every one of the Islam nation not to contradict or disobey this oath until the Day of Resurrection and the end of the world.

[Haddad, Anton F., trans. The Oath of the Prophet Mohammed to the Followers of the Nazarene. New York: Board of Counsel, 1902; H-Bahai: Lansing, MI: 2004]

For other translations of the Achtiname, including the lists of witnesses, refer to The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World (Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis, 2013) by Dr. John Andrew Morrow.

Too late for that now, they are burying them alive with bulldozers, beheading, crucifying, or shooting them all.

originally posted by: TinfoilTP
Too late for that now, they are burying them alive with bulldozers, beheading, crucifying, or shooting them all.

Thanks for stating the obvious.

Maybe this will server as a understanding that without a doubt these groups are operating outside the realm of Islamic teachings .

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Thanks for sharing.

I think IS intentionally got amnesia about that part.

They are killing whoever is in their way.

It probably didn't fit their agenda, so they "forgot" about it.

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

That is a beautiful document and its the first time I can see the heart, if you like, within Islam.

I don't think though that unless you catch and prosecute the Imams who teach a different Islam to the one you have shown anything within Islam will change. In the past it has always been the disputes between the Shia and Sunni, but now , a line has been crossed and unless those who are responsible, first the Imams and then the men who followed them despite this directed from Mohammad, which they have clearly broken then the ME is in serious trouble.

I also note that Mohammad said no tax was to be exerted on Christians yet that is not the way for some Muslim countries. Do you have a reason why that is so?

I do think thouth that Saudi Arabia which is hastily putting Mosques in many Muslim countries and sending its radical teachers there is a real spanner in the works for peace. I had a lot of Saudi students in the past and a number of them purely wanted to leave because of the strictness and limiting lifestyle, even though they were obvioiusly wealthy, they had to settle for living there as that was where their family and wealth came from.

Its strange that all these Islamic groups that claim to be Islam do everything against the teachings of Islam. If one didn't know any better you'd think that ISIS was created to demonize Islam as well as invade and conquer Islamic regimes. If ISIS wants to destroy US freedoms how come ISIS sides with the US in destroying its perceived enemies.

People have to stop being naive and put one and one together.

a reply to: Shiloh7

I also note that Mohammad said no tax was to be exerted on Christians yet that is not the way for some Muslim countries. Do you have a reason why that is so?

Bare with me as I am a student of Islam and I am still learning . Sharia law is very complicated.

My understanding is that if a non Muslim be it Christan or Jew living in "Muslim land" or land govern by Sharia law , can afford to pay tax then tax should be paid and not forced .

Keep in mind that of the 5 plillars of Islam ( five things that Muslims need to do ) one of the pillars is paying zakat (giving to the poor ) regularly.

It is to my understanding that tax taken from "non Muslims " is put forth towards zakat ..

This keeps a balance in the land and everyone equally giving.

originally posted by: glend
Its strange that all these Islamic groups that claim to be Islam do everything against the teachings of Islam. If one didn't know any better you'd think that ISIS was created to demonize Islam as well as invade and conquer Islamic regimes. If ISIS wants to destroy US freedoms how come ISIS sides with the US in destroying its perceived enemies.

People have to stop being naive and put one and one together.

Yes , believe it or not the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stated many times that groups and sects will araise after him . and that they will appear to be figting for the cause of ALLAH (god) but that they are really fighting for evil and they know it. Not .....

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Fear not LightningStrikesHere there is a greater purpose. Your Allah, our God, wants to awaken everyone from their slumber. They can burn the flesh but our souls remain unconquerable.

originally posted by: glend
a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Fear not LightningStrikesHere there is a greater purpose. Your Allah, our God, wants to awaken everyone from their slumber. They can burn the flesh but our souls remain unconquerable.

Indeed

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Thanks for posting that and S&F. Most religions over time get bastardized and Islam (or any other religion) is no exception.

Did not the second or third Calipee (whatever they were called) say that the contract was null and void because of some incident ? The Ottoman Empire certainly was a blood thirsty bunch which evidently was marching to a different Koran... I honestly don't know but it seems like I read that someplace long ago.. The Muslims who bomb schools and shopping areas in the present country where I reside must have missed the camp fire sing along part.

The older I have gotten the more I try to avoid religion and religious people.. Especially those who want to kill and destroy because their religion, preachers, or Inman's say, "go forth and destroy the infidels or dogs of the earth for they are not worthy". . The 4 wives I can live and let live but the young wife under 6 or 9 years old..... in most non Muslim countries of the world it is called Pedophilia...

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Thanks for explaining that it is very interesting and I look forward to more of your information as you go on.

One thing I leaded from one of my Saudi students was the respect he had for my wife as a Mother and wife, he called her Mumma which was fine and he explained that he regarded all women as either Mother or Sister through Islam.

With that level of respect for women I am still at a loss to understand just how much rape can occur even when on the Hag etc (I know it is a crime here and all too much offended against, even in this age here where sex is available and not a crime out of wedlock and people are able to make choices etc on this matter).

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Never thought I would say this...

I am happy and proud to give you a flag (for the first time ever).
This should be mandatory reading for all Muslims,Christians,and Jews. (and everyone else)

originally posted by: 727Sky
a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Thanks for posting that and S&F. Most religions over time get bastardized and Islam (or any other religion) is no exception.

