by Abdolali Bazargan
In the name of God, The most Gracious, The
Most Merciful
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City State , Europe
Your Excellency,
With warm greetings and sincere hope that
your efforts in inviting people to worship
God and to follow the teachings of Jesus
Christ are successful, I would like to
respond to your invitation for a genuine
dialogue with Muslims in the aftermath of
your recent speech at the Regensburg
University in Munich, Germany.
The writer of this article has spent more
than forty years of his life doing research
in the field of Quranic studies, Islamic
principles and has published books as well.
He has also benefited from the political
experience and religious knowledge of a
father who as the first prime minister of
Iran after the Islamic revolution made a
tremendous effort toward consensus building
by tempering revolutionary zeal and curbing
extremism. With your permission, I would
like to bring to your attention a few
pertinent points regarding your speech.
Your Excellency, as you are well aware,
throughout history there have always been
unbelievers who spoke disparagingly about
all Prophets. Their attacks, at times, have
even gone much further and been pointed
against the very Creator of the universe.
Of course, had such vehement denunciations
come from knowledgeable scholars,
philosophers, sociologists or other learned
people, one might have wanted to reflect on
such charges. I believe you would agree
that emperors and political leaders of
countries talk in a language that serves
the vested interest of their respective
systems and paraphrasing their statements
(especially those of an emperor who lived
in the 14th century during a contentious
period between Muslims and Christians)
cannot solve any of today's world problems.
It seems logical then, that a genuine
dialogue among the followers of different
religions may be a more intelligent way to
instill a spirit of cooperation in
establishing world peace, mutually
beneficial co-existence and cooperation in
all fields that contribute to human
development.
Furthermore, with the exception of
Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus,
there are noble characters among Europeans
whose opinions regarding Islam were
diametrically opposed to those of Manuel II
Paleologus. For instance, Voltaire who
initially had anti-Islamic views spoke very
highly of Prophet Mohammed after he studied
the Qur'an and developed a better
understanding of Islam. Likewise, Goethe
who indebted himself to the Muslim and
Persian speaking poet Hafiz, a term that
denotes one who has memorized the Qur'an in
its entirety, said "If this is Islam,
aren't we all Muslims".
Within the last few centuries, several
Islamic scholars and Qur'anic researchers
have come from the western world, in
particular Germany. For example, Flugel and
Noldeke, have praised, admired and
validated the merits of the teachings of
the Prophet of Islam and have contributed
greatly to the field of Qur'anic studies.
Karen Armstrong, the world renowned
religious scholar known for her objectivity
and fairness, has stated that the expansion
of Islam through the sword is the biggest
lie that has been fabricated by the enemies
of Islam.
In my opinion, the Qur'an which serves as
the foundation and guide for Muslims,
provides a very open and wide field for the
exchange of opinions, cooperation and
understanding of different points of view
among Jews and Christians who share common
principles from their respective Abrahimic
tradition.
Quranic views, based on the following
analysis, toward the followers of other
traditions are one of tolerance, respect,
compassion, peace and fostering of
coexistence and cooperation.
1. Standards for relationships with "the
People of the Book" (Jews and Christians)
- In sixteen verses, QurĠan confirms the
truth of the previous scriptures and says,
"To thee we sent the Scripture in truth,
confirming the scripture that came before
it, and guarding it in safety...." (5:48)
- The Qur'an instructs Muslims to show
respect to the Holy men of previous
traditions and says "amongst these are men
devoted to learning and men who have
renounced the world, and they are not
arrogant" (5:82) The Qur'an promises Jews
and Christians that "If only they had stood
fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the
revelation that was sent to them from their
Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness
from every side....". (5:66)
- God commanded the Prophet to inform "the
people of the Book" that "O People of the
Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon
unless ye stand fast by the Law, the
Gospel, and all the revelation that has
come to you from your Lord...." (5:68)
- The Qur'an negates any sense of religious
superiority by declaring that heaven is not
the exclusive domain of Muslims. It
clearly states, "Verily, those who have
attained to faith, as well as those who
follow the Jewish faith, and the
Christians, and the Sabians - all who
believe in God and the last day and do
righteous deeds, shall have their reward
with their sustainer; and no fear need they
have, and neither shall they grieve".
(2:62, 5:69) Meaning they will dwell in
heaven.
- God has commanded the Prophet of Islam to
inform "the people of the Book" that "O
People of the Book! Come to common terms as
between us and you: That we worship none
but Allah; that we associate no partners
with him; that we erect not, from among
ourselves, Lords and patrons other than
Allah." (3:64)
- In many verses, the Qur'an commands
Muslims to join in fellowship with the
followers of other traditions by refraining
from discussing subjects that cause
division and instead put the emphasis on
common themes.
The Qur'an instructs Muslims to clearly
declare that "We believe in Allah, and in
what has been revealed to us and what was
revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob,
and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to
Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their
Lord: We make no distinction between one
and another among them, and to Allah do we
bow our will (in Islam)". (3:84)
2. The Common Roots of Judaism,
Christianity and Islam: The Family of
Abrahimic Traditions
Your Excellency, in order that you develop
a keener understanding of the respectful
views of the Qur'an toward the Prophets,
scriptures and the righteous followers of
previous traditions, I would like to call
your attention to the following statistics.
While the Qur'an mentions Prophet Moses'
name one hundred and thirty-six times,
Prophet Abraham's name sixty-nine times and
Prophet Jesus and Holy Mary's names seventy
times (collectively), it mentions the name
of the Prophet of Islam who is the
messenger of this religion only four times.
Do you not agree that this wide spectrum of
inclusiveness and the fact that the Qur'an
repeatedly reminds Muslims of the noble
characters in other traditions are further
signs of the peaceful nature of Islam?
The third chapter of the Qur'an, Al-Imran
(The family of Imran), is named in honor of
the ancestral roots of Jesus Christ
(Hannah, Holy Mary, Zachariah, John the
Baptist etc.), however, there is no chapter
in the Qur'an entitled Al-Mohammad (The
family of Mohammad).
The nineteenth chapter of the Qur'an,
Maryam (Mary), is named after Holy Mary but
there are no chapters in the Qur'an named
after Fatimeh, the honorable daughter of
Prophet Mohammad. Likewise, there are no
chapters that are named after Prophet
Mohammad's mother or Khadija, Prophet
Mohammad's honorable wife.
The seventeenth chapter in the Qur'an is
named Bani Isra'il (The Children of
Israel), however, there is no chapter in
the Qur'an that is called Bani Hashim (The
Children of Prophet Mohammad). This is due
to the fact that Muslims consider
themselves the cousins of the children of
Israel (Jacob) from the Ishmael lineage.
The overwhelming parts of some of the
longest chapters of the Qur'an (Chapters
two, three and five), and a big portion of
some of the medium and smaller length
chapters of the Qur'an are dedicated to the
history of the trails and tribulations of
the children of Israel.
3. The Concept of Jihad and the Expansion
of Islam with the "sword"
Your speech about Islam leaves one with the
impression that Islam has been forced on
people with the "sword", that the Qur'an
and the Prophet have encouraged its
adherents to follow such tradition. While
it is true that some of the rulers who
followed Prophet Mohammed, especially the
Sultans of the Umayyad, Abbasid and Othman,
did get engaged in expansion through
military means and used the "sword" to
convert people, such actions stem from
human ego and the military expansionist
policies of these caliphs and do not have
any connection to the teachings of the
Qur'an or the tradition of Prophet
Mohammad. I believe that Your Excellency
would agree that the behavior of the
followers of any tradition do not
necessarily reflect the teachings of that
tradition. As the historical record shows,
Judaism and Christianity have not always
been practiced according to the teachings
of Prophet Moses and Jesus.
The concept of jihad is one of the most
important concepts of Islamic theology and
one cannot deny the fact that Prophet
Mohammad was engaged in many wars during
his Prophethood with the combatants of his
religion and land. However, it is
imperative to be cognizant of the fact that
none of these battles were fought for the
purpose of expansion of Islamic territory
or conversion by the "sword". In all
cases, directly or indirectly, these wars
were defensive in nature and were fought to
stop an invading army.
Your Excellency, I believe that you would
agree that up until one or two centuries
ago, conversion from one religion to
another was prohibited even in the so
called civilized European countries. The
best testimony to this human
short-sightedness that has persisted in
human history is the long wars between
Catholics and Protestants and the
immigration of some converts to the U.S.A.
In light of such historical facts, how can
one expect that in the tribal society of
fourteen centuries ago that was mired in
jahilliya (ignorance), a Prophet who had
come to rid a society of tribalism,
idolatry, nepotism, and backwardness did
not have to resort to use the sword to
protect his life, his followers and his
faith against such insurmountable odds,
when even in the civilized post-Renaissance
Europe conversion to other religions was a
life threatening endeavor?
