VEIL OF INTERPRETATION OVER ISLAM
Clear your Understanding
ONE reason for the alienation of Islam is that as time went by self-styled interpretations of the Quran and Sunnah gradually placed a veil over the original content of these texts. A time came when the original Islam was completely obscured from view. The wrong, man-made interpretations took the place of revealed guidance and people mistakenly took the misconceptions in Islam to be the real Islam.
In the early phase of Islam people derived their religion directly from the Quran and the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, therefore, their association with the original Islam remained intact. But the interpretations and explanations of later days served only to obscure the original teachings. The natural beauty of Islam disappeared over the centuries. The Quran and Sunnah now turned into relics instead of being instruments of guidance. Thus the religion came to be based on latter-day interpretations and explanations instead of the original scriptures.
How did this corruption set in, in the religious literature produced by the later generations? The answer is that the basic requirement to understand the scriptures in depth is God realization. When one finds religion at the level of realization, one is endowed by God with the wisdom to be able to understand the deeper meaning of the scriptures. On the other hand those who are not blessed with this special gift of wisdom, have nothing by which to understand Islam, except their own pre-conceptions.
When one finds religion at the level of realization, one is endowed by God with the wisdom to be able to understand the deeper meaning of the scriptures.
They begin to interpret religion according to their own mindset. The result is that, although they refer to the original sources of Islam—the Quran and Sunnah, their interpretations have little bearing on the original texts. Religious degeneration ensues in which they appear to follow Islam but actually stray far from its spirit. They fail to differentiate between Godsent religion and man-made interpretation.
One great loss created by these additions to the original Islam was the shift in emphasis. Some important teachings of Islam were relegated to the background—for instance, concern for the larger humanity, missionary work, and patience. Missionary work—that is conveying the message of Islam peacefully—is the greatest mission of the Muslim community for, although prophethood came to an end with Prophet Muhammad, the mission of the Prophet has not yet come to an end. The mission continues through the followers of the Prophet as a matter of religious duty.
It would be no exaggeration to say that without the performance of this duty, the very credibility of being the Muslim community would become doubtful. Strangely, indeed, missionary work found no place in the literature of the centuries after the Prophet Muhammad. Neither has it been mentioned anywhere in the Muslim agenda of today. The classical commentaries of the Quran also fail to give any prominence to missionary work as a concept. In books of sayings of the Prophet too, we find chapters on all subjects except missionary work. The same is true of Islamic jurisprudence in whose texts we do not find a chapter on missionary work.
One great loss created by these additions to the original Islam was the shift in emphasis. Some important teachings of Islam were relegated to the background—for instance, concern for the larger humanity, missionary work, and patience.
According to the Quran, the exercise of patience is a deed, which makes man eligible for the highest reward (8: 46); the patient man will be rewarded “beyond measure” (39: 10). But the interpretation that gained popularity in later times was that the injunction of patience had been abrogated and replaced by jihad (in the sense of fighting). Thus, one who studies these books gathers the impression, that consciously or unconsciously, patience might have been important in the past, but nowadays it has lost its relevance. Now jihad and not sabr is of foremost importance.
So, the ensuing result of the attitude of Muslims is that whenever someone presents the real Islam, it appears alien to them.