RELIGION PROFESSED IN THE QURAN
What may be the deviations between the religious system actually practiced as Islam and the religion described in the Quran?
In the coming chapters we shall be dealing in detail with the Islam propounded in the Quran and the Islam in which traditions have a large share.
# ORIGINS OF ISLAM
# DOUBTERS OF THE SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF THE QURAN
# THE COMMAND IS FOR NONE BUT GOD
# THE QURAN CONTAINS ALL DETAILS
# GOD NEVER FORGETS
# NOTHING HAS BEEN OMITTED FROM THE BOOK
# ACTING ACCORDING TO THE QURAN IS ACTING ACCORDING TO THE PROPHET
# THE QURAN LEADS MAN FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
# SIMILAR CORRUPTIONS ALSO EXIST IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY
# THINGS NOT DISCLOSED IN THE QURAN ARE OUTSIDE THE SPHERE OF RELIGION
# THERE IS NO NEED FOR COMMENTARIES, HADITHS, BOOKS ON ISLAMIC ‘CATECHISM,’ ETC.
# THE PROPHET’S COMPLAINT
ORIGINS OF ISLAM
To find out the deviations in question, we must trace back to the origins of Islam. Having established the fact that the Quran is the only authority of Islam, we shall consult it whenever we are asked to provide answers to questions put to us. For instance, if somebody wants to know if the practice whereby some Muslim women veil themselves and avoid contact with men not related to them is dictated or not in the Quran, we shall have to look it up in the Quran, and having concluded after careful research that there is no such thing, we shall be in a position to safely state that the Quran has no such exhortation. In such a case, the traditionalists would refer to books on Islamic ‘catechism’ and to their sheikhs, and arrive at the conclusion that the segregating of women and men does figure in the Quran and is a binding duty. (For illustration of the way to understand Islam by sheer reference to the Quran, see Chapters 35, 37 and 38.)
Having examined these issues, we are faced with the question of whether the Quran is a sufficient source for the practice of Islam. The Quran is complete and self-sufficient. What is more, the fact that it is the only source of the Islamic religion is explicitly stated in it. For dissenters, the Quran needs to be supplemented by hadiths, the general concurrence and agreement in opinion and decision of legalists and analogy. In the present book, we shall try to prove that pronouncements other than those in the Quran are not reliable. If we can prove that even the hadiths cannot be an auxiliary source for the practice of the Islamic religion, the other sources enumerated above will necessarily lose their validity.
The Quran is not self-sufficient, according to traditionalists. Yet, the verses we have quoted in this section form conclusive evidence, proving that the Quran is indeed self-sufficient and that it is a book that clarifies everything, as it contains all the detailed information necessary. To state that the Quran is not self-sufficient and that there is need for supplementary sources is tantamount to acting against the dictates of the Quran. We shall not pass over the issue by mere reference to the verses quoted above, but demonstrate, from different perspectives, the error committed by those who insist on supplementary sources, and show the spuriousness of words attributed to the Prophet and their contradictory and irrational character.
DOUBTERS OF THE SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF THE QURAN
Those who think that the Quran is not self-sufficient will reason on the grounds that they belong to such and such a sect or order. The hadith scholars, the experts in the canon law of Islam and the commentators on the Quran, will contend that unless a person has made studies in their respective domains, Islam cannot be understood properly, and that the Quran is not accessible to the public at large. Was religion revealed then only for the few and not for all of humanity? Did the Prophet belong to a particular sect or order? What were the sects or orders of the Four Caliphs? Are there such sects as Hanafi, Shafi, Shii and Wahabi in the Quran? Does the Quran refer to itself when it uses the expression ‘the only guide’ or does it also mention Bukhari, Muslim and the Twelve Imams, the books on Islamic ‘catechism’ or the consensus of the wise men of a community? We must examine the verses of the Quran and try to find answers to these and see if the Quran is self-sufficient or not.
89 - And We have sent down to you the Book explaining all things, a guide, a mercy and glad tidings for those who submit.
16 The Honey Bees, 89
As one can clearly see from this verse, the Quran explains everything and is the only guide. If so, why refer to Bukhari or Muslim or to the books on Islamic ‘catechism’? Since we can plainly see in the Quran, why insist on appealing for the help of such sects as Hanbali, Shafi, Hanafi, Shii, Jaferi and Maliki? Considering that God styled us as ‘Muslims’ (submitters), must we use such designations as Sunni, Shii and Shafi considering that the attribute ‘Muslim’ falls short of the mark?
THE COMMAND IS FOR NONE BUT GOD
40 - The command is for none but God; He has commanded that you worship none but Him: that is the right religion, but most people do not know.
12 Joseph, 40
26 - …They have no guardian other than Him, nor does He share his command with anyone.
27 - Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. No one can change His words and no one will you find as a refuge than Him.
18 The Cave, 26 -27
The sharing of God’s command would be an act of heresy. Judgments based on the interpretations of sects, the consensus of the learned, and the analogies and hadiths do not come within the purview of God’s command. To equate them with religion means transferring the legislative power to persons other than God who can not share His command. Personal opinions of individuals cannot supersede religion, Sura The Cave, 27, is explicit about man’s only refuge, God. No one can change His words; and yet sects have dared to do so. God’s words, in which He has revealed His will, are in the Quran. There is no other source that can be said to belong to God. Given the fact that the command belongs only to God (Sura Joseph, 40), and the fact that He does not share His command with any person whatsoever, we have to accept the Quran as the unique source of the Islamic religion. If we espouse the view that the books that do not belong to God (like the hadiths or the books on ‘Islamic catechism’) may also be taken as a source of religion, we cannot avoid being accused of heresy. The authors of the books referred to as Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Davud or the sects like Hanafi, Shafi, Jafari should not be equated with God.
33 - Whose word is better than one who calls to God and works righteousness and says “I am one of the submitters”.
41 Elucidated, 33
115 - The Word of your Lord is complete in truth and in justice. No one can change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
6 The Cattle, 115
Islam, God’s religion, was completed during the lifetime of the Prophet. The Quran was written, learned by heart and became the source of the Islamic religion. Books that compiled the hadiths, the sayings of Muhammad, began to appear one or two hundred years after his death. While it was made explicit in the Quran that God’s Words could not be changed by anyone, for some reason or other, the carriers found the Quran not sufficient enough and began looking for new sources. According to this mentality, the ijtihads (canonical jurisprudence) of Imam Shafi, the fatwas of the Twelve Imams and the clarifications of the Hanafi Imams have completed the revelation. According to these personages, religion was not complete before their contributions. Moreover, the advocates of traditionalism not being content with this, dared to repeal the commentaries of the Quran, superseding them with hadiths and their own interpretations (see Chapters 25, 26) and violated the statement of the verse that said: “No one can change His Words.”
THE QURAN CONTAINS ALL DETAILS
114 - Say: “Shall I seek for judge other than God? When He it is Who sent unto you the Book, explained in detail.”
6 The Cattle, 114
The Quran makes no reference to other books, sheikhs, books on ‘Islamic catechism’ or explanations of the hadiths. It explicitly says that it has spoken in detail. Under the circumstances, if we cannot find in the Quran a particular prohibition, a detail or a prayer, it should follow that the alleged prohibition, the act or the prayer in question simply does not exist. For instance, the fact that there is no reference to the wearing of silk or to the eating of mussels or shrimp means that they are considered edible. One should look up in the Quran for a ban or a prohibition of a certain act and not for the execution of particular deeds. For example, the absence of a prohibition against the wearing of silk would be enough to deduce that it is permissible. There is no need for a special provision that would allow the wearing of silk. This mentality is inherent in the following verse:
101 - O you who believe, ask not about things which if made known to you would give you trouble; and if you ask about them when the Quran is being revealed, they will be made known to you. God has overlooked them and God is Forgiving, Forbearing.
5 The Feast, 101
To spare trouble for His creatures, God makes no mention of a great many things. Had He done so, the responsibilities on the shoulders of men would have increased. God repeatedly states that religious practices are easy to perform and that His intention is not to create difficulties for men. However, the inventors of the hadiths and the sectarians make every effort to create difficulties in the name of religion by their commentaries, as if God had forgotten to explain the points which they tackle. Whatever religion prohibits is evil, but religion does not have to state every act which should preferably be avoided. Responsibilities that religion commands must be performed. Thus, points left out from the text of the Quran must be interpreted as acts depending on our free discretion. All additions to it must immediately be eliminated.
GOD NEVER FORGETS
64 - And your Lord never forgets.
19 Mary, 64
God, our Lord, is omniscient; it follows that He knows what we need to know about religion. Points left to our discretion are meant to be a man’s elbowroom. Are those people who deem it necessary to supplement the Book, with the intention of interpolating new details in the text, consider themselves wiser than God, and believe to accomplish what God has, according to them, left incomplete? For example, while God has not described the clothes to be worn by the woman stating that she is to cover herself from a given part of her body to another part, how dare they do so in the name of the Almighty? Why have they tried to interpolate their opinions in the practice of Islam? Their rationale may be a topic of discussion, but clothing the woman in a particular uniform is but casting aspersion upon God and His religion (See Chapters 17, 18).
51 - It is not sufficient for them that We have revealed the Book to you which is read out to them.
29 The Spider, 51
Alas, the Quran seems to be not good enough for the traditionalists. The Word of the Quran does not satisfy those who dare rewrite the Quranic text by interpolating thousands of hadiths and viewpoints of the sectarian chiefs in the practice of religion. They are not satisfied, because the Quran does not veil the woman as the traditionalists seem to imagine, because it does not prohibit arts and sculpture and does not decree uniforms with turbans, robes with full sleeves and long skirts nor recommend men to grow a beard, thus promoting the customs of the Arabs. This is why many people prefer to become members of the Hanafi, Shafi, and Shii sects rather than being the Muslim as put forth in the Quran. For these prohibitions, which do not exist in the Quran, are incorporated in the creeds of these sects. Instead of learning what the Quran says, these people prefer to figure out a religion in their minds and look for it in the Quran, and when they fail to find it in it, they say the items are missing. Eventually, the Quran proves not to be sufficient for certain miscreants and religionists.
NOTHING HAS BEEN OMITTED FROM THE BOOK
38 - Nothing have We omitted from the Book.
6 The Cattle, 38
Considering that God states that nothing has been omitted from the Book, those who make use of the Book as a prayer recited for the souls of the departed and who are enchanted by its music are ignorant of its meaning. They try to supersede the Quran with books on ‘Islamic catechism,’ to replace the meaning of it by incantations, to substitute the dead for the living and to favor the Islam of the sectarians in total disregard of the Quran. They seem to be doomed to remain in the dark unless they begin to pay due attention to the meaning inherent in it and be more concerned with the living than the dead.
154 - What is the matter with you? How do you judge?
155 - Why do you not take heed?
156 – Do you have solid proof?
157 – Then bring your Book, if you are truthful.
37 Who Stand in a Row, 154-157
36 - What is the matter with you? How do you judge?
37 – Have you a book through which you learn?
38 – In it, do you find anything you want?
68 The Pen, 36-38
49 – You shall judge between them in accordance with God’s revelations to you.
5 The Feast, 49
These verses point to the fact that religious commands are from God. All other injunctions and admonitions are false, null and void in religious terms. If a given word or behavior attributed to the Prophet is brought forth as evidence for an act not mentioned in the Quran, the hadith in question is sure to be unfounded; or it may have been a personal opinion of the Prophet which is of no consequence in religious terms. It is explicitly stated in the Quran (Sura The Feast, 49) that the Prophet lived solely by the Quran, the Book that contains all the religious prescriptions. If we take the Quran as our only guidance, we are sure to be on the right path and have no need for any further authority. (We shall study the issue of obedience to God and His prophets in Chapter 27.)
69 - This is nothing but a reminder and a Quran making things evident (mübiyn).
