Big Picture of Capital Transfer from an Islamic Perspective

Whenever you bring together the words "Islam" and "economy", one of the immediate concepts that come to the mind is "interest". And then, the discussion starts revolving around how to establish an Islamic economic system in a world that subsists on interest. I, too, had such talks and went through similar thoughts. At last, I came to a conclusion I was not expecting. In this article, I would like to share with you this conclusion, which comprises not only the interest issue but also the big picture of economics in Islam as I can see as a Muslim. Summarizing my findings, I am also going to present a simple figure, which I think will be helpful in analyzing further issues. God knows best.

First things first. I am not a professor of economy nor a scholar of Islamic sciences, but a Muslim who enjoys and embraces critical thinking as a way of worship, because critical thinking is exactly what we are told to do by Allah in the Quran. My interactions with people of different years of age and of various backgrounds helped me deepen and broaden my quests into the matters of faith and religion. In turn, I have shared my findings with people to be among those who help each other on the path of God. This adventure eventually brought me to the topic of "interest" in Islam. 

I thought about why interest is forbidden, how Islam ensures timely payment of debts without requiring the push of interest, what mechanisms the Islamic banks use and whether those mechanisms are really justifiable within Islam, how come accepting interest according to the inflation level is ok, etc. And I realized that I am getting lost in an ocean. Then, I felt that I am using the wrong tools in analyzing the problem. When Quran was revealed, though, and when Muhammad (pbuh) lived, such things did not exist. Modern theory of economics and the globally interacting economical systems arose only within the past few centuries. Therefore, a new set of tools was necessary to see what is Islamic and what is not. With that, I changed the way I looked at things, which eventually led to the figure below. This figure is both the map and conclusion of this article, as I will discuss now.

Before anything else, it is also necessary to remember that when something is forbidden by God, Muslims abstain from it, not because of its worldly harms but, because it is the order of God. So, whether you can understand the wisdom behind it or not, you do so because of your submission to God. Even if that thing does not have any harms, you still avoid it, because God says so. However, life is not that simple always. As conditions evolve through the centuries, what is and is not forbidden may not be as distinct as before, and you may feel the need to have a good enough tool to see through the uncertainties. This is where critical thinking becomes handy, and this is also where the above figure comes into the scene.

You see, economy is not just about interest. In fact, interest is only one of the many concepts that comprise economy. So, it is important to form a map of these concepts and their interactions in a rational manner that is also in agreement with the Quran and Sunnah. Then, what are the major concepts that make up economy? 

Economy is all about transfer of different kinds of capitals among people through lawful or unlawful means. In the modern theory of economics, the capitals that people value and transfer are broadly categorized as Financial Capital, Manufactured (Physical) Capital, Natural Capital, Social Capital, Human Capital. Let's see briefly what these are. 

Financial capital is simply the money and similar assets. Manufactured capital consists of the infrastructure and the machinery useful for producing goods and services. Natural capital is what is available under and above ground for producing economic value. Connectivity among people and the activity of those connections comprise the social capital. Last but not the least, human capital is the potential carried by the humans in terms of education, intellect and emotion. These brief definitions I presented here are important to digest the next step, which is about the tranfer of these capitals.

Since the invention of money, economic value of each of these five capitals is expressed in terms of money. This is similar to the common unit of Joule for various kinds of energies in physics. So, money is a tool to determine the relative value of something compared to others. Knowing the relative value of each economical item facilitates the exchange of capitals among people and other economical actors such as companies. 

Exchange of capitals is the essence of trade, which is an allowed transaction in Islam and promoted by the messenger of God. However, interest, which is a kind of trade according to some, is not allowed in Islam. In order to distinguish what makes trade trade and what separates interest from trade, it is necessary to figure out the different dimensions underlying these, and other, economical transactions. What are these transactions? 

The listing and classification can be made initially according to what is licit and acceptable versus what is illicit and unacceptable. The first group includes trade, debt, charity, war booty. The second group includes interest, bribe, theft, gambling. However, studying this list and the explanations in the Quran, we realize two other concepts that fall into the unacceptable group: show and abuse. These ten concepts in total make up the big picture of economics according to Islam, and there are some common factors that can be seen upon analysis of the whole set in the light of the teachings from the Quran and Sunnah.

