Understanding Islam: Its Spirit and Values

Preface

Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (With their own souls).

—Glorious Quran: S. XIII. 11; p. 606*

… if anyone slew

A person—unless it be

For murder or for spreading

Mischief in the land—

It would be as if

He slew the whole people:

And if any one saved a life,

It would be as if he saved

The life of the whole people.

—Glorious Quran, S. V. 35; p. 252.

THE ABOVE MENTIONED VERSES FROM THE HOLY QURAN, the basic scripture of Islam, clearly and emphatically state the non-violent and peace-loving spirit of Islam. It is ironic that often both sides, the critics of Islam and those fringe groups who commit violence in its name, forget this central principle that is at the heart of the faith. There is also a mistaken perception that Islam was spread by forcibly converting people. How history bears testimony to this assertion is a moot question; the Holy Quran clearly states that there should be no compulsion in religion.

Let there be no compulsion in religion:

Truth stands out clear from Error:

Whoever rejects Evil and believes in God

Has grasped the most trustworthy Hand-hold,

That never breaks.

And God hears and knows all things.

—Glorious Quran S. II. 256; p. 103.

Islam as a religion and philosophy of life is often misunderstood in contemporary times. Many critics and opponents of Islam perceive it as a regressive, aggressive and intolerant religion. Regrettably, some extremists among Muslims practise it in manner that strengthens this perception. As a result it is misinterpreted and distorted not only by some who belong to other religious communities, but also by some of its own followers and interpreters. Islam has been stereotyped as a source of terrorism and demonized, because of the dehumanizing behaviour of a few fanatic elements among its followers. These elements are blatantly violating the basic principles propounded in the Holy Quran and in the teachings and conduct of Prophet Muhammad that emphatically advocate humane values and practices.

Interpretations by ultra-conservatives have caused problems in many religions, and so also in Islam. Considerable damage has been done to its image and spirit by those who selectively distort its interpretation for their political purposes or an extremist group’s agenda. Such interpretations have led to practices and stereotypes that are quite contrary to the true spirit and message of Islam. The word ‘islam’ means ‘peace, greeting, safety, salvation’.¹

As Syed Ameer Ali. a well-known scholar of Islam. states:

The principal bases on which the Islamic system is founded are: (1) a belief in the unity, immateriality, power, mercy and supreme love of the Creator; (2) charity and brotherhood among mankind; (3) subjugation of the passions; (4) the outpouring of a grateful heart to the Giver of all good; and (5) accountability for human actions in another existence … The Unity of God, His immateriality, His majesty, His mercy, form the constant and never-ending theme of the most eloquent and soul-stirring passages (in the Holy Quran). But throughout there is no trace of dogmatism. Appeal is made to the inner consciousness of man, to his intuitive reason alone.² [Emphasis added]

A general notion among many individuals and communities about Islam is that it is an intolerant and exclusivist religion. A study of the Holy Quran and the early history of Islam reveal a totally different view. Numerous verses in the Holy Quran explicate the existence of diversity in religions as part of God’s plan to judge human beings in what He has given them. The need for acceptance of pluralism and diversity of religions in Islam, is evident from the following verses:

…To each among you

Have We prescribed a Law

And an Open Way.

If God had so willed,

He would have made you

A single People, but (His Plan is)

To test you in what He has given you; so strive

as in a race in all virtues.

The goal of you all is to God:

It is He that will show you

The truth of the matters

in which you dispute

—Glorious Quran S. V. 51; pp. 258–59.

…For each period

Is a Book (revealed).

—Glorious Quran S. XIII. 38; p. 616.

Keeping in view the above stated distorted perceptions about Islam, a humble attempt has been made here to present the true spirit of Islam based entirely on its original and basic source book—the Holy Quran. This anthology is based on verses from the Holy Quran taken from the original translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali—The Meaning of Glorious Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary [cited above and henceforth as Glorious Quran]—which is still widely regarded as one of the best English translations, it being first published in 1934.

A well-known scholar, Abdullah Yusuf Ali attempted to capture the spirit of Quran without introducing sectarian biases and interpretations, unlike most of the other translations. However, since the language of translation is somewhat archaic, slight modifications have been made by me in the use of pronouns and verbs in this book to make the selected verses more easily readable, while ensuring no distortion in meaning. In some places, when a particular verse evidently directly addresses Prophet Muhammad, the pronouns have been retained in order to ensure that there is no change in the spirit of a selected verse or its part.

Below each verse or set of verses quoted from the Glorious Quran, is mentioned the Surah (chapter) number in roman numerals, followed by the Ayat (verse) number and the page number, for ready reference. Verses cited from other translations (less-frequently used here) are similarly cited, though the Surah number is not written in roman numerals in keeping with the usage in these translations. Some words have been inserted in brackets [ ] in a few verses to explicate the meaning, or some words italicized for emphasis, when felt necessary.

