Muslim and Orientalists Understandings of the Quran - Coursework Example

ISLAMIC STUDIES Student Name Course name Date To what extent do Muslim and Orientalists understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents converge /diverge? Introduction For nearly 200 years, Western scholars have subjected the holy Qur’an to some rigorous scrutiny. According to Kroessin (2008), the Islamic study from the Western perspective has been greatly influenced by power rivalry between the West and the Muslim community. The Orientalists perception and study of Islam was the first attempt of west towards understanding Islam1. On the other hand, Muslims have a conviction that the Qur’an has a distinctive significance which it cannot have for non-Muslims, whether politicians, columnists or even scholars2. Their argument is that Qur’an’s significance is only secondary to non-Muslims given that its significance is a consequence of the value that Muslims place upon it (Sayyid, 2003). This particular essay will therefore attempt to analyze the extent at which Muslim and Orientalists understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents converge /diverge3. According to Mquran.org (2006), a significant diverging view between Muslims and Orientalists’ understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents is revealed through Orientalists questioning of Qur’an’s divine authorship which they claim was human authored4. This is an allegation that has been made by Orientalists in much the same way it was made by their predecessors, Christian and Jewish Writers who were strongly against Islam spread. This allegation according to Tabaar (2008) is contrary to Muslims’ convictions of the divine origin of the Qur’an and whose belief is that the Qur’an was conveyed word by word by God through Prophet Muhammad5. Muslims however argue against this assertion citing that the Qur’an is exceptional among its Scriptures in two respects in such a way that even its critics accept. First, the Holy Qur’an exists in its original language, Arabic which is widely spoken at present (Islamicbasic.com, 2010). Second, its contents are entirely reliable and has neither been altered, edited or even been tampered since it was revealed6. In comparison, Christianity Gospels have not been able to survive their original language. The language of the initial surviving version of the Scriptures is a dead language. Moreover, their texts have been revealed to be the works of a large number of people over the years, edited and re-edited, revised and interpolated, to enhance sectarian interpretations7. According to Donnan (2001), they have therefore lost all their authority as scriptures and now only serve as national or cultural folklore for various groups whose distant ancestors came up with their own versions8. On the other hand, Mquran.org (2006) highlights that the holy Qur’an’s content has a convincing argument as regards its divine authorship9. Mquran.org (2006) argues further that those alleging that someone else wrote the Koran had no evidence to back their assertions and that the Orientalists denial of Qur’an’s Divine authorship has had its motivation from their fear of Islam10. According to Geaves (2004), one of the clearest reasons for their fear became visible following the fact that Muslim as a religion has been able to quickly establish a distinctive as well as a lasting civilization serving as its constitution and structure11. It has therefore been able to mandate the administrative, legal as well as the fiscal reforms that are critical towards sustaining a vast state of various cultural communities and religions. As a result, the Qur’an has been able to genuinely inspire scientific curiosity to study different peoples alongside their cultures12. Mquran.org (2006) argues yet again that the Orientalists’ denial of Qur’an’s Divine authorship is also motivated by its power and authority, and that at one time in future Muslims possibly will obey its various commands thereby restoring their civilization. The Orientalists therefore would wish the Muslim elite and other Muslims to accept as true that the holy Qur’an is a human work that belongs to a particular time, and therefore irrelevant. However, such a conviction would only downgrade Islam to Christianity’s present status as a tender recollection of something of the past13. Orientalists and other Qur’an detractors according to Campanini (2010) want Muslims to accept as true that the holy Qur’an belong to the seventh century. They admit this so as to entice the Muslim community to believe that the holy Qur’an was too advanced for its time14. This implies that they are the ones who feel to be advanced therefore offering a lifestyle of intellectual as well as cultural freedom, while the holy Qur’an and Islam are backward. Mquran.org (2006) claims that alleging that the Qur’an was written by a human being only reveals the failure to acknowledge the fact that all individuals are obliged to God, Who gave us everything15. Moreover, Geissinger (1998) claims that the holy Qur’an is God’s gift of mercy and there is no way it could have been written by human author16. In support of Qur’an divine authorship, Hilali and Muhsin Khan’s translation verses contend with this challenge highlighting that if mankind and jinns really collaborated to come up with the Qur’an they possibly would not produced the same as the ones available even with the assistance of one another (Qur’an 17:18)17.Qur’an (2:23) on the other hand urged Qur’an detractors (Jews, Arab Pagans and