ORIGINAL RELIGION VS SELF-STYLED RELIGION
To clear misconceptions and discover the true face of Islam, we need to differentiate between Islam, on the one hand, and Muslims, on the other. We should gauge Muslims based on Islamic teachings and not vice versa.
People often ask me why the understanding of Islam I present to them is different from the picture of Islam they receive from elsewhere. I explain that in the earlier phase of Muslim history, people derived their religion directly from the Quran and the Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet of Islam), so their association with the original Islam remained intact. However, today, self-styled interpretations of the Quran and the Sunnah have gradually placed a veil over the original content of these sources. Thus, the original Islam has been completely obscured from our view, leading to many misconceptions. This is why we witness two different versions of Islam: one that is found in the sources of Islam —the Quran and the Sunnah—and the other that is reflected in the lives of present-day Muslim communities.
One must conceive of Islam purely in the light of the sources of Islam, the Quran and the Sunnah. Moreover, one must refrain from equating the Muslim community with the religion of Islam as contained in its sources. When one does this, one realizes that many misconceptions people have about Islam have nothing to do with Islam. Instead, they are due to the actions of people who call themselves ‘Muslims’.
Islam is a religious ideology, whereas the position of Muslims is determined by the sentiments and conduct of a community. This being so, the student of Islam must not gauge Islam by the personal deviations of the human beings making up the community known as ‘Muslims’. Instead, to see the true face of Islam, one must gauge Muslims in the light of Islamic teachings.
To discover the original message of Islam, one must differentiate between Islam, on the one hand, and Muslims, on the other, and judge Muslims based on Islamic teachings, not vice versa.
Through my writings, interactions, programmes and lectures, I seek to present the true face of Islam based on the Quran and the Sunnah. From this, people can form a more authentic understanding of Islam on issues about which there is much confusion and debate, such as jihad, Muslim militancy, suicide bombings, blasphemy, religious freedom in Islam and the position of women. In this way, they can clarify many misunderstandings.
