Shafaqna English– Faculty member at Baqir-al-Olum University stated: We are in need of a great transformation and revolution in the realm of religious knowledge. Our perspective and interpretation of religious teachings and the Prophetic tradition must be reformed. It should be a true and accurate vision, free from instrumentalized philosophizing in politics, beliefs, sects, and ethnicities — rather than using the Prophet’s (PBUH) tradition to justify or prove the superiority of certain beliefs or behaviors.
Hojjatul-Islam Hamed Qara’ati, in an interview with Shafaqna, while offering condolences on the final days of the Month of Safar and the anniversary of passing of the Prophet (PBUH), said: The hostility that the West shows toward the Prophet (PBUH) recently expressed in insulting Islam, publishing cartoons, or burning the Holy Qur’an — can have multiple causes. One of them is connected to the actions of extremist groups within the Muslim world.
A non-Muslim, seeing images of the crimes and violence committed by Salafi groups everywhere, may ask what the source of such violence is, especially since these groups carry out their operations claiming reference to the Prophet’s (PBUH) tradition or Verses of the Quran. Naturally, any person witnessing such cruelty and crimes would become suspicious of the leader these groups claim to follow, viewing him as the source of violence and inhuman behavior.
He emphasized: Part of this Western view of Islam comes back to us Muslims ourselves. We must be good representatives of the Prophet’s (PBUH) community. In the sayings of the Infallibles (AS) it is stated: “Be an adornment for us, not a cause of shame and disgrace.” The question is, have we been so? The current behavior of some groups in the Muslim world, whether Shia or Sunni, unfortunately does not reflect this.
The bloodshed in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria shows otherwise. The violence Muslims inflict on each other is so severe that it may even repel the younger generation of Muslims themselves. Until this issue is resolved, the question will remain for non-Muslims: What is the source of all this violence? Especially since all of it is justified with reference to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s (PBUH) tradition.
He added: We need a transformation and a great revolution in the field of religious knowledge. Our view and interpretation of religious teachings and the Prophetic tradition must be corrected toward a true and accurate understanding, free from instrumentalized philosophies of politics, beliefs, sectarianism, and ethnicity.
Many active groups in the Muslim world seem to seek, instead of addressing their miserable situation and moving toward the desired state — that is, the virtuous city and realization of the concept of the Islamic Ummah — to appropriate the Quran, Hadith, and Prophetic tradition for their political, social, and cultural interests.
This transformation and maturity must take place both among the elites and the public of the Muslim world. Our estrangement from one another results from focusing on narrow, exclusive interpretations of religious teachings that do not fit the intellectual, cultural, and geographic diversity of the Islamic world. Of course, one cannot deny the conspiracies of global oppressors among Muslim nations, but much of the disputes within the Muslim world have internal origins.
Comparing the casualties and financial losses from internal Islamic wars in just the past two decades with the crimes of Israel in Palestine shows that alongside the united and ruthless external enemies, we face an even more dangerous internal enemy: systematic and reasoned ignorance, which — by employing religious knowledge for sectarian, political, and ethnic goals — distances us from both human nature and the Divine Law.
He added: Part of Islamophobia and hostility toward the Prophet (PBUH) arises from the West’s deep awareness. They have understood the Prophet’s (PBUH) appeal and know that if a non-Muslim becomes familiar with even a single line of his life, they will no longer tolerate modern slavery and hypocritical systems. They have therefore placed the Prophet (PBUH) himself at the center of their hostility.
They do not concern themselves with sectarian media that sanctify some companions; in fact, they may even support such groups and their outlets. But they will never tolerate the description and promotion of the Prophet’s tradition. It seems this subtlety has escaped the attention of Muslim cultural and intellectual policymakers, since each one strives to convert others to their own sect rather than constantly inviting themselves and others to the community of Muhammad (PBUH).
He continued: This reveals the West’s malice in confronting guidance. They recognize the Quran and the Prophet as the central sources, and therefore they try in every possible way to distance both from the minds of Westerners and even Muslims, making them sceptical of or despairing about God and the Quran. If we act properly in representing the community of Muhammad (PBUH), then Western misrepresentations and mockery of Islamic Law will not succeed.