Sorry to disappoint but no, I'm still not a muslim. But at this point I do feel that this should be inconsequential, at least with regards to what I wanna talk about now. It shouldn't matter what you are, it should matter what the book says, because when you're right, you're right, as the saying goes. As such, there's no reason why the Quran should an exception... I already wrote an article about my favorite, and I guess more personal verse, the intricacies of which I can't at this present time recall in great detail, though I fully remember the moment in my life that made me appreciate said verse in the first place, and I likewise remember the time in my life during which I wrote that brief article on what I perceived to be a beautiful sense of religious stoicism. And so today, because it is a similar day, and because this has been on my mind a lot lately, I figured I'd ponder a bit about my second favorite Quran verse, which would be the sixth and final verse of chapter 109 – The Disbelievers.
Some muslims memorize the entire Quran, and most muslims memorize portions of it. The shorter chapters are more commonly memorized as prayers, often recited daily. This particular chapter is memorized and recited as protection from polytheism, the most dire sin in all of islam. This makes sense not just due to the content of the verses themselves, but also due to the historical context in which they were first recited. When Muhammad, the prophet of islam, was beginning to achieve success in Mecca, he quickly found himself at odds with the quraysh, the polytheistic leaders of the city at the time, who came to him with an offer – they would adopt Muhammad's religion for a year, and he would adopt their religion for a year. As polytheists they would have no issue accepting Muhammad's religion, but the weird thing is Muhammad would have to accept their religion as well, which would be a grave sin. But in order to sweeten the deal, he was to be given vast wealth, a beautiful wife, and a strong taste of political power... So it's all very tempting, extremely so for most men. The struggle between the dunya and the akhirah only ends with our deaths. Muhammad, however, with these verses in mind, chose to remain steadfast in his faith. He would not compromise.
And yes, I think more than belief and disbelief, this chapter is very much so about compromise. You can't convince everyone to think as you do, to believe in what you believe in, and to act exactly how you act. Sometimes people's hearts just turn to stone, seemingly unchanging, and there's nothing you can do about it. But there's always something you can do about your own self – you can let it be known that you'll take no part in it... As explained by commentators, such as Ibn Kathir, this declaration would mark, in his own words, a complete disavowal from the deeds of the idolaters. It's not enough to remain with them whilst trying to maintain a pure heart with pure intentions, for the longer you stay with them, then the more their religion would taint your religion. At some point either the disbelievers would become more muslim, which might be unlikely, or the muslims would become more disbelieving, which might be likely. And after all, a strict monotheist can't accept an extra god without losing his entire religion, it defeats the purpose by definition. Thus, the deal was theologically advantageous only to the polytheists. I suppose that may sound silly but I think you'd be surprised how many such deals are struck or at least offered. People are often willing to let you keep everything, they might go so far as to even bribe you... as long as you give up your most prized possession... Regardless, relinquishing monotheism cannot be up for discussion in islam, hence the respectful but forceful nature of these verses.
[1] Say, “O disbelievers,
The first verse is simply a callout, addressing the disbelievers themselves. Historically speaking these would be the aforementioned quraysh. However, there is a decidedly universal nature to this naming, and as such the disbelievers can be anyone. All throughout time, indeed until the end of time, both muslims and non-muslims alike, and even people who don't consider themselves religious, are all faced with situations in which they must reply to an ideological opponent. You either side with them, or you find some kind of compromise, which isn't much more than a tug of war you could very well lose over time, or alternatively you proclaim your opposition. Obviously, in a clear effort to strike against the idea of compromise in all matters of worship, this chapter is decidedly a proclamation of opposition against the disbelievers and idolaters, terms that, at least in my understanding, are used somewhat interchangeably. If you disbelieve in Allah then you are a disbeliever according to the islamic perspective, and if on top of that you believe in other gods, then you are an idolater, which is even worse. But my further understanding of these verses is that at the end of the day everyone believes in something. They may not have a god, but they sure have a religion.
