2. THE UNITY OF RELIGIONS
According to the
teachings of Islam there is only one Religion, though it has many dispensations
and Prophets.
The Unity
of Religions is established by the following verses:-
“He (Allah)
hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that
which He inspired in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham
and Moses and Jesus, saying : Establish the religion and be not divided
therein....unto this then, summon (O Muhammad). And be thou upright as thou art
commanded and follow not their lusts, but say: I believe in whatever scriptures
Allah hath sent down, and I am commanded to be just among you. Allah is our
Lord and your Lord. Unto us our works and unto you your works. No argument
between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and unto Him is the
journeying.” 42:13,15
“Say (O Muslims):
We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was
revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes and that
which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the Prophets received from their
Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him have we
Surrendered.” 2:136 See also
3:84
“Lo, those who
disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers, and seek to make distinctions between
Allah and His Messengers and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others,
and seek to chose a way in between, such are disbelievers in Truth; and for
disbelievers We have prepared a shameful doom.” 4:151
These
verses, and many others of the same nature, may be considered to constitute the
Islamic Creed. The sectarian, it is evident, understands religious teachings
only superficially. He cannot understand the underlying unity. The
“shameful doom” mentioned above refers, no doubt, to the resulting
unbalanced psyche, the conflict between religions, and the consequent suffering
and destruction. It is interesting to note that we are required not only to
make no distinctions between the Prophets, but also between the Prophets and
Allah. The Christians may reduce this to saying that Jesus is God which the
Quran denies. Indeed, Jesus himself denies this when he prays or says:-
“And this is eternal life that they
may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”
John 17:3.
Clearly,
we must understand the unity between Allah and the Prophets in a different way.
The Prophet identifies his will with that of God. He, therefore, represents God
for the people. Whether we see the Prophet as God, His incarnation or His
representative, therefore, depends on whether we take an objective, a social or
a subjective viewpoint.
“Whoso obeys
the Messenger obeys Allah, and whoso turns away: We have not sent thee as a
warder over them.” 4:80
“And when
Allah made His covenant with the Prophets, He said: Behold that which I have
given you of the scriptures and knowledge. And afterwards there will come unto
you a Messenger, confirming that which ye possess. Ye shall believe in him and
ye shall help him. He said: Do ye agree, and will ye take up My burden in this
matter? They answered: We agree. He said: Then bear ye witness, and I will be a
witness with you.” 3:81
Muhammad
is the Seal of the Prophets, not only because he was the last of the Prophets,
but also because he confirms and reinforces the message of all the Prophets.
Moses, it must be remembered forecast the coming of such a Prophet, as did
Jesus. (Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18. John 15:26 and 16:12-13)
It behoves
all Muslims to study not merely the Quran, but all scriptures of the world. A
synthesis of religious knowledge is to be made so that it becomes possible to
penetrate beyond the superficial differences to the underlying unitary truth.
“For every
nation there is a Prophet.” 10:48
“Lo, We have
sent thee with the Truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner; and there is
not a nation but a Warner hath passed among them.” 35:24
“And verily We
have raised in every nation a messenger proclaiming: Serve Allah and shun false
Idols. Then some of them there were whom Allah guided and some of them there
were upon whom error had just hold. Do but travel in the land and see the
nature of the consequences for the deniers. ” 16:36
“Lo, those who
believe, and those who are Jews and Sabaeans and Christians - whosoever
believes in Allah and the Last Day and does right - there shall no fear come
upon them neither shall they grieve.” 5:69
“Jesus said: Who
will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples replied: We will be
Allah’s helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered
unto Him.” 3:52
Note: The followers of Jesus are Muslims
as they surrender to Allah.
“When his Lord
said unto Abraham: Surrender. He said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the
Worlds. The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons and also Jacob, saying: O my
sons, lo, Allah hath chosen for you the true religion; therefore, die not save
as men who have surrendered unto Him.”“ 2:131-132
Note:
Abraham, too is a Muslim.
