LIBERAL LESSONS OF ISLAM

The issue of being liberal and interfaith harmony is of antiquity not a new phenomenon, but has assumed phenomenal significance thanks to astounding revolution in info-techs. History is witness to ethnic cleansing committed under the guise of religious bigotry like Nazi hatred against the Jews which can be comprehended on having a look on Exodus. Genocides in Bosnia at the hands of Slobodan Milosevic, and political and religious movements in Sub-Continent like Shuddi and Singhton etc, racial killings of Muslims at the time of Indian partition in 1947 claiming about ten millions innocent people including children and women, worst riots of Gujarat and Ahmed Abad between Hindus and Muslim in India can be traced back to religious intolerance and hatred. Even in developed countries of the world like Denmark, Holland and Norway, such incidents happened which portray extreme religious intolerance like making caricature of sacred prophet of Muslim.

After the publication of book The Clash of Civilisations penned by Mr. Samuel Huntington, dissolution of USSR, 09/11 in USA and 07/07 incidents in London, Islam is the only religion considered to be the propagator of extremist and intolerant thoughts particularly when looked into the prism of Taliban version. Unfortunately, large fraction of people in Western countries and framers of human rights conventions believe that any person, community or sect following Islam has links to extremism and terrorism. Following questions necessitate urgent intellectual and rational response to clear the misconceptions about Islam:

Ø Is Islam terrorist in its teachings and preaching?
Ø Is killing believers of other religions justified and they can be coerced to embrace Islam?
Ø Are suicidal attacks justified and should be condone as a sacred act in Islam?
Ø Is education for women is prohibited and considered sin and that women should not be allowed to go for employment?
Ø That the women have no voice in their personal affairs of life and their rights are determined by the men as usually happen in many tribal societies in Pakistan especially in NWFP and Balochistan.
Ø Can the acts like forced marriages and conversion be an acts of sacred reward in Islam?

With a cursory glance in basic teaching of Islam are sufficed to brush aside the negative images. The very meaning of word Islam is submission and peace, when comes word peace, then it allows no room to any of such tendencies like intolerance and prejudice. Holy Quran is an authentic book of all the Muslims, its each and every word is accepted and believed blindly. Holy Quran is full of such verses which emphasise upon its followers to be tolerant and liberals in matters of life particularly in religions and creeds of other people. In Holy Quran, Al-Mighty Allah says;

“There is no compulsion in matters of religion.” [Surah al-Baqara]

“Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of Allah: It is for Him to recompense (for good or ill) each People according to what they have earned.” [Sûrah al-Jâthiyah: 14]


'The truth is from your Lord, so whosoever wants let him believe and whosoever wants let him deny’) (An-Nahl 16:29)

These verses of Holy Quran are decisive in nature and even a slight deviation from these is considered blasphemy.

The conduct of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) sets scintillating examples for followers of Islam to be tolerant and liberal in their treatment towards believers of other religions and creeds. His acts not only display tolerance and liberality towards non-Muslims but towards those who has been utterly and blatantly hypocrites in enmity of Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (P.BH.H) in one of his hadiths remarks;

“A true believer is one with whom others feel secure. One who returns love for hatred.”

A person named Abu Salul was the staunch enemy and hypocrite and left no stone unturned in throwing mudsling on the family of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). When he suffered from illness, prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) visited him and on his death, he went to his grave and dressed him his own shirt. In similar, prophet of Islam adopted extreme liberal attitude towards the preachers of other religions during his life and even allowed the delegations of Christian missionaries to stay the city of Madina and ensured their full protection in all respects. The treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah with the non-Muslims (Pagans) of Mecca is brilliant example of tolerance and liberalism. It allowed the Muslims and pagans to have peaceful relations with each other, neither sect compelling the other to change its religion, and to stay away from its cultural values.

Killing of human beings is unpardonable sin in Islam. It is unfortunate to say that meanings of Jihad are perceived in a very narrow sense whereas its implications should be understood in wider perspectives. History is witness that when Muslims moved into other territories — Iraq, Persia, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, etc. — they ensured the safety and security of life, religion, and property for the residents. None were enforced to convert to Islam, and in many cases non-Muslims kept their administrative positions within the new Islamic governments. Jihad is meant for not killing innocent people, but allowed to be launched only against oppression, social injustice and cruelty. It can not be initiated by any specific groups in a society as is going on in many parts of Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
In present international law, it is Convention on Elimination of all form of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which stress upon elimination of racial discrimination, gender equality, protection of rights of women, and International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of Apartheid (ICSPA).

But the last sermon of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is glorious expression of the protection and promotion of noble cause of human rights in the world and adopting liberal and tolerant approach towards all corners of life. Succinctly, it admonishes upon kind treatment to women, prohibition of murders calling is unpardonable sin, elimination of apartheid, ending usury, most important of all extermination of social classes (Social Stratification) on the basis of any privileged status like race, caste, and wealth etc.

Ironically, women have been willingly ignored in many tribal societies of Pakistan, while Islam is the only religion exhorting protection of women rights. Women have been given protection in different guises like mother, sister, wife, and daughter and with passage of women roles, the degree of rights keep on increasing in society. In matter of seeking education, prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) made it duty of every man and woman to seek knowledge. In Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the basic right of education is recognised in December 1948 while in Islam, it is granted to the women centuries ago. In matter of matrimonial life, Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) warned Muslims men and husbands of severe consequences. Whether it is matter of education, property, inheritance, marriage, and employment etc. men are supposed to be defender of women rights under all circumstances. In one of his saying (hadith), the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.H.H) says,

“A man, who has three daughters, reared them in nice way, had them educated, and married them as per their choice, that man will be in heaven with me.” Al-Bukhari

It is an established fact that under Pious Caliphs rules in Caliphate, the wife of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.H.H), Hazrat Ayesah Saddiqa (Razzi Allah Hunha) been usually consulted in numerous theocratic matters of Islam. It is opinion of all the Muslim Fuqahas (Religious Scholars) that if the services of Hazrat Ayesha Saddiqa (Razzi All Hunha) are excluded, then only twenty five percent Islam is left.

Can any confusion remains after such crystal clear explanation of gender equality by the great preacher and prophet of Islam. All these simple examples depict liberal and tolerant image of Islam in all those matters negatively perceived by the western world.

The question is why most of the people in Islamic societies peculiarly in tribal areas of NWFP Pakistan, and Taliban controlled regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, a different picture of Islam comes to the fore. Even in many Arabian countries women are not allowed to enfranchise, and participation in political and economic affairs of the states. It’s not the fault in the preaching and teaching of Islam, but the main flaw is to interpret its universal nature within cultural or normative structure of the societies. In men-dominated societies, ironically some values and norms have gained the divine status like barring women from every walk of life, forces marriage and conversion, enforcing minorities groups to adopt Muslim culture, shattering their temples like under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, even some Islamic sects commit suicidal attacks on each other like bomb blasts on Imam Bargahs (Religious places of Shia Sect) in Sunni-shias’s religious riots etc.

In similar, the absence of civic education and proper understanding of social sciences has also been responsible to bring about such mess-up in religious matters of Islam. The Mudrassas’s Education (stereotypical system of Education) has certainly blocked all the venues to independent thinking promoting blind imitation and introduced obscurantist thoughts in Islam. That is why the interpretations and exposition of many enlightened religious scholars in Islam are regarded to be based on blasphemous in nature.

The only solution to rid the Islam of obscurantist thoughts is to interpret the modern sociological thoughts within the perspectives of enlightened teaching of Islam instead of narrow-mindedness or Taliban version. Moreover, the stereotypical system of religious education needs reformation with introduction of modern education trends. Above all, the most important of all is making sure that cultural norms and values do not overlap Islamic teachings.