Advocating Islam in All Situations

The Prophet (peace be upon him) provides the best example
for us in fulfilling the most important task of delivering
God’s message to people and inviting them to accept it and
believe in God’s oneness and Muhammad’s message. What few
people realize is that delivering God’s message so that
people are made aware of what God wants of them was the
overriding concern of the Prophet.

He always wanted to make clear to people that he was giving
them sound advice as he called on them to believe in God’s
oneness.

He asked them no favor in return. He only wanted what would
serve them well both in this life and in the life to come.

A most important aspect of the Prophet’s efforts in this
regard is that he was keen to inform people of his message
and call on them to believe in it in all situations. Even
in war, the Prophet did not lose sight of his most
important duty, which was the delivery of his message. Here
is a very clear example.

The battle of Khybar was a very hard one, because Khybar
was a series of forts in which the Jews locked themselves,
having stored enough provisions and water to last them for
more than a year. The forts were practically impregnable.
And to overcome the enemy, the Muslims needed to take one
fort at a time. At one stage, the Muslims were making
little progress, as the Jews were immune in their besieged
fort. A hard slog loomed large. However, the Prophet said
to his companions at the end of a very hard and frustrating
day: “Tomorrow, I am giving this banner to someone through
whom victory will be granted by God. He loves God and His
Messenger and is loved by God and His Messenger.”

“People talked much that night about who would get the
banner. In the morning, they went to the Prophet; each one
of them hoping to have the banner. However, the Prophet
said: ‘Where is Ali ibn Abi Talib?’ They said: ‘Here he is,
but he has a complaint in his eyes.’ The Prophet sent him a
message to come, and he came to him. The Prophet made a
gesture of spitting lightly in Ali’s eyes and prayed for
his recovery. Soon Ali’s complaint disappeared and his eyes
were completely cured. The Prophet handed him the banner.
Ali asked: ‘Messenger of God! Do I fight them until they
become Muslims like us?’ The Prophet said: ‘Proceed as you
are until you have got inside their fort, then call them to
Islam, and tell them what their duties to God are according
to Islam. By God, should God make you the means of guidance
for one person, it would be better for you than all good
things in this world.” (Related by Al-Bukahri and Muslim)

We should first explain that Islam is averse to war in any
situation, but it does not refrain from it when it is
inevitable. In this case of Khybar, its Jewish population
had attacked the Muslim community, joining other enemies,
in more than one battle.

They were preparing for another attack when the Prophet
wrested the initiative and moved against them. However,
here we see him making the first priority clear to his
cousin who was to be the commander. The priority is
providing guidance so that people could respond to God’s
message and conduct their life in accordance with His law.
Hence, when Ali overpowered the enemy and was in their
midst, he should first of all call upon those people to
consider God’s message and make their response to His call.
To emphasize the importance of this task, the Prophet
explains to Ali that when he was the means of guidance even
for one person, his gain is better than this whole world
and all it contains.

It should be said that had the Jews in Khybar responded to
Ali’s call on them to embrace the divine faith, as they
were required to do in their own holy books, they would
have spared themselves the battle in which they suffered
heavy losses. The Muslims would have welcomed them with
open arms. But the war did not aim to convert them, as they
were indeed left free to practice their own religion after
the war.

The Prophet did not disdain to speak to anyone about Islam,
calling every individual, group or tribe to accept God’s
message. One example is reported by Al-Miqdad ibn Amr, who
says: “I took Al-Hakam ibn Kaysan prisoner.

Our commander wanted to put him to death. I said to him:
‘Keep him until we have delivered him to God’s Messenger
(peace be upon him), so that he may invite him to accept
Islam.’ When we arrived, the Prophet spoke to him at length
about Islam. Umar said to him: “Messenger of God! Why would
you speak to someone like him. By God, this person will
never be a Muslim. Let me chop his head off so that he
would go to hell.’ The Prophet did not pay any attention to
Umar and continued until Al-Hakam declared his acceptance
of Islam. Umar said: ‘When I saw the man has become a
Muslim, I was so distressed at what I had said. I thought:
how could I speak to the Prophet objecting to something
which he knew better than I?

How could I claim that I only wanted what was good in
submission to God and love of Him and His Messenger? By
God, the man became a good Muslim and fought for God’s
cause until he was killed as a martyr at Bir Maounah. The
Prophet was certainly pleased with him and he was certain
to be in heaven.’” (Related by Ibn Saad) In this instance,
the Prophet was speaking to a man who was known to be
hardened in his hostile attitude to Islam. Even when he was
a prisoner in the hands of the Muslims, he did not show any
indication that he would accept Islam. This is the reason
for Umar’s remark, as he must have seen lacking any
interest in Islam. But the Prophet never despaired of
anyone becoming a Muslim, because he knew that the truth
had a particular appeal to the human mind and heart. When a
person’s receptive faculties are open, and he listens to
the message of Islam, he is bound to be affected by its
strong logic and irrefutable argument. We also note how
Umar felt about suggesting that the Prophet should not
waste his time with someone like Al-Hakam because to him he
was a lost case. His feelings were based on close
observation of the man’s reaction as the Prophet spoke to
him.

However, he felt that he should not have made any
suggestion to the Prophet in a matter like this, because
the Prophet was only discharging his mission as God’s
Messenger.

  Qur’an: The Word of God
Every now and then, Islamic scholarship provides us with an
illuminating work that highlights some superb area of our
scholarly heritage, reminding us that we were the world
leaders in learning, research, accurate transmission of
knowledge, and objectivity. As Muslims today are in a weak
position on the world stage, and as Islam is their basic,
though latent, source of strength, efforts are often
undertaken to keep Muslims away from their true faith.
These efforts take different forms in different fields of
play. One of the most important fields is the one where
Orientalists are not only the players, but they also set
the rules and define the standards.

There is no doubt that some Orientalists have shown much
respect to Islam and Muslims, but the majority do not
demonstrate any inclination to be free of bias. Moreover,
in their discourse about Islam and Muslims, many
Orientalist adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. But such
prejudice has not been without advantage for the cause of
Islam. Ever since the time of the Crusades, this attitude
has been the trigger for some fine Islamic scholarship, by
a line of Muslim scholars, in areas which might not have
attracted their attention without Orientalist prejudice. It
is when an Orientalist throws a challenge, or makes an
outlandish claim, that a Muslim scholar rises to take up
the challenge or refute the claim. Such is the case that
led to the writing of the scholarly work we are reviewing
today.

To a Muslim, that the Qur’an is God’s word is a fact that
requires no proof, in the same way that we do not need to
prove that the sun gives light and warmth, or the night is
dark, or water quenches thirst. You only have to read a
passage of the Qur’an to recognize its source. The more you
read, the greater is your conviction that it is God’s
revelation. Hence, when a call is made requiring solid
proof of the source of the Qur’an, a Muslim instinctively
suspects the motives behind it.

But it is not only instinctive reaction that casts
Orientalists in an unfavorable light. It is often the case
that the claims they make are insupportable by the very
principles, or research methodology, that they advocate.
Most Orientalists insist that the Qur’an was transmitted
purely orally in the early period of Islam. They reject all
reports of its commitment to writing during the lifetime of
the Prophet (peace be upon him). Yet numerous are the
Qur’anic references to God’s revelations to Muhammad (peace
be upon him) as “The Book”, which could only mean “a
written text”. This does not mean that at the time of
revelation it was handed to Muhammad written on some sort
of a scroll, but the Prophet dictated it to his scribes and
it was written shortly after. Orientalists try to leave the
door always open to raising doubts about the authenticity
of the main sources of Islamic beliefs and laws, namely the
Qur’an and the Sunnah. Were they to accept that the Qur’an
was transmitted both orally and in written form, right from
the time of its revelation to Muhammad (peace be upon him),
raising such doubts would become much more difficult.
Besides, in their attempts to question the authority of the
Qur’an, they always try to preserve for themselves the high
ground of “scientific” methods and values.

