Kamran Cheikh

Thoughts on Global Peace and my experience with the UPF

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:11:00 GMT

The current relations, issues and conflicts internationally have all shown that right now mankind is exists in a critical time in our history which will require all nations to work diligently towards creating a more just global society. Recently, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to discuss some of these issues in front of a congregation of members of the United Peace Federation. For those who are unfamiliar with the UPF, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is a global network of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a world of peace in which everyone can live in freedom, harmony, cooperation, and prosperity. Additionally, the UPF is a NGO that holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Since the organization’s founding in 2005, the UPF has promoted many services and global initiatives for the United Nations and below are some of the objectives which the organization hopes to establish.

· Renewal of the United Nations

· Partnerships among governments, religions, and civil society fostering development grounded in universal values

· A culture of peace through education, sports, arts, media, and service

· A framework for interreligious cooperation

· Conflict prevention and resolution

The organization founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon also has close ties to the members of his the global Church founded by him called the Unification Church. While I do not necessarily agree with some of the tenets of the church, I nevertheless saw the mission of his global interreligious organization very much in line with what we are promoting through the work of the DRC. Thus, I accepted this invitation hoping that I would be able to share and discuss ideas with people who were doing similar work to foster world peace. When, I arrived at one of the chapter’s centers in Dallas, Texas I was warmly greeted by some of the UPF Ambassadors for Peaces as well as the youth who were active in their service programs for their organization. In the speech that I gave to the members of the congregation, I addressed some of the key issues that we are facing today.

First and foremost as a Muslim I believe that all of mankind belongs to one community, which without a doubt could not be more apparent in the increasing globalized world we live in today. Therefore, the responsibility of creating a more just and peaceful global society relies on all people of different nations worldwide. In this critical moment in our history, as societies are becoming more and more interconnected, there is a growing awareness amongst leaders from nations worldwide that the path to sustainable peace and development of all humanity is no longer based on national interests alone it relies on security, cooperation and collective development of all nations and individuals worldwide. We as species have made tremendous strides to overcome many obstacles to arrive at this phase in our history. What is most important about the time we are living in is that mankind now possesses the sufficient technology, economic resources and ideas to bring about a more peaceful global order.

However, before we reached this stage as a whole we must work to resolve the recurring religious, social, national and ethnic tensions that have undoubtedly hindered humanity’s progresses to reaching this goal. The actualization of this enlightened order will depend on mankind's collective recognition that promotion of human rights, freedom, peace, justice and preservation of our environment are not only vital but reasonable duties. After, my speech I had the chance to speak to a few members of the UPF personally on a few pertinent global issues. Most importantly, we discussed the topic of the spread of global social welfare in different parts of the world most notably here in the U.S where the American government is in the process of trying to pass a bill that would make Universal healthcare available to citizens who are unable to afford coverage from private insurance companies.

Overall, my meeting with the UPF members was a good one, which caused me to not only reflect on some of the critical issues the world is facing today but also where we are going in the future. Some of these issues will be discussed in my upcoming work on mankind’s journey towards the Yaum Ad-Deen. This work will be very extensive and will address topics such as, the fundamental differences between deen and religion, the historical view of global unification from biblical times, Muslim history and western societies before and after the Enlightenment. Additionally, I will include thoughts on clarifiing the contemopary misinterpreted term known as sharia, important Quranic concepts that have been neglected and misinterpreted are a vital for societies, implications for this period in from the Qur’an as well from the viewpoints from scholars, thinkers and intellectuals plus many more topics.

Islam and Pluralism

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:49:00 GMT

by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

Today's world is fast becoming pluralist with variety of religions, languages and cultures in one country particularly due to fast developing processes of modernization, liberalisation and globalisation. Also, feudal socio-economic and socio-political structures have either crumbled or crumbling very fast in the third world also of course with certain exceptions. In the past there was no concept of civil society at all and the state was all powerful. The subjects did not enjoy any rights, they had to discharge only duties towards the state. The modern democratic state, on the other hand, has to concede well defined rights to the citizens. The civil society has its own autonomy in a democratic set up and the notion of human rights has acquired great significance.

The notion of human rights is quite fundamental to a society which is pluralistic. All religious, linguistic and cultural groups should enjoy well defined rights and should not live at the mercy of the state or the majority community. Thus it will be seen that the notion of civil society is very fundamental to the modern pluralist society. It is unfortunate that the Islamic world is yet to cope up with the notion of civil society. Most of the Islamic countries do not have full fledged democracy and there is no respect for human rights in these countries. In fact most of the rulers condemn human rights as a western notion and some, even 'un-Islamic'.

Here it is important to examine, from theological perspective, what is the attitude of Islam towards pluralism? Does Islam approve of pluralism or promotes a monolithic society? Also, when we talk of pluralism, are we referring to political pluralism or religious and cultural pluralism? As far as this paper goes we are referring to religious and cultural pluralism though political pluralism has its own importance, it is very seminal for religious and cultural pluralism.

If one goes by the Qur'anic pronouncements Islam not only accepts the legitimacy of religious pluralism but considers it quite central to its system of beliefs. There are very clear statements to this effect. First we will refer to verse 5:48 in this respect:
"Unto every one of you We have appointed a (different) law and way of life. And if Allah had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community: but (He willed it otherwise) in order to test you by means of what He has given you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works! Unto Allah you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ."

This is very seminal statement in favour of religious and legal pluralism which Muslims, specially the Muslim regimes, have not considered seriously. Many classical as well as modern commentators have commented on this significant verse. The most significant and operative part of this verse is "Unto every one of you have We appointed a (different) law and way of life. The term 'every one of you' obviously denotes different communities. Every community - obviously religious or religio-cultural community - has its own law (shir`atan) and its own way of life (minhaj) and attains its spiritual growth in keeping with this law and way of life of its own. The term shir`ah or shari`ah signifies, literally, "the way to a watering place" (from which men and animals derive the element indispensable to their life), and in the Qur'an to denote a system of law necessary for a community's social and spiritual welfare. The term minhaj on the other hand, denotes an 'open road' that is a way of life. (See Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur'an, Gibraltar, 1980, PP-153)

Thus it will be seen that the prophets of Allah sent to different communities (ummah) gave laws and indicated way of life to their people in keeping with their genius and that which could ensure their spiritual and material growth. This is further emphasized in the next part of the verse i.e. "And if Allah had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community'. It was not difficult for Allah to make entire mankind one community. But Allah graced us with pluralism as it adds richness and variety to life. Each community has its own unique way of life, its own customs and tradition, its own law. But these laws or way of life should be such as to ensure growth and enriching of life, howsoever different and unique they might be. Allah does not want to impose one law on all and creates communities rather than community.

Allah has created different communities on purpose: to try and test human beings in what has been given to them (i.e. different scriptures, laws and ways of life). And that test is to live in peace and harmony with each other which is the will of Allah. The differences of laws and ways of life should not become cause of disharmony and differences. What is desirable for human beings is to live with these differences and vie with one another in good deeds.

In the last part of the verse Allah says that unto Him all will return and it is He who "will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ." Thus it is not for human beings to decide for themselves who is right and who is wrong. It will lead to disturbances and breach of peace. Thus it should be left to Allah to decide when they return unto Him. The human beings should only vie one with the other in good deeds. I think the Qur'an is pioneering in this idea. It is the best way to do away with inter-religious and inter-cultural conflict and to promote acceptance of the `religious and cultural other' with dignity and grace.

This verse has also another important dimension. It leads to what some scholars like Shah Waliullah and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad have described the concept of wahdat-e-Din i.e. unity of religion. The earlier part of this verse (5:48) says, "And We have revealed to thee the Book with the truth, verifying that which is before it of the Book and a guardian (muhayman) over it." This is also very significant pronouncement and most modern in its approach. The Qur'an has thus come to vouchsafe for what was revealed earlier to different communities through their prophets. The shari`ah, the law and the way of life may be different as we have discussed above, but the essence of all religions - Din - is the same. All religions are based on the revelation from Allah. The Qur'an has come to be guardian of earlier truth revealed through other scriptures.

This is inclusive approach and is very vital for acceptance of the 'religious other'. The laws, the ways of life, may differ and yet din, the divine essence, the divine truth, is the same. It is reflected in all religions, in all spiritual traditions and we humans have no right to reject the 'other' as illegitimate, much less, false. Thus it is our human ego which rejects the religious other and not the falsity of other faith traditions. The Qur'an has named several prophets and the list of prophets in the Qur'an is illustrative, not exhaustive. Thus more faith traditions could be included in the list of those mentioned by the Qur'anic commentators. The sufi saints from India were inclined to include Indian religions also.

The Qur'anic pluralism finds different expressions in different places. The Qur'an does not maintain that there could be only one way of prayer to Allah. There could be more than one. Thus the Qur'an says: "For each community there is direction in which it turns, so vie with one another in good works." (2:148) All commentators from companions of the Prophet down to others interpret this as a reference to the various religious communities and their different modes of `turning towards God' in worship. Ibn Kathir, in his commentary on this verse, stresses its inner resemblance's to the phrase occurring in 5:48 (discussed above) "Unto every one of you have We appointed a (different) law and way of life".

This verse clearly refers to different directions different religious communities have adopted whereto they turn for prayer. All of them, however, submit to God and pray to Him. The Qur'an conveys that the direction of the prayer, whatever its symbolic value for a religious community, does not represent the essence of the prayer or faith. This is further corroborated by the Qur'an in the verse 2:177.

This verse also makes a very significant statement: "It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to these who ask and to set slaves free and keeps up prayer and pays the poor rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in the time of conflict; and these are they who keep their duty."

Thus the above verse proves beyond any doubt that the real aim of the Qur'an is to produce an ideal human person who is virtuous, is sensitive to others suffering and hence spends of his wealth on the needy, on setting slaves free, taking care of orphans, is true to his word and is patient in times of distress and conflict. And only such persons are truly 'muttaqun' i.e. God conscious and keepers of their duty to Allah. This verse too, needless to say, lends great support to the basic premise of religious pluralism by de-emphasising a particular way of prayer and extolling the importance of human conduct and sensitivity to others suffering and ones own steadfastness in the face of calamities and afflictions.

The Qur'an does not take narrow sectarian view as many theologians tend to do. Its view is very broad humanitarian and its emphasis is not on dogmas but on good deeds. And it strongly condemns evil deeds which harms the society and humanity at large. In this respect also it makes no distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims. Thus the Qur'an says in 4:123: "It will not be in accordance with your vain desires nor the vain desires of the people of the Book. Whoever does evil, will be requited for it and will not find for himself besides Allah a friend or a helper." Thus no one, Muslim or the people of the Book, can claim any exception from this iron law of Allah; one who does good will be rewarded and one who does evil will be punished. Elsewhere the Qur'an states, "So he who does an atom's weight of good will see it and he who does an atom's weight of evil will see it." (99:7)

The Qur'an is very particular about freedom of conscience and freedom of conscience is key to pluralism. The Qur'an clearly states that there is no compulsion in religion (2:256) and maintains that all children of Adam are honorable (17:70). It does admit of inter-religious dialogue but with decorum: "And argue not with the People of the Book except by what is best, save such of them, as act unjustly. And Say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit." (29:46)

The Qur'an lays great stress on unity of humankind. It says in 2:213, "Mankind is a single nation. So Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners, and He revealed with them the Book with truth, that it might judge between people concerning that in which they differed. And none but the very people who were given it differed about it after clear arguments had come to them, envying one another. So Allah has guided by His will those who believe to the truth about which they differed."

This whole verse is suffused with the spirit of pluralism and freedom of belief and conscience. According to this verse entire mankind is one but different prophets in their given situations come with revealed scriptures to guide them or warn them and thus, depending on their specific situation, different ways of life emerge. But then people start differing from each other and envying one another instead of respecting each others specificity and thus people get divided. That is not the purpose of divine guidance. Allah guides those who believe to the truth about which they differed.

The theme of oneness of humankind is repeated in the Qur'an in different ways. We are told that all human beings have been "created of a single soul" (4:1); again that they are all descended from the same parents (49:13); still again that they are as it were dwellers in one home, having the same earth as a resting place and the same heaven as a canopy.

Apart from oneness of humankind the Qur'an also lays stress on racial, linguistic and national identities. These identities are projected as signs of God. "And of His signs", the Qur'an says, "And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours. Surely there are signs in this for the learned." (30:22) Thus diversity is projected by the Qur'an as sign of God and hence to be respected. Different identities are for recognition and hence necessary. In the verse 49:13 it is said, "O mankind, surely We have created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may know each other." Thus national and tribal or for that matter other identities are necessary for knowing each other and it should not lead to any conflict. Thus different identities are product of national and tribal diversities and play a useful social role. Thus the Qur'an clearly accepts the legitimacy of diversity.

It also makes it clear quite forcefully that all places of worship should be respected and protected. The Qur'an states, "And if Allah did not repeal some people by others, cloisters, and churches, and synagogues, and mosques in which Allah's name is much remembered, would have been pulled down." (22:40) It is significant that Qur'an maintains that be it church or synagogue or mosque, Allah's name is much remembered in these places. No single religious place is being privileged in this respect. Thus here too religious pluralism is stressed.

The Prophet of Islam when he migrated from Mecca to Medina found himself in a pluralist situation. There was religious as well as tribal diversity. He not only accepted this diversity but legitimised it by drawing up an agreement with different religious and tribal groups and accorded them, through this agreement, a dignified existence and rights of their own. this agreement is known in history of Islam as Misaq-i-Madina.

It begins thus:
"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!
This is writing of Muhammad the prophet between the believers and Muslims of Quraysh and Yathrib (Madina) and those who follow them and are attached to them and who crusade along with them. They are a single community distinct from other people."

This agreement can be called the constitution of Madina and it was definitely a milestone which sought to lay the foundation of a new political and religious culture. What is significant to note in this agreement is that all together - Muslims of Quraysh from Mecca, Muslims of Madina belonging to the tribes of Aws and Khazraj and Jews belonging to different tribes - together constituted a single community - an Ummah. The agreement was also quite democratic in spirit. The Holy Prophet did not claim to be the ruler of this community. The emigrants (Muhajirs) were, in fact, treated as a clan, and the Prophet was their chief, and there were eight other clans with their chiefs. If the Constitution is a good evidence at this point, he was only marked off from other clan chiefs on two counts: firstly that for the group of believers i.e. Muslims he was a prophet and whatever was revealed to him was binding on the believers; secondly, the Constitution states that 'whatever there is anything about which you differ, it is to be referred to God and to Muhammad'. The idea seems that the holy Prophet should act as arbitrator between rival factions and maintain peace in Madina. The Qur'an also describes as one of the functions of the prophet as an arbiter. It says: "And for every nation there is a messenger. So when their messenger comes, the matter is decided between them with justice , and they are not wronged." (10:48)

It is interesting to note that the eminent Muslim theologians of India represented by Jami'at ul-'Ulama-i-Hind had cited this constitution of Madina drawn up by the holy Prophet in support of their acceptance of composite nationalism. They opposed separate nationalism based on religion advocated by the Muslim League. They argued, citing the Constitution of Madina, that the Prophet had accepted different religious and tribal groups as part of a single community - ummah wahidah . The Medinese society was, thus, a democratic civil society which had tribal, religious and racial diversity.

The modern democratic civil society cannot become a strong stable and prosperous conflict free society unless religious diversity or pluralism is accepted as legitimate way of life. It is unfortunate that most of the Muslim countries do not adhere to this spirit of pluralism and diversity in the Qur'an and sunnah. The extremists and fundamentalists among the Muslims in these countries attack the spirit of pluralism and want to create a monolithic society.

