BY: SPAHIC OMER
Napoleon’s justification for the invasion of Egypt was twofold. The first reasoning was in relation to the assertion that the French purpose was to cleanse Egypt of a regime that had brought only oppression, tyranny, exploitation and misrule to the Egyptian people.
\Hence, the French were there to bring a revolution for those who were unable to do so for themselves, this local revolution reverberating the freedom and civilization spirit of the French Revolution. The French were there to extinguish barbarism and ignite sophistication and progress (civilization). The universal standards of virtue, reason and knowledge were the brass ring.
The second justification was appertaining to a popular claim that the French were not hostile to Islam and its holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that they did not come to oppose, but uphold, them, and that they, on the whole, did not come to destroy, but to build. Thus, Napoleon stressed in his first proclamation to the Egyptians: “O ye Egyptians, they may say to you that I have not made an expedition hither for any other object than that of abolishing your religion; but this is a pure falsehood and you must not give credit to it, but tell the slanderers that I have not come to you except for the purpose of restoring your rights from the hands of the oppressors and that I more than the Mamluks, serve God and revere His Prophet Muhammad and the glorious Qur’an. And tell them also that all people are equal in the eyes of God and the only circumstances which distinguish one from the other are reason, virtue and knowledge…Tell the people that the French also are true Muslims, and in confirmation of this they invaded Rome and destroyed there the Papal See, which was always exhorting the Christians to make war with Islam. And then they went to the island of Malta, from where they expelled the Knights, who claimed that God the Exalted required them to fight the Muslims.” (Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of the First Seven Months of the French Occupation of Egypt).
Napoleon as an admirer, defender, or manipulator of Islam
That is why Napoleon is generally portrayed as a serious “admirer” and at times also “defender” of Islam. Some yet contended that he eventually embraced Islam, like what one of his generals, Jacques-Abdullah Menou, had done. This is how Napoleon addressed his troops prior to the invasion: “The people amongst whom we are going to live are Mahometans. The first article of their faith is this: ‘There is no God but God, and Mahomet is His prophet.’ Do not contradict them. Behave to them as you have behaved to the Jews – to the Italians. Pay respect to their muftis, and their Imams, as you did to the rabbis and the bishops. Extend to the ceremonies prescribed by the Koran and to the mosques the same toleration which you showed to the synagogues, to the religion of Moses and of Jesus Christ. The Roman legions protected all religions. You will find here customs different from those of Europe. You must accommodate yourselves to them. The people amongst whom we are to mix differ from us in the treatment of women; but in all countries he who violates is a monster. Pillage enriches only a small number of men; it dishonours us; it destroys our resources; it converts into enemies the people whom it is our interest to have for friends” (The French View of the Events in Egypt: Memoirs by Louis Antoine Fauvelet De Bourrienne, Private Secretary to General Bonaparte).
Napoleon was ready to stop at nothing in his efforts to succeed and make his ideas gain currency. One of his rather extreme attempts was his projection of himself and his conquest of Egypt as the fulfilment of a prophecy which had its short-term and long-term effects. For that reason, Napoleon propagated a sort of political foreordination and wished to thus exact a degree of civilian fatalism. The whole design was the consequence of a providence of one God to whom both the people and Napoleon belonged.
Napoleon tried to project himself as a saviour and a Mahdi-like messianic figure. He was a deliverer of the Egyptians, insinuating the lexis the people and their land were familiar with, and thus aiming to strike a chord with the majority. By speaking generally of a diktat of God to destroy the enemies of Islam and to break the crosses by his own hand, Napoleon yet wished to portray himself as the saviour of Islam and Muslims en bloc. The fulfilment of this prophecy was supposed to serve as the climax of God’s plans intended for the world. It would have connoted the dawn of a new era, of a new world order.
Al-Jabarti reported – based on a letter from Napoleon to the Egyptian people – that Napoleon wanted to quell a civil discord. In the letter he informed the people that those who opposed him were in fact opposing the destiny of God. Every sensible person knew that the French acts were God’s will and divine decree and “he who doubts this is stupid and devoid of perception.” What Napoleon was up to in Egypt was a divine command since the beginning of time. “Moreover He (Almighty God) decreed from eternity that I (Napoleon) shall come from the West to the land of Egypt for the purpose of destroying those who have acted tyrannically in it and to carry out the tasks which He set upon me. And no sensible man will doubt that all this is by virtue of God’s decree and will.”
Napoleon even said that the verses of the Qur’an foretold his deeds, and every Muslim knows that “the words of God in His book are truth and righteousness which are inevitable in their realization.” He further professed that he had some miraculous powers one of which was bordering on knowing the unseen. He said that it was in his power to expose what was in the heart of every person, for he knew the nature of man and what was concealed in his heart at the very moment he looked upon him even though he did not state or utter what that person was hiding. This was a special gift from God in order for Napoleon to be able to enlighten, lead and control his subjects. Going against him, therefore, meant going against God and His providence.
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Source: islamicity.org/81753/was-napoleon-a-muslim/
Ask the Imam (Q&A)
Ruling on working in a job selling counterfeit clothing and paying a bribe to bring it into the country
Question: 199307
I work in the field of trade and import with a shipping agent. This agent brings these particular goods in by means of bribery.
Please note that the goods in question are counterfeit clothes bearing the logos of internationally-know brands such as Lacoste and Adidas, and that is not allowed.
Is my business halaal or haraam?
Supervised by Shaykh
Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
If these items of clothing are sold on the basis that they are manufactured by those internationally-known brands with those famous logos, when in fact that is not the case, then selling them and dealing in them is deceiving and cheating the purchasers. All of that is prohibited according to the teachings of our religion.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever deceives (people) does not belong to me.” Narrated by Muslim (102).
The matter becomes more sinful if they are brought into the country by unlawful means and haraam bribes that are paid in order to bring them in.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (11/73): It is not permissible to sell counterfeit goods claiming that they are original, and it is not permissible to deal in them or distribute them to shops, because that comes under the heading of deceiving the Muslims, lying and defrauding them… and because that comes under the heading of cooperating in sin and transgression, and consuming people’s wealth unlawfully. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{do not cooperate in sin and transgression} [al-Maa’idah 5:2]
{And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly} [al-Baqarah 2:188].
Moreover, that also causes harm to those who sell the original, non-counterfeit goods, and is competing unlawfully with them. Based on that, selling these goods without informing the purchaser that they are counterfeit is haraam and is a cause of blessing (barakah) being erased from one’s business dealings. End quote.
Therefore what you must do is stop dealing in these fraudulent clothes, whether you are selling them or helping to bring them into the country by any means, because this comes under the heading of helping in sin and transgression.
We ask Allah to make it easy for you to find another way of doing lawful business. And Allah knows best.
(Source: islamqa.info/en/answers