It was from such a standpoint that Toby Lester made a
sweeping judgment on Islamic scholarship and its approach
to the Qur’an. Writing in The Atlantic Monthly (January
1999), Lester suggests that Muslims are thoroughly
incapable of defending, in any scholarly fashion, their
belief that the Qur’an is the unadulterated book of God.
Little confidence does Lester seem to have in Muslim
scholarship. Yet his words were the direct cause of the
authorship of a priceless scholarly study that traces the
recording and transmission of the divine text from the days
of its revelation.

Professor Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami is a highly respected
scholar of Hadith, (the Prophet’s traditions), a discipline
of Islamic study that attaches paramount importance to the
reliability, accuracy and authenticity of whatever is
attributed to the Prophet. Hence, he is well placed to
examine the methods of transmission of the Qur’an in the
light of the very stringent procedures established by
Hadith scholars over the centuries. Professor Azami felt,
as he tells us, that Toby Lester’s article made a
challenge, and he decided to take it up. It simply
stimulated his long felt desire to author a book on the
collection and preservation of the Qur’an. And for certain,
the result is superb.

Professor Azami devotes two thirds of his book to
documenting the history of the Qur’anic text, from
revelation to compilation, relying only on authentic
Hadiths and reports. Very early in the book, we learn that
the method of verification of textual authenticity employed
by Zaid ibn Thabit, was of the most reliable type that
would be readily accepted today at the best research
centers in our world. It is well known that Zaid ibn
Thabit, who embraced Islam at the age of 11, before the
Prophet’s arrival in Madinah, was assigned by Abu Bakr, the
first caliph, the task of compiling a complete copy of the
Qur’an, so that it would serve as the reference copy
against which all written Qur’anic text could be checked
for accuracy. Zaid was most suited for the task as he was
endowed with superb intelligence, sharp memory, good
education, experience in recording Qur’anic revelations as
they were given to the Prophet, and also he was “one of the
fortunate few who attended the Archangel Jibril’s
recitation with the Prophet during Ramadan.” Zaid carried
out Abu Bakr’s instructions of accepting only written text
to which two witnesses testify to its being written as
dictated by the Prophet in their presence. Professor Azami
compares the 20th century methodology in verifying the
authenticity and reliability of historical manuscripts with
that which Zaid ibn Thabit established over 1,400 years
ago, and finds that Zaid applied the same stringent
criteria required by the best academic institutions.

Although the book takes up the Orientalists’ challenge,
providing a highly scholarly proof of the reliability and
accuracy of the Qur’anic text, as revealed by God to His
messenger, Prophet Muhammad, it makes a thoroughly
interesting and absorbing reading for Muslims who have
never entertained any doubt on this issue. Professor Azami
gives us clear answers to certain questions that might have
arisen in our minds about the twice undertaken commission
of Zaid ibn Thabit, with a gap of 15 years between them. It
is well known that Zaid completed the task assigned to him
by Abu Bakr and handed the first caliph a complete and
accurate copy of the Qur’an. Abu Bakr died less than two
years after the Prophet’s death. Barely 15 years later,
Uthman, the third caliph, wanted to send reference copies
of the Qur’an to the main population centers of the Muslim
state. He assigned the task to Zaid ibn Thabit. Zaid did
not simply make copies of his first effort, as would be the
most likely course of anyone charged with a similar
project. He repeated the entire procedure of his first
effort, starting from scratch, but this time produced eight
standard copies. Working under the guidance of Uthman, who
was long recognized as a top authority on the Qur’an, Zaid
and his committee of four thoroughly knowledgeable
companions of the Prophet produced a newly collated master
copy, and made the required number of copies of it. It was
at this point that Uthman recalled the original first copy,
held in custody by Hafsah bint Umar, the Prophet’s widow,
so that a thorough comparative check is undertaken. This
was yet another exercise aiming to ensure immaculate
accuracy.

