Verse 105 of Surah Al-Baqarah from the Holy Qur'an, by elucidating social and religious relations in early Islam, sheds light on the nature of human beliefs and behaviours. This verse, by referring to the reluctance of religious disbelievers, including the People of the Book and polytheists, towards the divine blessings bestowed upon the believers, analyses the roots of enmity, prejudice, and behaviours contrary to pure faith. This treatise, by synthesising the content of the lecture and scientific analyses, undertakes a meticulous examination of this verse within an academic framework, employing a refined language befitting erudite doctoral and specialist audiences. The structure of the text, with systematic sectioning and the utilisation of literary metaphors, is designed to remain faithful to the original content while enhancing its scholarly and literary richness.
Translation: Neither those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book nor the polytheists wish that any good should be sent down to you from your Lord. And Allah singles out with His mercy whom He wills, and Allah is the Owner of great bounty.
This verse, by pointing to the jealousy and animosity of religiously disbelieving groups towards the descent of divine blessings upon the believers, provides a framework for analysing social and religious behaviours in the society of early Islam. The categorisation of humans into distinct groups is the central theme of this verse.
Key point: In Qur'anic logic, humans are divided into two categories: l bi-shar (unconditional) and bi-shar shay (conditional upon specific attributes). The unconditional category includes the free disbelievers and the 'Njiyah liyah' sect, while the conditional category includes Jews, Christians, polytheists, and faith-tainted Muslims.
This categorisation, rooted in Islamic and Qur'anic logic, analyses human behaviour based on religious or non-religious beliefs and prejudices. The l bi-shar humans are free from prejudices and enmities, whereas the bi-shar shay humans are entangled in prejudices and biases. This framework, consistent with sociological studies on religious diversity in the Arabian Peninsula, aids in a deeper understanding of social relations in early Islam.
The free disbelievers constitute a group of l bi-shar humans who do not believe in the unseen or the Lord but bear no hostility or enmity towards creation. This group, due to their fairness and harmlessness, remain distant from religious and anti-religious prejudices. Just as a cool breeze soothes a scorching desert, these individuals represent peace and impartiality in a polluted social environment. This characteristic aligns with the verse, To you your religion, and to me mine (Al-Kfirn: 6), which emphasises freedom of belief and non-confrontation with others.
The Njiyah liyah sect, comprising the Prophets, Divine Saints, and the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), forms another group of l bi-shar humans. This group, like stars in the sky of faith, are free from envy, hypocrisy, and prejudice. Their conduct, akin to a crystal-clear spring, is solely for God and in pursuit of truth. The conduct of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) towards Ibn Muljam, his assassin, is a prominent example of such purity, wherein magnanimity and forgiveness were chosen even in the face of enmity.
The conditional groups include Jews, Christians, polytheists, and faith-tainted Muslims, who, due to religious and non-religious prejudices, are ensnared by animosity and hostility. These groups, like a tree rooted in polluted soil, have distanced themselves from authentic faith. Jews and Christians resist the truth out of jealousy over the blessings bestowed upon Muslims, and the polytheists resist due to their shirk (associating partners with God) and prejudice. Faith-tainted Muslims, who intermingle faith with bias and hatred, are no exception to this rule.
Verse 105 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by categorising humans into l bi-shar and bi-shar shay, analyses social and religious behaviours. The free disbelievers and the Njiyah liyah sect, due to their purity and harmlessness, stand in contrast to the conditional groups, who are captive to prejudices. This analysis invites reflection upon our behaviours and movement towards pure faith.
Key point: Secularism, originally meaning freedom from religious constraints, has, due to social pollution in the contemporary world, been tainted by anti-religious and immoral prejudices, thus transforming from an unconditional state to a conditional one.
Secularism, which was meant to soar like a free bird liberated from prejudices, has fallen into the trap of anti-religious and immoral prejudices due to social contamination. This transformation indicates the impact of environment on concepts, such that every termfrom religion to human rightsbecomes polluted within this context. This perspective aligns with sociological studies on the evolution of modern concepts.
The social environment, akin to air contaminated with smoke and dust, estranges every concept from its original purity. Religion, which should be like a celestial springclear and pureand human rights, which should stand as banners of justice, are in this environment reduced to tools of personal interests and prejudices. This pollution results from a lack of chastity, sincerity, and ethics, engulfing every concept within itself.
Criminals, like wolves in sheeps clothing, exploit lofty concepts such as religion, secularism, and human rights to advance their interests. This misuse, rooted in their power and influence, remains unaccountable and tarnishes the image of these concepts. History abounds with instances where crimes were perpetrated under the cover of religion or freedom.
The polluted social atmosphere estranges concepts such as secularism, religion, and human rights from their purity and converts them into tools of prejudice and crime. This section underscores the necessity to return to purity and cleanse concepts from social pollution.
Key point: The Njiyah sect, including both the liyah (high) and Dniyah (low) levels, exemplifies pure faith through sincere belief and absence of enmity, hypocrisy, and prejudice. This group shines like a light in darkness compared to the conditional groups.
The Njiyah sect is like a garden filled with fragrant flowers, free from enmity and prejudice. This group, comprising Prophets, Saints, and righteous believers, is freed from any personal motive by following the divine path. The verse, Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection (Maryam: 96), emphasises their love and sincerity.
The Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), like a sun shining equally upon all, harboured no enmity towards creation. The conduct of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) towards Ibn Muljam, displaying magnanimity even towards his assassin, is an unparalleled example of pure faith. This conduct demonstrates that true faith manifests in forgiveness and love even towards adversaries.
True altruism, like a river watering all it passes, transcends ordinary notions. Forgiving the murderer, entrusting ones wealth and even relatives to him, are examples of such altruism observed in the conduct of Gods saints, such as Muhyiddin Arabi and Rumi. This behaviour draws one closer to the Njiyah sect.
Our daily behaviours, such as severing ties with neighbours or relatives due to disagreements, are like thorns in the foot of faith. These behaviours result from internal enmities and prejudices, distancing us from the Njiyah sect. The verse, And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together (Al-Imran: 103), stresses the necessity of unity and avoidance of enmity.
The Njiyah sect, with its purity and altruism, provides a model for pure faith. The conduct of the Infallible Imams and past scholars such as Muhyiddin and Rumi manifest the peak of this sincerity. Critiquing everyday behaviours invites reflection on our distance from these ideals.
Key point: Intuitive or conscious-based reasoning in religious science, without the support of valid evidence, is inadequate and necessitates logical argumentation.
In religious sciences, intuitive reasoning is like a breeze without roots in firm soil, lacking sufficient credibility. This critique emphasises the necessity for logical and documented reasoning, consistent with the principles of Usl al-Fiqh regarding sources of deduction.
Knowledge devoid of action, like a fruitless tree, leads not to spiritual elevation but to hardness of heart and enmity. The verse, Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves? (Al-Baqarah: 44), stresses the harmony of speech and deed. The story of a seminary student cursing during a midnight phone call exemplifies this disharmony.
Self-development, like washing a soiled garment, requires purging the heart of enmity, envy, and prejudice. This process, through continual practice and utilisation of spiritual tools, leads one to tranquility and pure faith. The verse, And We removed whatever was in their breasts of resentment (Al-Arf: 43),