Did not the second or third Calipee (whatever they were called) say that the contract was null and void because of some incident ? The Ottoman Empire certainly was a blood thirsty bunch which evidently was marching to a different Koran... I honestly don't know but it seems like I read that someplace long ago.. The Muslims who bomb schools and shopping areas in the present country where I reside must have missed the camp fire sing along part.

The older I have gotten the more I try to avoid religion and religious people.. Especially those who want to kill and destroy because their religion, preachers, or Inman's say, "go forth and destroy the infidels or dogs of the earth for they are not worthy". . The 4 wives I can live and let live but the young wife under 6 or 9 years old..... in most non Muslim countries of the world it is called Pedophilia...

Well, its important to understand that anything after the 4th caliphate is questionable in Islam .

That's why its important when studying Islam to only take and except knowledge that has been classed ( traced and confirmed to be accurate) from the first 3 generations of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) .

Like I said anything after that is questionable.
Allot of teachings became poulted with innovation and passed down .

Yes the ottoman empire was ruthless and really bad ,
Be as it was they were good a preserving Islamic scripture such as the letter/ contract in the OP.


This is a bit off topic but since we are talking about caliphate, allot of people ddon't know this but the 4th caliphate was responsible for kick starting the Christian crusades.

The 4th caliphate was ruled by the shia (not to make this a shia sunni debate) they killed both Muslims and Christians .
This got back to the church and thus kick started the crusades.

originally posted by: Shiloh7
a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Thanks for explaining that it is very interesting and I look forward to more of your information as you go on.

One thing I leaded from one of my Saudi students was the respect he had for my wife as a Mother and wife, he called her Mumma which was fine and he explained that he regarded all women as either Mother or Sister through Islam.

With that level of respect for women I am still at a loss to understand just how much rape can occur even when on the Hag etc (I know it is a crime here and all too much offended against, even in this age here where sex is available and not a crime out of wedlock and people are able to make choices etc on this matter).

Thank you for your understanding.
Yes


Rape is terrible , evil and sad .



Here is just one of many opinions on rape in Islam.
This will also give you some insite on why woman Vail them self's.

What is the ruling on the crime of rape in Islam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Arabic word ightisaab refers to taking something wrongfully by force. It is now used exclusively to refer to transgression against the honour of women by force (rape). 

This is an abhorrent crime that is forbidden in all religions and in the minds of all wise people and those who are possessed of sound human nature. All earthly systems and laws regard this action as abhorrent and impose the strictest penalties on it, except a few states which waive the punishment if the rapist marries his victim! This is indicative of a distorted mind let alone a lack of religious commitment on the part of those who challenge Allaah in making laws. We do not know of any love or compassion that could exist between the aggressor and his victim, especially since the pain of rape cannot be erased with the passage of time – as it is said. Hence many victims of rape have attempted to commit suicide and many of them have succeeded, The failure of these marriages is proven and they are accompanied by nothing but humiliation and suffering for the woman. 

Islam has a clear stance which states that this repugnant action is haraam and imposes a deterrent punishment on the one who commits it. 

Islam closes the door to the criminal who wants to commit this crime. Western studies have shown that most rapists are already criminals who commit their crimes under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and they take advantage of the fact that their victims are walking alone in isolated places, or staying in the house alone. These studies also show that what the criminals watch on the media and the semi-naked styles of dress in which women go out, also lead to the commission of this reprehensible crime. 

The laws of Islam came to protect women's honour and modesty. Islam forbids women to wear clothes that are not modest and to travel without a mahram; it forbids a woman to shake hands with a non-mahram man. Islam encourages young men and women to marry early, and many other rulings which close the door to rape.

originally posted by: abe froman
a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

Never thought I would say this...

I am happy and proud to give you a flag (for the first time ever).
This should be mandatory reading for all Muslims,Christians,and Jews. (and everyone else)

Thanks Abe .

I agree , but to be honest it's hard to find accurate teachings of Islam now days .. It seems every Muslim has an opnion or idea about certain rulings , thus leading to radicalizing...

And for the average Joe who is curious about Islam its even more difficult.. Sadly.

But their are plenty of good historical accounts like this within Islam . they really paint the true picture of Islam and what its suppose to be . you can really see how much it has changed due to extremisim and innovation.

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

This is amazing... Islam and Christianity have a common enemy and this enemy is Godless.

With that also, I think you might like this video lightning, It's just proof that Islam and Christianity can co-exist in harmony regardless of our differing views.



But haters will be haters I guess.

originally posted by: LightningStrikesHere

originally posted by: TinfoilTP
Too late for that now, they are burying them alive with bulldozers, beheading, crucifying, or shooting them all.

Thanks for stating the obvious.

Maybe this will server as a understanding that without a doubt these groups are operating outside the realm of Islamic teachings .

I don't think they are anything other than pure unadulterated evil no matter what religious label you put on them. Your Contract/Letter should remind us all that any and everything good can be perverted with the influence of evil. Their actions should be dealt with swiftly by the military powers of the world saving as many innocent lives as possible. Thanks LSH there seems to be darn few in the Muslim community to stand up and say so.

a reply to: LightningStrikesHere

You might want to mention to these barbarians of reliigon that nowhere in the Quran does it ever say to believe only

It always says

BELIEVE AND DO GOOD

I ask this ISIL group
Is what you are doing any degree of good?

Other than for your self

Of course these individuals are so psychologically impaired they can no longer listen to reason.
It indeed is too late for them. They are damned by their deeds.