Similar to the believers in Jesus Christ
and in his mission, the believers in
Mohammad preserved their faith and even
strengthened it in spite of being
subjugated to extreme persecution and
torture. Eventually, some of them had to
immigrate to Ethiopia to save their lives,
and the rest fled from Mecca during the
night to seek the protection from people in
Medina in order to continue the practice of
monotheism. Even after moving to Medina,
Meccan pagans, who considered monotheism as
a betrayal of their ancestral customs,
continued plotting and attacking the
believers in order to destroy them. It was
in this extraordinary situation that the
Prophet of Islam worked to preserve his
faith.
It is true that Jesus Christ neither
engaged in any war nor was involved with
the political establishment of his time but
it is also true that he did not form a
community either. Otherwise, he would have
shown the same vigor in protecting his
community as Mohammad did.
The truth of such claim rests on the fact
that Prophet Jesus validated the
militaristic nature of the Old Testament by
accepting it totally. Is it not the case
that he used force to clear the temple of
the money exchangers, dove sellers and all
others who had occupied the temple and had
turned it to a place of business and
unsavory activities? (Mathew 21)
Is it not the fact that in Mathew 10:34
Prophet Jesus tells his followers, "Do not
suppose that I have come to bring peace to
the earth. I did not come to bring peace,
but a sword"?
Is it not the case that the flocks of that
great Prophet, throughout the history, have
resorted to force to implement their
objectives?
Your Excellency, the expression "Holy War"
which is reminiscent of the Crusades, is
never referenced in the Qur'an or in the
tradition of Prophet Mohammad. True, that
jihad is one of the most important pillars
of Islam but there is a tremendous
difference between the concept of jihad in
Islam that is purely defensive in nature
with the way it has been abused by some of
the so called Muslims or the fallacious
notion that some Westerners' have.
Your Excellency, with your permission, I
would like to clarify the position of the
Qur'an regarding jihad and its stance on
the subject of war by sharing with you some
of the regulations and limitations of jihad
that the Qur'an establishes for Muslims to
follow.
- In general, war is forbidden in Islam. If
there is a situation where injustice is
being perpetrated or if the community is
being invaded, then on a temporary basis
permission is given to defend oneself. This
principle is explained in 22:39.
- Qur'an grants permission for a war but
strictly based on the following three
criteria that are explained in 2:190:
(1) The war is for the cause of God. In
other words, the war is not fought for
expansionism, aggression, racism,
nationalism or any other "isms" for that
matter.
(2) The war is defensive in nature, meaning
the other side initiated the war. It must
also be retributive in nature and not
distributive.
(3) War can only be continued to repel the
enemy and must be stopped immediately after
the enemy retreats.
- Chapter nine is the most authoritative
chapter on the concept of jihad in the
Qur'an and is one that is abused by both
Fundamentalist Muslims and those who allege
that Islam is a violent religion. However,
in verses four and seven of this chapter it
is clearly stated that Muslims can only
declare war with people who have broken
their treaty with them or who have resorted
to enmity first.
It is also emphasized in this chapter that
Taqwa (awareness of God's ever presence)
necessitates that believers must stay loyal
to their commitments and never break them
even with unbelievers.
- God recommends to the Prophet that "But
if they incline to peace, incline thou to
it as well, and place thy trust in God:
verily, He alone is all hearing, all
knowing! And should they seek but to
deceive thee (by their show of peace)
behold, God is enough for thee".
- The Qur'an establishes that the
relationship between Muslims and
Non-Muslims should be based on peaceful
principles and so that there is no
ambiguity it clearly and unequivocally
states: "Allah forbids you not, with
regard to those who fight you not for
(your) Faith nor drive you out of your
homes, from dealing kindly and justly with
them: for Allah loveth those who are just."
(60:8)
The Qur'an establishes restriction in
relationship between Muslims and
Non-Muslims as follows, "Allah only forbids
you, with regard to those who fight you for
(your) Faith, and drive you out of your
homes, and support (others) in driving you
out, from turning to them (for friendship
and protection). It is such as turn to them
(in these circumstances), that do wrong".
(60:9)
In short, the Islamic principles of jihad
are purely defensive in nature and it is
not a mechanism to settle score or revenge.
While the principle of "eye for an eye" is
allowed in Islam, it is always suggested
that it should be tempered with fairness
and compassion and better yet it is always
recommended that one should forgive his/her
enemies.
It is true that all of the principles of a
just war that are discussed here have
neither been nor will they always be
followed by Muslims but this should not be
used as an excuse to equate Islamic
principles that are based on the Qur'an and
tradition with the behavior of people who
claim they are Muslim. After all, we would
not judge other religions based on the
performance of its followers.
