Sultan Shahin Condemns Qital In The Name Of Jihad, Questions Claim that Since Even Sufi Scholars Call Quran Uncreated, Eternal Like God, Quran’s Contextual Verses Too Are Applicable To Muslims For Ever
Editorial Note: The following is an article by a Sufi scholar, a product of Indian Sufi madrasas who seeks to prove using age-old arguments that Quran is uncreated, divine like God, eternal, and so all its verses, including the contextual and militant, are of universal significance.
Why do we need to discuss and even take a stand on this hoary controversy today while many wise men of the past have tried to brush these under the carpet? Let me explain this as I have done before in different threads.
Why is Quran being created or uncreated relevant for us today? If Quran is created, that is, if it is a compilation of verses that came from time to time to guide the prophet as the need arose, the context of the verses become important. In this situation only verses that do not require a context assume universal significance. This is as it should be. This is the commonsensical position. If it is uncreated, however, as all the madrasas apparently teach, just a copy of the eternal book lying safe in "lauh-e-mahfooz" in the divine vaults, from eternity, then each and every verse assumes eternal significance and has to be followed without reference to the context.
That is why all our madrasas that teach this are creating radical literalists who see no reason why they should apply their mind. If Quran says somewhere, “kill the kafir," they can go out and kill the kafir. No reference to context is needed. Every word is of eternal significance. It is just a copy of the book safe in lauh-e-mahfooz in heaven.
As you all know, we have a very well-organised group among us which campaigns and finds very determined, aggressive followers to the ideology of blind faith, offensive Jihad, aggression, violence, injustice, inequality, gender inequality, no room for any other interpretation but theirs and all those believing in other interpretation and ideas like ours to be beheaded, etc. Of course, they claim divine sanction for their ideas from a literal reading of the Qur’anic verses and the immutability of their own interpretation deriving from an unquestioned, total universality of all Qur’anic verses as Quran is an uncreated book, a mere copy of the one lying mahfooz (protected) with God from eternity. In all our madrasas, not only those teaching Hanbali Fiqh, on which Wahhabism is based, but even Hanafi manuals, it is taught that the Quran is uncreated, just as God is uncreated, and we have to believe in the divinity of both God and Quran.
In his book “Confessions of a Mullah Warrior,” an Afghan Jihadi Masood Farivar describes his experience of being taught this at an early age in a madrasa in Afghanistan (p.101-102). He said he was reassured by the teacher that he was being taught from a primer written by Imam Abu Hanifa and not by the books of Wahhabi Hanbali fiqh. The need for this reassurance arose because, for various reasons that he describes in a fascinating narration (p.99-100), that must have traumatised him as a child, “…. ‘Son of a Wahhabi’ had become “an Afghan insult, the equivalent of calling someone “Son of a Bitch.”
On the one hand we have this very aggressive indoctrination in all our madrasas about the total universality and universal applicability of all verses from Quran, regardless of context, and on the other hand an intriguing reluctance on the part of our intelligentsia to call a spade a spade, call a terrorist a terrorist, call a Wahhabi a Wahhabi. Part of it, I know is out of our cultural training of politeness and gentlemanliness. Politeness is fine as far as it goes; but in times of war it is nothing short of betrayal.
More than half a century ago, Allama Shibli Nomani had felt the need for Muslim intelligentsia to come clean, take a stand on issues that matter. In early 20th century he had realised that the time has come when Muslim intellectuals started sharing their rational, sane thoughts with the Muslim masses. Had the Muslim intellectuals listened to him then probably we would not have reached this stage today.
Let me try and do a free translation from Urdu or paraphrasing of some of his thoughts expressed in what is considered one of the best books on Muslim theology, Al-Kalam p. 4--6, (Those who can read and understand Urdu I would strongly advise to read both his ilmul kalam and al-kalam):
“Imam Ghazali’s books themselves prove that the beliefs he preaches most fervently in his books on Kalam (Kutub-e-Kalamia), he contradicts in another, saying, that the actual reality of these beliefs is quite different. He has described the reality of some “Islamic beliefs and related facts in one place and has also made a great effort to keep them secret. …
“The extraordinary way Imam Razi has described his real thoughts do not need any elucidation.
“Ibn-e-Rushd has written clearly that real facts should not be shared with the Muslim masses.
“Now it is the duty of new writers on ilmul-Kalam to open the secrets of these elders and share them with the masses.”
