26 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons captured thehearts andmindsofmillions of simply fortheir adherencetoafaiththathas ents ofIslam,towardguests in theircountry demented individuals,claiming tobeadher- such callousandcriminal behaviorfrom It isthereforeparticularlylamentable tosee ditions ofnativestheIndian subcontinent. the levelofsophisticationinreligioustra- extensively onbothsubjectsandrecognized The greatscholaral-Bir‰nistudiedandwrote lished solelyforthestudyofthesereligions. the Westwithuniversitydepartmentsestab- sophisticated astoinstillrespectandstudyin their religionsandretaincosmologiesso religions possessBooksasthefoundationof status fromHindusandBuddhists,asboth have traditionallyaccepted centuries. BoththeMalikiandHanafischools and Buddhistshavecoexistedpeacefullyfor mosque inNepal,acountrywhereinMuslims to thedestructionofafour-hundred-year-old Nepalese BuddhistcooksinBaghdadthatled ers butpeoplesallovertheworld. beingpresentednotsimplytoWestern- greatest tragedyIseeisthehorriblepictureof framework. Inthelightofrecentevents, them lightlyorjustifyinsomeIslamic the latterdays.Weshouldnot,however,treat reflect thestateofcommunitiesandpeoplein prophetic traditions,boththesequalities fitna unrest andagitation—whattheArabsterm W Generous ToleranceinIslam and itsEffectsontheLifeofaMuslim Take, forinstance,thetragickillingof and ^araj sion, whichhasledtowidespread of immenseconflictandconfu- e findourselves . Accordingtoseveralsound jizya and Hamza Yusuf in atime dhimmÏ Hebrew] totheoriginalSemiticlanguage.” preserves ahigherdegreeoflikeness[than language ledoneOrientalisttoclaim,“ guage. Infact,theinnerworkingsofthis religious nation important thannowinourlonghistoryasa sam¥^a West. Itwouldseemthattheconceptof people intheEastandincreasingly protect it Reminder, and We havepromisedtopreserveand declaration: “ miracle iscogentlyexpressed intheQur’an’s (God’s peaceandblessings upon him).This terms usedbytheQur’anand theProphetœ us toproducepreciseglosses oftheIslamic of pre-Islamicpoetryandprose,haveenabled have comedownthroughtheunderstanding ulary andtheexactnessofitsmeanings,asthey Biblical Hebrew.Thepreservationofitsvocab- permanence notevengrantedKoineGreekor marians, philologists,andetymologists,a form, throughthelaboriouseffortsofgram- revelation, ithasretained,initsQur’anic was inessence“frozen”timeasalanguageof preservation ofArabic,inwhichthelanguage system ofderivation( tic universe,createdbyitshighlystructured extraordinary arrayofpossibilityintheseman- to it,revealinginitsQur’anicperiodan Arabic hasretainedaremarkableancientness What is and vastness( assert thatlanguagesactuallylosecomplexity Arabic isaprofoundandcomplicatedlan- .” (tolerance) hasneverbeenmore 2 No otherlanguage hasthisprotec- a¢a sa We haveindeedrevealedthe ? . ) astheyevolve.Duetothe ishtiq¥q ). Mostlinguists 1 seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 27

PHOTO: ABDULLATEEF WHITEMAN/CWDM ). irti- sm^ , the ), and ). The tadullu ’s fourth j‰d means “to in regard to w¥faqa ¢al¥ al- smk al-^anafiyya as- sama^a smq, ), root based words, al¥ samakahu ay rafa¢ahu is “to display generosity mÏm , which is glossed as, “to be ), and finally, Mu¢jam maq¥yÏs al-lugha and ¢a~¥ ¢an karamin wa sakh¥’ asma^a sÏn s¥ma^a or In his 5 , which is primarily glossed by Ibn ). 6 in Arabic denotes “affability, ease, and ). ). sm^ I believe there is a relationship between the I believe there is a relationship between Sama^a elevate something” ( fartafa¢a root Man·‰r and others as “generosity” ( the other means “to be elevated” (¢ ( trees and foliage, means “to be elevated” fa¢a wa ¢al¥ wa t¢¥la philologist Ibn F¥ris says, “The root denotes agreeability and easiness” ( m¥dda sm^ ¢al¥ ma¢n¥ as-sal¥sa was-suh‰la Sal¥sa glossed as “loftiness”: the concept of tolerance is one of the most exalted of human qualities and shares a relationship with the heavens. most When asked, “Which religion is the beloved to Allah?” our Prophet œ replied, “The gentle Abrahamic one” ( sam^a and nobility” ( idea of tolerance comes from base form, agreeable with others’ wishes” ( ma~l‰b , smd ), . There sam¥^a ¢al¥ mÏm . All of these , Ibn Man·‰r Its root dyad is smq 4 and . ). The word for sÏn sm^ , and In the case of 3 smk , Lis¥n al-¢arab smd is taken from the base root , is “to be elevated” ( sm¥ sam¥’ sm¥ . In his book, Words in Arabic are based upon trilateral al-¢ul‰wwu wa as-sumuwwu the trilateral root base is tion, and its greatest testimony is in the preser- tion, and its greatest testimony is in the Arabs vation of the poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs, and the earliest dictionaries of the of which are unparalleled in other languages the equal antiquity. Lexicologists debate both meanings of many words that exist in simply New and Old Testament texts, and they mean. do not know what some of those words over While difference of opinion exists exist Qur’anic meanings, those differences inter- only to provide more than one possible pretation. roots and, in many cases, bilateral roots that are then nuanced in meaning with the addi- tion of the third letter. are many trilateral root words comprised of this dyad base, but four that stand out in rela- tionship are comprised of the letters base roots relate to “elevation and loftiness” ( “heaven,” says that sm¥ 28 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons word inArabic,fellupon how theArabs,searchingforanequivalent who are“different”fromus—itiseasytosee for example,wearetaughtto“tolerate”people today’s worldisuniquelyaEuropeanidea— harshness, intolerance,orfanaticism.” toward lifeandothersthatdoesnotallowfor essence of am familiarwith.” I saiditwasArabic, hereplied,“Notany I askingme,“Whatlanguageisthis?”When by article Ishowedhimfromthe for itsexcellence,responded toanewspaper on Arabicgrammarrecognized inMauritania on the Mur¥bi~ al-¤ajj,whohaswrittenacommentary was particularlystruckwhenmyownteacher, what iswrittentodayinArabicnewspapers.I entirely atalossinunderstandingmuchof superb masteryofclassicalArabic,arealmost scholars ofMauritania,who,despitetheir is particularlyrecognizableamongthedesert ofmodernMuslims, especiallyArabs.This ders so manyideasimpingingonthementalbor- foundly affectedbyEnglishandFrenchdueto to recognizethatmodernArabichasbeenpro- the Europeanterm“tolerance.”Itisimportant gion withoutanyconstriction( tasmÏ^ an-d¥bba ba¢daisti|¢¥bayl¥nawaanqada animal wastamedafterintractability”( layyin idh¥qÏdainqada sition; ifheisled,follows”( “The believerisofeasygoingandgentledispo- malleability” ( meaning of Although theconceptoftolerancein FOR THE ENDOFRELIGIOUS WARS IN IT WAS A UNITARIAN PRINCEFROM SUZERAINTY OF THE OTTOMAN’S TRANSYLVANIA UNDERTHE WHO, ULM OT,PAVEDPORTE, SUBLIME THEWAY Alfiyya is “easytravel”( sam¥^a al-^anafiyya as-sam^a of IbnM¥lik,asophisticatedtext inqiy¥d EUROPE. is “aneasygoingattitude ). TheProphetœsaid, ). TheArabssay,“The as-sayru as-sahl tas¥mu^ Al-mu’min hayyin \ayq Sharq al-awsa~ is “thereli- ) init.”The to express Asma^a ). The ). At- and j‰d, sakh¥’,karam,lÏn,shah¥ma, |afa^,¢afw, is relatedtothefollowingterms: (to smoothen)and The SemanticField cept itself. sam¥^a There areseveraltermsthatrevolvearound grasp thesemanticfieldthiswordreveals. tolerance inanIslamicsense,wemustfirstfully view uponpeople. there areongoingeffortstoimposesucha yet spreadthroughouttheMuslimworld, things. While thissenseoftolerancehasnot be liberalanddisplaylargessetowardsuch forms, popularculture,etc.Oneisexpectedto such asconsumerism,pornographyinallits even thosethingsonefindsdeeplydistasteful, crimes. Oneisexpected,intheWest,totolerate the