What is the Recitation

When we read the Recitation we can clearly see that it is not, like the Bible, addressing us. Rather, it answers specific questions and gives Muhammad commandments for specific situations that happened 14 centuries ago.

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't read it or that it doesn't contain commandments and teachings for us. Rather, understanding enables us to differentiate between mere anecdotes (many with important teachings and warnings concerning all mankind) and Universal Moral teachings.

In this essay I will show why I think when the Recitation addresses "Muminun" (those who accept), God is not referring to everyone who accepts Truth but to a specific community, that of Muhammad and his followers, that existed in 7th century Arabia and doesn't exist anymore, God willing.

A blessed community

You are the best Nation raised from mankind, enjoying what is right and forbidding what is wrong and accepting God. And had the people of the Book accepted, surely would have been good for them. Among them are acceptors, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.

- Recitation 3:110

Here God is talking to the Nation of Muhammad very positively. Obviously, what is said in this verse does not apply to the set of all "Muslims" as they committed many atrocities (killings, massive slave trade, religious discrimination, civil war, etc). Rather, this is talking about the community of Muhammad at his time.

A miracle on itself

The norm across all times and places is that every single community has the exact same proportion of righteous and wicked people. However, in very specific times, this was not true.

One of these times is 7th century Arabia. A prophet, Muhammad, arrived with words from God. They knew Muhammad personally, they understood the exact dialect the Recitation was revealed in, they observed the context in which they were revealed and the expression of the messenger's face with their own eyes.

Even with all that obvious clues, there were still righteous people among the Jews and Christians as their theologies were much more logical and their practices were much more reasonable than that of the polytheists.

Thus, the polytheists communities were voided from their good people and just the deniers (in Arabic, kafirun) remained.

Many pious Jews and Christians joined Muhammad as well, but some of the submitters among them kept their faith.

Even in this incredible time, the Nation of Muhammad was not free from bad people. God threatens hypocrites and those who remain neutral in times of Moral conflict often. This destroys trust, the foundation of any community, so the idea of the Recitation being composed by Muhammad in order to create unity between the Arabs is weakened by these verses.

This state of affairs lead to the Nation of Muhammad having a much higher concentration of just people than a normal community and their rivals had a much lower concentration of good people. Thus, the wars and conflicts that Muhammad and his Nation faced were more "black and white" than usual.

Similar situations that come to my mind are: The first stages of the Protestant reformation, US civil war, WWII and the ongoing culture war (2023).

God put nicknames to the factions of 7th century Arabia: Muhammad and his followers were the Muminun (those who accept), Jews and Christians were the Ahlu Al-Kitabi (people of the Book), the polytheists were the Mushrikeen (those who associate) and the coalitions that formed against the Muminun were called Kafirun (deniers).

The terms "mumin", "mushrik" and "kafir" are not use exclusively for these communities as these nicknames have very important meanings: acceptor, associator and denier respectively.

Marriage

And do not marry associator women until they accept and an accepting slave is better than an associator woman even if she pleases you. And do not marry your women to associator men until they accept, an acceptor slave is better than an associator man even if he pleases you. They invite to the Fire and God invites to the Garden and forgiveness by His permission. And He makes clear His verses for the people so that they may take heed.

- Recitation 2:221

Today are made lawful for you the good things; and the food of those who were given the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And the chaste women from the acceptors and the chaste women from those who were given the Book from before you, when you have given them their payment. Be chaste and not promiscuous and not one who takes friends. And whoever denies acceptance, then surely his deeds are wasted, and he in the Hereafter will be among the losers.

- Recitation 5:5

With the information of the previous section, these two verses make so much sense!

The Muminun were forbidden from inter-marrying with Mushrikeen because they were all evil. Marriage with Kitabis was permissible because there were still good people there.

Now we don't need to answer the question "who counts as Kitabi?". Are Mormons Kitabis? And Catholics? And Sunnis?

None of them are! We can marry with all faiths, including Atheists. Today it is not so clear which faith is right and which faith is wrong. Everyone can be wrong so don't worry about their faith, worry about their heart!

Today Jews don't receive the Book before Muslims, they receive it at the same time, the first time they are introduced to their scripture.

This commandments is just a clear example, many rules in the Recitation just applied to the Muminun and not to us while others are for all mankind.

Death of communities

Or do you say that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Iaacob and the descendants were Jewish or Christian? Say: "Are you better knowing or is God?" And who is more unjust than who concealed a testimony that he has from God? And God is not unaware of what you do.

This was a Nation which has passed away, for it what it earned and for you what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.

- Recitation 2:140-141

As we can see in these verses, God indicates that Abraham and his family were members of a community that died. They were neither Jewish, Christian or Muminun.

Similarly, when Muhammad died, the Muminun lost direct Divine leadership over their community. By the time of the Ummyads, we can't talk about a the Mumin Nation anymore. The best Nation of the world had died.

Coming soon

This post explains a foundational view I have that changes a lot my interpretations of the Recitation. I'm planning to cover why the orientation (qibla) and the timing of connection (salat) do not apply to us and what benefits brought to the Muminun.

See you there, God willing!