The selected verses have been grouped together under themes which are most relevant or debated in contemporary daily life. They seek to address questions that arise in the minds of Muslims and people of other religious communities, who want to know about the teachings of the Holy Quran and Islam—particularly about the philosophy, principles and practices of Islam. The themes also address other questions that arise in the minds of those who are witnessing the extremely distorted and violent behaviour of some so-called ‘fundamentalists’. Such behaviour has been described by some Islamic scholars as ‘Political Islam’.³

In his well-known work popularly known as The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel P. Huntington argues that ‘the fundamental conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and dominating source of conflict will be cultural.’⁴ Countering this proposition, Prince Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, rejects the notion that tension and violence in the world is the result of a clash of civilizations, especially between the Islamic world and the West: ‘I disagree with this assessment. In my view it is a clash of ignorance which is to blame.’⁵ [Emphasis added].

It is, therefore, extremely important that attempts be made for greater mutual understanding between the people and leaders of different communities, civilizations, cultures and religions through removal of ignorance by education, dialogues, and sharing knowledge about each other’s true philosophy, values and culture. The aim of this humble work is to present Islam in the light of the original verses of the Holy Quran—its true spirit and essence, particularly for those who dispassionately want to know more about Islam. It is also intended for the modern Muslim youth who seldom have access to the Holy Quran in an authentic and unbiased English translation.

Islam emerged as a reformative, humanitarian, and egalitarian religion in the seventh century CE in Arabia through the divine revelation of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad, and his preaching and practices as an Apostle. At that time, Arabia was shrouded in ignorance, tribalism and had rampant inhuman and cruel practices such as female infanticide, brutal tribal wars, superstition, inequity, etc. Islam renewed faith in the Unity of God and prohibited female infanticide, usury, superstition and many other evil practices that were harmful to a healthy social order. It promoted egalitarianism, the freeing of slaves, protection of orphans and the rights of women to inherit property and remarry after divorce or death of the husband. It emphasized honesty and fair practices in business and all other social dealings, discouraged hoarding of wealth, and strongly supported distribution of wealth and charity.

Prophet Muhammad was able to bring about almost unbelievable harmony, peace and unity among the warring Arab tribes at that time, and developed exemplary character and values among them that led to substantial expansion of Islam across continents. Islam recognized that prophets and apostles had been sent by the Almighty God earlier to all communities across the world, and that they all had conveyed the message of faith in One God, the afterlife, good deeds and righteousness, which was also preached by Prophets like Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ.

Islam espouses basic principles such as: faith in the Unity of God, faith in the afterlife and the Day of Judgement, performance of good deeds, charity and submission to the Will of God. It propounds and emphasizes the practice of the basic values of egalitarianism, compassion, peace, tolerance, forgiveness, humility, patience, truth and justice. It preaches the practice of equality of human beings irrespective of gender, colour, social status, or ethnicity. Karen Armstrong, a renowned scholar and author on religions, writes:

The new sect would eventually be called islam (surrender), a muslim was a man or a woman who had made this submission of their entire being to Allah and His demand that human beings behave to one another with justice, equity and compassion … Social justice was, therefore, the crucial virtue of Islam. Muslims were commanded as their first duty to build a community (ummah) characterized by practical compassion in which there was a fair distribution of wealth.⁶

Islam’s primary message has been to be enlightened by reason and knowledge. According to Islamic belief and records, the first word of the Holy Quran conveyed by Almighty God to Prophet Muhammad through Angel Gabriel was ‘Read’ (Iqra), and thereafter that God taught man the use of the pen, and taught him what he knew not:

Proclaim! (or Read!) in the name of thy

Lord and Cherisher, Who created—

Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:

Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He

Who taught (the use of) the pen,

Taught man that which he knew not.

—Glorious Quran S. XCVI.1–5; pp. 1761–62.

Prophet Muhammad stressed that ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim’ (Ibn Majah quoted in Preserving a Sunnah, p. 51).⁷ According to some scholars and scribes, he exhorted Muslims to seek knowledge even if they had to go as far as China for this purpose.

Prominent philosopher, author, statesman and former President of India, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, wrote in the preface of his renowned work The Bhagavadgita:

Every scripture has two sides, one temporary and perishable, belonging to the ideas of the people of the period and the country in which it is produced, and the other eternal and imperishable, and applicable to all ages and countries. The intellectual expression and psychological idiom are the products of time while the permanent truths are capable of being lived and seen by higher than intellectual vision at all times.⁸

Similarly, there are basically three kinds of verses in the Holy Quran. The first, are those that carry the basic messages—about the truth of the existence of the Supreme and Eternal God, His endless and unfathomable attributes, the reality of the afterlife, and the Day of Judgement; His marvellous divine as well as material creations, and His guidance to all mankind. The second are contextual verses and were conveyed to Prophet Muhammad to deal with the specific issues referred to him by his followers at that time. The third kind are those verses that were revealed specifically to deal with challenging situations—such as the defensive wars that Prophet Muhammad had to fight with the hostile Quraish and other Arabs who saw Islam as challenging their beliefs, practices, economic and social interests, and were determined to cause physical harm to the Prophet and to followers of Islam.

Most misinterpretations of Islam arise from people selectively picking out verses from this last category, (mis)interpreting them out of context, then acting out and justifying their actions as based on the fundamental messages of the Holy Quran—which is not the case.

