The Message of the Qur’an

The Message of the Qur’an

1985 4 April 15-17 The Message of the Qur’an (991) In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful

Chapter II (Contd.)

Do you then hope that they will believe in what you say, when some of them have already heard the Word of God and knowingly perverted it, though they understood its meaning? When they meet the faithful they declare: “We, too, are believers.’ But when alone they say to each other: ‘Must you preach to them what God has revealed to you? They will only dispute with you about it in the Lord’s presence. Have you no sense?’ Do they not know that God has knowledge of all they hide and all that they reveal? (2: 75-77)

One of the reasons for the promptness with which the people of Medina recognized the Prophet Mohammad, and believed in him, was that they had often heard from their Jewish neighbours of the coming of a final prophet. News of the final prophet had already been broken to them; they had been expecting his arrival. The Jews, then were responsible for the Muslims’ initial fervour for Islam. It was only natural that the Muslims, in their turn, should hope that the Jews would unhesitatingly accept the prophethood of Mohammad. With every hope of a positive response, it was the sublimest of emotion that they called on the Jews to join them in their belief in the prophet of Islam.

How shocked the Muslims were, then, when they found that, contrary to their expectations, the Jews were not ready to accept their invitation to Islam. Rather, their efforts had the opposite of the intended effect, for the Prophet’s opponents took the opportunity to ask the Muslims: “How are you so sure about the prophethood of Mohammad? If he were truly a prophet, the Jews would have been the first to believe in him, for their knowledge of what is written in the scriptures is greater than yours.”

But acceptance of such a matter is not dependent upon knowledge alone; one has also to be sincere about it. As for the Jews” they had already altered their own Scriptures, though they knew them to be the word of God. They found loopholes in any part of the Holy Scriptures that did not conform to their wishes; they altered the Word of God. They found loopholes in any part of the Holy Scriptures at will; religion was subordinated to their worldly interests. People who act in this manner are not sincere, and it is only the sincere who can bring themselves to accept truth when it lies beyond the confines of their own group.

However true something may be, if one is bent on denial then one is sure to find some justification for it. Such a perverted attitude finally leads to actual falsification of the true word of God. One who has such an irreverent attitude towards the divine Scriptures can never appreciate the gravity of matters concerning God: he hears the word of God, but excuses himself from being bound by it; he believes in God, but remains insensitive to his responsibilities to Him, committing acts of flagrant rebellion against Him which no one who really believes that God is watching over him, and hearing what he says, would ever dare to perpetrate.

“There are illiterate men among them who, ignorant of the Scriptures, know of nothing except lies and vague fancies. Woe to those that write the Scriptures with their own hands and then declare: This is from God,’ in order to gain some paltry end. Woeful shall be their fate, because of what their hands have written, because of that which they have gained.’ They declare: ‘The fire shall never touch us – except for a few days.’ Say: ‘Did God make you such a promise – or do you assert about Him what you have no means of knowing? Truly, those that commit evil and become engrossed in sin are the heirs of Hell; in it they shall remain for ever. But those that have faith and do good works are the heirs of Paradise; for ever they shall abide in it” (2:78-82).

The Arabic word for “vague fancies” is “Amani”. According to Ibn Abbas, Fara and Mujahid – among the most reliable of Quranic commentators – the word refers to those mythical tales, invented by Jewish scholars, which were designed to be as outwardly attractive as possible for popular effect. The overall aim of these stories was to prove that the fire of hell was for others – not for Jews. Added to this, statements in support of the theory that the Jews were God’s “chosen people” were attributed to venerated Jewish saints. It was made out that certain magical properties were inherent in their religion, ensuring salvation by virtue of mere adherence to the run-of-the-mill rites of Judaism.

Such recipes for cheap salvation are very attractive to the masses, for they give credence to the popular notion that there is no need to discipline oneself – no need to lead a responsible life; superstitious charms and magical remedies are enough to cure one’s spiritual ills and get one into heaven. The scholars who taught these tales became highly regarded; for the theories they expounded were designed to win popular support. Facilitation of eternal salvation became for them a lucrative source of worldly income. People flocked to their support. They were showered with offering, for they ushered others along the path to a paradise that did not have to be earned; in return they received worldly wealth that they did not have to labour for.

This has always been a failing in people who want to live in a dream world, who think that they have no obligations save the performance of certain perfunctory rituals, who delude themselves into believing that they have certain inalienable rights before God. Such people cannot accept the call of true religion, for truth demolishes all their wishful thinking, and makes them face the stark realities of life.