nations tribes revised
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DEDICATION
Thisbookletisdedicatedtoallwhoseekunderstanding.
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1 heQuranonCulturalDifferences
4
2 OntheClashofCivilizations
9
3 Islm,Muslim,andDnintheQuran
14
4 heQuranicCriteriaforNobilityintheSightofGod
21
Conclusion 25
Bibliography 27
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1
Introduction Religionisoftenseenasamajorsourceofconflict
and tension in the world. Perhaps no religion is as
conspicuous in this regard as Islam. Islam’s popular
imageisincreasinglynegative,particularlyinEuropeand
North America. The Quran is often misconstrued and
sometimesevenreviledasabookthatpreacheshatred,
intolerance,and violence.Thisimpressionisinfluenced
innosmallpartbytheactionsofterroristswhoportray
themselves as Muslims acting in the name of Islam.
However,thetextisnottheexclusivepropertyofthose
individuals and groups,who are only a fraction of the
world's Muslims. It is a text with a nearly 1500 year
history of interpretation and implementation, which is
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readtodayasthesacredtextmoreofthanabillionofthe
world's people, from various cultures in both the East
andtheWest.Thisessayseekstopresentaliteraland
holistic reading of the Quran's discussion ofhumanity,
gender,intercultural,andinter-religiousrelations.
Byliteralandholistic, Imeana readingthat focuseson
the literalmeaningsof the Arabic text readwithin the
context of the Quran as an entire book, applying the
time-honoredinterpretiveprinciplesof al-alfil-kalmal-
aqqa(thefundamentalprincipleofspeechisliteralness)
and tafsr al-qur’nbil-qur’n (explaining the Quranwith
the Quran). Such a reading demonstrates that rather
than being a wellspring of intolerance andhatred, the
Quran invites humanity to inter-religious and
intercultural understanding and cooperation in striving
toachievesocialjusticeforhumanity.Theexamination
ofwhattheQuranhas tosayonthese important issues
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Chapter1:
TheQuranonCulturalDifferences
The versethat laysthe foundationfor the present
discussionischapter49(Sratal-ujurt),verse13:
yayyuhal-nsuinnkhalaqnkummindhakarin
wa unth wa jaalnkum shuban wa qab’ila li-
tarafinnaakramakumindaallhiatqkuminna
allhaalmunkhabr
Whichmeans:
Opeople!Indeed,wehavecreatedyoufroma
maleandafemale,andhavemadeyounations
and tribes that you may get to know one
another.Indeed,themostnobleofyou,in the
sight of God, are those with the most taqwa.
Indeed, God is Knower, Aware. (Srat al-
ujurt,verse13)
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We will leave the idea of taqwa untranslated for the
momentandreturntoitshortly.First,itisimportantto
pointoutthatthisverse,whichisaddressedtohumanity
ingeneral,ratherthantoMuslims,orbelievers,informs
us that gender and national and tribal differences are
divinelyordained,sothatpeoplemay get toknowone
another. A key term used in this verse is taraf,
translatedhereas“gettoknowoneanother.”Theverb
tarafisinthesixthforminArabic,whichcarriesthe
meaning of activity that is reciprocal and ongoing. 2
Therefore,thisversedoesnotsimplyrefertopeopleof
some groups learning about others, but various groups
areactivelyengagedinrelationshipsthatarecontinuing
and mutual, in which they are learning about one
another.
TheQuranalsoaddressesvariousmanifestationsof
nationalandethnicdifferences.Inchapter30(Sratal-
2 W. Wright, A Grammar of the Arabic Language vol. 1 (Beirut:LibrairieduLiban,1996)39B
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Rm)verse22,theQurandeclares: waminytihikhalq
ul-samwtiwaal-ariwaakhtilfalsinatikumwaalwnikum
innafdhlikala-ytinlillimn
Whichmeans:
AmongHissignsisthecreationoftheheavens
and the earth and the variations in your
languages and colors. Certainly, in that are
signsfortheworlds.(Sratal-Rm,verse22)
Inchapter7(Sratal-Arf)verse26:
ybandamqadanzalnalaykumlibsanyuwr
saw'tikum wa rshan wa libsu al-taqw dhlika
khayrun dhlika min 'yti allhi laallahum
yadhdhakkarna
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Whichmeans:
OhchildrenofAdam,Wehavesentdowntoyou
garments to cover your nakedness, and as a
means of adornment, but the best garment is
thegarmentof taqwa.Thisisamongthesigns
ofGod,sothatperhapsyoumayreflect.(Srat
al-Arf,verse26)
It is clear from these verses that variations color,
language,andevenclothingstylesaredivinelyordained.