Many socio-political doctrines which we consider as 'pure Islamic' and worthy of emulation today developed during medieval age when mulukiyat (personal and monarchical power structure) had become all pervasive and the Qur'anic values and Islamic spirit were hardly practiced. There was of course no question of any concept of civil society because the ruler was all powerful and followed his own personal whims or went by compulsions of power rather than the injunctions of the Qur'an. Also the arrogance of power and all pervasive authoritarian atmosphere also influenced for formulation of Islamic political doctrines. These medieval doctrines can hardly have any validity today.

It is for the Islamic political theorists of today to develop new political theories which are in keeping with the Qur'anic injunctions and sunnah on one hand, and takes the realities of modern world, on the other. There need not be any sharp contradiction between the two. The concept of civil society which respects autonomy of a citizen and his/her religious, cultural and political rights does not, as shown above, in any way, contradictory to the Qur'anic injunctions. Human rights respect the dignity and freedom of conscience of every individual. The Qur'an clearly states that all children of Adam have been honoured (17:70). This of course includes right to live with dignity and to promote ones own religious, cultural and linguistic or ethnic interests.

We must enter the 21st century not with the imitative (taqlidi) mind set but with a creative and critical mind set which, while adhering to the Qur'anic values, enables us to live freer life and life of full dignity while, at the same time, accepting the dignity of the other. The Qur'an, accepted, fourteen hundred years ago, the Christian other and the Jewish other with full dignity and respect for their beliefs. It was later accepted to the Zoroastrians and even Berbers. Many 'ulama and the Sufi saints, extended it to the Hindus also.

It is interesting to note that the words 'kafir' and 'mushrik' have definite historical connotation and should be used with great caution and restraint. Unfortunately many Muslims use these terms very loosely and describe every religious other as kafir or mushrik. These being terms of contempt are resented by others. Only those who refuse to accept truth in any form and negate good (ma'ruf) completely and advocate munkar (evil) would qualify as kafirs and those who refuse oneness of God and associate partners with Him will qualify as mushrik. And, it is also important to note, even kafirs and mushriks would have civil rights as long as they do not cause any disturbances in society and maintain peace. The Qur'an has given the kuffar also the right to worship in their own way and have their own beliefs. The freedom of conscience cannot be taken away form any human person, whatever his or her beliefs. Thus it will be seen that Islam does not come in the way of promoting a pluralist civil society ensuring dignity and freedom of conscience to all.

But it has yet to be realised in all Muslim countries. In many Muslim countries like Turkey and Iraq, let alone non-Muslims, even Muslims of other nationalities and ethnic origin like the Kurds are severely persecuted. It is in clear violation of the Qur'anic injunctions, as pointed out above. An Islamic civil society should treat all with equal degree of dignity and accord them equal citizenship rights.

Institute of Islamic Studies,

Details of Qur'an verses about Jesus

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:23:00 GMT

Often some verses in the Qur’an about Jesus are often missed or misinterpreted because of the lack of use of tasreef, reason or also the lack of knowledge about the context of the verses. This leads some people to come to conclusions that are not supported by the Qur'an. I have listed some verses below that shed some light on the life of Jesus in the Qur’an. My comments are below in bold.

Important points to consider

As stated in my blog on wahi Malikah(angels) also refers to individuals who are chosen to deliver God’s message of what He wills according to His Laws either because they are able to receive wahi or have authority to deliver a message that is ordained at an appointed time in previous revealed scriptures. Verse 42:51 gives the different ways humans receive wahi.

42:51 “And it is not for any human being that God will speak to him other than through direct Revelation (to His prophets) or from behind a barrier (such as at Mount Sinai to Moses) or by sending a Messenger to convey what He wills according to His laws with His Permission (as all Nabi and Malikah did). Surely, He is the Most High, the Wise.”

Surah Aal-e-Imran-3

3:42 -Angels told her, “God has chosen you, given you a spotless character and given you distinction among the women of your times.”

3:44- (O Prophet) You were not there when the monks cast lots and contended with one another to take hold of (the young Mary after Zechariah.)(This was a careful process that they did to ensure that they would match her with right man that would give her the child that was ordained in the scripture it was not an arbitrary choice or by chance)

3:45- Angels said, “O Mary! God gives you the good news through a word from Him. His name would be Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor in this world and among the ones close to Me in the Hereafter.

(It was affirmed that the authorities in the temple picked the right person from the house of David as referred to them calling him Messiah and Mary was foretold of Jesus' life and mission, this would be so that she could take proper action in preparation for what was to come in the future)

3:46- Talking to people while in the cradle(as a young person) and in ripe old age in good health.”

( The phrases in the cradle. sabeya or an infant boy which has also been used for Yahya in 19:12 has been a subject of confusion for some scholars since they are not used in the same way we refer to people today. Phrases such as in the cradle/sabeya/ infant/ or in the crib are ancient Jewish phrases that people used in biblical times and even to a still use today under certain circumstances of Jewish family law to describe those who are not considered by society to be of the age of the majority/ come of age/mature. Hence this meant that they were under the caretaking of either their parents or under supervision of rabbis in the temple. During this period individuals performed certain duties such as studied the Torah and (Al-Kitab) the previous revelatory scriptures or what was at that time the Old testament (Hebrew bible) in the temple under the supervision of rabbis.

They prepared for adulthood by doing apprentice work(carpentry, iron work) and recieved small sums of money for their work. By the age of 13 they observed Jewish commandments of the law(Torah) and by 20 they were worthy of livelihood and social taxation. They were seen as belonging to this age group until they were considered worthy to be called otherwise by the elders of their society.

Keeping these points in mind this verse and verses 19:30-19:33 become very clear.

3:47- Mary exclaimed! “O My Lord, How shall I have a son when no man has (intimately) touched me?” He said, “Just as God creates everyone according to His Laws (3:40). When God decrees a matter, it starts happening.”

(This is a major recurring point in the Qur’an God creates and does all things according to the laws established in the creation and does not change these laws. Therefore this verse clearly rejects any notion of a virgin birth. All things in this world happen according to natural processes, this includes the producing of children. The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes throughout the book that the Sustainer of the universe performs all actions according to It’s laws that do not change, if it were otherwise all science that we would do right now would be absolutely meaningless and no scientific theory or law would be able to confirmed or tested. Verse 6:87 also mentions that Jesus along with other prophets’ fathers and siblings were blessed with honor and virtue. )

3:48-"And God will teach him the Scripture(Al-Kitab) and the wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel.”

Additionally these next verses in surah 19 become more clear and logical with the use of tasreef and careful study of the Arabic text.

Surah Maryam-19

19:16 (O Prophet) Make mention of Mary in the Book when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. [She left the sanctuary and went to her village in Galilee)

(She withdrew from her people to meet with the person who she was told to see by the men in the temple(3:45) and discovered it was the man to become her husband)

19:17-(Since she was not used to mixing with people), she had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent to her Our angel/ malikah/ law /authority that appeared to her in the shape of a well-made human being.

( Jesus' father is referred to as a malikah here since he was the person who had authority to give her child that was ordained in the scriptures from the since he fit all of the characteristics of the man that would bear the birth of the Messiah at that time, this meant he held the decree of the God's law . He was also one of the authorities in the temple that was supposed to deliver the divine message during their time which was ordained in the scriputres.)

19:18- She exclaimed, “Surely, I seek refuge in the Most Gracious that you may be righteous.”

19:19-He said that : I am a Messenger of your Sustainer that shall bestow upon you the gift of a son endowed with a spotless character.

(Most translations to this verse actually mistranslate this verse and state that the person here is delivering a message stating "I am only a Messenger of your Lord who says, instead of I am only a messenger of your lord that shall, which is different and indicates the person is the one who is going to give her the son.)

19:20-She said, “How can I have a son when no man has ever (intimately) touched me? For, never have I been a loose woman (broken social custom/monasticism/ breaking rules of the shrine)!”

(Mary knew she had to break social customs in order for this to happen which she had never done before)

19:21-He answered: Thus it is - your Sustainer says, “It is easy for me, so that We make him a symbol for people and a Grace from Us. And it is a thing decreed.”

( 3:47-God creates and does all things according to his laws which are fixed/decreed )

19:22- And in due time she conceived him and withdrew with him to a far-off

place, (Bethlehem).

( The arabic prefix-fa- which is often overlooked in the interpretation of theses verses is used at the beginning of the verse in 19:22 and from there on in other verses to indicates a shift in time sequence and events that happened after an extended period of time(hours/months/years) which is not equivalent to the english word then which it is normally translated as ( that indicates something occurring soon or immediately afterwards as in this verse in talks about her conception of Jesus))

19:23-And when labor pains drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree, she exclaimed, “Ah, I wish I had died before this, and had become a thing forgotten, utterly forgotten!”

(The next verse talks about Joseph(the verse actually states so he told her instead of a voice called her beneath the palm tree ) telling her to get some food and digging water from beneath her feet. This is obviously talking about many hours later since labor is a long process and women need some time to rest before they would do these things)

19: 24 –So he (her husband) said to her from beneath the palm-tree, “Grieve not! Your Sustainer has provided a stream beneath you.”

(There was a stream by her foot. This by no means is reffering to a miracle since it is a common natural occurrence to have water beneath date trees as they are often located next to oases. )

19:25- “And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you. It will drop fresh ripe dates upon you.”

19:26- “Eat then and drink, and let your eyes be gladdened! And if you see any human being, convey this to him, ‘Indeed, I have made a vow of silence for the Beneficent. Hence, I may not speak to any person today.”

( She was only told to take a vow of silence on that day. However, unlike claimed by some commentaries on this verse it nowhere states that she was told to let the baby speak for her during this time of silence as this would be illogical.)

19:27-Later she returned to her people carrying the child with her. They said, “O Mary! You have come with an amazing thing (breaking the rules of the shrine).”

(It is often thought that the following verse is describing an event that took place on the same day but not only is this illogical for a women who just had a baby to travel back from a distant place but it also would be strange to bring the baby back immediately and show it off to her people, this event obviously happened at a later time, the prefix fa is also used in this verse).

19:28 -O Sister of Aaron! Your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother a loose woman, nor did she ever oppose the system.

19:29- " In due time she directed their attention toward him". They said, “How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?”

(The prefix fa is also used at the very beginning of the verse here indicating it took place a later time as becomes obvious by the statements he makes in the next verses not on the day he was born or as a baby which many commentators mistakenly think it is directly afterwards. Mary directs their attention towards him to show them why she had broken social customs since throughout her time living with her people they would always criticize her for what she did and she wanted to show them what he had become).

19: 30 -But he spoke up, “Indeed, I am a servant of God. He has given me Revelation(Al-Kitab) and appointed me a Prophet.”

(Al-Kitab referring to the book of Allah which is used to describe the Qur’an is divine revelation. As stated in 17:85 it is revealed extrinsic knowledge about the design of laws/order or laws/ command of laws and events in God's creation it can be past, present or future right from before he was born he was already ordained to become a prophet according to the scripture.

Al-Kitab in this also refers to the extrinsic knowledge of the meaning of the actions and laws of the prophets in the past which, people had major disagreements about during his time and he came to clarify as indicated by verse 43:63. This is what the Qur’an means when it is stated he showed clear evidence of truth, not by showing miracles. This is also why the Qur’an states Jesus cured the blind(3:49)(i.e those who were unable to understand the truth of different things because of their lack of use of reason and intellect and because of blind following of social tradition) Jesus matured in his understanding and preaching of jewish teachings more quickly than most individuals of his times who usually began in their middle or ederly ages. People during their 20's were not seen as wise or mature by the elders of their society, that is why it is mentioned that he shall speak to men in the cradle.)

19:31-“He has made me blessed wherever I may be. He has enjoined upon me to establish the Divine System and help set up the Just Economic Order as long as I live.”

(This verse refers to him establishing salat(divine system/ divine commands) which in his time meant the laws of the torah and zakat(system that provides the needs for all individuals) which indicates he had already learned the torah and worked to provide for the social tax system. This shows he was coming towards the later years of his “cradleship” when he already began a livelihood.)

19:32- “And He has made me kind to my mother, and has not made me haughty, unblessed.”

19:33-"Hence, peace was upon me on the day I was born, the day I die, and on the day I shall be raised to life again.

Verses 19:30-19:33 also hold symbolic significance as it embodies the whole mission and actions of his life. These statements also clear him of all charges that were attributed to him about his upbringing, events in his life and his actions from his pre maturity period to his adulthood.

Qur'an verses from QXP IV by Dr. Shabbir Ahmed.

Book: No god but God-The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:32:00 GMT

"Precise... acutely perceptive... a revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried."
The Sunday Independent
"Wise and passionate... An incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration."
The New York Times Book Review
"A stimulating history of Islamic history and thought."

New York Review of Books
"An eloquent, erudite paean to Islam in all of its complicated glory."
Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined... a literate, accessible introduction to Islam."
The New York Times
Short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award
Best Book of the Year (Politics and Religion)
The Financial Times
Best Book of the Year (Non-Fiction)
Los Angeles Times

Though it is the fastest growing way of life in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic State be founded on democratic values such as pluralism and human rights?

A writer and scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has garnered international acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions. In No god but God, Aslan challenges the "clash of civilizations" mentality that has distorted our view of Islam and explains this critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion.

Contrary to popular perception, Islam is a religion firmly rooted in the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Aslan begins with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu from which the Prophet Muhammad arose. The revelations that Muhammad received in Mecca and Medina, and which were recorded in the Quran, became the foundation of a radically egalitarian community, the likes of which had never been seen before.

Soon after the his death, the Prophet's successors set about the overwhelming task of defining and interpreting Muhammad's message for future generations. Their efforts led to the development of a comprehensive code of conduct expected to regulate every aspect of the believer's life. But this attempt only widened the chasm between orthodox Islam and its two major sects, Shiism and Sufism, both of which Aslan presents in rich detail.

Finally, No god but God examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the social and political realities of the modern world. With the emergence of the Islamic State in the 20th century, this contest over the future of Islam has become a passionate, sometimes violent battle between those who seek to enforce a rigid and archaic legal code on society and those who struggle to harmonize the teachings of the Prophet with contemporary ideals of democracy and human rights. According to Reza Aslan, we are now living in the era of "the Islamic Reformation."

No god but God is a persuasive and elegantly written account of the origins, evolution, and future of Islam.

(Wahi)-Divine Revelation

Fri, 29 May 2009 21:09:00 GMT

The concept of divine revelation has been an uncertain concept to mankind since the beginnings of civilization. Throughout history, different religions have depicted their view of the concept of divine revelation, which ranged from being viewed by some cultures as an ability that could attained by any individual or as an ability believed to not be possible. To come to a proper conclusion on this topic some fundamental questions must be answered first.

1. What is the meaning of divine revelation and what is its purpose?

2. If divine revelation is possible does it occur through an anachronistic, supernatural process i.e. ( an act that breaks and surpasses the laws established in the universe) or is it rather a selective process that occurs within the line of God’s established laws and plan?

This is a discussion that has occurred for many centuries in both scientific and religious circles. During the earliest periods of Muslim history this debate also occurred although at times the discussions were based on ideas outside the Qur’an. An interesting point that one can discern while reading the Qur’an that is different from other books that make a claim to come from the divine, is that not only does it attempt to explain its message but most importantly, it attempts to explain its origins from the divine, the first cause of reality. The Qur’an not only proves its divine origin but in the process clarifies the concept of divine revelation and prophet hood of individuals from nations in the past.

ذلك الكتاب لا ريب فيه هدي للمتقين

2:2-“This is a Book whereof there is absolutely no doubt concerning its authority and authenticity. And it leaves no doubts lingering in a seeking mind.”

The Qur’an firmly states its authority of truth from early in the book. This statement is in fact a claim that is attempted to be proven throughout the Qur’an to mankind. Additionally the Qur’an makes the statements like the ones below to show that it is not merely a book of subjective knowledge from a human being or a product of copying from different sources, but contains authoritative information that cannot be repeated or outdone by humans.