امام غزالی کی کتابیں خود اس بات کی شہادت دے رہی ہیں کہ وہی عقائد جن کو کتب کلامیہ میں زور و شور سے تعبیر کرتے ہیں، دوسری تصنیفات میں ان کی نسبت لکھ دیتے ہیں کہ ان حقائق کی اصلی حقیقت کچھ اور ہے ۔ جن تصنیفات میں امام صاحب نے اسلام کے اصلی عقائد اور ان کے حقائق بیان کئے ہیں ان کو نہایت اہتمام کے ساتھ مخفی رکھنا چاہا ہے، اور یہی وجہ ہے کہ باوجود مختصر اور سہل ہونے کے وہ رواج پذیر نہی ہوئے ۔
امام رازی نے اپنے اصلی خیالات کس کس غیر معمولی پیرائے میں ظاہر کئے ہیں وہ بیان کے محتاج نہیں ہیں ۔
ابن رشد نے اپنی تصنیفات میں صاف لکھ دیا ہے کہ جمہور کے سامنے اصلی حقائق ظاہر نہ کرنے چاہئے ۔
اب جدید علم کلام کے مرتب کرنے والوں کا یہ کام ہے کہ ان بزرگوں نے جن خزانوں کو سر بہ مہر کر دیا تھا ان کو وقف عام کر دیں ۔۔۔
علامہ شبلی نعمانی – الکلام – صفحہ 6-4
It was rather prescient of Allama Shibli Nomani to have felt the need for masses being taken into confidence about how the great scholars of Islam interpreted our scriptures. It is because this was not done and is not being done by the Oqala-e-Islam (great scholars, wise men) that Johalai Islam (illiterate Mullahs) and even enemies of Islam and Muslims have a field day.
What we have to realise immediately that in this age of internet and Google, everyone is a scholar of all subjects in the world. There are no secrets. Everything is out in the open.
So let us not try to brush under the carpet some of the most fundamental issues of our faith, let us engage with them and publicly.
Please read the following and see what young Sufi scholars have been taught on the subject in their madrasas which some of us used to thing are our last refuge.
--- Sultan Shahin, Founder-Editor, New Age Islam
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Whether the Holy Quran Is God’s Divine Attribute or Creation? Its Wide-Reaching Implications Must Be Understood To Appreciate Its Universal Significance
By Misbahul Huda
27 July 2014
The Holy Qur’an is recited by a large section of Muslims on daily basis over the globe. A practicing Muslim recites the Holy Qur’an at least five times a day. Its significances are not bound up in only recitation, but rather, it is a book of the universal guidance for mankind indiscriminately. On one hand, Major portion of Qur’an consists of God’s divinity, His divine attributes and man's relationship with God Almighty. And on the other hand, Historical narratives of some certain prophets and peoples, tidings for the believers and warnings for those who discarded God’s massages too are highlighted throughout the Qur’anic verses.
Apart from the word Qur’an, in the book, The Qur’an is also described by these manes: الکتاب (The Book), الفرقان (The Discrimination), الذکر (The Exposition); البیان (The Explanation); البرہان (The Argument); الحق (The Truth); التنزیل (The Revelation); الحکمۃ (The Wisdom); الہدیٰ (The Guide); الحکم (The Judgment); الموعظۃ (The Admonition); الرحمۃ (The Mercy); النور (The Light); الروح (The Word).
Coming to the point, all the prominent Islamic scholars, theologians, thinkers, sects, sub-sects and Islamic schools of thought from the inception till today are unanimously united that, the entire Qur’an is from God, revealed to the last messenger of God; Muhammad (pbuh), and completely safe from any distortion and alternation, one cannot find any sort of disagreement in this regard. But, while dealing with the nature of divine words of God, basically two schools of thought emerged among the Scholars of ‘ilm al-Kalam (science of discourse/reasoning).
1. Mutazillah
The word Mu'tazilah is an Arabic word which means the one who separated. The founder of this school of thought is Wasil bin 'Ata (699-749) in Iraq, who was the student of a distinguished and well-known Muslim preacher, theologian, scholar and Tabe’ie Al-Hasan ibn Abul Hasan al-Basri) (642–728), born in Medina. This school of thought strongly believed the Holy Qur’an to be one of the creations of God almighty.
In Abbasids period in 750 Mutazillah School of thought became a dominant school of thought and prevailed across the Muslim world. In 9th century the Mutazillah doctrine was given the status of the state creed by 'Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. With the full support of caliphate, the Mu’tazilites gradually became so barbaric and intolerant that they openly harassed and persecuted their ideological opponents. Even at the time of Abbasid caliphate the proponents of Mu'tazilite doctrines, flogged and imprisoned the founder of Hanbali jurisprudential school, Ahmad bin Hanbal (d.855), when he refused the Mu'tazilite doctrine that the Qur'an was a creation of God. To them holding the view of uncreatedness of the Qur’an was equivalent to setting up the partners with God, hence it was polytheism in their sight, and according to them whosoever commits this crime was subjected to be flogged, imprisoned and even executed.
2. Maturidiya
The Founder of this school of thought was a prominent theologian, Jurist, scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and Qur'anic exegesis Muhammad Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (853–944 AD). Al Maturidi is also considered to be one of the pioneers of Islamic Jurisprudence.
