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Chairman: Judge Ray Sigh, CRE Commissioner of Wales
Councillor Russell Goodway, the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City &
Country of Cardiff
Ayatollah Dr S F Milani – Islam and Diversity
Mr Rowan Williams – Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Monmouth – How
to Live Together in Peace
Dr Ibrahim Al – Jaffari – The Human dimension of Islam
Held on
Wednesday 20th March 2002 "Islam in
21st Century Britain"
Islam
and Diversity
.
Sayyed
Fadhel Milani- March 2001
.
In
the view of Allah, the whole of humanity comprises one single community.
And it is only through His power that people may unite into one community.
.
"Humankind
were one community, so Allah sent Prophets, as bearers of good tidings,
and as Warners. He sent down to them The Book with the Truth so that
He could judge between people" .
Qur’an
2:213
...
Three
facts emerge from the above ayah:
1
The unity of all humanity under One God
2
The distinctiveness of the different religions brought by various prophets
..
The role that revelation (The Book) plays in resolving differences which
occur between people.
.
The
Qur’an does not deny the variety of religions, nor that contradictions
might exist between them regarding beliefs and practices. At the
same time, it emphasises the need to recognise the ‘oneness’ of
humanity created by Him, and the need for all to work toward a better
understanding between the followers of the different faiths.
.
This
is illustrated by history. For example, when conditions in Makkah
were unfavourable to the early Muslim community and a challenge to the
inhabitants of that city, Allah commanded His Messenger ('s) to say,
‘to you your religion and to me my religion’. Qur’an 109:5.
.
This was even more relevant, when real issues of coexistence arose between
the followers of Divine scriptures in Madinah.
..
The
universal message of the Holy Qur’an thus reveals that, without
subordination to a limited historical and cultural context, revelation
accepts religious pluralism as a necessity. It teaches Muslims to
continually negotiate the transformation of society via emphasis on the
fundamental aspect of the unity of humanity, that is, its origin and
creation by the Divine Being.
.
This
affirmative principle of diversity is the cornerstone of the Creation
Narrative in the Qur’an and serves to remind people,
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"Surely
this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord so worship
Me."
Qur’an
21:92
.
Rather
than regarding diversity as a source of inevitable tension, Qur’anic
teaching underlines the indispensability of variety in defining the
common beliefs, values and traditions for community life, of the various
specific traditions.
.
"O
humankind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you races
and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely the noblest
among you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you."
Qur’an
49:14
..
The
unique characteristic of Islam, is the conviction that belief in the
Oneness of God unites the Muslim community with all of humanity, because
He Created every human being, irrespective of their religion, tradition or
background. And on the Day of Judgement, all the inhabitants of the
world are to be judged, regardless of their sectarian affiliation or moral
performance.
.
In
his letter to his governor in Egypt, Imam Ali
('a) wrote that;
..
"Humanity is
made up of two kinds of people: those who believe that they are like
others because all have been similarly created, and those who only believe
that they are like those who follow the same faith.’ The Persian
poet Sa’di (d. 1292 CE) elaborated,
.
"Human beings are members of a
body, in which every part is related to every other part, and each of
those parts have been created from a single essence"
.
Divine
gift requires humans, regardless of their particular religious
affiliations, to live harmoniously together and to strive toward justice
and peace throughout the world. In the Qur’an, Allah urges
humanity to,
.
‘… compete with one another in doing good’.
Qur’an 5:48
..
Islam
does not claim that revelation was limited to the Prophet Muhammad ('s)
alone, for it is known that other prophets also received the truth.
...
We
have revealed to you, as We revealed to Nuh, and the prophets after him.
We revealed to Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq, Yaqub and the Tribes, Isa and
Ayub, Yunus, Harun and Sulayman and We gave to Dawud Psalms, and
messengers We have mentioned to you before and messengers
We have not
mentioned to you, and Allah spoke to Musa. Messengers who gave glad
tidings and warnings in order that people may have no argument against
Allah.
Qur’an
4:163-5
...
Islamic
recognition of the variety of communities, each with its own laws, attests
to the validity of Jewish and Christian communities, even though Islam,
which avoids extremes and cautions moderation in everything, remains the
ideal for "the best community".
..
The
Qur’anic notion of religious pluralism, even when the right path is
conceived as being the only basis for the success of humanity, objects to
intolerant claims that many religious communities sometimes make.
The Qur’an refers to moral as well as to religious obligations.
While universal guidance indicates that moral standards underpin human
well-being, specific guidance indicates the necessity for human beings to
exercise their volition in matters of personal faith, if for no other
reason than because any attempt to enforce it, would lead to its negation.
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Justice
is Islam’s most sacred concept. Many ayat in the Qur’an
emphasise its significance for all of humanity. Qur’anic
injunctions stipulate the action to be taken whenever justice is violated:
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If
two parties of believers fight one another, make peace between them (by
trying to minimise the causes of the conflict), then, if one of them
transgresses against the other, fight the transgressor until they comply
with Allah’s command. However, when the transgressor once again
submits to Allah’s law, make peace between them with fairness and
justice and act equitably.
..
Truly Allah loves those who are just.
Qur’an
49:9
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It
is obvious that no lasting peace can ever be established without the
elimination of the causes of conflict, violations of justice and equity.
Consideration of the universal and absolute nature of the moral categories
of justice and equity, indicate that the Qur'anic answer to conflict
resolution is not limited to believers only. Rather, it conveys
universal significance and application to the demand for peace between
conflicting parties be restored by them both behaving justly and equitably
towards each other. ‘Truly Allah loves those who are just"
..
In
another Ayah, Allah tells us in the Qur’an,
..
O
you who believe, always remain upright before Allah, bear witness with
justice and do not let the repugnance of others provoke you into not
behaving equitably. Behave equitably, that is nearer to piety.
Qur’an
5:8
.
Islam
orders just behaviour, even when ‘being just’ does not advantage
one’s own case. Qur’an 4:135.
..
The obvious conclusion of
all of the above is that justice is an absolute concept and one which is
not limited to any one religion or race.
..
During
Imam Ali’s caliphate, a dispute arose between the Caliph and a Jewish
citizen over the ownership of a shield in the caliph’s possession.
Imam Ali ('a) attended the court but when the judge addressed him by his
title and addressed the claimant by his name, he ('a) reminded the judge
to observe equity between both parties in the manner with which he
addressed them.
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It
is interesting to note how Allah addresses humanity, regardless of their
beliefs, compared to the way in which He addresses believers. The
Qur’anic expression for the first group is, ‘Ya ayuha al-Naas’ -
‘O humanity’, while the term used for the second group is ‘Ya ayuha
al ladhina Amanu’ - ‘O you who believe.’ The above mentioned
ayah, ‘O humanity, We created you male and female, and appointed
you races and tribes so that you may know one another’. Qur’an
49:14 is an example of the former group.
.
Directives
related to justice, fairness and all aspects of moral and spiritual values
are addressed to humanity at large. Those which refer to acts of worship
and Islamic law are addressed to those who believe in Islam.
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Life
is a gift of our Almighty Creator, and none may take it from any of His
creation. Taking the life of one individual is considered equivalent
to taking the lives of the whole of humanity. On the other hand,
saving the life of one individual is regarded as being as noble as saving
the lives of all of humanity. Qur’an 5:32. In this ayah,
Allah doesn’t limit sacredness of life to Muslims only. The
behaviour of all who arrogantly ignore this, is not acceptable to
humanity, and nor is it acceptable to those who believe in Islam.
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