By Farid Gabteni
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي؛
رَبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَلْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ سُلْطَانًا نَصِيرًا
In The Name of God The Origin The Arranging
God My Lord! Relieve for me my chest and Ease for me my task, and Untie the knot from my tongue that they may understand my speech.
God My Lord! Make me Enter a credible entrance, and Make me Emerge a credible emergence; and Give for me, from Yourself, a rescuing authority.
Today, I will conclude my presentation on the original Message of Islam with this fifth and final series of conferences.
Heretics have truncated Islam, the religion of oneness, of knowledge, of freedom of conscience, of free will, of tolerance, of pacification and of Peace, to produce obscurantist, backward, hateful and violent ideologies. Yet, even to address a tyrant such as Pharaoh, God Commanded Moses and his brother, as we can read in verse 44 of chapter 20:
”فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى“
“And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear”
This verse, like many other similar verses, constitutes, for the Muslim, a behavioral example to follow.
Similarly, if today the entrance of mosques is generally forbidden to non-Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad, for his part, received the Jews and Christians, among others, in the mosque.
The word ‘mosque’ comes from the Spanish ‘mezquita’, according to the pronunciation of the Arabic word ‘masjid’, from the root S-J-D / س ج د, from which the word ‘sajd’ / سجد is first derived meaning ‘to bow down’. In Arabic, al-masjid (المسجد) refers to ‘the position, the location in which one bows down’. I therefore translate it as the ‘prosternat’ in French, rather than ‘mosquée’ (mosque), which hides the original meaning of the word to non-Arabic speakers.
A presentation begins with an introduction, followed by a development and ends with a conclusion. This is the case of the Qur’an; it starts with ‘The Opener’ (Al-Fātiḥah / الفاتحة), chapter 1; it develops from ‘The Cow’ (Al-Baqarah / البقرة), chapter 2, until the end of the book; it concludes with chapters dating mainly from the beginning of Revelation. This is to point out the importance that should be given to the origin.
The Muslim calendar was begun on the 1st of Muḥarram (15 or 16 July 622), starting from the emigration (al-hijrah) of the Prophet, from Mecca to Medina. Unlike what was instituted after the Prophet, it is not his emigration to Medina (the Hijra, 622) which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The latter can be inferred from the Qur’an (chapter 97), and it begins with the Quranic Revelation, in 610 (chapter 96).
Original Islam covers the whole of Revelation (from 610 to 632), while ideological traditionalism likes to opt for and anchor itself in the Hijri calendar. All Muslim historians – traditionalists included – report that the Hijri calendar was adopted after the Prophet. The Qur’an, for its part, gives precedence to the date of Revelation, as it can be read in verse 3 of chapter 97:
”لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ“
“The night of decree is better than a thousand months”
Common sense dictates that a calendar start from an initial event; it is obvious that Islam did not begin with the Hijra, but with the Quranic Revelation.
Adoption, after the Prophet, of the Hijri calendar had sententious political, theological and jurisprudential impacts. Insinuately, it has allowed and still allows traditionalists to falsely substantiate their ideologies, exegetically focusing on the Medina period instead of, and at the expense of the Mecca period. The Qur’an states in verse 85 of chapter 2:
”…أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ…“
“(…) Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? (…)”
After the death of the Prophet in 632, and the great subversion of 656–680 (the first discord and civil war of the Muslims), for centuries, the primary causes of the decline and division of the Muslim community into factions have originated from purely political conflicts and from the considerable credit that these factions gave to the collections of traditions relating to the ancients and the words, actions and deeds of the Prophet:
-
the ‘salaf’ / السلف ; the word ‘salaf’ means ‘previous’ and designates by extension the Muslim scholars of the first centuries,
-
the ‘ḥadīth’ / الحديث ; the word ‘ḥadīth’ means ‘utterance’ and designates by extension what the Prophet reportedly said. The numerous ḥadīths take up several volumes,
-
and the ‘sunnah’ / السنّة ; the word ‘sunnah’, or ‘sīrah’, means ‘lifestyle’, ‘conduct’ and designates by extension the tradition: what is reported of the conduct, actions and deeds of the Prophet.
Each current indeed understands the Qur’an and Islam according to what they draw from these collections, which leads to often-contradictory theological, jurisprudential, in fact, socio-political interpretations. Historians from all disciplines still to this day debate the historical validity of these traditions, including traditionists (al-muḥaddithūn, scholars of sayings attributed to the Prophet). Despite this, for many Muslims, they take precedence over the Qur’an, becoming the source of what divides them.
Scientific analysis of the totality of these collections of traditions, which date back from 150 to 255 years after the death of the Prophet, teaches us that they offer no concrete guarantee of authenticity, exactitude and, even less, accuracy of the words that they recount. Composed from many various chains of oral transmission, they offer only an approximate representation of historical facts.
A few hundred original statements (about 700 at most) have been multiplied into the thousands over the course of less than a century.
Narratology shows us that the oldest of these stories date back to the end of the 7th and the early 8th century (post-680), which coincides with the end of the civil war. It is at that time that the various strands of political, theological and jurisprudential thought have emerged, that now form the basis of all traditions among Muslims.
These collections of traditions are born from a multitude of events and circumstances that Muslims experienced after the death of the Prophet, and represent the ideological, political, and sociological conceptions of their time.
The led astray and the opponents of Islam profit from these collections with uncertain content and lend credence to them in order to use what serves their own purposes; it is the way they deform and distort Islam. Some stories from these collections of traditions do roughly interpret the Qur’an, some are contrary to the literal and allegorical sense of its verses, and they assign the Prophet with points of view, behaviours, and actions that are totally opposite to his character and the Message of Islam.
Obscurantists, criminals and islamophobes attempt to imbue the ignorants with the belief that Islam is synonymous with hatred and violence. This idea helps their incendiary and petty speeches and promotes enmity and discord, encouraging in this way to a war of civilisations. If we are not careful, chaos will be the result.
In verse 90 of chapter 16, it says:
”إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ“
“Indeed, God Orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and Forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He Admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded”
And in verse 105 of chapter 3:
”وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ“
“And do not be like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment”
And in verses 31 and 32 of chapter 30, it says:
”…وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (٣١) مِنَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ (٣٢)“
“(…) do not be of those who associate [others with God] 31 Of those who have divided their religion and become sects, every faction rejoicing in what it has 32”
Yet, many entrenched in multiple factions, mutually excommunicating one another, forsaking the original and universal Message of Islam, interpreting the Qur’an without drinking at its source because they have lost and forgotten the heart of the Qur’an in favour of uncertain, debated and questionable traditions.
And the Qur’an attests to this in verse 8 of chapter 22:
”وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَابٍ مُنِيرٍ“
“And among people who dispute about God without knowledge or guidance or enlightening writing”
Dismaying is the example of the one who listens but hears nothing, who learns but understands nothing, who thinks he knows but knows nothing, who tinkers but does not apply himself at all; in the end he is of no use apart from trying to be smart… a whole lifetime without science nor conscience in the humdrum routine of everyday life. That can make people laugh, but it is sad anyway.
I am Muslim, I testify that there is no god except God, Unique, without associate. And I testify that Muhammad is His Servant and Envoy, namely that the Creance, the Religion with God is the Pacification, the Islam, the submission to God in peace. I do not testify that Abū Bakr, ΣOmar, ΣOthmāne or ΣAlī – the first four caliphs who succeeded each other after the death of the Prophet – are messengers of God. They are just Muslims close to the Prophet, who were both right and wrong, and who cannot be blameless in essence. Only God Is Perfect and Absolute. I do not claim any theological or jurisprudential school in particular; this does not prevent me from strongly feeling my duty to defend the Muslim community – despite its diversity – of which I am a part. And I refuse – with all my strength – that it be split yet. I position myself against the excommunicators and the secessionists, whoever they may be. God does not like either aggression or aggressors. He Is The Witness and The Judge; and no one can claim to possess the paradise or hell, except Him.
For believers, God Himself Is the Truth, The Sovereign, Supreme Truth; The Ineffable Truth. Other than Him, no one possesses the Absolute Truth, everyone has their own truth; in brief, there are as many points of view with regard to the truth as opinions. However, according to the philosopher Maurice Blondel, ‘Truth means nothing unless it is expressed uniformly, while objections and heresy are always able to address the detail’. The truth is knowledge recognised as right, consistent with its purpose and which therefore has a universal, absolute and ultimate value; the standard, principle of rectitude, wisdom, universally considered as an ideal in the sphere of thoughts and/or action.
Some politico-theological and case law doctrines – inherited from the history of Muslims – subsequent to the Prophet, are contrary to the very spirit of original Islam. And yet unfortunately, still today many proclaim them as immutable and eternal truths. These are no longer, as a priority, the original Message of Islam and its universal values that are taught – obscured or forgotten – but the ritualistic doctrines of another age, with prospects from the future to the past! It is not Islam that needs reforming; it’s traditionalism, which must be amended and desecrated. Instead of the religion of those mentioned in verse 191 of chapter 3, they teach mementos of traditions:
”الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ…“
“Those who remember God, standing and sitting and on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (…)”
Current religious institutions perpetuate, encourage and spread ideological traditionalism, ritualism and conformism; they do not prioritize upholding the original Message of Islam which is stated and conveyed in the Qur’an during the lifetime of and by the Prophet, over the traditionalism introduced after him and set up as a religion since then. It is time for Muslims to make this distinction, to rediscover the original meaning of Islam, and to reform themselves accordingly.
The original Islam, embodied during the lifetime of the Prophet, expressed and explained in the Qur’an, must be the principal reference for any Muslim worthy of this name. This Islam is synonymous with Science, Knowledge, Tolerance and Progress. As for traditionalism, it is synonymous with a past frozen in history: faded away and non-replicable. History advances and does not move backwards no matter what we do, this is the Law of God. Furthermore, traditionalist ideologism is an agent, by excess and by default, of intellectual stagnation, superstition, fetishism, dogmatism, uniformity, ignorantism and obscurantism; certainly, evils to be avoided.
Traditionalists dwell on the ḥadīth, what the Prophet reportedly said, in order to legitimise their ideologies and their interpretations of the Qur’an, without really taking account of the original Message of Islam, and even less the historical and sociological data or the circumstantial facts of time, place, cause and purpose. However, God says in verses 3 and 4 of chapter 53:
” وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى (٣) إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى (٤)“
“And he does not speak out from inclination 3 It is nothing but revelation that is Revealed 4”
We note from these verses that what can be certified as the words of the Prophet is only what was revealed to him by God, namely the Qur’an. The injunction of God ‘Say!’ is indeed repeated 332 times in the Qur’an. In the majority of cases, this injunction is addressed to the Prophet. And this divine injunction, repeated many times, is of course inherent in the continuous transmission of the well-heard (well understood) message. What the Prophet certainly said is what God Himself had ordered him to say by revelation in the Qur’an. We clearly read it in verse 6 of chapter 45:
”تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ“
“Such [are] the Signs (Verses) of God, We Relate them to you with truth; then in what statement (ḥadīthin) after God and His Signs (Verses) do they assure (believe)?”
As for the sunnah, the tradition, actions and deeds of the Prophet, it is also, and more authentically, found in the Qur’an. He is described as a human of great creativity and morality, he is told what he must say or do; how he must communicate the Qur’an, how he must act when different situations arise, etc. The Qur’an even specifies how he must behave and interact with his family, his adopted son, believers and all humans in general, including how to marry or divorce. The word ‘sunnah’, lifestyle, is cited 16 times in the Qur’an (14 times in the singular and twice in the plural), in reference to God or those who came before the Prophet, but not once in relation to Muhammad himself. It is worth repeating that when a ḥadīth, a sunnah or sīrah are proven scientifically, they must be considered circumstantial.
Pseudo-religious fanatics take inspiration from traditionalism, stemming from the history of Muslims and not Islam itself. We therefore must take action to inform and teach the original Islam (from the lifetime of the Prophet) and set it apart from the traditionalist islam (after the death of the Prophet) plotted, built and established by political-theological, sociological and historical circumstances, mixed with the original Message of Islam (Knowledge, Faith, Charity, Tolerance and Pacification).
Original Islam is the Creance, the religion of God, it is stated in the Qur’an. Ideological traditionalism, for its part, is consequent to the history of Muslims after the Prophet; it cannot therefore be considered part of the canon of religion. In the seriously alarming circumstances that our modern society is experiencing, I allow myself to think that it is everyone’s duty to encourage, support and promote the scientific works and books dealing with original Islam. In fact, the latter, by means of those ones, is indeed the most effective tool to permanently and efficiently counter, neutralise and annihilate ideological ultra-traditionalism, a way leading to so much harm and suffering. The presumptuous are loud; but when you are dealing scientifically, expertly and masterly with a subject, they are then disconcerted, with no reply other than expressing their insufficiency.
Let us therefore refer to the Book of God, for all Muslims. There is an inescapable verse that we must absolutely take into account for a better approach to the Qur’an; it is in verse 7 of chapter 3:
”هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ“
“It is He who has Sent down to you the Book, wherein are decisive verses (signs) – they are the foundation of the Book – and others plurivocal. So as for those in whose hearts is deviation, they will follow that of it which is ambiguous, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation. And no one Knows its interpretation except God and those firmly grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it. All is from our Lord.’ And no one remembers except those of understanding”
This verse, far from being insignificant, is clear and precise, especially for the scholar who studies the entire corpus of the Qur’an. Attention is drawn to two levels of analysis, both equally important: the phrastic analysis and the transphrastic analysis of the Qur’an. The first concerns the very essence of the Book, unchanging and timeless; it is at the foundation of the original Message of Islam. The second relates to its form of application, which can involve several meanings that may be circumstantial of time, place, cause and purpose.
Sometimes, our certainties need to be reviewed, re-evaluated, or even reformed, in order to find back the true meaning of a Cause. For example, the Qur’an mentions the law of retaliation relative to the elders, thus formed in primitive societies; that being said, it gives precedence to the narrative (the faculty of narrating and acting accordingly) of ‘those of understanding’, those who apprehend the gist. The level of knowledge acquired in our modern societies no longer allows us to act through instinct and vindictiveness, but rather through civilizing prevention and justice. In verse 179 of chapter 2, it says:
”وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ“
“And there is a life for you in the narrative, O you [people] of understanding; that you may guard yourselves!”
Until you empty your heart of rage and hatred, you can’t fill it with the Love of God and spread it in His Creation.
Another example, outside of traditionalism, is there anything in the Qur’an which obliges Muslims to sacrifice animals, whatever the circumstance? Obviously not. The word ‘offering’/‘hadyu’/ هدي can take on a number of meanings, depending on the time, the place, the cause and the aim. This term is used in the Qur’an for the pilgrimage, whereas the word ‘throat-slitting’/‘dhabḥ’/ ذبح refers to the sacrifice of Abraham. The distinction is linguistically significant and far from being fortuitous. The difference between cutting the throat of an animal and offering a gift may be considerable. Consequently to what I have outlined, can the annual massacre of millions of animals at Eid/Tabaski be considered to be compatible, reconcilable and coherent with original Islam? A fundamental question worthy of meditation by anyone who fears God and believes in Him.
As a reminder, tradition says that on his pilgrimage, the Prophet performed sacrifices – namely in quite specific circumstances – for his whole community. His gesture amounts to all the animal sacrifices performed since that time, and until the end of time. So, on the day of Eid, any Muslim may absolve themself through an offering, al–hadyu, regardless of its nature, without necessarily resorting to cutting its throat. And the Qur’an attests to this in verse 37 of chapter 22:
”لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ“
“Neither their flesh, nor their blood, ever reaches God. But what reaches Him is your piety. Thus, He Subjected it to you, that you may glorify God for that He has Guided you. And give good tidings to the doers of good”
And in verse 38 of chapter 6, it says:
”وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ …“
“And there is not a creature (animal) on earth, nor a flying creature flying with its wings, except [that they are] communities like you (…)”
The true Muslim cannot hold in contempt, mistreat, degrade, or weaken any animal, or kill it without good reason, much less for pleasure.
Even to feed himself, he cannot trivially kill an animal; he must consider this act in the Name of God as a sacrificial operation, that is, an extraordinary act performed in fear of God, Creator of Breath of all life. I say this with verse 23 of chapter 39 in mind:
”اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُتَشَابِهًا مَثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ“
“God has Sent down the best statement: a plurivocal Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts soften at the Remembrance of God. That is the Guidance of God by which He Guides whom He Wills. And one whom God Leaves astray – for him there is no guide”
Islam preaches measure and moderation in all things and for each thing, far from extremism and extremes. For example, about clothing, the Qur’an summarises in verse 26 of chapter 7:
”… وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَى ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ“
“(…) and the clothing of piety, that is best, that is from the Signs of God, perhaps they will remember”
Covering one’s head, growing a beard, the qamis/daffah, the boubou or the djellaba, the veil, the niqab, the burqa or the chador; all of this is a result of traditionalism and has nothing to do with original Islam as a religion. On the contrary, today, all of these manifestations are harming the image of Islam and Muslims, mainly in non-Muslim countries; they are synonymous with obscurantism, sectarianism, provocation and aggression. For the learned Muslim – responsible and aware of real Islam – it is unbearable to see it become distorted and reduced to these ostentations. The Islam of the Enlightenment – at the origin of the emergence of modern science – is disguised by the ideological traditionalism as a ritualistic, backward and retrograde religion. Muslims must be awakened to original Islam, the Islam of science and progress; they must also protect themselves and preserve their religion from all harmful prejudice.
