Foundational Values of Islam - Research Paper Example

Research Paper, Religion and Theology Topic: How have groups of scholars cited the Qur'an to support their different stances on prophetic immunity from sin?" Foundational Values of Islam and backgrounder information The foundational values of Islam are beyond question and are not subject to arguments. Sachiko Murata et. al writes, “The Arabic word islam means “to turn oneself over to, to resign, to submit. In religious terminology it means submission or surrender to God or to God’s will.” (3) Every human argument has a counter arguments and the issue assumes the form of controversy without any solutions. Controversies arise when the revelations of God (the power that is incomprehensible to mind) are interpreted and discussed by the mind-level scholars. This is true of scholars of any religion and Islam is no exception. No scholar can reach the divine heights of prophets and as such common agreement for their different stances is impossibility. The followers of Islam have their inspiration and guidance from twin sources. “The norms and assumptions that have characterized belief and action in Islam have their initial inspiration in two foundational sources. One is scriptural, embodying the message revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad and recorded in the Qur’an. The second is the exemplification of that message in the perceived model pattern of the Prophet’s actions, sayings and norms, collectively called the sunna.” (Nanji, n.p.)) For Muslims Qur’an is the ultimate scripture, its revelations are inviolable; it contains direct communication from God. The contents of Qur’an are not debatable; as such there is no question of difference interpretations as for those revelations. Sunna comes next in the order of preference in the sense it contains historical, but divinely inspired contents as guided by “Prophet Muhammad, whom the Muslims believe that he is the last in the series of messengers from God.”(Nanji, n, p.) He is the final religious authority for the Muslims. “The late Fazlur Rahman, noted University of Chicago scholar of Islamic thought and modernist Muslim thinker, argued that in its initial phase Islam was moved by a deep rational and moral concern for reforming society and that this moral intentionality was conceived in ways that encouraged a deep commitment to reasoning and rational discourse.”(Nanji, n.p.) Qur’an is the revelation of God and it cannot be compared or estimated with the measuring scale of reasoning. Here is the origin of conflict between the scholars. Because most of the scholars speak and write from the mind-level and they are not connected to the divine source. When revelations are weighed in the scale of human reason, the results are not going to be divine. Rational understanding and divine understanding are poles apart. Human beings may explain about their connectivity, which is not there in real terms. “The relationship between the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet, as a model of behavior, was also elaborated to create a legal framework within which values and obligations could be determined.”(Nanji, n.p.) But when the scholars intervene, no two scholars have ever given identical opinions on any contentious issue. Every scholar cites Qur’an but interprets its revelation in the light of the reasoning that one visualizes. Different stances of the scholars regarding prophetic sins need to be understood in this context. Prophetic immunity from sin: Truth needs to be followed implicitly when it has been accepted as truth. Truth is complete and there is nothing like partial truth. When the implementing authorities of truth, the Prophets especially chosen for the assignment, there is no question of deviation from the path of truth. They are expected to dutifully deliver truth to humankind. God has chosen them with a purpose and he has the detailed backgrounder information about the ones he has chosen. “However, Jonah (pbuh), for instance, deliberately abandoned his divinely ordained mission for a time and was heavily penalized for this. The Qur'an states that Jonah (pbuh) would have remained in the belly of the whale until the Day of Judgment had he not repented.”(Regarding, n.p.) Now the question is simple and straightforward. Does God not have the foreknowledge that the one specifically and specially chosen by him, would give up God’s path? How his messenger can be that arrogant to reject his message? Their antecedents and future projection of their behavior must have been known to God and how such exceptional men can commit sins? Thus the doctrine of prophetic sinless-ness stands challenged and this assumption is a grave error. To understand this alleged deviance, one needs to know the difference between sin and mistake. “The prophets are normal human beings and like all other people, they can also commit mistakes. They never commit sins, but may commit mistakes. The difference between sin and mistake is sin is an offense against God or against a religious or moral law. Mistake is an action or an opinion that is not correct, or that produces a result that you did not want like a word, figure, etc. that is not said or written down correctly.”