17:88- “Say, “If all mankind, in towns and villages of the world, get together to produce a Qur’an like this, they will utterly fail, however strength they exert in aiding one another.”

29:48-"(O Prophet) you were never able to read a book before this (Qur’an), nor could you write anything with your own hand. Or else, they who try to disprove the Truth might have some reason to doubt it."

An unaware reader at this point might think that these are unusual claims for a book to be making from the beginning. One must ask themself, could something that was produced by a normal human intellect be making this claim or is does the book in fact contain information that would come from a higher more intelligent source? Hence, at this point one would expect that a book making this claim must come from an authoritative source and contains strong proofs for its statements. The Qur'an provides many statements to encourage individuals to investigate its claims. Many who have studied the Qur’an from many different perspectives have discovered that it has some unique features.

“Any science that collides with the Qur’an will turn out to be false.”(P.D. Ouspensky-Tertium organum)

This is in fact one of this one proofs that a discerning reader will come across while reading the Qur’an. The book in itself contains statements of scientific phenomena that were unknown until recent times. These and other proofs will be discussed later in other posts.

From a historical perspective, the concept of divine revelation goes back quite far in human history. If we look at the history of different civilizations we find that the Ancient Tribes of Israel to have the longest history of prominent figures that claimed to have received divine revelation. These figures usually performed their work in religious temples as high priests and some even became kings and rulers during their time. Throughout the history of the Tribes of Israel we find that after each successive figure that claimed divine revelation, the concept of divine revelation became clearer.

In the divine scriptures of the Ancient Israelites the notion of a Angels of Revelation explained the concept of divine revelation which brought revelation to individuals who led their nations towards the divine plan. Most notably, in Judaism the concept of the Ruach HaKodesh, Divine Spirit or Inspiration was used to explain the concept of revelation which they believed to be the Spirit of God which descended on the people who wrote their books of divine wisdom. As the Jewish Nabi Jesus Christ came with his proclaimed mission and teachings the concept became known as the Holy Spirit and helped explain more of the role of divine revelation. The early followers of Jesus Christ believed that he possessed the Holy Spirit, an entity that allowed him to receive divine revelation. However, overtime uncertainty grew about the true nature of the Holy Spirit and its relationship to figures who recieved divine revelation.

Some early writings of figures from the family of Jesus show them viewing him as a human being but gifted because he was able to receive sacred knowledge that no one else could. By analyzing the many different viewpoints alone on this concept it is difficult to come to a proper conclusion about the concept of revelation. Furthermore what has made the analysis of such viewpoints difficult is the fact that the documentations they are based upon are not purely authentic or doubtful in preservation. This fact alone, has in a sense caused some to disbelieve in the concept of divine revelation since there is a lack of an authentic source to analyze. But what other information do we have to discern the nature of divine revelation of these early figures? Is there any other source that could give us a better understanding of this concept?

Another unique feature of the Qur’an from other book is that it has been preserved in its original Quraishi Arabic Dialect which gives clearer meanings to words and concepts than those of previous divine scriptures.

Meaning of Angels

To begin with, the Qur’an clarifies the concept that are known as angels by using the term Malikah. Arnold Yasin gives an excellent explaination of this term in one of his articles on angels:

“The term Malikah comes from the root MLK, which means generally: have control, rule, reign, have power, be capable of, can do, have authority, hold. It is the same root from which the word Malik comes from, which means Supreme Master, King or Ruler. Malikah are told to control the Creation. So what does control the Creation? We know now that the Laws of the Universe, which determines the limits and measures of energy and matter, it are the forces that HOLD energy and matter, and have authority over all Creation. So this includes Gravity, Speed of Light, the Quantum Field, the Planck Constant and so on. Also it refers to the Laws that control your psyche. “

Thus, Malikah are the physical /chemical laws and forces of nature that control the universe,nature and living beings. Additionally, the Qur'an reveals that the word Malikah also represents humans who have an authority to recieve and deliver God's revealed messages. The verses below give further explanation of this concept.

6:8 -”They ask, "Why is not an angel sent down unto him (for them to see)? Well if we did send down an angel, the matter would be judged at once. And no further time would be granted them after that."

6:9- "And even if We sent an angel,(for them to see and speak to) We would certainly have made him in the form of a man. And We (per our Law) would have kept them just as confused as they are confused now."( Since it would be a human being it would not fit their perception of what an angel should be or look like)

25:7- Yet they say, “What sort of Messenger is this who eats food and goes about in the market-places? Why is not an angel sent down to him to act as a warner together with him?”

17:94 -"Yet whenever Guidance came to people, nothing has ever kept them from accepting it as much as this objection, “Would God send a mortal man as Its Messenger?”

17:95- "Say, “If angels walked about and dwelled on the earth, We would have sent an angel from the cosmos as a Messenger.”

22:5: "(In His Almightiness) "God chooses Message-bearers from among the angels as well as from among mankind. Indeed, God is All Hearing, All Seeing. [Angels being Message-bearers = Angels of Revelation to the prophets]"

13:13: "And the thunder and the (other) angels strive to glorify It by carrying out their duties in awe of It. And It is the One whose physical Laws let loose the thunderbolt to strike the earth. And yet they stubbornly argue about God (and fall for superstitions). Though Awesome It is in Power! "

35:1 "All Praise is due to God, the Originator of all Highs and their
Lows, Who appoints Its Universal Forces as Message-bearers, having
the powers/functions/abilities, two, three and four. It increases in creation what It wills according to Its laws. For, God is the Appointer of due measure of all things, and It is able to do all things. [Malaaekah = Angels mentioned here, are the forces that evolve the universe. This is pointed out by Faatir which means Originator-Cleaver of the new creation. Ajniha = Powers = Wings = Abilities = Strength=Functions] "

35:2 "Whatever Grace God opens for mankind, none can withhold it. And whatever It withholds, none can release, for It is the Almighty, the Wise."

16:1-"God’s Command has come. Stop and think over these messages and hasten not in comprehending the Qur’an. Glorified, Exalted It is, High above what people associate with It."

16:2- "It sends down angels/authorities with Revelation of Its Command, to such of Its servants as It wills according to its laws/authorities/forces in creation. Saying, “Proclaim that there is no one worthy of obedience but Me, so be mindful of My Laws and live upright.”

16:3- " It has created the cosmos and the earth with Purpose. It is High, Exalted above all that they associate with It ."

These verses are important as they show that throughout history many societies developed distorted ideas of what came to be known as angels. Some societies began to depict them as winged beings created by God who abided in the clouds that walked around with prophets or as deities that acted as intercessors that were supposed to be worshiped and not as forces and laws in the creation or humans who had been given authority to deliver a message of what the Sustaining Force of the Universe willed according to Its laws because of their ability to recieve wahi or becuase they had been given authority to deliver a message at an appointed time ordained in previous revealed scriptures.

Verse 17:95 indicates that these Authorities or at times referred to as seers,astrologers and high priests in historical records recieved their messages through the signs, specific constellations,cycles and celestial phennomenon that appeared in the cosmos which represented coded messages that revealed the general frame for the potential of upcoming events, and phase changes in direction of the universe which directed a new path for mankind and usually were foretold in previous scriptures . The Qur'an makes note of an interesting fact that has been neglected or misnterpreted in other previous divine texts that it confirms.

The cosmos have always been a subject of mystery as to what purpose the countless phenomena it contains serve, however the Qur'an is ahead of our current understanding of the cosmos and reveals that the cosmos in fact hold a fundamental purpose in the informing of the direction of human societies as well providing a general frame for the potential for upcoming events. An interesting point that one will often find repeated in the Qur'an is that all things in the cosmos and the earth serve a fundamental purpose in the plan of the sustaining and developing force of the universe.

As indicated by verse 35:2 the system of the universe, mainly in the cosmos at times opens up messages that can inform the potenial for a general frame of upcoming events in the creation and the direction for which mankind is supposed to go. The Qur'an in fact gives a different perspective that clarifies and corrects the belief of ancient cultures who believed the system of the universe is divided into definite number of zones with the earth at the center of the universe often believed to be seven. Instead, the Qur'an gives the notion that it is rather seven universal body systems within the entire system of the universe with various forms of matter,phenomena and dimensions both seen and unseen, percievable and unpercievable to human beings that are controlled by directive forces and physical laws. The cosmos and all of the matter that lies between them with various phenenomena and dimensions that they belong to is fact one of these on of the these body systems. Additionaly, the Qu'ran quite differently from other ancient texts that came before it was the first to introduce the idea that neither the earth nor human beings were the main focus and center of the universe, but rather that there exists a plurality of cosmological galaxies and planets that contain various planets and life forms that are part of the plan of the Maintaining force of Evolution of the Universe as indicated by 42:29.

Thus, if other intelligent species such as us exist, this might also indicate that they may also use the study of the cosmos to help project general phases of the universe or their civiizations based on a scientific understanding of the framework of the universe. But most importantly, as the verse makes very clear this grace that God gives us is a grace appointed by It alone and It opens up messages through Its laws which cannot be forced or induced by any indivual without It willing it through Its laws,only particular information about events and the development of the universe can be extracted from this process with certainty. Thus with this said, information such as the exact time of the end of the universe could never be predicted base upon the postulates from framework of both the universe of laws of societies, is not possible to be revealed. Additionally as this verse indicates, contrary to what is often belived in certain philosophies of modern astrology and certain ancient traditions, the cosmos in themselves do not have ultimate rule on influencing or projecting the outcome of all events or individuals, since we as human beings have free will within the creation.

The universe is very genial towards intelligent life and has left a copius amount of information that we can use to guide our species. Our planet Earth is positioned to a particular point where the cosmos in our point of reference contains information that can guide our species. Certain information in the cosmos can inform our species of the genreal frame of certain potential upcoming events that will occur amongst our race as a whole on this planet and the particular direction in which we should move towards in accordance with the divine plan.

Verse 16:2 above delineates the divine command of the cosmological-human civizilation phase change that was signaled, which was fortetold in previous prophetic scriptures. This command indicated a renewed directional path in our development process towards enlightenment of awareness of the universe and progress of our civilization. This message not only indicated that it was the right time for mankind to make this vital phase change but also the right person had been divinely selected and was present to implement this change.

As the verse states the command revealed exhorted mankind to be aware of the one and only sustaining and developing force of the universe and the laws in which It has established in the creation. This verse is very signficant as it shows that one of the main points of the Qur'an and all of Gods messengers is to call mankind to study and be aware the laws that govern not only on our planet and our societal security and development but also the universe in general for the benefit of our species.

As one reflects on the history shortly after the revelation of the Qur'an, they will notice the early Muslim societies aquedetely fulfilled this command as not only were their societies able to develop a successful societal structure that kept them in a progressive and balanced movement, but scientific inquiry in various fields of social and physical sciences was also greatly emphasized during that time for the benefit of their societies.

However,this process that these authorities used to help in progressing the divine plan of the institution of prophethood must not be confused with fortune telling,soothsaying,clairvoyence or even astrology as it is practiced today, which holds very little weight on actual useful information of the system of universe and has not been perfected. A careful and precise process based on various posulates of the scientific framework of the universe was used to study and detect the authoritative theoretical laws that guide the system of the universe were used to show the divine message that informed societies the direction they had to move towards and the genral potential frame of forthcoming stages in history.

These authorities usually operated in temples and religious orders and kept a vigilent guard over this sacred process as well as parts of divine scriptures that helped them recognize the characterstics of the time and individuals in the divine plan and passed it on for generations to come. When the time came to enact a phase of the divine plan they would use this process to direct or convey to either confirmed individuals who were part of the divine plan,confirmed Anbia after they recieved their first revelation or people in general at an appointed time their destiny or what the sustaining force of the universe willed for them to do.

The Qur'an gives a notable example in explaining this concept in the 3rd surah of the book as it mentions authorities visiting Mary after her being chosen to marry an authority from the house of David and foretelling her that she would be giving birth to the Jewish Messiah Jesus of Nazereth and his upcoming mission.This is a link to an article that shows how angels were depicted throughout history.

http://www.artsales.com/ARTistory/angelic_journey/index.html

Angels of direct revelation only to Anbia

Malikah in the Qur’an is also used to describe a special force/energy that brings extrinsic knowledge which the Qur’an calls Ruh Al-Qudus (pure divine essence/energy) or Jibril. Throughout history Jibril or Gabriel was depicted in pictures as an actual physical being that walked along everywhere with a Nabi and brought them revelation. However, unlike depicted in some stories Jibril mistakenly began to be confused with the angel who even delivered messages to people who were not Anbia,when they were in fact simply just authorities that were delivering God's messages to people who were part of the divine plan.

The Qur'an makes note that Jibril descended only on people who were to become Anbia. The earliest depiction of Jibril outside walking around and talking with a Nabi, represented the nature of how Jibril ,although not a physical,visible being or force, acted seperately from the intellect and desire of the Anbia and had its own particular character. The word Jibril has 2 main meanings: Mending of broken things by putting them straight and providing a poor man with strength, bravery and power to make him better off than other people.

These two meanings adequately describe divine revelation in the Qur’an which does the following

1. Confirming and correction of arguments that people had in the past in present in order to come to common ground and live in peace.

2. Establishment of laws, guidelines, principles that are in accordance with the nature of the times and create peace in the human society.

3. Reveals new details about the workings of the Universe and nature in general.

4. Gives the person who receives the revelations honor, status and superior knowledge amongst mankind because of ability to receive revelation which acts as a guide for the society.

5. Correcting and revealing of details about well known figures in past societies often prophets who received the same revelation and worked to progress God’s plans.

6. Revealing of laws about the sociology of people and nations.

7. Giving guidance and inspiration to society for oncoming events.

8. Reveals knowledge of what awaits mankind in the Hereafter.

9. Reveals the projection of events in the future.

10. Acts as a communication entity that takes information whether it is a command or a message to people from the first cause, reveals it to the Prophet into spoken language that people can understand.

17:85: "They ask you about Rooh (the Spirit, Revelation, Soul). Tell them, The Spirit is Divine Energy from which free will has been given to humans. Revelation is from your Sustainer's realm of Command of Laws/Order of Laws which you have been given little knowledge.” The Soul is your ’self’. [Rooh = Spirit = Soul = Revelation = Divine Energy = Angel of Revelation.]

Hence, wahi is extrinsic knowledge which tells humans how the sustaining force of the universe operates through the laws of command, order and design in It's creation that humans have been given as a part of our development. The Qur'an terms these laws as the Kalimaatillah(Allah's laws in theory and nature/words of Allah) and Sunnatillah(Allah's Laws in Practice/Traditions of Allah). Wahi occurs when the human intellect comes to a meeting point with revealed divine knowledge and guidance that cannot be reached by the normal processes of using human faculties alone.

Muslim Scholar G.A Parwez explained the concept of Wahi and Nabi as the following in his glossary of Qur'anic Terms:

Wahi - (Wao-Ha-Ya) - (Revelation).

Al-Wahiyo is a suggestion by a sign that is extremely quick and fast. It also means to inform quickly, to whisper (Taj / Raghib). In Surah Mariyam, verse (19/11) says that he (Zachariah) informed the people by sign. Raghib says, and he is supported by the author of Taj-ul-Urus, that Al-Wahiyo means very quick suggestion by sign. That is why Shaiun Wahiun means a thing that comes very quickly - very fast. Auhal 'Amala means he acted in haste (Taj / Raghib).

It also means writing. Wahaitul Kit'ab means I wrote the book. W'ahin is the writer. Al-W'ahin is a written thing or document. As such Jauhri says that Al-Wahi mean Al-Kit'ab. This is also supported by the author of "Lat'aif-ul-Lugh'at," Ibn-e-Faris and Raghib. In verse (5/111) this version is clarified, when he (Jesus) conveyed to his companions the written message which was revealed to him.

Auha means to order, command. The above verse (5/111) of conveying Wahi to the companions means that Allah had ordered them (Taj / Raghib) and this Wahi (revelation) was received by the companions through Jesus (Raghib). Ibn-e-Faris says that anything which is communicated to someone and he comes to know about it, is called Wahi; the method, mode and type of communication may be by secret means, or otherwise. Verse (41/12) says, "He created several spheres in two phases and communicated through Wahi the destiny of every sphere," i.e., the law that regulates and guides everything in the outer universe, and everything

is busy performing the task assigned to it. Verse (24/41) is very important in this context. It says that everything in the universe knows its Tasbeeh and Sal'at, i.e., its duties, functions and how to perform them. Verse (99/5) further says that Allah conveyed His Wahi to Earth, i.e., the earth was communicated its functions and duties, and similarly to the honeybee (16/68) as to her duties.

Everything in the universe is busy performing its duties as per functions assigned to it. This is Wahi of Allah which is ordained unto them. This is called the law of nature or instinct and has not been created or evolved by them but ordained by Allah.

Man is also a part of the universe and a law has also been laid down for him. Besides physical life, he is also given a personality which he has to develop in this world. The law according to which man has to lead his life is called Wahi, which has the following ingredients:-

This Wahi is not given to every human being individually. This is given to one man who communicates it to others. The person to whom Wahi is given is called a Nabi or Rasool.

Except man, nothing in the universe has been given the option to follow or disobey the Wahi. Everything in the universe is forced to follow this law of nature, by virtue of an in-built system or instinct.

Man has been given this option; he may or may not obey the Wahi; but he is not given the option to escape the results that would naturally ensue from obeying or disobeying this law, e.g., he has the choice to swallow even poison but then he cannot expect to have a different result of his choice.

The mode and method of this communication cannot be understood or explained to a person who is not a Nabi or Rasool. Allah Almighty sometimes communicated by signs, and at times from behind a veil. But no other person can claim to be receiving Wahi or any message from Allah or call it by any different name like Ilh'am or Kashf, etc. The last human being who received Wahi was Muhammad Rasool-Allah (peace be upon him) and this Wahi is final, complete and preserved in the Holy Quran. The concept that Wahi, which was received by Rasool-Allah (peace be upon him) was of two types; Wahi matloo, which is in the Quran and is being read and Wahi ghair matloo, that - which is outside the Quran and is contained somewhere else, has no truth in it and is not supported by the Quran. It was only the Quran which was revealed through "Wahi".

Auha-Ilaihe also means to send a Rasool (a messenger). Auhar-Rajalo means he sent his special messenger to his most reliable slave (Taj

Ibn-ul-Anb'ari says that Wahi is called so because Gabriel communicates it to the selected person in complete secrecy and confidence.

Eihaun means to whisper secret things with one another in privacy. Abu-Ishaque says that the basic meanings of Wahi is to communicate in secrecy, that is why verse (6/113) says, "People who are opposed to the Anbia indulge in secret conspiracies .... ."

Verses (28/7, 20/38) say, "We sent Wahi to the mother of Moses ....... suckle him - but if you are afraid then cast him away in the river without any fear." So Wahi means Divine communication in some way that the person concerned comes to know about the message sent.

Verse (2/120) terms Wahi as Ilm (knowledge) which is absolutely free from any feelings, desires or thoughts of a human being (53/35).

It is, however, important to understand that the recipients of Wahi, i.e., the Anbia were in no position themselves to obtain Wahi at their own instance. This was solely at the discretion of the giver of Wahi - Allah. Allah, exercising His absolute authority and will, chose whosoever He thought fit to be the recipient of His Wahi (6/125).

It was never possible for a human being to attain the exalted status of a recipient of Allah's Wahi with his own efforts - it was always Wahi that descended on the selected persons, i.e., receiving Wahi was not at all a subjective effort, it was entirely an objective phenomenon (2/97, 42/51, 69/43).

The final, complete and unalterable guidance from the Sustainer of the Universe - Allah The Almighty - was revealed to Muhammad Rasool-Allah (peace be upon him) (6/19, 6/116), and thereafter Allah took upon Himself to provide it with an exhaustive safeguard (15/9). Therefore, the institutions of Nubuwwat and Wahi were permanently closed.

"Whatever the Creator and the Sustainer of this universe wished to say to the man on earth was finally revealed in the Holy Quran. Whatever laws were needed to be given for the enrichment and growth of human personality were communicated in their most perfect form through Rasool-Allah Muhammad (peace be upon him). In order that the man attains his designated status in this universe, he needs no other torch now to illuminate his path, nor does he require any more guides. The only course open to him to regain his lost paradise, is to traverse the same path which is forever illuminated by the footprints of that exalted person who stands at the highest pinnacle of human success, the Rasool-Allah Muhammad (peace be upon him) ."

Nabi - (Noon-Ba-Alif or Noon-Ba-Wao).

Its plural is Anbia. Naba means to give news. According to Ibn-e-Faris its basic meanings are to move from one place to another; that is why news are called Al-Anba because they go from one place to another. Raghib says that every news cannot be called Nab'aun, but only those which are of use, enrich the information and are true; the element of truth in its meaning is however not supported from the Quran.

Nabaa, Nubuan means to rise high. An-Nabiun is a raised ground or a plateau, a visible path in front (Taj).

If the root of this word is taken as Noon-Ba-Wao, then it would mean to become elevated. An-Nab'awatu is that piece of land which is higher than the others; a high sign-post from which one gets guidance (Taj). Some people think that this word is derived from Nab'aun which means a person who gives news or makes prophecies. In fact, in Jewish religion Nabi was the title of a priest who used to make prophecies; it is not so according to the Quran.

Therefore, we think that its correct root is Noon-Ba-Wao, which means the one who stands at a high place, from where he can see what others cannot. The author of Kit'ab-ul-Ishtiq'aq writes that a person addressed Muhammad as Ya Nabi-il-Allah! Muhammad said I am not "Nabi-il-Allah" (Lasto Be Nabi Illah) but "Nabi-Ullah." Not one who gives news, but the one who stands at a high place and with the light of Wahi and can see things which others cannot. Its usual translation in English as "Prophet" is, therefore, incorrect and misleading. "

Thus from these definitions we can see that wahi of a Nabi is quite different from intrinsic knowlege, inspiration, or a creature or deity physically coming down to dictate its message. Wahi literally means to infuse a thought into a being, just as stated by above by Parwez, the sustaining force of the universe gives wahi to the universe and animals on this planet which they have no other choice to follow since its part of them. All situations other species on this planet encounter they react in perfect accordance to the wahi or as we call it instinct that is given to them and provides the specific reaction,guideline or direction they should follow or go about in any particular situation. Hence, additionally one can say that the general definition of wahi is a quick infusion of a thought that has a message which is given or suggested by ayat(signs or authortative evidences seen, heard,felt,sensed ).

The higher the intelligence and complexity of particular species the more complex and comprehensive the natural law that is given to them to develop. With that said for other intelligent species on other planets in the universe, either of greater or same intelligence as us, the way that their law of nature is given to them although may not be exactly the same as ours, may share some similarities in the way that their law of nature is conveyed to individuals of their species.

Since human beings are an intellegent,complex and social species that require several complex factors for development our wahi or law of nature depends on more than our basic desires, it also relies on our outlook of reality, the knowledge of working laws in societies and the creation in general, and the cosomolgy of the universe which helps guide our progression. Furthermore, all of these factors most importantly must be inculcated through social interactions, inquiry and ideas based on particular guidelines.

Unlike other species on this planet who are given wahi, the law of nature in the human species by design of the sustaining force of the universe was given only to a paritcular individual during certain periods of human history which was conveyed in a way that all people around him could easily understand and inculcate. This law of nature for humans to use has also been called (Al-Kitab) or The Book which refers to the laws,commands and guidelines that the sustaining force of the universe established that govern human nature, societies, development in humans and the workings and design of laws in the creation. The Book, contained not only God's laws of design, order, and commands but examples of God's law of practice in the creation on nations through the actions of Anbia and leaders of different nations.

While, the entire essence of the Book was conveyed to groups of people only by Anbia, since the Book contained the examples of people who were not Anbia but proclaimed service to God(benefiting the Creation) , their conveyed messages were also considered to be as a part of the book as they fell in line with the criterion of God's message. As a result of the sucessive progression of The Book, throughout history the word Nabi or Nevi as the person was called in the Ancient Israelite scriptures although was not believed to be literal was at times translated as the "mouth of God" to nations who were sent these figures since he brought the complete essence of the message from the Sustaining force of the Universe into a human language for people to understand.

Thus, a Nabi was a human being who unlike other people was able to be given revelation which was brought about by certain signs that he encounterd or experienced in the creation, that revealed to him the vital messages for humans that tell the orders of laws in the universe, natural events, guidelines,commands and design from the sustainer of the universe, that other people have not come to know, cannot comprehend, have misunderstood or cannot easily recognize with their faculties alone. This revelation provides a law of nature for human beings which gives the Nabi and other humans examples,guidelines,laws and the direction that they should follow individually and collectively.

53:3: “Nor does he utter the Word out of his desire”

53:4: “This (Qur’an) is but a Revelation that is being revealed to him.”

53:18- "And indeed, he has seen the great signs of his Developer."

Therefore, Malikah Jibril or Ruh Al-Qudus seems to represent a force/energy that descends only on a person who is a Nabi at a particular time by the command of God's laws in the creation that works psychologically but is separate from his personal intellect and desires that brings him revelation to guide mankind. The special event of individual reaching a point of where they became a Nabi at a point in his life when he had been deemed suitable through unique actions,encounters and experiences in his life was often described in scriputres as "God making himself known" to the person who was then chosen as a Nabi.

The Ruh Al-Qudus revealed a message from the Sustaining Force of the Universe. Whether it was laws that govern human societies or laws in nature and the universe, Jibril connected the pieces of the signs that comprise (Al-Kitab) and made the matters clear and understandable to people and the Nabi. Hence, Jibril brought God's speech or Kalim(Laws in Nature, Commands and Laws in Theory) and Gods Laws in Practice or Sunnah, interpreted into the human language of the Nabi in a way easily understood to all.

However, the Quran does give one situation in which the wahi of the Nabi recieved was differerent with the Nabi Moses. Mose unlike other nabis when recieved the divine infused messages with the signs/ Nar(light/fire/divine signs and guidance) that they encountered, experienced a different revelatory nature and understood the messages in the actual continuous and complex coded language of the developing force of the universe and how it connected to certain things and events in the creation (i.e God spoke directly to him) .

Nevertheless all of the divine messages were meant to guide societies back into a order that is in accordance with the laws that govern the progress of their species in nature that they either deviated from, misunderstood overtime or that was needed at a particular time period of their development. Thus, all of the revealed messages contained the thought of God that told how humans should progress in peace and about the workings of laws in nature and the universe.

2:97: They are displeased with Jibril for bringing Revelation to a gentile Prophet. 2:90.) Say (O Prophet), “Who bears a grudge against Jibril?” For, it has revealed (the Qur’an) upon your Qalb(mind/center/heart) باذن الله [by/with God’s Leave/ Pardon/Permission/Command/Acknowledgement/Laws], confirming what was revealed before it. And it is a Beacon of Light and glad tiding for all those who accept it.

16:102: “Tell them, “Jibril has brought it down from your Sustainer in Absolute Truth. This Revelation will keep firm in thought and action, those who accept it. And it will provide Guidance and good news to Submitters.” [Roohul Qudus = Sacred Energy = Gabriel 2:97. Rooh, Raooh = Soothing Mercy 12:87. Trustworthy angel 26:193]”

As stated before the Qur’an talks about the revelation received by individuals in the past.

2:253: All messengers were one in Purpose. They were assigned different strategies suitable to their times, locations and people.) We caused some of those messengers to excel others. God spoke to some of them. Others It raised in degrees of high honor. Jesus son of Mary was one of those messengers whom We gave clear signs of Truth and strengthened/empowered/helped him بروح القدس (with the Sacred Energy/Sacred Revelation/Force that mends broken things by bringing revelation/Truthful Spirit (Ruh Al-Qudus)=Angel of Revelation(Energy that infuses thoughts of the essence of God's actions,design,laws and messages that are given by encountered signs] .

4:163: "We have sent you the Revelation as We sent it to Noah and the Anbia after him. We sent revelations to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his progeny (the Tribes), Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon; and to David We gave Zaboor". [Zaboor = The Psalms = A book of Divine Wisdom]

16:36-And certainly, We have raised in every nation a Messenger, saying, “Serve God alone and shun الطاغوت (aggression, misguidance,tyranny, and corruption).”

This verse states that out of the messengers sent to all nations only some of them were Anbia. The Messengers who were not Anbia were (Malikah) Authorities who proclaim God's will to individuals as well as some of the highly honored leaders of all nations throughout history who preached God's basic message of serving God alone when they recognized signs of their nations falling and regressing by promoting social order, unity, peace, security, service to humanity and awareness of laws in the creation.

Verse 16:36 is important as it shows the continous and eternal message of Islam that has been conveyed to different nations throughout history. All nations had people who conveyed the message of serving God. The notion of messengers being sent to all nations has often been misunderstood by scholars as God sending Messengers commanding people to the same rituals and conformity of culture to upheld for all times, while it was simply that all messengers proclaimed the obligation of people in their society to the ideas Al-Islam( maintainence of peace, security, development) in times when they saw their societies were regressing. Jesus son of Mary is mentioned in the verse and it states that he was given clear signs of truth of his message and strengthened with the Ruh Al-Qudus.

The Ruh Al-Qudus seems to be referring to the same concept as the early concept of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) . Thus, from this we can come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ and other Anbia received revelation in manner that was same as the way of Muhammad recieved it. Also, since the wahi that is revealed to Anbia in the same way, their messages, such as the guidelines that they delivered to their societies, the working of laws in nature, and the view of the Akhira(phase leading to the next universe) were originally essentially the same since the Sustaining Force of the universe's ways and signs in the creation remain the same. The only slight differences are in the language spoken by each prophet and the implications of certain commands due to the settings and time of each revelation. The wahi of the Qur'an as the last revelation attempts to show the following :

1. Establish proof of its claim and truthfulness to not only the people whom it was first revealed but also to those in the future.

2. Convey the message as clearly and as easily comprehendable as possible in a way that not only the people of its first audience can understand but also can be used and understood by future generations.

The Divine Election of Anbia

72:26: “Knower of the Unseen (and the future), and It makes known unto none Its secret,”

72:27: “Except as It wills according to its laws unto a Messenger whom It has elected, and unto him It reveals Its powers/actions/ abilities (from the past,present and the future), and ensures that the Revelation is guarded".

72:28: "That It may make manifest that it is indeed their Sustainers’s messages (and nothing else) that these messengers deliver. For, It encompasses all the Revelation they have, and takes account of all things".

3:74: “It elects for Its Grace whom It wills according to Its Laws. For, God is the Sustainer of Infinite Bounty (and It knows the proper time, place and person for Its Revelation.)”

The 3 and only ways for humans to recieve God's message

42:51: "And it is not for any human being that God will speak to them other than through direct revelation by a quick infusion of a thought that is given by a sign(wahi)(on the minds/hearts of Its Anbia) or Its direct message from behind a barrier/veil (such as at Mount Sinai to Moses) or by sending a Messenger to suggest by signs what It wills according to Its laws by/with Its Leave/Permission(as all Anbia ,Malikah and various people in general throughout history did). Surely, It is the Most High, the Wise".

From the verses above we can discern that the raising to the rank of a Nabi is a selective process and only a few people throughout the history of mankind have received it. The Qur’an states that Muhammad was the last of these types of human beings (33:40). Although, it is a superior ability as stated by verse (3:74) it is nevertheless a process in accordance with the divine plan amongst mankind and the system of the universe. Rather than an anachronistic, supernatural process in the history of human beings that individuals encountered, the process of wahi is part of the evolutionary and developmental progress of the human species .

But how the Qur'an fits into the successive line of divine revelations is another important aspect of consideration. As one looks throughout history there is a noticeable trend of the development of divine revelation. Each successive divine revelation brought a more detailed message that was in accordance with its environment. Moreover, each Nabi or Malikah through some form of divine revelation added details about the characteristics of the type individual that would come after them, the nature of the time and the environments of successive revelations.

The divine revelation recieved by Anbia and Malikah was able to project the logic of events and change of societies with time and became clearer to mankind with each Nabi. Wahi is not a subjective mystical experiance an individual recieves through self-inducement , through training to produce a supernatural feat or something someone feels inspired to produce at a time in their lives, it must be something given to an individual through the laws of revelation by God, because of this the Final Nabi that was expected by previous nations did not come until the 7th century.

Mankind was at a significant period in their development and formation of societies during the time of the revelation of the Qur'an. The environment of the world had been suitable for revelation for quite some time. Much of the world had been in conflict and had been tremendously degressing in civilization. This time was significant as it brought about the one of the most important phase changes in of our planet and the evolution of mankind according to divine plan. The revelation of the Qur'an was able to regenerate the progession of societies during that time.

The phase of our planet at this time marked the end of the line of Anbia for the human species and mankind was then able with its mature mind free to use their reason in accordance with the guidelines established through the revelation of the Qur'an. Although, there are no more Anbia, nor is there any need for another one to be sent to mankind with a new law of nature or revelation this does not mean that mankind should stop reflecting further on God's designs and ways in the creation. In fact since knowledge of some his laws in the universe can further understood and also be obtained outside of the Qur'an, mankind is exhorted to explore God's creation and all of its splendors to help guide our development.

41:53- "In time We will show them Our signs in the utmost Horizons and within themselves, so that it will become clear to them that this Qur’an is indeed the Truth. Is it not enough for them to know that your Developer is a Witness to all things in the creation".

As the Qur’an is the last divine message(book sent to a Nabi) one notices that it is clearer and more detailed than the previous revelations as it is a book that is meant to be used to guide the rest of mankind in our general understanding of the universe,societies and the natural world around us until we finally inculcate its principles. The revelation is conveyed in a way that its message, guidelines and principles that can be extracted for all times. Additionally, as the Qur'an has been looked at more as a book of social and physical science and guidance, one notices that the proof of its origins and claims have been able to show itself in different ways through changing times.

12:111-“As for this Revelation, it could not possibly be a Hadith(saying), fabricated. It confirms the (surviving Truth in) the previous Scriptures, and gives a detailed explanation of everything. And it is a Beacon and Mercy for all those who accept it.”

12:105- "How many a sign is there in the cosmos and the earth which they pass by with their faces turned away!"

27:93- And say, “All Praise is due to God! In time It will show you Its Signs, so that you will recognize them.” And your Sustainer and Developer is not unaware of all that you do.

However, it is now only proper to ask what is the purpose of divine revelation given to mankind and what does it bring that is not able to be reached by human reason and intellect alone?

“The code of permanent values can only come through Revelation to chosen personalities (messengers) of God.” (Albert Einstein 1879-1955-Out of My Later Days)

“A complete way of life which would be universal is neither present in human instinct nor can we devise it through intellect. It can only come through Revelation. “ (Prof Alfred Cobban-The Crisis of Civilization)

Divine revelation does in fact establish permanent values and a complete way of life which is vital for mankind to collectively progress. Although, human intellect and reason are extremely vital for mankind and have produced marvels throughout history ,only divine revelation can make the human species realize their full potential and purpose and guide them pragmatically towards a common goal. There are indeed many things that man can realize through a long period of trial and error but with this process especially in huge developing societies also comes alot of risk and harm the species can experience.

The process of revelation actualizes all the factors that mankind needs within an exponentially short amount of time. This is important for mankind that is currently in a period of their existence where they have formed large constantly developing and connected societies that need guidelines to keep a balance in the species. Hence, the use of exracted principle from revelation economizes effort and order in societies faster, more effectively and without the potential risks and damage that humans might experience in going through trial and error. Revelation when followed and inculcated keeps mankind constantly focused on their purpose of collective growth.

“If the society is not conducive to the growth of human personality, people would remain slaves even if such a society were perceived to be free.“(Nicholes Berdyeau-Destiny of Man)

Without revelation human interests and selfish desires, would prevent the human species from developing a collective way of life that would be beneficial to all. Like animals that have instincts which are programmed in their biology as a guide for their functions and progress as a species, revelation acts as an instinct for mankind as it gives a layout for mankind of all that is needed for them to progress in peace, calls their attention to things that would be neglected due to their abstract nature and acts as a constant reminder for the direction humans have to go to survive as a species. I will discuss more about the role of divine revelation in upcoming blogs especially in my explanation of the Qur’an's concept of the Yaum Ad-Deen.

Quran verses from

The Qur’an as it Explains Itself volume IV by Dr. Shabbir Ahmed.

Additional Comments by Kamran Cheikh

The Qur'anic Philosophy to International Conflict Resolution

Wed, 20 May 2009 13:52:00 GMT

Throughout history mankind has gone through countless number of wars, conflicts, political disputes and genocides. The revelation of the Qur’an in 7^th century established an system that provided a framework for peace justice and progress unparalleled in history. Although, this particular system was lost after a few centuries, there remained a few empires throughout Muslim history that were able to retain some the principles of creating security and peace both inside and outside their empires. By the beginning of the 20^th century many countries particularly those in the western world began to establish modern nation states and saw the advantages of creating a global system that would foster peace and justice worldwide. Largely influential in this movement were philosophers, intellectual and leaders who came after of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment who studied periods of history like the early period of Islam as well as philosophical theories of global peace by previous scholars and philosophers.

One of the most famous works proposed at this time was by the renowned philosopher Immanuel Kant titled Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch, in which he outlined the idea of a global league of nations that would control international conflicts and promote peace between nations. Subsequently works such as these would lead to the formation of to the League of Nations in 1919 followed by the United Nations in 1945 which continues to operate today to prevent wars and provide platforms for international dialogue. Although attempts from the 20^th century to the present times by organizations such the U.N have tried to establish peace and justice globally they have encountered difficulties in trying to establish an effective agenda for conflict resolution. Most notably, conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have made many nations realize that the path to establish sustainable peace will require a reform of current philosophies. As a result, nations globally have recognized that current national ideologies, interests and perspectives are in conflict with the goal of creating an effective framework that not only establishes global peace, but also international justice, humanitarian aid, platforms for dialogue and global economic welfare.

The time for nations has already passed. The era of mankind as one community is about to dawn. (W. Chardin-Building of the Earth)

To gain a further perspective of the proposals of the Qur’an and its neglected potentials on this issue, one can do a historical analysis of the early Muslim history and the philosophy which the Qur’an calls mankind to create a unified global framework for conflict resolution.

Rules of Engagement -Persecution, Oppression and Genocide

In the beginning of the Islamic civilization, the Prophet Muhammad and his companions established a system that operated to promote peace and security throughout the region. The state of Medina became the first pluralistic nation state in history. During this period, Islam acted more than merely a state religion or political system, but also acted as system that would foster peace and security to neighboring nations very similar to the way the United Nations Security Council of today takes responsibility in acting to end global conflicts. The Islamic empire in the 7^th century was a principal organ that accepted responsibility of fostering peace and security not only within in its own empire but also to nations outside its empire if called upon do so by delegates from those nations . Both men and women accepted this responsibility, and people especially understood the dire need to maintain peace create by doing the smallest of acts such as seeking out slaves to free, providing charity to those in need, protection and adoption of orphans. Additionally, the rulers during the earliest periods of Islam would call rulers of other nations to the message of Islam (causing peace/security/submission to the laws of the creator) by sending out formal letters of invitations to them.

As the Muslim Empire acted as a system of security and peace, nations who were called to the system were only called to at least bear political allegiance to the system. Many leaders saw the benefits of the system. Delegates from nations who experienced oppression, persecution, were able to address issues to the central authorities in the Islamic empire who dealt with the issues accordingly. This particular process of delegation of the Qur’anic political system to help persecuted groups was crucial as the Muslim rulers and the delegates were able to quickly discuss ways in which they could alleviate the problems in their nations. After the delegation meetings were completed, the delegates would quickly take back the issues that were discussed to their nations, urging leaders to change there ways. If persecution continued after the delegates returned with the peace deal with their rulers, security troops from the Islamic Empire were sent to prevent further oppression from the rulers. This similar process in fact still occurs in modern times with organizations such as the U.N., however they have encountered many problems in preventing recurring problems of indigenous political and ethnic conflict in third world countries.

In recent times the Rwandan Genocide has been an example which the U.N securities council recognized that more effective means could have been taken to alleviate the national catastrophe. Mainly, what has been recognized by the U.N. and other nations is that the current rules of engagement for conflict resolution have posed major problems in the resolution process. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was a mission instituted by the United Nations to aid the implementation of ending the Hutu-Tutsi conflict of 1994. UNAMIR’s confusion over legal protocols led to escalating chaos during the civil conflict. The mission's vague mandate, created under Chapter VI of the UN Charter was unclear about the right to use force, particularly in defense of civilians. Although, the security troops did their best to save lives, nearly 100,000 people died by the end of the conflict. This event called many nations to an important question: Is it ever justified for security troops to use force, especially the use of armed force is to save the lives of civilians? The Qur’an gives mankind rules for conflict engagement and a few are listed below.

22:39-“Permission to fight is granted to only those against whom war is wrongfully waged. And Allah is indeed Most Powerful for their aid.”

2:192- “But if they stop (aggression), then behold! Allah is Forgiving/Proctecting, Merciful”

2:193- “Hence, fight them only until there is no more _فتنة_-fitna(persecution/oppression/torture/causing of terror/causing of chaos/ causing of fear).”

5:32- “…whoever kills a human being, unless it be for murder or bloody crimes on the earth, it would be as if he killed all mankind. And whoever saves one life it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.”

As one can clearly observe from these verses the Qur’an strongly admonishes aggressors and states that they should be stopped. The reason for this is that if the global systems and nations are committed to peace, security and sanctity of every human being, anyone who initiates conflict unprovoked thereby disrupting these values must be stopped in order to uphold the protection of every human life. But the Qur’an goes even further to state that the defenders of peace must make sure not to transgress their limits of resolving the conflict and end up causing fitna. Moreover it should be noted that in addition to these principles it is vital for security forces to have adequate information about the situation they are going into. Often in conflicts the lack of knowledge about who is responsible for the violations of rights of the oppressed population creates a great amount of disorder in the resolution process. Security troops rather than targeting the guilty end up targeting innocent civilians, an action which alienates the oppressed population from helping in the cause to establish peace.

42:41- “And those who stand up for their rights and defend themselves, when they have been wronged, for such, there is no blame.”

42:42-“The blame is on them whoيظلمون- (cause injustice/oppression/persecution )on people and cause disorder on earth resorting to aggression, unprovoked.”

In order to distinguish those who are responsible from the victims, troops accepting responsibility to end conflicts must communicate effectively with delegates of the nation that the conflict is occurring in before engaging in any type of actions by security forces. This step will enable counterinsurgency processes to greatly decrease the amount of casualties, the amount of interrogation of innocent civilians and will allow the process to run more swiftly. Furthermore, the defenders of peace must make sure that they are the ones upholding a moral platform by prohibiting actions such as killing innocent civilians, torture of suspects or taking unnecessary actions to stop aggressors. The Qur’an repeatedly stresses this notion to constantly remind the followers of its system to not forget that the main goal of their actions is to establish peace, security and uphold the sanctity of human life.

Throughout the history of civilization as technological warfare has become more advanced, these principles have at times been neglected by nations, which have undoubtedly hindered the process of global unification. A goal that international peace organizations and national militaries must work to attain in the future is the use of security force only in defense of civilian lives once attacks occur and never for vested elite interests,offensive tactics or reasons of suspicion. If nations and international security organizations are committed to establishing peace then they must reform their principles of establishing security to be in accordance with their commitments. This is a major part of the process of international conflict resolution that needs to be established; however one might ask if this factor alone is enough to prevent dissent from recurring between nations and if so what other aspects that might be added to the rules of engagement of ending global conflicts.

Post Conflict Compensation/Amendments

Indeed there are other factors in addition to establish effective rules of engagement to create a more effective platform for international conflict resolution. A factor that global security organizations like the U.N have encountered is creating an effective tribunal and reparations system during times of national crisis. Genocide related conflicts often leave many suspects that need to be prosecuted by international systems like the U.N and many families that have experienced losses that need cared and provision. Additionally, environmental, social and political reconstruction becomes a critical issue that a country must solve. The philosophy that the Qur’an proposes for such issues which was practiced during the early periods of Islam relied on a system of recompense which serves as a key factor in many of the Qur'an's guidelines for both domestic and international laws.

The Qur'anic term of Taubah or repentance is not the same as merely apologizing or asking for remission of sins which is how it became translated in Muslim societies overtime due to influence by previous religious traditions. The Qur'an does not state any such concept as a "sin" but rather uses the term Ithm which has a much wider implication as it indicates anything that enervates the individual and societal growth or potential. Thus, this word implies things that can lower the potential or state of individual growth, societal development and even environmental development, which can only be raised or removed by performing a counter action of equal caliber that benefits other people and not by any rituals or words.

Therefore, the word Taubah indicates perfoming certain good actions in terms of reform to remove the ill effect of one's bad actions that one has done to one self or to others and hence has a much wider implication than what is has been previously translated. The misinterpretation of this word in terms of criminal laws has led to the negligence of the humane and practical system of the Qur'an even for small crimes such as stealing. During the earliest periods of Muslim society in terms of war aggression or conflict each detained war aggressors would have to pay recompense in some manner for their actions, resulting in each victim being repaid in some way for their loss. The recompense did not have to be capital punishment or a life term prison sentence, which is often the case in many nations today but if all factors where taken into consideration and found that the crime could be recompensed in some way then it was often solved by means of jizya (labor or through a means of a fine (money paid for slaughter)) for the victim’s family members if they were willing to accept their repentance.

11:114-"Strive to establish and consolidate the Divine System, day and night. Actions that create balance in the society remove the ill effects of inequities. Good deeds remove bad deeds. This is a reminder for those who pay attention."

This philosophy of recompense can be very effective in today’s international security system. Regardless of the power that an individual holds in a nation their knowledge that they would be held accountable by a system and have to provide compensation for their wrongful actions would act as deterrence for acts of aggression,terrorism and persecution. Organizations such as the U.N. have attempted to establish tribunal systems that work as an outlet for reparation such as the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Africa. Although this system has produced some benefits, the system contains some flaws which have caused nations to call for reforms in the legal process of the system. The advantages of this trial system is that it has allowed for suspected aggressors to come out in the open and confess their actions to families of victims who suffered losses during time of civil conflict. In return for their confession the guilty receive amnesty from punishment.

However, the problem of this system is that it has left the duty to confer reparations up to local governments. Global security organizations rather than taking active steps to repair economic and environmental damage have often left this aspect for the local dismantled government to resolve these issues by themselves with very little humanitarian aid. This factor is often overlooked by international security systems as a cause for recurring internal conflicts in nations. Since many people are left without viable ways to achieve work, jobs, schooling or adequate living conditions; marginalization, oppression and persecution of particular groups often continues. This phenomenon creates gaps between groups, social classes, or different nations that can cause past conflicts to recur due to frustration from the marginalized or undeveloped population. In order to prevent this situation from occurring there must be a central organization or organizations that would be willing to help reconstruct the infrastructure of all nations in times of national crises.

During the earliest Muslim civilizations after a due process of delegation occurred between the central Islamic authority and representatives of other nations, homes and religious buildings were repaired as compensation for those who experienced persecution under their rulers. Additionally to alleviate further hardship on marginalized groups the nations received economic aid through the Qur’anic economic system. This particular process led to the establishment of a system that not only benefited those who believed in it but for those who saw the benefits of it and bore allegiance to the central authority. But most importantly for today the revival of the Qur’anic philosophy of recompense during times of global conflict whether it is enacted by international tribunal systems or local governance should be able to provide the cure for the recurring conflicts that are experienced by war torn nations.

Construction of Outlets for International Dialogue

As nations began to redefine their interest in accordance with the values of creating international peace, more can be done to further secure the process of global unification. As a global body is created to act as an organ for the facillitation of international peace and social welfare, more platforms for dialogue and prevention of war can be created. Currently, organizations such as the U.N. do in fact provide global conferences that work towards the goal of sustainable international peace. Additionally, one can look at the two functions the Qur’an proposes which a global society can use to implement peace worldwide: establishment of months of peace in which wars and conflicts of any type are prohibited, and the Hajj annual conference for all mankind to resolve global problems through debate, dialogue,exhibition,lecture and discussion.

9:36- "God has ordained twelve months in one year. This has been God’s Ordinance since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of these Months are Sacred, forbidden for all warfare. This is the Firm Religion, the right way. So, do not wrong yourselves by fighting during the Sacred Months."

The Qur’an tells mankind to establish four consecutive months of peace which must be agreed upon worldwide by leaders through treaties. This would allow temporary cessation of global conflicts and provide further outlets for forceful diplomatic dialogue and attempts to create peaceful non violent resolutions. Of course one must consider the fact that there may be individuals who might try to take advantage of the vulnerable position of societies at this time by creating disorder and war. The Qur'an states that conflicts that arise during these months of peace are a great transgression to security of societies and they must be stopped collectively by security organizations of those who sign the treaty.

2:194 - "You may fight during the Months of Peace and Security if you are attacked, for, a violation of sanctity will activate the Law of Just retribution. So, the one who attacks you should expect retaliation in like manner. Be mindful of God, and know that God is with those who live upright."

Additionally during these months the Hajj global conference would be established and administered by the central leaders of the global society who agree towards ethical and progressive principals and all people regardless of nationality, race, view of reality or class would be invited to participate.

2:197-"The Convention shall take place in the months appointed for it and made well known to all. Whoever participates in the Convention shall refrain from sexual intimacy, slipping out of discipline and argumentation throughout Hajj. And whatever you accomplish for the good of mankind, God will acknowledge it. So make ample provision, yet the best provision is your good conduct. Be mindful of Me(God), O You of understanding."

The convention would be held annually and the goal of such convention would be to resolve global political, economic, social, and environmental problems through discussion, lecture, networking and conductive activities. The emphasis on discipline is meant for everyone who participates in the convention to focus solely on the goal of creating peace. This function however will take time to be actualized as the current form of Hajj does not fulfill the potential stated in the Qur’an and is understood by the majority as having only a ritualistic religious function. However in the future as nations begin to reform their ideologies to be more conducive towards creating international peace, humanity will see the benefits of conducting an annual event such as the Hajj convention. The presence of many global development, security and justice organizations in modern times has shown that humanity is slowly moving towards the actualization of an international order based on justice, peace, progress and security for all individuals. The Qur’an refers to this particular period as the Yaum Ad-Deen (Period of the Deen) which humanity will establish on their own free will. This period/stage is a central theme in the Qur’an and is very extensive, thus further explanations will occur in future posts about all of its meanings and what it entails for mankind.

Qur'an verses from- The Qur'an As It Explains Itself- Dr. Shabbir Ahmed
Additional explanations in verses from Kamran Cheikh

Al-Jahiz- A Humanist and Scientist of Our Times- Founder of the Theory of Evolution

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:20:00 GMT

Quite possibly one of the greatest humanist and scientists of our times Al Jahiz (al-Jahiz = the goggle-eyed) established himself as a renowned scholar throughout the 9^th century Muslim world. As a politio-religious polemic, literary author, theologian, biologist and zoologist he became a revolutionary figure in the Abbasid Caliphate era that sparked a movement of science that would have an immense impact in the realm of biology and zoology for centuries to come. Al-Jahiz produced more than 200 works, of which approximately 30 survive, and was one of the first Muslim scholars to write on scientific subjects in the language of laymen. Inspired by the statements in Qur'an about the origin and devolpment of life , he composed his most famous work Kitab al-hayawan (Book of animals) and recieved credit for establishing the first theory of human evolution and natural selection , 1000 years before Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection a fact which is not widely known. Among the topics addressed in this seven-volume encyclopedia are animal communication and psychology, forms of social organization among ants and other creatures, and the impact of diet and climate on animal life. Below is an article written by the Islamic Quarterly in London about his scientific achievements.

Al-Jahiz and the Rise of Biological Evolutionism

Although al-Nazzam made the first steps in the field of biological evolutionary thought in the history of science, for the first time the theory of biological evolution in its complete form was presented by a great early zoologist named Al-Jahiz, who was the first to originate in the ninth century. Al-Jahiz’s theory is an example of scientific revolution and innovation that has had reverberations into the farthest reaches of human thought. It is fair to say that many problems of the philosophy of Nature appeared in a new light after the revolution of Al-Jahiz and his successors. Before describing al-Jahiz’s own views and his influence upon Muslim and European thinkers, especially upon Lamarck and Darwin, I want to give some biographical and bibliographical accounts.

Al-Jahiz’s View on Biological Evolution

After a long study of animals, Al-Jahiz was the first to put forward his view of biological evolution in his Book of Animals, which contains the germs of many later evolutionary theories (animal embryology, evolution, adaptation, animal psychology and sociology)

First of all, Al-Jahiz’s attempts were made in a truly scientific spirit to class if V animals in a linear series, beginning with the simplest and continuing to the most complex; and at the same time, he arranged them into groups having marked similarities; and these groups were divided into sub-groups to trace the ultimate unit in the species
An early exponent of the zoological and anthropological sciences, Al- Jahiz discovered and recognized the effect of environmental factors on animal life; and he also observed the transformation of animal species under different factors. And in many remarkable passages of his book, he also described for us the struggle of existences for survival, its aim and mechanisms and value in a scientific way, as well as in a folkloric way. As to know the mechanisms of evolution, Al-Jahiz described three mechanisms. These are Struggle for Existence, Transformation of species into each other, and Environmental Factors.

Let us now see the mechanisms, as briefly as possible.

Struggle for Existence: al-Jahiz placed the greatest weight on evolution by the struggle for existence, or, in a larger sense, by natural selection. It operates in conjunction with the innate desire for conservation and permanence of the ego. According to al-Jahiz, between every individual existence, there is a natural war for life. The existence are in struggle with each other. Al-Jahiz’s theory of struggle for existence may accordingly be defined as a differential death rate between two variant class of existence, the lesser death rate characterizing the better adapted and stronger class. And for al-Jahiz, the struggle for existence is a divine law; God makes food for some bodies out of some other bodies’ death. He says, “The rat goes out for collecting his food, and it searches and seizes them. It eats some other inferior animals, like small animals and small birds. . . it hides its babies in disguised underground tunnels for protecting them and himself against the attack of the snakes and of the birds. Snakes like eating rats very much. As for the snakes, they defend themselves from the danger of the beavers and hyenas; which are more powerful than themselves. The hyena can frighten the fox, and the latter frightens all the animals which are inferior to it.

This is the law that some existences are the food for others. All small animals eat smaller ones; and all big animals cannot eat bigger ones. Men with each other are like animals. . . God makes cause of some body’s life, from some body’s death and vice versa. And according to Al-Jahiz, the struggle does not exist only between the members of different species, but also between the members of the same species.

From what Al-Jahiz has said, we can make an assertion that God has created nature in a prodigal reproductive character and He has also established a law, which is the biological struggle for existence in order to keep it within a limited ratio. Otherwise, the disorder could appear in Nature and it could lose some of its riches and species. We can see the germs of Darwin’s and the Neo-Darwinian’s theory of Natural Selection in this remarkable passage which we have mentioned above. Transformation of Species: Al-Jahiz, as later Lamarck and Darwin, for example, believes that the transformation of species and mutation is possible. The transformation operates in conjunction with the effect of environmental factors. And he asserted that the original forms branched out into new forms of species by gradually developing new characteristics which helped them to survive environmental conditions. He says, “People said different things about the existence of al-miskh (the original form of quadrupeds). Some accepted its evolution and said that it gave existence to dog, wolf, fox and their similars. The members of this family came from this form (al-miskk).

And, he adds that God’s will and power is the main causal factor in the transformation, and God can transform any species into another at any time He wants. So Al-Jahiz defends the transformation of species and mutation, due to different factors, including God’s will’7, as we have said above. Here Al-Jahiz got some of his material from the sayings of different learned men. As for the effect of environmental factors on species, al-Jahiz believes that the food, climate, shelter and other factors have some biological and psychological effects on species. And for him, these factors also lead the species to a hard struggle for survival. In a changed environment, there is also a change in some characters having survival value. The process of changing characters in succeeding generations makes the organisms better adapted to their environment. They thus survive and get a chance to breed and transmit their characteristics to their offspring. So, al-Jahiz based his theory upon the notion of the use and disuse of organs in the adaptation of animals to their environment.

Al-Jahiz says, “Without doubt, we have seen that some Nabatheen navigators resembled the ape in some geographical environment, likely we have also seen some people from Morocco and have found them as like as al-maskh, except for a little difference.... And it is possible that the polluted air and water, and dust made this change in the character of these Moroccans. If this effect goes on more and more in them, those changes in their bristles, ears, colors, and form (similar to the ape) increase more.
Such are the main mechanisms of al-Jahiz’s biological evolution. Now, I will speak about al-Jahiz’s great influence upon Muslim and European scientists. Al-Jahiz’s zoology and theory of biological evolution have profoundly affected the development of zoology and biology. As we have said before, al-Jahiz’s biological evolution had some direct influences upon Ikhwan al-Safa, and other illustrious philosophers, such as Ibn Miskawayh, al-Biruni, Ibn Tufayl, with whom al-Jahiz’s theory acquired a new sense, in that they made of it two new doctrines: a cosmological one, because it was applied to the phenomena of the whole universe; and a sociological one, because it was applied to social phenomena. Moreover, Ibn Miskawayh and Ibn Khaldun explain the true meaning of Prophecy and prove it by such a theory. Thus, Jahiz’s pure biological evolution became the source of different doctrines in later Islamic thought, such as sociological, metaphysical and cosmological evolutionism.

On the other hand, al-Jahiz’s theory has been repeated by Muslim zoologists and naturalists, especially by al-Zakariyya’ al-Qazwini, in his ‘Aja’ ib al-Makhluqat, Mustawfi al-Qazwini in his Nuzhat al-Qulub, and al- Damiri in his Hayat al-Hayawan, without mentioning other literary persons, such as al-Masudi and Ibn Qutayba.
As for the influence of al-Jahiz on European thinkers, it has become the subject of two main studies: “Der Darwinismus im X und XIX Jahrhundert” of Fr. Dieterici (Leipzig, 1878) and “Darwinistisches bei Gahiz” of E. Wiedemann (sitzungsbericht der physikalisch-medizinischen Sozietaet in Erlangen, 47, 1915). Previous to me, they found a great similarity between al-Jahiz and Darwin. Indeed, Darwin and his precursors took up the theory of al-Jahiz as the base for the essentiality of their evolutionary theories, and they formulated it in a more scientific way in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries development of science. Perhaps the only main difference between al-Jahiz’s theory and modern theory is in ideology: al-Jahiz’s theory is theologic and more transcendental in this sense that he accepts that the first cause of evolution in living organisms is God and that the other factors are secondary; while Lamarck, Darwin and others’ evolution is more immanent and materialistic. Although the mechanistic explanations of the theories are more or less the same, Darwin and other modern scientists differ from al-Jahiz and other Muslim writers in ideological interpretation of the theory.
How has Jahiz’s idea been transmitted to the Europeans? Al-Jahiz and other evolutionist Muslim thinkers influenced Darwin and his predecessors in several ways. Before the flourishing of C. Linnaeus (1707-1778), Buffon (1707-1788), E. Darwin (1731-1802),J. B. Lamarck (1744-1829), and Ch. Darwin (1809-1882), and long before the rise of the school of Natural Philosophy in Germany, al-Jahiz and others were known to Europeans through the translation of their own works and studies on them by Europeans. For example, al-Damiri’s book Hayat al-Hayawan was partially translated into Latin by a Jew, called Abraham Echellensis (d. Italy 1664) and published in Paris in 1617. This book contains many passages taken from al-Jahiz’s Kitab al-Hayawan. Al-Nuwayri’s JVihaya was studied by D’Herbelot (1625—1695) in his Bibliotheca Orientalis, and later byJ. Heyman (?—1737). Ibn Tufayl’s Hay Ibn raqzan, which contains the philosophy of evolution, was first published by Edward Pocockes, Sr. (1604-1690), together with a Latin translation published by Edward ~Pococke, Jr. (1648-1727) in Oxford in 1671 (second edition, Oxford, 1700) . Zakariyya’ al-Qazwini’s cosmography, ‘Aja’ ib al-Makhluqat was published by F. Wustenfeld in 2 volumes in Gottingen in 1848-49; and Kitab Talkhis al-A thar of Bakuwi, a summary of al-Qazwini’s book was translated into French and published by De Guignes in Paris, in 1789 . In fact, his book also contains many ideas from al-Jahiz. And A. L. de Chezy translated al-Qazwini’ s ‘Aja’ib, and his translation was published in 1806 (first publication) by S. de Sacy, in his Chresiomathie A rabe. There is no doubt that the great evolutionist Sufi, Mawlana, had already influenced Goethe, who called him “a Darwinian before Darwin” his theory of metamorphosis has profoundly affected the development of biology. In any case, Islamic zoology penetrated the West as early as the seventeenth century. Some Europeans knew Arabic and they could read directly from the Muslim scientists’ books; for example, Darwin was himself initiated into Islamic culture in Cambridge under a Jewish Orientalist called Samuel Lee. We think that what we have said can show Muslim influence upon Europeans. Some further comparative study can be undertaken in this subject, in order to bring to light the influence of Muslim evolutionist thinkers upon the Europeans and the transmission of their ideas to the West.

Al-Jahiz’s theory of evolution was something very new in the history of science, and there was nothing written previous to it. Although Greek philosophers like Empedocles and Aristotle spoke of the change in Nature, in plants and animals, they never made the first steps on the field of the future theory of evolution of the Muslims. Their concept of change was only a concept of simple change and motion, nothing more than that. And by the concept of change, they never designed explicitly or implicitly a concept of evolution: “The World of Nature is thus for Aristotle, a world of self-moving thing, as it is for the Ionians and for Plato. Nature as such is process, growth, and change. This process is a development, i.e. the changing takes successive forms, a, b, y, in which each is the potentiality of its successor, but it is not what we call ‘evolution’, because for Aristotle, the kinds of change and of structure exhibited in the world of nature form an eternal repertory, and the items in the repertory are related logically, not temporally, among themselves.

The Compatibility of Islam and Democracy. A Historic and Qur'anic Standpoint.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:06:00 GMT

The question of whether Islam is compatible with democracy has been a highly debated issue for both the West and the Muslim majority world since the beginning of the 20^th century. Scholars of history have often argued that there has been a clash of civilizations between Western and Muslim civilizations throughout history and that Islam will always be in conflict with secular democratic principles. The increase of globalization has also made this issue more important as coherent relations between Western and the Muslim majority societies have become increasingly vital in maintaining global prosperity.