First Factor: Intention

"Trade, interest, bribe, theft and gambling" are what they are regardless of your intention. Your intention in doing them does not affect the status of the transaction. "Charity versus show", "war booty versus gambling" and "debt and abuse" are transactions that depend on the intention, unlike the first group. For example, whether you made charity or show depends on your intention. Whether a war is jihad or gamble, hence licit or illicit, depends on the motivating reason and intention in the war. Consequently, collecting the goods of the enemy after a war can be war booty and halal, or gamble earn and haraam, again depending on the status of the war. Finally, loaning money to someone, for example, can be a temporary transfer of capital from person to person, which is licit, but it could mean oppression if this loan is accompanied by abuse of the situation of the debtor.

Second Factor: Redistribution of Capitals

"Trade, charity, debt and war booty sharing" are the allowed transactions that lead to accumulation and redistribution of wealth through licit ways, hence economic activity, whereas the rest do the same through illicit and unethical means. 

Third Factor: Risky Effort

"Trade, theft, bribe, gambling and war booty" involve risky efforts, be them licit or illicit, whereas "interest, debt, charity, show and abuse" involve no such efforts. For example interest is a guaranteed increase in wealth. Debt is not an investment, because the loaned amount is replaced at the due time. Charity is a give-away without expectations. Show also is the same as charity from an economic stand point. Abusing the situation of the debtor psychologically or economically again is identical of blackmailing.

Fourth Factor: Exchange

"Trade, charity, show, interest and bribe" involve bilateral transfer of capitals, whereas the others are unilateral transfer of capital. For example, trade involves exchange of money in return of goods and services. Charity means a financial capital increase for the beneficiary, whereas it engenders happiness for the benefactor, hence a human capital increase. Interest is an exchange of money and time, which can be interpreted as exchange of financial and natural capitals. Bribe is an illicit act of exchanging financial capital for social capital, since it allows circumventing the barriers due to social constructs, e.g. laws. 

Fifth Factor: Limit

"Trade, interest, debt and theft" have either an exchange of certain amounts or a focus. Namely, trade involves a price for every good and service. Interest is an amount of money for a certain amount of time allowance. Debt is given and taken at the same amount. Thieves don't take everything; rather they target certain things or things of a certain quality. "Charity, bribe, war booty and gambling" involve no limits.

Given these five factors, the big picture of economy is obtained as I showed before, and am giving once again here to facilitate re-thinking. Note that the term charity includes not only zakaat and sadaqah (alms giving) but also other transactions such as mahr and inheritance. This can be inferred through the classification made about charity; it is an exchange of capital without limits and risky efforts. The transactions written in blue are the ones that are licit, and those in dark green are the illicit ones. You can consider this figure as the analog of Periodic Table in chemistry. Of course, this figure that I came up with is not necessarily the only nor the definitive word on the matter, but can shed light on certain issues and help develop better models. 

Verses from the Quran on the Issue:

Those who take unlawful interest will stand before God (on the Day of Judgment) as those who suffer from a mental imbalance because of Satan's touch; they have said that trade is just like unlawful interest. God has made trade lawful and has forbidden unlawful interest. One who has received advice from his Lord and has stopped committing sins will be rewarded for his previous good deeds. His affairs will be in the hands of God. But one who turns back to committing sins will be of the dwellers of hell wherein he will live forever. (2/275)

Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever. (2/276)

O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. (2/278)

And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged. (2/279)

O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful. (3/130)

O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful. (4/29)

And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah , is [always] easy. (4/30)

And [for] their taking of usury while they had been forbidden from it, and their consuming of the people's wealth unjustly. And we have prepared for the disbelievers among them a painful punishment. (4/161)

And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah - those are the multipliers. (30/39)

They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit." And they ask you what they should spend. Say, "The excess [beyond needs]." Thus Allah makes clear to you the verses [of revelation] that you might give thought. (2/219)

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. (5/90)

Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist? (5/91)

O you who believe! do not go near prayer when you are Intoxicated until you know (well) what you say, nor when you are under an obligation to perform a bath-- unless (you are) travelling on the road-- until you have washed yourselves; and if you are sick, or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth, then wipe your faces and your hands; surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. (4/43)

And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion - the day when the two armies met. And Allah , over all things, is competent. (8/41)

And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveler - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. (59/7)

For the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their properties, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] approval and supporting Allah and His Messenger, [there is also a share]. Those are the truthful. (59/8)

Two Edges of the Day

"I thought you fell off the edge of the earth" is an expression I am fond of. It couldn't be more pictorial and embodiment of its figurative meaning. Now, imagine sitting, not at the edge of the planet but, at the edge of a cliff, your legs hanging down, watching the light of the day break into the darkness... All shades of night blue, red and yellow display their glorious beauty, leaving you in awe. And the sun enters the scene, spreading bouquets of energy for the day...