“Mankind were
one community, and Allah sent unto them Prophets as bearers of good tidings (gospels)
and as Warners, and revealed therewith Scriptures with Truth that it might
judge between mankind concerning that wherein they differ. And only those unto
whom it was given differed concerning it, after clear proofs had come unto them
through hatred of one another.” 2:213
“Say O People
of the Scriptures, come to an agreement between us and you that we shall
worship none but Allah and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him, and that
none of us shall take others for Lord besides Allah. And if they turn away then
say: bear witness that we are they who have surrendered unto Him.” 3:64
Nor is it
the purpose of Islam (in its particular sense) to convert people to Islam (in
its particular sense).
“Say, O people
of the scriptures, ye have naught of guidance till ye observe the Torah and the
Gospels and that which was revealed unto you from your Lord. That which is
revealed unto thee (Muhammad) from thy Lord is certain to increase the
rebelliousness and disbelief of many of them. But grieve not for the
disbelieving folk. Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does right,
there shall no fear come upon them nor shall they grieve.” 5:68-69
Compare
this with,
“And whosoever
shall speak a word against the Son of Man (i.e. the Prophet), it shall be
forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemes against the Holy Ghost (i.e. the
Spirit of Truth) it shall not be forgiven.” New Testament, Luke 12:10
“They are not
all alike. Of the people of the Scriptures there is a staunch community who
recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate before
Him. They believe in Allah and the Last Day and enjoin right conduct and forbid
indecency, and vie with one another in good works. They are of the
righteous.” 3:113-114
“And unto thee
(Muhammad), We have revealed the scriptures with the Truth, confirming whatever
scripture was before it and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that
which Allah hath revealed and follow not their desires away from the truth. For
each We have appointed a divine law and a traced out path. Had Allah willed He
could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He
hath given you He made you different. So vie with one another in Good Works.
Unto Allah ye will return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye
differ.” 5:48
Thus, the differences
between religions are recognised. This does not invalidate them, nor is it a
valid reason for conflict. However, the teachings have undergone
misinterpretation over the centuries and the teachings of Islam may be used as
a criterion by which a correct interpretation of the teachings of past Prophets
can be made, provided, of course, that these teachings are not themselves
misunderstood.
“Unto each
nation (community or group) have We given sacred rites which they are to
perform; so let them not dispute with thee over the matter but summon them unto
thy Lord. Lo, you do indeed follow right guidance.” 22:76
“Those unto
whom We gave the scriptures recognize this revelation as they recognize their
sons. But lo, a part of them knowingly conceal the Truth.” 2:146
“Muhammad is
but a Messenger, messengers the like of whom have passed away before him. Will
it be that when he dies or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He that
turns back does no harm to Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful.”
3:144
“And we never
sent a messenger save with the language (or language system or formulation) of
his folk, that he might make the message clear for them.” 14:4
“Such of our
revelations as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring in its place one
better or the like thereof.” 2:106
Religions
differ according to the name they give to God. This often leads some people to
suppose that the different names refer to different gods. Many people deny the
existence of God, but, nevertheless, believe in some supreme or fundamental
force in the Universe to which they give some other name. These should be
regarded as superficial verbal differences. It may also be the case that the
words used have different meanings. Different individuals fix their minds on
what are regarded in Islam as different attributes of Allah. Fundamentally,
however, all these attributes are one and the same. It is only the point of
view which is different. The Hindus fundamentally have a single God, but to
cater for the different minds of the simple uneducated peoples they have
hundreds of thousands. Hence:-
“Say: Call
upon Allah, or call upon the Beneficent, unto whatever name you call it is
well. To Him belong the most beautiful names.” 17:110
It should
be pointed out that the words “beautiful” and “name”
have a much more organic meaning in Islam. The beautiful is that which attracts
our awareness and understanding, and a name refers to attributes or qualities.