36 Yasin, 69
The Arabic word mubin, comes from beyan (evident, clear). The same expression is encountered in such verses as 26 The Poets 2; 27 The Ant 1; 28 The History 2.. These statements that declare that the Quran is clear enough as an answer to those who contend that the Quran can be understood only by reference to the hadiths and the sayings of the imams of religious schools. In verse 79 of Sura The Ant, the Prophet is addressed with the following words: “So put your trust in God, you are following the evident truth.” It is the Quran that reveals the truth to the Prophet. Therefore, all that is attributed to the Prophet is valid so long as it is sanctioned by the Quran. The Quran, which is clear, is a sufficient source for us to understand both it and the Prophet.
ACTING ACCORDING TO THE QURAN IS ACTING ACCORDING TO THE PROPHET
45 - Say: “I do but warn you according to revelation.”
21 The Prophets, 45
19 - This Quran has been revealed to Me that I may warn you…
6 The Cattle, 19
15 – When Our clear signs are recited to them, those who do not hope to meet Us say “Bring a Quran other than this, or change it.” Say “It is not for me to change it of my will. I follow only what is revealed to me.”
10 Jonah, 15
We observe clearly that the revelation that the Quran contains the only source that the Prophet drew on, the Book denied by disbelievers who wanted to make alterations to it. The duty of the Prophet was to relate the Quran revealed unto him. Therefore, to follow the path of the Quran is to follow the path of the Prophet. The Prophet is referred to in the Quran more often than not with the attribute of ‘messenger.’ His mission was to carry on the messages he received from God to mankind. There is no reference to any other source or book. Had God deemed it necessary He would have referred us to other revelations and sources to believe in. Nevertheless, we observe today hundreds of volumes on hadiths and canonical jurisprudence claiming an authority tantamount to the authority of the Quran. While the authority of the Quran is absolute, being the only source of Islam, today it has come to be considered merely as one of the books on Islam. Its role has been reduced to an absolute minimum. The Quranic verses we have quoted above plainly reject this mentality that belittles the Quran and attributes invented sayings to Muhammad.
THE QURAN LEADS MAN FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
4 – You are on a straight path.
5 – A revelation from the Mighty, Merciful.
36 Yasin, 4-5
1 – This is a Book We have sent down to you that you may lead people out of darkness into the light, by their Lord’s will, to the path of the Mighty, the worthy of praise.
14 Abraham, 1
This Book (the Quran) leads mankind from darkness to light. The people who live by the Quran draw their power from verses like the ones quoted above. Where do they draw their power, those who act in accordance with Tirmizi, Muvatta, Bukhari and Muslim, claiming them to be sources of the established religion, daring thus to adulterate the exclusivity of the Quran? The Quran was written and learned by heart during the lifetime of the Prophet. It contains no contradictions or illogicalities. There was no other source committed to paper during the lifetime of Muhammad. Moreover, as we shall see in the forthcoming chapters when we deal with the hadiths and sectarian pronouncements, they contradict their own statements, let alone the Quran’s contents. What has become of the position of the Quran, the harbinger that surpasses human intelligence? Where do the outdated contrived hadiths and sects that caused men to dodge Islam stand now? (From Chapter 4 to Chapter 12 we shall deal with the self-contradictory statements claiming to supplement Islam and see whether they are tenable or not.)
SIMILAR CORRUPTIONS ALSO EXIST IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY
43 - And how do they make you a judge and they have the Torah wherein is God’s judgment?
5 The Feast, 43
47 – The people of the Gospel shall judge in accordance with God’s revelations therein. And those who do not judge in accordance with what God has revealed are transgressors.
