Q154 :Since all divine books have been available for
the last three thousand years, it has been easy to answer any question
with reference to these books. But what about the period preceding
Judaism when there was no actual source of divine book to provide the
truth for millions of people over countless generations. Is it possible
that people were left to act freely for such a long period without any
guidance? Moreover, all four divine books seem to have been revealed in
the Arabian land. What about the rest of the world? Does any other book
require people to benete Muslims? May I also ask whether it is possible
through Ijtihad [or the use of scholarly discretion] to introduce
improvements in Islamic law for the benefit of the Muslim netmunity?
This can always be considered well justified. It will be based on all
previous beneficial experience and will suit the needs of the age.
Please netment.
A154 : It is not true to say that all human history
that predates Judaism lacked divine guidance. Indeed, divine guidance
was provided for mankind ever since Adam was placed on earth as
vicegerent. Adam himself was a prophet who received the faith of
monotheism to his children who conducted their lives in accordance with
the divine guidance. Thereafter, God has sent prophets and messengers
to all netmunities. He states in the Qur’an that “there has been no
netmunity without having a Warner”. That Warner must have been a
prophet or a messenger or a person endowed with the knowledge of the
guidance provided by earlier prophets. Besides, the Qur’an mentions the
names of several prophets sent to different netmunities long before the
appearance of the Prophet Moses. These include Prophets Noah, Hood,
Saleh and Idris. God tells Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the
Qur’an that there were many other messengers about whom He has chosen
not to tell him. “We have certainly sent messengers before your time:
Some of these We have mentioned to you, and some We have not
mentioned.” (40;78) So, God has not left people without guidance. It is
they who have chosen to turn their backs on His guidance. They went
even further than that and distorted messages conveyed to them by their
prophets. God also tells us in the Qur’an that He made a covenant with
all prophets that should His final messenger appear during their
lifetimes, they would certainly follow him and give him all the support
they can. All prophets and messengers conveyed that same message to
their peoples. They told them that they should follow Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) whenever he begins to convey his message. Indeed,
there are references in all divine scriptures to Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him), indicating how he may be recognized and where he
will appear. The Jewish tribes that settled in Madinah in pre-Islamic
days went there only because they recognized Madinah as the place to
which the last messenger would emigrate. They wanted to follow him to
ensure their salvation. However, when the grandchildren of those Jews
realized that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not an
Israelite, and his appearance signified the transfer of the line of
prophet-hood from them to the Ishmaelite branch of Ibrahim’s seed, they
rebelled and put a stiff opposition to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) and his message. That opposition continues today with a most
determined fight against Islam led by the Zionists everywhere.
Moreover, all prophets and messengers conveyed basically the same
message of submission to God and associating no partners with Him.
Since this principle takes its fullness and its most perfect form in
the message of the Qur’an, it is imperative that followers of previous
guidance should embrace Islam because it endorses what they have and
improves on it. In your question you refer to religions as though they
were philosophical creeds put forward by philosophers and men of
knowledge. You may expect a philosopher or an economist to nete up with
a new doctrine that takes into account the results of human experience
with previous creeds and doctrines. You may say, for example, that
socialism was devised in order to overnete the social disadvantages of
capitalism, in the same way as the latter was an improvement on
feudalism. But that does not apply to religions revealed by God, the
Almighty. When you consider God’s attributes, you will find among them
His perfect knowledge. What you have to understand is that God’s
knowledge is not liable to increase as a result of events that may take
place at present or in the future. God knows these events long before
they take place. Indeed, the notion of time adding to knowledge does
not apply to God whose knowledge is absolute and perfect. Therefore,
it cannot be said that a later religion is an improvement on a previous
one, benefiting by the human experience with the earlier religion. God
does not need that experience in order to reveal a perfect religion.
Indeed, Islam is a faith that remains applicable to all human
generations until the day of judgment. Moreover, Islam, in its broadest
sense which signifies of all divine faith, has been applicable right
from the moment when Adam and Eve were created and placed first in
heaven, before they fell to earth. Nor can there be any “unsuccessful”
parts in the divine faith. People’s application of certain parts may be
improper, but that is their own failure, not the failure of the faith
itself. Improvements may be achieved in their approach to religion, but
not in the teachings of religion themselves. Human maturity will not
add to the truth of religion, but it can draw better advantages from
the implementation of the divine faith. Ijtihad, or the use of
scholarly discretion, has certainly a wide area in the context of
implementing the divine faith. But Ijtihad cannot be extended to the
area of changing what God has revealed or what He requires of His
servants. There are people who call for such amendment to religion,
particularly among some politicians in some Muslim countries. Such
politicians do not have any strong faith. They want to follow their own
line of action, but they try to appear in a guise that satisfies the
Muslim masses. Therefore, they speak of “modernized” or “liberalized”
or “enlightened” Islam. Some want socialism to be Islamic and others
want Western democracy to be given an Islamic color, etc. Let us be
clear about one thing: Islam is a faith and a code of living revealed
by God. It does not need to borrow any guise or appearance. People
either take Islam as it is or leave it. Let them not try to give it a
guise other than God has imparted to it. If they want to follow a line
which is different from Islam, let them go and do what they want. But
they must not try to give their practices or philosophies an Islamic
appearance, when they have none. Islam will never be Socialist or
Western Capitalist. It will always be Islamic.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )