WRESTLING WITH DIFFICULT SACRED TEXTS (Panel discussion presentation)

 As-salaamu 'alaikum (Greetings of Peace)! Below you will find an edited version of  our presentation recently at the annual Interfaith Forums, sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada.  In addition to myself, Representatives from Hindu, Jewish and Christian backgrounds gave presentations. Also below are a handful of photos of the Q and A session from the panel discussion.  Some videos of the Q and A session can be found At this link

                    In The name of God, The Most Compassionate, The Ever-Merciful.

Firstly, I am honored to be here to address this subject alongside learned colleagues. Taking the horns of the bull directly, particularly in light of the current election cycle within American politics and its subsequent weaponisation against Muslim political figures, it would be natural to assume that Islam in the modern world has to be the one religion in which one must wrestle with difficult sacred texts. In reality, this is not necessarily  the case. Allow me to explain. 

Muslims have-as scripture- the Qur'an. Seen as the very words of God, it is the primary source for theology, law, rituals, and has been used in countless cultural environments. It is also widely memorized. The difficulties in its passages are easily resolved when those passages are either read in context, thematically, or through linguistic analysis or the in coordination with precedents which comes from the Prophet Muhammad himself. This is not a new mindset, rather, it is one which has been present among Muslim scholars. Indeed, I myself have published a work entitled "Engaging The Qur'an"  ( see here) which has among its goals- the very issue of addressing so-called problematic texts. 

Among the passages deemed "problematic" are texts which highlight fighting, such as "fighting has been ordained on you." ( Q 2:216). However, the text is in war context. Undoubtedly the Qur'an tells us to fight in war, but it also says that when the enemy seeks peace, we should do so as well. ( Q 8:61). The Prophet Muhammad himself was famously known to forgive enemies, even when he was in a powerful position. 

 Secondary source

While the Qur'an is the scripture, Muslims also refer to a secondary source, known as "Hadeeth". This refers to the statements, actions, even tacit approvals attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace. This source is NOT seen as scripture nor sacred. This source is simply reports, and it is within this genre of literature that typically critics find problematic content. Indeed, some of the critics don't really  criticize the Qur'an, but they will attack Hadeeth, to sustain their attacks on Islam in a general sense. 

Muslim scholars have always known that the Hadeeth sources can be problematic, which is why they have employed a variety of intellectual tools to judge the veracity. strength and religious value of the Hadeeth reports. This includes a thorough investigation into the very lives of the reporters themselves, a process known as 'Ilm Ar-Rijaal. In addition to this, particularly in the modern era, there is also of course analysis of the reports themselves. Broadly speaking, when a report runs contrary to the Qur'an and the scholars have been unable to harmonize texts. we resort to the Qur'an! The Qur'an takes precedent over any other source. It is important to note that the Qur'an is in a very complex Arabic language, its vocabulary is very rich and nuanced. This can create complications for those reading it with a modern translation. The access to the original Arabic text is one of the reasons for its reliability, in that we can easily study the original to gain deeper understanding.

There are assumptions that today's world, with all of its prevalent views, as being the best time we have ever had on Earth. This happens in every era. However, if we do seek to question scripture, we should also question the assumptions we hold on to. 

The Qur'an consistently refers to reason, thinking, the mind, insight and study of creation. It does not require blind faith, and welcomes scrutiny of its texts and message. When it comes to scripture, we should not be flippant. We should be careful in our studies, fair-minded and reasonable. We should consult those with education when necessary, and not assume a simple google search will give a deep answer.