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Islam
has always been defined as a religion of peace. At least, that is what most
dictionaries state. But this definition has become a bone of great contention
owing to the violent crimes of unprecedented magnitude associated with Islamic
extremists, who don’t hesitate to cite the Qur’an as their source of
inspiration for their despicable acts. And a majority of us take their word
hook, line and sinker and thus don’t hesitate to shout down the holy religion
of Islam. But just what does the Qur’an offer to its believers? Is it truly a
religion of peace or it’s a religion that thrives on sadism?
Islamic view of disease
In
the beginning of chapter 80 (Surah Abasa), the prophet ‘frowns and turns away’ when a blind
man comes to him and in the process interrupts the prophet. This frowning and
turning away could be the prophets’ way of telling the blind man not to
interrupt. In no way should this be misconstrued to mean a lack of love for the
blind man by the prophet as most people will react in a similar fashion when
rudely interrupted. However, the blind man is considered impure but the good
news is that there is hope for his healing and redemption by the Almighty
Allah.
At
this juncture it becomes very important to decode a hidden message in the
prophet’s treatment of the blind man. What is truly evident is the fact that in
Islam, any form of disability is taken to mean that the sufferer is
unclean—which is true in several other religions. In a nutshell, you must have
wronged God to be inflicted with disability. Reading keenly through Surah
Abasa, there appears to be an effort, though somehow cleverly suppressed, to
blame the blind man for his condition. And there is certainly a limited chance
of purification or healing, as evidenced by the degree of pessimism exuded by
the prophet Mohammed because apparently, it is for Allah to decide whether to
heal the blind man or not.
The question of faith
This
brings us to the bedrock of any religion—faith. It’s common knowledge that all
religions are anchored on some kind of believability. And this is where the
aspect of faith quickly comes into play. Without faith, there can never be a
religion and this is an indisputable fact. It becomes interesting to note the
prophet’s much faith concerning the possibility of the blind man being pardoned
for his uncleanliness and consequently healed. This raises the joyous fact that
the prophet is merciful just like the Almighty Allah. His much faith is
exemplary and a challenge to every Muslim, owing to his position in the faith
and the Qur’an.
Literary style
Surah
Abasa is also notable for its use of paradoxical statements. For instance, the
prophet Mohammed is said to give attention to “. . . he who thinks himself
without need.” Furthermore, the prophet
is said to be distracted from anyone who comes to him striving for knowledge
while fearing Allah. This is mind-boggling and thus barely makes any sense. But
like with any other literary piece of work, the paradox presented in Surah
Abasa of the Qur’an calls for a keen reading in order to realize a deeper
understanding of the hidden meaning in the text. There is a potential risk of
misinterpretation.
The
beautiful poetic touch to Surah Abasa cannot go unmentioned. The entire chapter
is written in short sentences that carry weighty punch lines with hidden
meanings. Take for instance the following lines that appear in quick succession
from verses 33-37: ‘But when there comes the deafening blast/ On the day a man
will flee from his brother/ And his mother and his father/ And his wife and his
children/ For every man, that day, will be a matter adequate for him.’ This
makes for an interesting and quick reading.
The fate of man
The
Surah Abasa resonates with the message that the fate of man was long decided
before his creation. The same can be said of several other religions out there.
This chapter offers an interesting analysis of the origin of man as it
acknowledges the sperm as the beginning of life. This boldness is outstanding
for a religious book considered holy. But soon controversy erupts when it is
stated that the creator causes the death of man and “. . . provides a grave for
him.” This is unlike the benevolent character a majority of people have of
their creator and begs the tricky question: why create something then kill it?
Is this not wickedness? But on further retrospect, the message becomes
clear—Almighty Allah doesn’t condone sin; he therefore isn’t a liar for what is
written is surely what happens to man.
Through
chapter 80 of the Qur’an, it becomes clear that like many other religions,
Islam also believes in an afterlife. This is evidenced in verse 22 where it
states that ‘then when he wills, He will resurrect him.’ An interesting point
of concern soon shows up in the same verse 22. Note the use of ‘wills’. It is indisputable
that the fate of a Muslim is subject to the will of his creator. It doesn’t
matter what you did in your life; the creator could pardon or condemn you
anyway. This is a sharp departure from a majority of faiths where one’s deeds
in life decide their fate in the afterlife.