And imagine sitting on the opposite side of the same cliff towards the evening. Watching the fade of the sunlight through countless tones of yellow and red, you feel the loss of a loved one, engulfed in feelings of abandonement and solitude. And the night sets all around. As if peeking at an endless ocean through the window of a ship cabin, you watch the endless heavens. The sound of the crickets bring you back to the now and here. You are alone atop a lonely cliff surrounded by nothing but darkness. Scared by the uncertainty, longing for company, you take out the Quran from your backpack, turn on your led light and read:

                I swear by the early hours of the day, And the night when it covers with darkness.
                Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased.
                And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before.
                And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased.
                Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? 

                And found you lost, and guided (you)? And found you poor, and made you rich?
                So, as for the orphan, do not oppress, And as for him who asks, do not repel,
                And as for the favor of your Lord, do announce.
                                                                                                                                Chapter 93

With a careful look, the triplets in this chapter and the correspondance among them draw your attention:

First triplet: 

- Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased.

- And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before.
- And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased.

Second triplet:

+ Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?
+ And found you lost, and guided (you)? 

+ And found you poor, and made you rich?

Third triplet:

* So, as for the orphan, do not oppress, 

* And as for him who asks, do not repel,
* And as for the favor of your Lord, do announce.

It is interesting that the first lines of these triplets can be combined into a different group. The same can be done for the second and the third lines. As you will see, although the main addressee in these verses is the prophet Muhammad, the underlying lessons can be generalized.

First combination:

- Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased.

+ Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?

* So, as for the orphan, do not oppress, 

This first combination of verses is about the psychology of an orphan and how to treat them. However, God is not just telling His messenger what to do, but also reminding the way He treated Muhammad pbuh when he was still an orphan child. To grasp the lesson here, it is necessary to remember a few things. An orphan is someone who, in their babyhood or childhood, lost either of the parents or both of them. So, mentally and psychologically, the notion of a stable home and a safe ground is absent in their world. To avoid the feeling of not having a safe ground, they have a subconscious urge to make themselves loved. They are more likely to blame themselves for the things that don't work in a friendship or in the family life. For a person of such sensitivity, even the silence of a close person can be worrisome or even devastating, although the same situation may not mean anything to other people. So, one has to be more careful when dealing with the orphans. 

Second combination:

- And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before.

+ And found you lost, and guided (you)? 

* And as for him who asks, do not repel,

This second combination of verses is about someone who is in search of truth and a safe ground. The more you search after the truth the closer you get to it; or perhaps the broader is your comprehension of the great truth in your existence and in the existence of the universe. This quest takes you through life experiences with many people. You ask them, you share with them, you discuss with them. Not too many of these people, though, are apt to this quest. So, you may feel thrown here and there in your journey to truth. But in the end, when you look back, you feel wholeheartedly that it was all worth it. With this lesson in your mind, if someone who is in search of truth comes to you, treat them in the best manner possible, for you have been treated by your Lord in the best way possible in your own search for truth.

Third combination:

- And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased.

+ And found you poor, and made you rich?

* And as for the favor of your Lord, do announce.

In this last combination, we see someone who is needy and is in search of the means to meet those needs. Being needy and staying so for a long time impacts a person not only physically but also psychologically. There are two ways to look at this. 

For the first, imagine yourself fasting on hot, long summer days. You feel a hunger and a thirst that feels unquenchable. But, when the time to break the fast comes, you quickly feel satisfied. Similarly, in these verses, the All Wise Creator reminds us that our needs that may seem mountainous, but they are not really so. The Devil, however, pushes us to the opposite conviction so as to cause deviation in our actions. So, it is essential to keep in mind that our needs are important and essential for us, but the extent and magnitude of our needs are not as large as we feel.

For the second perspective, just look at these verses as they are. God tells that He is going to give so abundantly so that you are going to be well pleased. As a proof, He tells His grace in the past. So, clearly and most certainly, He is going to do it again. And when that day comes, He wants you to do what you naturally would do: announce your happiness to everybody. After so much time of poverty and uncertainty, when you find abundance and safety, you feel joy and happiness to the smallest bit of your existence, and you feel like telling about it. In this joy, it is important not to forget the fact that it is God who gave you those means. So, you should tell about His grace and wisdom, and you should help others so that they can also feel the same experience and see God's grace.

In all these three situations, whether you want to survive the crushing weight of time or you want to empathize with the others or you just want to contemplate the journey you had in you life, watching the sunrise and the sunset in solitude can be helpful by virtue of the feelings they evoke in the spirit. 

