5. CHANGING WORDS FROM THEIR RIGHT PLACES

  5. CHANGING WORDS FROM THEIR RIGHT PLACES

          The prominent scholar and propagator of Islam, Shaykh Muḥammad al-GhazālĪ in his book entitled Fī Mawkib al-Da‘wah (“In the Procession of Islamic Propagation”) under the topic تَحْرِيْفُ الْكَلِمِ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ (“Changing Words from Their Right Places”), says:

Among the insurmountable obstacles which

obstructed the march of Islam in this era, and covered

 its new revival, is an obvious support of a kind of Islamic propagators who are endowed with eloquence and ability to debate. As they have opportunities to talk, they talked in

 great length, and people praised them more and more,

 so that they talked more and more, until they

exceeded the proper bound. (p. 241)

In spite of their eloquence Islam gets nothing from them in socio-political field, but rather a great loss and evilness from their prattle.

          How could this happen? Shaykh al-GhazālĪ explains as follows:

          The Qur’an was not revealed all at once, but in stages, and closely related to new incidents. It is Allah’s wisdom that in this way the conscience of the believers grows through understanding these verses, like the growth of the young body through pure food. This is in particular case, as Allah said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ

 لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلًا (الفرقان :32)

And those who disbelieve say “Why is not the Qur’an

 revealed to him all at once?” Thus (it I s sent down in parts),

 that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have

 revealed it to you gradually, in stages. [It was revealed

 to the Prophet in 23 years] (Q. 25:32)

          In general case it was to connect laws from heaven with the affairs of the earth, as sufficient and satisfactory answers and solutions to arising problems. Revelation is not at one side, while human affairs at the other, as pointed out by the following verse:

وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا (الفرقان :33)

And no example or similitude do they bring (to oppose or

to find fault in you or in this Qur’an), but We reveal to you

 the truth (against that similitude or example), and

 the better explanation thereof (Q. 25:32)

          The ‘ulamā’ (Muslim scholars) who truly inherit the prophethood, and convey Allah’s message perfectly and precisely, are those who know how to treat the condition of people and the remedy of the souls with what Allah revealed, so that they do not confuse in prescribing medicine, and do not make mistakes in diagnosing a disease.

          The expression of the divine texts in the most tenaciously related affairs is the reality of wisdom in which Allah says:

يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ (البقرة:269)

He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and he to

 Whom  wisdom is granted, is indeed granted abundant

 good.  But none remember (will receive admonition)

except men of understanding. (Q. 2:269)

          It means, Shaykh al-GhazālĪ explains further, that calling to (the path of) Allah is a kind of knowledge and an art. The propagator (caller to Islam), despite the great abundance of divine texts with him, has to be a physician and a pharmacist at the same time. Ignorant hand could handle bottles of medicines, and could be poison, or a mixture of medicines which increases disease rather than curing it. In the same way foolish incompetent people will do with Allah’s words when they turn them away out their contexts, and when they displace words from their right places which will abuse the verses they are quoting, and people to whom these verses are directed.

          Citing the Qur’ānic verses should be in a proper place and situation. It is not an Islamic way, Shaykh al-Ghazālī said, that when you attend a wedding you recite the Qur’ānic verse,

يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ ... (النساء:11)

Allah commands you as regards your children’s

(inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to

 that of two females; … (Q. 4:11)

or when war is being announced you read the following verse to people:

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا

خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا (الفرقان:63)

And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are

those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and

 when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply

 back with mild words of gentleness. (Q. 25:63).

In the same way it is not proper according to Islam to recite to those who deny the Islamic injunctions and dare to disobey Allah and his legal punishments the following verse:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ

يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (الزمر:3 5)

 Say: “O My slaves who have transgressed against

 themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair

 not of the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins.

 Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Q. 39:53).

          It is also not proper according to Islam to recite to people who respect thinking and are subject to evidence the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَلْيَجِدُوا فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً

 وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ (التوبة:123)

O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are

 close to you, and let them find harshness in you;  and know

 that Allah is with those who  are the pious. (Q. 9:123)

Shaykh al-Ghazālī said further that the course of the divine texts is through the procedure which Allah wants, not through complicated philosophy; it needs simply a straight natural disposition and pure reason. Any person with sound natural disposition and straight reason will be able to quote the Qur’ānic verses in their right places, so that he will say the truth and read the truth. But if the souls become polluted, and the passion takes control, then the teachings of the religion of Islam will be merely mentioned, whereas something else will be decided.

 This was actually happened to ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib when he heard the Khawarij group who deserted him said to him, لاَ حُكْمَ إِلاَّ لِلّه  (“The decision is only for Allah.”), which is derived from the Qur’ānic verse,

إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ (الأنعام:57, يوسف:40, 67)

 … and the decision is only for Allah

 (Q. 6:57 and 12: 40 and 67)

and ‘Ali replied, كَلِمَةً حَقِّ يُرَادُ بِهَا الْبَاطِل   (“A true expression with wrong intention”). When Mu‘āwiyah felt that the battle with ‘Ali at the battle of Ṣiffīn in 657 was on the brink of defeat, he asked his army to hoist the Qur’an on their lances. Mu‘āwiyah wanted to stop the fighting, and to put the dispute through arbitration based on the Qur’ān. In this arbitration ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ᾱṣ, the representative of Mu‘āwiyah, convinced Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī, the representative of ‘Ali, to pronounce ‘Ali’s removal a caliph. To this, the Kawarij protested, denounced both Mu‘āwiyah and ‘Ali; Mu‘āwiyah for his rebellion against ‘Ali the rightful caliph, and  ‘Ali for giving away his authority as a legitimate caliph, which could only be decided by Allah at the outcome of the fighting. As they deserted ‘Ali’s camp, they were called “Kawārij”, “Deserters”. They rebelled against both sides, and considered them infidels.

          In 658 ‘Ali defeated the rebels in the Battle of Nahrawan, but they were successful in assassinating ‘Ali in 661. They also attempted to assassinate Mu‘āwiyah and ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ᾱṣ but failed as they kept bodyguards.

          This is one example of putting the divine texts out of context. One of the most common Qur’ānic verse understood out of its context is this verse:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ

صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (البقرة:62)

Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and

 Christians, and Sabians, whoever [among them] believes in

 Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds

 shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall

 be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Q. 2:62)

        Salmān al-Fārisī asked the Prophet about the case of the monks with whom he had worshiped in church and believed in his advent as the last prophet. Then Allah revealed the above verse to explain that the Muslims who stick to their faith, and people before them who followed their respective prophets will be safe until the advent of the next prophets. The Jews who followed Prophet Moses a.s. and kept the Torah till the advent of Prophet Jesus a.s. will be safe; but if they did not want to follow Prophet Jesus a.s. they will be damned. The Christians who followed Prophet Jesus a.s. and kept the Injil (Gospel) till the advent of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. will be safe; but if they did not want to follow Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. they will be damned.

          This verse does not mean, although apparently so, that whether you are Jew, Christian, Sabean, or you follow any religion, as long as you believe in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds, you will be safe.  The pagan Arabs and the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) are, according to the Qur’an, non-believers.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ ... (البينة:6)

Verily, those who disbelieve from among the people

of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and idolaters

 will abide in the Fire of Hell…(Q. 98:6)

          Afterwards, Allah revealed the following verse:

وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي

الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ (آل عمران:85)

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam,

 it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter

he will  be one of the losers (Q. 3:85)

Ibn ‘Abbās‘s comment on the above verses is that Allah does not accept any deed or work from anyone, unless it conforms to the Law of Muhammad s.a.w. that is, after Allah sent Muhammad s.a.w. Before that, every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path, following the correct guidance and was saved.

The Prophet himself said, as narrated by Abū Hurayrah,

وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، لَا يَسْمَعُ بِي أَحَدٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ

وَلَا يَهُودِيٌّ وَلَا نَصْرَانِيٌّ، وَمَاتَ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ،

إِلَّا كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ(رواه مسلم وأحمد)

By Him (Allah) in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, there is

none from amongst the Jews and the Christians (of these  present nations) who hears about me and then dies without believing in

the Message with which I have been sent, but he will be from

the dwellers of the (Hell). (Reported by Muslim and Ahmad)

          In conclusion, in quoting any Qur’ānic verse or saying of the Prophet s.a.w. we have to be very careful, not to quote it out of its context. (CIVIC, 10 January, 2014)

 

NB. The Qur’ānic verse 62 above has been explained extensively in my Selected Khuṭab vol. 1 under the title “Salmān al-Fārisī”.

 

Bibliography:

  محمد الغزالي, في موكب الدعوة.  القاهرة: نهضة مصر, 2004م

المكتبة الشاملة

بفسير إبن كثير

تفسير الطبري

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khawarij