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The Mutual Enrichment of Judaism and Islam: The Dignity of the Human Person – A Common Ground Value

Published on 2007-12-27 17:35:15

To follow upon the article of last week, who treated of mutual enrichment of Islam and Judaism through the testimony of history, the Elijah Institute leans this week on a fundamental common value of the two religions: human dignity.

Far from stereotypes and violence, we immerse ourselves in the deeply humanistic and common roots of Islam and Judaism.

 

Though broad and theoretical, ground values are powerful tools for guiding religious practice, critiquing ways in which the religion may have strayed from its ideal course and finding common ground between different religious traditions. The articulation of common ground values is an important step towards formulating where the common contributions of Judaism and Islam to humanity’s problems may lie. The following discussion suggests that the dignity of the human person is a shared Judeo-Muslim ground value.

In both traditions, the dignity of the person is grounded in creation and reaffirmed through revelation that teaches the faithful how to respect the human.
Both traditions affirm that Adam (man, humanity) was created as a single being, in contrast to the animals, which were created collectively.
This suggests humanity’s unique and privileged position in creation. It also has moral consequences, as spelled out in the following Jewish tradition. Mishna Sanhedrin 4, 5 offers as a reason for the creation of Adam as a single being the following: “For the sake of peace among men, that none should say to his fellow, “My father is greater than yours.” The Hebrew term for “man,” shared also by Arabic, is ben Adam, “son of Adam,” our common father. We have already referred to the universal moral commandments, known as the Noachide commandments, given to Adam as a common law for all humanity.
The universal unity of man has its corresponding goal at the end of time when, in the eschatological vision of Judaism, when all of humanity will be reunited in the common knowledge of the one God.

Nonetheless, unity does not lead to disregard for diversity within humanity. The same mishna teaches: “this instructs us of the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He, for man mints many coins with one die, and they are all alike, but the King of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, stamped each man with the seal of Adam, and not one of them is like his fellow. Therefore each and every one is obliged to say: “For my sake the world was created.” Qur’anic affirmation of human diversity as grounded in God’s creative act has already been cited above.

The creation of the single man has further moral consequences. As the same Mishna teaches: “Whoever destroys a single soul, is considered as if he had destroyed the whole world, and whosoever saves one soul, is considered as if he had saved a whole world.” This idea is closely and directly echoed in the Qur’an: “For this, we prescribed to the sons of Israel that the one who killed a person without this one having taken a person, or spread corruption on earth it is as if he had killed the whole humanity. And we ordered that the one who made a person live it is as if he had made the whole humanity live” (V, 32). Thus, the supreme value of human life is grounded in an understanding of man’s special position in creation, an understanding common to Judaism and Islam.
Man’s special position in creation allows us to consider the correspondence between himself and his creator. Just as the creator is one, so man was created single. God’s greatness is thus mirrored through humankind. Perhaps the most powerful relationship between God and the absolute value of man is conveyed by the biblical tenet that “Man was created in the image of God” (Gen. 1: 27). From the Jewish perspective, this concept has been proposed as the kind of ground value to which we referred above, a religious principle in light of which other aspects of religion are shaped. This is expressed in the thought of Ben Azzai in his famous dispute with Rabbi Akiba, recorded in the Midrash (Genesis Rabba 24, 8). Rabbi Akiba held that the principle maxim of Jewish teaching was “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19:18). In opposition to this, Ben Azzai presented as the most important lesson of the Bible “This is the book of the generations of man; in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God he made him.’ (Gen. 5:1). According to Ben Azzai, man’s creation in the image of God outweighs even the principle of neighborly love. Where neighborly love may be construed in narrow terms that limit the love offered within the community, the notion of creation in the image of God provides an external grounding in relation to God that guarantees the status and value of the human person. The implication of creation in the image of God is the practice of dignity and respect towards all humanity, made in the divine image.
These sentiments are echoed in Islam, at times using similar language, at times using other language. The Qur’an offers various expressions for its high view of the perfection of the human person, such as in the following verse: “We created man with the best constitution” (XCV, 4). Most significant in light of the Biblical source is the Hadith tradition, variously understood, that “God created man at His image.” It is striking how some of the reflections concerning the status of the human person are identical in both traditions. Further, we may recall the statement of Aisha concerning the Prophet, stating his whole nature was the Qur’an, which is the uncreated word of God. This suggests that man’s perfection is nothing but a reflection of God’s own perfection.

One dimension of the biblical understanding of creation in God’s image is the charge placed in man’s hands over all the rest of creation, for which he is to care. As well, Muslim tradition recognizes that manifesting God’s perfection entails showing the same care, responsibility, love and mercy to the whole creation that God shows every moment to His creatures. Muslim tradition speaks of man as the crown of creation and as khalifa, i.e., vicegerent, representative, lieutenant, charged with responsibility for the world. The Muslim notion that God appointed man as His lieutenant in creation points both to man’s special status and to his responsibility towards creation.
A beautiful testimony to the dignity of man and to how he is to act as God’s vicegerent is found in the following source, extolling forgiveness, mercy, and understanding to others. The fourth caliph of Islam and son in law of the Prophet, Ali ibn Abi Talib, wrote to a governor he had appointed: “Infuse your heart with mercy, love and kindness for your subjects. Be not in face of them a voracious animal, counting them as easy prey, for they are of two kinds; either they are your brothers in religion or your equals in creation. Error catches them unaware, deficiencies overcome them, evil deeds are committed by them intentionally and by mistake. So grant them your pardon and your forgiveness to the same extent that you hope God will grant you His pardon and His forgiveness. For you are above them, and he who appointed you is above, and God is above him who appointed you.”

In considering the common moral heritage of the Judeo-Muslim tradition, one of the key concepts that governs their respective and common world views concerns the place of the human person in the scheme of creation and in the spiritual life. The preceding discussion suggested this conceptual centrality and offered it as a guiding principle, in light of which both traditions can shape their attitude to the other, in practical and concrete terms. It would take us beyond our mandate to consider the multitude of practical implications that the notion of the dignity of the human person may have in day to day life of Jewish and Muslim communities living alongside one another. Present circumstances do not permit a consideration of how this principle could or should find expression in relation to specific legal rulings of both traditions, especially as these are relevant to situations of conflict. The legal and hermeneutical work needed to engage these dimensions is too detailed and is, in any event, a subject for legal specialists on both sides. The present contribution seeks to open up the discussion between Muslims and Jews to the recognition of the shared ground value, which should serve as a beacon in whose light practical and legal discussions must take place. If this ground value is agreed upon, it allows us to consider the degree to which our traditions are faithful to it and calls us to ways of implementing this ground value.

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