Despite, the commonly held view by historians that Islam is incompatible with democracy, scholars of Islam in Western societies have been able to argue the contrary, and that the relationship between Islam democracy goes back farther than most historians have recognized. In Professor John Esposito’s work Islam and Democracy he states that the notion of Islam being incompatible with democracy has been a major misconception that has often been often repeated by historians and researchers of Islam and in his essay he reflects upon modern day examples of Muslim majority societies that display democratic principles in their governments as he states:

“The Turkish experience reflects the fact that many Muslims, whether living in formally secular or formally Islamic states, see democracy as their main hope and vehicle of effective political participation. One important dimension of this participation is that despite conservative Muslim opposition to the idea of rule by a woman, the three largest Muslim states in the world -- Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan -- have had or now have elected women as their heads of government.”

Thus as Esposito, makes clear modern day examples of Muslim Majority democracies are showing that Islam is not inherently incompatible with democracy. In fact, if one looks further into the development of western civilization we find that Islam has made a valuable impact on the development of the ideals associated with democracy and the secular nation state today. Social Anthropologist Robert Briffault makes note of this fact in his famous work The Making of Humanity:

_”The ideas that inspired the French Revolution and the Declaration of
Rights that guided the framing of the American Constitution and inflamed
the struggle for independence in the Latin American countries [and
elsewhere] were not inventions of the West. They find their ultimate
inspiration and source in the Holy Koran”

If the Qur’an was a guiding source for construction of some of the major documents and revolutions that occurred in the West, what has kept the Muslim majority world from seeing its potential and economizing similar movements? This is an important question to answer which I shall further discuss later. But first, to further elucidate on the issue of Islam’s compatibility with democracy and its implications in modern times one must look at the Qur’anic standpoint as well as the historical establishment of Islamic Polity in order to come to a proper understanding of the democratic principles of Islam and its role in a Qur'anic society.

Quite possibly the most important issue that needs to be addressed when discussing Islam’s compatibility with democracy is its ability to create a fair and pluralistic society. The treatment of non-Muslims in an Islamic state has been a major case of issue for some critics of Islam. In fact, many critics who have misperceived Islam’s outlook on rights especially in light of the pluralistic, universal message of the Qur’an and neglected parts of history have referred to a coined term dhimmitude to classify the unequal treatment of non-Muslims in an Islamic society.

However, if one examines history they will find many examples of Muslim societies being able to create just and pluralistic societies. Most notably with this issue if one looks at the earliest Muslim communities they will find that the 7^th century Charter of Medina established the first successful pluralistic constitution based nation state in history. The society itself was composed of a mixed population of Muslims, Jews, Pagans and other religious groups that were present in the Arabian Peninsula, with each citizen playing a major role in the social and political structure of the society.

Basic Equal Human Rights of all citizens provided by the Charter

All citizens were given equal rights in categories such as:

1. Freedom of Religion and Worship,

2. Protection of Honor, Security of life and property

3. Freedom of Speech and Right to Assembly.

4. The Right to fair trial. All people were innocent until proven guilty. Equality was especially stressed in each case. Not even a political leader could push their way through the court system or influence a verdict.

5. Just economic welfare.

6. Gender Equity

7. Employment, Shelter, Medical care and later education

8. Emancipation of Slaves since God is the only Master.

9. Nothing allowed for men was prohibited for women.

All of the above principles were vital in establishing the foundations of a Qur’anic state and were similarly essential to the construction of secular democratic societies; hence there should be no question that there is inability in Islam to create a stable pluralistic society based on equal rights. An additional point that has often recurred in the discussion of equal rights is the misconception of the term jizyah. Contrary, to commonly held belief by historians, the term jizyah which appears once in the Qu’ran(9:29) does not apply to a poll tax of non-Muslims but rather a recompense due to damages done by war aggressors and is paid by either financial means or by labor. In fact, there was no poll tax against non-Muslim populations in the Islamic state of Medina.

The notion of jizyah as a poll tax became a common later practice under Muslim monarchial societies who began to move away from guidelines of the economic system prescribed in the Qu’ran and began to incorporate the economic principles that were upheld of their previous religious or cultural heritages. In the state of Medina, the only means of income were provided by the state, labor and the produce of land. If Medina was able accommodate a decree of equal human rights for its citizens similar to modern day secular democratic societies the next question that needs to be addressed is how were the laws of the society decided upon?

Structure of Civil and Political Law Process

Another important issue in the discussion of democratic principles of an Islamic state is the political and civil construction of the government in the state of Medina. Similarly, with the secular democracies of today, the state along with the Medina charter on citizen’s rights was based on a Constitution, which were the prescribed laws of the Qur’an. This held a unique implication as in addition to the fact that no human had the right to rule over another human, all rulings were based upon the guidelines of the Qur’an which left minor details to be determined by the society in accordance with changing times.

These minor details where decided by the society and by bodies of officials through a very a important concept referred to as shura, which means consultation, or consensus by a body or group of people. This concept formed the basis for democratic principles in modern times as government officials decided upon affairs according to voting democratically based on Qur’anic guidelines and laws preserved in the Qu’ran as well as individuals deciding upon community issues and societal conditions in a similar manner.

42:38 - And who respond to their Sustainer, and establish the Divine System and who conduct their affairs by shura/ شورا /(mutual consultation).---

12:40- All rulings of law belong to Allah alone.--

These two verses serve as essential principles that are taken into in the construction of a government in a Qur’anic society. Although, the Qur’an draws an important distinction from all modern day nations, the rulings even through mutual consultation must be made by the ethics of the Qur’an. However, this does as imply that these ethics are to be forcefully applied on the society without agreement and discussion against their will. Each law must be decided in the most reasonable and just manner, taking both individual and collective welfare into account. These principles ensure that each person’s rights and potential are upheld. A few modern day Muslim majority countries have attempted to draw their own laws closer to the values of a Qur’anic society and have began to reconstruct their governments based on the Qur’anic principles.

Most notably the government of Pakistan has attempted be in the forefront of Muslim majority countries to construct some of their civic laws in line with Qur’anic ordinances while at the same time taking into account the settings of modern day with certain laws. For example in 2005, the Pakistani parliament amended the nation's law against adultery to a short term jail sentence or a fine rather than light floggings as done traditionally or the illegitimate and barbaric practice of stoning practiced by some radicalist groups.

Additionally, the Parliament was able to pass amendants that allowed for sufficient foresinc evidence to take equal precedence with the traditional approach of requiring witnesses to testify for certain crimes. Amendments such as these are displaying that the fundamental philosophy for the movement towards the future Qur'anic society, is not to recreate the setting of 7th century Arabia nor is it seen as necessary to apply these laws exactly as how they have been done in the past centuries in Muslim societies, but to rationally analyze and apply the ethics of the Qur'an to the settings of a modern open pluralistic society.

For behind each law, command and ethic that the Qur'an has given there is an underlying guideline that must be recognized. As many scholars of Islam have noted, the likelihood of widely recreating the exact type of Islamic political states that existed during reign of the Rightly guided Caliphate with the Qur'an as the constitution or in centuries later in medieval times is not possible. While this observation is true, it does not negate the idea of the concept of a reformation and rejuvenation of Islamic societies into a modern, progressive mode based upon Qur'anic principles. Mainly, with this notion what needs to be addressed is the fact that some of the novel neglected concepts and essential ethics that are contained in the Qur'an have yet to be largely recognized or applied in terms of modern settings.

The approaches to the interpretation of the Qur'an and the Islamic law have almost always been looked at in terms of traditional religous and cultural precedence or historical connectivity, rather than scientifically analyzing the basis behind the ethics of the Qur'an and applying them to changing times. Many modern majority Muslim societies have neglected that the main obligation of the Qur'an is for all individuals to not conform to ideas of theology, clerical bodies or a nationalistic culture, but rather to accept the ethics of maintance of peace and security between all societies. The Qur'an lays out some basic ethics for societies to uphold and to use their reason and creative powers to apply and expand upon them in their own societies. The acceptance of the ideas of maintaining peace, security and development for all mankind is in fact the deen(system/obligation to the creation) that the Qur'an prescribes for mankind. With this notion kept in mind, an agreement of essential principles between the conglamorate of viewpoints both from within Islam and by religious minorities should be a viable notion for modern times.

Hence, the use of guidance from the Qur'an in modern times for many reformist is being shown to be possible and if applied correctly will produce the types of just, progressive and open societies that the Qur'an projects for the future. The challenge of this movement, lies in using the Qur'an and modern settings in determining the division of the ethical responsibilitys to be upheld between the society and the individual. Thus, the essence and key to creating the modern Qur'anic society is to construct individual policies and national constitutions that contain the extracted civil, social and political ethics of the Qur'an for each particular society and time. But if the laws in Medina were constructed through the guidelines of the Qur’an the effect that this had on the process of electing leaders and the power they held is another issue that must be addressed.

Election of Political Leaders

In the state of Medina, all people were able to propose names for the office-holders who were required to accept this nomination on their own free will. Thus, if they accepted their nomination they would pledge an allegiance bay’ah/بَيْعَة of confidence from the people. During this time the Prophet Muhammed was nominated and accepted by the people of the Medina as the Leader of the State. However, in modern times the Qur’anic guidelines such as shura, bay’ah and nomination allow the incorporation of democratic principles in election of leaders in a Qur’anic society.

Additionally, in the state of Medina, if one possessed a special knowledge or skills in particular field not known by the majority of the public such as (business, economics) they too were able to propose their own names for nomination for a particular government position. Just as modern nation states today have particular provinces or local states which a headed by governors or ministers, the state of Medina was divided into seven provinces each headed by a Waali(governor or guardian) who would be accepted by the citizens of the province through the system of allegiance. An interesting fact of the Qur'an is that it does not forbid one take any political leadership role based upon theological points as long as they accept to trust in keeping peace, security based upon the basic established guidelines of the society. This includes one refraining from sticking to ideas and actions that disrupt peace,order and development of the society(Shirk) as displayed by the following verse.

9:18 -" The only people fit to administer the Masjids (the centers of order, societal production and service of development in the creation ), are ones who have trust in creating peace and security with God's creation(Amina =trust to maintain, peace,security,development and service to the creation(not belief as commonly translated)) and in the coming of the period of ultimate accountability for ones actions in the creation(Yaum Al-Akhir=Last Day=Yaum Ad-deen=future period of obligation,repetitive habit of peace, justice and progress, recompense and the ultimate just analysis, accountability and judgement of all actions and occurences in the creation). And, they strive to establish the Divine System(Salaat- Divine system or actions that move towards development and security of the creation) , and to set up the Just Economic System of Zakaat and fear none but the laws that God has established in the creation. They are the only ones who are rightly guided."

Any dispute amongst the local population was decided by the societal governing bodies based upon the notions of consultation. Additionally, one should note that similarly with constitution based secular democracies today there was no clergy or priesthood that was allowed to take office or rule over the people since all rulings were decided by the society in accordance with the Qur’an as the Constitution. In fact, the Qur'an has prohibited any establishment of clerical bodies to preside the over rule of citizens, since societies governed by religious clergy are very susceptible to stagnation, misguidance, deprivation of human rights and civil unrest.

As I have shown by the above examples, if one looks at both historical precedence and the Qur'an they will find more than enough support for the notion that Islam is capable of creating dynamic, pluralistic and democratic society. However, if this is true, one might ask what has kept these principles of the Qur’an and historical precedence from manifesting permanently in today’s Muslim majority societies?

Reasons for the Struggle to establish Democracy in today’s Muslim Majority nations

Although, the Prophet had as established an exemplary model for a Qur’anic society, as Islam spread to different parts of the world the Islamic law began to substantially change from the intended message of the Qu’ran. In a few centuries after the death of the Prophet and the end of the rightly guided Caliphate, the empires that sprung out the Middle East began to separate the Qur’an from the state law and instead implemented laws created by monarchs and hired religious scholars. Furthermore, religious leaders began to form schools of thought (Madhabs) which often were influenced by the previous religious or cultural traditions from which they originated.

Quite possibly, the most notable factor that contributed to the separation of Qur'an and State were the compilation of Hadith or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Many of the compiled hadiths are not based on written documents but oral traditions centuries after the Prophet and are often in direct contradiction to the Qur’anic ordinances and they effectively served the motives of the elites to preserve their cultural and religious practices.

The practice of collection of many hadiths thereby began to create many dissenting sects as each hadith collector catered toward a particular culture and ideology. As a result, many Qur’an interpretations began to be intentionally misconstrued by schools of thought and gave contradicting interpretations to the original intended meaning of the Arabic text. One noteworthy example of this phenomenon can be seen today in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca an event which according to the Qur’an is intended to be an international conference or summit in which all people can participate in rather than a religious duty only for Muslims.

Although, the Qur’an does not allow any other book to be an authority in law making, the Muslim religious scholars around the 8^th century began to block the Qur’anic message by stating that the Qur’an alone cannot be used as a source of guidance and that their has to be another source of law outside the Qur’an that makes the Islamic law clearer and effective such as hadiths or books written by scholars which described how to implement laws that were not in the Qur’an. Since these hadiths and other sources of law written by religious leaders were heavily influenced by the elites of the time this began to lock the Islamic law inside a particular line of thought and culture.

Medieval Muslim scholars soon began to lose focus on learning the original flexible arabic dialect and the universal message of the Qur'an that promotes a system to unite mankind not on the basis of theological belief but rather unite them on the notions of peace, security, development and commonality in species. Unfortunately, as it is even continued to be misuderstood today, Islam soon began to be construed by some scholars as a static, monolithic religion and culture that promoted ethnocentricity, adherence to a school of thought and denouncement of diversity of culture.

Consequently, jurists of the time began to see the process of following taqlid (tradition or precedence) as a praiseworthy act and the only way to implement Islamic law effectively despite the fact that it was contrary to ordinances in the Qur'an. Moreover, since all of these groups come from different perspectives outside the Qur’anic guidelines there has been a lack of coherence in Islamic political thought that continues today. Each religious leader calls for a particular school of thought to be implemented that is often not in accordance with the one of the times or the views of the general population. Thus, historical analysis of early Islamic civilizations has shown to be very vital for the case made by many modern Muslim reformists.

Although, due to the heavy political influence of canocial Muslim history that is now widely ready today, what has also shown to be needed by modern reformists is research and discovery of earlier texts that have been neglected or kept hidden in the earlier centuries. Interestingly, some scholars have stated that some of the recently discovered pre-"canonical" neglected texts of Muslim history not only are more compatible with the Qur'an, but in fact reveal a history that is drastically different than what is contained in the canonical texts.

Although, regardless of historical research the main source of a drastic reform in Muslim world lies in extracting the essential guidelines of the Qur'an to modern settings. Since the beginning of the 20^th century, many reform movements and Muslim intellectuals began to realize that the path in establishing a successful modern societies relies on basing government affairs on the principles of the Qur’an with the use of reason to construct implementation of laws to be in accordance with changing times.

The Future of Democracy and Islam

Many Muslim majority countries have now began to realize the benefits of establishing a democratic society and in fact are beginning to see it is as inherently compatible with the message of Islam. Nations such as Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan have already shown signs that they are ready to undertake the necessary steps in reconstructing their governments to become model Qur’anic societies for other countries in the Muslim World to follow. As Muslim majority nations begin to look back at historical precedence as well as the Qur’an’s message they will be able to establish stable democracies based on Qur’anic principles. Before the world can unite I believe that the movement of Muslim majority nations toward democracy is the first step that must be taken in order to eventually establish a global order based on peace, equality and justice for all mankind in the future.

Qur'an verses quoted from The Qur'an As It Explains Itself- Dr.Shabbir Ahmed.
Comments and further notes on verses by Kamran cheikh.