All Your Fault - 3

Allah tells in the Quran that if this had been the word of someone other than Him, there would be discrepancies in it (4/82). This statement is at the same time a criterion for extracting meanings from the Quran that are not explicitly mentioned in it. That is, anything you claim in the name of God must be consistent with the entirety of the Quran. Only by looking at a single verse and claiming something based on that is not enough to authenticate that meaning. Worse, without looking at any Quranic verse and claiming something in the name of God just because it sounds logical or because it is how it should be in your opinion is completely baseless. So, trying to resolve a complication must involve ideas that are consistent with the entirety of the Quran.

Coming to our issue about who to blame for all the evils befalling a person, telling spiritual words and escaping rational inquiry is unacceptable, because in nowhere Allah approves of such practice. On the contrary, He constantly  invites both the believers and the disbelievers to think rationally. Accordingly, what is done in the second episode is finding an explanation to the verse 4/79 that is consistent with the entirety of the Quran and is compatible with the reason and heart. Once this basis is established, the four explanations that are provided in the first episode can be used as supplementary comments on the issue. 

The conclusion we arrived at about 4/79 was that all events can be perceived as good, if the subject person can see the hand of God or feel His company throughout the events. And this perception of good is through God. Once that tie is severed or if seeing the hand of God or feeling His company is difficult for the person, than an atmosphere of solitude settles on the psyche of the individual, which multiplies the burden; and this state is from the self. As you see, according to this interpretation, there is no blame on the individual about the evils ailing them. However, they are alerted about the different perspectives, which have the potential to burden them psychologically, and are invited to the ones related to God. 

This change of perspective, it should be noted, may not be that easy, though. The intensity of the situation and the emergency of the needs may hinder rational approaches. This is why the believers are described as those who suggest each other the truth and patience (3/200, 103/3). This kind of mutual support has the dimension of spirituality in it, which can fill in the time gap necessary to calm down and rationalize the events.

The last point we left the discussion was that why the Islamic scholars could not, or did not, think about this solution, when it is not that revolutionary or novel. To see this, we are going to compare the two readings of the same verse, i.e. the classical one and the one presented in this series.

According to the classical reading, as God is talking to the prophet, He suddenly interrupts the talk and tells a word of wisdom, which is "anything good is from Him, anything bad is from the self". Then, God continues His talk with the prophet. About this, the scholars say that, it cannot be the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who is blamed of mistakes, because he is the messenger of God, and is supported by God in his actions. Furthermore, if the prophet is faulty in some of his deeds or interactions with people, then this becomes a flaw in the representation of the divine mission. If the teacher is faulty, how can you expect the students to be perfect? Accordingly, it doesn't make sense that God addresses the prophet Muhammad in this verse, where He exclusively connects the mistakes of a person and the evils befalling them. Then, God must be giving his messenger a lesson to be conveyed to every single person: your mistakes are the root cause of the misfortunes troubling you. And this message is not an announcement to a group of people. It is an individual address, where the second singular person is used. 

Now let's see the meaning of 4/79 through the perspective we formed in the previous episode. Since in the previous verse, God explicitly tells that all that is good or evil in our perspective comes from Him, this verse must be talking about how we perceive things. Therefore, the intention here is not to burden someone with the responsibility of evils befalling them. Rather, the attention is drawn to the role of self in how we perceive things. And so, God admonishes us to look at life events through His light so that we can see the goodness. This reminder is done in the second singular person to the prophet Muhammad, because he, too, is a human being and he is also subject all human conditions including the psychological and neurological aspects. So, he, too, must be reminded of this fact so that he can become a perfect role model for the people. After all, a messenger who is not subject to the same challenges as his people could not become a true example and teacher. The fact that God addresses in this verse individually is a way of saying "look at me! you are not alone here and I am with you; focus on your duty and never mind what is not in your hand but is in my hand."

If you compare the two interpretations, first of all, we saw that the first one leads to a discrepancy (first episode) but the second doesn't (second episode). Beyond that, the first one, which is the classical interpretation by the scholars, portray a figure of Muhammad that is free of humanly weaknesses. He is described as a perfect being, free of mistakes. The second interpretation, on the other hand, considers the prophet Muhammad as a human being with all the associated weaknesses and challenges. Accordingly, unless he is explicitly informed by God about something or supported through a special treatment, prophet Muhammad can exhibit the same states any other human can, such as happened when his wife Khadijah died or towards the end of the battle of Uhud.

