Reconciling Exclusivist and Inclusive Interpretations of Quranic Verses on Salvation
By V.A. Mohamad
Ashrof, New Age Islam
27 July
2024
Beyond The Fact That
in Principle Anyone Might Be Entitled to God’s Mercy, And That This Is Simply a
Topic Not Appropriate for Human Speculation, The Quran Goes On to Give What It
Describes as Good Tidings to Some People Who Are Not Necessarily Muslim. It
States: "For Each Nation We Have
Ordained A Way And Path So That They Will Mention The Name Of God For The
Blessings He Has Given Them. Your God Is a Single God So Submit to God and Give
Good Tidings to Those Who Bow Down Before God"
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The Quranic
verse, "If anyone desires a religion
other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and
in the Hereafter, he will be among those who have lost all spiritual good"
(Q.3:85), is often cited by Muslim
exclusivists to argue that Islam is the only acceptable religion to God. They
claim that Quran 2:62, which
promises God's reward to "any who believe in God and the Last Day, and act
righteously," has been abrogated by subsequent revelations, including Q.3:85. Instead of reconciling these
verses by contextualizing them within the Quranic text, many exegetes use the
principle of abrogation as a blunt instrument, labelling hundreds of verses as
"no longer relevant."
The
exclusivists point to the possibility of abrogation of such verses by citing
verse 2:106: "We abrogate no verse, nor do We cause to be
forgotten, but that We bring one better than it or like it." However,
some of the most influential commentators of the Quran, both in the Sunni and
Shia communities, including the influential Sunni commentator Tabari (d. 923
CE), disagree. Tabari holds that the arguments for abrogation cannot apply to
verses such as 2:62 or 5:69 where God makes promises of
rewards to Jews, Christians, Sabians, and to any who believe in God, the Day of
Judgment, and do righteous deeds. Tabari argues that abrogation applies only to
legal rulings and not to reports (Shah-Kazemi, 2006, p.168).
A great
deal hinges on the meaning attributed to Q.5:69.
Its literal meaning is clear enough: all believers who act virtuously, in
consequence of their faith, are promised that their reward is with their Lord, and
"no fear shall come upon them, neither shall they grieve." But it is
held by many of the traditional commentators, based on a report from Ibn Abbas,
that this verse is abrogated by 3:85—
"And whoso seeketh a religion other
than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the
Hereafter." Among the classical commentators, however, it is
noteworthy that Tabari rejects the idea that the verse can be subject to
abrogation. In general, as regards the principle of abrogation (Naskh), Tabari writes, in his commentary
on verse 2:106—"We abrogate no
verse, nor do We cause it to be forgotten, but that We bring one better than it
or like it": Thus, God transforms the lawful into the unlawful, and the
unlawful into the lawful, and the permitted into the forbidden, and the
forbidden into the permitted. This only pertains to such issues as commands and
prohibitions, proscriptions and generalizations, preventions, and authorizations.
But as for reports (Akhbar), they
cannot abrogate nor be abrogated. (Jamiya
Al-Bayan An- Tawilayatul Quran, Vol.1, p. 546). In regard to verse 2:62, he
writes that the literal meaning of the verse should be upheld, without being
restricted in its scope by reference to reports of its abrogation,
"because, in respect of the bestowal of reward for virtuous action with
faith, God has not singled out some of His creatures as opposed to others"
(Ibid., Vol.1, p. 373) (quoted in Shah-Kazemi, 2002, p.181).
The Quran
states that diversity among human beings and creation is divinely willed (Q.3:22) and serves the purpose of
enabling them to know one another (Q.49:13). It is more challenging to
understand that there is an essential unity in the messages of these
revelations (Q.41:43; 4:163-65; 42:13).
This unity pertains to the ultimate purpose or goal of each religion, which is
God: "We never sent any apostle
without having revealed to him that there is no deity save Me, (and that,)
therefore, you shall worship Me (alone)" (Q.21:25).
In verse 2:111, the Quran warns against the
chauvinism of the People of the Book: "They
say: none entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their
vain desires." In verse 4:122,
the Quran speaks of God rewarding believers with paradise without qualifying
them as only the followers of Prophet Muhammad. The following verse warns that
it will not be according to your desires or the desires of the People of the
Book: "It is not your fancies, nor the fancies of the People of the Book.
Whoever does evil shall be recompensed for it, and will not find for him, apart
from God, a friend or helper." (Q.4:123)
The Quran
also describes the sorcerers of Moses as having become Muslims after their
defeat (Q.7:126). It portrays Moses
asking the Children of Israel to become Muslims (Q.10:84). The Quran recounts that when Pharaoh was drowning, he
declared that he had become a Muslim, but it was only at the moment of his
imminent death that he recognized the true God (Q.10:90–92). When Solomon sends a message to the Queen of Sheba, he
invites her and her people to become Muslims (Q.27:31, 27:42, 27:44). Lot’s household is also referred to as a
Muslim household (Q.51:36). The
Quran emphasizes that the religion of God calls for people to become Muslims,
as everyone in the heavens and the earth is a Muslim, willingly or unwillingly
(Q.3:83). Additionally, the Quran
refers to all the prophets sent to the Children of Israel as Muslims (Q.5:44).
