It`s important to understand the common objections raised by non-Muslims regarding Islam and the Quran. These objections often stem from theological, historical, moral, and philosophical perspectives that differ from Islamic teachings.
5. Objection: Apostasy and Blasphemy Laws.
Critique: The traditional Islamic punishment for apostasy (riddah), which is death in classical jurisprudence, is seen as a severe violation of individual freedom of conscience and religion.
Islamic Response:
Context of Treason: Classical scholars argue that in the early Islamic community, renouncing Islam was not a private act but an act of political treason and sedition, often accompanied by joining enemy forces at war with the Muslim community.
Quranic Emphasis on Freedom: Critics are directed to the Quran itself, which states "There shall be no compulsion in religion" (2:256) and contains many verses about persuasion and debate, not coercion.
Modern Debates: There is significant debate among modern Islamic scholars, with many arguing that the punishment is not applicable in a modern nation-state context and that the matter is between an individual and God.
6. Objection: Slavery and Concubinage.
Critique: The fact that the Quran regulates and permits slavery (e.g., what to do with captives of war, Surah 47:4) and concubinage with "what your right hand possesses" is seen as endorsing these institutions, which are now universally condemned.
Islamic Response:
Gradual Abolition: Islamic scholars argue that the Quran's approach was to gradually abolish slavery by encouraging emancipation as a pious act and regulating it to improve the conditions of slaves, a radical idea in the 7th century.
Restricting Sources: It effectively limited the sources of new slaves to captives from defensive wars (who would otherwise be killed), not random raiding or birth-based slavery.
Historical Context: It is argued that judging a 7th-century text by 21st-century norms is anachronistic. The Quran's moral trajectory was to move society away from slavery, not to perpetuate it indefinitely.
Irfan Rashid
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