BY HARUN YAHYA, AUTHOR
Seize him and bind him, and then expose him to hell-fire, then fasten him with a chain seventy cubits long! For he did not believe in God Almighty, nor did he urge the feeding of the poor. (Qur'an, 69:30-34)
Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. (Qur'an, 107:1-3)
...nor do you urge the feeding of the poor (Qur'an, 89:18)
As we have seen in these verses, the Muslim described in the Qur'an possesses a most loving and compassionate nature. Nobody who possesses this morality can of course consent to terrorism or acts of violence directed at innocent people. Terrorists' characters are the exact opposite of Qur'anic morality. A terrorist is a ruthless person who looks with hatred on the world, and wants to kill, destroy and shed blood.
A Muslim raised in the morality as revealed by the Qur'an, however, approaches everyone with the love expected by Islam, respects ideas of all kinds, always tries to bring harmony where there is discord, lower tensions, embrace all sides and behave with moderation. Societies consisting of people like this will be ruled by a more developed civilisation, and enjoy greater social morality, harmony, justice and plenty than can be seen in even the most modern nations today.
God has Commanded Forgiveness and Tolerance
The concept of forgiveness and tolerance, described in the words, "Make allowances for people" (Qur'an, 7:199) is one of the most fundamental tenets of Islam. When we look at the history of Islam, the way that Muslims have translated this important feature of Qur'anic morality into the life of society can be seen quite clearly. As we shall be considering in later parts of the book, Muslims have always brought with them an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance wherever they have gone. They have enabled people whose religions, languages and cultures are completely different from one another to live together in peace and harmony under one roof, and provided peace and harmony for its own members. One of the most important reasons for the centuries-long existence of the Ottoman Empire, which spread over an enormous region, was the atmosphere of tolerance and understanding that Islam brought with it. Muslims, who have been known for their tolerant and loving natures for centuries, have always been the most compassionate and just of people. Within this multi-national structure, all ethnic groups have been free to live according to their own religions, and their own rules.
True tolerance can only bring peace and well-being to the world when implemented along the lines set out in the Qur'an. Attention is drawn to this fact in a verse which reads: "A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend." (Qur'an, 41:34)
In the verses of the Qur'an, God has always described forgiveness as a superior quality, and in one verse, He has given the good news that such behaviour will be rewarded: "The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. But if someone pardons and puts things right, his reward is with God. Certainly He does not love wrongdoers." (Qur'an, 42:40) In another verse, He has described believers as: "those who give in times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and pardon other people - God loves the good-doers" (Qur'an, 3:134) God has revealed in the Qur'an that it is virtuous behaviour to forgivsomeone even if he has done wrong. One verse on the subject reads:
... You will never cease to come upon some act of treachery on their part, except for a few of them. Yet pardon them, and overlook. God loves good-doers. (Qur'an, 5:13)
All of this shows that the morality that Islam recommends to mankind brings to the world the virtues of peace, harmony and justice. The barbarism known as terrorism, that is so preoccupying the world at present, is the work of ignorant and fanatical people, completely estranged from Qur'anic morality, and who have absolutely nothing to do with religion. The solution to these people and groups who try to carry out their savagery under the mask of religion is the teaching of true Qur'anic morality. In other words, Islam and Qur'anic morality are solutions to the scourge of terrorism, not supporters of it.

Written by Abdulrahman Mutahhar
Translated by Janet Watson
Ma - Mus'id, since you're the one who got your sons hooked on gat, it's up to you to feed their habit and get them their gat! It's such a battle to give up a habit!
M - I no longer know who I'm battling with and who's on my side!
Ma - If your pocket's full, it's on your side; and if your pocket's empty you can't even bank on your children taking your side!
M - What a philosopher you've become! By gum, there are no flies on you! And all this time I'd thought you were an innocent!
Ma - I know nothing about philosophy, but I tell you one thing! The only innocent around here is you! You get your sons hooked on gat, and now that they're hooked you go and attack them because they still chew!
M - It's not up to me to supply them with gat so they can chew. I'm only supposed to supply them with food!
Ma - Why didn't you just leave it at that, then? What on earth made you get them addicted to gat?
M - It's your fault. You're the one who got them addicted, Mus'ida!
Ma - Stop trying to shift the blame onto me and run away from the fact of the matter. If you don't, you lay down your gun and I'll lay down mine and we'll sort this out in a proper tribal manner.
M - What good would that do? I've already sold my gun to pay for your sons' gat; and you haven't got a gun,and wouldn't even know how to fire one if you had!
Ma - So now what should we do? You'd better have a look around for things to sell or pawn. You're sons are totally hooked. They don't seem to have any purpose in life other than their relationship with gat. 'They dropped me in the sea of passion and left me, though my robe measured no more than a yard.'1 And Mus'id, with no skill whatsoever, manages to get his sons addicted to gat when each of their robes were no more than half a yard long!
M - Mus'ida!
Ma - Now what?
M - I went over to see my uncle and complained about my sons to him. I told him that they weren't studying properly and they wouldn't stay at home. I'd started to worry about them wandering about the streets and in the souk. He told me that the only thing which would keep them at home and help them to study was gat. He said, 'Give them a little gat to stop them wandering around the souk!' I had absolutely no idea, Mus'ida, that they'd become so addicted they'd start looking around for things to sell and pawn!
Ma - Fine! Now you'd better sort this mess out yourself. I want nothing to do with it. I'm telling you, your sons are interested in nothing but gat even if it means them sleeping on the streets!
M - So what should I do? I've tried all possible ways to convince them of the harmful effects of gat, on the money side, the health side, the effect on the family's income, and the pure waste of time.
Ma - What did they say when you told them all that?
M - Oh stop will you! You won't understand!
Ma - Why won't I understand?
M - They said, 'We'll give up chewing the moment you give up, Dad! It's not right for you to continue chewing gat when we can't!'
Ma - Did they really say that to you, or are you making it up?
M - Why on earth should I make it up? They also told me that the taste and effect of gat was fantastic, and that once you've got a taste for it you'll go back for more!
Ma - Some of the fantastic effects of gat show when you look at the toes of your feet sticking out of your shoes. You can't buy another pair because of the gat! Then there's the safe door which is broken, and the windows in my room which are smashed, and the telephone which has been cut off. We only ever buy chicken when we know that someone's coming for lunch so that they don't go around saying we don't eat anything as a result of gat!
M - Mus'ida!
Ma - What is it now?
M - Don't shout and don't go around clucking like a mother hen. At first I was the only gat addict. Then I allowed my sons to try it and now there are five of us. Whatever money we have we use for the bus and take it straight to the gat souk. Do you see, Mus'ida? All the valleys and fields and farmland has been set aside for gat. The amount of gat brought from the countryside to the towns increases at the same rate as the increase in the amount of land put to gat. The main economic and social activity takes place in the gat souk. You'll find everyone at the gat souk - from grandfathers and fathers down to grandsons once they've reached the age of fifteen. And I'll tell you this, Mus'ida, the gat problem won't go away until God brings in a generation which is absolutely convinced of the harmful effects of gat, and then uproots the gat bushes which themselves uprooted the coffee trees and all kinds of fruit bushes.

1 i.e. when I am still a child.