Nations Tribes Revised

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Copyright©2009AishaY.Musa

Allrightsreserved.

ISBN:ISBN-13:



DEDICATION

Thisbookletisdedicatedtoallwhoseekunderstanding.





CONTENTS

Introduction 1

1 heQuranonCulturalDifferences

4

2 OntheClashofCivilizations

9

3 Islm,Muslim,andDnintheQuran

14

4 heQuranicCriteriaforNobilityintheSightofGod

21

Conclusion 25

Bibliography 27









1

Introduction Religionisoftenseenasamajorsourceofconflict

and tension in the world. Perhaps no religion is as

conspicuous in this regard as Islam. Islam’s popular

imageisincreasinglynegative,particularlyinEuropeand

North America. The Quran is often misconstrued and

sometimesevenreviledasabookthatpreacheshatred,

intolerance,and violence.Thisimpressionisinfluenced

innosmallpartbytheactionsofterroristswhoportray

themselves as Muslims acting in the name of Islam.

However,thetextisnottheexclusivepropertyofthose

individuals and groups,who are only a fraction of the

world's Muslims. It is a text with a nearly 1500 year

history of interpretation and implementation, which is



We have made you nations and tribes...: A Quranically

Based Vision of Multiculturalism and Inter-Religious

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2

readtodayasthesacredtextmoreofthanabillionofthe

world's people, from various cultures in both the East

andtheWest.Thisessayseekstopresentaliteraland

holistic reading of the Quran's discussion ofhumanity,

gender,intercultural,andinter-religiousrelations.

Byliteralandholistic, Imeana readingthat focuseson

the literalmeaningsof the Arabic text readwithin the

context of the Quran as an entire book, applying the

time-honoredinterpretiveprinciplesof al-alfil-kalmal-

aqqa(thefundamentalprincipleofspeechisliteralness)

and tafsr al-qur’nbil-qur’n (explaining the Quranwith

the Quran). Such a reading demonstrates that rather

than being a wellspring of intolerance andhatred, the

Quran invites humanity to inter-religious and

intercultural understanding and cooperation in striving

toachievesocialjusticeforhumanity.Theexamination

ofwhattheQuranhas tosayonthese important issues







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Chapter1:

TheQuranonCulturalDifferences

The versethat laysthe foundationfor the present

discussionischapter49(Sratal-ujurt),verse13:

yayyuhal-nsuinnkhalaqnkummindhakarin

wa unth wa jaalnkum shuban wa qab’ila li-

tarafinnaakramakumindaallhiatqkuminna

allhaalmunkhabr

Whichmeans:

Opeople!Indeed,wehavecreatedyoufroma

maleandafemale,andhavemadeyounations

and tribes that you may get to know one

another.Indeed,themostnobleofyou,in the

sight of God, are those with the most taqwa.

Indeed, God is Knower, Aware. (Srat al-

ujurt,verse13)



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We will leave the idea of taqwa untranslated for the

momentandreturntoitshortly.First,itisimportantto

pointoutthatthisverse,whichisaddressedtohumanity

ingeneral,ratherthantoMuslims,orbelievers,informs

us that gender and national and tribal differences are

divinelyordained,sothatpeoplemay get toknowone

another. A key term used in this verse is taraf,

translatedhereas“gettoknowoneanother.”Theverb

tarafisinthesixthforminArabic,whichcarriesthe

meaning of activity that is reciprocal and ongoing. 2

Therefore,thisversedoesnotsimplyrefertopeopleof

some groups learning about others, but various groups

areactivelyengagedinrelationshipsthatarecontinuing

and mutual, in which they are learning about one

another.

