Countering The Bigoted Islamic Scholarship That Undermines the Quranic Message of Tolerance
By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam
25 July 2024
The Message of the Quran Can Be Trifled with If It
Contains Abrogated Verses That Contradict Other Unabrogated Verses. The Quran
Is the Final Testament, And If It Includes Abrogated Verses, Then God Has
Failed to Communicate His Message in A Clear and Beyond-Doubt Manner. Was God
Incapable of Keeping Out the Abrogated Verses That Confuse Us? In That Case,
What Kind of God Is He? We May Then Reasonably Conclude That There Is No God
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This is a response to the article “Undermining
the Quranic Message of Tolerance: The Roles of Islamic Supremacists and
Islamophobes” by V.A. Mohamad Ashrof
The
Quran Does Not Contain Abrogated Verses.
The message of the Quran can be trifled
with if it contains abrogated verses that contradict other unabrogated verses.
The Quran is the final testament, and if it includes abrogated verses, then God
has failed to communicate His Message in a clear and beyond-doubt manner. Was
God incapable of keeping out the abrogated verses that confuse us? In that
case, what kind of God is He? We may then reasonably conclude that there is no
God.
Therefore, one of the Quran's tests as the
word of Allah is that it should not contain abrogated verses. The Quran will
fail this test if we can find even one verse that contradicts another verse
without a good reason. Does the Quran pass this test? It does.
Framework
for Gaining a Correct Understanding of the Quran
The prophetic mission of Muhammad (pbuh)
went through several phases, and each phase has its distinct context, which
needs to be kept in mind while reading the Quran to understand its verses
correctly.
Phase
1 Pre-Hijra
Phase 1 is the pre-Hijra period, during
which the Prophet commenced preaching the new religion and faced intense
hostility from the leaders of the Meccans. It was a period when the Muslims
were a tiny minority and persecuted in several ways until it became unsafe even
for the Prophet.
During this period, Muslims were encouraged
to practice patience and forbearance. As the Prophet was not a ruler, no
legislative verses were revealed during this period except those covering moral
or righteous behaviour in one’s personal life.
So, what do we learn from this phase of his
mission? The behaviour of the Prophet and his followers during this period is
the model to follow for Muslims living as a minority. The Hudud laws don’t exist for them, nor do the verses on waging just
war. They must ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs
to God’ as Muhammad did and before him Jesus (PBUH) under similar
circumstances. This means they must follow the law of the land except in
personal matters or intra-community issues like marriage, divorce, inheritance,
etc.
Phase
2 Legislative Phase
Once the Prophet migrated to Medina and
became the leader of the people there, he could govern by Islamic law. All the
legislative verses were revealed after Hijra and are meant only for people
living in a region governed under a Muslim ruler. These are not for Muslims
living as a minority.
Phase
3 The War Phase
This phase runs concurrently with the
legislative phase. Now that the Prophet had become a ruler with a territory
under his control and could protect his people, permission was given to fight
those who fought him. All the verses that command fighting are religion/faith
neutral and are universally applicable to all people, irrespective of their
faith. Non-Muslims can use them against Muslims if the Muslims become
oppressors. The “Kafaru” in these
verses is mistranslated as “disbeliever”. If “Kafaru” is correctly translated as “oppressor”, we derive the
faith-neutral meaning. Read: Revisiting the Meaning of Kafir
The principles of war are derived from considering
all the verses on fighting in this phase, which are clear and free from
ambiguity. None of the verses make an exception based on the times and
circumstances of the Prophetic mission of Muhammad (pbuh). Therefore, the
principles are eternal and based on Divine guidance and inspiration. They are
common to all the scriptures and may be taken as guidance by all the people
whether they follow the religion of Islam or not. The clear, unambiguous
principles are:
1. There is no
compulsion in religion. Any form of coercion in religion or prevention from
following one’s religion peacefully constitutes persecution.
2. War is mandated
to end any oppression against any people. The oppression may be religious
persecution or any other form of oppression. The faith of the oppressor and the
oppressed is immaterial.
3. Only a ruler
with a territory and people under his political authority can wage war. Civil
war is not permissible. Only people in the territory ruled by such a ruler can
participate in the war effort. People residing in territory under the control
of the oppressor must migrate from that territory first if they wish to join
the war effort against the oppressor.
4. The only
justifiable cause for making war is to fight against the oppressors to end oppression.
There is no other justifiable cause.
Apart from the eternally valid verses, there
are also a few transactional verses that were applicable only in the given
circumstances, such as:
(5:51) O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the
Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors
to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of
them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.
