Explain the four levels of islam and how they relate to the dimensions of religion outlined in the Hadith of Gabriel.
In Sunnī Islam, the Hadith of Gabriel is the cornerstone of the religion of Islam. The story of the Hadith captures the single, simple beauty that is Islam, describing its core values in an incredibly pure way. When walking from Medina with his followers, Muhammad encounters a man in clean white robes who asks him what religion means and what faith is. Muhammad’s responses allow the ‘dimensions’ of Islam to form into clear succinct values. There are three main dimensions which are Submission (islam), Faith (iman), Doing what is beautiful (ihsan) and the fourth which is a proper understanding of history. In Murata and Chittick’s ‘The Vision of Islam’ it explains how one should deal with Islam's dimensions separately, but understand all along that this is simply a heuristic device. It says ‘The point is that Islam's self-understanding is complex, and that in order to gain the whole picture, we need to develop it a little at a time.’ Furthering that, Louis Komjathy says ‘each of these three religious dimensions is interconnected with the other dimension, like a tree’s roots, branches, and fruit. Being a perfected or complete human being involves an integration of these three dimensions.’
We also must elaborate on these terms and see how these values are not pure without the action, intention and thought, being good. ‘Thus one could say that "submission" is religion as it pertains to acts, "faith" is religion as it pertains to thoughts, and "doing the beautiful" is religion as it pertains to intentions. These three dimensions of religion coalesce into a single reality known as Islam.’ For actions to be wholesome they must have these 3 components to be considered as virtuous. Even If one has right intention and the right understanding, if that is not accompanied by the right action, the action is not wholesome. The Hadith highlights the importance of true and pure faith and the angelic figure of Gabriel speaking to Muhammad signifies the importance of Muhammad in early Islamic times.
The four levels of islam or the four levels of submission identify the importance of the reverence one must show towards God. Firstly, all creatures submitting to their Creator. This is universal and simply applies to everything and everyone. Secondly, the submission of all monotheists to God – those who actively acknowledge God. Thirdly, the submission of all Muslims (those who accept God’s message as revealed to Muhammad) to God. And finally all Muslims who follow God’s practical instructions. We can perhaps question the nature of submission itself questioning whether it implies a hierarchical relationship.
The very act of submission is blurred and it can be argued that submission is founded upon various and different matters. Is it founded upon a great level of respect, or fear, or love, or gratitude? I think perhaps it is a combination of all these things. Through the Hadith, we see the sheer power that God has over mankind. An angel in heavenly, white robes is almost God’s representative in an earthly body. We see how the first level deals with the submission of all creatures submitting to their creator, and this explains that by virtue of existing, we submit to our creator whether or not we believe in him. This is submission in its purest form, a type of inevitable, unquestioned and necessary submission, placing God as a higher being, beyond that which humans can fathom, a being that holds necessary authority over all. Perhaps we could stretch to say that this is a sort of blind, requisite form of faith since we hold a faith in the world and its form, and therefore its creator. However, this could be disputed since this level of submission is all-encompassing and still allows for non-believers who would maintain their lack of faith. The second level of submission is most related to ‘iman’ since it involves the faith that monotheists show towards their one God. They acknowledge God and his power and this all relies on their faith and belief in God as a being and therefore we see how this level of islam connects with the Hadith. All four levels of islam require submission, whether it be to a more inanimate creator or from Muslims to God with whom they connect with. We see how the main 3 dimensions outlined in the Hadith connect with these four levels as they all interlock and fall into the levels of islam.
I think ‘doing the beautiful’ is a more abstract concept, yet it seems to apply to all four levels too. Muhammad says "Doing what is beautiful means that you should worship God as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you." This simple explanation enables us to see how the pure acknowledgment of a perfect being means we submit fully to him and in this way links the Hadith’s message of love and faith to the four levels of islam.
What was revolutionary about the changes that Muhammad brought to the Arab society? Discuss.
Muhammad’s ultimate goal in sixth century Arabia was to bring together all people and form a community founded upon equality, peace, compassion and faith. An online article expresses how positive and dynamic Muhammad’s change was by saying ‘Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) changed the people’s beliefs, their behavior, their customs, and their social norms, and he did so by convincing them with kindness and gentle persuasion. He did not force people to agree with him. He did not resort to a show of strength except when absolutely necessary to protect his people.’
By the time Muhammad was 6, both of his parents had died and he was taken care of by his uncle, the leader of his clan. The orphaning of Muhammad and the subsequent independence he adopted gave him a singular perspective. Since being orphaned he developed a passionate sense of concern for those who are left out of society. Having been orphaned in a very tribal society, the idea of status needed in society made him understand what it feels like to be marginalised. Muhammad was to bear one message to his people, an enormous and heavily controversial message that there is only one god. The unity that he was such an advocate for had staggering implications. One god meant one people. There was to be no more tribal divisions and this prospect of community and equality was revolutionary. In Abul A'la Maududi’s ‘Towards Understanding Islam’ he says ‘In short, one comes across heroes who are expert in one walk of life only. His is the only example where all the excellences have been blended into one personality. He is a philosopher and a seer as well as a living embodiment of his own teachings. He is a great statesman as well as a military genius. He is a legislator and also a teacher of morals. He is a spiritual luminary as well as a religious guide. His vision penetrates every aspect of life. His orders and commandments cover a vast field from the regulation of international relations down to the habits of everyday life like eating, drinking and personal hygiene. On the foundations of philosophy he established a civilization and a culture without the slightest trace of a flaw, deficiency or incompleteness.’ Here it highlights my point that Muhammad brought about revolution in its purest and most peaceful form with his actions speaking as loud as his words. He not only let his followers and the inhabitants of 6th Century Arabia decide for themselves what they believed, he welcomed all to hear his words and he himself unified what was a completely segregated society.
The strong social justice message he delivered was key to exaggerating his non-conformist approach to society. He insisted that all wealth should be distributed equally and fairly and emphasised his longing for a new way of life where everyone was equal. The idea of equality has such a universal appeal and is why Islam spread so rapidly and Muhammad’s changes were so revolutionary. His morals and ideas still have effect and influence people today. His biggest goal was to harmonise culture with one simple and single belief. He offered a vision of solidarity to the divided clans in Medina and the violent tribal divisions that tore through the surrounding towns. But in his spread of Islam, he never challenged the beliefs of other faiths or come across coercive. This fact that he advocated for what he believed in so passionately but in such a peaceful manner shows the compassion he felt for all and showed that his true aim was to unite a divided nation. As the Muslim community grew in Medina a life of simple devotion and ritual developed, a life paradoxically different to what it was prior to Muhammad’s revolutionary message.
‘He made an indelible impression on the hearts of thousands of his disciples by his forceful personality and molded them to his way of thinking. By his iron will he prepared the ground for revolution and directed events into the channels he wanted.’
Discuss the significance of orality in relation to the Quran.
The Quran is the core religious text that Islam is founded upon. The oral nature of Islam as a religion is incredibly significant as it is the basis of the scripture itself. Over the 23 years that Muhammad received revelations, he was made to listen to Angel Gabriel and hear what he was saying in order to understand and develop his understanding of God and what God intended for mankind. Through the Quran, Allah recites his words to humankind and to his followers through beautifully woven Arabic. Muhammad received his revelations in this exact Arabic form, direct from God, and through recitation has passed it down to his followers. “Al-Quran” translates as “the recitation” and this only further exaggerates the importance and significance of orality.
Muslims are required to recite and recall specific verses from the Quran at least five times a day, in their daily prayers through Salah, one of the 5 pillars of Islam. Through praying towards Allah and reciting his verses, one connects with him and submits wholly to him. Repeating verses from the Quran is so important as one is speaking the pure word of God. The significance of orality in the Quran can be seen through Tajwid. Tajwid is the practice of perfecting pronunciation of Arabic and it is specifically important when recalling prayers. The emphasis on the importance of this practice within Muslim society shows that orality and speaking the words of God forms the foundations of the faith itself. The word of God was originally transmitted orally and therefore it should be valued incredibly highly and one should maintain speaking his exact word.
Islamic civilisation was mostly an oral culture, and some of the most important people in the tribe were the poets. The poets linked the tribe to its ancestors and celebrated its old prehistoric values. Muhammad is not a poet however since poets speak through a voice of desire. His voice is not one of desire, it is the word of God. Muslims characterise themselves as those who surrender to God and they set out to preserve and maintain his message. The importance of orality is seen here again since Muslims live their loves according to the spoken word of God, they themselves listen to Muhammad’s words as representative of God’s desires and they therefore live their lives by this.
Orality is equally so important and key, since it allows less room for faulty interpretation. Muslims believe that they must read the Quran in Arabic, otherwise the meanings of the words and God’s messages may become misconstrued, misunderstood, or simply changed.
William Graham says ‘The qur’ānic revelation recognized by Islamic tradition as the first given to Muḥammad, q 96, begins: “Recite in the name of your lord who created.” This signals clearly that the revelations were from the outset meant to be oral repetitions of the revealed word of God himself. The Prophet is quoted in one ḥadīth as saying, “Embellish the recitation (al-qur’ān) with your voices, for the beautiful voice increases the beauty of the Qur’ān” (al-Dārimī, Sunan, 23.33.14; cf. 13). This underscores the centrality of the oral and aesthetic dimensions of the Qur’ān in Muslim tradition.’ Clearly outlined here is the idea that the Quran was a text intended to be spoken and heard, it is a text relying on oral transmission.
The language of the Quran is so clearly designed for speech. It is written in rhyming prose and the effect of this is that it highlights that the Quran is meant to be spoken and read aloud.
As I’ve discussed the oral nature of Islam shapes the religion as a whole and the continued emphasis on the importance of speech in all facets of Islam derives from the Quran and the significance it places on oral transmission.