TheQuranalsoaddressesvariousmanifestationsof

nationalandethnicdifferences.Inchapter30(Sratal-

2 W. Wright, A Grammar of the Arabic Language vol. 1 (Beirut:LibrairieduLiban,1996)39B





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Rm)verse22,theQurandeclares: waminytihikhalq

ul-samwtiwaal-ariwaakhtilfalsinatikumwaalwnikum

innafdhlikala-ytinlillimn

Whichmeans:

AmongHissignsisthecreationoftheheavens

and the earth and the variations in your

languages and colors. Certainly, in that are

signsfortheworlds.(Sratal-Rm,verse22)

Inchapter7(Sratal-Arf)verse26:

ybandamqadanzalnalaykumlibsanyuwr

saw'tikum wa rshan wa libsu al-taqw dhlika

khayrun dhlika min 'yti allhi laallahum

yadhdhakkarna



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Whichmeans:

OhchildrenofAdam,Wehavesentdowntoyou

garments to cover your nakedness, and as a

means of adornment, but the best garment is

thegarmentof taqwa.Thisisamongthesigns

ofGod,sothatperhapsyoumayreflect.(Srat

al-Arf,verse26)

It is clear from these verses that variations color,

language,andevenclothingstylesaredivinelyordained.

TheQuranalsomakesitclearthatsuchvariationsshould

notbeasourceofdiscriminationorderisioninverse11

ofChapter49(Sratal-ujurt).

yayyuhalladhnamanlyaskharqawmunmin

qawmin as an yakn khayran minhum wa l

nis'un min nis'in as an yakunna khayran

minhunnawaltalmizanfusakumwaltanbaz

bil-alqb…





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Whichmeans:

Oyouwhoacknowledge,onepeopleshouldnot

deride another, for it may be that they are

better than them; nor should some women

derideothers,foritmaybethattheyarebetter

than them; and do not insult each other or

ridiculeeachotherwithnicknames….(Sratal-

ujurt,verse11)

So,accordingtotheQuran,thedifferencesinlanguages

and colors, and even modes of dress are signs of God,

whichtheQurancomparestothecreationoftheheavens

andtheearth;moreover,thesedifferencesshouldnotbe

sourcesofrivalryordiscrimination.Onthecontrary,the

verb taraf in 49:13 indicates that people should

recognizeandappreciatesuchGod-givendifferences.



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Chapter2:

OntheClashofCivilizations

A distinction that is sometimes popularly used to

argue for an inevitable class of civilizations is the

dichotomyofEastandWest.Thisissueisalsoaddressed

intheQuran,inchapter2(Sratal-Baqara)verse115: wa

li-llahi al-mashriqu wa al-maghribu fa-aynam tuwall fa-

thamma wajhu allhi inna allha wsiun alm. [To God

belongstheEastandtheWest,thuswhereveryouturn,

there is the face of God. Certainly God is all-

encompassing,all-knowing](Sratal-Baqara,verse115).

FarfromenvisioningaclashbetweenEastandWest,the

QuranthusmakesitclearthatGodisfoundwhereveryou

turn, East or West. Both are equally encompassed by

God.

In addition to an East/West dichotomy, religious

differencesarealsoallegedaspartofaninevitableclash





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of civilizations. Here is how the Quran addresses

differences in religious affiliation: chapter 5 (Srat al-

M’ida)verse69:

innaal-ladhna man waal-ladhna hd wa al-

bi'na wa al-nar man mana bil-lhi wa al-

yawm il-khiri wa amila lian fa-l khawfun

alayhimwalhumyazann

Whichmeans:

Certainly, those who believe, those who are

Jewish, the Sabians, and the Christians,

whoever acknowledges God and the Last Day

and does good,will have nothing to fear,nor

willtheygrieve.(Sratal-M’ida,verse69)



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SomeMuslims arguethat Quran5:69was abrogated by

Quran3:85.3 “wamanyabtaghighayral-islmidnanfa-lan

yuqbala minhu wa huwa fil-khirati min al-khsirn”

