“Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
(Surah Al-Kafirun)
Respected readers, again tonight we are back to interpret surah Al-Kafirun, and tonight we will finalize it. Allah Almighty decrees to the Prophet (PBUH): tell them, “O you who cover the truth”. This coverage doesn’t only refer to postulates of faith, because haqiqa in Islam is also based on three elements, which in scientific language are considered as ilahiyat, ameliyat and vijdaniyat, in other words they deal with belief in Allah Almighty, issues of religious practice and issues of awareness, consciousness or religious ethics. One cannot claim to be religious if during namaz he is arrogant or argues with others; this is not a true adherent. One cannot claim to be religious if in his social life he is in constant conflict with others. Tawhid according to Muslims is a unity that cannot be separated, it is a whole human organism. Maybe you might think that if your tooth hurts at night this is nothing, but if you cannot sleep all night then the heart doesn’t rest either. The same goes for religion. If a social aspect of ours is not in correspondence with our belief in Allah Almighty, then this brings us to various difficulties throughout our life.
Maybe I have mentioned this on a previous lecture, but I will say it here again, have you ever thought why Abu Jahl contradicted the Prophet (PBUH) and why Utbah Rabi’ah did so as well? Most of the interpretations say its because they believed in many gods and the Prophet (PBUH) told them: “leave your gods, believe in one God”. However, this explanation is a very superficial one. The conflict between Abu Jahl and the Prophet (PBUH) was not only an ideological one, because Arabic polytheists didn’t mind adding another god to their belief. In other words, ideologically speaking, Arabs didn’t have an issue with faith, but there was something else that Abu Jahl minded greatly. He minded that the Prophet (PBUH) said “Bilal and you will be seated together in the mosque”. And the latter wouldn’t accept this because he considered Bilal to be a slave from Ethiopia, while he himself believed to be a wealthy man from Mecca. Have you ever thought why Cain killed Abel? Both were Muslims, both were sons of Adam (PBUH), what was the ideological difference between them? Conflict arouses because of idolizing advantages and preferences of this world. We have many such examples throughout history. But the main issue is that not everyone that can go free from judgement, can truly find a real answer for them. Which one of us can truly accept that the reason for conflict between people throughout history, even today, contains this element in its essence?
This is an issue that seeks a serious strive for a solution, firstly in the core of the being, in the essence of the ego and only then in the social human issues. This is precisely true when dealing with the worldly life, in which people without much thinking and for some superficial reasons can destroy someone else’s life, without any hesitation. So, do you think there is a religious motive or an ideological one, behind such deeds? What is so essentially different about this population that they can venture to act in such way? Why do people, who are part of the same history, living in same geographical areas and share the same identical issues, are in constant conflict? Which sacred book within its frame can accept such conflict and then serve as an upgrade for moral spiritual and social wellbeing of man? Where is our modern man, born and bred in the ancient cradle, carved and raised with the principles of pure religion that, once, becomes gigantic and says enough about the research of stones among pearls. Has he no interest in ontological initiation and his own epistemological development?!
Albeit that we are unable to precisely present the cause of human conflict, according to what the sacred Revelations teach, the first conflict on earth, a result of which was Abel’s death by Cain, was neither an ideological or religious nature, but it was in the nature of personal interest or personal benefit. It is appalling that man, created in the most beautiful form, decreed with high duties, is capable of turning a blind eye to this and pursue his own personal interest. This type of behavior doesn’t suit any person, it instead disturbs the healthy mind.
The contradictors of Noah, Hood, Shuaib or Jethro, Zechariah and Yahya rejected the sacred calling, despite that prophets stood by them. These prophets without seeking anything in return, presented them archives of valuable stones. These people exalted many gods, but their contradiction didn’t arise from their religiousness. When Nimrod threw Ibrahim (PBUH) into fire, he was ready to take into his own responsibility the curse of all humankind until Day of Judgment. Which religious perspective would satisfy Nimrod, by passing into the humankind curse? Which religiousness requested from the Pharaoh to forget that he is only human and place himself in the pedestal of gods? None. Abu Jahl, Lahab and similar figures, without any fear sought to erase from history one identity, someone who would save his own people to whom he was sent upon and a whole nation from darkness and would serve the light to them.