Similarly, varied interpretations and formulation of some aspects of the Sharia Law (Islamic Personal Laws) by Muslim scholars and thought leaders have led to the foundation of different schools of thought and sects; in turn leading to differences among followers of these sects and serious conflicts among them. Historically too, as Islam spread far and wide, it came to be used as a political tool to build empires. Instead of being the ethical, social, humanitarian, spiritual and reformative movement it originally was, it became a captive of identity politics, fragmented communities, and a powerful political tool employed by aggressively opposing sects among Muslims.

Followers of other religions and many among the Muslims today are not sufficiently informed about the true message of Islam. Further, the Holy Quran is recited or memorized in Arabic, a language that is not understood in most non-Arab countries. Therefore, a humble attempt has been made to enable an understanding of the basic and universal message of the Holy Quran and Islam in English.

The spirit of Islam is beautifully captured in the sayings (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad:

When you speak, speak the truth;

perform when you promise,

discharge your trust;

withhold from striking and

from taking which is unlawful and bad….

What actions are most excellent?

To gladden the heart of a human being,

to feed the hungry,

to help the afflicted,

to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful,

and to remove the wrongs of the injured.

All God’s creatures are His family;

and he is most beloved of God

who does most good to God’s creatures.

—Sahih al Bukhari.⁹

The purpose of this anthology of verses from the Holy Quran is to bring together simple and meaningful guidelines from the holy book to lead a pure and good life. The verses have been chosen by this author for their relevance to contemporary life, especially for youth in modern times, who may not have access to the proper spirit and teachings of Islam.

The verses selected are presented in their original form with very few interpretations, commentaries, or explanations by well-known scholars and only where felt absolutely necessary. I have made only brief introductory observations on the topics selected for different thematic chapters in the book. It is hoped that the verses in their original form will enable readers to find, explore and understand for themselves the meaning, and draw inferences from, the text. Those who want to explore their deeper meaning or context can refer to the original text with translation, the Glorious Quran, and the explanations and elaborate commentaries there.

I am highly thankful to the Late Prof. Syed Ausaf Ali, Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, for his invaluable gift of Syed Ameer Ali’s book, The Spirit of Islam, that inspired me to write this book.¹⁰ My interactions with him were always very encouraging for me.

I would like to acknowledge my deeply felt gratitude to Mr Anees Chishti, a highly respected and knowledgeable writer and journalist, who encouraged me in the face of all my apprehensions to complete and publish this work. Having edited a large number of books by renowned authors, he very meticulously edited this manuscript with his deep knowledge, understanding and discerning eye. His guidance and encouragement were a great source of inspiration to me to improve and complete this work. Because of his untimely and most heart-breaking demise, I could not get his guidance in the final stages of this manuscript. I am highly thankful to his illustrious daughter Ms Seema Chishti for offering her invaluable help in completing this manuscript and getting it published, without which perhaps this manuscript would never have seen the light of day.

I am grateful to Lt Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah, former Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University, for his support and encouragement, and to Prof. Parvaiz Talib for his valuable suggestions to improve the manuscript. I am also thankful to many other friends and well-wishers for candidly sharing their observations and wise comments which were very helpful to me. I wish to thank my wife, Prof. Najma Perveen Ahmad, and my daughters, Tarannum Ahmad and Samya Ahmed, for firmly standing by my side in the long journey of preparing this manuscript.

* Unless stated otherwise, all verses of the Holy Quran quoted in this book are from: Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1934), The Meaning of the Glorious Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, two volumes, (Cairo: Dar Al-Kitab Al-Masri); henceforth cited in text, in short, as Glorious Quran.

Introduction

By the soul, and the proportion and order given to it, and its enlightenment as to its wrong and right, truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it.

—Glorious Quran S. XCI. 7–10; p. 1743.

IF WE EXAMINE THE HISTORY OF MOST OF THE GREAT religions, we will find that they began with the need to reform individuals and society, especially when there was large-scale moral degeneration or grave injustice and cruelty in society. The purpose of religion was the moral and spiritual uplift of mankind by saints and apostles. In the early stages there was considerable resistance to such reforms, and often enormous hardship was suffered by apostles and reformers, including conflict and wars for truth and justice. Eventually, they succeeded, and a new moral and social order, a religion, was created. As the religion spread to a large number of followers and across many regions, in most cases, it acquired a political orientation and wielded enormous power. Over time it got divided into many sects, often hostile to each other. In the later stages, the original spirit and values were forgotten, and the religion was overtaken by rituals and people with vested interests, who usually had strong economic, political, ideological or exploitative motives. Ultimately most religions became trapped in ‘Identity Politics’, leading to confrontation and hostilities within their own sects, as well as with other religious communities.

When religion is used as a political tool, when it is reduced to a symbol of cultural identity, and when it is exploited as a bastion for fanatic politico-ideological supremacy, it loses its real purpose. When it leads to fatalism to rationalize human sufferings and socio-economic deprivation, then it becomes ‘the opium of the masses’, as described by