The adoration of God is not concretized either in ostentatious getups or in an incantatory ritualism; even less in illusory mimics, words without knowledge and derisory sacrifices. It is crystallized into the right decision followed by the good deed. Adoring and serving God means loving and serving His Creation; it means thinking and acting well, being helpful and not futile. Being a Muslim, believer and practitioner, means being learned, pacified and pacifying, ensured, ensuring and reassuring, kind, benevolent and beneficent; it means living and dying peacefully.
In verse 143 of chapter 2, it says:
”وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا…“
“And thus We have Made you a middle nation, that you may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a witness against you (…)”
And in verse 78 of chapter 22, it says:
”وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ …“
“And strive for God with the striving due to Him. He has Chosen you, and has Laid on you no impediment in your religion (creance); the creed of your father Abraham. He named you Muslims (pacified); and in this, that the Messenger might be a witness over you, and that you might be witnesses over mankind (…)”
And in verse 185 of chapter 2, it says:
”… يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ…“
“(…) God Intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship (…)”
The Muslim is the one who has a commitment with God, to believe in Him, to worship Him through Islam, which raises one’s soul, in all purity, to act with kindness, to accomplish the charitable, to recommend the suitable and condemn the despicable, to call men to God, to humanism, to reform and to equity. This gives him a benefit in this world and the best with God. In truth, the best provision is piety. The one who gets up with God, who drinks and who eats with God, who works and who rests with God, who sleeps and dreams with God, who thinks, who speaks and acts with God, who is poor and who is rich with God, who is healthy and who is sick with God, who is young and who is old with God, who lives and who dies, with God on his lips and in the heart; that one possesses this world and the hereafter. He gets up, drinks and eats, works and rests, sleeps and dreams, thinks, speaks and acts, lives and dies in peace. In peace with himself, with men, beings and things; accordingly, in peace with God, The Supremely-Good. Those are the righteous.
Muslims must return to the original Message of Islam, the one of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. They must rebuild themselves into a community of the middle way, the community of ‘Iqra’ ’, of ‘Link and Read’ through the Knowledge of God.
First of all, they must rise out from the torpor and fear that overwhelm them, and vigorously denounce everything and everybody that, through hate and violence, deform their religion. It is incumbent upon them to awaken and rehabilitate the original Islam in the eyes of the world; Islam of the Enlightenment, of science and progress, that of peace, of freedom of conscience and of tolerance. Muslims must diligently practice benevolence and charity: faith in God is inseparable from good and beautiful work, simultaneously, one with the other. Know how to love your fellow men, be kind to your neighbours, feed the hungry, take in orphans; that is what is good, what is right and is not vain.
Verse 110 of chapter 3 attests:
”كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ“
“You are the best nation, raised up for mankind: You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and you believe (assure) in God. And if the People of the Scripture had believed (assured) it had been better for them. Some of them are believers (assurers); but most of them are evil-livers”
As well as verses 1 to 3 of chapter 103:
”بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالْعَصْرِ (١) إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (٢) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (٣)“
“In The Name of God The Origin The Arranging. By the time! 1 Verily man is in loss 2 Save those who have believed (assured) and did good works, and exhorted one another to Truth and exhorted one another to patience 3”
The human, with all his knowledge, still feels the need to feed his soul; his spiritual quest demands answers. And yet the wave of sects of Judeo-Christian and Far East inspiration, derived from Buddhism or Hinduism, has ebbed. There have been attempts to spiritualise materialism and vice versa, but the result was not a big success. This will also be the case for the doctrinal sectarianism of errant muslims. Islam, with its original Message, will make man rediscover his humanity and his raison d’être; such is its universal vocation.
In verses 2 and 3 of chapter 65, it says:
”…وَأَقِيمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ لِلَّهِ ذَلِكُمْ يُوعَظُ بِهِ مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا (٢) وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا (٣)“
“… and establish the testimony for God. That is instructed to whoever should believe (assure) in God and the last day; and whoever fears God, He Prepares a way out for him 2 And He Provides for him from where he does not expect, and whoever relies on God, then He Is Sufficient for him. Certainly, God Brings His Command to pass; God has already Set a measure for all things 3”
Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.
والحمد لله رب العالمين