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Vision of the Other in the Qu'ran

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

In a time where Islam is often incriminated in violence or terrorist attacks, the lecture of sacred texts has become a crucial issue for men of religion as for the public at large. We thus asked to Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Imam of Brighton and a highly committed personality of the interfaith dialogue, to contribute to an interpretation exercise.

The goal was to show that one cannot interpret a quotation without taking account of the global context where it is inserted and without the appropriated reading tools (historical, theological, philosophical…). A necessary step though the understanding of one of the founding text of monotheism.

 

All Human Beings are honoured by GOD: It is important to know that Islam honours Judaism and the good, faithful, and GOD-fearing Jews:



* "It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to God's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of God's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers”. (The Holy Qu’ran, 5:44)

But many people who are not familiar with the Holy Qu’ran or did not make a good effort to study it are confused about the issue of befriending people from other religions. From a methodological point of view, taking a few passages from the Holy Qur'an out of proper historical and textual context, to answer a problematic, will not give a proper understanding of the religious scripture. Many of these people make grave judgment on this matter. the Holy Qur’an is a complete book that occasionally presents a law or commandment over several chapters or several verses in the same chapter and the practical part of this commandment can be achieved by understanding the whole issue as presented over all the verses and chapters and not by upholding only part of the Qur’an. God specifically warn us against doing just that, upholding part of the Holy Qur’an while disregarding the rest.



* “Do you believe in part of the scripture and disbelieve in part? What should be the retribution for those among you who do this?”(The Holy Quran, 2:85)

Then, to understand the issue of befriending the Jews and Christians, we have to study all the concerned verses together in light of the whole Holy Qur’an.

There are three verses of the Holy Qu’ran. (Al Baqra) (the Holy Qur’an 2:120), (Al Maida) (the Holy Qur’an 5:51) and (Al Maida) (the Holy Qur’an 5:82) which requires some explanation. Let me explain (Al Maida) (the Holy Qur’an 5:51) first. I heard many people mention the Holy Qur’an 5:51 with no referral to the rest of the verses that discuss this important issue.



* “O you who believe, do not take [certain] Jews and Christians as allies; these are allies of one another. Those among you who ally themselves with these belong with them. GOD does not guide the transgressors”. (The Holy Qur’an, 5:51)

1. What do the Holy Qur’an say about other people, whoever they may be?

Let’s first look at some other verses about befriending the Jews and the Christians, or anyone not Muslim (Submitter) for that matter. These two verses are regulating relations with any people, regardless of their faith:



* “GOD does not enjoin you from befriending those who do not fight you because of religion, and do not evict you from your homes. You may befriend them and be equitable towards them. GOD loves the equitable”. (The Holy Qur’an, 60:8).



* “GOD enjoins you only from befriending those who fight you because of religion, evict you from your homes, and band together with others to banish you. You shall not befriend them. Those who befriend them are the transgressors”. (The Holy Qur’an, 60:9).

Thus, we learn that we are only enjoined from befriending those who fight us because of religion.

Let's go back to the verse immediately after 5:51, to see if it now sheds some more light on the issue:“You will see those who harbor doubt in their hearts hasten to join them, saying, "We fear lest we may be defeated." May GOD bring victory, or a command from Him, that causes them to regret their secret thoughts”. (The Holy Qur’an, 5:52)

Thus, it is clear that this is a situation when there is a division and an overhanging conflict between the believers and the others. Otherwise, what would be the logic behind the statement? "We fear lest we may be defeated." In these situations those with doubts in their hearts will ally themselves with the enemy.

The Holy Qur’an 5:57 makes it clear again, who are not to be taken as friends



* “O you who believe, do not befriend those among the recipients of previous scripture who mock and ridicule your religion, nor shall you befriend the disbelievers. You shall reverence GOD, if you are really believers”(The Holy Quran, 5:57).

