The Pluralistic Message of the Quran

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 4 October 2022 The Qur’an Celebrates Gender, Ethnic and Religious Diversity. Diversity It Says Presents Not Only An Opportunity To Learn From Each Other But To Benchmark And Compete In Virtue. ------ There is only one God, who may be called by any name (20:8) Allah! there is no god but He! To Him belong the most Beautiful Names. (17:110) Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. The Meaning of “The Only Religion Acceptable To Allah Is Islam” (3:19) The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them…. The people have broken up their religion into many sects based on envy. (3:83) Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah?-while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His Will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back. Every other creation whether it is the heavenly bodies, inanimate matter or living creatures, submits to Allah’s laws and is therefore Muslim. Man is the only creature who has choice and autonomy to exercise his choice and can therefore choose to be a Muslim (one who willingly submits to Allah) or a Kafir (one who rejects or rebels against his Creator) (5:69) Those who believe (in the Qur´an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness,- on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (3:85) If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of the losers Religion is from Allah and Allah's religion has always been Islam even if the people gave their religion different names. The meaning of Islam is submission to Allah by whatever name as long as the name is a beautiful name. Allah's religion has always been about submission to Him and not associating any partners with Him. When a Sabian's religion is also acceptable to Allah, it means that not only the so-called Abrahamic religions, but the religion of all those who submit to "The God" by whatever name is Islam in the Quran. “Sanatan Dharma” in Sanskrit means “The Eternal Religion”. Allah’s religion has always been the same, unchanging or eternal and indeed it is “The Sanatan Dharma” The Meaning of Muslim in the Quran The trilateral root word slm (sīn lām mīm س ل م) is common for Islam, Muslim and Salam. Allah says in the Quran that He has named all his devotees Muslim from ancient times. Muslim is a generic term which means a person who submits to Allah (by whatever name). Shalom, the greeting of the Jews means Salam and is from the same trilateral root. So, why does the word Muslim and Islam not appear in their scriptures? It may have been lost in translation and only the greeting form appears to have survived. It however appears in the Aramaic Gospel of Mathew as ‘Mašlmana’ from the root word slm, the same as Muslimun in Arabic and means « submitted to God, » « he who trusts in God, » « who commits himself to Him » to commit or hand oneself over (or again to submit) to God. While translating, it has been rendered in Greek by the use of the verb paradidomi. The Greeting of People of All Religions The greeting of Salam and its alternatives, Tasleem, and Aslama mean “acceptance”. The Persian Adaab additionally conveys respect. The common root word for a greeting such as Salam and submission to God such as Islam/Muslim is also found in other religions and cultures. For example, Namaste is a greeting while Namaha from the same root word means submission to God. Namaste is the combination of two words Namah (नम :) + Te (ते). The meaning is "Salutations to you", "I bow down to you" or "Obeisance to you". The root of the word ‘Namaha’ is ‘Nam’ =Namati meaning to prostrate, ‘to salute’ etc. The word ‘Tae’ is the dative case form of the pronoun ‘Tvam’ meaning ‘you’. नमस् - bow, obeisance, reverential salutation, adoration by gesture or word; often with a dative case, for example, Rāmāya Namaḥ, salutation or glory to Rāma In every Mantra the prefix of Namah is generally added. Just for example Namah Sivaya. Now, this Mantra is practically indicating the holy name of Lord Siva. Na means negation and Ma means false ego or Ahamkara. Therefore Namah means surrendering to the name Siva. In other words, to accept the supremacy of Lord Siva means Namah Sivaya. The Arabic Equivalent of Namaste Is Therefore Salam And the Arabic equivalent of Namaha is Islam or the religion of surrender/submission to God negating self and ego. The greeting Salam, Shalom, Namaste or Adaab convey acceptance and respect for the other and therefore peace. All religions are from the same God, preach the same message and stand for peace, acceptance of and respect for others. Read: The Meaning of Islam and Muslim The Quran says that Only the Fools Are Supremacists The Quran makes irrelevant the question "which is the best religion?" It asks us to focus on who is the most righteous. There is no verse in the Quran that promises Heaven to the Momin or to the Muslim but only to the Muttaqi or the sincere ones who could be following any religion. Following "the best religion" is a double-edged sword. You have a greater chance of falling short of its requirements and ending up in Hell. Consider the following verses which refer to such foolish arguments: (2:111) And they say: "None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian." Those are their (vain) desires. Say: "Produce your proof if ye are truthful." (112) Nay,-whoever submits His whole self to Allah and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (113) The Jews say: "The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: "The Jews have naught (To stand) upon." Yet they (Profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment. (114) And who is more unjust than he who forbids that in places for the worship of Allah, Allah´s name should be celebrated?-whose zeal is (in fact) to ruin them? It was not fitting that such should themselves enter them except in fear. For them there is nothing but disgrace in this world, and in the world to come, an exceeding torment. (115) To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing. Verse 112 makes no distinction among the followers of various religions. The Ecumenism of People of All Faiths in Heaven and Hell Now consider the following verses about people who will be thrown into Hell. The verses make no distinction based on religion and these people could be followers of any religion: (55:41) (For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. (14:49) And thou wilt see the sinners that day bound together in fetters;- People in Heaven Who are the people in the verse below? Notice that the verse includes people of all faiths. (22:17) Those who believe (in the Qur´an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians, Christians, Magians, and Polytheists,- Allah will judge between them on the Day of Judgment: for Allah is witness of all things. They are the righteous ones destined for Heaven to whom Allah will speak and inform them of the things they differed about in the world. Allah will not even deign to speak to those who are destined for Hell as we learn from verses 55:41 and 14:49 cited earlier and therefore these persons are the righteous ones destined for Heaven whom Allah will honour by speaking to them. Most Muslims have difficulty accepting that there will be polytheists in Heaven as they believe that Allah can forgive every sin except polytheism going by verses 4:48 and 4:116. What they miss is that the addressees of 4:48 are the Jews and Christians and the addressees of 4:116 are Muslims. Polytheists among the Jews, Christians and Muslims will not be forgiven. There is no verse addressed to all mankind which makes polytheism an unforgivable sin for all of mankind. The verse addressed to all mankind (7:33) makes polytheism a sin on par with the prohibitions and these are forgivable sins if the person is otherwise a righteous person. Read: 1. Does Allah Provide A Level Playing Field To All The People? 2. Who Is A Kafir In The Quran? (Part 3): Why Kufr Is A Relative Concept While Shirk, Idol Worship Etc. Have Fixed Meanings 3. Revisiting the Meaning of Kafir More Verses on Religious Pluralism Finally, focus on the following verses that reinforce the message of pluralism and the sole criteria of righteousness: (2:62) Those who believe (in the Qur´an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:177) It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West (differences in the rituals of people of different faiths is unimportant); but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing. The difference in rituals of the Jews who face Jerusalem while praying, the Christians who face the East and the Muslims who face the Kaba is immaterial is what the above verse says and then goes on to describe righteousness in a secular way. 5:48 “We have prescribed to each of you a law and a tradition. If God had desired, he could have made you a single community. Instead, he is testing you with regard to the revelations you received. So, compete in doing good. You will all return to God, and he will inform you then concerning those things about which you argued.” The Qur’an does not negate any previous scriptures but says that Allah will judge people by the revelations sent to them. The superiority of a religious community over other communities will be judged by how far a religious community achieves its own moral ideals and how much it helps those in need. The scripture reminds the people that their ultimate charge is to do good and be charitable. The Quran also emphasises the Need for All People to Live in Peace and Harmony on Earth. 49:13 says, “People, we have created you male and female and made you nations and tribes so that you may come to know one another. The noblest of you in the sight of God is the most pious of you. God is knowing and aware.” The Qur’an here celebrates gender, ethnic and religious diversity. Diversity it says presents not only an opportunity to learn from each other but to benchmark and compete in virtue. Diversity should not, therefore, be made an excuse for bigotry or conflict. By mentioning the diversity in gender, the Quran is also saying that men and women have something to learn from each other and that they are also equal. ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. 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