We all have biases and prejudices. Experiences and influences do shape our perceptions. I believe in this basic principle: “the unexamined life is not worth living”—Socrates

Thank you for your time. You were considerate and thoughtful. It was a pleasure. Though I admire your tolerant interpretation of Islam unfortunately the reality on the ground is different. Faith is mostly communal. And I don’t see communities that embrace your interpretation of Islam that I can join and pray with them. Besides, the goal of our discussion was not to persuade one another but educate each other. I don’t believe that I have to join any organized religion in order to lead a wonderful life and be a productive member of the society. In fact, many who pioneered to advance world societies, socially, scientifically, economically, and politically, didn’t believe in God. If God exists and is wise and merciful as the scripture tells us, I don’t think he would condemn them to eternal hell. Not to put myself in the league of those transformative figures but to illustrate a point that if you do good deeds, regardless of whether you believe in God or not, your flesh shouldn’t be burned.

Hope to see you around

To discuss nonbelievers is an entirely different, complex discussion. But I think that there are some who simply haven’t been exposed to the true light of a faith towards God. Had they been given the knowledge of God’s existence and an authentic representation of how to believe in God morally then I’m sure a substantial amount of conversion would take place (however I don’t insinuate that missionaries are the best alternatives to do this; in fact I think that may defeat the purpose of exposing faith in God in a positive light). Thus, I sincerely doubt that they would be condemned to Hell simply because there were unique, external circumstances they weren’t able to control.

But there is another group that has been given the opportunity, the knowledge, and the time to look into monotheism, but continue to deny the existence of God because they continue to remain loyal to their bias and prejudice towards Him and His faiths.

Since this will be my last comment on MoralCourage, I’d like you to think about this question: Now that someone has given you some knowledge into Islam, and the Qur’an, what will you do? This is purely my own personal opinion, but I sincerely feel that you have a bias towards Islam because of your previous experiences with a Muslim or Muslims who did not give you the best impression of Islam or simply did not take some time out from their lives to really help you with your questions. But now that someone has (which I think is a large blessing for you), what will be your next step? This is a question for you only, and the answer is no one else’s business but your own.

Throughout our wonderful discussion, I’ve properly answered all your questions to the best of my abilities and I did not deny you once. I was more than happy to help you, to shed new light on your perception of the Qur’an and Islam. I see this as an obligation for my own self-growth and as a person who is part of a larger community, as well as for my Creator. If you do decide to look further into Islam I strongly encourage you to throw out your bias because you no longer need it, someone has opposed them just giving simple, logical arguments. Research and try to answer a few questions of your own. This is necessary for everyone, not just for Muslims. The process will be long, difficult, challenging, but vital for your spirituality.

I wish you the best, brother.

Shahrin,

Interesting commentary.

Christians, Muslims, and Jews are all monotheistic faiths. I’m assuming they are all praying to the same God, though in different ways. However, you said the important thing is submission to the respective creator. And then you went further and said “and all other faiths relevant require its believers and followers to submit to their Creator”, what do you mean. Do you the submission rule applies to Hindus and Buddhists, and people of other faiths who submit to their respective Gods? How about secular humanists, atheists, and agnostics, who don’t believe in supernatural. How about people of indigenous cultures who never heard of Islam or Christianity? Are all these groups out of luck?
Just curious.

Sure. Greensboro, like most communities in the Southern US, has seen generations of overt racially motivated violence in the forms of slavery, lynchings, rapes, and white terrorism perpetuated by groups like the KKK and neo-Nazis. Because of it’s role in the textile industry, black and latino workers in and around Greensboro have also faced violence when they have tried to organize for labor rights.

In a community like Greensboro, the cycles of imbalanced power maintained through racist violence don’t happen stranger to stranger in random acts. To a very large degree it is the descendants of people who were enslaved locally resisting domination directed at them from traditional relationships with people who are the descendants of slave-owners. It is personal.

Greensboro came to mind because the community itself initiated a Truth and Reconciliation Commission inspired by what they saw happening in South Africa post-apartheid. It was specifically organized around the events of the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, where POLICE, klansmen, and neo-Nazis open fired on a peaceful public demonstration. Protesters were killed. What is unique in this incident, is that the Greensboro police department was actually held accountable for participation in racially motivated murder. The police involvement was not unique, but being held legally accountable for it was.

Greensboro is one of the many birthplaces of the US Civil Rights movement- the A&T students sitting in at the Woolworths counter there helped begin a movement. So pressing for justice (even from the police) and later initiating a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to move forward with even more accountability and possibilities for justice and peace is part of a local tradition of moral courage.

You should apply Reza Aslan’s sage words. Additionally, they wholly prove my point in that interpretation allows Allah to test your intellectuality, as well as your morality. Many Muslims often ask why Arabic is the official language of the Qur’an. Other than the fact that Prophet Muhammad himself was Arab, the language is very rich and complex as Aslan indicated. This gives Muslims the privileged opportunity to use their minds in attempt to applying Islam in the various contexts to which they live in. So let’s use your verses as an example:

“Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Book differed only after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the messages of Allah– Allah indeed is Quick at reckoning [3:19].”