2. What do the Holy Qur’an say about Jews and Christians?

As with all scriptures, passages in the Holy Qur'an must be read within the proper context. The Holy Qur'an was not just revealed for Muslims, but for all people, including Jews and Christians. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was in the line of previous Prophets of God, including Prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and the Holy Qur'an is in the line of previous scriptures revealed by God. The Holy Qur’an does not condemn the Semitic race and, in fact, accords Jews a special status given their shared prophetic traditions with Islam.
God teaches us throughout the Holy Qur’an that there are righteous Jews and Christians. So, if we think we are righteous, and they are righteous, what could possibly be the problem between us, or obstacle for us to be friends?



* ” Among the followers of Moses there are those who guide in accordance with the truth, and the truth renders them righteous”.(The Holy Qur’an, 7:159).



* “Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous”.(The Holy Quu’an, 5:46)



* “The people of the Gospel shall rule in accordance with GOD's revelations therein. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD's revelations are the wicked.”(The Holy Qur’an, 5:47)



* ” Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve”. (the Holy Qur’an, 2:62 et 5:69)



* “They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture, there are those who are righteous. They recite GOD's revelations through the night, and they fall prostrate. They believe in GOD and the Last Day, they advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and they hasten to do righteous works. These are the righteous”. (The Holy Qur’an, 3:113-114)



* ” Surely, some followers of the previous scriptures do believe in GOD, and in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed to them. They reverence GOD, and they never trade away GOD's revelations for a cheap price. These will receive their recompense from their Lord. GOD is the most efficient in reckoning”. (The Holy Qu’ran, 3:199)



* "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 hath 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 ye dispute”. (The Holy Qur’an, 5:48)


We can see here twice the reward for Christians & Jews who recognize the truth:



* “To these we grant twice the reward, because they steadfastly persevere. They counter evil works with good works, and from our
provisions to them, they give”. (The Holy Qur’an, 28:54)


God also says that those who attain knowledge attain higher ranks:



* “When he reached maturity, we endowed him with wisdom and knowledge. Wethus reward the righteous”. (The Holy Qur’an, 12:22)

2.1. The Holy Qur’an and the Christians:

Let me explain the verse of the Holy Qur’an (Al Maida) (5:82), from which we learn that the Christians are closer to the believers (submitters-Muslims) than the Jews. This is just a statement reflecting of that particular time in history. God is the best knower of the emotional structure of His creations and therefore was this statement of fact:



* “You will find that the worst enemies of the believers are the Jews and the idol worshipers. And you will find that the closest people in friendship to the believers are those who say, "We are Christian." This is because they have priests and monks among them, and they are not arrogant”. (The Holy Qur’an, 5:82)


This verse should not be used by any mean to negate the fact that among the Jews (and Christians) will be righteous people who can be good friends as explained in the above verses; they do not fight us in our religion or our homes. They can be our neighbours, colleagues, friends, co-workers...We will be good to them as they are good to us. We, all the righteous people of all religions, can make the difference and make this world better by respecting each other, respecting the freedom of choice of each other, and remember that we all have the One and the same God.

2.2. The Holy Qu’ran and the Jews:

How does the Holy Qur’an evocate the Jews?

The Holy Qur'an speaks extensively about the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il) and recognizes that the Jews (al-Yahud) are, according to lineage, descendants of Prophet Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. They were chosen by God for a mission (The Holy Qur’an 44:32) and God raised among them many Prophets and bestowed upon them what He had not bestowed upon many others (The Holy Qur’an 5:20). He exalted them over other nations of the earth (2:47, 122) and granted them many favours.

Anyone who says that Jewish and Muslim relations are condemned in Qur’an are intact ignorant of the above Qur’anic facts and of the following verse: 3:113-115, which is translated as such:

* "They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture, there those who are righteous. They recite GOD's revelations through the night and they fall prostrate. They believe in GOD and the Last Day, they advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and they hasten to do righteous work. These are the righteous. Any good they do will not go unrewarded. GOD is fully aware of the righteous". (The Holy Qu'ran, 3 :113-115).

