Difference in Perspective

CONSEQUENCES OF MISINTERPRETATION appears very prominent, while its devotional aspect becomes weakened. In this depiction, terms like Iman (faith), Shariah (piety), and Shariah (excellence) are all present.8 However, these words do not truly describe the stages of a person’s relationship with God; rather, they are presented as the “moral foundations of the Islamic movement.” They function as standards for those specific expressions of one’s relationship with God that appear in the form of righteous leadership and the “establishment of the system of truth,” which, according to this interpretation, is “the real objective of religion” and the “ultimate goal of a Muslim’s struggle in this world.” In this view, these are stages in the expression of faith that indicate a person’s position in relation to the above-mentioned revolutionary struggle. When Deen is understood in this way, it should not surprise you if the religious commitment of such individuals appears vibrant concerning the 8. The terms Iman (faith), Islam, Taqwa (piety), and Ihsan (excellence), as used progressively in this literature, do not carry the same specific sequential meanings in the Quran. However, this is a minor technical point, so it doesn’t warrant criticism. While these terms may not appear in Quran and Hadith in these progressive stages, it remains true that Iman is indeed a developing reality, with stages and phases. We may use different words to describe these stages, but the concept remains valid.