Muslims have never condemned Jesus or Moses
for the many worldwide wars or racial wars
that have been fought under the banner of
Christianity. Even though, these wars have
had devastating affect on humanity, the
environment and have left behind utter
destruction.
4. Reason and Faith
Your Excellency, in your speech, you stated
that the theological and philosophical
concepts of piety in Islam are the main
root cause of today's extremism and
fundamentalism. Furthermore, in your
analysis of the relationship between faith
and reason, you criticized the principle of
reasoning in Islamic thought and you
extrapolated how Islam justifies terrorism
and violence in the name of religion.
The writer of this article is not about to
deny the fact that religions have been
abused or in some cases, have not been used
as the proper moral guide to combat the
revengeful nature of human beings. Why is
it difficult to accept that the natural and
logical human reaction to the immense
injustice that is being perpetrated upon
some of the indigenous people in many parts
of the world? One can hardly argue the
case that after the attack on the twin
towers in New York City, the U.S.A, the
only super power, reacted in a defensive
manner by invading two countries. Then, how
is it that somehow we expect that there
should be no reaction when an entire
country is invaded and people are left to
live in much misery, destitution and total
destruction?
In reference to the discussion between
faith and reason, while this may not be a
subject that appeals to the general public
and belongs to scholarly circles, I would
like to bring your attention to a few
points regarding this issue.
It is noteworthy to reflect upon the fact
that the word "reason" in the Qur'an is
repeated forty-nine times and that it is
exactly how many times the word "light" is
mentioned. Demonstrating that, it is only
through reason that one finds
enlightenment.
Such understating is confirmed by Imam
Jaafar Sadeq, one of the most revered
Muslim scholars and leaders, who said,
"Reason is the means by which one should
worship the all Merciful God and it is
through that that Salvation is attained".
The Prophet of Islam whom some depict as
the man of the sword, says, "God has not
bestowed a more precious blessing upon
humans than reason. God will not accept
worship without reflection".
Based on the teachings of Prophet Mohammad,
God has established two proofs of His
existence for humans: the exoteric proof
which is the Prophets and the scriptures,
and the other is the esoteric proof which
is reason.
The Qur'an commands Muslims never to follow
something that they do not have knowledge
of and that they must always utilize their
faculties of seeing, hearing and reasoning
to discern. (17:36). The Qur'an refers to
people who do not use their faculties to
discern as "deaf and dumb" humans and
regard them even lower than quadrupeds.
(8:22)
Contrary to the claims by the critics of
Islam that the transcendental verse of the
Qur'an, "There is no compulsion in
religion" was revealed in Mecca when
Muslims were weak in number and the verse
served as a concession and protective
shield for the Muslim community against its
enemy, the historical records shows that
this verse was revealed in Medina in the
last year of Prophet Mohammad's mission
when Muslims were in the zenith of their
power.
Your Excellency, in a world where military
powers continue to suppress and oppress the
poor and the destitute and they justify
their expansionist policies in the name of
fighting terrorism, curbing fundamentalism
and using false propaganda to imprint an
ugly and violent face of Islam on the
world's collective conscience,
In a world where any vestige of morality
and spirituality is being tampered more
than any time in the history of humanity,
Thus, it is imperative that all the
conscientious people, from any race and
creed, come together and synergistically
work for the cause of peace and social
justice.
One cannot complain too much about what
politicians do but it is profoundly
disheartening to see those who are in a
position to be contributors to peace and
harmony among nations become instruments of
division and hatred.
Your Excellency, Qur'an commands Muslims
that, "They should not argue with the
followers of earlier revelation except in a
most kindly manner...." (29:46), that we
believe in the same God, that we believe in
all Prophets and scriptures, that we are
required to treat others with fairness;
furthermore, that we believe that the only
Lord and absolute authority that humans
must surrender to is the eternal God to
whom we all will return and it is HIM that
will judge our actions in this world.
With much apology if my lengthy letter has
inconvenienced you and with the hope for an
everlasting world peace and establishment
of justice, freedom and security for all of
humanity,
Abdolali Bazargan
ISLAMIC CENTER OF BEVERLY HILLS
GOD BLESS AMERICA
ONE NATION UNDER GOD
264 South La Cienega Blvd., PMB 1070
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tel: (310) 859-0404
Fax: (310) 859-1414
Email: Ali@icbh.org
Website: www.icbh.org
