What is Islam?

Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Posted by S. M. Faizan Ahmed at 5:43 AM

There can be many meanings of Islam apart from its literal translation. All meanings are interpretations. Hence, Islam is not just one interpretation and each interpretation carries its significant other both within and outside Islamic paradigm. It is through interpretation we access Islam in diverse expressions both at the level of ideas and this-worldly manifestations. Every attempt to read, understand and interpret Islam carries as much opportunities for clarifications as leading us to further obscure trajectories. Yet, such attempts have not stopped, nor do we have any unchallengeable interpretation of Islam. One may ask on this, what is the essence of Islam? Is it the first Kalma, the five basic duties, the Quran, the Hadith, or the followers themselves? The answer is all and none. All because it is through the significance of these that Islam becomes all the more challenging and all the more obscure as each of them have their own position, which cannot possibly be dismissed either from within or outside position of Islamic understanding. And none because there are immense examples of those who do not know the first Kalma, who never followed any of the prescribed duties, who have not read Quran ever in any language, who do not believe in Hadith either, and who are not believers themselves, yet they are Muslims.