Belief, Disbelief and Previous Communities

Modern Debates over the Quran

• Richard Bell’s Theory: accidental insertions

• Revisionism: Quran produced from liturgical material circa 800 CE

• Quran ‘misreading’ of early Muslim textual tradition: theory of Christoph Luxemberg

• Early variants of the Quran?– Sana’a find etc.

• General Consensus: the arbitrary problem– No traces of civil wars– Early evidence ex. Dome of the Rock

Muhammad’s Message – the Short, Short Version

– One deity only, Creator of all, with no partners– Day of Judgment, when all people will be

judged for their faith and deeds regardless of who they are

– Salvation lies in belief in God and doing good deeds

– This is not a new message – this is the true religion of Abraham revealed by God to every community through the medium of prophets

– Previous messages have been corrupted, Muhammad’s message will remind humanity

Belief• Revelation communicates the Unseen

(ghayb)– “This is a book in which there is no doubt,

guidance to the pious. Who believe in the unseen, perform the prayer and spend in charity out of what We have provided them.” (2:1-3)

• Speculation (zann) vs. Truth and Revelation:– “Most of them do but follow speculation (zann),

and indeed speculation does not suffice at all like the truth. Indeed God is most knowing of what they do.” (10:36)

– “And they say, ‘There is nothing but the life of this world, we die and live, and nothing destroys us but Time,’ when they have no knowledge of that. They do but speculate.” 45:24

Belief

• Commerce: a major idiom in the Quran (ex. scales for deeds, the Day of Reckoning/ Accounting…)– “These are those who purchase error at the

price of guidance, so their commerce does not prosper, neither are they guided.” (2:16)

– “Who will offer up to God a goodly loan?

• Light vs. Darkness: – “God is the light of the heavens and the

earth…”– Disbelief is like being swamped by waves in a

dark sea…

The plight of unbelievers on the Day of Judgment is “as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covers him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holds out his hand to can scarcely see it. And he for whom God has not appointed light, for him there is no light.” (24:40)

– “Their parable is that of one who sought to light a fire, and when it illuminated what was around him God took their light and left them in darkness, unable to sense or perceive. Deaf, dumb and blind, thus they have no course of return. Or like a cloud in the sky, dark with thunder and lightning, they place their fingers in their ears from the thunder of the fear of death, and God encompasses the disbelievers. The lightning almost snatches away their sight, whenever it gives them light they walk in it, and when it shrouds them in darkness they stand still. If God wanted He could take away their hearing and sight, indeed God is able to do all things.” (2:17-20)

Disbelief

• Notion of ‘Disbelief’: Kufr كفر; kafir كافر= disbeliever/infidel• Disbelief is due to pride & choice:

– “Nay, but those who disbelieve are lost in false pride and shism.” (38:2)

– Noah says “And Lo! Whenever I call unto them that Thou mayest pardon them they thrust their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with garments and persist and magnify themselves in pride!” 71:7

– “Indeed man is overweening, when you see him consider himself self-sufficient. Indeed to your Lord is the return.” (96:6-7)

• But hearts harden and God can seal them – “Have you seen him who makes his desire his god? And God sends

him astray purposefully, and seals up his hearing and his heart, and sets on his sight a covering? Who will guide him after God? Will you then heed?” (45:23)

– “Has it not come time for those who believe to humble their hearts at the remembrance of God and what has been revealed from the truth and not be like those to whom the Book was revealed before? Time grew long for them, and their hearts became hard, and [now] many of them are iniquitous.” (time long) 57:16

– Miracles don’t work on the unbelievers

Disbelief

• But who chooses?– “Indeed it is a reminder. So he who

wishes remembers it. But they do not remember unless God wills, He is the fount of piety, the fount of mercy.” (74:54-6)

Belief and Deeds

• “Those who believe and do good deeds”…• Belief is tied to action and vice versa:

– “And who is better in word than he who believes in God, does a good deed and says, ‘Indeed I am one of those who submits to God.’”

• Deeds without belief are worthless:– “And as for those who disbelieve, their deeds

are as a mirage in the desert. The thirsty one supposes it to be water, till he comes upon it and finds that it is naught. He finds in its place God, who will pay him his due, and God is swift in reckoning.” (24:39)

• Belief without deeds is worthless too!

The Quran in Relation to Earlier Scriptures

• The ‘People of the Book’: • A Series of prophets:

– “And there is no nation to which a warner has not come.” (35:24)

– Some not mentioned – Same message: “And indeed We have raised in

every nation a messenger, saying: Serve God and shun false gods…” (16:36)

– Disagreement follows revelations?• Muhammad’s place & and the place of

Islam– Quran as confirming previous scripture: “He

has revealed unto thee, [Muhammad], the scripture with truth, confirming that which was revealed before it even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (3:3)

Ecumenicalism vs. Exclusivism

• Invitations and Appeals: Quranic pleas for Jews and Christians to heed their own scriptures– A Common Word: “Say, O people of the book! Come to a

common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us will take others for lords besides God. And if they turn away, then say: ‘Bear witness that we are those who surrendered (muslimun)!” (3:64)

• Confirmation of salvation by truth of earlier messages?– “Lo! Those who believe, and those who are Jews, and

Christians and Sabaeans – whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good deeds – surely their reward is with their Lord, no fear shall they have and neither shall they grieve.” (2:62)

– “Nay, whosoever surrenders unto God and does good deeds, his reward is with God. No fear need they have and neither shall they grieve.” (2:112)

• Deeds are Nothing without belief… atheism is no ticket.

Forming the New Faith Tradition• Correcting existing beliefs of People of the

Book:– Judaism: a rejection of exceptionalism…. “That is

because they say, ‘The Fire will not touch us save for a certain number of days.’ That which they used to invent has deceived them regarding their religion.” (3:24)

– Christianity: a rejection of the divinity of Jesus…”They surely disbelieve who say, ‘Lo! God is the Messiah, son of Mary.’ The Messiah himself said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord, Lo! Whoso ascribes partners to God, for him God has forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire, for evildoers there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! God is the third of three; when there is no God save the One god. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.” (5:72-73)

Islam and Hanifism

• What is ‘Islam’ / Surrender: – “Do they want something other than the religion of God, when

to Him surrender all that is on the earth and in the heavens willingly or unwillingly and to Him will they be returned? Say: We have believed in what was revealed to us, what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, what was given to Moses and Jesus and all the prophets from their Lord. We do not distinguish between any of them, and we will surrender (muslimun) to Him. And whoever follows other than Islam/Surrender as a religion, it will not be accepted from him and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” (3:83-5)

• Abraham as Superprophet: – Not Jewish or Christian: Hanif!

• Muhammad as Definition of New Religion – he is the sole religious authority (ex. Abu Amir the Hanif is exiled)

• Islamic History: the solidification of a faith tradition