Original Religion Vs Self-Styled Religion

ORIGINAL RELIGION VS SELF-STYLED RELIGION To clear misconceptions and discover the true face of Islam, we need to differentiate between Islam, on the one hand, and Muslims, on the other. We should gauge Muslims based on Islamic teachings and not vice versa. People often ask me why the understanding of Islam I present to them is different from the picture of Islam they receive from elsewhere. I explain that in the earlier phase of Muslim history, people derived their religion directly from the Quran and the Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet of Islam), so their association with the original Islam remained intact. However, today, self-styled interpretations of the Quran and the Sunnah have gradually placed a veil over the original content of these sources. Thus, the original Islam has been completely obscured from our view, leading to many misconceptions. This is why we witness two different versions of Islam: one that is found in the sources of Islam — the Quran and the Sunnah—and the other that is reflected in the lives of present-day Muslim communities. One must conceive of Islam purely in the light of the sources of Islam, the Quran and the Sunnah. Moreover, one must refrain from equating the Muslim community with the religion of Islam as contained in its sources. When one does this, one realizes that many misconceptions people have about Islam have nothing to do with Islam. Instead, they are due to the actions of people who call themselves ‘Muslims’.