pale,suchasmurder,theft,orotherserious almost everythingunlessitisabsolutelybeyond West, atolerantpersonisonewhoaccepts today issynonymouswithacceptance.Inthe in currentusage,wasnotcommon.Tolerance when Islamwasflourishingfarandwide. survival intheverylandsitoriginatedfrom gave totheWestisnowstrugglingfor disconsolation torealizethatthegiftIslam the endofreligiouswarsinEurope.Itcauses Ottoman’s SublimePorte,pavedthewayfor Transylvania who,underthesuzeraintyof Unitarianism. ItwasaUnitarianprincefrom the ChristiansectsofProtestantismand of OttomanpoliciesinEasternEuropetoward religious toleranceinEuropeisadirectresult What istrulyironicthattheveryconceptof the Europeanconceptthanmanymayrealize. modern Arabicfor terrain thatArabs preferredoverallothers. It comes fromaroot word The firsttwotermsareclosely related: In theIslamicuniverseofdiscourse, In order,however,totrulyunderstand In theMuslimworld,ideaoftolerance,as I believethattheconceptiscurrentin ^ilm. , eachrevealinganaspectofthecon- sam¥^a taysÏr sahl (facilitation). is morerelatedto , whichisatype of tashÏl, taysÏr, sam¥^a TashÏl tashÏl seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 29 , and ), in . sam¥^a He resides in sam¥^a , he co-founded ). This contains a 1996 . Even a smile is an ). This principle also ). This principle Al-mashaqqatu tajl‰b at- Al-yaqÏn l¥ yuz¥lu bi sh- Al-yaqÏn l¥ yuz¥lu bi Al-¢¥da mu^akkama sam¥^a The Content of Character: Al-j‰d bil-mawj‰d A\-\arar yuz¥l is about. All the aforementioned prin- ), facilitates many human transactions ), facilitates many ). This principle sums up much of what The second principle is “Harm must be principle is “Harm The second are afford- principle is “Customs The third “Certainty is not The fourth principle, Finally, the fifth principle is “Difficulties Generosity is another aspect of worldly and otherworldly benefits. benefits. and otherworldly worldly ( removed” human matters, need to facilitate indicates the and societal. both individual ( ed legal status” peoples’ practices and recognition of different principle works both ways cultures. While this recognizes human in practice, it nonetheless is related to differences and thus ( removed by doubt” shakk be hindered by human that might otherwise frailty. demand facilitation” ( taysÏr sam¥^a from ciples and many of the others that follow idea of them are arrived at based upon the rela- facilitation and a preservation of human strives tionships, which the sacred law clearly to maintain. one which, in essence, is a means by which or person facilitates something for another them. which strengthens the bonds between proper- Generosity is ease with one’s being and what is ty. The Arabs say, “Generosity is with available” ( profound aspect of became an international speaker on various topics related to Islam and Muslims and is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco’s prestigious and oldest uni- versity, the Karaouine in Fes. In Zaytuna Institute, which has established an interna- tional reputation for presenting classical Islam in the West. In addition, he has translated into modern English several Arabic traditional texts and poems. His published works include Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures for the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart. Northern California with his wife and five children. . ” ). al- sÏn y¥) or “dif- , he pur- Al-um‰r and He wishes Ahlan wa usr scholars, is is “ease and ain ” ( 1977 YurÏdu bikum u|‰lÏ Yusr . letter: ¢ fa sued a rigorous course of studies abroad in the UAE, , as Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and raised in Northern Cali- fornia. After becoming Muslim in sam¥^a is one of the most impor- Yassir‰ wa l¥ tu¢assir‰ ). TaysÏr ). The ultimate aim of the entire Jalb al-ma|¥li^ wa dar’i al-maf¥sid , further illustrating the idea that but differ in the It stands in juxtaposition to ¢ It stands in juxtaposition ,” which, in other words, is to say, “You other words, is to ,” which, in 7 r¥ ). The first principle is “Affairs are deter- al-yusr, wa l¥ yurÏdu bikum al-¢usr al-yusr, wa l¥ yurÏdu was smooth, easy riding terrain as opposed to opposed terrain as riding easy was smooth, Arabs express hard terrain. The difficult, terrain in their for this type of their love “ greeting to the guest: warmest sahlan traveling from family and smooth have found here on out.” tant words related to God wants for humani- facilitation.” It is what itself: “ ty from the religion Because the primary concern is human bene- Because the primary concern is human and fit, matters that concern individuals idea of societies will always be viewed with the their facilitating human affairs to achieve mined by their ends and aims”( (Facilitate and do not complicate). All five of (Facilitate and do not complicate). All the golden principles of Islamic jurispru- of dence relate ultimately to the concept sam¥^a ( Islam is truly “the gentle religion” ^anafiyya as-sam^a bi-maq¥|idih¥ sacred law, according to our ‘ of “Accruement of benefit and avoidance harm” ( ease for you, and He does not wish difficulty for ease for you, and He you A hadith states, “ ficulty,” which is another type of derivative ficulty,” which is another words share the letters relationship. (Both and well as North and West Africa, acquiring teaching licenses in various Islamic subjects from several well- known scholars in those regions. After ten years of studies overseas, he returned to the and obtained degrees in religious studies and health care. He soon 30 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons and consult them inimportantmatters. them, seekforgiveness forthem would havedispersedfromaround you.So,pardon and hadyoubeenharsh hard-hearted, they from yourLordthatyouweremade gentleforthem, of hayyinun layyinun “The believerisgentleandsoft”( disposition.” TheProphetœreportedlysaid, implies “easiness,softness,andgentilityin vey theaspectofgenerosityin the injunctiondisplayessenceof high. Boththeinjunctionaswellactingupon power, richorpoor,weakstrong,humble ages thistypeof word isalsoanactofgenerosity.Islamencour- brother ischarity,”saidtheProphetœ.Akind act ofgenerosity:“Asmileinthefaceyour sakh¥’ for help. hearted andcompassionatewhensoughtafter erous withouthavingtobeaskedandsoft- considered ity needingtoaskforit.Forthatreason,Godis that flowswithouttherecipientofgeneros- layyina The Arabssay,“softearth”( he facilitatestheneedsofthoseseekinghelp. who ischaracterizedwith erosity flowswithoutourasking.Thus,one Fur‰q al-lughawiyya him forhelp( which amaniseasygoingwithpeoplewhoask the twoisthat Two wordsareusedindictionariestocon- Another relatedtermis sam¥^a HAVE FLEDFROMHISPRESENCE, HARD-HEARTED, PEOPLE WOULD PEOPLE HARD-HEARTED, . AccordingtoAb‰Hil¥lal-¢AskarÏin ). AND IMAMSSHOULDFOLLOW AND THATSCHOLARS IS WHY 8 J‰d IF THE MESSENGER IF THE . TheQur’ansays,“ Jaw¥d , ontheotherhand,isgenerosity THE PROPHET yalÏnu al-ins¥n¢indas-su’¥l sakh¥’ THAT ASPECT. sam¥^a ). Thisqualityisanaspect but not , thedifferencebetween is atypeofgenerosityin , whichisinanyone’s sam¥^a SakhÏ al-ar\ sakh¥wiyyaay [from yourLord] s s sam¥^a IN luy‰na It wasamercy WAS , forHisgen- is bothgen- Al-mu’minu sam¥^a : , which j‰d ), and and . al- ” 9 , Prophet œ, with mercy. in hisinwarddisposition,asheartwasfilled in hisoutwardbehaviorandtruecompassion the Prophetœhadbothimpeccablecharacter ill-mannered withacompassionateheart,but mannered withacruelheart,andonecanbe bad mannersandharshness.Onecanbewell- qualities absentintheProphet’scharacter: hearted” ( Furthermore, themeaningof“harshandhard- says, Commenting onthisverse,Imamal-Bur|awÏ, often turnedhimovertohisenemies. cruelty, harshness,anddisobedience even thoughtheyoftentreatedhimwith treated themwithcompassionandcare ( was specificallygivenagentledisposition This mercyisinthefactthatProphetœ al-Bur|awÏgoesontosayaboutthe qul¥ him” ( Aaron to“GoPharaohandspeak gentlyto that reason,GodcommandedMosesand immense mercy( on themercy;inotherwords,“…dueto “mercy” ( The useoftheparticle ducive toobedience( response ( hu fil-qul‰b more penetratingeffectontheheart him? Gentlenessinspeechalwayshasa should theyhaveobeyedhimorfollowed ken harshwordsandhadahardheart?Why expected tohavefollowedhimhadhespo- disbelief, howwouldpeoplehavebeen an obligationandthatabandoninghimis knowing thatadherencetohispracticeis Had hebeenharshandhard-hearted, not leadtotheneglect ofdivinerightsupon compassion aretobeusedifdoing sodoes one shouldrememberthatgentleness and layyin al-j¥nib lahu qawlanlayyin Idhhab¥ il¥Fir¢auninnahutagha fa fa··an ghalÏ·al-qalb ra^ma asra¢u il¥‘ij¥ba ) andisquickertoachievea ) towardhumanity.