TheQuranalsomakesitclearthatsuchvariationsshould
notbeasourceofdiscriminationorderisioninverse11
ofChapter49(Sratal-ujurt).
yayyuhalladhnamanlyaskharqawmunmin
qawmin as an yakn khayran minhum wa l
nis'un min nis'in as an yakunna khayran
minhunnawaltalmizanfusakumwaltanbaz
bil-alqb…
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Whichmeans:
Oyouwhoacknowledge,onepeopleshouldnot
deride another, for it may be that they are
better than them; nor should some women
derideothers,foritmaybethattheyarebetter
than them; and do not insult each other or
ridiculeeachotherwithnicknames….(Sratal-
ujurt,verse11)
So,accordingtotheQuran,thedifferencesinlanguages
and colors, and even modes of dress are signs of God,
whichtheQurancomparestothecreationoftheheavens
andtheearth;moreover,thesedifferencesshouldnotbe
sourcesofrivalryordiscrimination.Onthecontrary,the
verb taraf in 49:13 indicates that people should
recognizeandappreciatesuchGod-givendifferences.
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Chapter2:
OntheClashofCivilizations
A distinction that is sometimes popularly used to
argue for an inevitable class of civilizations is the
dichotomyofEastandWest.Thisissueisalsoaddressed
intheQuran,inchapter2(Sratal-Baqara)verse115: wa
li-llahi al-mashriqu wa al-maghribu fa-aynam tuwall fa-
thamma wajhu allhi inna allha wsiun alm. [To God
belongstheEastandtheWest,thuswhereveryouturn,
there is the face of God. Certainly God is all-
encompassing,all-knowing](Sratal-Baqara,verse115).
FarfromenvisioningaclashbetweenEastandWest,the
QuranthusmakesitclearthatGodisfoundwhereveryou
turn, East or West. Both are equally encompassed by
God.
In addition to an East/West dichotomy, religious
differencesarealsoallegedaspartofaninevitableclash
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of civilizations. Here is how the Quran addresses
differences in religious affiliation: chapter 5 (Srat al-
M’ida)verse69:
innaal-ladhna man waal-ladhna hd wa al-
bi'na wa al-nar man mana bil-lhi wa al-
yawm il-khiri wa amila lian fa-l khawfun
alayhimwalhumyazann
Whichmeans:
Certainly, those who believe, those who are
Jewish, the Sabians, and the Christians,
whoever acknowledges God and the Last Day
and does good,will have nothing to fear,nor
willtheygrieve.(Sratal-M’ida,verse69)
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SomeMuslims arguethat Quran5:69was abrogated by
Quran3:85.3 “wamanyabtaghighayral-islmidnanfa-lan
yuqbala minhu wa huwa fil-khirati min al-khsirn”
[Whoeverseeksareligionotherthan al-islmitwillnot
be accepted from him, and on the Last Day,he will be
amongthelosers.]However,theideaofabrogationhere
is also problematic. First, because as John Burton and
Abu Yousuf al-Corentini have demonstrated, there a
number of serious issues related to the question of
abrogationitself,nottheleastofwhichisthattherehas
never been agreement among Muslim scholars on the
existence of abrogation within the Quran, let alone on
theissueofspecificversesareabrogatingandwhichare
abrogated.4Moreover,forthosescholarswhoacceptthe
existence ofabrogationwithin the text of the Quran, a
3M.T.al-HilaliandM.M.Khan, InterpretationoftheMeaningsoftheNobleQur’an(Riyadh:MaktabaDar-us-Salam,1996),p.165n.
14 John Burton, The Sources of Islamic Law: Islamic Theories of
Abrogation.Edinburgh:EdinburghUniversityPress,1990;AbuYousuf al-Corentine, “The Concept of Abrogation in theQur’an.” Journal of Religion and Culture (10) 1996, ConcordiaUniversity:63-76.
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key criterion is the chronological order of revelation:
earlierversesareabrogatedbylaterverses.5According
to both Muslim and non-Muslim chronologies of the
Quran, chapter 5was revealedafter chapter 3.6Sothe
claimthat3:85abrogates5:69isproblematic.Yetthere
seemsto bea conflictbetween the notion expressed in
5:69andthatexpressedin3:85.
Applying the exegetical principle of tafsr al-Quran
bil-Quran(explainingtheQuranwiththeQuran)andthe
jurisprudential principle al-al fil-kalm al-aqqa (the
fundamental rule of speech is literalness) shows that
thereis, inreality,noconflictbetweenQuran 3:85,and
5:69. Indeed, applying thesetwo principles reveals the
harmony that exists between these verses. The issue
5Burton,20.6 Richard Bell and W. Montgomery Watt, Introduction to theQuran. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1977, 207.Ahmed von Denffer, Ulm al-Qur’an: An Introduction to theSciences of the Qur’an. Leicestershire, UK: The IslamicFoundation,2000,87.
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hinges on the Quranic usage of the terms islm (lit.
"submission"or"surrender")anddn(usuallytranslated
as"religion").