The critical passages against the Jews in the Holy Qur’an:

The Holy Qur'an instead criticizes those Jews who turned away from God's authentic message and admonishes those who scorned and ridiculed Prophet Muhammad and the message of the Holy Qur'an. Such criticism is similar to the criticism against Jews found in other scriptures, including the Hebrew Bible, and should be taken by all people as a reminder and warning against forsaking and straying from the authentic message of God. Such specific criticism has never been interpreted by learned scholars of the Holy Qur'an to incite hatred against Jewish people and should not be confused with anti-Semitism!

Passages in the Holy Qur'an which criticize the Jews fall primarily into two categories. First, the Holy Qur'an speaks of how some of the Children of Israel turned away from the authentic message revealed to them. They disobeyed God and showed ingratitude for God's favours on them. They lost the original Tawrat (Torah) and introduced their own words and interpretations in the divine books. They became arrogant and claimed that they were God's children and went about vaunting their position as His most chosen people (The Holy Qur’an 4:155; 5:13, 18). They also brazenly committed sins and their rabbis and priests did not stop them from doing so (The Holy Qur’an 5:63, 79). God raised His Prophet Jesus among them so that he might show them several miracles and thereby guide them to the right path, but they rejected him, attempted to kill him, and even claimed that they had indeed killed him although they had not been able to do so (The Holy Qur’an 4:157, 158).

The Holy Qur'an specifically notes that such criticism is not directed against all Jews. Even when the Holy Qur'an criticizes the Jews it always notes that "among them there are some..." who are pious and righteous people, who command what is right and forbid what is wrong and try to excel each other in acts of charity and goodness. The Qur'an says that such people are assured that whatever good they will do - will not be denied them and they shall receive their reward with God (The Holy Qur’an 3:113-115) and (The Holy Qur’an 2:62 and The Holy Qur’an 5:69). It further says, "Of the people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth." (The Holy Qur’an 7:159) "We broke them up into sections on this earth. There are among them some that are the righteous, and some that are the opposite. We have tried them with both prosperity and adversity: in order that they might turn (to Us)... As to those who hold fast by the Book and establish regular Prayer, never shall We suffer the reward of the righteous to perish." (The Holy Qur’an 7:168-170)

God specifically addresses the Children of Israel in many of these passages. This is important, because it shows that the message of the Holy Qur'an was intended for all people, including the Jews, and the criticism was directed against a specific group of people for their specific actions. This criticism should be distinguished from cursing a people merely because of their race.

The second type of criticism of the Jews is found in passages including those you referenced from Surah al-Ma'idah (The Holy Qur’an 5:60-64). These verses criticize the Jews and Christians who ridiculed Prophet Muhammad and his message. "They made mockery and sport of his call to prayer, and they rebuked him even though he was calling them to believe in what God revealed to him and to what was revealed before him through their own Prophets. They became spiteful towards him and rejected him since he did not belong to the Children of Israel." (The Holy Qur’an 2:109; 4:54).

3. Conclusion:

Taking a few passages from the Qur'an out of proper historical and textual context will not give a proper understanding of the religious scripture. This is not only true of the Qur'an but also of the Bible. Many passages from the Bible also criticize the Jews. Read the Hebrew Bible, particularly Micah (Chapter 3:1-12) and Hosea (Chapter 8:1-14), in which these prophets condemned the Jews "who abhor justice and pervert all equity" and who "build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong" These prophets cursed Israel as a "useless vessel among nations" and called for the curse of God to "send a fire upon [Judah's] cities" and to make Jerusalem "a heap of ruins." Prophet Ezekiel called Israel, "the house of rebels and a rebellious nation." (Ezek. Chapter 2)

Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy (28:16-68), Moses warns the Jews that God "will send upon you curses, confusion, and frustration, in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your doings, because you have forsaken me" (28:20). In the Gospel of Matthew (23:13-39), Jesus repeatedly admonishes the Jews for their hypocrisy and injustice, and condemns them for the killing of past prophets. Jesus says, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?" Further he says "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate."
It would indeed seem strange if, based on these passages, one were to argue that the Bible, the Hebrew Prophets and Jesus were anti-Semitic and called for the destruction of all Jews and present-day Israel. Yet, questioning passages from the Holy Qur'an as anti-Semitic is similarly without merit.


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