[2] I do not worship what you worship.
[3] Nor are you worshipers of what I worship.
Next up, the second and third verses are somewhat mirrors of each other, the former being a declaration of the muslim's faith, and the latter being a declaration that, whatever beliefs the disbeliever might have, they are categorically not the same as the muslim's beliefs. As such there can be no compromise, and for that reason these two statements are made in a very matter-of-fact kind of way. Stating the obvious will often reach your opponent's ears as an insult, but there simply should be no blurred lines between where you stand and where they stand. It is what it is.
[4] Nor will I be a worshiper of what you worship.
[5] Nor will you be worshipers of what I worship.
The fourth and fifth verses are once again mirrors of each other, but this time the speaker makes a proclamation of enduring faith in his own religion, as well as an enduring faith by the disbeliever in his own religion, as ironic as that may sound to some people. The compromise is thus held to be a fake, a trick, a faustian bargain in order to steer the muslim away from the straight path. Because if you compromise on matters of extreme importance then your opponent will never respect you or your religion at all, and thus you will eventually lose the tug of war. If you sell your soul, why shouldn't your body be on offer as well?... No, you should always hold firm, and never give yourself away.
[6] For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
And then we arrive at the sixth and final verse, one of my personal favorites and the object of this entire article. This verse marks a clear separation between the speaker and the disbelievers, and while the context is of course religious, and within that it is specifically islamic, I for one find that it also has an universal quality all across the board. At least I often find myself thinking of this verse when arguing with people, regardless of the subject matter, because when I reach the conclusion that the person will never believe as I do, I just wash my hands from the conversation and recite this verse in my head. My logic then becomes simply to let the person go his own way, whilst I go my own way. Because no matter how you slice it, two different and contradictory beliefs cannot hold together. Between the two, one will inevitably have to lose, to become more diluted, to weaken, until it is destroyed or it simply vanishes. You should always be suspicious whenever someone tells you that you can hold to your beliefs whilst also adopting some of their own. As far as I can tell it simply won't happen.
Now, as a slight linguistic point, the chapter frequently uses the word, or variations of the word “abd” meaning servant, slave or worshiper. This has clear religious connotations, although you can also interpret the word in more general terms, depending on how generous you are with your leeway. The final verse, however, uses the word “deen” meaning religion, although some translations opt for the more neutral “way” instead. So why am I mentioning this? Because while the overall context is inherently religious I think that this idea can also be applied universally. You don't need to be religious to worship something, and you don't need to be religious to follow your way, your path, or even, dare I say it, your god. With that line of thinking this idea very much applies to anything. Whenever two opposing beliefs clash one has to eventually win out, and if you think your opponent isn't respectful of your beliefs you might as well proclaim exactly that and go your own way. If the disbeliever, whatever his religion might be, doesn't seem too keen on listening, then leave him to his own devices. It's as if you come from two different worlds, you simply can't convince him, and he can't convince you, and the sun will rise tomorrow all the same.
However, this is not as tolerant as it might seem. It's not a case of you have your way and it's totally fine, and I have my way and it's totally fine. That would be total relativism, and though that's a plague that seems rather prevalent in people's thinking nowadays, it's not to be found within these verses, nor should it be found, in my humble opinion, anywhere else. I'd say that this chapter, and specifically this sixth verse, is more of an affirmation of faith, it's more about the strength to remain steadfast when those around you aren't. And conversely it's somewhat of a separation from your ideological opponents, at least as long as they aren't willing to change. Because if you have the truth, which you obviously believe you do otherwise you wouldn't defend it, then you hold on to it, knowing that any compromise, no matter how slight, would one day be the end of you. So this whole message creates a very interesting and very powerful stalemate – you let them do as they do, you resign yourself to their power because you may at times have to, but you never ever resign yourself to “their truth” because it doesn't really exist.
Comments
Post a Comment