The Other in the Light of the One: The Universality of the Qur'an and Interfaith Dialogue

As a result of world events over the past few years, Islam hasentered our consciousness in an unprecedented way. The Qur'an, guidingtext for over one billion Muslims, is being looked to for answers toquestions like: does the Qur'an promote peace and harmony or discordand conflict, does it contribute to pluralism or exclusivism, is itsmessage spiritual or fanatical?

In The Other in the Light of the One, DrReza Shah-Kazemi illustrates how, throughout the centuries, Sufism hastraditionally been a bastion against two tendencies: worldliness andliteralism. Based on a profound study of the Sufi perspectives of thelike of Ibn Arabi, Kashani, Rumi and Ghazali, The Other in the Light of the Oneis an attempt to answer the above questions and is an invitation tostudy the universality that is undoubtedly present in the Qur'an. Itsaim is to relate some of the most profound interpretations of theQur'an to philosophical and spiritual questions concerning interfaithdialogue. However, the purpose is not to just reproduce the ideas ofthe Sufis, but to build upon principles, to take advantage of insights,and to apply them creatively to contemporary conditions. Shah-Kazemiillustrates how a universalist perspective based on Sufi hermeneuticsprovides a third way between secular pluralism and religiousexclusivism.

The Other in the Light of the Oneprovides the faithful of all the different religious communities withthe basis for dialogue and mutual enrichment within dimensions ofreligious life and thought that go beyond the outward forms of belief,yielding fruit not only in the practical domain of peacefulcoexistence, but also and above all, in the fertile fields ofmetaphysical insight, immutable values, contemplative inspiration andspiritual realisation. For Muslims, The Other in the Light of the Oneda'wa,in that it proposes effective ways of putting into practice the manyQur'anic verses that commend discourse with others in a manner that is ahsan offers a pioneering view of 'finest, most beautiful'.

Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi is a Research Associate at the Institute of IsmailiStudies, London, United Kingdom. His areas of research are ComparativeReligion, Islamic Studies, and Sufism.

An Excerpt:

Introduction
Interfaith Dialogue:
The Contemporary Context

IN THE SUMMER OF 2001, when the idea of writing this book was first conceived, the principal aim was to present, on the basis of traditional Sufi exegesis, an exposition of the universality of the Qur'anic message of tawhid and the implications of this universality for dialogue. This exposition was intended for a readership comprising scholars and students in religious studies generally, together with all those interested in Islamic esoterism and spirituality. Now, however, in the post-September 11 era, it seems more appropriate to address a somewhat wider audience. For it would not be exaggerating to say that the events of September 11 have catapulted Islam to the epicentre of international relations; and as a result, the Qur'an as the guiding text for over one billion Muslims, its essential nature and message, the ways in which it is interpreted and applied-al of these issues have suddenly assumed new global dimensions and are unavoidably replete with political implications.

NOTE 1:
The word tawhid, often wrongly translated as 'oneness', is a verbal noun, stemming from the verb form wahhada, which means 'to make one'; in theological terms it means declaring or affirming that God is one; in mystical terms, as will be stressed in this book, it comes to acquire in addition the connotations of realizing, actualizing and finally, being extinguished within, that oneness.

Given this new role of the Qur'anic discourse in the transformed international environment, the present work will doubtless be perceived by many in a different light, and in relation to a particular set of questions: does the Qur'an promote peace and harmony or discord and conflict, does it contribute to pluralism or exclusivism, is its message spiritual or fanatical? Without pretending to go into all of these questions in depth, the content and also the tone of this work have been somewhat modified in order to try and demonstrate, among other things, the way in which the Qur'anic discourse, appreciated in its most profound and spiritually transforming aspect, can and does function as an antidote to fanaticism parading as Muslim piety. This is not to say that an apologia is being made for the Qur'an. Nor is it being claimed that a formal commentary in the tradition of classical tafsir is being presented, an exercise for which this writer is not qualified. Rather, the intention is to bring to light the profound, and urgently required, message that the Qur'an conveys, not just to Muslims but to all those concerned with the deeper wellsprings of meaningful dialogue and peaceful coexistence between the adherents of the different religious traditions. Particular attention will be brought to bear on those verses in the Qur'an which most clearly contribute to a positive evaluation of the other faith-communities, and thus to the basis for meaningful and fruitful dialogue between the upholders of different beliefs; and this presentation will be firmly grounded in the commentaries and insights of some of the most renowned spiritual authorities of the Islamic tradition. While it is always of intrinsic value simply to give voice to this aspect of the tradition, doing so in the current climate has the additional merit of ensuring that contemporary discourses on the Qur'an are not drowned out by those with an ideological agenda. It is spirituality, we believe, that reveals, more effectively than any other aspect of the Islamic tradition, the reductionism inherent in the attempt to ideologize and politicize the message of the Qur'an. For it is precisely when the spiritual appreciation of Revelation is weak, that its message becomes susceptible to ideological distortion. There is a clear relationship between the decline of spirituality and the rise of ideology, in Islam as in other religions; and it would not be going too far to say that, deprived of a living spirituality at its core, Islam will inevitably be reduced to an empty shell, the vacuum within soon becoming
filled with worldliness in all its guises: its revealed text becomes an ideological pretext; morally reforming oneself gives way to violently rectifying the other; spiritual contemplation is scorned in favour of political machination; the subtleties of revelation become submerged by the exigencies of revolution. The new environment has merely sharpened, and not produced, the need to take cognizance of the universal message of the Qur'an; and to say 'universal' is to say spiritual and ethical, not ideological or political. That the Qur'an contains the principles for guidance in respect of politics, economics or any other aspect of human society is not being denied, of course; but what must be forcefully refuted is the idea that the Qur'an is in essence about politics or economics. The fact that the Qur'an is applicable to the realm of politics does not mean that it is reducible to this realm. The Qur'an transcends such relativities by its universal spiritual and ethical content; and it is this essential content that, properly assimilated, will ensure that in the domain of applications, intelligence and moral sensibility will be brought to bear. It is to this universal content of the Qur'anic discourse that the Sufis have traditionally addressed themselves, and this is the reason why we have chosen to focus here on their interpretations rather than those of other schools of thought in Islam. Sufi commentaries on the Qur'an are thus particularly relevant to the contemporary intellectual and 'dialogical' situation, offering precious keys to those who are seeking to unlock the depths and the mysteries of the revealed text, and to do so in a way that includes all that is sacred, in whatever religious tradition it is to be found.