Quran's Less Popular Narrative That Gives Equal Space to Other Religions

 

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam

18 April 2025

The Quran Recognises A Multi-Religious Society

Main Points:

1.    The Quran calls all those who submit to one God Muslims.

2.    The Quran calls all the prophets and their followers Muslims.

3.    The Quran recognises the right to belief of other religious communities.

4.    The Quran stresses on interfaith dialogue.

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The Quran is the primary source of Islamic law. It has outlined the way of life of the Muslims and their relations with other religious communities. The Quran also speaks about other Abrahamic religions and their scriptures rather in detail and has ordained the Muslims to have faith in all the previous prophets and scriptures. The Quran, therefore, advises the Muslims to treat other religious communities with respect and to hold dialogue with them. The Quran says that God envisaged a world where followers of different religions will strive to live in peace.

Despite this, a major section of Muslim exegetes and scholars accorded secondary importance to the Quran's idea of universal brotherhood and peaceful co-existence and instead promoted the narrative of continuous confrontation with the people of other religions on the basis of contextual war verses of the Quran that were revealed during the tumultuous initial period of Islam. As a result, militant and terrorist organisations came into existence and are active in the Muslim and non-Muslim countries killing both innocent Muslims and non-Muslims in the name of God.

There are some verses in the Quran that present an altogether different narrative that contradicts the popular violent narrative of the extremist Muslim scholars. Unfortunately this narrative does not find place in the popular Islamic discourse. Only contextual war verses are discussed and propagated while explaining the relations of the Muslims with other religious communities. The verses that allow the People of the Book the freedom to observe their religious scriptures. The Quran says:

"So let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed in it. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are truly the rebellious. We have revealed to you O Prophet this book with the truth as a confirmation of previous scriptures. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their desires over the truth that has come to you. To each of you We have ordained a way of life. If Allah had willed He had made you one community but His will is to test you with what He has given each of you. So compete with one another in doing good. To Allah you will return then He will inform you of the truth regarding your differences." (Al Maidah: 47 -48)

"And had they observed the Truth and the Gospel and what has been revealed to them from their Lord, they would have been overwhelmed with provisions from above and below. Some among them are upright yet many do nothing but evil." (Al Maidah: 66)

"Say O Prophet of the Book you have nothing to stand on unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel and what has been revealed to you from Lord and your Lord's revelation to you O prophet will only cause many of them to increase in wickedness and disbelief.So do not grieve for what the people who disbelieve."(Al Maidah:68)

In the above quoted verses, God ordains the People of the Book to observe and follow the Torah and the Gospel and testifies that a section of the People of the Book is on the right path. At the same time, on various occasions the Quran points out the corrupt practices and the apochrypha among the Jews and the Christians leading to the acts of kufr and shirk. The Quran asks this section to give up their corrupt practices and acts of shirk but all the People of the Book have not been declared Kafir and Mushrik. Moreover, the Quran calls also the followers of the previous prophets Muslims:

"As for those faithful to whom We had given the scripture before the Quran, they believe in it. When it is recited to them they declare 'We believe in it. This is definitely the truth from our Lord. We had already submitted (been Muslim)even before this."(Qasas: 52 -53)

Those People of the Book who have understanding of the Truth, recognise that the Quran is also a divine book like the Torah and the Gospel. But a section of the People of the Book only believe in the Torah and the Gospel. The Quran addresses such people in these words.

"O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We have revealed confirming your scriptures ---before we wipe out your faces, turning them backwards or we condemn the defiant as We did to the Sabbath-breakers."(Al Nisa:47)

As the Muslims are ordained to have faith in all the previous scriptures along with the Quran, the People of the Book have also been ordained to have faith in the Quran along with their own scriptures. The,Quran bears witness to the fact that a section of the People of the Book have faith in the,Quran and is on the right path.The Quran calls them righteous (Saliheen) and Muslim.

"And they are not all alike: there are some among the People of the Book who are upright who recite Allah's revelations throughout the night prostrating in prayer. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, encourage good and forbid evil and race with one another in doing good They are truly among the righteous."(Al-e-Imran: 113-114)

"Say O prophet, we believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and his descendants and what was given to Moses, Jesus and other prophets from their Lord ----we make no distinction between any of them and to Him we fully submit (Muslimun)."(Al-e-Imran: 84)

"Indeed there are some among the People of the Book who truly believe in Allah and what has been revealed to you believers and what was revealed to them. They humble themselves before Allah ---never trading Allah's revelations for a fleeting gain. Their reward is with their Lord. Surely Allah is swift in reckoning."(Al-e-Imran:199)

The Quran recognises the religious status of the People of the Book and advises Muslims to engage in dialogue with the peace-loving section of them to explore avenues of peaceful co-existence with them on the basis of the common beliefs and religious practices ignoring non-fundamental differences. All those who submit to one God are Muslims according to the Quran.

"Do not argue with the People of the Book unless gracefully except with those of them who act wrongfully and say, 'we believe in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and yoir God is only one and to Him we fully submit (Muslimun).(Ankabut:46)

"This was the advice of Abraham as well as Jacob ---to his children Saying, indeed Allah has chosen for you thos faith, so do not die except in a state of full submission (Muslimun)."(Baqarah:132)

"Or did you witness when death came to Jacob? He asked his children 'Who will you worship after my passing? They replied, 'We wil continue to worship your God, the,God of your forefathers Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac the one God and to Him we all submit (Muslimun)".(Al Baqarah:133)

"Do you claim that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants were all Jews or Christians? Say who is more knowledgeable, you or Allah."(Al Baqarah:140)

It has been, therefore, made clear in these verses that all the prophets and their followers were Muslims and the terms 'Jews' and 'Christians' are only human innovations not recognised by the Quran.

Therefore, this is the Quran's narrative of universal brotherhood, tolerance and peaceful co-existence which does not go down well with the extremist section of the Muslim scholars of the Quran as it rejects their much publicised and much discussed violent and exclusivist narrative that presents all the other religious communities as Islam's enemies worthy to be subjugated or annihilated. The Quran speaks of its narrative in the following verse:

"Certainly this is the true narrative and there is no God worthy of worship except Allah and indeed Allah is the Almighty All wise.(Al-e-Imran: 62

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S. Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.

 

URl:   https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/quran-narrative-equal-space-religions/d/135219

 

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