[He] ) istoaddfurtheremphasis ra^ma ¢a·Ïma ) ( ad¢a il¥a~-~¥¢a m¥ 20:34 ) andmorecon- before theword ) indicatestwo ) fromGod.” ). However, (anfad- ). For 10 seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 31 . , all ). The is “the at-taj¥fi 14 shak¥sa ) in Arabic. sam¥^a This could also shak¥sa Inna asma^akum 39:29 , Sam¥^a 15 . Someone who , as opposed to The noblest in God’s sh¥kis .” .” ( , and Shif¥’ sam¥^a sam¥^a sakh¥’ God strikes the parable of a This is an important quali- or , also indicates dignity. For also indicates dignity. ). The foundation of Islam is 13 ” karam ). It is the opposite of , the idea of nobility in the karam 12 , karam We have ennobled or dignified the is a malicious disposition, quite the is a profound word that means both is a profound word j‰d afsihi sam¥^a , which is an awareness of God that leads share similar meanings…. foregoing of one’s rights out of concern for others with a good disposition” ( ¢amma yasta^iqqu al-mar’u ¢inda ghairihi bi~Ïbi n Shak¥sa opposite of is argumentative is called The Qur’an says, “ man over whom a plurality of partners are wran- gling and a man secure in service to one man: are the two equal in comparison? Praise be to God! But most of them do not know People’s religious commitment is only as is commitment religious People’s both inwardly they follow, as those good of late, it is Unfortunately, and outwardly. shaykhs who to find scholars and quite rare behavior by high ethical are characterized unless they comportment, and beautiful whom God has are among those protected! As for The characteristic of easygoingness is Karam Qadi ¢Iy¥\ says in the further emphasized in the tractability of a per- son who embodies disputation and surliness ( ty of be understood as, “The most tolerant of you are the most God-conscious” ( ¢indaLl¥hi atq¥kum taqw¥ “generosity and nobility.” The pre-Islamic “generosity and nobility.” two concepts. A noble Arabs conflated the and a generous man was man was generous, interchangeable in that noble. They were sense. But Qur’an reminds us, after declaring that hu- man beings are one family, “ sight are the most conscientious instance, “ Children of Adam. generous act. 11 The and ifr¥~ ). For that ). In regards to ). In regards O Prophet, strive O Prophet, 9:73 ” ( ). He had to have been |ir¥~ al-mustaqÏm ). In the final analysis, the ). In the final analysis, ). Virtue is a mean between two 24:2 W¥ kadh¥lika ja¢aln¥kum ummatan ). One should know that the entire ” ( ), which are both blameworthy karÏm wa ra^Ïm madhm‰m If the Messenger œ was hard-hearted, people would have fled from his presence, and that is why scholars and should follow the Prophet œ in that aspect. Finally, Imam al-Bur|awÏ points out a tragic tafrÏ~ ( Qur’an is calling to a middle position Qur’an is calling to excess ( between neglect and the punishment of adultery, God says, “ the punishment of adultery, are each to be adulteress and the adulterer and don’t let com- whipped a hundred strokes; you, where it concerns passion for them overcome believe in God and the obedience to God, if you last day against the kuff¥r and the hypocrites, and be kuff¥r and the hypocrites, against the and what a Their abode is hell; hard on them. miserable destination men. If, however, it does not lead to honor- it does not If, however, men. not permissible. then it is rights, ing divine God says, “ For instance, extremes, so there are times when gentle- ness is enjoined, and others when severity is enjoined, in order to achieve a proper balance between the two, which is the straight path ( wasa~an purpose of the Revelation and the role of the Messenger is to convey the responsibil- ities that God has placed upon humanity. if This purpose would never be achieved hearts were not inclined toward the Messenger and minds quieted by his pres- ence; and this would never be achieved unless the Messenger was noble and merci- ful ( someone who overlooked their shortcom- ings and forgave their breeches of comportment and their transgressions. reason, God has praised moderation in the verse, “We have made you a moderate nation” ( fact regarding the Islamic scholars of the later period: 32 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons opposite of grant whoeverhastaqw¥acriterion a rigidman( kazz ( kazaz flexible bow”( Man·‰r saysamongthemeaningsusedis“a to when tobesoftandhard. is this the meaningsof wealth generously.Aswasmentioned,among is relatedtotheinabilityspendone’s type ofinflexibility,constriction,andrigidity) also glosses they say,andremember OurservantDavid, the instance, theQur’an says,“ he istoldnottobecome constricted. For to removeconstriction,and, inmanyverses, the sacredlawofIslam.The Prophet œcame striction anditsremovalisalso attherootof alladhi laysafÏhi\ayqun religion withoutconstraintorrigidity”( in the embedded inthat.Imamal-Fayruzab¥dÏsays mit,” andtheconceptofvastnessis of themanymeanings ( sam¥^a l¥ yanbasi~ Inna fÏhilamasma^an,aymuttasa¢an karam Another extremelyimportantaspectof ), anintractablecamel( is glossed,“thatwhichdoesnotrelax” furq¥n Mu^Ït is theconceptofvastness( and Vastness and ), asinacontortedface( kaz¥z kazza sam¥^a , “Surelyinitiscopiousroom” that enablesaperson to know rajulun kazz qaws sam^a as “miserliness.”So . AccordingtoIbnMan·‰r, al-^anafiyya as-sam^a . TheQur’ansays,“ “the religionwithoutconstraintorrigidity” ). Theconceptofcon- ). Interestingly,he sam¥^a Calmly endurewhat ), whichisthe jamalun kazz ( furq¥n sa¢a is to“per- kaz¥za ). God will wajhun ). One is “the ).” 17 ad-dÏn ), or 16 Ibn (a It meaning revealed intheaboveverse.Ifhe is or lackofdiscrimination butrathertothevery he obliges”innowayrefers to asheepishness anqad “if heisprevailedupon,obliges” ( altitudes stricted inhisbreastasifmovingintohigher contrariwise, theonewhorejectstruthis“ ( the hadith,“Thebelieverisgentle andpliant” is “ The descriptionthatGodascribestoabeliever Qur’an alsosays, deeply rootedintheideaof room.” Theideaofmakingroomforothersis “ of whatyoudo those towhomknowledgeisgiven.AndGodaware God willraiseinranksthebelieversamongyouand room foryou.Andwhenyouaretoldtorise,thenrise; room inassemblies,thenmakeroom;Godwill Qur’an says,“ strong; hewasalwaysturningtoGod Mar^aban hayyinun layyinun are con ever theyconnive;forGodiswiththosewho grieve overthem,anddonotbedepressedbywhat- your patienceisonlythroughGod.Anddonot for thosewhoarepatient.Sobepatient;though you: butifyouarepatient,thatiscertainlybest ishment equivalenttothevengeancewroughton And ifyouinflictpunishment,thenpun- In theirgreetingsofwelcome,theArabssay, one whosebreasthasbeenexpanded ). Theimportof“Ifheisprevailed upon, .” 20 scientious andthosewhodogood ,” whichmeans,“Youhaveplentyof .” Believers, whenyouaretoldtomake 21 This isaprofoundexampleof )—in otherwords sam¥^a ” byGod; sam^un idh¥ qÏda .” . 19 18 . The The con-

— PHOTO: ABDULLATEEF WHITEMAN/CWDM WHITEMAN/CWDM ABDULLATEEF PHOTO: seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 33 ” in al- a|- 23 Isma^ lÏ ) To this, God , which is “to permit,” Kayfa yufli^u qawmun There is no compulsion in the There is no compulsion ills and God punishes whom ). The Prophet’s patience , “the permitting religion,” sama^a ). The Arabs say, “ You have nothing to do with the deci- ), he justifiably cried, “How can a This great gift from God—faith This great gift from 24 mana¢a This verse clearly indicated to the .” 25 The Prophet œ was asked, “What is faith?” .” rab¥¢iyatahu Prophet œ that these people would be forgiven for even such a heinous act as persecuting a prophet, and, at this point, he prayed, “O God, Immediately after the Verse of the Throne of the the Verse after Immediately itself and an adherence to what faith entails— itself and an adherence for those who seek it. is given without coercion not seek it, like God’s For those who do He allows them room to Throne, God is vast; and spiritually. move physically, intellectually, This is the idea of is “to refuse” or “to with- the opposite of which hold” ( (Permit me). This religion is indeed (Permit me). This religion is indeed ^anafiyya as-sam^a “the generous religion,” “the soft religion,” “the easy religion.” ( and he replied, “Patience and generosity” |abru wa‘s- sam¥^a by and generosity is attested to again and again his response to cruelty, hardship, and persecu- to tion. Never did he allow a desire for revenge influence his decision. When his humanity when revealed itself momentarily, as in the case caus- the idolaters at ¢Uhud had split his head, tooth ing blood to flow, and had broken his ( the Qur’an—which better than any other better the Qur’an—which God’s Throne, the vastness of verse describes the earth, indi- the heavens and encompassing is simply not the vastness of God cating that or contem- possible to either grasp humanly “ plate—we are told, religion people flourish who split their Prophet’s head people flourish who split their Prophet’s them to and break his tooth, while he is calling God, the Sublime?” ( shajj¥’‰ ra’sa nabiyyihim wa kasar‰ rab¥¢iyatahu wa huwa yad¢‰hum ‘ilaLl¥hi ta¢¥l¥? responded, “ sion of whether God relents toward them or punishes them—for they are wrongdoers. To God belongs every- thing that is in the heavens and the earth: God w God forgives whom God wills; and God is most forgiving and most merci- ful , but it 22 al-mak¥n ,” —liberal, vast. s¥mi^ Believers, when you are told to make ). To this, the Shaykh replied, “The con- ). To this, the Shaykh Muslims traditionally were a welcoming Li ¢amruka m¥ \¥qat ar\un bi ahlih¥ wa l¥kin akhl¥q ar-rij¥li ta\Ïqu. Lands are not cramped by their people, but the character of their people can cramp. Ra^ab ul-fal¥ti ma¢a al-‘a¢d¥’i \ayyiqatun |ammu ul-khiy¥~i ma¢a al-a^b¥bi mayd¥nu. With enemies a vast field is constrained a but among lovers the eye of a needle is vast field. Once, in Medina, along with the erudite Medina, along with Once, in people, filled with hospitality. Even the people, filled with hospitality. Even dis- pre-Islamic Arabs disdained those who “make honored their guests; the Arabs would simply room” for their guests, opening not their homes but their hearts. The believer’s heart, a vast space that encompasses knowl- edge of the One whose Throne encompasses the heavens and the earth, is big enough for all when filled with faith. The idea of allowing room for others is not simply of providing them with physical space, as is indicated by the verse, “ room in your assemblies, make room And asked to do something to benefit others, such benefit others, to to do something asked he complies in a gathering, as make room cheer. with good al-Mukht¥r ash- Mu^ammad scholar, Shaykh of the Prophet entered the mosque ShinqÏ~Ï, I the prayer line and found œ; we approached to be expanded by some space that needed the two sides of it. When the people sitting to to sit down, one man the Shaykh attempted is constricted” ( growled, “The place \ayyiq place but in the heart.” striction is not in the illustrated in the follow- This is wonderfully ing verses: famous Arabic includes a psychological space in the assem- blies of one’s mind. To make room for others, even those who do not look or think like us, is to be generous— 34 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons in “thecarrieroffirewood”( thing.” Somethingphysicalmaybecarried,as means “tobearsomething”orcarrysome- through the“greaterderivation.” upon youaweightyword. is basedupontheQur’anicverse,“ bearer oftheQur’an”( or theobjectcanbemetaphorical,asin“the words word usedis withstand theeffectsofadrug.InArabic, English for“tolerance”ismedical:theabilityto from theroot Arabic isusuallytranslatedas effects thanforbearance( is moreprofoundinitsimpactandlasting ( was describedasthemostforbearingofmen milieu ofpre-IslamicArabia.TheProphetœ ^anafiyya sam^a the Qur’anwalking. embodiment ofallthathebrought.Hewas friends andenemiesalikesawinhimthe preaching butthroughhisbehavior.His Prophet œtaughtthischaracternotthrough being avicegerentofGodonearth.The noble inmanandwhatmakeshimworthyof fect noblecharacter.”Heembodiedwhatis The Prophetœsaid,“Iwassentonlytoper- and “todream.” tional meanings,whichare “to comeofage” about theword another person’sbehavior.” Whatisunusual puberty.” ance andforbearance,theytooembracedhim. at hiscall,but,eventually,duetopersever- world inspiteofsomepeople’sinitialrevulsion generosity—his do.” AllofthisindicatestheProphet’simmense forgive mypeople,fortheyknownotwhat “someone who hasreachedpubertyandisnow a^lama an-n¥s ( Of alltheconceptsrelatedto The essenceof ^amala ) and itsRelationshiptoForbearance ¤ulm i^tim¥l and ). Thewordfor“tolerance”in sm^ ^alama ¤aluma that cametoreplacethe sam¥^a is “adream.” ^alama . Oneofthemeaningsin sam¥^a from theroot , however,isitsfounda- ^¥mil al-Qur’¥n ” is glossedas“reaching 26 Heembracedhis . are relatedinArabic I^tamala ^amm¥lat al-^a~ab is goodcharacter. tas¥mu^ ^ilm sam¥^a ). Itisthe Mu^talim We willthrust is “tobear ^ml , whichis ), which ¤amala , none . The j¥hili ), is divine attribute,“ ( “Patient withthetransgressions ofHisservants is Heovercome withrage( unseated byanger ( commands flagrantlydisregarded butisnot the transgressionsofwrongdoers andHisown sleep. Also, dream canonlytakeplaceinundisturbed which means“adreamer,”indicatingthata itous. with theProphet’searlyyearsarenotfortu- remarked thatthenamesofthoseassociated ¤alÏma as-Sa¢diyya,andscholarshaveoften ^alama to thetransmissionof of humankindness,”whichmostlikelyrefers and distrustaboutcaregivers. will moveintothenextphasewithout recommends aninfantbenursed,thenachild ing theformativetwoyearsthatQur’an wet-nurse isalwaysavailableforthechilddur- thadya waimtis¥sahuiyy¥h¥ the mother’sbreastandsucking( finds immediatecalminsimplylatchingonto sus Mistrust.”Aninfantinadisquietedstate Erikson referredtoasthephaseof“Trustver- tance ofthefirststagedevelopmentthat healthy intellect( among wet-nursing,thedevelopmentofa believe, itindicatestheprofoundrelationship definition oftheword infant ( called becauseamotherusesittosubdueher ath-thadyi ( “foliage thatgrowsinsoftandflatareas” derived from intelligent. ing thattheonewhoisnottolerant are inextricablyboundinthelanguage,indicat- bearance.” Theideaoftoleranceandintellect responsible.” a|-ßab‰r nab¥tun yanbutufis-sahl Another wordderivedfrom In theWest,thereisareferenceto“milk There aresomeotherinterestingwords . TheProphet’swet-nurseisknownas ).” Imamal-Ghaz¥lÏsaysabout this yu^allimu a~-~ifl ). AccordingtoAb‰Hil¥l,itisso- ¤alÏm ^lm ¤ilm , suchas Al-¤alÏm is anameofGod,glossedas ^ilm is “intellect”aswell“for- l¥ yastafizzuhugha\ab ^alama ), andthevitalimpor- ). Anotherintriguing ^alama ). Furthermore,I ^ilm is theOnewhosees ). Ifamotheror l¥ ya’trihighay·). is “nipple”( , whichmeans through the iltiq¥tahu ath- ^lm is anxiety ^¥lim ), nor ra’su ” 27 , seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 35 : a that . ), it is ), and ^ilm 32 jahl sam¥^a and Muwa~~a and 33 , which is “inappro- . Qur’anic exegetes sam¥^a ^ilm , which is glossed, , said, is derived from its pri- d jah¥la jahl j¥hiliyya j¥hiliyya an yuf¢al m¥ l¥ ^aqq an yuf ¢al and the Removal of its Effects ), as in the case of “ignorance” ( Looking at our own sins as if we were ser- vants means to fear that our masters will is come to know of the sins. Humanity either sinful, and thus in tribulation, or sin- less, and thus in an innocent state. Having mercy on those tribulated with sin means to pray for them (that their sins are removed), to not examine their sins or expose them, and to counsel them with gentleness and kindness. Do not speak much without remembering Do not speak hearts will not doing so, your God, for in heart is far from harden. Surely, a hard not even aware. God, and you are at the sins of others Moreover, do not look but rather look to as if you are masters, are servants. For, your own sins as if you of two types: those surely, humanity is those who are not. afflicted with sins and afflicted with sins, So have mercy on those are free of them. and praise God if you Imam M¥lik relates in the Imam M¥lik Prior to Islam, Arabian society is referred ilm This is one aspect of Imam Zarq¥nÏ comments on this: bear generosity of spirit and an ability to No others’ shortcomings out of compassion. one was greater in this capacity than the Messenger of God œ. tant qualities to inculcate in our attitude and in our attitude inculcate to tant qualities of others are treatment Jesus, the Son of Mary Jesus, the mary root word, instead of being the opposite of “knowledge” (¢ to in the Qur’an as put forward two views as to why this is so: one view states that it was an age of ignorance, and thus the word “ignorance.” The second view has it that the word is derived from priate reactions to excitement in any given situation” ( willed, safÏ safa istifh¥m 28 ) requested [God] e 2:282 Ink¥na allad- asked “ ” ( ). ( If the one who has e Moses Had You It is due to God’s 29 (forbearance) is .” Had God taken humanity to ) is a sign of maturity and 30 ” ) that we walk the earth. The akhkhara ¢iq¥bahu aw ¢af¥ akhkhara ¢iq¥bahu aw ” if one delays taking anoth- ” if one delays taking to see God, the earth shook. , but rather the Arabs say, , but rather the Arabs ^ilm ^ilm Since God treats people based ^ilm e 31 EXPOSE THEM … .” THEM … EXPOSE ” ^alÏm exclaimed, “ ). If, however, a man chooses punish- ). If, however, a man e ”; in other words, he was saying, “Do not TO NOT EXAMINE THEIR SINS OR EXAMINE NOT TO (THAT THEIR THEIR SINS ARE REMOVED), (THAT ^aluma ¢anhu, WITH SIN MEANS TO PRAY FOR THEM FOR PRAY TO MEANS WITH SIN When some among the Children of Israel “ pardons another for er to account, or if one some wrong ( ¢anhu is ment for the one who wronged him, he considered just in doing so. Some say the opposite of (impudence and insolence).The word is used in the Qur’an to refer to fools as well as children, again enforcing the idea that forbearance ( hÏ ¢alayhi al-^aqqu safÏhan… The one who ignores oppression is not con- The one who ignores sidered intellect. The verse states, “ the right due to him is a child… “HAVING MERCY ON THOSE TRIBULATED THOSE ON MERCY “HAVING Fear calamities that don’t simply afflict the wrong- isti¢~¥f punish us for others’ sins.” God punishes a people when the community does not con- demn injustices outwardly. The Qur’an states, “ doers among you. God to forego any collective punishment due God to forego any collective punishment to the sins of a few. The rhetoricians call the type of question Moses upon how they treat others, the most impor- asked Moses Moses Imam ab‰ Hil¥l al-¢AskarÏ says, Imam ab‰ Hil¥l al-¢AskarÏ Qur’an also states, “ account for its wrongs, no creature would be walk- ing the earth. forbearance ( You could have destroyed us before. Will You destroy You could have destroyed us before. Will You tribula- us for what our fools have done? It is only a to stray tion from You that You cause through it some and others to be guided 36 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons standing. TheQur’anstates, Four Typesof ments ofa understanding thatencompassesalloftheele- ing ofa times, andeachtime,itnuancesthefullmean- in theQur’anisthatitmentionedonlyfour To showweaknesswastodisplayinferiority. animosity. Ifhedidnot,wasnothonorable. excessive forceagainsthisperceivedobjectof vehemence inthefaceofslightanduse Arab whenslighted.Hehadtodisplayrageand a typeofresponseexpectedpre-Islamic the oppositeof“forbearance”( erosity ofhispeople: aspect ofthewordinapoemaboutgen- poetry by¢Amrb.al-B¥hilÏillustratesthis the exclusionof othersandatthecostoftrust The state ofmindcogentlyrevealed intheseverses. to theconstanthospitalityofhosts. pots boilingoverandneverquietingdowndue The firsttypeof One verystrikingaspectoftheword What isunderstoodhereabout ter, wewouldnothavelostliveshere.” reveal toyou. They concealintheirheartswhattheywillnever matter?” j¥hiliyya. suppositions of themselves, supposingaboutGodunjustified another partywasanxiouslypreoccupiedwith tion, asslumberenvelopedapartyofyou,while Then calmdescendeduponyouafteryourafflic- Here, thepoetused quieted down. then theyboiled( Large blackpotsourgirlscajoled, idh¥ jahilatajw¥fuh¥lamta^¥lami. Wa duhmintu|¥dih¥al-wal¥¢idujillatin They say,“Hadweanythingtodowith themat- Say: “ThematterisentirelyGod’salone.” They said,“Haveweanythingtodowiththis j¥hili j¥hili mind ispreoccupied withitselfto j¥hili culture givingacomprehensive people andtheirculture. jahilat j¥hiliyya jahl ) andnever as ametaphorfor is thatofunder- ^ilm 34 j¥hiliyya ). Alineof j¥hiliyya Jahl was is a chooses willreflectthatstate.TheQur’ansays, um, thesocialstructuresandinstitutionsthatit mind isdisquietedandinastateofdisequilibri- organization orcommunity.Becausethe statement intheaboveverse, hearted. Inaddition,asseenintheirfinal The the cityormoveouttomeetaggressors. the fightersshoulddefendMedinafrominside other people’scounselconcerningwhether to thefactthatProphetœdecidedtake we anythingtodowiththismatter?” to enter.” ‘if only,’foronly’opensthedoorSatan irreparable. TheProphetœsaid,“Donotsay, circumstances andrecognizethatthepastis this orthat,”theyrefusetosimplydealwiththe disquietude. Engagingin“Hadweonlydone have goneleadstopersonalconsternationand ly. Theirobsessionabouthowthingsshould what wecanthereforedoaboutthempractical- have been”asopposedtohowtheyareand foolish andobsessedwithhowthings“should tribalism, bloodshed, racism,usury,oppres- The pre-Islamic periodwasoneofrevenge, remark ofthe even iftheonedecidingismorequalified.The control anddislikesothersdecidingmatters, ill, hewillfindill.”The good, hewillfindandshouldthink him thinkofMeashewill.Should states, “IamintheopinionofMyservant,solet thinks illofGod.Accordingtoahadith,God in God.The The secondtypeof better judgmentthanGod? for apeoplewhosefaithisassured, whocangive of thetimej¥hiliyyathattheyare seeking.But And mostpeoplearerebellious.Itis thejudgment God intendstopunishthemforsomeoftheirsins. revealed toyou.Soiftheyturnaway,knowthat seduce youawayfromsomeofwhatGodhas their vaindesires.Andbewareofthemlestthey with whatGodhasrevealed,anddonotfollow [God] j¥hili commands youtojudgebetweenthem mind isdissemblinganddouble- j¥hili j¥hilÏs mind isignorantofGodand in theverseabove, j¥hili j¥hiliyya mind isdesirousof 35 is thatofsocial is inresponse j¥hili mind is “Have j¥hili seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 37 man man: a refers to j¥hili j¥hili j¥hiliyya poet ¢Amru bin j¥hili 38 man. The Qur’an says, j¥hili Those who rejected the truth put fanaticism in Those who rejected the truth put fanaticism their hearts, the fanaticism of the j¥hiliyya, but God bestowed upon the Messenger and the believ- ers His Shechinah (SakÏna), and imposed upon them the sentence of conscience, of which they were most worthy and deserving. And God knows all things. This outward obsession with how a girl looks This outward obsession Finally, the fourth type of Two qualities emerge in the refusal to accept the truth when presented to refusal to accept the truth when presented him and a response that reveals the extent of his spiritual blindness. His response is one of zeal, obstinacy, and fanaticism. He is intoler- ant and condemnatory toward those who oppose him. He is a man driven by passion. He is impetuous, without self-constraint. If slight- ed, his response is entirely out of proportion to the slight. He has no sense of forbearance or largesse. He views such noble sentiments as weakness. He surrenders to the whims of his violent nature and repays a wrong with a greater wrong. The Kulth‰m wonderfully describes the the to men, she must be enhanced and augmented and be enhanced she must to men, modern society, and makeup, or, in by trinkets Islamic law, Interestingly, breast implants. women’s person- makeup for while permitting relatives and the house and among al use in of the house its use outside spouses, prohibits in the larger society. be appealing physically for and the pressure to in an underdeveloped the men’s sake results which, in turn, sense of self and assurance, to formulate and often leads to an inability assessments of situations articulate individual about them. The Qur’an and personal views segments of modern socie- indicates, as certain and ty do, that this is entirely a social construct as not a true reflection of reality. When treated hon- individuals with complete natures and formed ored, women grow to be fully spir- intellectual and spiritual beings, who have itual advantages over men in certain ways. j¥hili j¥hili j¥hili 36 . had any woman. She [be attrib- is that which ^ilm j¥hili nor j¥hiliyya sam¥^a 37 male-female crisis. Simply stated, The third type of Does God take daughters from what God creates is and favor you with sons? When one of you told the good news of the birth of a daughter that you liken to the Merciful, his face darkens, and it he is filled with repressed disappointment. Is that one who is brought up in ornaments and jewelry and who can scarcely speak uted to God]? Don’t be so submissive in your speech that those Don’t be so submissive will feel lust. Rather, whose hearts are afflicted speak with civility and comportment. And settle down in your homes, and don’t show off in pub- lic as was done in the displays of j¥hiliyya bearing upon their judgments. bearing upon their to women, though relates more specifically to the wives of the not exclusively. Speaking says, Prophet œ, the Qur’an These profound verses reveal the heart of the j¥hili men prefer boys to girls, although they attrib- ute girls to God! They are disappointed with a daughter, even if they conceal their dismay. This hidden attitude is revealed in the man’s attitude toward his daughters and women in general: a girl is raised in orna- ments and jewelry, treated as an appendage to men. Because the culture views her as inferior These verses delineate the acquiesces to men without thought, leading reveal to misunderstandings. She wishes to public, herself and display her ornaments in This desiring to be attractive to everyone. a behavior is the result of being raised in culture, where her true nature is neither respected nor nurtured. This is pronounced- ly clear in the following verses: sion, subjugation of women and poor people, and poor of women subjugation sion, views of Such preconceived and arrogance. these people determined how the world so divorced Because they were would judge. of nature, even the considerations from their their judg- were not informing natural law ments. Neither 38 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons lost, andthelowestqualitiesofmanprevail. pose. Theaimsandendsofhumansocietyare have noneofthe wonderful descriptionofthosewhodesireto ( of spirit( culture andsociety.Theabsenceofgenerosity discern asummationofthe the oppositeofthesenoblequalities,wecan in hisfamousode: what makesonea who areseekingtodistancethemselvesfrom These versesdelineatethequalitiesofthose ^ilm The Qur’anicchapter 2. 1. W deeds tous,youryou.Peaceuponyou! vain talk,theyturnawayfromitandsay,“Our We haveprovidedthem.Andwhentheyhear averting evilbygood,andforgivingfromwhat their rewardtwice,forbeingpatient,and Muslims beforethiscame.”Theywillbegiven the truthfromourLord;indeed,wewere recited tothem,theysay,“Webelieveinit,foritis Book beforethis,theybelieveinit.Andwhenitis they maybereminded.ThosetowhomWesentthe Yet WehavecausedtheWordtoreachthem,that All ofthesefourelementsmakeupa much greaterfoolsofthemwemake. Should anyonemakefoolsofus, defeated orwardriveustothestake. Let notasoulreckonthatwe’re fanajhala fawqajahlil-j¥hilÏna. ¢Al¥ l¥yajhalana^adun¢alayn¥ ta\a¢\a¢n¥ waann¥qadwanÏn¥. ¢Al¥ l¥ya¢lamul-aqw¥muann¥ 5. 4. 3. e donotseekafterignorantones ) leadstodisequilibriumandalossofpur- He wasnotagoodpersonbefore the He rejectsthetruthwhenhehearsit. He isniggardly with thebountieshis He returnsawrong withawronglikeit. He isimpatientandrash. what healreadyunderstoodto be true. it asanaffirmationandclarification of truth cameandthusdoesnotrecognize sam¥^a j¥hili ), patience,andforbearance j¥hili qualities. Godsays, person. Bylookingat al-Qa|a| j¥hili ( person: j¥hilÏn contains a 39 ). j¥hili 40 world, thustreatingthefirsttypeof first changingthewaytheythoughtabout the people’sconceptofselfandself-interestby tion suchattitudesandbehaviors.Healtered The ProphetMu^ammadœrefusedtosanc- duces. This isthe which theytermed engagement onlyforwarsamongChristians, Christian medievalperiodmaintainedrulesof tion ofattacksonnon-combatants.Eventhe of engagementinwar,includingtheprohibi- first humanbeingtointroducehumanerules gave rightstowomenandchildren. practices, prohibitedabuseofservants,and trade, prohibitedusuryandunfairlending ness.” TheProphetœalsointroducedfair man overablackexceptinconscientious- ence ofablackmanoverwhiteor are fromthesameparents.Thereisnoprefer- equal liketheteethofacomb,”and,“Allyou Prophet œdidwhenhesaid,“Humanityis leader orfiguredenouncedracismasthe historical documentationwhereinanyworld created equal. and introdu criteria forjudgingpeoplesandconditions that ofworldview.Hebegantointroducenew book licit known as against Muslims,infidels,andbarbarians, In themidstofsuchaculturecameIslam. The ProphetMu^ammadœwasalsothe Prior tothemodernera,thereisnoknown law inBaghdad, whofirstforbadethe Persian origin, the founderofaschool It wasAbuHanifa,aleadinglegal expertof 8. 7. 