In this paper, I will talk about the "crosswise" mentioned in Maide 33, but before that, I would like to briefly introduce another topic;
I also get a lot of questions about the punishment for theft according to the Qur'an. There is a lot of focus on whether the punishment for cutting off the hand is to cut it off completely or to scratch it and mark it.
When we consider the Qur'an in its entirety, the generally agreed conclusion is this;
In the book, the expression "cutting off the hand" in cases of theft includes all 3 meanings:
1- Cutting off his hand
2- Scratching (marking) your hand
3- Cutting off his means, i.e. imprisonment and similar restrictions.
It is noteworthy that in the story of Prophet Joseph, which is described in the verses, we see that the thief was detained, that is, imprisoned.
We think that the verses ask for one of these 3 practices depending on the magnitude/degree of the theft and the situation of the thief. In addition, the victim, i.e. the owner, can forgive the thief if he wishes, or there may be cases where the thief is not punished at all due to other special circumstances (e.g. stealing out of hunger/necessity, kleptomania/stealing disorder, etc...). Considering that the verses already authorize the relatives of the victim to forgive, i.e. mitigate the punishment, even for the crime of murder, which is the most serious violation of individual rights, it means that the same door of forgiveness is always open in the case of extortion of property/money, which is a relatively minor crime.
But as I said at the beginning of my article, I would like to address the issue of "crosswise" mentioned in verse 33 of Surah Maide and I will say something new about it. The situation is exactly the opposite of what is believed. The practice of crossing the hands and feet was actually practiced by the pagans against those who did not submit to them/Muslims, and what the verse is referring to is the struggle for defense by responding in the same way against the oppressors who did not give up this practice during the time of the prophet.
First of all, it should be well understood that the verse is about the Muslims fighting a defensive war against aggressors.
As I have already stated in this article, only self-defense, i.e. defensive warfare, is permitted in Islam:
And this verse, which also speaks of self-defense, speaks of retaliating against those who persecuted the believers at the time and persisted in doing so, and making them taste/return what they had done:
http://emre1974tr.blogspot.com/2011/07/kuranda-sadece-nefsi-mudafaya-izin.htmlSurah al-Ma'idah 33: "The recompense of those who fight Allah and His Messenger and seek to make mischief in the land is this: They shall be killed, or hanged, or their hands and feet shall be cut off crosswise, or they shall be driven out of their homes. This is a disgrace for them in this world. And a great torment for them in the Hereafter. 34. Except those who repent before you seize them. So know that Allah is most forgiving, most merciful."
As I have said, the Qur'an only calls for self-defense and retaliation against the oppressors who attacked Muslims out of the blue at that time and refused to give up the war and refused to make peace. As the Qur'an tells us, the pagans had been practicing this practice of crosswise against Muslims since time immemorial (especially the Pharaohs of Egypt). In order to understand the subject, you should first read my study:
http://emre1974tr.blogspot.com/2011/07/msr-firavunlarnn-caprazlama-merak.htmlAs Texe Marrs explains in his book Codex Magica, in Ancient Egyptian religion, the "X" or "crosswise" was a symbol of the sun god Osiris and therefore sacred to them. Egyptian kings were buried with their hands and feet crossed. The X symbol is frequently seen in inscriptions from the ancient Egyptian civilization and on the walls of temples and pyramids. They also used this crossing ritual to punish those who opposed them.
The verses also inform us that pagans have been obsessed with crosses since ancient times, even while committing violence against Muslims. In the incident described in Surah Taha, we see that Pharaoh attempted to use the crossing of hands and feet against Muslims:
Surah Taha
63. They said: "They are nothing but two sorcerers. They want to drive you out of your land by their sorcery and destroy your exemplary way.
64. "So join your skills together, then come together in ranks! Today, the one who prevails will be saved. "
65. They said: "O Moses, either show your prowess, or we shall be the first to show it. "
66. Moses said: "No, you throw!" And what did he see! Their ropes and sticks and their incantations made him think that they were really running.
67. Suddenly Moses felt a sudden fear within him.
68. We said: "Fear not, it is you who will prevail!"
69. "Put down what is in your right hand! Let it devour what they have produced as an industry. What they produce as an industry is only a sorcerer's trick. And the sorcerer does not prosper wherever he goes. "
70. Then the sorcerers fell prostrate and cried out: "We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses!"
71. Pharaoh said: "You believed in him without my permission? He is your elder who taught you magic. I swear by Allah that I will cut off your hands and your feet crosswise, and I swear by Allah that I will hang you from palm trees. Then you will know which of us will have a more severe and lasting punishment. "
72 They said: "We will never prefer you to the clear proofs that have come to us and to the One who created us. Execute your judgment. Your judgment is valid only in the life of this world. "
The pagan, Spiritualist/Spiritualist-based teaching of the Pharaohs, which held the sign of the cross sacred, was not limited to the ancient Egyptian period. It has survived to the present day under various names all over the world (Jewish mysticism was also built on the basis of this teaching) and still continues to this day (for example, in Far Eastern meditations, legs are crossed and trance is entered, etc.).
Spiritualism, which has continued to immerse people in shirk for thousands of years in its various versions, was of course influential on the pagans in the time of our prophet, as it was in every period. And so the polytheists of that time continued the same violence and methods against the Muslims. Just as they had done in the times of previous prophets.
Some pictures from Texe Marrs' Codex Magica
And again, in Surat al-Ma'ida, it is presented as an option, as a defense strategy, to retaliate against the pagans/spiritualists who have been cutting the hands and feet of Muslims crosswise since time immemorial and who continue to do so, i.e. to do the same to them. Those who expelled the prophets and their followers from their countries were likewise expelled from their countries, and those who attacked them were responded to in the same way, in short, the permission of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" was mentioned. And as I said, when we read the book in its entirety, we see that this permission for defensive warfare given to Muslims ends if the attackers stop what they are doing to the believers and make peace.
In other words, the cross here has nothing to do with theft or whether the person believes or not. It only calls for a war of defense and retaliation against those who physically attacked them, that's all. Otherwise, everyone is free to believe or not believe whatever they want and to direct their lives accordingly. According to the Quran, no one can even be slapped because of their beliefs.
Greetings and love
(My Turkish article translated with machine)