5 The Feast, 47
Prior to Islam, God had also sent down books through His prophets, requesting them to live by them. The Jews had received the Torah that contained all the details they were supposed to know. Yet God’s Word failed to satisfy them. Their scrupulous attention to detail described in verses 67 and 71 of Sura Bakarah continued after the death of Moses. They produced the Mishnah and the Gamara. Islam then is not the only religion wherein false attributions have been made to smother the religion in details under the guise of hadiths and sunna, the code of behavior of the Prophet. According to the Quran, Christians took Christ for God and priests as their lords, and there came a time when they themselves lost faith in the priesthood they had fabricated. Parables in the Quran are meant to indicate certain truths. There are people who believe that they should not be mixed up with the Jews and the Christians. Yet, people who style themselves as ‘authorities’ are in no way sanctioned by the Quran. All their evidence consists of assumptions. Evidences are their very selves. They are ‘pluralists.’ Their argument is based on the fact that since great masses believe in traditions they cannot possibly err. While the majority of Christians literally take Jesus Christ as the ‘Son of God,’ there are also Christians who interpret this expression as a simile, believing that God cannot possibly beget children, and consequently, Christ could not be the Son of God, but a man who was among the chosen who enjoyed divine favor and was a prophet like all other prophets. How should we arbitrate between these ingenious arguments? Should one side with the minority or with the Catholic and Orthodox ecclesiastics who maintain that Jesus is the Son of God? Moreover, the number of those who claim him to be the Son of God is greater than the Muslim traditionalists. The contention of the Christian majority may be formulated with the following words: “Look how many men have acknowledged Christ as the Son of God. Our saints were holy men who had devoted themselves to preach the Gospel and act according to it. How can we say that they have been in error and you, in the minority who claim to be wiser than our saints, spiritual guides and priests, speak the truth?” Muslim traditionalists are in a similar position. The verses of the Quran clearly indicate that imitation of the majority would lead man to perdition. (See Chapter 11 for Caliph Omar’s burning the hadiths saying: “the Mishnah of my community”, Chapter 29 for issues related to the Christians and Jews; and Chapter 33 about those who side with pluralism.)
34 - We have sent down to you verses making things evident and examples from the past generations, and a warning for those who take heed for themselves.
24 The Light, 34
42 - …that those who died might die after an evidence and those who lived might live after an evidence.
4 The Spoils of War, 42
Evidences according to the Quran must be explicit. Practices, based on traditions, conventions, customs and usage, are not sanctioned; general approval, no matter how wide it is, is not compatible with the Quran. The Quran is evidence itself. Those who adopt the Quran as the source of Islam are on the straight path.
THINGS NOT DISCLOSED IN THE QURAN ARE OUTSIDE THE SPHERE OF RELIGION
89 – We have cited for the people in this Quran all kinds of examples, but most people insist upon disbelieving.
17 The Children of Israel, 89
65 - See how we explain the signs by various symbols that they may understand.
6 The Cattle, 65
52 – We have given them a Book that is fully detailed with knowledge, guidance and mercy for people who believe.
7 Purgatory, 52
1 - This is a Book with verses basic on fundamental of established meaning. Further explained in detail, from One Who is wise and well acquainted.
11 Hud, 1
We observe from the above quotations that the Quran’s statements are clear, explicit and detailed. Statements like ‘The Quran refers to other books; the details should be learned from other sources’ contradict the contents of the Quran. A declaration like ‘We don’t understand the Quran’ conflicts with the message of the Quran. Those who follow closely the injunctions and recommendations of the Quran shall understand it. A close examination of the verses will reveal that all necessary details are contained in it. For instance, a person in dire need, who cannot find food, may eat the flesh of a dead animal, or drink its blood, pork or the flesh of beasts slaughtered in the name of deities other than God. The things that a person should do when he is obliged to have his hair trimmed for reasons of health on his way to pilgrimage are prescribed in the Quran. The Quran also contains the nocturnal prayer prescribed only for the Prophet. The Quran also states that Abu Lahab would refuse to be converted, and the Romans who had lost a battle would, in the near future, gain a victory; events observable during the lifetime of the Prophet. These and many other such examples are evidences of the Quran’s references to details. The number of people in dire need obliged to eat food normally prohibited in the Quran, should certainly not be so considerable. A person who must trim his hair for health reasons on his way to pilgrimage must surely be an exception. Such rare instances are contained in the Quran, as we may observe. Marrying one’s mother or maternal aunt, as everybody knows, is an abomination, yet even such a detail is contained in the Quran. The Quran that mentions even the Sabbath prohibitions for the Jews would have certainly stated other bans had there been any. The Quran that prescribed measures for the man obliged to trim his hair on his way to pilgrimage would have certainly described the way a woman should veil herself had there been any such prescription. Had there been a ban on the consumption of mussels and shrimp, it would have been so stated. Considering that the night prayer was foreseen for the Prophet only, all other prayers ordained would have certainly been mentioned, had there been any to be performed.
