RELIGIONS
Superiority of one Religion over all others
Claim of superiority of a religion is claimed by almost all followers of all religions over all others. The one exception — and that too academically and based upon the scriptures which its adherents hold holy — is Islaam as given to the mankind in the form of the Holy Qor-aan and revealed upon the Holy Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings of Allah upon him. The three verses which merit consideration in this regard are 002:063, 005:070 and 022:018 (Verse-numbers being those as given in the texts that include the verse Bismillahirrahmaanirraheem as the verse #1). The text and word-by-word meanings of these verses can be seen online, and at www.thetrueteachingsofislam.com.
Yes, there is a Superiority !
My father’s passion was to preach the virtues of Islaam to anyone who came within inches of him. Of the innumerable stories about his such encounters was the one that he himself told. He was presenting virtues of Islaam to a Gugra, an extremely poor class of people in India who followed no big religions. The Gugra simplistically said: ‘God threw a big ripe water-melon from the sky for its creatures. The melon crashed on earth and split into pieces. Hindus took one side of the shell (hard green rind) and Moslems took the other side of the shell, and both left behind the inside delicious eatable (sweet, watery reddish flesh). Hindus prohibit eating beef, Moslems prohibit eating pork and both left the beef and pork for us to enjoying eating. Who wants to enter those religions and suffer prohibition of the best foods on earth? No, sir, we Gugras are the best. We eat all good food God created for us.’ To that Gugra, his way of life was superior than all other religions – a phenomenon to which hardly any of today’s 1.3 billion Hindus and 1.5 billion Moslems in the world will agree.
No, there is no Superiority !
The view that no religion has any superiority over other religions is based upon the aforesaid three verses of the Holy Qor-aan which are in Arabic language. Simple straightforward meanings of the three verses, as done by Marmaduke Pickthall in his publication “The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an” clearly convey that message. What count is (a) the belief in the One Almighty God, (b) the Last Day of Reckoning and (c) the virtuous deeds done appropriately which all will be rewarded by Him appropriately at the time He holds the final accounting. The labels of being Moslems, Jews, Christians, Sabians, Magian, idolaters may not help much when He will decide among them. And a knowledgeable person negated such superiority by quoting the gist of 041:031-to-033 (rewards for ‘belief’ in Allah) and that too as per ‘one’s capacity to comprehend’ (the opening words of 002:087.)
Imam Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his publication “The Holy Qur’an” Note #779 wrote, “As God’s message is one, Islam recognizes true faith in other forms, provided that it be sincere, supported by reason, and backed by righteous conduct.” Repeating the same essence again in his Note #2788, he wrote: “The argument is that all forms of faith that are sincere (and not merely contumacious) are matters in which we as men cannot interfere. Our duty is to be tolerant within all limits of tolerance …. (without) oppression, injustice and persecution.”
Maulana Muhammad Ali wrote in his publication “Holy Quran” Note #104 wrote: “This … strikes at the root of the idea of a favoured nation whose members alone may be entitled to salvation … Salvation cannot be attained by mere lip-profession by any people, not even by the Muslims, unless they adhere to a true belief and do good deeds.”
Yes, there is superiority !
However, the opposite view claiming an absolute superiority of Islaam on all other religions has been professed in some translations, interpretations and extrapolations of the aforesaid verses.
Malik Ghulam Farid in his publication The Holy Qur’an Note #104 wrote: “Verse (002:063), as mistakenly understood, does not signify that belief in God and in the Last Day alone is sufficient for salvation. The Qur’an emphatically declares that belief in the Holy Prophet is most essential {004:151/152 and 006:093} and forms an integral part of belief in God, and also that the belief in the Hereafter includes belief in Divine revelations as well … Elsewhere, Islam alone has been unequivocally declared to be acceptable to God as a religion {003:020 & 086}. The Qur’an here (in 002:063) confines itself to a mention of belief in God and the Last Day, not because belief in revelation and in the Holy Prophet is not essential, but because the former two beliefs include the latter two, the four being essentially inseparable. In fact, the verse is intended to demolish the mistaken Jewish belief that they were ‘the favoured nation of God’ and, therefore, were alone entitled to salvation.” He repeated that concept in his Note # 1939 (to 022:018): “This verse and vv {002:063 and 005:070} do not signify that Christians, Jews, and Sabians are equally eligible to salvation along with true believers. The Qur’an does not support any such belief. According to it the only religion acceptable to God is Islam (003:020 & 086.”
Maulana Muhammad Ali in his publication “The Holy Quran” Note #104 and referring to verses 022:018 stated: “The existence of good men in other religions is not denied by the Holy Qur’ran, but perfect peace, or the state of absolute contentment which is indicated by freedom from fear and grief, is obtainable only in Islam, because Islam alone is the religion of absolute submission to the Divine Being.”
Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan in his publication “Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an”, Note 2 to verse 002:063 and Note 1 to 005:070, wrote: “… Should not be misinterpreted by the reader as mentioned by Ibn-e-Abbas (r.a.) (in Tafsir At-Tabari) that this verse was abrogated by the V:3.85 “And whosoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter, he will be one of the losers.” {i.e., after the coming of Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w) on the earth no other religion except Islam will be accepted from anyone}.
Dr. Ahmad Zindan in his publication “Translation of the Glorious Qur’an” in translating 002:063 added the words “who (before Islam) were” before the ‘Jews’, ‘Sabians’ and Christians, thus clearly conveying that the concession, equality or even-handedness of this verse applied to only those who were Jews, Christians and Sabians prior to Islam, and not to those (or for that matter the followers of other religions) after the advent of Islam. In translating 005:070, he repeated his notion by adding “who were” before Jews, Sabians and followers of Jesus.
Note: The quotes from the original have some words spelled differently. The italicized portions highlight author’s view
See Holy Qor-aan verse 002:063
002:014
The Holy Qor-aan 002:014
وَاِذَا قِيۡلَ لَهُمۡ اٰمِنُوۡا كَمَاۤ اٰمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوۡاۤ اَنُؤۡمِنُ كَمَاۤ اٰمَنَ السُّفَهَآءُ ؕ اَلَاۤ اِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ السُّفَهَآءُ وَلٰـكِنۡ لَّا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ○
Wa aiy-zaa qee-la la hoom aa-may-noo
Ka maa aa-ma-na un-naa-so
Qaa-loo aa noe-may-no
Ka maa a-ma-na us-so-fa-haa-o
Aa-laa in-na hoom ho-mo os-so-fa-haa-o
Wa laa-kin laa yau-la-moon
And when it was said to them, “Believe
Like what other people have believed.”
They said, “Shall we believe
Like what the foolish have believed?”
Is it not that really they are the foolish
But they don’t know?
(The first 6 words are common in this verse and 002:092)
** Note 002:005b. Read our Commentary titled as “2 pronouns or 1 pro and 1 verb mean...” The phrase هُمۡ يُوۡقِنُوۡنَ “hoom-yoo-qay-noon” consists of two words.