Who Really Are The Believers?: Perspectives on the "People of Scripture", Iman (Faith) and kufr (disbelief) Part 3

Consequently, the situation of equating or conflating "People of Scripture" with "disbelievers" is not as true and proper as it may seem to you. Yet,  the two categories of ahl al kitaab and mushrikin are very distinct, and we need to discern the difference between what is pure and simple and ignorant idol-worship, and what is a revealed form of worship which may appear to be as diametrically opposed to our own forms of worship and belief systems, but which in all fairness, may stem from an authentic revelation. Again the principle of 'benefit of the doubt' (husni zunn) is important here.

This kind of inclusive approach is more conducive to a Quranic understanding of the supra-confessional attitude towards salvation through God and Faith (Iman) in the One God who Reveals Himself to all People through the diversity of revelations and religions in space and time which the Quran upholds. Take for example the following verse which distinguishes the faith of Muslims from the 'faith' of other People of Scripture, while universalizing the notion and reality of faith and salvation to INCLUDE all groups and peoples who possess three essential qualities: 1.Those who accept the Oneness of the Divine Principle/Reality (Belief in God), 2. Those who recognize human accountability (Belief in The Last Day) and 3. Those who are virtuous (work righteousness):


"Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. " (2:62)


I trust that a very postive reading of this verse can in principle include all of humanity which sincerely struggles and strives to follow the form of revealed guidance (rushd) given to them which one sincerely believes the Origin of which to be 'Divine'. Now on the one hand, you can believe that your understanding of orthodox Islam, or Islam in general is the "best religion", the "most preserved religion", the "most complete" religion, and even the final religion intended to "abrogate" all other religions. Yet on the other hand, as a Muslim for you to say that Islam is the only religion which has followers with "Iman" (Faith in God) and is the only exclusively 'valid' religion is problematic from a Quranic perspective. One should again note that the criteria for being a true 'believer' and even truly 'saved' then is left for God to decide on the Last Day, who apart from His Sheer Mercy which alone is sufficient for Salvation, shall use the following essential criteria as outlined above in Quran 2:62. The following Quranic verse in this regard is also significant:


"And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a  protector over it. So judge between them by what God has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had God willed, He would have made you one Nation, but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you [all]; so  compete in the good (fastabakul khayraat). To God is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." (5:48)


Regarding your comment, "On a final note, if a person wishes to use ghair Muslim (non-muslim) than that is for him, he/she cannot impose his/her understanding and prevent others using terms Kaafir or Kuffar (ie, disbelievrs). We do not act to please others or for the sake of not offending (refer to Quran 2:105) but do what Allah SWT has commanded and as long it is within the shariah it is ok.".


I would respond with the following Quranic command: "And call unto your Lord with Wisdom and Fair exhortation, and hold discourse with them in the finest manner" (16:125). Now to call with Wisdom means to know your context. We do not live in medieval or classical Islamic times which bifurcate Iman (Faith) and kufr (disbelief) to regions of 'dar al Islam' (Abode of Peace) and 'dar al harb' (Abode of War) for more or less political purposes. We live in the Modern/Post Modern world which is a secular yet multi-religious world in which diverse Sacred worlds interpenatrate eachother. To not recognize one's 'equal' or one's 'like' in piety and faith in adherents of other faith traditions when confronted with this existential possibility is to be dishonest before God. In other words, if a contemporary Muslim's experience leads them to recognize that the "most noble before you (akramakum) is he who is the most reverant of God between you all (atqaakum)--(49:13)-- and not necessarily one's co-religionist, then one has to expand one's awareness of God-Awareness to include the religious Other in a manner that does justice to both the truth of the Quran, and the veracity of one's experience as Willed by God. Truly, and in light of Quranic Wisdom, the most universal aspects and dimensions of our beautiful religion and OUR Western Heritage should be called upon in the name of Wisdom and the Truth, in order to call all of us (including others and ourselves) to God!

Who Really Are The Believers?: Perspectives on the "People of Scripture", Iman (Faith) and kufr (disbelief) Part 2

You also mentioned: "Also terms such as 'ahlul Kitab' or 'Mushrikun' are not a separate category to Kaafir but a sub-category of it. Your proof was the following Verse "lam ya kunil ladhina kafaru min ahlil kitabi wal mushrikina... (Those who disbelieved (kafaru) amongst the People of the Book and the Polytheists) {98:1]. Imam Ibn Hazm (rh) said, "every kaafir is a mushrik and every mushrik is a kaafir." [al-Fisl]"