The
shortcomings of man are laid bare in the Surah Abasa. Man is presented as a
weak creation who doesn’t accomplish what his creator commanded him. Again, man
is presented as disbelieving and is consequently cursed. The creator is
nevertheless merciful for he eases the way for man, his weak creation, before
causing his death and providing him with a grave.
Unlike
what some people think, Islam is not all about doom and gloom. For instance, in
Surah Abasa of the Qur’an, man is highly encouraged to enjoy the pleasures of
eating a wide range of food that grows on the soil of the earth for there will
come a time when he won’t find any joy in eating. Grazing animals are equally
encouraged to join in the feast. We can take this to be the Islamic meaning of
life—enjoying simple pleasures such as different kinds of food.
The
Surah Abasa talks of a ‘deafening blast’ and great terror that will visit man
in its wake. This is certainly Armageddon and serves to tell us that in Islam,
there is also a day of great reckoning and judgment just like in some other
faiths. On this day, the Qur’an through its chapter 80 describes how family
ties will mean nothing as it will be every man for himself. The jubilation of
believers and the doom of sinners are well put into context through a vivid
description of their facial expressions in verses 38-42: ‘some faces that day
will be bright—laughing, rejoicing at good news. And other faces, that day,
will have upon them dust. Blackness will cover them. Those are the
disbelievers, the wicked ones.’
Other scholars’
commentaries on the Qur'an
In
note 4 (Qur’an ref: 26:4), Islamic scholar Muhammad Asad comes out strongly in
stating that even though man’s faith is the product of a free will and not
compulsion, a “message from the skies” can as well take away the freedom that
comes with the free will granted to man by his creator. This suggests the
element of force being used as a tool of conversion of any unbeliever to Islam.
But a lot of care should be exercised here not to misinterpret the ‘taking away
of the free will’. One should be extremely careful to note that it is only ‘a
message from the skies’ that can take away the so called free will of man. This
means that it is only Allah who can force the conversion of non believers and
no one else. The forcing is for the benefit of the non believer since Allah
doesn’t want anyone to perish.
Abu’l
Ala Mawdudi, another celebrated Muslim scholar, in his analysis of Surah Abasa
supports prophet Mohammed’s treatment of the poor blind man with contempt for
interrupting his conversation with the ‘big chiefs’, for which Allah expressed
displeasure. But it should not be lost that the prophet was also human and
prone to some human weakness like anger. In his glowing tribute to the prophet’s
actions, Abu’l Ala Mawdudi argues that ‘. . . when a
caller to Truth embarks on his mission of conveying his message to the people,
he naturally wants the most influential people of society to accept his message
so that his task becomes easy, for even if his invitation spreads among the
poor and weak people, it cannot make much difference.’
To
be honest, the difference between Abu’l Ala Mawdudi and Muhammad Asad’s
interpretation of the Qur’an is quite significant. Asad posits that force can
be used as a tool of conversion of non believers to Islam. But this privilege
is only Allah’s. On the contrary though, Mawdudi argues from a coercion point
of view. He believes in talking a non believer into accepting out of their own
free will the Islamic faith. The sharp contrast between these two scholars interpretation
of the Qur’an is certainly a product of personal opinion and religious
conviction. Muhammad Asad comes out as somehow more radicalized than Mawdudi.
Conclusion
Chapter 80 is a great
piece in the Qur’an—a breath of fresh air in the whole chaos that is jumbled up
interpretation of the Qur’an and Islam as a religion. It offers us a
commendable insight into one of the most controversial religions on earth. Even
though in a sneak preview, Surah Abasa quickly glides through the condition of
man and his ultimate fate and serves to further heighten the interest in Islam.
Furthermore, it helps clear the air about some of the contentious issues
surrounding Islam—certainly, there is punishment for the wicked in Islam.
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