109. Can we interpret Islam in any
way we prefer? How open
to interpretation is Islam?

One is to change the accepted norm of religion which have been established by the Quran and the Hadith. For example, if Islam is a monotheistic religion and if someone claims that godhead can by multiple, it is not acceptable. In other words, change of interpretation is not accepted in the matter of the fundamental principles of Islam. For instance, there are five pillars of Islam: namaz (prayer), sawm (fasting), Hajj (annual pilgrimage), zakat (obligatory almsgiving) and shahada (belief in the Islamic creed that there is one God and that Muhammad, pbuh, is the messenger of God). There cannot be any changes in these basic principles.

The other aspect of Islam is where there is possibility of interpretation, for example, the Quran says about those who come to perform the pilgrimage in Makkah:

Call mankind to the Pilgrimage. They will come to you, on foot, and on every kind of lean camel, by every distant track. (Quran 22:27)

In earlier days, people used to tread on camels but after the development of aviation, people started using aeroplanes. This is a reinterpretation of the above Quranic verse, which is allowed.

However, no one gets the permission to interpret arbitrarily – this will have to be preceded by deep study which only a scholar (alim) is qualified to do. A common man can interpret in non-basic matters of religion or matters which do not constitute the core of religion. In matters which are fundamental to religion, we have to listen to the scholars.