The Interior Minister in Lebanon Pronounces Words of Grave Sin
(Translated)

During an honorary ceremony thrown on his behalf by the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association in Beirut on 28/09/2014, the Interior Minister Nouhad Al-Machnouk delivered a speech in which he said, "Some are raising a black flag in Tripoli and elsewhere, bearing the sacred words that are more worthy and more truthful to our religion as Muslims, and those some consider this flag to express their view point, which is the flag of the Islamic State. I say that this flag and those words written on it have no value when a Lebanese soldier is executed under this flag".

You say at the beginning: "sacred words that are more worthy and more truthful to our religion as Muslims", and the words intended are: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". And then you return to contradict this by saying: "Those words written on it have no value when a Lebanese soldier is executed under this flag"! Is this a slip of the tongue or a deliberate intentional assertion?! You are known as a journalist and writer, speaking before an audience of intellectuals, so how can this come out of you? Would the saying: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" have no value if misused by a person, or the mistaken person will be of no value? Have you ever heard the words of the Messenger of Allah (saw), where he said:

«أَفْضَلُ الدُّعَاءِ دُعَاءُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ، وَأَفْضَلُ مَا قُلْتُ أَنَا وَالنَّبِيُّونَ قَبْلِي: (لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّـهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ)؟»

"The best supplication is the supplication of the day of Arafat, and the best that I have said and the Prophets before me is "La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu" (there is no God but Allah the one and only Who has no associates)"?. [Muwta' Malik, Tabaraani and Bayhaqi].

And have you not heard of the Prophet (saw) saying to Quraish:

«قُولُوا: لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّـهُ، تَمْلِكُوا بِهَا العَرَبَ وَتَدِينُ لَكُمْ بِهَا العَجَمُ؟»

"O people! Say there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and you will rule the Arabs, and by it the Persians will submit to you"?

And have you not heard him (saw) saying:

«أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ (يعني سكان جزيرة العرب) حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّـهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّـهِ، وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ، وَيُؤْتـُـوا الزَّكَاةَ، فَإِذَا فَعَلُوا عَصَمُوا مِنِّي دِمَاءَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ إِلاَّ بِحَقِّهَا، وَحِسَابـُهُمْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ»

"I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people till they testify that La ilaha ill Allah wa anna Muhammad-ar-Rasul Allah (there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah), and offer the prayers perfectly, and give Zakat. So, if they perform all that, then they save their lives and properties from me except for Islamic Laws, and then their reckoning (accounts) will be with Allah." [Muslim].

Have you not read the verse:

[إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّـهُ يَسْـتَكْبِرُونَ]

"Indeed they, when it was said to them, "There is no deity but Allah," were arrogant". [As-Saffat: 35]

We do not judge you now but we address you with an advice (Naseeha), and we address it to those who honored you, and to the secularists who applauded you.

[وَتَحْسَـبُونَهُ هَـيِّـنًا وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّـهِ عَظِيمٌ]

"And you thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous." [An-Nur: 15].