Christians) who are doubting the holy Qur’an that was sent down to produce a chapter (surah) of that like and call their witnesses other than Allah if they are honest. Muslims conviction is however tied upon the fact that the Qur’an was not produced by anybody else other than Allah, the Lord of heavens and earth. Moreover; they believe that the Qur’an is a proof of the revelation that was before it as well as the full explanation of the laws and order decreed for humans by God (Allah)18. Ali (2010) however argues in support of Qur’an’s authenticity that scriptures form the basis of any religion’s teachings and natural oblige people to follow them on supposition that their origin is divine19. On the other hand, with many competing assertions, it is much difficult to depend on mere suppositions alone have confidence that a given religious scripture ought to be believed as the truth. Ali (2010) argues further that if being a Muslim implies one who yields to Allah’s will, then all the Muslims ought to know that is really by Allah’s will that one is supposed to surrender to20. Another significant diverging view between Muslims and Orientalists’ understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents is revealed through Christian missionaries’ allegations of the Qur’an to be having many grammatical errors.21 However, in an angry reply, Muslims have often stated that Muhammad’s Arab contemporaries were erudite in addition to being proficient in their idiosyncrasies of the Arabic language and therefore if they had come across any grammatical errors in the holy Qur’an, they would have made it known22. And since there was no any challenge over this issue, there was therefore an assurance that such grammatical errors did not exist as purported by Qur’an detractors. Saifulla et.al, (2010) highlights that Christian missionary’ allegations of grammatical errors have previously been discussed and disproved23. Saifulla et.al, (2010) claims that this allegation was a clear proof of the detractors’ lack of knowledge regarding the intricate construction in Arabic, a factor that gave rise to their claims of the purported grammatical errors24. Cultural encounters between Islam and the West with regards to gender attitudes has also been able aroused divergent views. The issue of gender has more often than not acted as a hot potato in many deliberations about Islam among the non-Muslim community and in discussions involving the Muslim groups. According to Milton-Edwards (2001), there have been continuous accusations from the non-Muslims that Islam as a religion is hostile to women25. On the other hand, Roald (2001) highlights that Muslims have often expressed their belief that there existed no issues of gender in Islam before until the West started meddling on Muslim matters, implying that in their point of view an idyllic gender pattern was there in Islam and is still present within the Muslim society26. According to Roald (2001), it seems therefore that cultural behaviour is observed from various perspectives in the cultural encounter pitting Muslims and the non-Muslim counterparts27. Roald (2001) argues that the holy Qur’an talks little about gender relations with the most clear injunctions found in verse 4:34 which states that man’s social role in a family is breadwinning28.Ali’s translation of the same verse portrays men as protectors as well as maintainers of women since God gave them more strength than the other. On the other hand, Roald (2001) argues that a number of non-Muslims, particularly the Orientalists from the Western nations, often refer to such verses en bloc so as to depict Islam as a religion hostile to women29. Contrary to this, Islamists maintain that their ideas are natural owing to the fact they are in accordance the reality. In their view, Westerners tend only to come up with ideological ideas that are contrary to the reality as well as to human nature. Their argument is therefore based on the fact that God created the social system in accordance to the nature of His creation30. Another diverging opinion between Muslims and Orientalists’ understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents is revealed through the preaching of Islam that brings out two opinions regarding the way in which the Islamic message was passed on to the world 31. Detractors, especially the Orientalists, allege that the wars that were fought by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad was insulting wars and that a large number of people were being converted through the use of force32. On the other hand, the objective historians argue that the Orientalists views are not supported by the facts given. Their view is that the prophet did not employ the use of force to preach and that all the battles that the prophet was defensive. If anything, the spreading out of Islam was as a result of the prophet’s spiritual as well as his moral power33. According to Al Islam (1995), the view by Orientalists that Islam was spread out by use of force was unfortunately supported by a section of Muslim leaders and who just like the Orientalists divided the prophet’s life into Medinite and Meccan periods. The Orientalists maintain that while at Mecca Prophet Muhammad was very weak and ineffective, hence that compromising in addition to a submissive attitude of peaceful co-existence. Then, after acquiring power at Medina, he opted for the sword, according to the Orientalists’ school of thought34. According to Al Islam (1995), the Orientalists had a feeling that if the Islamic prophet had not done so, there