Please note that the Arabic here in this verse states clearly 'min ahlil kitaab' which as you mentioned translates as "FROM AMONG the People fo the Book". This means that kufr (disbelief) can be found AMONGST the people of the book, yet arguably so can Iman (Faith, Belief) be found AMONGST the People of Scripture by the very same logic of this Quranic verse! Moreoever, there are verses in the Quran which explicitly state that "among the People of Scripture are those who believe" (ie have imaan!). For example:

"And truly among the People of the Book are those who believe in God and that which has been sent down unto you, and that which has been sent down unto them, humble before God, not selling God’s signs for a paltry price. They shall have their reward with their Lord. Truly God is swift in reckoning." (3:199)

and:

"They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book there is an upright community who recite the revelations of God in the watches of the night, falling prostrate. They believe in God in and the Last Day, and enjoin righ conduct and forbid indecency, and compete with one another in good works. These are of the righteous. And whatever good they do, they will not be denied it; and God knows the pious" (3:113-114).


Now, we can circumvent such verses through hermeneunetical strategies and explain away the literal meaning of this verse by claiming that those of the People of the Book that Allah (God) Intended here were those who ended up converting to the Islam of Muhamamd (pbuh) and therefore are no longer of the category of ahl al kitaab and are now Muslim, or we can just leave such verses to speak for themselves in their literal sense, and in light of the context we find ourselves in view them as valid proof that in principle and in fact there are sincere and pious people of faith in all revealed religions and that it is sufficient to know that Allah knows who they are! And because of this awareness of God's awareness of who true believers are in any religion including Islam, should we not give the "benefit of the doubt" (husni zunn) to each and every human being we meet in our lives--Muslim and non-Muslim-- by default!?


This second approach is much more in tune with facilitating a deeper appreciation of other religions and their followers and their own distinct appreciation of the Sacred in our pluralist context of mutual dialogue. As already mentioned, not every 'ahl al kitaab' is a kaafir (disbeliever) or mushrik (polytheist). If this was the case, God would not have used the term 'ahl al kitaab' in the Quran in the first place! This distinction of terms is significant and obviously necessary. Moreover, there would be no reason whatsoever to protect the places of worship of the 'ahl al kitaab' (and even 'ahl al dhimma') which our Sacred Law obliges us to do, if  such places of worship truly were  places in which pure and explicit forms of shirk (polytheism) occured, and not "...monastaries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the Names of God are oft-invoked", according to the Quran 22:40.


The forms of worship attributed to the 'People of Scripture' should be differentiated from the forms of polytheism which the Quran and the Sunnah EXPLICITLY reject. The "Triumph" of Makkah (Mecca) is a specific example where exclusive commands were given to remove the idols of the polytheists of Makkah from the Kaaba--only in the context of re-claiming the Original House of Worship which belongs to God Alone and no one else,  in light of Islam's own Self-Definition of being a "return" to the primordial religion of Pure Monotheism whose original house of worship was the Kaaba built by Adam (pbuh)--the First Man and First Prophet.  I pray you see the difference here between what exactly the Quran as God's Revealed Word defines as polytheism, and what is defined as revealed rites which differ in forms of worship but whose origin is God through a particular form of Revelation. For the Quran says:


"Unto each community We have given sacred rites (mansakan) which they are to perform; so let them not dispute with thee about the matter, but summon them unto thy Lord"  (22:67-68)

Who Really Are The Believers?: Perspectives on the "People of Scripture", Iman (Faith) and kufr (disbelief) Part 1

To the question, "Why not use the legal term "kafir" (Disbeliever) for all Non-Muslims (ghair Muslims)", I briefly responded once with the intent of expanding a Muslim's awareness of what a "Believer" (Mu'min) really is in the Qur'an, along with its significance in a Western, pluralist context:

I would like to respond by stating your reasoning is well-informed, but with all due respect, you are missing the context (maslaha) here of Muslims respecting and appreciating other religions in an atmosphere of conviviality which is fostered by our Western and Modern Context as Muslims living equally and peacefully with religious freedom in the West. As such, although "kufr" is not a 'derogatory term' on the level of fiqh (jurisprudence), it has negative political, religious and even psychological connotations on the social level in both Muslim and non-Muslim circles. As such, the category 'Ahl al-Kitaab' (People of Revealed Scripture) is better suited for Christians and Jews and for any other people whom one can find evidence and make the case that such people practice a religion which stems from a revelation from God. Also the term "non-Muslims" is very practical and reasonable to use as it is a very neutral term. To be a "non-Muslim" then is not to be "against" Islam or "anti-Islamic", or even "Islamophobic", but to be an entity distinguished from Islam yet respected and honored for precisely "who" they are or "what" they stand for--as one distinguishes a guest from the host, or vice versa. Now, since this kind of categorization is in consanance with the goal for Western Muslims living in peace and harmony with Western non-Muslims,  it should be natural for us as Westerners to distinguish ourselves from the Other through maintaing our religious normativity while making distinctions of others with honor, respect and a sense of the Sacred which can be seen as the Origin of both the Self and the Other--a view which is in consonance with our own Holy Scripture.

