From a faith perspective, religion comes to provide clarity, guidance, and light in a world of confusion, fears and anxiety. We are conditioned to accept that it is all clear cut, black and white, right or wrong.
Scriptural citations are made in order to validate particular theological or methodological positions, and an assumption is automatically made that any disagreement with the position in question amounts to religious corruption, rejection of faith, or even rejection of God himself (i.e. atheism).
The purpose of this brief post is to outline some important points to remember when encountering views or methodologies that are counter to our own. The primary focus of this article is the religion of Islam and the Muslim community.
One Scripture, Many Interpretations
A profound expression attributed to the Prophet's son in law, 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib, says that while the Qur'an is from God, its interpreters are humans. Diversity is a part of the human experience, and creation itself would be a dull ad boring existence if not for the various ways of understanding and applying ideas, arts, and any other item you could name.
For Muslims we are blessed to have a scripture that is universally accepted as being the same text that emanated from the Prophet (FT.1). It is viewed as a text that is totally secure from corruption. It is the most read and scrutinized religious text.
While there has always been differences in interpretation (ft.2), the primary as well as the most of the secondary foundations have always been accepted. Thus, Shiites and Sunnis accept the Qur'an, Prophet Muhammad ( Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam), the five pillars, the articles of faith, and so forth. Divergence from these core principles have rightly been viewed with suspicion.
The Qur'anic language itself is largely general. It deliberately does not always go into specifics. Indeed, the story that forms the second chapter of the text highlights the pitfalls of always looking for precise details. Allah The Almighty asks the Children of Israel to make a sacrifice. They demand the specific details of the animal, so much so that the point of doing that was lost.
With that said, it is also a part of the nature of the Quranic text that it has allowances for the mind to delve into it, to bring out gems of insight, beautiful and profound realizations that impact one's faith, law, and social development.
Unity through diversity
Within the same religious community, even the same sect, differences can emerge. This is part of the development of man. The Qur'an itself states thusly :" And if God has wanted, He would have made you one unit...( Q 5:48).
Allah wants us to benefit from diversity, indeed, unity itself can be achieved when we can accept that differences are fine, so long as the foundational structures are present.
I believe that the trend to make everyone think and act the same, atleast in an Islamic framework, comes from an imperialist mindset. It assumes that we are always right, and other always wrong. It stems from a desire to exercise power, and it is such mindsets that we have to be cautious of.
There is always more grey than black and white. Life and its surrounding circumstances can be very complex and complicated. Our experiences may not be the experiences of others, we are often not privy to the social and religious realities of others.
Allah wants dedication and sincerity, Not Robotic movements
All of us are aware that the Qur'an says that God desires neither blood nor meat, but rather taqwaa. Taqwaa is a by product of moral and spiritual intelligence.It has to be cultivated, and that takes time. Knowledge and wisdom likewise takes time to develop. It is actually lifelong. Mistakes can be made along the way, but that is also a means by which lessons are learned.
Conclusion
Islam is a religion that seeks the best for its followers, indeed, for mankind itself. This is why it is not only against the consumption of intoxicants and gambling (waste of resources), it is also against destructive concepts such as racism, sexism, and the like. We seek the preservation of all that makes life worth living, all that makes life safe and happy.
Unity is achievable through diversity, and diversity is likewise achievable by the recognition of the true source of unity, THE LORD OF ALL. The Lord of all has put us in the situations that we are in. He has put us in the environments we are in, and has allowed us to make judgements that are-hopefully- in line with the goals and apsirations of all human beings, justice, peace and security.
Let us avoid sectarian pitfalls, try to stick to the fundamentals of our faith, agree on what we all agree upon, agree to disagree, and move on.
Footnotes
[1] While the religious teaching that the Qur'an was given to the Prophet by God through the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) is disputed by Non Muslims, it should be accepted by all hands that the Qur'an was recited from the Prophet to humans.
[2] The differences in interpretations, at least in the early period, seemed to be more around Fiqhi issues rather than theological points. There are a variety of interpretative methods that have been employed throughout the ages, approaches to scripture that have yielded great results. A good way to understand the Qur'an, even if reading it in a language other than Arabic, is to read it consistently, take notes, ask those whose knowledge and insight you can trust and respect, and keep in mind that your own relationship to the text will keep changing as your own life expands in experiences.
6 comments:
Hi Waheed, it's been a while since we've had an exchange. I hope you are managing well during these challenging times.