Thus we realize that Uthman did not opt for the easy task
of copying the first master work. Instead, he undertook a
thorough task of verification, authentication and
validation unequalled in the history of any nation or
religion. Hence, he thoroughly deserves the historical
honor of being associated with the most important effort of
preserving the Qur’an intact, in its original form.

The task had the additional benefit of checking the
accuracy of copies of surahs and passages of the Qur’an
held by individuals who were keen to learn the Qur’an. It
certainly raised the already high standards of accuracy and
reliability.

Professor Azami also takes us through the reasons and
benefits of having several variants of reciting the Qur’an,
which are known as the qira’at, as well as the Muslim
educational methodology and the certification of students’
achievement, including the certification of reading. These
confirm the thorough accuracy of preserving the Qur’an both
as a written text and as a verbal recitation. Throughout
this very scholarly study, Azami provides one piece of
evidence after another, but he chooses his evidence from
what is particularly authentic. This is not surprising,
since he has devoted his entire lifetime to the study of
Hadith.

The last third of the book is divided into two parts: one
is devoted to the history of Biblical Scriptures, both
Jewish and Christian, and the other discusses Orientalism
and its motives. Professor Azami undertakes the first part
entirely on the basis of Jewish and Christian sources.
Thus, he follows the long established tradition of Islamic
scholarship of judging others by their own words. He says
that he has included this history of Jewish and Christian
Scriptures for the sake of comparative study. Needless to
say, such comparison is bound to yield only one result: No
scriptures of any type could aspire to any degree of
reliability or authenticity like the one the Qur’an enjoys.
This comes out very clearly in the book and the fact that
the author relies on sources of the two faiths in question
makes this result particularly significant.

The final part of the book, composed of two chapters, is
devoted to a brief discussion of Orientalism and its
motives. In his meticulous approach, Professor Azami
provides many examples of Orientalist prejudice against
Islam. Much of what Orientalists call for is inadmissible
by Western academic standards. Can we imagine any reputable
academic in the West condoning an alteration of a
Shakespearean play, a poem by T.S. Eliot, or even a novel,
let alone the text of a legal document? Yet, many are the
Orientalists that call on Muslims to ‘revise’ the Qur’an
and introduce amendments into it. As recently as the late
1980s, Hans Kung, a Roman Catholic theologian, advised
Muslims to admit to the element of human authorship in
their Holy Book. Earlier in the 20th century, Richard Bell
tried to rearrange the Qur’anic text, totally disregarding
the unity of each surah and advocating that verses from
different surahs should be brought together while others
should be split apart. Bishop Kenneth Cragg urged Muslims
to consider the abrogation of the Madani parts of the
Qur’an, concentrating only on the Makkan parts with their
emphasis on the basic issue of monotheistic faith.

Such suggestions are not only devoid of any scholarly
sense; they are an insult to every Muslim and to the
Islamic faith. Hence, we ask with Professor Azami, why
should such people be credited with a high standard of
academic neutrality when they discard their own rules in
order to snipe at Islam and Islamic scholarship? “Why
should non-Muslims be deemed authorities to the exclusion
of practicing Muslims? Why should men of the Church —
Mingana, Guillaume, Watt, Anderson, Lammanse, and a horde
of others who wish nothing more heartily than to see their
religion eclipse Islam — be regarded as the standard in
‘unbiased’ Islamic research? Why should Muir be considered
an authority on the Prophet’s life, when he writes that the
Qur’an is among ‘the most stubborn enemies of Civilization,
Liberty, and the Truth which the World has yet known?”

The best answer is given by Ibn Sirin (d. 110 H/ 728 CE)
who says: “This knowledge constitutes your religion, so be
careful when choosing whom to learn your religion from.”

With its thorough scholarship and meticulous research,
Professor Azami’s book constitutes a major contribution to
Qur’anic studies in English. It makes absorbing reading and
benefits both scholars and lay readers.

The History of The Qur’anic Text From Revelation to
Compilation, by Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami, UK Islamic
Academy; Leicester, 2003, 376 pages










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