[Whoeverseeksareligionotherthan al-islmitwillnot

be accepted from him, and on the Last Day,he will be

amongthelosers.]However,theideaofabrogationhere

is also problematic. First, because as John Burton and

Abu Yousuf al-Corentini have demonstrated, there a

number of serious issues related to the question of

abrogationitself,nottheleastofwhichisthattherehas

never been agreement among Muslim scholars on the

existence of abrogation within the Quran, let alone on

theissueofspecificversesareabrogatingandwhichare

abrogated.4Moreover,forthosescholarswhoacceptthe

existence ofabrogationwithin the text of the Quran, a

3M.T.al-HilaliandM.M.Khan, InterpretationoftheMeaningsoftheNobleQur’an(Riyadh:MaktabaDar-us-Salam,1996),p.165n.

14 John Burton, The Sources of Islamic Law: Islamic Theories of

Abrogation.Edinburgh:EdinburghUniversityPress,1990;AbuYousuf al-Corentine, “The Concept of Abrogation in theQur’an.” Journal of Religion and Culture (10) 1996, ConcordiaUniversity:63-76.





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key criterion is the chronological order of revelation:

earlierversesareabrogatedbylaterverses.5According

to both Muslim and non-Muslim chronologies of the

Quran, chapter 5was revealedafter chapter 3.6Sothe

claimthat3:85abrogates5:69isproblematic.Yetthere

seemsto bea conflictbetween the notion expressed in

5:69andthatexpressedin3:85.

Applying the exegetical principle of tafsr al-Quran

bil-Quran(explainingtheQuranwiththeQuran)andthe

jurisprudential principle al-al fil-kalm al-aqqa (the

fundamental rule of speech is literalness) shows that

thereis, inreality,noconflictbetweenQuran 3:85,and

5:69. Indeed, applying thesetwo principles reveals the

harmony that exists between these verses. The issue

5Burton,20.6 Richard Bell and W. Montgomery Watt, Introduction to theQuran. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1977, 207.Ahmed von Denffer, Ulm al-Qur’an: An Introduction to theSciences of the Qur’an. Leicestershire, UK: The IslamicFoundation,2000,87.



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hinges on the Quranic usage of the terms islm (lit.

"submission"or"surrender")anddn(usuallytranslated

as"religion").





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Chapter3:

Islm,Muslim,andDnintheQuran

Solomon,Abraham,Moses,andJesus,togetherwith

thosewho followed them aredefined asmuslim in the

Quran.7TheQuranalsoordersMuammadtodeclare:m

kuntu bidan min al-rusul (I am nothing new among the

messengers).8Additionally,theQuranasserts:myuqlu

lakaillmqadqlalil-rusulminqablika(nothingissaidto

you that has not already been said to the messengers

beforeyou).9 TheQuranalsoconnects"thosewhohave

beengiventhebook"(al-ladhna'tal-kitb)with"right

religion"(dnal-qayyima)inChapter98(Suratal-Bayyina):

wamtafarraqaal-ladhna'tal-kitbillminbad

m j'athum al-bayyinahu wa m umir 'ill

liyabud allh mukhlin lahu al-dn unaf' wa

7Qur’an2:128-133;3:52;10:84;27:44;38:348Qur’an46:9 9Qur’an41:43



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yuqm al-şalŧ wa yuut al-zakŧ wa dhalika dn

al-qayyimahi

Whichmeans:

Those who have been given the book did not

becomedividedexceptafterclearevidencehad

cometothem.Theywereonlycommandedto

serveGod,beingsinceretoHiminreligion,and

toestablishprayer,andgivealms--thatisright

religion.(Suratal-Bayyina,verses:4-5)

Chapter 3 (Surat Āl Imrn) verses 113-4 offer further

elucidation:

layssaw'anminahlal-kitbummatunq'imatun

yatlna yt allh n' al-layl wa hum yasjudn

yu'uminna bi-llhi wa al-yawm il-khir wa

ya'murnabil-marf wa yanhawna`anal-munkar

wayusrinafal-khayrtwa'l'ikaminal-lin

Whichmeans:





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They are not the same. Amongthe people of

thebookthereisanuprightcommunity.They

recite the signsof God during the nightwhile

prostrating.

