Selectively Quoting From Texts

Selectively Quoting From Texts

Selective quoting from Hadeeth has the same problem as does the selective quoting from Qur’an. While quoting a single Hadeeth one ignores the fact that he might be ignoring thousands and thousands of Ahaadeeth. It has been noticed that nazariyah pahle wujood mei(n) aata hai aur daleel ba‘d mei(n) laa’i jaati hai. But the impression given is that because of these dalaa’il (evidences) we have reached to the following nazariyah (theory)! The reality could be just the opposite. It is most likely that after we have already decided a certain idea then we have started looking for its ‘evidences’. The problem is our atomistic outlook. We isolate one phenomenon from the rest as does the science. This is precisely what we do with the verses and Ahaadeeth, too. We do to our texts what we do to everything in our life. Our outlook is the same everywhere as we are the same persons everywhere.

We have mastered the art of quoting selectively from the texts. Our entire edifice stands (actually crumbles) on selective quoting. A friend of mine says, “Of all the things, we are so good at searching for gaps in the ocean of knowledge, ignoring all the goodness and confirming the fact that we don’t want to learn and are closing our minds to learn from Ahaadeeth.” We are very sharp and skilled in this art. But our ingenuity in this field is not allowing us to outgrow a certain age. This art, however, has made one job very easy for us i.e. writing and speaking on every topic of our desire (actually whims). Because if we are hell bent on quoting selectively then we can prove and disprove anything as while quoting one verse or Hadeeth we don’t need to keep in mind the thousands of verses and Ahaadeeth.

Unless we stop quoting selectively we will keep supporting one school of thought if we belong to it and will keep opposing all other schools which obviously we don’t belong to. And with all earnestness and sincerity we will believe that all those schools of thought are mutually exclusive. We have to stop belonging to various schools of thought, though. We have to start belonging to Islam – alone. And it will be enough for salvation. If it is not, then please tell me that school of thought which guarantees the salvation and I would like to join it forthwith.

Because of the selective quotes which is both the cause and the effect of a partial outlook we are not able to develop the whole picture. It is because of this missing whole picture that there are those who are distorting Islam beyond recognition. They are trying to adjust Islam according to everything around and not the other way round. This is happening in the name of slogans like ‘Islam and pluralism’ and ‘Islam and multicultural societies’ etc. Islam certainly stands for all those beautiful things which our well meaning friends want us to believe. But after Islam has stood for all those things, Islam doesn’t wait for good things to happen – from a safe distance. It goes out in the thick of it and makes things happen.

The selective quotes are like a serious contagious disease mainly because we don’t see any problem in this widespread practice. We need to go back to the outlook of Muhammad (pbuh). He represented the whole Islam and was holistic in his outlook, engaging the life as a whole. He did not wait for a sunny day to arrive in an unknown futurity to start his work. He did not focus on only one aspect of the Faith with an inflationary idea about it. This outlook and approach is the only solution for us. We have tried all other options and ways. Let us try this one, too.

The selective quoting is our enemy. It is not allowing us to move to the second stage. It has turned the blessings into curse. We have trained generations after generations for selectively quoting from our texts and we are going round and round in circles facing the same situations and the same questions which we have discussed over and over again and aren’t tired of. The graduates of our ‘traditional’ institutions are very good in this practice of selective quoting. The same art has been imbibed very well by many ‘modern’ educated. It appears as if we will not leave any unwanted art and craft without mastering it.

I reiterate here that let us be very careful whenever we hear anyone quoting. Because it is most likely going to distort the things once again. It is most likely going to mess up with the order of things yet another time. There is a chance that once more someone wants to win a new argument rather than a new heart. If we want all of the above then we can ignore selective quoting. If we do not, then we need to be watchful – about ourselves and others.  Let us not be satisfied by merely selective quotes from someone. Let us not quote to defeat someone in arguments and prove the supremacy of one ideology over the other. Let us collectively try to reach to the crux of it and to the collective spirit of Islam.

If we stop selective quoting it is most likely to bring about the much sought after and talked about unity (I am not sure why do we seek unity). (Unity is a by-product, a natural outcome of certain processes. It is not a process in itself.) It will bring about unity because it will force our writers and speakers to move to the second stage and talk about the cumulative spirit of Islam. (We need to camp here.) It will help them come out of the denominational and sectarian as well as partial outlook and try to look at the whole picture. Once we develop the capacity to look at the whole picture we will most likely see the same picture – which is precisely what we are not able to see currently because of selective quoting. We have to collective (and not selectively) stand against this selective quoting.

Thanks and salaam.

Wasim