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Chapter3:
Islm,Muslim,andDnintheQuran
Solomon,Abraham,Moses,andJesus,togetherwith
thosewho followed them aredefined asmuslim in the
Quran.7TheQuranalsoordersMuammadtodeclare:m
kuntu bidan min al-rusul (I am nothing new among the
messengers).8Additionally,theQuranasserts:myuqlu
lakaillmqadqlalil-rusulminqablika(nothingissaidto
you that has not already been said to the messengers
beforeyou).9 TheQuranalsoconnects"thosewhohave
beengiventhebook"(al-ladhna'tal-kitb)with"right
religion"(dnal-qayyima)inChapter98(Suratal-Bayyina):
wamtafarraqaal-ladhna'tal-kitbillminbad
m j'athum al-bayyinahu wa m umir 'ill
liyabud allh mukhlin lahu al-dn unaf' wa
7Qur’an2:128-133;3:52;10:84;27:44;38:348Qur’an46:9 9Qur’an41:43
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yuqm al-şalŧ wa yuut al-zakŧ wa dhalika dn
al-qayyimahi
Whichmeans:
Those who have been given the book did not
becomedividedexceptafterclearevidencehad
cometothem.Theywereonlycommandedto
serveGod,beingsinceretoHiminreligion,and
toestablishprayer,andgivealms--thatisright
religion.(Suratal-Bayyina,verses:4-5)
Chapter 3 (Surat Āl Imrn) verses 113-4 offer further
elucidation:
layssaw'anminahlal-kitbummatunq'imatun
yatlna yt allh n' al-layl wa hum yasjudn
yu'uminna bi-llhi wa al-yawm il-khir wa
ya'murnabil-marf wa yanhawna`anal-munkar
wayusrinafal-khayrtwa'l'ikaminal-lin
Whichmeans:
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They are not the same. Amongthe people of
thebookthereisanuprightcommunity.They
recite the signsof God during the nightwhile
prostrating.
They believe in God and the Last Day. They
enjoin good conduct and forbid wrongdoing,
andtheyhastentodogoodworks.Theseare
amongtherighteous.(SuratĀlImrn113-114)
"The book" that previous communities received is
alsoclearlyidentifiedintheQuran.Inchapter5,thereis
anextendeddiscussionofGod’sscripture,inverses44-
48.Verse44,tellsusthatGodsentdowntheTorah(inn
anzaln al-tawrħ fh hudan wa nr [Certainly, we sent
down the Torah, inwhich there is guidanceand light]
(Sratal-M’ida,verse44).Inverse45,itsaysofJesus
(ataynhu al-injl fhi hudan wa nr) [We gave him the
Gospel, inwhichthere isguidance and light] (Srat al-
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M’ida,verse45).Thosewhoreceivedthescriptureare
notcommandedtoabandonwhattheyreceivedinfavor
oftheQuran;rather,theyareurgedtoruleaccordingto
whatGodhassentdowninit( yakumbi-manzalaallah)
inverses44and47.Verse48declaresthattheQuranhas
beensentdown,nottoreplacepreviousscripture,butas
aconfirmationandvalidationofit: waanzalnilaykaal-
kitba bil-aqqi muaddiqan li-m bayna yadayhi mina al-
kitbi wa muhayminan alayhi [ We have sent down the
scripture to you in truth, as a confirmation and
validationofwhatcamebeforeit](Sratal-Ma’ida,verse
48).
TheQurandirectsJews,Christians,andMuslims
tofollowtheguidancethatGodhassentdowntothem
andpromisesthatthosewhodosowillhavenothingto
fear,norwilltheygrieve.AfterdeclaringthatGodhas
sentdowntheTorahandtheGospelcontainingguidance
and that the Quran confirms and validates them and
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urging people to follow what God has sent down, the
Qurangoesontosay:
li-kullinjaalnminkumshiratanwaminhjanwalaw
sh'aallhla-jaalakumummatanwidatanwalkin
li-yabluwakum f m tkum fa-astabiq al-khayrt
ilallhimarjiukumjamanfa-yunabbi'ukum bi-m
kuntumfhitakhtalifn
Whichmeans:
For each among youwe have ordained a law
andawayofdoingthings.IfGodhadwilled,He
wouldhavemadeyouasinglecommunity.But
he wishes to test youwith thatwhichhe has
given you. So compete with one another in
good things. It is to God that all of youwill
return, and then He will inform you of that
aboutwhichyouusedtodiffer.
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amalan [so that he may test which of you is best in
action](Sratal-Mulkverse2}.
So,thetestisaboutwhoisbestinaction,notwhois
thebestgender,or amemberofthebestnation,or the
best ethnic group, or the best religious denomination;
notwhohasthebestcolor,orthebestlanguage,butwho
is the best in action. Gender, ethnic and national
background, language, color, geographic region, and
religion are all-to-often used by both individuals and
nationsassourcesofconflictandreasonstodiscriminate
againsteachother.However,fromaQuranicperspective,
itisnotsuchdifferencesthatdetermineournobilityin
thesightofGod.
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Chapter4:TheQuranicCriteriaforNobilityin
theSightofGod
Now,let’sreturntothequalitythataccordingtothe
Quran,doesdeterminewhoismostnobleinthesightof
God:taqwa. Theconceptof taqwaisvariouslytranslated
as “piety,” “righteousness,” “good conduct,” “fear of
God,”or“God-consciousness,”anditcarriesallofthese
meanings.Taqwareferstoasenseofawarenessofone’s
actions and concern for the consequences of those
actions. As indicated in chapter 67, verse 2, God tests
humanitytodeterminewhoisbestinaction.So,what
aretheactionsthatdemonstrateourtaqwa?TheQuran
clarifies this and describes those who have taqwa in
chapter2(Sratal-Baqara)verse177:
laysa al-birra an tuwall wujhakum qibal al-
mashriqi wa al-maghrib wa lkinna al-birra man
mana billhi wa al-yawm il-khiri wa al-mal'ikati
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waal-kitbiwaal-nabynawatal-mlalubbihi
dhaw al-qurb wa al-yatm wa al-maskna wa
abnaal-sabliwaal-s'ilnawafil-riqbiwaaqmaal-
altawatal-zaktwaal-mfnabi ahdihimidh
hadwaal-birnafil-ba's'iwaal-arr'iwan
al-ba'sil'ikaal-ladhnaşadaqwal'ikahumul-
muttaqn
Whichmeans:
Righteousness isnot turningyour facesin the
directoftheEastortheWest,buttherighteous
are whoever acknowledges God and the Last
Day,theangels,thebook,andtheprophets,and
spends wealth out of his love for relatives,
orphans,thepoor,thewayfarer,thosewhoask,
andforthoseinbondage.Theyestablishprayer
and pay alms; honoring the covenants they
have made, persevering in adversity and bad
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times,thesearethetrustworthy,andtheseare
the ones who have taqwa. (Surat al-Baqara,
verse177emphasisadded).
It is clear from the Quran that it is peoples’ behavior,
theiractions,especiallytowardotherhumanbeingsthat
determinewhoismostnobleinthesightofGod.Itisnot
gender,nation,tribe,language,color,geographicregion,
orevenparticular religious denomination orsect. It is
actions that demonstrate taqwa, or awareness, actions
such as spending wealth to improve the conditions of
thosewho are weak and in need, honoring covenants,
andperseveringinadversity.
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Conclusion
TheQuranindicatesthatdifferencesingender,ethnicity,
nationality, language, color, and religion areGod-given
andamongthewondersofcreation,anditcallsonpeople
to recognize and appreciate each other. It informs
humanity that God encompass both the East and the
West,sothatwherevertheyturn,theywillfindtheface
ofGod.Italsotellspeoplethattheyfaceanimportant
test.Thetestofwhoisbestinaction.Inkeepingwithits
self-declarednatureasabookofguidance,theQuranalso
tellspeoplehowtheycanpassthattest.Inspiteofthe
Quran’snotorietyinpopularconsciousness,itseemsfew
people are aware of the clear teachings of the Quran
outline here. Yet they are obvious from a literal and
holisticreadingofthetext.Inconclusion,itisfittingto
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returntochapter5,verse48,whichsumsuptheQuran’s
advicetothevariouscommunities:
li-kullin jaaln minkum shiratan wa minhjan wa
lawsh'aallhla-jaalakumummatanwidatanwa
lkin li-yabluwakum f m tkum fa-astabiq al-
khayrt
Whichmeans:
For each among youwe have ordained a law
andawayofdoingthings.IfGodhadwilled,He
wouldhavemadeyouasinglecommunity.But
he wishes to test youwith thatwhichhe has
given you. So compete with one another in
goodthings….
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Bibliography
Bell,RichardandW.MontgomeryWatt,Introductiontothe
Quran. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,
1977.
Burton,John.TheSourcesofIslamicLaw:IslamicTheoriesof
Abrogation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University
Press,1990.
al-Corentine,AbuYousuf.“TheConceptofAbrogationin
the Quran.” Journal of Religion and Culture (10)
1996,ConcordiaUniversity:63-76.
Denffer,Ahmedvon.Ulmal-Quran:AnIntroductiontothe
Sciences of the Quran. Leicestershire, UK: The
IslamicFoundation,2000
al-Hilali, M.T. and M.M. Khan, Interpretation of the
Meanings of the Noble Quran. (Riyadh: Maktaba
Dar-us-Salam,1996.
Wright, W. A Grammar of the Arabic Language vol. 1-2
Beirut:LibrairieduLiban,1996.
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