COMPARATIVE RELIGION

1. WHAT IS COMPARATIVE RELIGION?

· It is the comparison of two or more religions or deens (ways of life).

· The religions are compared in all aspects, e.g. origins, doctrines, concepts (of God, man, life, death, sin, forgiveness etc.), ways of worship, authenticity of scripture, moral teachings and so on.

2. WHY STUDY COMPARATIVE RELIGION?

· It helps in the evaluation of truth. A person who has read only one novel may think it is the best novel in the world, or that novels are all uninteresting, whereas a person who has read ten novels is in a position to know that some novels are better than others and choose which he thinks is the best based on certain criteria or reasons. He makes an informed and rational choice based on knowledge. Applied to knowledge of religion, it means that a person's faith is strengthened by the knowledge of why he believes it in preference to other religions.

· It is thus a very effective tool of hikmah (wisdom) in da`wah, (Qur'an 16:125). The person who has knowledge of other religions as well as his own is able to conduct meaningful dialogue with non-Muslims. Since he knows the other person's religion well, he does not face embarrassment due to ignorance. On the contrary, he can quote from the other person's scriptures and discuss the other person's beliefs and thereby help the non-Muslim to a better understanding or a new perspective on his beliefs. In some cases this may lead to his ultimate acceptance of Islam.

· It helps one to understand other people's ways of life, and the differing opinions even within other religions (e.g. the different branches of Christianity, Buddhism etc.) and thereby leads to mutual respect and peaceful co-existence.

· It leads to better understanding of Islamic teachings about Ahl al-Kitab and others in the Qur'an and Hadith.

Note: Quotations from other scriptures (such as the Bible) to provide evidence that is acceptable to non-Muslims. A Christian believes his Bible to be “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, so it is one of the best sources of evidence for or against his beliefs. Quoting is therefore for the establishment of proof (“iqaamatul hujjah”). Many great Muslim scholars of the past and present (such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Hamid Al-Ghazzali, Ibn Hazm, Isma’il Faruqi, Jamal Badawi, etc.) have therefore quoted extensively from the Bible (and other religious texts) when defending their arguments.

For a Muslim, the Qur’an and Sunnah are the highest authority and source of truth and guidance. It is therefore not permissible for the Muslim to seek guidance from any other scripture. This is clear from the following hadith:

Jabir bin Abdullah narrated that Umar bin Al-Khattab brought to Allah’s Messenger (r) a copy of the Torah (Jewish Scripture) and said, “Allah’s Messenger, this is a copy of the Torah.” He (r) kept quite and he (Umar) began to read it. The (colour) of the face of Allah’s Messenger (r) underwent a change; whereupon Abu Bakr said “Would that your mother mourn you, don’t you see the face of Allah’s Messenger?” Umar saw the face of Allah’s Messenger and said, “I seek refuge with Allah from the wrath of Allah and the wrath of His Messenger. We are well pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad (r) as Prophet.” Whereupon Allah’s Messenger (r) said, “By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, even if Moses were to appear before you and you were to follow him, leaving me aside, you would certainly stray into error. If (Moses) were alive (now), and he found my prophethood, he would have definitely followed me.” (Tirmidhi, 194; Darimi and Mishkat, 1/20)