Qur'an Does Not Impose Arab Culture on the Muslims of the World
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
21 March
2022
Religion
And Culture Can Exist Together In A Muslim Society
Main
Points:
1. Islam recognises
culture and cultural values.
2. God has
created cultural groups or races.
3. God created
languages and tribes.
4. The hadiths
recognise cultural values.
5. The holy
prophet pbuh allowed women to sing.
-----
In the
Muslim society culture means Islamic culture and Islamic culture is often
misunderstood for Arab culture. Most Muslims try to emulate Arabs in dress,
language and other social behaviour and mannerisms thinking that by doing so
they closely adhere to the Islamic culture. But from the Qur'an and Hadiths, we
get a different idea of culture. The holy Quran distinguishes religion from
culture. To discuss what the Qur'an and Hadith say on culture, we should see
the modern definitions of culture.
T. S. Eliot
thinks that culture is an organic shared system of beliefs that cannot be
planned or artificially induced. Its chief means of transmission is family
According
to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, culture means all aspects of human life in so
far as they are determined or conditioned by membership in a society. The fact
that people eat or drink is not in itself cultural; it is a biological
necessity for the preservation of life. That they eat particular foods, and
refrain from eating other substances though they may be perfectly edible and
nourishing and that they eat and drink at particular times of day and in
certain places are matters of culture.
According
to Meriam Webster dictionary, the customary belief, social forms and material
traits of a racial, religious or social group form culture.
Another
definition of culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a peculiar group
of people encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and
arts.
Therefore,
culture means the collective social behaviour of a people or a race living in a
particular geographical region of the world. Language, food habits, dress,
arts, music and local festivals together form a culture. Though religion also
becomes a part of culture but is not a quintessential part of culture. The
pagans of Arab were so strongly opposed to Islam because their religious
beliefs were very deeply entrenched in their culture and so they thought that
the opposition to idol worship was an onslaught on their culture.
Culture has
a deep roots in the family and the family is the chief means of transmission of
culture. Therefore, people have deeper attachment to their culture than to
their religion.
After the
advent of Islam the Arab culture went through some changes. In other words,
Islam did not out rightly reject pre-existing Arab culture but only reformed
and regulated it. It only purified the Arab culture and drew a Lakshman
Rekha round it. For example, Islam did not oppose poetry but only condemned
and opposed vulgar or derogatory poetry that was in vogue during that period.
It gave birth to the genre of Naat and religious poetry. Islam did not oppose
music or singing on festivals or on marriage ceremonies but only opposed it as
a profession and as a means of earning livelihood.
The Qur'an
recognises culture as a distinct way of life. Religion only regulates and keeps
culture under discipline. The Qur'an allows individuals to adhere to one's
cultural values to the extent the cultural values do not clash with or override
religious values. In fact the Qur'an says that God created cultural groups, that
is, races and tribes, who have different dress codes, different languages, and
different style of architecture, different music and ways of celebrating
special events in personal and collective life. Thus existence of cultural
groups and cultures was in fact in God's scheme of things.
"O Mankind, We have created you from male
and a female and made you into races and tribes, so that you may identify one
another. Surely, the no lest of you in Allah's sight is the one who is most
pious "(Al
Hujurat: 13)
"O human kind! Be pious towards your Lord
and beware of a day when no parent will be of any benefit to their child, nor
will a child be of any benefit to their parent "(Luqman: 33)
"And
among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and diversity in
your languages and complexion. There are signs in them for those who
reflect."(Ar Rum: 26)
According
to the above-quoted verses, God did not plan a homogenous human society because
the earth had different geographical regions and people inhabiting different
geographical regions had different dress, food habits, languages and arts and
architecture. Their temperament is also different. Therefore, obviously, people
belonging to different races and tribes will have different culture despite
accepting Islam as their religion.
But over
the centuries, the Arab culture was presented to be the Islamic culture and so
there was a conscious effort to impose it on Muslims belonging to different
geographical regions though during even the prophet’s life, the culture of
different parts of Arab was different despite the fact that Islam was the
common religion of the religion.
For
example, the women of Madina were more assertive and liberal than their Makkan
counterparts. The women of Madina were fond of singing. Men also sang and
danced on festivals or other happy occasions. There is a hadith in Sahih
Bukhari: Once Hadhrat Ayesha r.a. accompanied a bride with other women to her in-laws
on her Rukhsati. After Hadhrat Ayesha r.a. returned, the holy Prophet pbuh
asked her why she went to the bride's in-laws silently without any singing as
women of Madina were fond of singing.
Singing on
weddings was a part of the marriage ceremony in the culture of Madina and the
holy prophet pbuh recognised this. Obviously it was not a part of the Muslim
society of Makkah and so Hadhrat Ayesha r.a. went with the bride silently.
There is
another hadith in the Sahih Bukhari:
"Hadhrat
Ayesha r.a. narrated that Hadhrat Abu Bakr visited her during Mina where two
girls were playing on the Duff (while singing) and the holy prophet pbuh lay
covering himself with a sheet of cloth. Hadhrat Abu Bakr r.a. chided them. The
holy prophet phub uncovered his face and said, "Abu Bakr, let them play,
these are the days of Eid and that too in Mina." And Hadhrat Ayesha r a. said,
I saw the holy prophet pbuh was hiding me behind him as I was watching the
Negros play with their weapons in the mosque. Hadhrat Umar r a. scolded them.
The holy prophet pbuh said, 'Let them play." and said to them,' O Bani
Arfidah, go on.'(Kitab Eidayn, Sahih Bukhari No 935)
These
important points from the Qur'an and Hadiths are ignored and the common Muslims
are believed that Islam does not recognise cultural values and that Islam
prescribes a dry way of life devoid of even legitimate means of entertainment
and celebrations. In the name of promoting Islamic culture, the Arab culture
and Arab social behaviour is being promoted. The Arab Abaya replaced Indian
Dupatta in the name of Islamic culture; Allah Hafiz has replaced Khuda Hafiz
and Arabic words and phrases are increasingly becoming the part of the language
of Muslims of the sub-continent, particularly of Pakistan. Singing and music is
a taboo. In Sindh, extremist Muslims roam with machetes or swords in hand
threatening to kill anyone who sings in weddings. Therefore, in the name of
promoting Arab culture, Islam is being presented as a religion that does not
allow any kind of cultural liberty granted by the Qur'an and Hadith.
----
S. Arshad
is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/quran-arab-culture-muslims-/d/126617
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