(Regarding, n.p.) Sin has the divine connotation, whereas mistake has the secular consideration. God’s prophets possess impeccable moral character; as such they do not commit sins. But they are still human beings with normal traits and as such they are liable to commit mistakes. “However, a study of prophets' mistakes reveals that their mistakes are generally because of their strong bias towards the Truth and their love of God and their fellow human beings and are basically because of their sympathy towards others, and in their desire to save people from the everlasting punishment of Hellfire.” (Regarding, n. p.) The authentic aim of the prophets is to carry the mandate of God, faultlessly. God watches their actions and ensures that they deliver the message as per his guidelines. If, in any area they commit mistakes, through divine mechanism it is set right at once and therefore they are ever error-free. It is revealed in Qur’an “As for the messengers whom He has chosen, He guards them from the front and from behind to make sure that they have delivered the messages of their Lord, (Al-Jinn 72:27-28) (Regarding, n. p.)Thus, they function under the protective wings of God. Further it is stated, “Any mistakes committed by the prophets outside this sphere, if not affecting the nature of the message they are deputed to deliver, may or may not be corrected through divine intervention.”(Regarding, n. p.) Thus the viewpoint articulated as per the above explanation is, prophets are basically sinless but they can commit mistakes. “If the mistake committed by a prophet directly or indirectly affects the accuracy of the message of God and its teachings, then these mistakes are corrected immediately. (Regarding, n.p.) Thus the doctrine of the prophet’s immunity to sin remains unaffected and it is true for all times. Jonah’s act is also measured accordingly. He does sin, but on the spur of the moment he takes an emotional decision, as such it is an error of judgment. He continues to impart God’s message without intermission to the place of his deputation and remains committed to his responsibility with total integrity, and this process continues for a considerable period, but none is willing to accept his message and he faces derision personally, and as well for the message. The situation for him is dispiriting and disheartening. He turns depressive and thus , he takes a decision to leave the nation and thus he ignores God’s commandment to remain patient and steadfast at his post in the service of the nation, and accept the will of God, without taking any independent decisions from the reasoning of his mind. He forsakes the people and faces strict action by God. Further developments are cited in Qur’an that he realizes his mistake, repents sincerely; God is willing to condone and saves him from disgrace. “The Prophet doesn’t commit sin. To which Sidi Ibn ‘Ajibah responded with: Imam al-Laqqani says in his poem on creed al-Jawhara: Bil Mu’jizat Ayyidu Takarruman wa Isma al-Bari li Kulli Hattama Through miracles they were aided by [His] generosity And the infallibility given to them by the Creator is clear.”(Are the, n. p.) “But this does not find acceptance from the earlier and later scholars over the issue. Imaam Abu Bakr Al-Kalabaadhi writes in his “Ta’arruf” the following observations relating to the issue” (Are the, n. p.) “Al-Junayd, An-Nuri and others of the great Sufis hold that whatever happened to the prophets only affected them outwardly, and that their secret hearts were absorbed with the contemplations of God. They cite in support of this view the words of God: ‘But he forgot it, and we found no purpose in him’ (He is referring to 20:115 Where Allah says about Adam-- We had already, beforehand, taken the covenant of Adam, but he forgot: and we found on his part no firm resolve”) (Are the, n. p.) “The basic nature of the acts needs analysis. Any act must be proven by intentions and resolves and in the absence of these twin qualifying attributes, it does not amount to a deed. They say that acts are not genuine, unless they are preceded by resolves and intentions, and that if something is without resolve and intention, then it is not a deed: God refutes this in the case of Adam when He says, “But he forgot, and we found no purpose (i.e. firm resolve to sin) in him.” (Are the, n. p.) When God reprimands them for such things, it is to teach a lesson to other men to make them aware that if they happen to be disobedient (to God) they have the opportunity to look for God’s forgiveness. The area of disagreement arises here. “Others, however, admit these faults (in the prophets), explaining, however, that they were slips arising out of faulty interpretation (ta’wil). They were censured forth because their rank was so high and their stations so exalted; and this was intended to serve as a warning to others, and an instruction, to preserve the title superiority which the prophets have over other men.”(Are the, n.p.) Some Sufis again disagree. They opine that such faults are to be treated as instances of forgetfulness and heedlessness, “explaining that they were forgetful of the lower thing because of their preoccupation with the higher (thing): so they say, in connection with the occasion when the prophet forgot to pray, that he was pre-occupied with something greater than prayer; for he said, “My delight has been set in prayer.” (Are the, n. p.) This explanation provides a new angle to the issue, “Are the Prophets Sinless?” It highlights the importance of prayers and its power to influence the decision of God in favor of the one who prays for his mercy sincerely. “Those, however, who assert that the Prophets were subject to faults and errors only reckon them as minor sins closely allied to repentance. So God says, when speaking of His elect Adam and his wife, “O Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves!” and again, “And He turned towards him, and guided him”; and of David He says, “And he thought that we were trying him; and he asked pardon of his Lord and fell down bowing, and did turn (repentant).”(Are the,n.p.) “So from this we see that the mutasawwifa (sufis) were in minor disagreement. Furthermore, Imaam Al-Juwayni – known as Imaam Al-Haramayn (the Imam of the two harams – makkah and medina) in his Irshaad voices the opinion that the prophets could possibly commit minor sins.”(Are the, n. p.) What is the necessity that “the prophets be exempt from the acts of disobedience?”(Are the, n. p.) The important question here is who is asking the question, who is providing the answer and who will evaluate the answer. If all these exercises are conducted by another prophet, who has transcended the human mind levels, and whose connectivity is directly to God, the subject is worth further consideration. If intellectuals with bookish knowledge are involved, then to consider them is itself is a sin. No one can be judgmental about the revelations of God or the interpretation of the revelations by the Prophets. Sachito Murata et.al write, “Perspectives differ in accordance with differing interpretations of the sources…” (xiv) The power granted to the Prophets is so great, and should they commit sin (act as interpreted by the academic and religious scholars) no one can be judgmental about it except God. He only knows the circumstances in which the sin is committed, whether it is sin at all and whether and how to condone it. So any discussion on is should be in the light of the above observation. An apparently vile act from the point of view of the secular world may have profound significance from the divine point of view. A smaller calamity might have been allowed to be committed to prevent a greater calamity for the humankind. Sachito Murata et.al argues, “Muslim thinkers often quote the Prophet to the effect that every verse of Qur’an has seven meanings, beginning with the literal sense, and as for the seventh and deepest meaning, God alone knows that.”(xv)The mind-level commentaries and conclusions by human beings on the alleged acts of sin by the Prophets will only lead to arguments and counter arguments and no solutions. A unanimous agreement is impossibility. Any number of textual passages will not be able to get to the truth, because truth is beyond words. “Qaadhi ‘Iyaad affirms that the majority of the four schools maintain that the Prophet Muhammad is sinless in his book Ash-Shifaa’. (Are the, n. p.) I would go to the extent of even asserting that when a Prophet commits a ‘sin’ he has the prior knowledge that his act will be considered as the sin by the humankind and the intellectual heritage owners, the scholars, but from the divine angle, it is not sin at all. “Prophets are individuals who received Divine revelation and guidance to lead humanity towards righteousness and recognition of God.”(Discovering, n.p.) The prophets have been categorized as “regional or universal.”(Discovering, n.p.) The former is sent by God with explicit communications and the later with the capacity for scriptural revelations meant for the entire mankind. Since their connectivity is directly to God, they are infallible and will not commit any sins. Their lifestyle is exemplary and the followers are expected to follow them implicitly. Someone who is untrustworthy is not a prophet. Their infallibility is due the spiritual grace of God. The prophet can distinguish from situations of sin and no-sin and he abstains from the later “by his own free will.” He knows the limitations set forth for him by God and “avoids transgression by his own power and will as he is aware of the consequences of his actions” (Discovering, n. p.). “The mention of infallibility is stated thirteen times in the Quran, and one such example is when God said to Satan, “Certainly you shall have no authority over My servants except those who follow you and go astray.” (15:42) In another instance in the Quran we read, “Satan then said to God, 'By Your might, then I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen servants among them [the messengers and imams].'” (38:82)” (Discovering, n. p.)This indicates the supreme divine powers of the Prophets who have been deputed by God for revelation of a universal religion to humankind. Conclusion No scholar is competent enough to give his opinion or take a stand and cite Qur’an to support his different stances on prophetic immunity from sin. They are incompetent to interpret the revelations of God or the message given to Prophet by Him. It is their bounden duty to follow the revelations and the type of interpretations given by the Prophets. To ask questions on them is the sin. Scholars are like little ants and they should not engage in the exercise of challenging the mountain. All prophets live in a conflict-free zone. The differences of opinions are amongst their followers, who are not able to interpret Prophet’s commands in the correct perspective, they envy and fight amongst themselves. What is the position if groups of scholars give a unanimous opinion? Even then they are not the authorities to change the version of the Prophet from his declared stand. Works Cited Murata, Sachiko (Author) Chittick, William (Author) Vision of Islam (Visions of Reality). I B Tauris & Co Ltd, 2006 Nanji, Azim. The Ethical Tradition in Islam - The Institute of Ismaili Studies, n. d Web: http://www.iis.ac.uk/ContentLink.asp?type=cont&id=106487-Acc. on April 28, 2013 Are the Prophets Sinless? | Seeking Ilm.com, n. d. Web: http://www.seekingilm.com/archives/109-Accessed on April 28, 2013. Discovering Islam - Al-Islam, n.d. Web: http://www.al-islam.org/discovering-islam/5.htm-Accessed on April 28, 2013 Regarding the Prophets' Immunity to Sin [6015] –n. d. Web: http://www.understanding-islam.com/…ity-to-sin-6015-Accessed on April 28, 2013 Read More