With nearly one billion followers each, Islam and
Christianity are major religions that influence the thinking and values of over
40 percent of the World population. While there are theological differences,
some of which might be significant, there are nonetheless other important areas
of belief that are shared by both communities: belief in Allah, or God; belief
in revelation, in prophets, in the Holy Books of Allah; in the life hereafter
and in a divinely inspired moral code organizing and regulating human life
during our earthly journey to eternity.
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1. MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN
DIALOGUE
For the Muslim, constructive dialogue is not only permitted,
it is commendable. In the Qur'an we read, 'Say, 'O people of the book' (a term
which particularly refers to Jews and Christians) 'come to common terms as
between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no
partners with Him (in His powers and divine attributes); that we erect not from
among ourselves lords and patrons other than Allah.' If then they turn back say
you 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.' (Bowing) to the will of God."
(al-i-Imran;3:64)
The methodology of that dialogue is also explained in the
Qur'an; "Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful
exhortation, and argue with them in ways that are best.' (al-Nahl; 16,125) A
prerequisite for any constructive dialogue is that both communities should not
learn about each other through sources that are unsympathetic, critical, or
even hostile: they should rather try to formulate an honest idea as to how the
other faith is seen in its own authentic scriptures and as practiced by those
who are truly committed to it. This need is even more significant in the case
of the Muslim-Christian dialogue. The average Christian has heard of or has
read about Islam mostly through writers who have had colonial or missionary
motives, which might have given a certain slant to their interpretation of
Islam to the western mind. While I admit that my own practice of Islam is far
from perfect, I at least speak from the vantage point of someone who wants to
think of himself as a committed, practicing Muslim. Now I'd like to share with you
five basic areas, consideration of which is imperative in any Christian-Muslim
understanding: the meaning of the term "Islam"; the meaning of the
term "Allah"; the nature of the human; the relationship between the
human and Allah; the question of accountability, and finally, some conclusions
pertaining to bridgebudding between Muslims and Christians.
2. MEANING OF
"ISLAM"
Taking the term "Islam," it is important to
emphasize that it is not derived from the name of any particular person, race,
or locality. A Muslim considers the term used by some writers,
"Mohammedanism," to be an offensive violation of the very spirit of
Islamic teaching. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is not worshipped,
nor is he regarded as either the founder of Islam or the author of its Holy
Book, the Qur'an. The term "Islam" is given in more than one place in
the Qur'an itself. It is derived from the Arabic root (SLM) which connotes
"peace" or "submission." Indeed, the proper meaning of
"Islam" is the attainment of peace, both inner and outer peace, by
submission of oneself to the will of Allah. And when we say submit, we are
talking about conscious, loving and trusting submission to the will of Allah,
the acceptance of His grace and the following of His path. In that sense the
Muslim regards the term Islam, not as an innovation that came in the 7th
Century, Christian era, with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, but as the
basic mission of all the prophets throughout history. That universal mission
was finally culminated and perfected in the last of these prophets, Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon them all.
3. ISLAMIC MONOTHEISM
The next essential concept that needs to be clarified is the
term "Allah" What does it mean? It should be emphasized first that
the term "Allah" has no connotation at all of a tribal god, an
Arabian or even a Muslim god. The term "Allah' in Arabic simply means the
One and Only True, Universal God of all. To think that Allah is different from
God, with a capital 'G' is no more valid than saying the French Christians
worship a different god because they call him "Dieu".
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What are the basic attributes of Allah? The Qur'an mentions
the "most beautiful names" (or attributes) of Allah. Instead of
enumerating them all, let's examine a few. Some attributes emphasize the
transcendence of Allah. The Qur'an repeatedly makes it clear that Allah is
beyond our limited perception. "There is nothing whatever comparable unto
Him." (al-Shura; 42:1 1) "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is
over all vision." (al-An'am; 6:103) A Muslim never thinks of God as having
any particular image, whether physical, human, material or otherwise. Such attributes
as "The Perfectly-Knowing," "The Eternal," "The
Omnipotent," "The Omnipresent," "The Just," and
"The Sovereign" also emphasize transcendence. But this does not mean
in any way that for the Muslim Allah is a mere philosophical concept or a deity
far removed. Indeed, alongside this emphasis on the transcendence of Allah, the
Qur'an also talks about Allah as "personal" God who is close, easily
approachable, Loving, Forgiving and Merciful. The very first passage in the
Qur'an, which is repeated dozens of times, is -In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful . . . .' The Qur'an tells us that when Allah created
the first human "He breathed into him something of His spirit," (al-
Sajdah; 32:9) and that "Allah is closer to the human than his jugular
vein." In another beautiful and moving passage we are told, "When my
servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning me, then surely I am near to them. I
listen to every suppliant who calls on Me. Let them respond to My call and obey
My command that they may be led aright."
For the Muslim, monotheism does not mean simply the unity of
God, because there can be different persons in unity. Monotheism in Islam is
the absolute Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah, which precludes the notion of
persons sharing in Godhead. The opposite of monotheism in Islam is called in
Arabic "shirk," association of others with Allah. This includes not
only polytheism, but also dualism (believing in one God for good or light and
another for evil or darkness). The concept of "shirk' also includes
pantheism, the idea that God is in everything. All forms of God-incarnate
philosophies are excluded by Islam's monotheism, as is blind obedience to
dictators, to clergy, or to ones own whims and desires. These all are regarded
as forms of "associating" others with Allah (shirk), whether by
believing that such creatures of Allah possess divinity or by believing that
they share the Divine Attributes of Allah. It should be added that, to the
Muslim, monotheism is not simply a dogma. Islam's pure, pristine and strict
monotheism is much more than a thought or a belief; it is something that deeply
influences the Muslim's whole outlook on life.
4. NATURE OF THE
HUMAN
We have talked about Allah. What about you and me? Who is
the human being? Who are you and I? And why are we here on earth? The Qur'an
teaches that we humans are created of three components. We are created from
clay, representing the material or carnal element. We are endowed with
intellect that is Allah-given to be used, not to be put on the shelf. Reason
may be insufficient but it is not the antithesis of faith, either. And thirdly,
we are endowed with the spirit of Allah, which was breathed into us (al-Sajdah;
32:7, al Baqarah; 2:31, al-Hijr; 15:29). The Muslim does not see human existence
here on earth as punishment for eating from the forbidden tree. That event is
regarded as an experiential lesson for Adam and Eve before they came to earth.
The Qur'an teaches that even before the creation of the first human it was
Allah's plan to establish human life and civilization on earth (al-Baqarah;
2:30). Thus, the Muslim does not view the human as all evil, nor as all good,
but rather as responsible. It is stated in several places in the Qur'an
that.Allah created the human to be His "khalifah", His trustee or
vice- regent on earth. Humankind's basic trust, our responsibility, is to
worship Allah. Worship for the Muslim is not only engaging in formal rituals,
but it is any activity in accordance with the will of Allah for the benefit of
oneself and of humanity at large. Thus the Muslim views the earth, its
resources and ecology as a gift from Allah to humans to harness and use in
fulfillment of the trust for which we shall all be held responsible. That is
why the Qur'an speaks highly of learning. The first word revealed of the Qur'an
was, "Recite," or "read." As long as they were true to
their faith and to Qur'anic injunctions about learning, Muslims established a
civilization that saw great advances in science and in the humanities. Not only
did they preserve earlier scientific heritage but they also added to it and
paved the way for European renaissance. When Muslims again become true to their
faith such history is bound to repeat itself
5. ALLAH-HUMANKIND
RELATIONSHIP
We talked of Allah and of humankind. Now we must ask what is
their basic relationship. The Qur'an teaches us that the human race is given an
innate pure nature called "fitrah." Knowledge of Allah and innate
spirituality are inherent in human existence, but this spirituality can betray
us if it is not led in the right direction. To depend on a merely human feeling
of the guiding Spirit is dangerous. Many groups, even cults, claim to be guided
by the spirit or by God or by revelation, yet these groups hold divergent, even
contradictory, beliefs. We find people behaving in contradictory ways who claim
nonetheless that each is doing the will of God. "I feel," they say,
"that the spirit guides and directs me.'
A credible source of revelation is imperative. Throughout
history Allah has selected particular individuals to convey His message, to
receive His revelation and to exemplify it for mankind. For some of these
prophets, holy books or scriptures were given revealing Allah's commands and
guidance. For most of you the names of these prophets found in the Qur'an will
sound familiar: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David,
Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, and, finally, the last prophet, Muhammad,
peace be upon them all. These prophets carried the same basic message: "Not
an apostle did We send before you without this inspiration sent by Us to him:
that there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me." (al Anbiya;
21:25) Further, the Qur'an insists on calling all those prophets Muslims,
because a Muslim is one who submits to the will of Allah. Their followers are
called Muslims as well. Thus it is an article of faith for a Muslim to believe
in all these prophets. Indeed, Muslims are warned that anyone who accepts some
prophets and rejects others, in fact rejects them all. For a Muslim, to believe
in Moses while rejecting Jesus or Muhammad is against the very teaching of
Moses. And to believe in Jesus but reject Moses or Muhammad is to violate what
Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad stood for. For a Muslim to believe in Muhammad and
reject either Moses or Jesus is to violate his own Holy Book. 'Those who deny
Allah and His apostles, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His
apostles, saying: 'We believe in some but reject others ' and (those who) wish
to take a course midway. They are in truth (equally) unbelievers and We have
prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment." (Al-Nisa'; 4:150-151)
Recognition of all prophets is an article of faith, not a mere social courtesy
or diplomatic statement. I do hope that with open minds, open hearts and
further careful, honest study there may be more such mutual recognition.