would have been no spiritual insurgency in Arabia and that Islam wouldn’t have spread35.Al Islam (1995) claims further that the Orientalists’ snide remarks regarding the prophet of Islam were predictable other than being hurtful. They are at times implied out of ignorance, though in majority cases made out of hatred. This opposition towards Islam colors the neutrality of even the most impartial historian. But most unkind of all this comments are the allegations of some Muslims claiming to spiritually follow the prophet, while on the other hand presenting him, either through ignorance or egotism as a barbarian who used the sword to convert and eventually conquer36. All these according to Goodchild (2003) reveal the baseless assertions of Islam’s enemies37. On the other hand, a significant view shared by both Muslims and Orientalists’ understandings of the nature of the Quran and its contents and in which there is convergence is revealed through a belief in monotheism, the worship of only one God, Allah38.According to Al Islam (2011), Orientalists say that the fundamental principles of Islam are that there is only one God and that Muhammad is His prophet39. Al Islam (2011), highlights further that theologians have sermonize that Allah foreordained everybody’s fate and that His will cannot be changed at all. This doctrine is what is referred to as jabr and which literally means predestination.Gustav Le Bon, a French social psychologist and sociologist, in support of this opinion says that the Qur’an has not articulated anything in excess of what other Holy Books articulate40. According to Al Islam (2011), Gustav Le Bon argues that Islam has more often than not been indicted of believing in fate, but this accusation seems as unjustifiable as other accusations41. Hassan (2011) supports the fact that Muslims believe in the existence of one God, Allah42. Hassan (2011) highlights further that the very essence linking all Muslims is the belief in creator of the universe43. According to Rafiabadi (2007) such a conviction in the one and only entity that developed and designed the biggest and the most minute elements of existence is the most essential concept of faith44. Hassan (2011) claims that the heart of Islam is therefore unshakable certainty in the realism of one God. The one God is undividable, unequalled and unparalleled45. Another converging aspect between orientalists’ view points and Islam about the Koran is revealed through their views on Prophet Muhammad. According to Hidir (2007), it should also be noted that the ideas of orientalists about the Koran are not entirely negative46. Several important figures such as Hat Sprenger and the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe have been known to discuss Prophet Muhammad in a positive way. West-East author, Goethe voiced his positive feelings as well as the interpretations of Islam and Prophet Muhammad in a poetic form. In a poet entitled ‘Muhammad's Song’ and which was written in 1773, Muhammeds Gesang praises Prophet Muhammad and uses the phrase “Muhammad, the best of mankind. Goethe also began writing a book on the prophet, but he was not able to finish it due to his death. Owing to the positive remarks about Islam and prophet in his works, some Muslims argue that Goethe had changed to Muslim before his death. Similar views are also expressed by Henry Stubbes who share positive arguments about Prophet Muhammad47. Stubbes claim that the allegations by some Orientalists that Prophet Muhammad spread his teachings by the sword was defamation and that the wars the prophet fought were concentrated on restoring the old, original religion other than instituting a new one. According to him, the prophet’s teachings were aimed at eliminating paganism globally, and that there was to be only one God with no any partners48. Again, according to Stubbe, when the prophet sought to bring an end to paganism, he never compelled anyone to join Islam; in actual fact, the prophet himself sanctioned Christians and Jews within the Arabian Peninsula49.  Conclusion Islam has undoubtedly been an object of studies by a great number of Western Orientalists who in the past two centuries have issued extensive learned literature on this subject. On the hand, one may argue out that despite the fact their labours, particularly in the historical and the philosophical field may be worthy, they have not contributed much towards the better understanding of Muslim religion owing to the fact that they have not been able to stimulate much interest outside their specialized academic circles. One is therefore forced to admit that the Orientalists views have not always been motivated by the true spirit of scholarly impartiality, and it is difficult to deny the fact that some Islamists have worked with a view of belittling Islamic religion and its supporters. References Al Islam, 1995, Preaching of Islam: Two Conflicting Views, Retrieved on February 18 from http://www.alislam.org/library/books/mna/chapter_2.html Ali, M.R, 1999, The Authenticity of the Qur’an: How do we know that the Qur’an we have today is the word of God? Retrieved on February 18 from http://www.ilaam.net/Articles/AuthenticQuran.html Al Islam, 2010, High Level of the Logic of Islam, Retrieved on February 18 from http://www.al-islam.org/mananddestiny/15.htm Akhtar, S, 2008, The Quran and the Secular Mind: A Philosophy of Islam, Routledge. Almond, I, 2007, The New Orientalists: Postmodern Representations of Islam from Foucault to Baudrillard. 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