(The writer is former vice chancellor of

and ex-chairman of Kerala PSC)

By: Dr KS Radhakrishnan There is a view, increasingly propagated these days, which claims that the holy Quran can be interpreted in two ways: One for secular society and the other for a theocratic state. Many self-proclaimed ‘secular’ Muslims argue that when a man of Islamic faith lives in a pluralistic society like India, he has to interpret the text in tune with pluralism. However, when the majority embraces Islam, then the believer is free to change the interpretation to the tune of theocratic monotheism, which prohibits the presence of other religions. This approach is not in conformity with the spirit of the Quran as the text says clearly that “…. only a part of the book you believe in and you reject the rest shall be binding for the endurance of the most grievous penalty.” (2.87) The Quran specifically warns that nobody has any right to accept the text partially. The option before a person who accepts the authority of Quran as an authentic text and follows the path of Islam is to accept the text as it is without rejecting anything, including syntactic signifiers. Everyone who lays his/her faith in Islam knows this fact and would never dare reject any part of the text, though some of the statements remain logically indigestible to his/ her rationality. The text unambiguously states that “Quran as guide to mankind is also clear for guidance and judgment” (2.185). Nobody enjoys any right to question any aspect of any revelation compiled by the Prophet The concept of purity in Islamic religious practice has been the cornerstone of Wahhabism, an Islamic reform movement to restore the purity in the practice of Islam. It is primarily aimed at the removal of ‘shirk’, the anti-Islamic practice according to Mohmmed ibn Abad al Wahhab (1703-1792) the founder of Wahhabism.The Quran warns that “God is an enemy to those who reject faith” (2.98). The text further issue orders to “slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the sacred mosque unless they fight you there; but if they fight you slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.” (2.191). What it says is that, an eye for an eye is the way of life “as fighting is prescribed for you” (2.216).He who has faith in Islam has to believe in every word revealed in the Quran because the text reminds that “ye of faith! Say not (to the Apostle) words of ambiguous import, but words of respect; and hearken (to him) to those without faith is a grievous punishment.” (2.104) Therefore, to avoid the wrath of god, one has to believe in the text as it is. Hence no person of Islamic faith would ever dare to edit the text or to delete or add any statement or part of statement from the holy text.Naturally, a person who earnestly follows Islam, firmly believes that those who worship idols must be finished as part of his faith in Islam. There are other statements in the text which too do not agree with pluralism and democracy. Quran casts a social stigma regarding marriage -- it commands that Muslims, “Do not marry idolaters until they believe. A slave-woman who believes is better than an un-believing woman, nor marry your girls to un-believers.” (2.221) And it further narrates that “women cause hurt and pollution.” (2.222). The text prohibits the marriage of a Muslim with persons belonging to other faiths until they convert to Islam.Now, what certain advocates of so-called moderation advise is that such aphorisms of the holy Quran should be concealed when Quran is being interpreted in a pluralistic society like India, but that all such aphorisms must be revealed and made effective once India becomes a monotheistic theocratic state. This is nothing but hypocrisy. Interestingly, hypocrisy is considered an unpardonable sin by the holy Quran. The Quran, as it has been taught in the madrasas, emphasise the verbatim meaning of the above-mentioned aphorisms. It is a foregone conclusion that all Muslims who get a madrasa education harbour negativity against Jews, Christians and those who worship idols in their mindset.There are other aphorisms in the Quran which propagate forgiveness, care and mercy, peace and harmony, pluralism, democracy and justice. Which set of aphorisms should be given prominence is a question and the authority to give the answer should never be clergy, as the clergy in any religion is nothing but wisdom privatised. Moreover, the intention of the clergy is to use god and religion as means to satisfy their self-interests.Hence, instead of using trickery to mislead the public -- concealing inconvenient aphorisms for the time being from a pluralistic society and projecting only aphorisms which propagate equality, liberty and fraternity acceptable to a democratic society – the way forward would be to convene a conclave of experts to democratise Islam. A bare fact that has to be admitted is Dar-ul Islam or a pan-Islamic universe is inconsistent with the very concept of universe, because ‘universe’ means the unity of multiformity.