Although the Jews and the Christians of
Medina were signatories to the charter of Medina, they feared the rise of Islam
and even colluded with the enemies of the Muslims. It was during the war phase,
when treachery was feared based on actual incidents of betrayal that the
Muslims were warned against befriending them. The verse quoted above is
governed by the context of war when certain people, although not openly with
the enemy, colluded with them. It is with such people that a distance must be
maintained.
Phase
4 The Judgment Phase
The first 29 verses of Surah 9 (Taubah) are a judgment on the vanquished
people and may be used as case law under similar circumstances to decide how to
treat those vanquished in a just war. These verses are otherwise inapplicable
in any other situation.
The extremists who quote 9:5 to justify their
actions are misguided. They ignore the restrictions on 9:5 imposed by the
preceding four verses and the following eight verses.
Phase
5 Return to Peace
The verses revealed during this phase are
the ultimate on tolerance, justice and celebration of diversity:
(5:5) This day are (all) things good and pure made
lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and
yours is lawful unto them. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste
women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book,
revealed before your time, - when ye give them their due dowers, and desire
chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues if any one rejects faith,
fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those
who have lost (all spiritual good).
You can now not only befriend the Jews and
Christians but also break bread with them, partaking in each other’s food and
also marry among their women without converting them and by giving them full
freedom to practise their religion.
(5:8) O ye who believe! stand out firmly for
Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you
make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to
piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.
All previous hatred and enmity is to be
forgotten and perfect secular justice is to be rendered to all people
irrespective of their faith.
(49:13) O mankind! We created you from a single
(pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye
may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most
honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.
And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
(48) To thee We sent the Scripture in truth,
confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so
judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain
desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you
have we prescribed a law and an open way. 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;
The verses of phase 5 must govern all the
Islamic countries in all domestic matters besides the verses of phase 2. Verses
of phases 3 and 4 are irrelevant in domestic affairs and applicable only to the
State if it is required to conduct a just war. These are not for non-state
actors. Verses of phase 1 are eternally valid for all people, irrespective of
their condition.
The apparent contradiction between verse
5:51 forbidding friendship with the “other” and 5:5 allowing even marriages
between the communities is no longer a contradiction once the Quranic verses
are classified according to the Prophetic phase of his mission and verses
appropriate to your present condition alone are followed.
Correct Understanding of Surah 98
(Al-Bayyina / The Evidence)
Before the advent of Muhammad, stories of
an Arab Prophet’s coming were familiar among some of the people of the Book and
also much hoped for and anticipated by some of the Meccan Mushrikin. These were obviously among the most knowledgeable,
influential and powerful people. This is alluded to in the following Meccan
verses:
Surah 37:
(167)
And there were those who said,
(168)
"If only we had had before us a Message from those of old,
(169)
"We should certainly have been Servants of Allah, sincere (and
devoted)!"
(170)
But (now that the Qur´an has come), they reject it: But soon will they know!
“And
there were those who said” clearly implies not all but some among the people.
Now let us consider Surah 98:
(1)
Those Kafaru among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, were not
going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them Clear
Evidence, -
(2) A messenger from Allah, rehearsing scriptures
kept pure and holy:
(3)
Wherein are laws (or decrees) right and straight.
(4)
Nor did the People of the Book make schisms, until after there came to them
Clear Evidence.
(5)
And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him
sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to
practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight.
(6)
Those Kafaru among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists will be in
Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures.
The kafaru
referred to in 98:1 are those specific groups among the People of the Book, and
the Polytheists described above. They are not all the people of the Prophet’s
time among the “other”, and none of the people today. These people were
knowledgeable and expected the coming of a Prophet who had no reason to reject
him, yet they rejected him. Their Kufr is of the extreme kind for the basest of
reasons, which makes them the worst of the creatures.
The
Best Of Creatures
(7)
Those who have faith and do righteous deeds,- they are the best of creatures.
(8)
Their reward is with Allah: Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow;
they will dwell therein for ever; Allah well pleased with them, and they with
Him: all this for such as fear their Lord and Cherisher.
The best of creatures are all the Muslims
at the time of the revelation of this Surah, but not all the Muslims who came
after. These are the vanguard Muslims about whom there are several other
verses. This Surah was most probably revealed before the battle of Badr when
every Muslim was among those who had made great sacrifices for Islam.
By referring to only some among the
polytheists as kafaru, it is clear
that the Quran never equated Mushrikin
with Kafirin. Not all the Mushrikin of the Prophet’s times were
ever considered Kafirin.
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A frequent
contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from
IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the
Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He
has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its
interpretation.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism