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Key
Definitions: How do
we define and explain key words is absolutely important to
better understanding of The Quran in the light of Global
Inter-religious peace movement that is going on. It creates a
mind-set that can become very narrow and selective in creating
antagonistic divisions or it can create a more accommodating and
tolerant mind-set bringing believers from other religions into
one large global family. Some of the key words which are
essential to better understanding are the following:
Islam:
The Quran is very clear in explaining the definition of the
word Islam.
What does it mean and what does it stand for. The uniqueness of
this word is - that it is not named after any person (in this
case our Prophet). It means total surrender or submission to
the Creator of all humanity. People have always called their
Creator by various names like: Allah, God, Bhagwan, Adonai, The
Great Spirit, etc. When Muslims say their religion is Islam,
what they are saying is they are aligning themselves of what was
ordained by God to be the religion of all humankind…which is
total surrender and submission. This total surrender and
submission is done voluntarily and in the most peaceful ways.
The Quran says that the religion (Islam) of all the Prophets is
submission and surrender to the One Supreme Creator. There are
numerous ways of submission and surrender with the core
principles always remaining the same in all the religions. For
example Muslims five pillars of Islam are found in all the
religions that is: belief in One Creator, prayer, fasting,
charity and pilgrimage.
The following Quranic verse proves that Islam was the religion
even before Prophet Mohammed was born (pbuh) as is evidenced in
Chapter/Surah 42:13
"The same religion has He established for you that which He
enjoined on Noah. That which We have send as inspiration to
you (Mohammed pbuh) and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses
and Jesus (Buddhism, Hinduism and other paths are also included
that existed before the coming of Prophet Mohammed) That you
should stay steadfast in religion (submission/surrender to our
Lord) and make no divisions therein. (this means work for the
unity of humankind) As for those who worship other things than
God (meaning – money, power, idols, humans, fire, water, etc.)
they are on difficult and wrong way (hard) to call from. God
chooses to Himself those whom He wills and guides those people
who turn towards Him.
Commentary:
According to this if a Christian, a Jew or any believer from
Buddhism or Hinduism surrenders to One Supreme Being. They are
falling within the definition of the word Islam which means
total surrender or submission. The art of surrender or
submission is called Islam. This art of submission/surrender
was shown to all the Prophets and their people as evidenced in
The Quran 10:47, 14:4 & 16:36 which ways, “To every people we
send an Apostle in their own language and in their own country
to clarify.”
Islam is very inclusive and broad in its definition. Muslims
believe in Allah (God) and take Mohammed (pbuh) as their role
model - messenger, just as Christians and Jews believe in the
same God and take Jesus and Moses as their respective
messengers. Likewise, the Buddhists and Hindus also have been
blessed with their Apostle. Muslims believe in the Holy people
coming from all the major and minor religious sects with the
same core message.
Muslim scholars strongly recommend not to judge believers from
other faiths. The depth of surrendering or submission of other
believers is known only to God who is All Knowing and full of
perfect Wisdom. God is THE ONLY JUDGE fully capable of passing
judgments. Here Jesus advice is more relevant, “Do not Judge
others lest you not be judged.”
Surah 3:85, “If anyone desires a
religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him.”
Here the definition of the word Islam must be taken in its
inter-religious and global context as explained above.
Believer:
Anyone who says, “We believe in One God” is a Believer. In this
category fall all Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Hindus, spiritualists, native Americans or indigenous sect. etc.
etc. No Human being has a right to say that Jews, Christians,
Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc. are non-believers because we do
not have perfect knowledge to make perfect judgment.
Muslim:
A Muslim is a person who says, “There is no God but One God
(Allah) and Mohammed (pbuh) is a messenger of God.
Dhimmi:
People of the Book, Christians and Jews who lived in an Islamic
state were called dhimmis. (This term was very often mis-interpreted
in olden days by unjust rulers.) The expressed mission of
Islamic state was to establish Islamic rules and regulations and
form Islamic society. To convert People of Book to Islam was not
the policy.
Dhimmis were exempted from military service and Islamic
teachings. The Quran honored Christians and Jews as People with
Revelations, the Bible and the Torah. Their property, life and
places of worship were protected. For this service and
protection a prorated tax “Jaziya” was collected by the Islamic
state. Jaziya was not meant to be economically oppressive, on
the contrary it was a compensation paid to the state for
maintenance of law, order and due process in the Islamic state
that guaranteed their constitutional rights. Dhimmis were
exempted from paying the Zakat that was obligatory on every
Muslim citizen. The rate of Jaziya was smaller than the Zakat
rate. Presently, no Muslim country imposes “Jaziya” on People of
other faiths. Jaziya is now history.
Kafir or Infidels:
The word
Kafir is derived from the Arabic root word KFR, (Kaf, Fay and
Ray) which means to cover, conceal or hide. What is more
important is the intentional misleading, deceiving or
suppressing the truth.
Meddling
with the Holy Scriptures where intentionally truth is
either, concealed, changed, omitted, misinterpreted so that
people either begin to doubt or lose complete faith in God, His
Signs and His Revelations – this can come in the area of
infidelity (being unfaithful to your Creator) or Kufr.
Character assassinations of Biblical and Quranic Prophets, done
intentionally to undermine the faith or trust/believe in God,
His Signs and Revelations can also be classified, as Kufr and
people committing such acts are called Kafirs or infidels.
One cannot call a believer in God from other faiths as Kafir if
they do not believe in Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) as Messenger of
God and the Quran as final revelation.
In modern
language, you can say, it has to be intentional dishonesty,
deception and misinformation. Just like a more sophisticated,
premeditated perjury is deep rooted in intentional misleading or
deceiving people which can lead to criminal actions so also we
have to consider the extent of intentional deception or perjury
in explaining Kafir or Kufr.
Infidel does
not really represent the true meaning of the word Kafir. The
dictionary merely says an infidel is one who does not belief in
any religion, like Christianity and Islam.
Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs who comprise of 50% of the world’s
population cannot all be classified as non-believers or as
KAFIRS. There are billions of them who belief in God, the Last
Day and Life after Death and in doing righteous deeds.
They have also been shown the art of surrender, submission or
devotion (which in Arabic is called Islam). The Quran says,
“To every people we send an Apostle in their own language and in
their own country to clarify God’s message in Quran 14:4, 10:47
&16:36.
Muslims are commanded to believe in the revelations that have
come to them (The Quran) and the revelations that came before
their times (Torah, Psalms and Gospels, Buddhists and Hindu
scriptures) in Quran 2:4.
Hence believers in One God from other faiths cannot be lumped or
stereotyped as non-believers. No one has the authority to judge
others. Hence they cannot be called KAFIRS/Infidels because
they also have been shown the art of surrender, submission or
devotion which is the true meaning of the word Islam.
The Quran uses Kafir in reference to the pagan Arabs who had
unleashed war on Prophet Mohammed and early Muslims. All the
verses on war must be taken in reference to the pagan and
idolatrous Arabs. Muslims look towards war in the Quran to stop
tyranny and oppression of the pagan Quresh tribe. The other
side of war was to establish freedom, liberty, women rights and
a better law abiding society.
Christians and Jews who lived during the times of Prophet
Mohammed were never defined as Kafirs or infidels. They are
called as, “People of the Book” throughout the Quran. Prophet
Mohammed included them as part of Medina Constitution where
their places of worshipped were protected and respected. This
is a very important observation that we all should know.
Hence believers in One God from other faiths cannot be lumped or
stereotyped as non-believers. No one has the authority to judge
others. Hence they cannot be called KAFIRS because they also
have been shown the art of surrender, submission or devotion
which is the true meaning of the word Islam.
Non-Believer:
Non-believers are those who do not believe in God. There could
be numerous reasons, conditions, situations or factors for their
lack of faith in God. There are Americans who are not taught
religion at home or public schools hence they become secular in
their outlook. They also grow with no negative baggage as far
as religion is concerned. Their conscience is clear. They have
a sense of equality and justice which is a God-given quality of
being just and fair in outlook.
Sometimes a believer passes from a believing state to a
non-believing state and there could be many reasons for that too
which can be discussed later.
A non-believer is not a hypocrite or infidel (kafir). It is
important to know the difference.
COMMENT
FROM INDIAN SCHOLAR
1) Dear Iftekhar Hai saheb,
Thanks for e-mail and the crucial definitions of words like
Islam, kufr/kafir, believer, non-believer etc. I quite agree
with these definitions. I would like to add to the definition of
Islam.
Islam also means to establish peace and a Muslim is one who
devotes himself to the cause of peace in the world and that
would mean devoting oneself to the cause of justice and equality
and human dignity as there cannot be peace without justice,
equality and upholding human dignity. Islam is final religion
only in this sense that one must subscribe and surrender to
these values of equality of all human beings, human dignity,
freedom of conscience, justice, benevolence, compassion, wisdom
and truth.
Also, anyone who upholds truth, though its manifestation may
differ from one cultural context to other, cannot be dubbed as
kafir even if he/she does not subscribe formally to Islam.
Rest is okay,
With regards
Asghar Ali Engineer
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
9B, Himalaya Apts., 1st Floor,
6th Road, TPS III, Opp. Dena Bank,
Santacruz (E), Mumbai - 400 055,
Phone: 26149668, 56987135 (Off) 26630086 (R)
Fax No.: 091-022-26100712
E-mail :
csss@vsnl.com
2)
Why Christians & Jews
Are Not Infidels
The Quran
recognizes Jews and Christians as the Spiritual Equals of
Muslims -M. A. Muqtedar Khan
Islamic sources
recognize racial and ethnic and even religious differences and
advocate a culture of inclusion and equality. However, there are
also sources that lend themselves to exclusivist politics.
Consider the following verses:
Those who believe,
and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians
and the Sabians,- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and
do good deeds, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them
shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve (Quran 2:62 and 5:69).
And if one seeks a
religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him;
and he is among the losers in the Hereafter (Quran 3:85).
Today liberal and
conservative Muslims are divided over which of the above two
verses should determine Muslim relations with other faith
communities. The first verse is inclusive and clearly indicates
that those who are good people have nothing to worry. This
status of fundamental moral equality of all people can
become the basis for political equality in a multicultural,
multi-religious society.
Even the first
verse is repeated twice in the Quran, revealed at different
times, conservatives employ the theory of abrogation to claim
that 3:85 is decisive and both 2:62 and 5:69 are therefore not
applicable anymore. It is appalling to me how a human theory of
interpretation – there is no divinely revealed list, in the
Quran or the Sunnah, of which verses in the Quran are abrogated
– is used to undermine one of the most merciful injunctions of
the Quran.
I sometimes
jokingly argue that the only reason why God repeated 2:62 once
again in 5:69 was to ensure that bigots did not use 3:85 to
annul 2:62.
Now we can deal
with this in several ways. We can problematize the very idea of
abrogation and or simply disagree with At Tabari’s exegesis.
The precedent has already been set. A majority of contemporary
Ulema have just disagreed with At Tabari’s opinion that women
can lead mixed-gender prayers, when the supporters of Amina
Wadud offered Tabari’s opinion in defense of her decision to
lead a mixed gender Friday prayer.
But there is a much
easier way to get past the narrow understanding of the Quran
advanced by conservatives. The meaning of the verse 3:85, quoted
above, looks very different if it is read in conjunction with
the one that precedes it.
Say: We believe in
Allah and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to
Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq and Yaqoub and the tribes, and what
was given to Musa and Isa and to the prophets from their Lord;
we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him
do we submit. [3:84]
And whoever desires
a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him,
and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers. [3:85].
Read the two
verses in conjunction, while keeping in mind that nobody has yet
claimed that even 3:84 is abrogated, and the meaning that makes
itself apparent form both 3:84 and 3:85 does not seem
contradictory to 2:62. People who take 3:85 in isolation from
3:84 and also imbue meaning to it outside the context of Quran’s
general inclusive message of continuity of monotheistic faiths
and their singular tradition, interpret the word Islam in 3:85
to mean Mohammedanism – a fictitious religion started by
Muhammad. The fact is that Muhammad (saw) is not the first
Prophet of Islam; he is in actuality, the last Prophet of Islam.
The word Islam itself means submission and the Quranic meaning
of the word is submission to God and as long as Jews and
Christians submit to God, 2;62 and 5:69 applies to them and is
valid.
There are many
stubborn Muslims who will refuse to acknowledge the above
argument, insisting on allowing their personal prejudices and
even political hatred for Jews and Christians to distort the
meaning and beauty of the Quran. Let me make another argument
for them.
The message of
religious pluralism is clearly embedded in the Quran. One will
have to be acutely morally blind to miss it. See this
extraordinarily profound sequence from the fifth chapter,
Surah Maidah (5:43- 5:48) as another example.
But why do they
come to thee for decision, when they have (their own) law before
them?- therein is the (plain) command of Allah; yet even after
that, they would turn away. For they are not (really) People of
Faith. [5:43].
Lo! We did reveal
the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the
prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the
rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as
they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses.
So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And My revelations for a
little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath
revealed: such are disbelievers. [5:44].
And in their
footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that
had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was
guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come
before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah
[5:46].
Let the people of
the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do
fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they
are (no better than) those who rebel [5:47].
To each among you
have we prescribed a law and an open way (conscience) . If
Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but
(His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive
as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it
is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye
dispute [5:48].
Today millions of
Muslims live in the West. We demand religious freedom and also
acceptance of Islam and respect for it. The message of
pluralism in the Quran is beautiful and can become the basis for
a new religiously plural America. Muslims must overcome the
exclusivist urge to think that they alone have the truth and
will go to heaven. No matter how you twist the word of God, the
truth stands clear from error.
M. A. Muqtedar Khan
is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a
Senior Fellow of the Institute of Social Policy and
Understanding. He is also a member of the advisory board of the
Progressive Muslim Union. His website is (www.ijtihad.org).
M. A. Muqtedar
Khan, Ph.D.
Director of International Studies
Chair, Political Science Department, Adrian College
Non-Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution
Tel: 517-264-3949
URL:
http://www.glocaleye.org
URL:
http://www.ijtihad.org
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