The above-mentioned names are “types” of people inferred in the sacred literature and unfortunately, they are present in all eras of life on earth. If we speak in the Qur’anic language, “For God, Islam is the religion”, this is the absolute prostration of the creature in front of his Creator. It is the prostration of the head, together with what it beholds within, during sujud in front of the Planner of the Universe. All prophets, beginning from Adam (PBUH) all up to the last prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), have brought the sacred reality to all humankind, prepared by Allah Almighty, which in its essence beheld the “kalimah tawheed” (the moto of oneness). The duty of the prophets was that within the frame of reality of tawhid, to systemize the life of people and societies to whom they were sent to. They were not commanded to force people into religion, but only to bring them joy and draw their attention to important things. Even though the Prophethood was there to bring joy, guidance and attention to certain matters, they were still tortured and some of them were killed. Then, where did the interest of these people bridge with the teachings of the prophets? Which interests of these people did Kalimah-tawheed prevent, that they didn’t even want to hear about this truthfulness? They were not tortured and asked to leave their faith and join Islam.
There aren’t any classical mushriks today, they will not make some gods of their own and pray to them, but one of the most dangerous elements is the ego. In every occasion man inserts his ego as central and then treats it as god. All of our behaviors, for a Muslim, are closely related to our faith and belief in Allah Almighty. When we are treating another unjustly, when we don’t earn righteously, this is still very closely related with the strength of our belief in our hearts. For us, each piece of social act is closely related with our belief. This is precisely why the Prophet (PBUH) and Allah Almighty during the first thirteen years of the revelation have called on strengthening belief and healing the hearts of adherents and those who had joined the calling. Look here in the surah Kafirun how Allah Almighty addresses the nonbelievers in the language of the Prophet (PBUH). We have mentioned before that the Qur’an is refreshing in each era, and every time we read its verses, it is again renewed to us. Every time we read its words, amid the imaginary universal dimensions, Jibreel says to the Prophet (PBUH) “Qul ya ayuha’l-kafirun”. Why? Because God in the dimension of the sacredness, has no past tense, but has the eternal present time; God doesn’t have yesterday or tomorrow, in each moment we can experience the Revealed sacredness. In continuum the verse says: “La a’budu ma ta’budun” / “I do not worship that which you worship”, says the Prophet (PBUH) to the mushriks. Most times we have thought that this only deals with religious matters of practice of namaz. This is only one aspect, but this is not the only matter addressed. At the same time this verse addresses Abu Jahl as well: “forgive me, but I don’t think the same as you do about Bilal. If Bilal has a more beautiful voice than you, regardless if he was a slave of Ethiopia, he will become the second person of the mosque (muazin), and through this, I am showing that I don’t exalt that which you exalt”.
Perhaps we have mentioned the matter of abd; other languages lack the capability to translate certain Arabic terms. Most of us translate the word abd as slave or as exaltation, because the root of the word is abd. Then what do slavery and ibadah have in common? Ibadah is a matter of freedom and not enslavement (surely one conducts ibadah in full freedom, it cannot be done by force). That’s why Albanian Bejtexhin poets, have used the term kull of Allah, that comes to closer to the abd meaning. Devotion to God is a dimension we consider as “slave” to God, because on our own will we enslave ourselves to Him; we give our own will to Allah Almighty. In Tasawwuf there is a term called “takri Ihtiyar” that means “to release your free choice to Allah Almighty” (God gave you a choice, and you say: here I release my choice, I choose devotion to You). In this case as well, he says to the Abu Jahl and his followers that me and my followers shall not be enslaved to things you are enslaved to. Each one of you has a social function, regardless of what that may be (teacher, retailed, imam), we all face Abu Jalh, Abu Sufyan, Bilal, Hz. Ali, Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Suleiman, Yasir. As’habs of the Prophet (PBUH) are archetypes, that we are facing each day in our life. For example, we have a lot of cases when mothers would educate their child and say, see the son of our neighbor is rich, and you need to be like that too. But we don’t really look into the ways one became rich, or how most of the world is driven by a machiavellian philosophical system, in which the purpose justifies the method. In other words, if you seek to reach something then you can step on anything that interferes in your way, and then once you reach your purpose you can look back ands try to fix things you ruined on your way to your purpose. The Qur’anic Scripture, the Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings don’t allow for the adherent not to choose wisely his methods of conduct that will enable him to reach to a certain purpose in life, on this world. That’s why Allah Almighty, decrees to the Prophet (PBUH), to turn to the mushriks of Mecca and say: “I do not exalt, that which you exalt”, and not only about exaltation in belief or the religious orthopractic, but also regarding the social aspect of human life.