6. : “Allislawfulinwar.”SvenLindqvist, inhis j¥hili He isproudtobeassociatedwithother He concernshimselfinthemattersof He engagesinempty,vaintalk. others. Lord hasbestoweduponhim. A HistoryofBombing bellum romanum people likehimself. j¥hili ced thenovel ideathat people were man thata bellum hostile , therulewas , writes, j¥hili culture pro- . Forwars j¥hiliyya bellum , seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 39 , al- , j¥hili with j¥hiliyya verifying 43 . LEXTALIONIS FORBADE FORBADE [this law] s AUTHORITIES. AUTHORITIES. THE PROPHET COMMON AMONG ARABS, BY A LAW OF EQUAL AND DIRECT AND DIRECT OF EQUAL A LAW INTRODUCING TO THE ARABS INTRODUCING TO REVENGE KILLING,WHICH WAS WAS REVENGE KILLING,WHICH OR LAW OF RETALIATION,WHICH IS RETALIATION,WHICH OF OR LAW RETRIBUTION TO RETRIBUTION TO BE ADMINISTERED ONLY BY LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT BY LEGITIMATE ONLY An interesting response in the Qur’an to but if anyone forgoes retribution for charity, that for charity, retribution anyone forgoes but if those wrongs. And his own expiation for is an revealed, they judge by what God has who do not caused Jesus being unjust. And We are the ones to follow the Son of Mary the Gospel with guidance and light the Gospel with guidance what was in the Torah, but we amended it the Torah, but we amended what was in THE JUDAIC CONCEPT OF departure from previous prophetic experi- departure from previous prophetic people ences, the response of the Prophet’s to their was no different from earlier peoples prophets. the divine forbearance toward the polytheists and their exploitative attitudes and repressive responses to the Prophet’s mission and his people is to remind them that they should not hasten the retribution of God, for if they want it, it will surely come. The arrogance of the Meccans was such that they viewed their ability to persecute the Prophet œ as a proof that God was not on the side of the Prophet œ, for if He was, they thought, then surely He would come to the Prophet’s aid by destroying them. They could not see the divine forbearance of the cultural and financial elites, were the the cultural and enemies, and his support Prophet’s greatest the greatest victims of the came largely from to the Qur’an, this is the system. According a nature of the world, and far from being This profound new discourse shook the This profound new Arabia to its core. culture of seventh-century benefited from The ones who most lex 41 [to demand resti- , which encouraged d 42 .” attempted to make war attempted practice of blood vengeance , or law of retaliation, which is a law , or law of retaliation, which is a law ), which permitted an Arab tribesman j¥hili And We prescribed in the Torah for the Children of Israel: a life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and injuries in retaliation; More importantly, however, the Qur’an killing of women, children, the elderly, children, of women, killing non-combat- and other monks the sick, and the condemned rape ants. He also expert in captives.… A legal killing of [he] Baghdad, more humane by setting forth rules that by setting forth more humane Europe until several were not accepted in that were still not centuries later—rules not practiced, when accepted, in any case involved. colored people were The Prophet œ forbade revenge killing, tha’ar And if anyone is killed unjustly, We have given his the victim’s family to pardon the wrong: introduced to the Arabs a higher law, that of Jesus the Son of Mary In fact, it was Ab‰ ¤anÏfa who first codified In fact, it was Ab‰ system, but all of the rules these rules in a legal given by the were taken from injunctions himself œ. Prophet Mu^ammad intro- which was common among Arabs, by of ducing to the Arabs the Judaic concept talionis of equal and direct retribution to be adminis- tered only by legitimate government from authorities. This was a radical departure the ( to kill any member of another tribe for taking to kill any member of another tribe for the life of his own kinsman. If a tribe consid- ered itself superior to the offending tribe—which tribes often did—a tribesman what would take more than one life to exact in he perceived to be “just retribution.” This, vic- turn, led to a hostile response from the of tim’s tribesmen, and thus the cycles states, violence kept revolving. The Qur’an “ next of kin a certain authority tution of the wrong from the government]; but he should not be excessive in the retribution, for the victim is aided also 40 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons because oftheirowninherentinferiority. “might maderight,”andtheweakwereso sign ofhisinferiorposition,forintheirworld, non-violence andpatiencewas,intheireyes,a menacing andhostileattacksasweakness.His forbearance inthefaceoftheirincreasingly might repent ¤alÏm ment: œ tocallonhisLordhastentheirpunish- mock andscoffderisively,askingtheProphet cannot readthewritingonwall.They from history.Theyarespirituallyilliterateand j¥hili Due totheirarroganceandzealouspride,the Qur’an says, He failstoseethelessonsofpast.The what appliestoothersdoesnotapplyhim. and desiresbeguileshimintothinkingthat confidence inhiswayoflifeandopinions show offinpublic aswasdoneintheformer j¥hiliyya brought. TheQur’anusesthe term“former the qualitiesofIslamthat the Prophetœ speaks ofasecond commentaries oftheQur’an, theQur’an replace gion ofgenerosityandforbearancecameto The Islam, thereligionofsubmission,reli- ished them!AndthejourneyistoUs as theyweredoingwrong,andthenWepun- And howmanycommunitieshaveWeletbeeven Lord islikeathousandyearsbyyourestimation. never breaksacommitment.Andonedaytoyour Though theyurgeyoutohastenthepenalty,God that areintheirbreasts eyes thatareblind;whatblindthehearts understand, orearstohear?Surelyitisnottheir traveled intheearth,thattheymayhaveheartsto doned wherecastlesstillstand!Haven’tthey their foundations;andhowmanywellslieaban- they werebeingunjust,sotumbleddownto And howmanycommunitieshaveWeruinedas people failtoseethelessonsofinjustice granting themrespitethat“ j¥hili ” j¥hiliyya (j¥hiliyyat al-‰la) .” TheyviewedtheProphet’sown man isblinded.Hisself-assured . However,accordingtosome j¥hiliyya . 44 in theverse,“ that wouldreplace . 45 perhaps they Don’t belief [priortoIslam].’” in Islam thatresemblesthe as ifthemeaningis,‘Donotintroducea is thedisregardofIslam’sinjunctionsinIslam, j¥hiliyya ZamakhsharÏ says,“Itisfeasiblethattheformer ond ing ofthe‘first commentary oftheQur’an,“Apossiblemean- j¥hiliyya. you showpatience? made someofyouatribulation forothers;will blaming God,foritisGodwho said,“ in blamingothersforourconditions, weare blamed Godforleadinghimastray. Ultimately, world. Theblamegameisthat ofthedevilwho fixed theblameonforcesoutsideMuslim Muslim scholars,leaders,andintellectualshave concern forthoseafflictedbyit.Fortoolong, and hatredbutmustbedealtwithbylargess Muslim world. of the lack ofintrospectionthatwerethehallmarks zeal ofnationalism,tribalism,vengeance,and ornament inplaceofmodestyanddepth;the spangles inplaceofspirit,anddisplay ior ofthewomenandtheiremptypursuits the past;institutionsofbehav- disobedience andcorruptioninIslam.” before Islam,andthe‘latter ¢Abb¥s said,‘Therewillbeanother of a‘first’without‘last’?” here referstomorethanone?” of theProphetœ?Doyouthinkthat [first] ‘ ¢Abb¥s, “Haveyouthoughtabouttheverse, Mu^ammad period wasthetimebetweenJesusand It hasalsobeenrelatedthatthefirst Don’t showoffinpublicaswasdonetheformer The Muslimworldhasenteredintoasec- J¥hiliyya Qadi ab‰Bakribnal-¢Arabirelatesthat,“Ibn Ibn ¢Abb¥sanswered,“Haveyoueverheard Sayyiduna ¢Umaribnal-Kha~~¥baskedIbn The currentattacks intheWestonMuslim j¥hiliyya j¥hiliyya j¥hili is disbeliefbeforeIslam,andthelatter ” cannot becombatedwithviolence man nowprevailthroughoutthe period. Thesameassumptionsof d ,’ thatwasdirectedatthewives j¥hiliyya .” 