6. THE SPECIAL ROLE
OF MUHAMMAD
But why do Muslims in their testimony of faith say, "I
bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger?
Does that mean that they in fact reject other prophets? Indeed, the special
role played by Muhammad as the seal and last of all the prophets puts the
Muslim in the position whereby honoring Muhammad implies honoring those who
came before him as well. Muslims are warned not to make fanatical or parochial
distinctions between prophets (al- Baqarah; 2:285). But the Qur'an also says
that Allah has favored some prophets with more significant gifts or roles than
others (Al-Isra'; 17:55). All are brothers, although the only prophet with the
universal mission to all humankind is Muhammad, peace be upon him (al- Furqaan;
25:1 1). The Muslim believes not only that Muhammad is a brother to Jesus,
Moses, Abraham and other prophets, but the Qur'an states in clear terms that
the advent of Muhammad was foretold by previous prophets, including Moses and
Jesus, peace be upon them (al-Araf; 7:157, al-Saff; 61:6). Even the Bible in
its present form clearly foretells the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (e.g.
Genesis 21:13, 18, Deuteronomy 18:18 and 33:1-3, Isaiah 11:1-4, 21:13-17,
42:1-13 and others).
For the Muslim, the Qur'an contains the words of Allah
directly and verbatim revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Many
confuse the Qur'an with the 'Hadith,' or sayings, of the Prophet. The Hadith is
quite separate from the Qur'an. The latter was dictated to Muhammad word for
word through the Angel Gabriel and immediately memorized and put down in
writing. It is important to emphasize that the Qur'an was neither written nor
composed by Muhammad, peace be upon him. To hold such a view would contradict
what the Qur'an says of itself and of Muhammad; that the prophet is not
speaking on his own but only transmitting the revelation dictated to him by the
Angel Gabriel. To suggest that the Qur'an borrowed from or copied from previous
revelations, be it the Bible or otherwise, is, for a Muslim, an accusation of
'prophetic plagiarism," a contradiction in terms. The fact that there are
similarities between the Qur'an and previous scriptures is simply explained by
the fact that He Who spoke through those earlier prophets is He Who revealed
the Qur'an to Muhammad, the one and only true God, Allah. However, the Qur'an
is the last revealed Holy Book, which supersedes previous scriptures and the
only one still available in the exact words and language uttered by Prophet
Muhammad.
7. ACCOUNTABILITY AND
SALVATION
We have talked about Allah, about the human and about the
relationship between them. What about accountability? How can we humans, from
the Islamic perspective, overcome "sin"? The Qur'an teaches that life
is a test, that earthly life is temporary (al-Mulk; 67:2). The Muslim believes
that there is reward and punishment, that there is life hereafter and that
reward or punishment do not necessarily wait until the day of Judgment, but
start immediately after burial. The Muslim believes in resurrection,
accountability, and the day of judgment.
For a Muslim, to demand perfection in order to gain
salvation is not practical. It is demanding the impossible and is unjust. Islam
teaches a person to be humble and to learn that we cannot achieve salvation by
our own righteousness. The reconciliation of the "sinful" human with
Allah is contingent on three elements: the most important is the Grace, Mercy,
and Generosity of Allah. Then there are good deeds and correct belief. Correct
belief and good deeds are prerequisites for God's Grace and Forgiveness and for
rising above our common shortcomings. How can sin be washed away? The Qur'an
gives the prescription: 'If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul, but
afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful." (al-Nisa'; 4:110) Another moving passage reads, "Those
things that are good remove evil deeds." (Hud; 11:114) Islam teaches
repentance, stopping evil ways, feeling sorry for what one has done, and
determining to follow the path of Allah as much as humanly possible. The Muslim
does not believe in the necessity of the shedding of blood, much less innocent
blood, to wash away sins. He believes that Allah is not interested in blood or
sacrifice, but in sincere repentance. The Qur'an puts it clearly: "But My
Mercy extends to all things." (al-A'raf; 7:156)
8. THE APPLIED ASPECT
How about the application? Are we just talking theology?