One scholar claims that Muslims will experience religious catharsis; we should experience this in ibadah. Some people have often asked: “why can’t we possibly experience namaz? Why can’t we focus properly during namaz?”. Mohammad Iqbal says that religious catharsis in ibadah is experienced not only when we physically conduct namaz, but when our whole life is namaz; when during our daily life we choose to evade negative deeds that during namaz we usually don’t commit. Do we answer people during our namaz, do we speak to others? No. If we manage to educate our self, our ego not to answer to everyone even if and even in cases when we are right, then this practice enables us to experience true peak in namaz; to experience affection and true cleanse of the soul in relation to Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty requested from the Prophet (PBUH) (at the same time from us) to turn to the mushriks, and all those who disagree with us on all spheres of life “I don’t build my personality upon the same values and principles that you have built yours”. What does this mean in reality? If someone is a teacher and he doesn’t give good grades unless these students attend his private classes or if a teacher is bias towards some students more than others because he is friends with the parents. And many will say: “yes, but everyone does this”. And to them we should answer: “Wa la antum abidune ma e’abud”, neither you have built your character like mine, neither will I build my character and principles like you, you might be able to do this compromise, but I will not. Then again the verse repeats: “Wa la ana abidun ma abedtum” /”I shall never worship that which you worship”, “Wa la antum abiduna ma e’abud” / “neither have you transmitted religion in your life, hence you cannot exalt in the manner I exalt”. “Lakum dinakum waliya din” / “for you is your religion, for me is my religion”. The last part of this surah is more profound that the extent people have gone to interpret it. The first element here is that Islam doesn’t impose its ideology to others, but instead it just represents it. Allah Almighty said to the Prophet (PBUH): “Ya ayyuha’r rasulu bal-lig ma undhila ilayka…” / “O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 67). Imposing always ends being counterproductive. The same thing with children, we should never impose religion to them. Islam is not supportive of dictatorial authorization. Then what is necessary? When representing religion, we need to convey it in the most perfect harmonic design. Religion is a pearl, but if we don’t design it well, people will not look further than the first impression. It’s the same as if we had a store where we sold pearls, but we don’t decorate the store. If Islam beholds the worthiest ingredients, then people who aren’t well enough equipped and decorated cannot simply represent it. Instead it takes those are decorated and well equipped, beholding of a pedigree to represent Islam. Hence, the first thing to keep in mind is to never impose, instead to represent Islam in the best form. Allah Almighty says to the Prophet (PBUH): “you don’t have anything to do with them, it is only your duty that through your words, your actions, you represent this to others. Whether they shall accept or not, that is not your obligation, that is My concern”. Each book by our classical scholars, the reasonable ones (aside from the scholars belonging to XIX century onwards), in the end say that triumph is from God (this is how they end their writing). In other words, we are not the ones to turn people into Muslims; this is something done by God alone. It is only our duty to represent Islam in the best manner, even Allah Almighty says to the Prophet to tell them: “You keep your religion, even if we are more powerful than you, again we will not intervene in your religion”. We have never had an issue or mingled in anyone’s religion; even in most difficult times for the Islamic state, we have not intervened with anyone’s religion. Our parents have always taught us (the elderly ones must remember it better) “be cautious not to count for yours that which is not, especially from the non-Muslims”, they have continuously spoken to us about this.
Never in history have we destroyed anyone’s sanctuary, while others have done this to us. Even if they have done this to us, we would still not do it to them. We are not driven by inertia; we are instead led by our values. We haven’t come here to kill others; we are only here to guide people towards God. When they threw stones to the Prophet (PBUH) in Taif, the Jibreel said: “I have experienced the biggest discomfort of my life during that moment. When they threw stones to him the falling blood off his mubarak body was about to reach the ground. And Allah Almighty said: “if a spot of blood from my beloved falls on the ground, I will destroy all the Universe”. I went in my highest speed and spread my arm to make sure no blood of the Prophet (PBUH) would fall on the ground”. Jibreel said: “Beloved messenger of God, make an order that I bring together these two hills (Taif was a small town between two hills), and destroy this nation”. The answer of the Prophet (PBUH) was: “I have not been sent as a curser; I have been sent as mercy upon humankind”. This is the real sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). This is the essential element: “we do not interrupt your religion, but we cannot allow for our religion to be interrupted either”. And perhaps from the first scriptures in history, describing religious understanding (I choose not to say tolerance here, it is not my preferred word), is this verse here from the Qur’an. Imagine this has been said 1400 years ago, and in XXI century today we are facing various genocides. In other words, this religious understanding is not present in the XXI century, neither is among Muslims. This perception of misunderstanding, by a theological point of view, we have never attained it, but 1400 years ago Allah Almighty, in the Qur’an, represents a moto, perhaps amid the first brief moto, but most meaningful of inter-religious understanding between people.
Thank you!