To be sure, Muslim Schools and Jurists have differed on the Quranic designation of Ahl al-Kitaab (People of Scripture). However, the Hanafi and Shafi'i schools are more inclusive in this regard and expand this category to include the likes of Zoroastrians (Imam Ali and Imam Shafi'i) and even Hindus (Hanafi School) in certain contexts. In our modern context it would behoove us not to take seriously such precedents in our legal and theological traditions and apply them more positively to members of other faith and wisdom-based communites, and especially so in light of the more or less positive circumstances we find ourselves in as Muslim minorities in secular lands.

You stated, "Please provide daleel (proof) where the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him, 'pbuh') used "Ghair Muslim" (Non-Muslim)? Or an ayah (Quranic Verse) to that effect? "

Here I would note that in our context of inter-religious and inter-civilizational dialogue and co-existence, approaches or even "daleel" derived only from the level of fiqh (the praxis exclusive to Islam, or the legal "do's and don'ts" of Islamic praxis)  will  be of limited help to Muslims who wish to appreciate the Religious Other more positively and inclusivley from a moral, spiritual, intellectual and even pyshological point of view. Again, Muslims should learn from how those Muslims most steeped in our spiritual and intellectual traditions appreciated positively other religions and their followers, all within the context of Islam's normativity.

A closer look at the historical record from the Prophet's time and onwards, along with evaluating the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of the Tradition shall prove fruitful in finding instances and theological approaches to including people of other revealed faith-based traditions in the category of "Believers" in the general Quranic sense: that is, as followers of a particular Prophet and a particular form of Revealed Guidance (rushd) to use Quranic vocabulary. Recognining that we as Muslims are followers of the revealed guidance of the last and final Prophet of God (Muhammad, pbuh) while for example, Christians are followers of the revealed gudiance given to them through Christ (pbuh) is infact very spiritually empowering as it provides a theological framework which is more inclusive of the religious other: a framework which seeks a unity while maintaining distinctions. Regardless of any notion of the 'altering' of revealed texts which may have occrured in religoius groups preceding Islam, it would be fair and just for Muslims and all believers in their revealed traditions to acknowledge that followers do not always live up to their own revealed ideals. This kind of acceptance and awareness can go a long way in being more inclusive of "believers" in other faith-based or wisdom-traditions which are in some manner linked to a Prophet and a Revealed form of Guidance.

In passing let me state that I did not even begin to touch the issue of the spiritual, intellectual or physcological need of preferring the term "ghair Muslim" as a positive term for Muslims to use in our context. To take the point of view of context (maslaha) again here, it would be sufficient to note that the term "Hanafi Muslim" was not needed in our Beloved Prophet's own time, yet this fact does not prevent the term from being a positive term for Muslims to use in order distinguish them from other kinds of equally good Muslims who tend to follow other schools of sacred law in the Islamic context. In short, the point here is that evidence that the Prophet (pbuh) did not use a particular term to designate a particular group of people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim is not proof that such a term is 'bad' or 'wrong'. And if there is a concern about "authoritative precedence" in the Tradition, Muslim perspectives regarding a positive appreciation of the distinct other AS other are there--case in point is the Prophet's (pbuh) admiration and love for Christian monks--but one has to go look for it in the works of Sages and Sufis who by their very nature and starting point, always emphasized that aspect of the Quranic discourse which seeked to transcend oppositions and realize a unity which respects distinctions and does not wish to impose absolute uniformity on Self or Other. Viewing religious diversity as a sign of Divine Wisdom and Providence in a positive sense is a very Quranic perspective and should not be ignored when re-evaluating the meaning of "who is a believer?".

Despite Ourself: A Commentary on Ibn Ata'illah's Hikam #8

Despite Ourself:

"If He opens a door for you, thereby making Himself known, pay no heed if your deeds do not measure up to this. For, in truth, He has not opened it for you but out of a desire to make Himself known to you. Do you not know that He is the one who presented the knowledge of Himself (ta’arruf) to you, whereas you are the one who presented Him with deeds? What a difference between wha...t He brings to you and what you present to him!"

~Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandariya Hikam #8

Too often do we, as seekers on a Spiritual Path wishing and willing to attain Nearness (qurb) to God, rely upon the 'dead-weight' of our deeds which we believe is the reason why we 'feel' a Nearness to God at this point in our lives, as opposed to another time and place when we were perhpas not as 'righteous', 'good' or even as 'attained' as we perceive ourselves to be now.