Since the human is Allah's trustee, it would be inconsistent for a Muslim to
separate the various aspects of life, the spiritual and the material, state and
religion. We hear a lot about the "five pillars of Islam," but they
are often presented as the whole of Islam, many times in a shallow way. They
are not the whole of Islam any more than one can claim to have a functional
house composed exclusively of five concrete pillars. You also need the ceiling,
walls, tables, windows and other things. As the mathematicians put it, it is a
necessary but not a sufficient condition. The five pillars of Islam (the
testimony of faith, the five daily prayers, fasting, charity, pilgrimage) are
presented by most writers as matters of formal ritual. Even the pillar that is
liable to appear ritualistic, daily prayers, is a purely spiritual act
involving much more than simply getting up and down. It has social and
political lessons to teach the Muslim. What may appear as separate compartments
of life simply does not exist for the Muslim. A Muslim does not say, 'This is
business and this is moral." Moral, spiritual, economic, social and
governmental are inter-related, because everything, including Caesar, belongs
to Allah and to Allah alone.
9. MUSLIM/NON-MUSLIM
RELATIONS
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In conclusion and against this background, what is the implication
for the Muslims in their attitudes toward non-Muslims? To start with, and we
must be frank about it, the Qur'an makes it incumbent on the Muslim to convey
Allah's message in its final form, the Qur'an, to all humanity. We are not
talking here about conversion. I do not like that word. Indeed, to turn to
Islam, the religion of all the prophets in its final form, is not to turn one's
back on the preceding Prophets. It is an augmentation, rather than a
conversion, because it does not involve changing ones basic spiritual nature.
In the Qur'an, pure human nature is a "Muslim nature," which knows
its Lord and wishes to submit to Him. The Qur'an states, "Let there be no
compulsion in religion." (al-Baqarah; 2:256) My substitute for the term
"conversion' is "reversion," in the sense of a return to the
pure monotheism in which we were all created. Thus the Muslim is taught to be
tolerant toward others. Indeed, the Qur'an not only prohibits compulsion in
religion, but it prohibits aggression as well, although it allows defense:
"Fight it, the cause of Allah those who fight you, but commit no
aggression; for Allah loves not transgressors." (al-Baqarah; 2:190)
In addition, we find that within this broad rule of dealing
with non-Muslims "the People of the Book" is a special term accorded
to Jews and Christians in the Qur'an. Why "People of the Book"?
Because the Muslim makes a clear distinction between a polytheist or an atheist
and those who follow the prophets who originally received revelations from
Allah. Even though a Muslim might point out areas of theological difference, we
still believe in the divine origin of those revelations in their
"original" forms. How should a Muslim treat these "People of the
Book"? Says the Qur'an: "Allah forbids you not, with regard to those
who fight you not for [your] Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from
dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just. Allah
only forbids you, with regard to those (others] who fight you for [your] Faith,
and drive you out of your homes and support (others] in driving you out, from
turning to them [for friendship and protection]. It is such as turn to them [in
these circumstances], that do wrong.' (al-Mumtahinah; 60:8-9)
In the world today all believers in Allah are facing common
dangers: atheism, materialism, secularism and moral decay. We must work
together. Allah says in the Qur'an: "... If Allah 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 return of you all is to Allah;
it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which you dispute.'
(al-Ma'idah; 5:51)
I hope, feel, and trust that there is sufficient common
ground for Muslims and Christians to meet, understand each other, join hands
and move together in the Path of Truth, Peace, and Justice, the Path of Allah.
Thank you very much for your patience and may peace be with you.
10. ISLAMIC TEACHINGS
SERIES
The following audio series of interviews by Dr. Jamal A.
Badawi (Islamic Information Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation,
Halifax, N.S., Canada) are available:
Series A: Monotheism
(Tawheed)
Series B: Prophethood
Series C: Muhammad in
The Bible
Series D: Muslim
Beliefs
Series E: Pillars of
Islam
Series F: Moral
Teachings of Islam
Series G: Social
System of Islam
Series H: Economic
System of Islam
Series I: Political
System of Islam
Series Ja: The
Qur'an: Ultimate Miracle
Series Jb: The
Qur'an: Its Authenticity and Its Sciences
Series K: Jesus:
Beloved Messenger of Allah
Series L: Muhammad:
The Last Messenger of Allah