Peter Singer- Famine,Affluence and Morality. A global crisis that calls for change.

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:23:00 GMT

With the current global economic crisis, many nations have been reconsidering their current philosophy of economic policies. Additionally, ethical theorists of economics have recognized that the current form global capitalistic economy needs to be reconstructed with more emphasis placed on global social welfare. This rising form of economic thought has led many theorists to views that are drawing quite closely to the Qur’anic view of economic and social welfare. One of the biggest proponents and developers of this line of thought is world renowned Australian Philosopher Peter Singer, who has written numerous works on issues of global poverty and the need for the affluent nations to change their current economic policies. In his most famous work, “Famine, Affluence and Morality” he argues that affluent persons and nations are morally obligated to donate far more resources to humanitarian causes than is considered normal in modern capitalistic societies. The essay was inspired by the starvation of Bangladesh Liberation War refugees, and uses their situation as an example, although Singer's argument also addresses issues on a general global scope. Below are excerpts from his essay as well my comments on how his points fit in line with the Qur’anic framework.

Duty to enhance welfare for those inside as well as outside one’s society

“I shall argue that the way people in relatively affluent countries react to a situation like that in Bengal cannot be justified; indeed, the whole way we look at moral issues - our moral conceptual scheme - needs to be altered, and with it, the way of life that has come to be taken for granted in our society. In arguing for this conclusion I will not, of course, claim to be morally neutral. I shall, however, try to argue for the moral position that I take, so that anyone who accepts certain assumptions, to be made explicit, will, I hope, accept my conclusion. I begin with the assumption that suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad. I think most people will agree about this, although one may reach the same view by different routes. I shall not argue for this view. People can hold all sorts of eccentric positions, and perhaps from some of them it would not follow that death by starvation is in itself bad. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to refute such positions, and so for brevity I will henceforth take this assumption as accepted. Those who disagree need read no further.

My next point is this: if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it. By "without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance" I mean without causing anything else comparably bad to happen, or doing something that is wrong in itself, or failing to promote some moral good, comparable in significance to the bad thing that we can prevent. This principle seems almost as uncontroversial as the last one. It requires us only to prevent what is bad, and to promote what is good, and it requires this of us only when we can do it without sacrificing anything that is, from the moral point of view, comparably important. I could even, as far as the application of my argument to the Bengal emergency is concerned, qualify the point so as to make it: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it. An application of this principle would be as follows: if I am walking past a shallow pond and see a child drowning in it, I ought to wade in and pull the child out. This will mean getting my clothes muddy, but this is insignificant, while the death of the child would presumably be a very bad thing.

The uncontroversial appearance of the principle just stated is deceptive. If it were acted upon, even in its qualified form, our lives, our society, and our world would be fundamentally changed. For the principle takes, firstly, no account of proximity or distance. It makes no moral difference whether the person I can help is a neighbor's child ten yards from me or a Bengali whose name I shall never know, ten thousand miles away. Secondly, the principle makes no distinction between cases in which I am the only person who could possibly do anything and cases in which I am just one among millions in the same position.”

2:27 -(Just as there is One Creator, likewise mankind is but one Community.) Those who break this ratified Bond of God and cut asunder the unity of mankind that God has commanded them to uphold, and thus lay the foundation of chaos on earth, those will be the losers in the long run.

Since, the Qur’an s states that mankind is one community and the divine laws make no distinction upon its creation there can be no room for different treatment of people. As Singer correctly states, an important point we all must consider is the needs of all human beings whether they are inside or outside our own society. The promotion of preference upon different societies who are affluent creates disparities among mankind as a whole.

Obligation to benefit the less fortunate

“There may be a greater need to defend the second implication of my principle - that the fact that there are millions of other people in the same position, in respect to the Bengali refugees, as I am, does not make the situation significantly different from a situation in which I am the only person who can prevent something very bad from occurring. Again, of course, I admit that there is a psychological difference between the cases; one feels less guilty about doing nothing if one can point to others, similarly placed, who have also done nothing. Yet this can make no real difference to our moral obligations. [2] Should I consider that I am less obliged to pull the drowning child out of the pond if on looking around I see other people, no further away than I am, who have also noticed the child but are doing nothing? One has only to ask this question to see the absurdity of the view that numbers lessen obligation. It is a view that is an ideal excuse for inactivity; unfortunately most of the major evils - poverty, overpopulation, pollution - are problems in which everyone is almost equally involved. “

It is interesting that Singer discusses the notion of obligations to prevent bad situations from arising globally. The example that he use to relate the situation of a drowning child with that of one dying of hunger, truly evokes the dire image at hand. Singer’s notion is very much similar to the notion of Deen which in its original meaning meant obligation. Hence, Singer’s analysis according to the Qur’an is correct as Islam(causation of peace and security) states that humans have an obligation to each other to enjoin good and prevent the vices of the world such poverty and inequality that hold mankind back from creating a peaceful and equitable existence.

Common Objections to Moral scheme of Global Social Welfare

“If my argument so far has been sound, neither our distance from a preventable evil nor the number of other people who, in respect to that evil, are in the same situation as we are, lessens our obligation to mitigate or prevent that evil. I shall therefore take as established the principle I asserted earlier. As I have already said, I need to assert it only in its qualified form: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything else morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it.

One objection to the position I have taken might be simply that it is too drastic a revision of our moral scheme. People do not ordinarily judge in the way I have suggested they should. Most people reserve their moral condemnation for those who violate some moral norm, such as the norm against taking another person's property. They do not condemn those who indulge in luxury instead of giving to famine relief. But given that I did not set out to present a morally neutral description of the way people make moral judgments, the way people do in fact judge has nothing to do with the validity of my conclusion. My conclusion follows from the principle which I advanced earlier, and unless that principle is rejected, or the arguments are shown to be unsound, I think the conclusion must stand, however strange it appears. It might, nevertheless, be interesting to consider why our society, and most other societies, do judge differently from the way I have suggested they should. In a well known article, J. O. Urmson suggests that the imperatives of duty, which tell us what we must do, as distinct from what it would be good to do but not wrong not to do, function so as to prohibit behavior that is intolerable if men are to live together in society. [3] This may explain the origin and continued existence of the present division between acts of duty and acts of charity. Moral attitudes are shaped by the needs of society, and no doubt society needs people who will observe the rules that make social existence tolerable. From the point of view of a particular society, it is essential to prevent violations of norms against killing, stealing, and so on. It is quite inessential, however, to help people outside one's own society.”

Singer brings up the topic of why current societies judge differently from the conclusion of his argument. As he notes, current societies only observe to prevent present violations that make social existence tolerable within their own particular societies, while less emphasizing or neglecting the needs of people outside their own society. Throughout history this philosophy has been commonly believed by societies to be the only system that is in line with human nature. This has resulted in a pertinent issue:each society has devised a system which serves its own interests and gives support to only to those who support its own aspirations. Each system is suited only to its leaders but fails to serve others. The existing, global social systems have thus divided mankind into opposition instead of unity in a common goal or purpose, global prosperity. Therefore, a need for a global outlook which would embrace all humanity cannot be denied.

Division of Duties, Wealth and Means of Production

If this is an explanation of our common distinction between duty and supererogation, however, it is not a justification of it. The moral point of view requires us to look beyond the interests of our own society. Previously, as I have already mentioned, this may hardly have been feasible, but it is quite feasible now. From the moral point of view, the prevention of the starvation of millions of people outside our society must be considered at least as pressing as the upholding of property norms within our society.

It has been argued by some writers, among them Sidgwick and Urmson, that we need to have a basic moral code which is not too far beyond the capacities of the ordinary man, for otherwise there will be a general breakdown of compliance with the moral code. Crudely stated, this argument suggests that if we tell people that they ought to refrain from murder and give everything they do not really need to famine relief, they will do neither, whereas if we tell them that they ought to refrain from murder and that it is good to give to famine relief but not wrong not to do so, they will at least refrain from murder. The issue here is: Where should we draw the line between conduct that is required and conduct that is good although not required, so as to get the best possible result? This would seem to be an empirical question, although a very difficult one. One objection to the Sidgwick-Urmson line of argument is that it takes insufficient account of the effect that moral standards can have on the decisions we make.

Given a society in which a wealthy man who gives 5 percent of his income to famine relief is regarded as most generous, it is not surprising that a proposal that we all ought to give away half our incomes will be thought to be absurdly unrealistic. In a society which held that no man should have more than enough while others have less than they need, such a proposal might seem narrow-minded. What it is possible for a man to do and what he is likely to do are both, I think, very greatly influenced by what people around him are doing and expecting him to do.”

In light of the above statements, it is recognizable that the division of labor should also be taken into account. Singer, ask the question of how one should divide duties amongst societies. The Qur’an stresses that all mankind is equal, hence in a labor system this must take this into account. The Qur’anic view is that the personal worth of an individual does not depend on his talent to do a thing but on what he actually does and how much they strive in their labor, thus manual work can have as much value as intellectual work. Besides this, the differences that humans bestow on each other is their unique individuality. However different people may be in respect of intelligence, they can be equal in respect of personal worth, if each works conscientiously to the limit of his capacity. Division of labor is meant to ensure maximum production of wealth. It does not imply that the person who does manual work is inferior to the person who organizes the industry. Without a doubt, the work of one person may be more than that of another, the Qur’an takes the position that a person who earns more should not keep it all for himself, but should give a surplus commensurate to his earnings to those who, through lack of ability or opportunity cannot earn enough to satisfy their needs. The problem that some past and present capitalistic societies have faced is that they have appealed too much to the self-interest motives of the humans and in a sense have enticed those who have huge masses of wealth to give in to anti-social tendencies.

16:71 - And God has caused some of you to excel in earning livelihood over others. And yet, they who are more abundantly provided are often unwilling to share their provision with those who work for them, lest all might be equal in this respect. Will they continue to deny God’s blessings in this manner?

Thus a necessary consequence of this view is that the means of production should not be possessed by a single individual, nation, party or group but should be held in common by all.

Principles of Economic Distribution

“How much we all ought to be giving away. One possibility, which has already been mentioned, is that we ought to give until we reach the level of marginal utility - that is, the level at which, by giving more, I would cause as much suffering to myself or my dependents as I would relieve by my gift. This would mean, of course, that one would reduce oneself to very near the material circumstances of a Bengali refugee. It will be recalled that earlier I put forward both a strong and a moderate version of the principle of preventing bad occurrences. The strong version, which required us to prevent bad things from happening unless in doing so we would be sacrificing something of comparable moral significance, does seem to require reducing ourselves to the level of marginal utility. I should also say that the strong version seems to me to be the correct one. I proposed the more moderate version - that we should prevent bad occurrences unless, to do so, we had to sacrifice something morally significant - only in order to show that, even on this surely undeniable principle, a great change in our way of life is required. On the more moderate principle, it may not follow that we ought to reduce ourselves to the level of marginal utility, for one might hold that to reduce oneself and one's family to this level is to cause something significantly bad to happen.”

One of the most notable issues that Singer highlights in this part of his argument is how should wealth be distributed in a global society and how much should be given? These are all crucial questions which all nations must answer. There must be some sort or economic order that takes these issues into account and provides an equitable solution. The Qur’an terms this economic order as Zaakat and is explained in the following verses:

2:215 (A crucial step toward the establishment of this Zakaat Order will be the equitable distribution of wealth.) They ask you, (O Messenger) what they should give. Say, “What you give shall go to parents, relatives, orphans, widows, and those who are left helpless or feel left out in the society, the poor, those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their basic needs, those whose lives have stalled for any reason, and the disabled, the needy wayfarer, and the homeless son of the street.” And whatever good you do, most certainly, God is well Aware of it.

2:219-And they ask you what they should give. Say, “All that is surplus.” Thus God makes His messages plain for you, that you may reflect.

Hence,the Qur’an proposes that the mankind should determine the basic conditions and resources that are necessary for individuals in societies to live equitably. Instead of excessive use or consumption of unnecessary amounts of resources and funds, just as affluent individuals give surplus of wealth all surpluses of resources will be distributed equitably amongst the needy in the society by the societal institutions of the Qur’anic system. Singer makes note that in order to accomplish the task of creating a more just economic order we need not reduce the global societies to a level of pure utilitarianism, a concept which many people often think about when situations of distribution of wealth or societal welfare are addressed. Moreover, the Quranic view of social welfare must not be confused with the concept of a Communist society, which works for the interest of collective utility and does not concern itself with personal growth of an individual. The Communist society is molded and exploited by the desires and whims of the elite or those who are in power. However, in a Qur’anic society the central notion is that the society must work for both collective and individual growth of self, by upholding human rights and encouraging acts that benefit humanity as a whole. Hence, the emphasis on growth of the “self” is what distinguishes the Qur’anic society from the Communist society. Therefore it would be disengenous to label the Qur'anic economic system as purely utilitarian or as purely capitalistic. The economic guidelines of the Qur'an presents a path between both systems,which ultimately presents a challenge in today's world where these competing polar ideologies are widespread and often embedded as the only solutions to develop a society in the minds of many people worldwide.

Capitalism’s Distortion of Humanity's Goals

“Whether this is so I shall not discuss, since, as I have said, I can see no good reason for holding the moderate version of the principle rather than the strong version. Even if we accepted the principle only in its moderate form, however, it should be clear that we would have to give away enough to ensure that the consumer society, dependent as it is on people spending on trivia rather than giving to famine relief, would slow down and perhaps disappear entirely. There are several reasons why this would be desirable in itself. The value and necessity of economic growth are now being questioned not only by conservationists, but by economists as well. [5] There is no doubt, too, that the consumer society has had a distorting effect on the goals and purposes of its members. Yet looking at the matter purely from the point of view of overseas aid, there must be a limit to the extent to which we should deliberately slow down our economy; for it might be the case that if we gave away, say, 40 percent of our Gross National Product, we would slow down the economy so much that in absolute terms we would be giving less than if we gave 25 percent of the much larger GNP that we would have if we limited our contribution to this smaller percentage.”

Although the capitalistic society, throughout history has produced many positive effects and wonders, has also produced negative effects that have greatly outweighed its merits. Societies based on consumer systems often end up with dissolution of its citizens, since it creates struggles between social classes. Singer makes a notable point that Capitalism has misconstrued the reality of the global needs of humans and has erred in the process of distribution of resources. Throughout the history of Capitalistic societies, the poor majority have been neglected and often exploited by the few wealthy elite. The error that the capitalistic system has made is that it is has been based on several assumptions: the first assumption is that an invidual has an inalienable right to the property that one has acquired ,second is that society can prosper only when it does not interfere with the economic activity of the individual and lastly that there is nothing wrong if one is affluent and keeps all the wealth that they earn for themselves. The Qur’an warns mankind about engaging in capitalistic practices such as hoarding of wealth and states that in order to gain true prosperity in this world we must set up a just economic system.

3:130-O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Devour not other people’s money by way of usury(interest) which is compounded over and over again. Live upright as ordained by God in order to attain true prosperity of the society. (Usury is the return on money should not be allowed while trade is the return on labor is permissible)

The capitalistic philosophy ultimately creates an unfair system but as present times are showing, nations are beginning to realize a need to reconstruct their economic policies. The Qur’an states that we must recognize our obligation to establish a just economic order for mankind but states that we must proceed cautiously in our process of actualizing this order. For now as long as humanity is moving in the right direction and recognizing the need for the reform we need not doubt our goal of achieving the prosperous objective for mankind to live peacefully.

40 : 59-Verily, the promised revolution is sure to come ; there is no doubt about it ; yet most of mankind believe not

Peter Singer is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and laureate professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), University of Melbourne.
Qur'an verse from The Qur'an As It Explains Itself- Dr. Shabbir Ahmed