How can one claim that the Book God sent does not include everything as far as religion is concerned. And yet, the number of those who think otherwise is considerable. Can one conceive God’s advising referring to any source other than His own Word? Can one imagine that what God has sent has holes that need to be filled up? Had there been such a need, God would have increased the number of volumes of His Book as it would have been declared not self-sufficient. Can one imagine that God has revealed only a part of Islam and left the second part to be discovered by interpreters? God’s vocabulary is surely rich enough for that. In brief, He has no need for commentaries and interpretations of sects.
27 - If all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean, with seven oceans behind it to add to its supply, yet would not the words of God be exhausted. He is Mighty, Wise.
31 Loqmaan, 27
THERE IS NO NEED FOR COMMENTARIES, HADITHS, BOOKS ON ISLAMIC ‘CATECHISM,’ ETC.
32 – Those who disbelieved said: “Why did the Quran not come to him all at once?” It was sent thus We may keep your heart resolute. So We enunciated it by steps and distinctly.
33 – There is not an example they advance to which We do not give you the truth and the best commentary (ahsena tafsir).
25 The Distinguisher, 32-33
The infidels have often been warned in the Quran; therefore, their protests are directed to the Quran. All interpretations and commentaries are included in the Quran. The only place where the Arabic word tafsir is mentioned is in the verse quoted above. God says that the best commentary of the Quran is the Quran itself. A considerable number of books entitled ‘Commentary (tafsir) on the Quran’ contain hadiths that are judged to be companions to it. While the Quran is the commentary, other commentaries are superfluous and cannot be taken as sources. Islam may be understood without reference to commentaries.
1 – Gracious
2 – Taught the Quran
55 Gracious, 1-2
17 – Surely its collection and recitation is Our responsibility.
18 – So, as We recite it, follow its reading.
19 – Then it is We who will explain it.
75 The Resurrection, 17-19
God has assumed the task of teaching and explaining the Quran. In other words, the Quran is self-explanatory. If in a given verse, an explanation has remained unclear; in another verse everything becomes clear. So the Quran has no need for hadiths, commentaries or canonical jurisprudence. There is no mention in the Quran about the need to refer to such books. The Quran states that it is God who will teach and explain everything in the best manner possible. As an instance of this we can refer our readers to Sura Prologue, 4, where it is said that God is the Master of the Day of Religion. Readers of the Quran who want to know what the ‘Day of Religion’ means may refer to the following verses to understand what it means: 15 Al Hijr 35; 26 The Poets 82; 37 Who Stand on Row 20; 38 Sad 78; 83 The Cheaters 11. Having read through them they come to the conclusion that it means the day when we shall be raised from the dead. As we observe from this, whatever we are after in the name of religion exists in the Quran. The Quran is self-explanatory.
THE PROPHET’S COMPLAINT
We must place the Quran in the center of Islam and be aware of the fact that abiding by the Quran means living up to the standards of the Prophet, and free our religion from falsehoods. The Prophet’s only complaint addressed to God was:
30 – The messenger will say: “O my Lord! My people have deserted this Quran.”
25 The Distinguisher, 30
Actually, this is the behavior of many disciples of the Prophet. The Quran is supposed to have a privileged place, it is holy; yet, it has become a book that people do not follow. It has turned out to be just one of the religious books. People learn their religion from books on Islamic ‘catechism.’ The Quran is recited today not to be understood but to be heard.
All the verses and clarifications we have tried to mention point to one thing: that the Quran is the only source of Islam. In the coming pages we shall refer to other supplementary evidences in proof of this. However, the verses we have already quoted are sufficient to prove that the Quran is the only source. We shall have the opportunity to display the despair resulting from basing beliefs on hadiths, sects, religious orders and traditions.