In light of
the above discussion, we ought to understand the verse "truly the religion
with God is Islam" (3:19). Exclusivist Muslims frequently quote this verse
also to argue that Islam, with its specific doctrines, laws, and rituals, is
the only religion accepted by God. However, the Quran uses the term 'Islam' and
its verbal form to refer to 'submission to God,' which is also the central
focus of the formal religion of Islam taught by Prophet Muhammad. Thus, Abraham
and the disciples of Jesus see themselves as Muslims or those who have
submitted to God (3:52; 6:163; 5:3).
In this
context, many scholars have pointed out that "the word Mu’min (believer, faithful) is used 230
times in all 114 chapters, whereas the word Muslim, in its different forms, is
used only 42 times." In many cases, Mu’min
refers to one who believes in God (Man
Amana Bi-Allah), be they Muslim, Christian, or Jew. Since the formal
religion of Islam is a means for submission to God, and the Quran speaks of
rewarding non-Muslims (2:62; 5:69),
preserving the diversity of faiths (22:40),
and opposing religious chauvinism, it is reasonable to suppose that verse 3:19 refers to submission to God in a
universal sense. (Quadir, p.127-130)
As Khaled
Abou El Fadl, the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the
UCLA School of Law, correctly pointed out, even the jurists who, in principle,
accepted the doctrine of abrogation still disagreed about whether verse 5:69,
in particular, was abrogated. The issue, however, was much broader than verse
5:69. The real issue was the large number of Quranic verses that advocated
tolerance and peaceful resolutions to conflict. For example, the message
conveyed by 5:69 is reproduced verbatim in 2:62 and repeated in substance in
several other verses. For example, 2:83; 2:256; 5:43, 5:47-8; 10:99; 15:85;
18:29. It is unfortunate, in my view, that some classical jurists were willing
to declare all Quranic verses that advocated tolerance, peace, or forgiveness
to be abrogated by verses that prompted Muslims to fight the unbelievers. These
jurists assumed a largely opportunistic logic in the construction of the Quran.
Advocacy of tolerance and peace, according to these jurists, reflected the
weakness of Muslims in the earliest phases of Islam. After Muslims became
strong, tolerance or peaceful co-existence was no longer needed. This position
verged on the absurd when some jurists declared that a single Quranic verse,
which advocated fighting the unbelievers, abrogated 124 verses which called for
tolerance and peace. Despite its influence on the modern puritans of Islam,
this view met with disfavour among most classical jurists, who rejected its
opportunistic logic and did not declare 5:69, or any similar verse, to be
abrogated. (El Fadl, 2002, p.11-12)
Beyond the
fact that in principle anyone might be entitled to God’s mercy, and that this
is simply a topic not appropriate for human speculation, the Quran goes on to
give what it describes as good tidings to some people who are not necessarily
Muslim. It states: "For each nation
We have ordained a way and path so that they will mention the name of God for
the blessings He has given them. Your God is a single God so submit to God and
give good tidings to those who bow down before God" (Q.22:34). This verse implies that, as
different as the pathways may be, they may still be directed toward God.
Interestingly, the Quran acknowledges that those who worship God deserve to
receive good tidings and that the core issue, regardless of the path, is
submission to God. (El Fadl, 2005, p.216)
Bibliography:
El-Fadl,
Khaled Abou, The Place of Tolerance in Islam, Boston: Beacon, 2002
El-Fadl,
Khaled Abou, The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists, New York:
Harper SanFrancisco, 2005
Quadir,
Tarik, Multiculturalism in Britain on the Basis of the Quran, Rumi or the
Traditionalist Vision, In Workshop Proceedings: Debating Multiculturalism 1,
Editors: Max Farrar, Simon Robinson, Omer Sener, Loncon: Dialogue Society, 2012
Shah-Kazemi,
Reza, The Metaphysics of Interfaith Dialogue, In Paths to the Heart: Sufism and
the Christian East, ed. J. Cutsinger, Bloomington: World Wisdom Books, 2002
Shah-Kazemi,
Reza, The Other in the Light of the One: The Universality of the Quran and
Interfaith Dialogue, Cambridge, UK: The Islamic Texts Society, 2006
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V.A. Mohamad Ashrof is an independent Islamic humanist scholar from
India who regularly publishes articles and papers on Islam and contemporary
affairs.
His recent
books include "Al-Ghazali: An Enlightened Critique" available from
Amazon through the link https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0D92XZQ96?&linkCode=sl1&tag=epublica0e-21&linkId=fbe81b6503a1f5b493edd55dbbc9aa47&language=en_IN&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
&
“Beyond the Rib: Reframing the Creation Story for Equality" available from
Amazon through the link https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0D9W59R93?&linkCode=sl1&tag=epublica0e-21&linkId=ba37608b2b7bab52ab5aa7ca3c0bff4f&language=en_IN&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
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