Quran and Sunnah in Islamic Literature
Whereas during the fieldwork people more readily used social values rather than the Quran or the Hadith to justify their involvement, in the literature, the reverse was the case. There was much more evidence in the literature of using the Quran and the Sunnah to justify interfaith involvement.
The Holy Quran
Dialogue in Islam: Quran, Sunnah and History describes how the very concept of dialogue is not only endorsed but is required by the Quran, the Sunnah and Islamic history. This stems from the conception of religion in the Quran in the plural. In the foreword to the book, Ozcan Keles notes that the Quran “explicitly conceives of religion in the plural, promising a just reward to all who believe in God …show more content…
So can you [O Prophet] compel people to believe? (Yunus 10:99)
If God willed it, he would have made you all one people. (al Nahl, 19:93)
From this they argue that human beings are therefore required to learn how to live together, thereby necessitating dialogue. They support this with more verses of the Quran, including the following:
O people, we created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware. (al-Hujurat, 49:13)
Kurucan and Erol also use the Quran to support the special regard Muslims have for “people of the book”:
The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians – those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good – will have their rewards with their Lord. No fear for them, nor will they grieve. (al Baqara, 2:62)
They also use the Quran to support the idea of dialogue with “people of the …show more content…
(al Imran, 3:64)
They note that even those outside this special category of “people of the book” are to be treated with kindness and justice. They quote this verse:
And He does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with anyone who has not fought you for your faith or driven you out of your homes: God loves the just. (al Mumtahana, 60:8)
Similar points can also be seen in many works on the subject of dialogue in Islam, in some cases with a different approach. In Interfaith Dialogue: A Guide for Muslims, Muhammad Shafiq and Mohammed Abu-Nimer argue that the Quran supports interfaith dialogue by showing how the key ideas in interfaith dialogue are contained in the Quran. One of these is the concept of Ta’aruf.
Ta’aruf is defined as knowing, understanding, and building relations. An interfaith meeting could be called a majlis li ta’arufu (a meeting for building understanding).
For Quranic evidence for Ta’aruf, they quote a verse we have already encountered, “O humanity, we … made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other … ” (49:13). And they explained the link with interfaith
Whereas during the fieldwork people more readily used social values rather than the Quran or the Hadith to justify their involvement, in the literature, the reverse was the case. There was much more evidence in the literature of using the Quran and the Sunnah to justify interfaith involvement.
The Holy Quran
Dialogue in Islam: Quran, Sunnah and History describes how the very concept of dialogue is not only endorsed but is required by the Quran, the Sunnah and Islamic history. This stems from the conception of religion in the Quran in the plural. In the foreword to the book, Ozcan Keles notes that the Quran “explicitly conceives of religion in the plural, promising a just reward to all who believe in God …show more content…
So can you [O Prophet] compel people to believe? (Yunus 10:99)
If God willed it, he would have made you all one people. (al Nahl, 19:93)
From this they argue that human beings are therefore required to learn how to live together, thereby necessitating dialogue. They support this with more verses of the Quran, including the following:
O people, we created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware. (al-Hujurat, 49:13)
Kurucan and Erol also use the Quran to support the special regard Muslims have for “people of the book”:
The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians – those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good – will have their rewards with their Lord. No fear for them, nor will they grieve. (al Baqara, 2:62)
They also use the Quran to support the idea of dialogue with “people of the …show more content…
(al Imran, 3:64)
They note that even those outside this special category of “people of the book” are to be treated with kindness and justice. They quote this verse:
And He does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with anyone who has not fought you for your faith or driven you out of your homes: God loves the just. (al Mumtahana, 60:8)
Similar points can also be seen in many works on the subject of dialogue in Islam, in some cases with a different approach. In Interfaith Dialogue: A Guide for Muslims, Muhammad Shafiq and Mohammed Abu-Nimer argue that the Quran supports interfaith dialogue by showing how the key ideas in interfaith dialogue are contained in the Quran. One of these is the concept of Ta’aruf.
Ta’aruf is defined as knowing, understanding, and building relations. An interfaith meeting could be called a majlis li ta’arufu (a meeting for building understanding).
For Quranic evidence for Ta’aruf, they quote a verse we have already encountered, “O humanity, we … made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other … ” (49:13). And they explained the link with interfaith