Haram or history?

[fred]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18657463

Timbuktu shrines damaged by Mali Ansar Dine Islamists

Islamist fighters in Mali have damaged the shrines of Muslim saints in the city of Timbuktu, witnesses say.

The fighters, from the Ansar Dine group, which controls much of northern Mali, attacked the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud, one of 16 shrines in the city.

Last week, the UN cultural organisation Unesco put Timbuktu on its list of endangered world heritage sites, fearing damage following the coup which toppled the Malian government in March.

Assuming the story is true - Is Islam so weak as to be damaged by history?

Opinions please.

[JerseyLily]

Amazing that your interests are the same as the zionists. The statues at Bam is always a favourite to bludgeon Muslims with and so will this one be.

Are there such thing as Saints in Islam?

[Seperatist]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18657463



Assuming the story is true - Is Islam so weak as to be damaged by history?

Opinions please.

Well, we haven't been damaged by years of mass hysterical Islamophobia, so I don't see why we should be damaged by a few nutters who damage historical statues, they will be seen a such.

What is your opinion?

[fred]

My opinion is simple enough.
The statues are part of history and should be preserved as such.

Islam can't be hurt by these stones but our enemies can slow down the spread of Islam by using this vandalism agaist us.

[JerseyLily]

My opinion is simple enough.
The statues are part of history and should be preserved as such.

Islam can't be hurt by these stones but our enemies can slow down the spread of Islam by using this vandalism agaist us.

Islam cannot be harmed but if people make shirk at the graves they are harmed. Are there saints in Islam?

[siddy_06]

Are there saints in Islam?

I think not.

[sami_83]

i say good on them. If i was there i would have joined in, they should be brought down they have nothing to do with islam.

[NotAPrayer]

They've been there for hundreds of years - what changed today?

[sami_83]

the coup maybe?

[fred]

i say good on them. If i was there i would have joined in, they should be brought down they have nothing to do with islam.

What a terrible attitude.

So what if these things are not part of Islam?
They're part of the history of the human race and should be preserved as historical monuments.
There is no glory or gain in pathetic vandalism and that's exactly what this is.

[fred]

They've been there for hundreds of years - what changed today?

Some idiot managed to gain a bit of power.

[Seperatist]

What a terrible attitude.

So what if these things are not part of Islam?
They're part of the history of the human race and should be preserved as historical monuments.
There is no glory or gain in pathetic vandalism and that's exactly what this is.

Absolutely, no right minded Muslim is going worship at these graves, and they are monuments to the high esteem those within were held, what is wrong with that?...it is a crime to demolish ancient monuments from history, regardless of what they represent our world heritage must be protected, man is responsible for all the ugliness in this world, and these crazed folk are just adding to it.

[CasualVisitor]

Are there such thing as Saints in Islam?

There surely are none in Wahhabism. The Sufis and other denominations might see things a little differently:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint#Islam
http://islamic-saints.blogspot.de/

Nobody asks Muslims to go and worship these shrines but to destroy them is wrong too. They pose no threat and are historical works of art that should be preserved.

[NotAPrayer]

They've been there for hundreds of years - what changed today?

the coup maybe?

Well yes, but I meant more, why are people less tolerant today than they have been for hundreds of years?

[sami_83]

There surely are none in Wahhabism. The Sufis and other denominations might see things a little differently:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint#Islam
http://islamic-saints.blogspot.de/

Nobody asks Muslims to go and worship these shrines but to destroy them is wrong too. They pose no threat and are historical works of art that should be preserved.

depends which sufi ppl you are talking about, this tasawwuf person does not see how they form any part of islam, Sufism (tasawwuf) is about purification of the heart and controlling the naffs not grave worshipping...but yes many years ago i too thought that!

[sami_83]

Well yes, but I meant more, why are people less tolerant today than they have been for hundreds of years?

true maybe Allah has guided them must be some kind of grass roots dawah movement...it's all for the better if you ask me.

maybe as they had become protected heritage Muslims later would think they are part of islam so this might have been good motivation to destroy them.

if they are being protected as heritage of islam i can understand why they were destroyed because it isn't any part of islam.

[Basayev]

My opinion is simple enough.
The statues are part of history and should be preserved as such.

Islam can't be hurt by these stones but our enemies can slow down the spread of Islam by using this vandalism agaist us.

if theyre being used as things of worship then absolutely they must be removed

stoppping shirk is more important than sentimental or historical value

lets not forget umar (ra) chopped the tree down where the prophet (saw) sat for the treaty of hudabaiyah - muslims werent even worshipping it but he saw that muslims were beginning to attach importance and powers to the tree so he had it removed

no sentiments, no historical value - just simplicity of thought and nipping all possible avenues to haram in the bud...this was the type of man umar (ra) was

[Basayev]

Well yes, but I meant more, why are people less tolerant today than they have been for hundreds of years?

its not about tolerance - its about right and wrong....if umar (ra) removed the tree mentioned above, then whats this shrine?

[NotAPrayer]

its not about tolerance - its about right and wrong....if umar (ra) removed the tree mentioned above, then whats this shrine?

Has right and wrong changed?

Nope, it's something else.

[siddy_06]

Although I'm not supporting shrines, sometimes the mindset of people requires that you change their thinking first.

We can see this in the dawah of rasoolAllah, but I'm not sure if it still applies today as the message is now complete?