The
Prophet compared Religion to the construction of a house in which he laid the
last brick, thereby completing it. The significance of this lies in this, that:-
1. The
brick is not the whole house. Though the Quran contains everything taught in
other religions it does so from a particular point of view suitable for certain
peoples and conditions. To obtain the complete picture, it is probably
necessary to study all religions. Hence the Prophet’s exhortation to seek
knowledge “even as far as China”.
2. All
religions in the past were incomplete. This is not difficult to establish by
observation. The religions differ because each emphasises particular aspect of
life. The reason for this was, no doubt, that the needs of the times demanded
it.
3. When
the Quran states
“This day have
I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as
religion Al-Islam.” 5:3
This means
not only the completion of a particular religion, but of religion in general.
As the Quran was revealed in stages, so religion in general was also revealed
in stages.
4. That
there are to be no new religions. The Guidance is complete, and man has to live
within it, and maintain it or suffer the consequences. He is left to his own
devices. Islam, as Christianity looks forward to the return of Jesus, but the
World religion which may come as a result will not contain any new principles
but will reconstruct the House.
The word
“Muslim” (those who have surrendered), does not apply to the
followers of the Prophet Muhammad alone. The word “nazarene” was
applied to Jesus and his followers. Though it is taken to mean “a citizen
of Nazareth”,
it has connections with the Hebrew word “nazirite” meaning,
“one devoted to God”. It is seldom realised that the term,
Christian, was first applied to them, probably by the Pagans, in Antioch. (See Acts 11:26).
Indeed, it ought not to be used for people who merely profess to follow a
prophet but have not either the intention to, nor have actually, surrendered.
Indeed, many Muslims do not even know what the word entails. On the other hand
many people to whom this word is not applied and who do not apply it to
themselves, may well be true Muslims in its correct meaning.
“He hath named
you Muslims in old times and in this scripture, that the messenger may be a
witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind...”
22:78
If this
meaning of “Muslim” is taken seriously as it ought to be, then we
have a completely different view of mankind and religion. It is no longer
possible to say that such and such is a Muslim country or that these or that people
are Christians or Buddhists or Jews or Hindus, not Muslims (in the popular
sense). The term Muslim does not belong to the same category as these names and
cannot, therefore, include or exclude them. It is a case of lingual confusion
that this word is misused so badly. And it creates untold harm by deceiving
people into prejudices and conflicts.
The word Muslim
also refers to a natural, non-formal religion.
“So set thy
purpose for Religion as a man upright by nature - the nature framed by Allah in
which He hath created man. There is no changing the laws of Allah’s
creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not.” 30:30
“So follow the
religion of Abraham, the upright. He was not of the idolaters... Abraham was
not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered
unto Allah. O people of the Scriptures, why will ye argue about Abraham, when
the Torah and the Gospels were not revealed until after him? Have ye no
sense?”... And the Jews will not be pleased with thee, nor will the
Christians, till thou follow their creed. Say: Lo, the Guidance of Allah, Himself,
is sufficient guidance.“ 3:95,67, 65. and 2:120
A person
is required to surrender to his own inherent, God-made and essential nature.
This, too, is Islam. It refers to anyone no matter what nationality or religion
he may belong to, or even if he belongs to none.
Islam,
therefore, has a universal as well as a particular meaning. The latter, to keep
to the normal conventions, may be denoted by the word, “Mohammedanism”.
The two cannot, however, be completely distinguished, because not only is the
particular part of the universal, the universal is also part of the particular.
That is, Islam is one of several religions and the acceptance of all religions
is part of Islam.
Once it is
established that all religions are one then we can see why sectarianism is
forbidden, but not differences in religion.
