Beyond Sectarian Tafsīrs: The Qur’an’s Self-Exegesis of 2:177

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 1 October 2025 From Ritual Disputes to Universal Ethics: A Qur’anic Resolution Through 2:177 ------ This article shows, through data-driven analysis, how the Qur’an itself interprets a central verse — Q2:177 — which defines piety or righteousness exhaustively and universally for all mankind. Unlike traditional Tafsirs, which often reduce the verse to a parochial definition of piety exclusive to Muslims, a data-driven approach demonstrates that the Qur’an speaks in its own voice, without the need for external assumptions. The distinction is vital: Interpretation imports assumptions, traditions, or theological positions into the text and views verses through those lenses. Data-driven analysis, by contrast, gathers all relevant verses, examines their wording, and draws conclusions directly from the Qur’an’s own data. When read in context, Q2:177 emerges as the culmination of a Qur’anic discourse addressing disputes with Jews and Christians over identity, rituals such as baptism, and the controversy of the Qibla. The surrounding verses (2:135–150) prepare the ground, leading to 2:177 as Allah’s definitive statement on the true essence of piety. The Argument with the People of the Book The Qur’an records how Jews and Christians urged Muslims to adopt their respective identities if they sought salvation: (2:135) “Become Jews or Christians if you would be guided (to salvation).” The Muslim response, commanded by Allah, affirms not a sectarian claim but the universality of faith: (2:136) “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).” The conclusion is direct: Abraham’s faith was submission to Allah alone, untainted by later sectarian identities. The Qur’an makes this explicit: (2:140) “Or do you say that Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do you know better than Allah?” This is not interpretation but a Qur’anic assertion. Rituals and the Question of Baptism Christians claimed the necessity of baptism — a ritual absent in Islam. The Qur’an responds: (2:138) “(Our religion is) the Baptism of Allah: and who can baptize better than Allah? And it is He Whom we worship.” Here, “baptism of Allah” is a metaphor for divine purification through faith and obedience — not a physical rite. This meaning arises directly from the verse itself. The Change of Qibla: A Test of Faith When the Qibla shifted from Jerusalem to the Ka‘ba, critics mocked Muslims, arguing their earlier prayers had become worthless. The Qur’an answers: (2:142) “The fools among the people will say: ‘What has turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?’ Say: To Allah belong both East and West: He guides whom He will to a Way that is straight.” The Qur’an clarifies: Every direction belongs to Allah; no direction has inherent sanctity. The change of Qibla was a test — to distinguish between those loyal to Allah and His Messenger and those fixated on ritual form. This rationale is spelled out in 2:143. No external interpretation is required. Ritual Diversity and Shared Virtue The Qur’an affirms ritual diversity as divinely ordained: (2:148) “To each is a direction to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good. Wherever you are, Allah will bring you together. For Allah has power over all things.” The conclusion is unmistakable: ritual differences are secondary. What truly matters is striving for goodness. This is fully clarified in 2:177, which defines righteousness not as ritual direction but as faith, justice, charity, devotion, and perseverance. 2:177 as the Exhaustive Definition of Piety Verses 2:135–150 record disputes about ritual superiority: Jews clinging to Sabbath, Christians to baptism, Muslims mocked over Qibla. Allah resolves the matter in 2:177: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East or the West. But righteousness is [he] who believes in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; and gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask, and to free slaves; and establishes prayer, and gives Zakah; and those who fulfil their covenant when they make one, and those who are patient in poverty, hardship, and during battle. It is they who are the truthful, and it is they who are the God-fearing.” This verse: Negates ritual exclusivity: “Turning faces East or West” — or any ritual orientation — is not righteousness. This principle extends equally to Sabbath, baptism, Hajj, or any community-specific ritual. Each has meaning within its community but is not the universal standard of righteousness. Defines righteousness exhaustively: It lists essentials — belief in God, the Last Day, angels, revelation, moral duties (charity, justice, fidelity), spiritual devotion (prayer, Zakah), and perseverance. This is comprehensive and universal. Thus, 2:177 universalises what 2:148 relativised: rituals differ, but righteousness is shared. Implications Hajj is vital for Muslims, but Jews and Christians are not deficient without it. Sabbath is central for Jews, but its absence in other faiths does not diminish righteousness. Baptism is sacred for Christians, but Muslims are not lacking without it. Each community retains its rituals, but superiority lies in excelling in the shared essence of righteousness. Why Emphasise the Qibla? If ritual direction is secondary, why insist on the Ka‘ba (2:149–150)? Rituals unify the community. Turning to one sacred direction builds solidarity and shared identity. Like a synchronised march, it strengthens cohesion, but it is not the essence of piety. Data-Driven Analysis, Not Interpretation The conclusion that 2:177 defines piety exhaustively is not speculation. It arises directly from the Qur’an’s data: Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian. Baptism is unnecessary; divine purification suffices. Ritual direction is secondary to righteousness. Rituals are tests of loyalty and instruments of unity, not ends in themselves. Verses 2:135–150 record ritual disputes. 2:148 relativises ritual orientation. 2:177 negates ritualism and gives the exhaustive list. This method simply collates evidence and follows the Qur’an’s own reasoning. It is not reading into the text but reading out of it. Why Competing Tafsīrs Miss the Point All competing readings fail because they ignore the audience and purpose of 2:177. Juristic / Classical: Treats 2:177 as a summary of Islamic law. But the audience is humanity, not just Muslims. Philosophical: Reduces the acts to symbols of inner purity. But the duties are practical, universal, and concrete. Sufi / Esoteric: Turns acts into allegories of spiritual ascent. Inspiring for Sufis, but irrelevant to other faiths. Modernist / Political: Reads Zakah as a political-economic program. But systems vary; politics cannot be universal. Reductionist: Abolishes ritual entirely. But the Qur’an still affirms rituals as unifying practices. All these approaches miss the point: the audience is all communities, and the purpose is to unite, not divide. Conclusion The Qur’an ends ritual disputes with a universal declaration: true righteousness is not in outward forms but in the faith, justice, and moral action that unite all people. Verse 2:177 presents a complete definition of piety, addressed to all humanity. The verse speaks to all of humanity, reminding us that wherever we are, Allah will gather us and judge us by the same shared standards (2:148, 177). Rituals remain important within communities — they cultivate discipline, devotion, and unity — but they are not the measure of righteousness itself. By collating the Qur’an’s verses, we see that 2:177 interprets itself. Recognising this through careful analysis is not imposing interpretation but allowing the Qur’an to speak in its own voice. Sadly, many Tafsirs miss this wider point, narrowing the verse to Muslims alone rather than embracing its universal call to mankind: “strive together toward all that is good” (2:148, 177). ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an independent researcher and Quran-centric thinker whose work bridges faith, reason, and contemporary knowledge systems. Through a method rooted in intra-Quranic analysis and scientific coherence, the author has offered ground-breaking interpretations that challenge traditional dogma while staying firmly within the Quran’s framework. His work represents a bold, reasoned, and deeply reverent attempt to revive the Quran’s message in a language the modern world can test and trust. URl: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/sectarian-tafsirs-quran-self-exegesis/d/137064 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism