If you had asked me a few years ago whether Islamic reform was possible, I would have said it was impossible. I wrongly assumed that Muslims were strictly following the Quran and believed that practices such as the hijab (where women must cover their heads) and violent traditions like stoning and executions for immoral acts stemmed from the Quran. I also thought that the unforgiving and suppressive aspects of Islam, which people came to dislike, were also in the Quran. How wrong I was.
My old view overlooked a crucial fact: Islam’s violence did not stem from the Quran. Araps decided the Quran was incomplete and that his sayings, collected after his death, should be treated as if they were part of it.
These sayings, known as Hadith, were collected after Muhammad’s death and were based on memory. Hence, they could be influenced by false memory, misunderstanding, fabrication, being taken out of context, or being told in anger by Muhammad.
Without Mohammad’s request, after his death, Mohammad’s alleged words were collected and interpreted by early Muslim scholars, sometimes introducing practices and beliefs that did not align with the Quran’s message.
Many important practices and beliefs in Islam were introduced by these early interpretations and rulings, which were sometimes inconsistent with the Quran’s spirit. Here are some examples of practices that were developed later and are not directly supported by the Quran:
- Five Daily Prayers: The Quran encourages regular prayer but does not specify that it should occur five times a day at specific times. Islamic tradition established this practice later.
- Hijab and Dress Code: While the Quran advocates modesty for both genders, it does not explicitly mandate that women cover their heads. The practice of wearing the hijab was introduced later.
- Images of Muhammad: The Quran does not ban the depiction of Muhammad or other holy figures. The prohibition on images came from later interpretations and cultural practices.
- Apostasy and Blasphemy: The Quran does not prescribe earthly punishments for apostasy or blasphemy. These issues are seen as matters between the individual and God, not subject to human enforcement.
- Adultery: The Quran mentions a certain number of fogging punishments for adultery, but nothing further.
- Homosexuality: The Quran does not prescribe specific earthly punishments for homosexuality or punishment from God in the afterlife. The story of Lot implies condemnation but that’s it,
- Capital Punishment: Ordered only for murder, but also instructions given for the murder to avoid the punishment, such as financial settlement with the family of the victim.
Given these points, Muslims must decide if the Quran is a perfect book, can one truly rely on it alone for guidance? Moreover, does it matter if the Quran remains unchanged, if practices and laws derived from the Hadith, which Mohammad did not order to collect, are treated as equivalent to Quranic teachings?
Is there a need for additional laws and punishments to the Quran that God forgot to mention?
Reform within Islam could involve revisiting and reinterpreting these practices and beliefs in light of the Quran’s teachings. It may require questioning the validity and impact of Hadith-based practices and focusing more closely on the Quran’s guidance.
#IslamicReform, #QuranVsHadith, #ProgressiveIslam