The second observation above is a red line for the scholars. When the discussion is about whether the prophet is human-like or god-like, the scholars clearly take the position on the human side. But when you follow logically through this, they start perfecting the prophet so much so that he becomes super-human. That is, the messengers of God are flawless and perfect individuals so that they can be excellent examples to the people. Otherwise, if the messengers have mistakes and weaknesses, their messengership would become flawed and the disbelievers would have an excuse not to believe. As a side note, this is the same reason that some scholars reject the fact that Moses (pbuh) had a speaking defect; but this is not the topic here. In short, the underlying reason for the classical interpretation of 4/79 is the scholars' axiom of perfection regarding the messengers of God.   

Just to remind, the understanding proposed in this series does not necessarily say that the prophet is making mistakes that cause troubles for him later; rather,  it says that the prophet's perception of events and the subsequent emotional states can become a challenge for him, regardless of him having done any mistake. So, this discussion is not really about a prophet who has his own mistakes, but who must monitor the way he considers the life events. 

Of course, when you put it this way, you may hear sharp criticism from the scholars to defend their position, and they list cases from the Quran where God criticizes the prophets for their mistakes, including Muhammad (pbuh). But when you want to progress on that fact, the scholars return to their classical discourse: "the mistakes of the prophets are mistakes for their level, but not like what we consider as mistake for ourselves. Their mistakes would be virtuous acts for us. So, you cannot really build a conclusion on their being mistaken. Such effort itself would be a mistake." Why are they so sensitive on the issue? What aren't they comfortable with a messenger figure who is not necessarily as perfect as they think? After all, mistake-free messengers cannot be perfect examples for the mistake-prone people. Why is it so hard to accept the fact that the messengers have their own humanly weaknesses and challenges, unless supported by a divine intervention?

Here are a few ideas I have as an answer. One, when you open the door to accepting the prophet as a human being like us, then some can proceed to producing no matter what about the prophet, thereby unjustly undermining the foundaitons of faith. In order to avoid such baseless and disrespectful actions, the scholars may have chosen to elevate the prophet's status.

Another reason for perfecting the prophet could be the interaction with the members of the other faiths where the messenger has already been perfected above human levels. For example, if you are in a psychology to compete with a Christian, for who Jesus is a divine figure free of mistakes and deficiencies, how can you do so with the figure of a prophet who is only human? But this mindset is clearly misguided.

Last but not the least, when the Islamic scholars were building a body of jurisdiction that deals with virtually all aspects of life, they needed a hierarchy of knowledge. In this hierarcy, Quran was at the top, naturally. Second in the line was the prophet Muhammad, again naturally. So, in order to defend a jurisdiction on the status of a given action, you need unshakeable grounds. So, bringing the actions of the prophet to question by virtue of being a human does not serve to that end. But of course, this kind of tendency emerged after some time following the death of the prophet, when the mentioned efforts became most prevalent.

God knows best.

LINKS FOR FURTHER READING:

Chosen from among us Humans

Adjusting your Voice

Peace on the Messenger

Theory of Everything in the Quran

Not Before You My Dear

To Praise or not to Praise the Messenger

First Believers to the Prophets

All Your Fault - 2

In the first part of this article, I introduced a verse from the Quran (4/79), which -according to the scholars- tells that all of the evil that happens to a person is due to their fault. Then, I explained in detail why this interpretation of the mentioned verse causes emotional and rational troubles. Here in the second episode, I want to do two things through a critical analysis of the mentioned verse. One, I want to discuss the root causes leading to the problematic interpretation. Two, I would like to arrive at an understanding of the same verse that is more compatible with reason and heart.

Before anything else, it is useful to see the context in which this verse sits. So, let's read it once again with the verses preceding and following it.

"Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to them, they say, 'This is from Allah'; and if evil befalls them, they say, 'This is from you.' Say, 'All are from Allah.' So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?" (4/78) 

"What comes to you of good is from Allah , but what comes to you of evil is from yourself. And We have sent you to the people as a messenger, and sufficient is Allah as Witness." (4/79) 

"He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah ; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian." (4/80) 

"And they say, "[We pledge] obedience." But when they leave you, a group of them spend the night determining to do other than what you say. But Allah records what they plan by night. So leave them alone and rely upon Allah. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs." (4/81)

The first impression from reading these verses, even without a knowledge of deep Arabic language, is that God is talking directly to the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in these verses. This is indicated by the fact that the "you" in all these verses is in the 2nd singular form, be it in the words of the disbelievers or in the words of God. Then, the very first question to ask is "why would anyone make an interpretation regarding all of humanity in the middle of a talk that is involving the prophet directly and addressing the prophet directly." Unless this question is answered satisfactorily, the famous troublesome meaning can not be accepted as a valid one, let alone being used as a timeless lesson!

Of course, throughout the Quran, similar situations arise sometimes, and the believers are invited by God to take lessons from His dealing with the prophet (33/21). However, taking lessons requires a rational thought process that is consistent with the explicit pillars established in the Quran (4/82).

Second issue is that in 4/78, God implies that all events are from Him, be them good or bad in our perspective. But in the 4/79, according to the translations, He says that the good ones are from Him and the bad ones are from the prophet. This just doesn't make sense. So, it is necessary to look at the Arabic original. Not surprisingly, in 4/78, God uses "min indillah", whereas in 4/79 He uses "min Allah - min nafsik". These contrasting usages indicate a nuance between the meanings of these two verses. Perhaps, resolving this issue can help get rid of the rational and emotional complications caused by the traditional interpretation.

Now, let's think about the nuance mentioned in the above paragraph. The former usage in 4/78 refers to an ownership about the creation of all events and the design connecting them. The latter usage in 4/79, however, refers to a location or perspective. So here, God does not refer to a responsibility issue; rather, He refers to a perspective. Accordingly, everything and every event is created by God (4/78), but whether we consider them as good or bad is on us (4/79). When we believe in God and trust Him in no matter what happens, it is as if we see Him and feel a sense of belonging, which seeds and inculcates happiness. So, this notion has the potential to transform everything to "good" in our perspective, and is "through God". 

When this perspective is lost, on the other hand, that is when we feel that we are on our own in the face of life events, we psychologically become a "risk detector", and that converts life into a struggle against enemies. This evil state is due to our loss of connection to God in our thoughts and perceptions, hence the phrase "all evil from your self". However, when the person is enlightened with the knowledge of the future, including the afterlife, then they may change their view of the things.  

Applying this understanding to the case of the prophet explained in 4/78-81, we see the following. In 4/79, the prophet is told that the good in his view are reflective of the blessings of God, whereas the evil in his view is an artifact of his self, a situation due to being limited in time and space. That is, what looks like evil is only so due to the limited perspective of the self. This view is consistent with the verses we are studying, and is acceptable as a "lesson taught by God to the prophet", which can be generalized to all humans and be passed on to other generations as a timeless lesson.

You may think that we have resolved the complications due to the misinterpretation of the verses at hand. But there is yet another complication to be resolved, which can shake the conclusions we have made so far, if left untouched. As you may have realized, the analyses and comments presented above are not that revolutionary. They are not unknown to the Islamic scholars, either. Why, then, did they insist on preaching that "all evil is due to yourself" as a matter of actual responsibility rather than that of perspective?  

All Your Fault - 1

One of the Islamic teachings that bothered me emotionally and intellectually is that whatever good happens to you, it is from God, and whatever evil happens to you, it is from yourself. Those who adhere to it and spread it through their talks, sermons and articles reference a verse from the Quran that identically translates as such. Recently, though, I happened to be reading those verses, and it occurred to me that we could be doing a grave mistake by embracing that teaching as is and passing it on to others.

"What comes to you of good is from Allah, but what comes to you of evil is from yourself." (4/79)

Two other verses that can be quoted in the same context are the following:

"And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much." (42/30)

"Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy." (12/53) 

Before going into the critical analysis of the interpretation of the referenced verses, let me first share why this notion of "all your fault" has troubled me. Think of the children in a poor country, where tribal wars have left many orphans, where environmental pollution is abundant due to the waste disposal by the wealthy developed countries. These children grow up deprived of a parental care, and are exposed to conditions that are going to cause major health defects in the long run. They are cut from the humain conditions that are more fit to the human dignity. It is obvious that these children are living in hell. Is this their fault? 

Think of a child, whose both parents have been fired from their jobs due to false accusations and are imprisoned unjustly. One of the parents, after being freed on parole, tries to find a job, but is severely and humiliatingly rejected everwhere. Following years of such hostility and the untouched status of the wrongdoers, this parent falls prey to chronic depression and commits suicide. The poor child, one parent lost in this way and the other in prison, is clearly in a miserable state. Is this that child's fault?

Examples can be extended even to the messengers of God and the first believers with them. Imagine the oppressions they have been put through. Can you say that they deserved that kind of evil treatment because of their own faults? 

These examples must have made my point clear. Anyone with a heart and human conscience would feel heartwrenched in the face of these misfortunes, and would not even think of blaming the victims in these examples. Then, naturally, you seek a rationally satisfactory answer. Maybe there is an explanation to the above-quoted verses that justifies these situations in ways we cannot comprehend. Or maybe the existing perspective is wrong and the lessons from the same verses could and should be completely different.

When you raise objections due to the logical consequences of this "all your fault" teaching, you see a host of explanations and defenses. Without any classification, they contain a combination of the following. After each one, I am going to write a few critical comments:

1. "This life is an examination and we have to be patient in the face of misfortunes. The challenges we face are atonement for our sins so that we may prosper in the afterlife." This explanation feeds from the notion that the misfortunes are due to your self and your actions, as indicated in 4/79 and in 42/30. However, two immediate objections c/an be due to the innocent people as I told in the above examples and due to another verse (8/25) that clearly warns against a misfortune that doesn't strike exclusively the wrongdoers. That is, God Himself says that even if you are not a wrongdoer, you can be hit by a misfortune. There are other verses to this end, as well. Furthermore, there are verses stating that God may not punish the evil acts promptly or can let it pass with impunity in this world (35/45). So, yes, this life is an examination and we have to be patient in the face of whatever befalls us (31/17). But this notion is not sufficient to clarify the complications raised due to the quoted verses. 

2. "Creating evil and earning evil are not the same. It is God who creates everything, but it is the humans that are responsible for the consequences of their actions." This same explanation is also given in context of discussions around the topic of destiny and free will. In and of itself, this explanation has some merit in that it points out the fact that we, humans, are not the center of the universe, and so things don't have to be optimized according to our comfort. In other words, God is not our servant; rather, He is the master of the creation, who is also considerate of us, humans. He set the rules of the game, and we are responsible of the consequences, be them in this world or in the hereafter. So much so good in context of the destiny and free will. However, as I explained in the first point, not everything that befalls us is directly linked to our willful actions, such as in the case of the children in the examples above.

3. "God actually is preparing those individuals for the future rewards both in this world and in the hereafter." This explanation carries a notion of compassion and wisdom, although their manifestations may be in forms that are not comely to our comfort. So, it points at the fact that you must trust your Lord no matter what befalls you, which is another meaning of having faith in God. Again, although this explanation has a merit in its own context, and can be backed up through verses from the Quran (e.g. 18/60-82), it does not really explain the explicit language in the above-mentioned verses that blames the individuals for the evils ailing them.

4. "Those misfortunes could be avoiding even worse situations that could potentially happen." In this life, sometimes we want to achieve certain things like wealth, fame, success, but we don't know whether such achievements would lead us away from God and make us forget about the examination that is this life. In this case, God, who is not bound by time, may not give us the results as we would like them or when we would like them. Rather, He may hold them until we mature in our faith so that when He grants the expected results, we can employ those achievements as instruments to commit good deeds. However, until that point in life, things would look rather ugly, since no matter what you do, it seems that you can't get anywhere in life. Still, though, it is possible that you are never allowed by God to get to that point of achievement in this life due to weaknesses in your character or faith, and the lack of expected results despite your concentrated and consistent actions becomes a challenge for you. If you are patient, God can reward you in the afterlife, but here, you see nothing. Both cases can be discussed in more detail, and this kind of explanation has got its own merit. Among the four points discussed here, perhaps this last one is the closest one to giving a satisfactory explanation, because you can feel that what seems to be evil in the short run can actually be a manifestation of grace in the long run. Still, though, how can you explain the situation of the children who have done nothing wrong?

Considering all of the above, what could be a rationally, and if possible emotionally, satisfactory explanation for this intriguing verse from the Quran?

"What comes to you of good is from Allah, but what comes to you of evil is from yourself." (4/79)

Second Addendum to the Case of Polyandry

Although not directly related to the case of polyandry, an important issue that relates to several other problems and misconceptions is the "stoning to death for adultery". In this addendum, we are going to discuss whether this application is Islamic or not.

Stoning to death as a penalty for adultery is termed as rajm in the Islamic literature. Here, I am not going to go into the details of this practice but will simply show that it contradicts the teachings in the Quran.

First, it is necessary to indicate that there is no differentiation in the Quran between fornication and adultery. The former, in English, refers to the sexual intercourse between partners, both of which are completely unmarried, whereas the latter refers to the case where at least one of the partners is married to someone else. Common to the both cases is that the partners in the act are not married to each other. The term in the Quran for such acts is zina', without a distinction for the marital status of the involved individuals. This is an important point, because the Muslim scholars do distinguish between fornication and adultery, and the interpretation of the Quran in this matter is made according to this distinction. Regardless, not only is there no explicit support of rajm in the Quran but also is there evidence against it.

Now, let's see what is instructed by God in the holy Quran:

"And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death takes them away or Allah opens some way for them. And as for the two of you who are guilty thereof, punish them both. And if they repent and improve, then let them be. Lo! Allah is ever Accepting of repentance, Merciful." (4/15-16)

"The woman and the man guilty of zina (adultery or fornication),- flog each of them with a hundred stripes..." (24/2)

In the classical interpretation, it is said that the first verses came, placing an injunction on the matter, but the latter one abrogated the first. In both cases, though, rajm is not mentioned. It is just said that the actors in the matter must be punished. The fact that God mentions repentance and recovery immediately afterwards is further evidence that the punishment cannot be an irreversible one such as rajm but must be a correctional one.

It is interesting that in the aforementioned verses, different nouns are used related to the matter. The first one is fahishatan, the underlined word in 4/15, and is translated as indecency, but in practice refers to inappropriate openness visually or to immoral affairs between men and women. The second one is where zina (adultery) is uttered explicitly. Here, we need to establish a logical and etimological relationship in order to make sense of these verses.

"And come not near unto adultery (zina). Lo! it is an abomination (fahishatan) and an evil way." (17/32)

 First of all, every fahishah is not zina, but every act of zina is fahishah. As a matter of fact, the first verses above (4/15-16) are prescribing an action against fahishah, whereas the second one (24/2) does the same for zina specifically. And if you think about the classical stance about proving zina, where four witnesses are required, it really doesn't make sense. No Muslim with sanity and conscience commits adultery in a situation where four individuals are watching! But, other forms of explicitness may be committed, and it would entail penalty as in 4/15-16, which is not rajm, because it is supposed to be a corrective action per instruction of the One who is accepting of repentance and is merciful.

Another logical consistency check is necessary in order to refuse a narration that is supportive of rajm. It is narrated in some traditions from notable companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that there was a verse about rajm in the Quran, but was omitted. Without a need for who and how, this kind of tradition strikingly contradicts with what Allah promises in His holy book:

"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian." (15/9)

God makes a promise to protect His book. So, claiming that a verse about rajm was somehow excluded due to humans' mistakes means that the promise made in the holy book was not kept. Such an illogical claim cannot be made by anyone who reads, thinks and acts upon the Quran. 

As a side note, some others claim that the mentioned verse about rajm was excluded from the Quran by the revelation from God (abrogation), but that its injunction was meant to remain valid permanently. Without going into detail, this claim can be refused based on the following:

1. If something is not explicitly told in the Quran, Allah has forgiven it from humans; hence, no conclusive claims can be made about them. (5/101-102)
2. This matter is one of argument among the Muslim scholars. If something is vague enough to be a matter of argument, how can it be an order of God?
3. The claim that "its text has been removed but its injunction is permanent" is also a formula produced by the Islamic scholars, and it has no support from the Quran. 

So, it is clear that rajm is not supported by the Quran. Then, we need to come to terms with the injunction of rajm by the words of the prophet. Why, if it is not in the Quran, did he enjoin this punishment for adultery? In order to explain this situation, it is helpful to, first, look at other similar cases. 

A most exemplary one is the prohibition of making statues and pictures. Although there is no such prohibition in the Quran, Prophet Muhammad pbuh talked very strictly against this practice. And in fact, when you think about it, it makes sense, because the Arabs of the time were idol worshippers, and had been so for generations. In order to defeat this practice that had deep roots in people's minds and, instead, inculcate worship of one God without intermediaries, he had to implace such precautions. This is the same thing as avoiding the triggers in order to break the harmful addictions.

Another similar case is the playing of musical instruments and singing. Although not as strict as the previous case, you can find a disapproval of these in the words of the prophet. And in fact, when you think about it, you see that the Arabs at that time had been heavy drinkers in the company of singers and dancers. So, singing was a trigger for the act of consuming alcohol. In order to fortify the ban against such drinks, which is clearly stated in the Quran, the Prophet had to suppress the triggers, too.

Similarly, the state of the women among the Arabs at the time was far from acceptable. Women could find themselves obliged to commit adultery, or men could want to take advantage of them. Aside from these cases, adultery was sometimes done on purpose, such as sometimes a man used to ask his wife to sleep with a certain man so that the woman could bear an honorable and healthy child (!). All these practices had to be stopped for good. 

When there is no explicit order of God in a matter, Prophet Muhammad did one of the following. He looked at either the practices of the People of the Book or the practices of the local people or his own wisdom. And at the time, among the Jews, stoning to death for adultery was present as an accepted religious custom. So, it is possible that one reason the Prophet approved of rajm is to bring an end to the abuse of women in the society. In fact, he himself never executed this punishment, and actually tried to avoid it as much as possible (see the case of Maiz)

Allah knows the best.