I think it is a fine article and I agree with everything you say in it.
I would like to ask you to consider one more thing: Are you able to extend your Conclusion to be more inclusive? Don't all religions and secular humanist philosophies seek these same goals?
If only we could all unify behind all of those things you mention: opposition to racism, preservation of all that makes life worth living, justice, peace and security, and so on, but do it irrespective of the source of our inspiration, shouldn't that be the goal?
Hello NB,
I have no qualms at all with reaching out to the other religious and secular movements out there that uphold goodly values.
Indeed, the Qur'an itself asserts that we are to compete in the doing of positive actions. It also states that God has intentionally allowed for differences to exist, in terms of perspectives.
So yes, no problem in uniting for what we all agree upon: opposition to racism, justice, peace, security, quality life for all human beings.
THE article was written within a Muslim community context, in the sense that sectarianism and interpretation differences getting in the way of accomplishing bigger goals, thus, it has a theological aspect. The Qur'an says that it will be on Judgement day that God himself will resolve theological differences.
Hi Waheed.
I understand that the focus of the article is Muslim Unity. That's what it says in the title. However, why do you continue to limit your focus in this way? I'm presuming that most of your audience is living in the West where they are a minority. How to build a Unity in this environment has challenges, and what is more, whatever solutions you find for these challenges will also address whatever disunity there is within Islam.
Saying that the West has not been perfect in how it has treated minorities would be an enormous understatement. The treatment of Native Americans, of Blacks, and of Jews has been despicable. It should be observed that in all three of these cases, the inhumanity was only possible because the perpetrators did not view these people as equal human beings. Supremacism was at the root of every one of these atrocities.
The situation between Muslims and non-Muslims in the West has a different tone, though. Who are the ones who look down on the others as corrupt and immoral, that is, as inferior to themselves? Who are the ones teaching isolation?
For centuries, Muslims have been teaching themselves that because they have the Qur'an as their guide, their morality is superior to that of non-Muslims. How is that going to work where they are in the minority?
This is the disunity that you need to address and it begins with Muslims accepting that non-Muslims want the same things that Muslims want: fairness and justice, a safe place to raise their children, and so on. As with all populations, there are deviant individuals, but can't Muslims accept that the vast majority of non-Muslims are moral, decent people?
If Muslims don't view us as equals, then why should Muslims expect us to view them as equals?
PLEASE stop using language that implies that you have something that we do not. It only perpetuates this disunity.
PLEASE start using language that has universal appeal. Then, you will be promoting Unity far beyond whatever sectarianism you are bothered by.
Hi N.B.
" However, why do you continue to limit your focus in this way? I'm presuming that most of your audience is living in the West where they are a minority. How to build a Unity in this environment has challenges, and what is more, whatever solutions you find for these challenges will also address whatever disunity there is within Islam."
I do not always share my work in the public realm. In fact, I rarely write, at least not in the manner in times past, because I am busy with the very work you are seemingly asking about. We are deeply involved in the wider community, particularly in terms of attempting to address the shared social concerns. On a personal and professional level, I have greatly benefited from the support of Non Muslim religious entities, allies and authentic friends, who, despite religious differences,we work and benefit from each other.
The post itself (although its immediate context is not shared here) essentially argues that the same relationships need to be maintained with Muslims of varying persuasions. It seems your post is made from a mistaken perception.
We believe in the Qur'an, however that does not mean that we are looking at ourselves in an arrogant fashion.
Hi Waheed. You like to use the word "we" when speaking about your own attitude, for example, in the last sentence. Unfortunately for your attempt at including all Muslims, there was a Muslim posting in this blog around a year ago exhibiting the very worst forms of arrogance. It is not difficult to find his kind posting on the Internet.
You will never succeed in persuading non-Muslims that his kind do not represent how Muslims look at themselves without first at least trying to persuade THEM that Muslims should not look at themselves that way. You had the opportunity to speak up but you remained absolutely silent.
Plain contradiction is not an argument and is worthless in the face of direct evidence that what I am saying is true. On the other hand, you never contradict a Muslim no matter how far off the mark he is. This obvious bias is just another symptom of what I'm describing.
Hi NB,
Muslims are not a monolith, anymore than any other group of people.
There are times when "we" is used, probably less than when is "I used.
In general, I remember Shenango being confident, not being arrogant.
Where was the arrogance?
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