Al Maturidi strongly believed in uncreatedness of Qur’an and declared the Holy Qur’an eternal terming it to be a personal (non-sharing) attribute (Sifat-e-Zati) of God Almighty. And this very belief of uncreatedness of Qur’an is supported and propagated by the majority of mainstream Sunni Muslim scholars (Sawad-E-Azam) belonging to all four schools of Islamic jurisprudence; Hanfi, Shafi‘I, Maliki and Hambali. They called the Holy Qur’an a divine and uncreated command of God that is existed from all eternity with God almighty and majority of mainstream Sunni Muslim scholars (Sawad-E-Azam) discriminately differentiated between God’s creation and command. And this belief is deep rooted in the Holy Qur’an itself.
Qur’an says:
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ۔
)سورة الأعراف: 54(
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds. (7:54)
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا۔
) سورة الإسراء: 85(
They are asking thee concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little. (17:85)
In the above mentioned verses the word امر (command) is produced against the word خلق (creation) giving quite opposite meaning of creation that establishes the essence of Sawad-E-Azam’s unanimous belief of uncreatedness of Qur’an.
Similarly, there are many ascertaining Qur’anic verses and prophetic traditions (Ahadith) which are sufficiently enough to prove that Qur’an is God’s command (امر ربی), and word of God (کلام اللہ) and thus eternal and uncreated.
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ، عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ، بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ۔
) سورة الشعراء: 192-195(
“And indeed, the Qur'an is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds, The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down Upon your heart, [O Muhammad] - that you may be of the warners, In a clear Arabic language”.(26:192-195)
وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
) التوبۃ: 9:6(
“And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.” (9:6)
None of these verses call the Qur’an creation (خلق) or discard the notion of uncreatedness about Qur’an.
Once Abu darda (r.a) asked about Qur’an, and then prophet (pbuh) replied him saying: “Qur’an is the word of God Almighty not creation”. (tazkirah al-mauzu’at,77.)
When walid bin mughirah claimed that the Holy Qur’an was manmade discourse and thus not the word of god, immediately revelation came from God warning him of hellfire in hereafter:
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ، فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ، إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ، سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ۔
) المدثر: 22-26(
Then he turned back and was arrogant, And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others]. This is not but the word of a human being." I will drive him into Saqar. (74:22-26)
Once Ibn al-Mubarak came to Abu Hanifah and Abu Hanifah asked him:
“What is this thing that has crept amongst you [i.e. the people of Khurasan]?” He said to him: “A man called Jahm.” He said: “What does he say?” He said: “He says the Qur’an is created.” Thereupon, Abu Hanifah said [quoting the Qur'an]: “Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths!” (Qur’an 18:5).Tarikh Baghdad 15:517 (1)
Imam Malik b. Anas (93 AH – 179 AH) argued:
"The Qur'an is the Speech of Allah, the Speech of Allah comes from Him, and nothing created comes from Allah Most High."
Narrated by al-Dhahabi in Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' (Dar al-Fikr ed. 7:416)
And also:
The Hanbalites asserted that the Qur’an is the word of god thus eternal even some of the Hanbalites went to the extreme and insisted that the Qur’an’s letters, words and sounds too are eternal.
Baihaqi, Kitab al Asma' wal Sifat, p. 198.
To sum up, given these obvious evidences, the uncreatedness and eternity of the holy Qur’an is no more obscure and ambiguous, even it shows that the concept of eternity and uncreatedness of Qur’an is asserted and adopted by the majority of prominent mainstream Sunni Muslim scholars and jurists (Fuquaha). And the holy Qur’an itself made it crystal clear when it said “His is the creation and the command 7:54” and “The Spirit is by command of my Lord”, 17:85. In both verses the word امر (command) is produced against the word خلق (creation), which simply means that the امر (command) and خلق (creation) are two different things and the Former is not a creation of God, and all the prominent Islamic scholars, theologians, thinkers and Islamic schools of thought are unanimously consented that one of God’s attributes is that He is (Mutakallim متکلم) speaker and Qur’an comprises God’s commands and words, thus, it could be precisely concluded that “the Qur’an is the uncreated speech of God almighty.”
Note:
(1). http://darulmaarif.com/answers-to-doubts-over-the-aqidah-of-imam-abu-hanifah/
A regular contributor to New Age Islam, Misbahul Huda is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background. He has completed the classical Islamic sciences (Alimiat) from a renowned Sufi Islamic seminary Jamia Amjadia Rizvia Mau, (U.P) and holds degree of Fazilat (master) in Tafseer, Hadith, theology and Islamic jurisprudence from Jamia Manzar- e- Islam, Bareilly, U.P. He is currently pursuing graduation in Arabic (Hons) from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
URL: https://newageislam.com/ijtihad-rethinking-islam/sultan-shahin-condemns-qital-name/d/98314