Equality in Matters of Religion & Spirituality

After this, we take up the discussion on that equality which relates to religious and spiritual affairs. As such, it should be known that although atheists and materialists may be uninformed of the significance of this domain, but in the sight of those who possess a passion for Divine nearness and seekers of ultimate salvation, this domain is much more significant and more worthy of attention than even the worldly life. Furthermore, all praise belongs to Allāh, that even in this domain the Islāmic teaching has fully maintained the balance of the scale of true equality. Firstly and foremost, on the one hand, other religions teach that the revelation of God’s word and the advent of His prophets and messengers has remained specific to distinct nations, and other nations of the world have remained wholly deprived of this magnificent spiritual bounty. For example, the Jewish people do not find any other nation but themselves worthy of this spiritual bounty. Similarly, the Hindus believe that the revelation of the word of God has been confined to only the Arya people and no other country and nation has received any part therefrom. Moreover, in fact, the Christians do not believe in a prophet and messenger, etc., outside of the Children of Israel. Therefore, where all the nations of the world are asserting a monopoly over this spiritual bounty and do not consider any other nation worthy of it, on the other hand, Islām loudly announces the teaching that just as God has extended his material bounties to every nation and country, and has not confined them to any one nation or country; for example, His sun gives light to the whole world, His wind has encompassed the face of the earth equally, His water saturates the whole world, etc., In the same way, God has not confined his spiritual bounties to any specific nation or country either. Instead, He has granted every nation and every country a portion therefrom, because according to the teaching of Islām, the God of this world is not the God of a specific nation or country. As a matter of fact, He is the God of the entire world and all nations. Furthermore, He is such a just and equitable Ruler as He looks upon all creation equally. As such, He states:

“There is no people in the world which has passed, to whom God has not sent a Messenger, so that He may warn them and show them the path of virtue and evil, and show them the pathways to success.”1

These words are so brief, but if one contemplates, hidden beneath them is a magnificent philosophy of spiritual and religious equality, which has declared all the nations of the world equally worthy of God’s attention and placed them on one level. Moreover, it has uprooted the ideology that God is merely the God of the Children of Israel or the God of the Arya people alone, and His eye of love and justice is completely shut to all other nations. Therefore, in the domain of spiritual equality, the first principle established by Islām is that the Divine word, prophethood and apostleship are not specific to any particular nation or country. Instead, in their time, every nation received a portion of this magnificent spiritual bounty, because all nations are created by God and it is far removed from God that like an unjust father, He should grant one son a share and eternally deprive the other.

In this context, the question of the acquisition of salvation and Divine nearness also arises. Most nations have as if asserted a monopoly over matters of the world and the afterlife as well. Declaring a specific racial class worthy of God’s nearness and salvation, they have actually deemed all others as precluded and accursed, to whom the cold breeze of salvation and Divine nearness cannot reach. For example, the Jewish people believe that only an individual from the people of Isrā’īl is deserving of salvation and all other people, irrespective of how virtuous they may be, are the fuel of hell. Similarly, although the Christians have not confined salvation by way of ancestry,2 they have, however, made many religious rights and obligations specific to a particular group known as the priesthood. Therefore, numerous religious affairs and as a matter of fact, even certain social affairs of the Christians cannot be conducted without the intervention of a priest. Similarly, among the Hindus, various religious rights have been declared the sole-heritage of the Brahaman, while others have been deprived. In other words, not only have these nations driven off other nations deeming them impure and vile, but even within themselves whilst accepting the existence of various unpleasant classes in religious matters, they have made the bounties of God specific to various specific classes. However, the mantle of Islām is pure from all such blemishes of favouritism. Rather, just as Islām has established complete equality in worldly rights, similarly, it has not allowed the scales of justice and equality to favour any one group. With relevance to this, a fundamental Qur’ānic verse has already been presented in this discussion:

“O Ye People! Listen well! The most honourable and intimate in the sight of Allāh is he who is more righteous, virtuous and good.”3

In this verse it has been mentioned that in the matter of the acquisition of Divine nearness, there is no distinction of any nation or class. Instead, all white persons and black persons, the big and small, the powerful and weak, men and women, are equal in the matter of the acquisition of Divine nearness and in order to progress only individual righteousness and goodness is needed. In these brief words, God the Exalted has also indicated that if He Who is the King of Kings looks upon everyone equally, and does not give significance to anything other than individual piety and righteousness in granting His nearness, then others should furthermore ensure that they do not make anything except individual qualities the basis of their selection.

Then, in religious affairs and with relevance to recompense, reward and punishment, God the Exalted states:

“Whoso does an atom’s weight of good shall see it, irrespective of his identity (and being from a particular class cannot deprive someone from the fruits of his good deed). Similarly, who so does an atom’s weight of evil shall deal with the consequences (and being from a specific class cannot save him from the outcome of his evil).”4

Then He states:

“And they (that is the Jews and Christians) say, ‘None shall ever enter Heaven unless he be a Jew or a Christian.’ These are their vain desires and is nothing more than a lust. Say, ‘Produce your proof, if you are truthful.’ Nay, whosoever submits himself completely to God, i.e., he truly believes in Him and does good deeds, he shall have his reward from his Lord, irrespective of who he may be. No fear shall come on such people nor shall they grieve.”5

The meaning of this verse is that for the acquisition of salvation and Divine nearness, it is not enough to merely be attributed to Jews or Christians, or any other religion by name. Instead, true belief and good deeds are necessary for salvation and Divine nearness. Hence, anyone who develops both of these two qualities, i.e., true belief and good deeds within himself shall be worthy of recompense and reward irrespective of his national or rational background. This verse indirectly warns Muslims as well that they should not feel satisfied only by virtue of being Muslims, because Allāh has nothing to do with mere names, rather, His sights look towards the underlying truth.

With relevance to the fulfilment of religious obligations, the Holy Prophet(sa) stated:

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“O Ye Muslims! When you gather for the fulfilment of the obligation of Ṣalāt (which is the most significant and respected worship in Islām), when appointing your Imām, the only thing you should take into consideration is who possesses more knowledge of the Holy Qur’ān. Hence, whoever amongst you possesses more Qurānic knowledge should be appointed as your Imām. If a few men among you are equal in their knowledge of the Qur’ān, whoever possesses more knowledge of the Sunnat should be appointed as your Imām. If a few men among you are equal in their knowledge of the Sunnat, whoever migrated in the way of God first should be appointed as your Imām. If they are equal in their migration too, then whoever is eldest among you should be appointed as your Imām. In another narration it is related that any individual from among the Muslims can be their Imām in Ṣalāt and there is no distinction of class. However, the one who is more worthy of being an Imām is he who possesses more knowledge of religion.”7

Therefore, the Holy Prophet(sa) has established true equality in every religious and worldly field and has uprooted every unpleasant tension in society and has reformed both the body and soul. It is this very equality, the like of which, invariably, can be found nowhere else.

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After writing this note on Islāmic equality, once again, we return to our actual subject matter.