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?".
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?".
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