The Qur’an is the Book of human values par excellence

The Qur’an is the Book of human values par excellence

By Mr. Mohammed Lahlal

Time again, a minority of persons grabbed the attention of the media by burning copies of the holy Qur’an. We still do not know the real motivations behind this repeatedly heinous act, but what is clear is that this sort of behavior is meant to infuriate Muslims and to express hatred of Islam and disrespect for the feelings of more than a billion and a half Muslims across the world. Unless these persons serve an agenda to stir Muslims to react violently and to sow chaos in Muslim communities and reinforce the clash of civilizations, these hostile attitudes can be ascribed to the fact that many citizens in the west are victims of prejudices and bigotry spread in the media and read about in publications that are full of falsehood and misinterpretations about the message of Islam. The truth seeker in the west, when given time to read the Qur’an and listen to Muslim preachers, he might change his attitude and embrace Islam, or at least show respect for Muslims’ convictions and their sacred Book and Messenger. The Qur’an remains the Book of human values par excellence. In this article I highlight some features of human values that characterize the Qur’an as it is God’s revelation to His Messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who perfectly embodies the human values and urges his followers and all humans to embrace them.

Honoring human beings:

“We have honored the children of Adam” (ch. Al-Isra, 70). God, Exalted be He, created the human being and endowed him with intellect, soul and physical instincts. The human being is the best making of God and he is created for one purpose to worship God and serve as God’s successor delegated to run the affairs on earth according to God’s commands. When man deviates from his duty, God sends His Messengers to remind man of his purpose in life and obligations. The Qur’an and, with more details, the Prophet’s tradition have decreed top human rights: the right to life, right to equality and equity, to freedom of belief, rights of minorities, freedom of thinking and opinion, right to ownership, right to employment, etc. but these rights are enshrined in a way not to transgress the rights of fellow men and to ensure peace, stability, justice, coexistence and cooperation.

Freedom of belief and opinion:

Freedom of belief is an inalienable right in the Qur’an. God Almighty says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error.” (Ch. Al-Baqara, 256). In Islam, belief must be expressed out of conviction and in an environment of free choice, not under coercion or duress. The Qur’an makes it clear even to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that his duty is to call people to God and he has no authority to convert them to Islam. God says: “Had your Lord willed, everyone on earth would have believed. Will you compel people to become believers?”. Freedom of opinion is also hailed in the Qur’an as long as it is honest and truthful, and as we take it for granted that this freedom must be regulated by laws in all legislations so that it does not transgress the freedom and rights of the others, acts such as burning copies of the Qur’an or deriding the sacred symbols of Islam are stark violations of the freedom of expression. If countries that profess democracy are consistent with their ideals, they have to enact laws that prohibit any sort of desecration or defilement of the religious symbols and push for dialogue and peaceful conflict management instead of triggering more bigotry and hostilities.

A message of coexistence and cooperation:

God Almighty says: “O people! We created you from a male and a female, and made you races and communities, that you may know one another.” (al-Hujurat,13). This is God’s message to all people irrespective of their race, color or ethnicity to establish relationships and to better know one another and get rid of all prejudices. One of the hurdles that keep people suspicious and distant from one another is misinformation and disinformation, particularly at this age of open and often unrestrained media platforms. Many conflicts are managed after direct contact between belligerent individuals, groups or nations. When hostilities and misunderstandings dissipate, mutual trust is restored and there is more opportunity then for coexistence and cooperation for the well-being of all sides. This is also a message to the sensible and noble-minded intellectuals to join efforts of establishing dialogue and coexistence between peoples and to highlight the positive benefits of human diversity and moral values.