“... and be
not of those who ascribe partners unto Him, of those who split their religion
and become schismatics, each sect exulting in its tenets.” 30:31-32
“And lo, this
religion is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me. But
they, mankind have broken their religion into sects, each rejoicing in its
tenets. So leave them in their error till a time.” 23:52-54
“Religion with
Allah is the Surrender. those who formerly received the scriptures differed
only after knowledge came to them, through transgression among themselves...
and if they argue with thee, say: I have surrendered my purpose to Allah, and
so have those who follow me. And say unto those who have received the
scriptures and those who read not: Have ye, too, surrendered? If they
surrender, then truly they are rightly guided; and if they turn away, then it
is thy duty only to convey the message.” 3:19-20
“Unto each
nation have We given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not
dispute with thee about the matter, but summon thou unto thy Lord.” 22:67
But to
idol-worshippers,
“Surely pure
religion is for Allah only, and those who chose protecting friends besides Him
say: We worship them only that they might bring us near unto Allah. Lo, Allah
will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Allah guides not
him who is a liar, an ingrate.. Lo, I am commanded to worship Allah, making
religion pure for Him only.” 39:3,11
Apparent
idol-worship may not be real idol-worship, just as an apparent worship of Allah
may, in fact, be idol-worship. We cannot judge from outer forms at all. Allah
will be the judge not man. Whereas idolatry in all its forms is forbidden to Muslims,
the verse does not, in fact, condemn apparent idolatry outright. We should not
judge idol worshippers. They may be using the idol as an aid, or they may be
lying about it.
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We can summarize as
follows:-
All religions belong
to a single fundamental stream of Spiritual Teachings, though it has many
branches. Religions have been corrupted and this accounts for the
disintegration into multiplicity. This is due to the very human limitations
which religion came to remove. The word “Islam” refers to that
original religion. This unity refers to the religions as originally taught by
the founders. It does not apply to religions which have become corrupted due to
misinterpretation, additions, subtractions, selection, perversions,
speculation, malpractices, dogmatization, ritualisation, Sloganisation,
fixations, reductionism, elaboration, fantasy and rationalization of
self-interest and prejudice. Or through the results of the workings of obsessions,
conditioning, habits, sentimentality, associative thinking, diversion, institutionalization,
addictions, phobias, illusions, delusions, projections, rivalries, egotism,
greed, pride, laziness, vanities, exaggerations, excuse making, self-deception,
argumentation, ambitions and other corrupting agents.
There is only one
Allah, and Allah is Absolute Unity. Thus, there is only one Truth and one
Religion. But though its essence is one, it may take different forms in
different times and places and among different peoples according to the
different conditions prevailing there. The vessels, vehicles or clothing in
which it comes may be different. The language, the way it is formulated and the
techniques used will differ. There are many dispensations of religion, each
approaching the truth from a different angle or at different levels depending
on the development of the people. It also contains within itself many different
levels. In this respect it is like an educational system having different
classes or degrees.
All religions deal
in matters which are higher than those which occupy man in his ordinary life.
This is why a distinction is made between worldly life and the spiritual life.
But they have to operate in ordinary life where they tend to succumb to these
corrupting forces. Religions, as Jesus pointed out, comes for sinners. It is
useless for those who think that they are perfect already. Their purpose is to
lead people from imperfection to perfection. This implies that the imperfect
person cannot already know what is good for him and what perfection is and how
to get there. Hence the need for a teaching and faith. This is no different
from the faith placed by people in other kinds of experts, e.g. doctors,
teachers, lawyers, business advisers, engineers and so on.
One of the tests for
a valid religion is whether it places emphasis on the purposes of the teaching,
or whether it creates attachment to the means - to dogmatics, ritualism, or
personalities. It may deify the teacher, making him the object of worship. But
he is after all only a channel, and derives his authority from the teaching.
Still other perversions of religion consist of the adulation of religious
books, implements, institutions, communities and even relics. All these are
forms of idolatry, the worship of things other than God.
If the essence of
religion (defined as the Word of God) is to be adhered to, then it follows that
it does not matter who the Teacher is and in what terms he teaches, as long as
he is a genuine, capable and knows his subject. It does not matter whether the
source is Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad, or whether it is taught by some
contemporary teacher. When we say it does not matter, we are referring, of
course, to the validity of the Teaching not to the quality of teacher. This
matters a great deal. Nor are we referring to the form which must be adapted
for different times and places. In fact, this may well matter in other ways. It
matters because each dispensation is a complete whole in itself. It may even be
the case that a contemporary teacher, if he possesses sufficient knowledge and
ability, can produce an interpretation, a system, which is better adapted to a
particular contemporary cultural and social situation than one which has been
produced by a past teacher for another time and place.
Jabir reported the following:-
Umar came to the Prophet saying “We hear
from Jews traditions which charm us. Do you think we should write down some of
them?” The Prophet replied, “Are you in a state of confusion as the
Jews and Christians are? I have brought them to you white and pure, and if
Moses were alive today he would feel it absolutely necessary to follow
me.”
It follows that a
dispensation is adapted to the times in which it comes. Nor is it likely that a
person who does not have the experience of living according to the religion he
teaches, and has not benefited from it, can know it well enough to teach it.
One does not take a bad carpenter as an instructor in carpentry. It may,
however, be the case that someone we do not regard as an expert nevertheless
knows the subject better than one who is teaching us. But the saintliness of a
teacher does not guarantee that he can teach it well. Teaching is an expertise
different from that which creates personal development, mainly because the
pupil is likely to be different in nature than the teacher. Thus the Prophet,
Muhammad is reported to have said;-
“This knowledge is religion, so
consider from whom you obtain your religion.”
We have to
distinguish greater and lesser Teachers according to their comprehensiveness.
The great Teachers or Major Prophets, known as the Messengers, dominate an
entire Age and Civilization. Lesser ones operate under the jurisdiction, as it
were, of the major ones, and influence smaller areas of time, space and people.
There are other Teachers operating in even smaller circles within these, and still
others at even a lower level.
A religion may be
compared to an onion having several layers. The growing point is in the centre.
We have the Prophet surrounded by his immediate disciples, companions or
apostles. Here the influence is the strongest. Then we have a larger circle of
lesser people. Next we have the wider community which is identified by a
particular name, e.g. Christians, Buddhists, and Mohammedans etc. The outer
circle includes all the other peoples of the world. They, too, are eventually affected.
There is no doubt, for instance, that Islam has affected the Christian, the
Hindu and the Buddhist world.
Conversely, the
older Religions affect the new Religions. Buddhism was affected by Hinduism.
Zarathustrianism, Buddhism and Hebrewism have affected Christianity and this
has affected Islam. This does not, however, mean that the Founders of the new
religions merely borrowed from the others. Universal Truths are the same
everywhere, and, therefore, the same for all those who can access them. But the
description and application of them will be different. The point to consider is
not so much that an idea found in one religion is the same as in previous ones
but why a combination of ideas was selected by the founder, why it was given a
particular formulation and application. It is this which distinguishes one
dispensation from another. Continuity had to be established because the people
of one age use the similes, traditions and models of thought handed down to
them from the past.
The different parts of
the world are distinguished from each other by their cultures which are almost
wholly the products of the religions which prevailed there. This distinction is
now being eroded by the spread of a single culture based on science, technology
and commerce. The world is becoming one. This promises the coming of a world
religion. It may be that this merely means that all the different religions
will not only tolerate each other but recognise the truth within them and their
underlying unity. The differences in formulation and practice will then be seen
as differences in techniques such as those which exist in medicine for
instance. Different conditions require different treatments. Unity will
incorporate diversity. Or it may be that all will be converted to Islam. A
third possibility exists in that the return of Jesus is forecast both in
Christianity and Islam, the Jews are looking forward to the first coming of the
Messiah and the Buddhist and Hindu traditions also predict the coming of an
Avatar. All may accept the next Teacher. From the Islamic point of view he will
not be another Prophet since Muhammad was the last. He will not bring a new
religion, but re-interpret and re-establish Islam. On the other hand, if the
meaning of “Islam” is interpreted in too narrow a sense by Muslims,
then they might not recognise it either. And Christians might not recognise
Jesus on his return.
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