46 ” Imam an-NasafÏsays,inhis 49 ’ isthestateofdisbelief 48 j¥hiliyya j¥hiliyya ’ isthatof j¥hiliyya We have j¥hiliyya j¥hiliyya j¥hiliyya 47 of dis- Imam .’ seasons | spring – summer 2005 | 41 ), x. 1974 )—that our community A Grammar of the Arabic ^ilm . 54 and 15:9 (Beirut: Librairie Du Liban, sam¥^a William Wright, Qur’an The early philologists give many examples 1 2 3 Some accuse religion of being a means to religion of being Some accuse it is Islam is much maligned these days, and can hope to restore the prophetic path once again. It is a task worthy of prophets. notes defer resentment in order for civil society to in order for defer resentment be maintained. inequality to flourish and of the world. materialist view This is a opiate of the believers. Religion is indeed the narcotic of the soul Faith is the pain-numbing that enables a fallen from the divine Healer the trials and tribula- humanity to endure Life is a divine surgery tions of life on earth. the cancer of desire on the soul that removes faith enables us to suffer from our hearts, and Faith, trust, and the procedure peacefully. gifts of a merciful charity are the greatest hope Lord to His creation. It is Promethean is that enables us to persevere, for nothing appears more daring than to hope when all in hopeless. Only in seeing God in the world can we every decree, both bitter and sweet, of survive with our humanity. To lose sight of God is to lose sight of the highest qualities and man, those of forbearance, meekness, false love, and to fall victim to resentment, pleased pride, and hatred. Only the devil is with that prospect. a sense incumbent upon those who have even to of its sublime nature and heavenly character defend it by living it, to spread it by embodying it. Our it, and to pass it on by preserving Prophet œ said, “I have come only to complete to noble character.” It is only through a return those characteristics that ennobled the first Muslims—those of generosity and forbear- ance ( Language of this in their books, and while there is debate on this matter, the evidence appears overwhelming- whoever finds other than that, let him censure that, let other than finds whoever only himself.” O peo- the a pri- response. lowest of the 52 ,” j¥hili Anger is a fool’s 53 , said almost three The Art of War the implicit meaning is that we our- 51 But it is not for Muslims to concern ,” 50 .” The Prophet Mu^ammad œ advised his O people of the Book, do not go to extremes in your O people of the Book, do not go to extremes in selves are a balanced community who can selves are a balanced community who “ remind others. When the Qur’an says, ple of the Book, you have nothing until you ple of the Book, you have nothing until implement the Torah and the Gospel themselves with others unless they are an themselves with others unless they says, upright community. When the Qur’an “ religion ori implication is, O Muslims, you have ori implication is, O Muslims, you We nothing until you implement the Qur’an. have chosen instead to direct our anger about our own shortcomings at others. nation not to allow anger to overcome them. Sun Tzu, in A believer knows too well that everything is from God: according to a hadith, God said, “O My servants, it is only your deeds that I reckon for you and then recompense you for them. So whoever finds good, let him thank God, and response to his condition. It is a behavior are unjustifiable only in that they only in are unjustifiable behavior while, in reali- behavior with Islam, equate the the teachings do not reflect ty, those behaviors the contrary, Prophet œ; on of the Arabian of the reflect the ascendancy those behaviors to purify society that Islam came very qualities celestial equilibrium to of in order to restore on earth. The behaviors man’s short sojourn and of themselves. Mus- are condemnable in poorly our responses in lims fail to see just how reflect the light of Islam; the modern world our own failings, we instead of recognizing other nations fail to focus on how poorly Indeed, other peoples, reflect that same light. Christians, have fallen especially Jews and short of their own teachings. All of Abraham’s But religions teach justice tempered by mercy. nor neither do we see justice prevailing today is a the temperance of mercy. What we have world increasingly filled with resentment, man is which in turn eats away at the soul until consumed by it and reduced to the “ low thousand years ago, “Anger your enemy and throw them into disarray.” 42 | spring – summer 2005 | seasons (Beirut: D¥ral-kutubal-¢ilmiyya,n.d.), ¢arab will usetheverbalbaseforourexamples. as towhichcamefirst,theverbornoun,we stupidity.” stepped, wefallinto leads toaction,butiftheboundariesareover- zealous,” whichisneededforindignationthat ^my various lettersontheends.Forinstance,word the rootstem ly infavorofthisposition.Anexamplegivenis 1987 Q¥mus al-mu^Ït al-Mu|~af¥ adhh¥n nfth that provideagoodexample. while retainingsomebasicrelationship. ¢ayn l¥m dyadic root,andthethird( is “aprofoundblast.”Thebaseinbothcasesa 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 is “toblowlightly”; means “toprotect.”Theword Qur’an Ab‰ Hil¥lal-¢AskarÏ, Qur’an Ibid., Ibn Man·‰r, Although theKufansandBa|ransdisagree (Beirut: D¥ral-kutubal-¢ilmiyya), ), Imam al-Ghaz¥lÏ, Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Imam Mu^ammadal-Fayruzab¥dÏ, Qur’an Qur’an Qadi Ab‰Fa\l¢Iy¥d, Qur’an Ibid., Ibid., Imam Isma¢Ïl¤aqqial-Bur|awÏ, 287 (Damascus: D¥ral-qalam, paradigm) isusedtoalterthemeaning (Beirut: D¥ral-arq¥m,n.d.), 621 N‰n . 289 288 3 2 73 3 2 2 58 58 6 16 38 8 49 17 : : ^¥ . 159 185 : : : : : . - 128 256 255 125 29 and 9 : : : : : : : 5 11 11 126 17 13 70 . and . . (Beirut: Mu¢assasaar-ris¥la, . . Lis¥n al-¢arab,tahdhÏblis¥nal- . . . . . - . . . 129 fa - 28 mÏm are anotherpairofletters ^mq, nf^ . . Ash-Shif¥’ bita¢rÏf^uq‰q Asm¥ All¥hal-^usna to whichwethenadd Al-Fur‰q al-lughawiyya is “abreeze”;and l¥m which is“todisplay Nfs ) letter(ofthe 1988 is “tobreathe”; ^ms 196 1 1 ), TanwÏr al- : : is “tobe 99 621 1 : . 288 . - nfkh 28 Al- . fa . mu¢alaq¥t meaning butdidnotimplytherewasanothertype. the Arabsthatspecifiedandstrengthened “first” intheversewasatypeofadjectiveusedby period, thatwhichprecededIslam,andthe tioned intheQur’anreferredtoonlyonetime himself wasoftheopinionthat (Beirut: D¥ral-kutubal-¢ilmiyya), (London: Mu¢assasattaf|Ïlal-kit¥b, 1989 zarq¥nÏ ¢alaal-muwa~~a Cleary (Boston:Shambhala, 21:257. al-m¢¥nÏ (Damascus: D¥r al-Qur’anal-KarÏm, trans. EzzedinIbrahim andDenysJohnson-Davis ibn KathÏr, Madarak at-tanzÏlwa^aqi¢iqat-tawÏl York: TheNewPress, 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 ), Shaykh A^madal-AmÏnash-ShinqittÏ, Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Ibid. SÏdÏ Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Al-¢AskarÏ, Imam Mu^yiddÏnan-NawawÏ, Sun Tzu, Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Shih¥buddÏn SayyidMa^m‰dal-Al‰sÏ, Imam ¢Abdall¥hbinA^madan-NasafÏ, Qadi ab‰Bakrb.al-¢ArabÏ, Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Qur’an Sven Lindqvist, Qur’an 4 (Beirut: D¥ri^y¥tur¥thal-¢ArabÏ, : 404 (Beirut: Maktabatal-¢asriyya, Mu^ammad az-Zarq¥nÏ, 1999 . 48 43 33 5 3 35 8 7 5:86 4:171 95:5 25:20 22 22 5 17 28 : : : : : 49 154 25 155 45 : : : : : : : : ), Al-Fur‰q The ArtofWar 26 16 32 45 47 45 33 51 . . . . - 3 46 . . . - - . . . - - . - : 18 33 48 46 55 30 2000 . A HistoryofBombing ...... (Beirut: D¥ral-ma¢rifa, , 226 ), 9 2000 . . , trans.Thomas 3 A^k¥m al-Qur¥n ), : 570 1998 j¥hiliyya 52 1976 (Beirut: D¥r Forty Hadith 2001 . . TheQadi Shar^ az- ), ), 1999 Sar^ al- 64 ), 82 (New men- 131 . Ru^ . ), . ,