Arguments from the Quran

replacement for the object of shara‘h (prescribed), or it could be a separate clause in the nominative case. It is as if the question were, “What has been prescribed?” and the answer given is, “It is to establish this (universally agreed upon) religion.” From these excerpts, it is evident that the specific wording of the verse led the scholars of tafsir to interpret deen here as adherence to the core teachings of faith. Given this, it would not be correct to interpret the verse as a command to implement all individual and collective laws of the religion across every domain of life. This does not mean that, beyond the core principles of deen, the social and civilizational laws of Shariah are not relevant for us to “establish.” My purpose is simply to demonstrate that the establishment of these laws is not imposed upon us in absolute terms, as this interpretation attempts to do. This explains why the Quranic verses often cited in support of such an interpretation do not, in fact, substantiate it in the sense of explicitly commanding the implementation of collective religious laws by force on others. For example, “O David, We have made you a vicegerent on the earth, so judge between people in truth and do not follow desire” (Quran, 38:26). In contrast, this interpretation consistently draws its arguments from verses that are unrelated to the real issue. It is