Yet it is too often that we fail to realize that despite ourselves, that during a given moment in our lives, God "opened a door" for us and made His grace and Mercy known to us and we responded 'in kind' with 'good deeds' and actions in thankfulness. Thinking that it was our "good deeds" that got us 'here', we are oblivious to the reality that there is an immeasurable gulf between our insignificant efforts and the immensity of God's Eternal 'Calling' and Infinite 'Response'. For it is very 'easy' for God to Be with us because of who He Is, yet it is very 'difficult' for us to be with God, because of who we have become.

Although our effort is on one level indispensible and even essential on our Path to realizing God's Nearness to us, it is ultimately and forever insufficient. One's will (irada)--along with one's intelligence and character--must be utiilized and integrated into a higher unity (tawhid) of Being through God's Revealed Remembrance, but when one's will is too heavily emphasized, it tends to create an egoic tendency of 'selfish reliance'. This kind of 'reliance on deeds' creates a veil between ourself and our Lord--a veil of reliance on our 'good deeds' and a veil of an excessive guilt created as a result of our 'bad deeds' which serves only to weigh down our lofty aspirations towards the Divine.

If we only really knew this, we would never be so attached to the perceived 'fruit of our actions'--the good of them and the bad of them. Nor would we 'rely' on our own actions vis a vis God's Will and "desire to make Himself known" to us at any given state of our spiritual moment--the good and the bad of these 'states'. If we only really knew this, we would recognize the limited nature of our good and bad deeds. We would be 'the son of the moment' (ibn al waqt) and would "pay no heed if our deeds do not measure up" to God's Mercy in the spiritual 'Here' and 'Now'.

For it is despite ourselves and despite our 'good' deeds that God has Loved to make Himself Known to us. And it is despite ourselves and our 'bad deeds that He Loves to Return to us.

If this is the case, and if we truly strive to recognize the insignificance of our limited actions and the immensity of the Divine Calling and Response, then how much easier is it to only focus on Remembering, Loving and Knowing God who is always Present, despite ourself?!

Introduction

In the Name of God, Full of Grace, Full of Mercy. May Peace be unto you and welcome to this blog.

My physical origin or land of birth is America, my ethnic origin is from the Punjab region of the Subcontinent associated with Pakistan; my religious origin is Islam; my spiritual Origin is 'with God in Pre-Eternity'. I am a son to loving parents; a sibling to loving brothers; a husband to a beautiful wife; and a father to an equally beautiful child--with hopes for more children. By vocation I am a Physician in Private Practice. My interests include Traditional spirituality and Traditional thought in general, and Islamic spirituality and thought in particular; comparative religion and perennial philosophy; traditional and alternative medicines which serve to compliment my Modern Medical practice.

Upon the request of several friends, I have decided to start sharing some general reflections upon the more universal dimensions of the Islamic Tradition and as they specifically pertain to  my existential context as a Western Muslim. I shall focus more on the spiritual and intellectual aspects of Islam without altogether ignoring the equally important role of the Sacred Law which defines and circumscribes all spiritual practice proper to Islam. As a spiritual seeker whose ethnic and cultural heritage hails from the East yet whose existential predicament is uniquely Western and Muslim, I often feel that I am "in" the worlds of both East and West, but not "of" these worlds. Such experiences have given me--and like minded persons--unique insights into things Sacred, both of the East and of the West. As such, this blog shall be dedicated to the inquiry of those aspects of Traditional, Revealed and Inspired Wisdom which, to use a Quranic metaphor, are "Neither of the East nor of the West".

My intention throughout this blog shall be not to deny or reject the essential, formal and creedal elements of the Islamic Tradition, but to broaden one's awareness of these very same elements of Islam. In this light, I shall focus on expressions of a Wisdom rooted in the Sacred which by definition is timeless, whose appeal is universal, and whose scope is 'confined' by 'neither East nor West' yet 'defined' by my personal experiences in both East and West. I pray this endeavor to blog certain thoughts, discussions and experiences over a few years of searching for wisdom in Islam and other Revealed Traditions through mutually enriching intra-faith and inter-faith contact and dialogue may be of benefit to various seekers of Truth. In particular I pray that this blog may serve as a bridge for those Muslims who seek a similar bridging of the gap between their Western and Muslim identities in order to live in peace with themselves and in harmony with others in the Name of God. I also pray that this blog may be of benefit to those seekers across religious frontiers and global hemispheres who seek a similar bridging between a sense of "Self" and "Other" without blurring formal distinctions, all in order to bring deeper meaning into their lives. Amen.

~Hasan