They believe in God and the Last Day. They

enjoin good conduct and forbid wrongdoing,

andtheyhastentodogoodworks.Theseare

amongtherighteous.(SuratĀlImrn113-114)

"The book" that previous communities received is

alsoclearlyidentifiedintheQuran.Inchapter5,thereis

anextendeddiscussionofGod’sscripture,inverses44-

48.Verse44,tellsusthatGodsentdowntheTorah(inn

anzaln al-tawrħ fh hudan wa nr [Certainly, we sent

down the Torah, inwhich there is guidanceand light]

(Sratal-M’ida,verse44).Inverse45,itsaysofJesus

(ataynhu al-injl fhi hudan wa nr) [We gave him the

Gospel, inwhichthere isguidance and light] (Srat al-



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M’ida,verse45).Thosewhoreceivedthescriptureare

notcommandedtoabandonwhattheyreceivedinfavor

oftheQuran;rather,theyareurgedtoruleaccordingto

whatGodhassentdowninit( yakumbi-manzalaallah)

inverses44and47.Verse48declaresthattheQuranhas

beensentdown,nottoreplacepreviousscripture,butas

aconfirmationandvalidationofit: waanzalnilaykaal-

kitba bil-aqqi muaddiqan li-m bayna yadayhi mina al-

kitbi wa muhayminan alayhi [ We have sent down the

scripture to you in truth, as a confirmation and

validationofwhatcamebeforeit](Sratal-Ma’ida,verse

48).

TheQurandirectsJews,Christians,andMuslims

tofollowtheguidancethatGodhassentdowntothem

andpromisesthatthosewhodosowillhavenothingto

fear,norwilltheygrieve.AfterdeclaringthatGodhas

sentdowntheTorahandtheGospelcontainingguidance

and that the Quran confirms and validates them and





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urging people to follow what God has sent down, the

Qurangoesontosay:

li-kullinjaalnminkumshiratanwaminhjanwalaw

sh'aallhla-jaalakumummatanwidatanwalkin

li-yabluwakum f m tkum fa-astabiq al-khayrt

ilallhimarjiukumjamanfa-yunabbi'ukum bi-m

kuntumfhitakhtalifn

Whichmeans:

For each among youwe have ordained a law

andawayofdoingthings.IfGodhadwilled,He

wouldhavemadeyouasinglecommunity.But

he wishes to test youwith thatwhichhe has

given you. So compete with one another in

good things. It is to God that all of youwill

return, and then He will inform you of that

aboutwhichyouusedtodiffer.







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amalan [so that he may test which of you is best in

action](Sratal-Mulkverse2}.

So,thetestisaboutwhoisbestinaction,notwhois

thebestgender,or amemberofthebestnation,or the

best ethnic group, or the best religious denomination;

notwhohasthebestcolor,orthebestlanguage,butwho

is the best in action. Gender, ethnic and national

background, language, color, geographic region, and

religion are all-to-often used by both individuals and

nationsassourcesofconflictandreasonstodiscriminate

againsteachother.However,fromaQuranicperspective,

itisnotsuchdifferencesthatdetermineournobilityin

thesightofGod.



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Chapter4:TheQuranicCriteriaforNobilityin

theSightofGod

Now,let’sreturntothequalitythataccordingtothe

Quran,doesdeterminewhoismostnobleinthesightof

God:taqwa. Theconceptof taqwaisvariouslytranslated

as “piety,” “righteousness,” “good conduct,” “fear of

God,”or“God-consciousness,”anditcarriesallofthese

meanings.Taqwareferstoasenseofawarenessofone’s

actions and concern for the consequences of those

actions. As indicated in chapter 67, verse 2, God tests

humanitytodeterminewhoisbestinaction.So,what

aretheactionsthatdemonstrateourtaqwa?TheQuran

clarifies this and describes those who have taqwa in

chapter2(Sratal-Baqara)verse177:

laysa al-birra an tuwall wujhakum qibal al-

mashriqi wa al-maghrib wa lkinna al-birra man

mana billhi wa al-yawm il-khiri wa al-mal'ikati





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waal-kitbiwaal-nabynawatal-mlalubbihi

dhaw al-qurb wa al-yatm wa al-maskna wa

abnaal-sabliwaal-s'ilnawafil-riqbiwaaqmaal-

altawatal-zaktwaal-mfnabi ahdihimidh

hadwaal-birnafil-ba's'iwaal-arr'iwan

al-ba'sil'ikaal-ladhnaşadaqwal'ikahumul-

muttaqn

Whichmeans:

Righteousness isnot turningyour facesin the

directoftheEastortheWest,buttherighteous

are whoever acknowledges God and the Last

Day,theangels,thebook,andtheprophets,and

spends wealth out of his love for relatives,

orphans,thepoor,thewayfarer,thosewhoask,

andforthoseinbondage.Theyestablishprayer

and pay alms; honoring the covenants they

have made, persevering in adversity and bad



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times,thesearethetrustworthy,andtheseare

the ones who have taqwa. (Surat al-Baqara,

verse177emphasisadded).

It is clear from the Quran that it is peoples’ behavior,

theiractions,especiallytowardotherhumanbeingsthat

determinewhoismostnobleinthesightofGod.Itisnot

gender,nation,tribe,language,color,geographicregion,

orevenparticular religious denomination orsect. It is

actions that demonstrate taqwa, or awareness, actions

such as spending wealth to improve the conditions of

thosewho are weak and in need, honoring covenants,

andperseveringinadversity.





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Conclusion

TheQuranindicatesthatdifferencesingender,ethnicity,

nationality, language, color, and religion areGod-given

andamongthewondersofcreation,anditcallsonpeople

to recognize and appreciate each other. It informs

humanity that God encompass both the East and the

West,sothatwherevertheyturn,theywillfindtheface

ofGod.Italsotellspeoplethattheyfaceanimportant

test.Thetestofwhoisbestinaction.Inkeepingwithits

self-declarednatureasabookofguidance,theQuranalso

tellspeoplehowtheycanpassthattest.Inspiteofthe

Quran’snotorietyinpopularconsciousness,itseemsfew

people are aware of the clear teachings of the Quran

outline here. Yet they are obvious from a literal and

holisticreadingofthetext.Inconclusion,itisfittingto



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returntochapter5,verse48,whichsumsuptheQuran’s

advicetothevariouscommunities:

li-kullin jaaln minkum shiratan wa minhjan wa

lawsh'aallhla-jaalakumummatanwidatanwa

lkin li-yabluwakum f m tkum fa-astabiq al-

khayrt

Whichmeans:

For each among youwe have ordained a law

andawayofdoingthings.IfGodhadwilled,He

wouldhavemadeyouasinglecommunity.But

he wishes to test youwith thatwhichhe has

given you. So compete with one another in

goodthings….





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Bibliography

Bell,RichardandW.MontgomeryWatt,Introductiontothe

Quran. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,

1977.

Burton,John.TheSourcesofIslamicLaw:IslamicTheoriesof

Abrogation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University

Press,1990.

al-Corentine,AbuYousuf.“TheConceptofAbrogationin

the Quran.” Journal of Religion and Culture (10)

1996,ConcordiaUniversity:63-76.

Denffer,Ahmedvon.Ulmal-Quran:AnIntroductiontothe

Sciences of the Quran. Leicestershire, UK: The

IslamicFoundation,2000

al-Hilali, M.T. and M.M. Khan, Interpretation of the

Meanings of the Noble Quran. (Riyadh: Maktaba

Dar-us-Salam,1996.

Wright, W. A Grammar of the Arabic Language vol. 1-2

Beirut:LibrairieduLiban,1996.



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