“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he shall be one of the losers [3:85].”

Let’s recall what the Arabic term “islam” means: the submission to Allah. Judaism, Christianity, and all other faiths relevant require its believers and followers to submit to their Creator. These verses simply emphasize the importance of submitting and that rule isn’t limited to Muslims. So keep in mind that often when we are given poor impressions of the Qur’an, it significantly alters our judgment and interpretation. That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to examine any holy scripture with a steady mind.

Now, let’s briefly discuss the last two sentences of 3:19. The “People of the Book” are referred to as the Christians and Jews. These sentences briefly state some of the transgressions which occurred among Jews and Christians following the messages of their various Prophets. Meaning, some were envious towards their Messengers and the power, authority, or miracles they were able to perform, which led them to rebel or even attempt to assassinate their Prophets. You can see these examples readily in the stories of Joseph and Jesus.

Oops. Excuse my language. From now on I would use “your interpretation of Islam” rather than “your version of Islam”. The former is what I meant. I was using the words, inaccurately, interchangeably. To be a devil’s advocate: if we are going to interpret and reinterpret the scripture in light of the current social milieu, the danger of being accused of infusing religion with personal ideologies and preconceived notions is there. We have distinct world views that shape how we perceive realities. Nevertheless, point well taken.

Let me move on to verse 5:69. I’m aware of this verse, and though I appreciate its graciousness, I think it is trumped by other Qur’anic verses and Hadiths. In a way, 5:69 sheds light on the contradictions within Qur’an. Pasted below are two verses that contradict verse 5:69.

[3.85] And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers. [3.19] Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam, and those to whom the Book had been given did not show opposition but after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves; and whoever disbelieves in the communications of Allah then surely Allah is quick in reckoning.

I’m confident, if we dig further, we’ll find more ayats and Hadiths that contradict 5:69. Any idea how to reconcile 5:69 with the above two verses?

About the verse that talks about permitting husbands to beat disloyal wives that we discussed previously, Reza Aslan’s article on slate.com, How to Read the Quran, raises interesting perspective. I would recommend reading it if you haven’t. Here is an excerpt.

“Arabic is a language whose words can have multiple, sometimes contradictory, meanings, so how one chooses to render a particular word from Arabic to English has a lot to do with one’s biases or prejudice. Take the following example from Sura 4:34, which has long been interpreted as allowing husbands to beat their wives: “As for those women who might rebel against you, admonish them, abandon them in their beds, and strike them (adribuhunna).” The problem, as a number of female Quranic scholars have noted, is that adribuhunna can also mean “turn away from them.” It can even mean “have sexual intercourse with them.” Obviously, which definition the translator chooses will be colored by whatever his or her preconceived notions are about a husband’s authority. The new crop of Quran translators are brushing aside centuries of traditionalist, male-dominated, and often misogynistic clerical interpretations in favor of a more contemporary, more individualized, and often more gender-friendly approach to the Quran. In the process, they are not only reshaping the way Islam’s holy book is read; they are reinterpreting the way Islam itself is being understood in the modern world.”

Perhaps I was ambiguous in my statement related to questioning Allah, so I’ll try to make it more clear. You are absolutely correct, questioning the Qur’an does in fact translate to questioning Allah, which is a point that I attempted to prove as necessary for spiritual and moral growth based on the quote you referenced. As I previously asserted, I do not question His authority, but I question the laws I do not understand- laws that are stated in the Qur’an, laws that He has decreed. However, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that I am questioning His authority. In fact, I’m only reinforcing His authority because through my inquiry I am acknowledging that He has an answer for me.

Let me give you a very basic, simple analogy: usually when we’re enrolled in a difficult course we usually go to our professor to inquire on the concept that we’re struggling to understand. But why do we ask our professor? We ask him because he’s the one teaching the material. Thus, we know that we will be given an answer, or assistance that will eventually lead us to the answer. This has nothing to do with questioning the professor’s authority, expertise, or knowledge. But rather, our need for assistance indicates that we acknowledge the professor’s authority over the academic curriculum. We have a certain amount of confidence that our professor will help us understand those difficult concepts and eventually get through our exams.

Going backwards, I will now address your first point. Let’s look at one Qur’anic verse that supports my idea of Islam representing just one path to Allah: “Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians– whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good– they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve [5:69].” This verse, I believe, speaks for itself : ).

When I was reading about your background and personal experiences with Islam, I could understand the attitudes you bear. But I must say that I wish there were more people like *you* who are open enough and courageous enough to engage in dialogue. What I’ve experienced most from non-Muslims is the sheer reluctance they convey when I encourage them to be open with me.

The last point I’d like to mention relates to what you said about my “version” or “adaptation” of Islam. To be honest with you, I am uncomfortable with these words. They seem to insinuate that I’ve decided to renovate my faith through revision, elimination, and the addition of my own ideologies so as to concoct a new sect branched from Islam. I think the more appropriate alternative would be my *interpretations* of Islam were enlightening to you : ).