By Hafidh Saif Al-Rawahy

The fundamental basis of the Qur’an is that the message of the divine revelations has always remained one and the same throughout the history of prophethood, from Adam, the first prophet, to Muhammad, the seal (final) of all the prophets. The Qur’anic contention is that mankind was at first one people (or one nation) and lived one common, natural life. It was only at subsequent stages that, when they multiplied, economic pressure gave rise among them to conflicts of interest. They came to be divided into groups, each abhorring the other, so much so, that the situation demanded the delivery of a message of truth that might reunite them once again. It was thus that the door of prophethood and revelation was opened, and a series of prophets and revelations followed in succession to bring home to mankind the message of unity. The message of these prophets and their revelations was essentially the same. The Qur'an states that there is no corner of the world occupied by man to which this universal message was not delivered. “Every community is sent a messenger...” [Qur’an 10:47]. “We have sent many prophets to earlier people, and they mock every one of them” [Qur’an 43:6]. “We have sent other messengers before you—some We have mentioned to you and some We have not...” [Qur’an 40:78].

The way of God is the same in every age. It cannot differ from itself in any circumstance. Therefore, God has addressed itself to humanity in the same fashion. The message has been and continues to be simple: one should believe in and worship one God alone and act righteously in consonance with Him. This is the religion offered to mankind through the ages; this is the religion that is Islam. “We sent a messenger to every community, saying, ‘Worship God and shun false gods’” [Qur’an 16:36]. The Qur’an asserts that every messenger who was sent to establish a religion on earth enjoined the same principle of life: believe in and worship one God and live a righteous life.

Not a single messenger was sent to divide people into different religious groupings. In fact, the aim of all messengers was to bring together those who stood divided by believing in and worshipping one common God, and following a way of life that would enable them to live together in mutual love and affection. “This is your religion, one religion, and I am your Lord: be mindful of Me. But they have split their community into sects, each rejoicing in their own” [Qur’an 23:52–53]. “In matters of faith, He has laid down for you the same commandment that He gave Noah, which We have revealed to you [Muhammad] and which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: ‘Uphold faith and do not divide into factions within it...’” [Qur’an 42:13]. The Qur’an always talks about how the teaching of one prophet endorses the teaching of the previous prophet, because the teaching was the same. “Step by step, He has sent the Scripture down to you [the prophet] with the truth, confirming what was sent before. He sent the Torah and the Gospel earlier as a guide for people, and He has sent down the distinction [between right and wrong]...” [Qur’an 3:3].

If Revelation has laid down one and the same spiritual law of life, the way to God, why do there still exist differences between one religion and another? The Qur’an does not tolerate deliberate differentiation in religion; however, it justifies the necessary variations in the manner and method of implementing the religion according to the social aptitudes and conditions of life that vary from time to time. These variations are permissible if they do not contravene the basic belief in the unity of God and righteous living. “We have appointed acts of devotion for every community to observe, so do not let them argue with you [the prophet] about this matter. Call them to your Lord; you are on the right  path." [Qur’an 22:67]. “Each community has its own direction in which it turns: race to do good deeds, and wherever you are, God will bring you together. God has the power to do  everything." [Qur’an 2:148]. “We have assigned a law and a path to each of you. If God had so willed, He would have made you one community, but He wanted to test you through that which He has given you, so race to do good: you will all return to God, and He will make clear to you the matters you differed about” [Qur’an 5:48].

The Qur’an not only makes a clear distinction between the two aspects of religion—the way to God and the code of law—but it also presents the essential elements or composition of religion in the following verse: “Goodness does not consist in turning your face east or west. The truly good are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travelers, and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up prayer and pay the prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; and who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God” [Qur’an 2:177]. If the world still needs to understand what really constitutes religion, this is it!

Before the Qur’an was delivered, followers of all religions took the outward form of rituals and ceremonies as the religion itself in all enthusiasm. Every group denied salvation to every other merely on the basis of their rituals and ceremonies. However, the Qur’an insists that ritual or ceremony is not religion or the criterion of truth; it is merely an outward aspect of it. The real religion was devotion to God and righteous living, and it was not the exclusive heritage of any single group, but the common heritage of all mankind. The law, consisting of a code of conduct, actions, and customs, has changed and is liable to do so from time to time under varying circumstances. The Qur’an recognizes the differences in disposition of the different sections of mankind living in different countries, resulting in differences in manners, customs, and styles of living, but holds that the differences of this character are incidental to the nature of man and should not form the criteria of truth and untruth, and result in mutual dislike and hostilities. The basis of religion, devotion to the One True God, and righteous living, should not be disturbed. That is why the Qur’an places great stress on the need for religious tolerance, even with those who have violently opposed its very message of the unity of God. “[Believers], do not revile whoever they call on beside God in case they, in their hostility and ignorance, revile God. To each community, We make their own actions seem alluring, but in the end, they will return to their Lord, and He will inform them of all they did” [Qur’an 6:108]. “Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. So can you [prophet] compel people to believe?” [Qur’an 10:99].

One may ask, if all religions rest on truth, what then was the need for the Qur’an? The Qur’an replies: Although all religions are based on truth, their followers have turned away from it, and so the need arises to bring them back to it. That is the task of the Qur’an. It had to dispel all the wrong notions about religion. It made faith and righteous deeds the sole means of salvation, which is available to all mankind and not exclusive to a particular group. It asserted that the religion revealed by God was one for all mankind, from Adam to Noah, to Abraham to Moses, to Jesus to the last prophet, Muhammad, and that every deviation from it was a negation of religion. It emphasized that the real religion was direct worship of one God, without any mediating agency, and that this was the main teaching of all prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and that every belief and practice that conflicted with it amounted to the denial of God. “They also say, ‘No one will enter Paradise unless he is a Jew or a Christian.’ This is their own wishful thinking. Say, ‘Produce your evidence, if you are telling the truth’” [Qur’an 2:111].

Religion, according to the Qur'an, is not exclusive to any grouping. Whatever the race, community, or country you belong to, if only you believe in and worship one God and do righteous deeds in consonance with the divine code of law, you are a follower of the religion of God, and salvation is your recompense. Opposite to this view, you have the example of Jews and Christians, who devised their own code of thought and conduct exclusive to them and drew circles around them so that whoever is inside that circle has salvation and whoever is outside that circle is doomed. They have sidetracked the concept of faith in one God of all humanity and in righteous living.

One might be an ardent devotee to God and practice righteous living, but if he or she is outside of the circle of Judaism or Christianity, he or she would not be considered “rightly guided.” On the other hand, one might indeed be a wicked person, and yet salvation supposedly would be attained simply by membership in that order. The Qur’an disapproves of that kind of attitude and claims that whatever one’s race, community, or affiliation, he or she who offers sincere devotion to God and practices righteousness in accordance with the divine revelation has attained salvation, and no fear shall come upon him or her. “The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians—all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good—will have their reward with their Lord. No fear for them, nor will they grieve” [Qur’an 2:62].

When the world was so divided into groups, each calling the religion of the other false, notwithstanding the fact that all religions were the same at their base, who was to decide who represented the truth? The Qur’an said that truth in reality was with every one of them, but that in practice they had neglected it. Each had been given one and the same religion, or one and the same universal principle of guidance, but one and all had chosen to disturb its basic character. Instead of adhering to the straight path, every group followed a line of its own and appropriated to itself an exclusive right to salvation. The Qur’an proclaims that the only guidance, or path, is the divine guidance and is open to everyone, not reserved exclusively for any particular race or people. “And some of the followers of earlier revelation say [to one another]: ‘Declare your belief in what has been revealed unto those who believe [in Muhammad] at the beginning of the day, and deny the truth of what came later, so that they might go back [on their faith], but do not [really] believe anyone who does not follow your own faith.’ Say, ‘Behold, all [true] guidance is God’s guidance, consisting in one’s being granted [revelation] such as you have been granted...’” (Qur’an 3:73-74).