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No.2

CONTENTS

APRIL 2016

aldlifib••

Editorial

Quarterly to Promote Understanding

Vol. 37

The First Step- Paul [ackson, 5.1.

ANew Spirit in Christian-Muslim Relations:pope Paul VI and the Secretariat for non-Christians

- Leo D. Lefebure

The Caliph and the Bishop- Al-Ma'mun and Abu Qurrah

- Pearl and team

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Gl1estEditor: Fr.'EdVlinR()driglies. S,J.Fr. Pt.tShpciAnbu.SVD '.Fr;PauIJackson, SJ.fr.Pt1shpaApbu. SvpFr. Victor Edwins . SJFr. 'rom Kurmunkal, SJFr. Victor Lobo. SJ

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EditorEditorial Committee

P ATRQN OF IsAMost Rev. Dr. Anil J. T. Couto Archbiship of Delhi

'. AnnUCll Con1TibtLtiDn ;India and BangladeshSri Lanka and PakistanAll other countries

INFchtMATION. SALAJ\Mis;a.Quaderlypub1ishedbylheIslamkStuqiesAsso.ciatiOn. Manvs~riptsJo( publications, ". typ~d,' in dgubrespacing/books for~eviewail~lanyth4'gmeantJor.puplicationsnou1clbea~dressed,to:,The·Eclitor/SALAAM:';.i.s.J\'I,l'lat

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All business communicaH0l'\srncustbe addressed.iterTheSecrefaty, Islamic .. Studies AsstJCiclti?n,I.S.A., •. Flat Nv;302.R-l,Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi~110016,INDIA.

To find fullness of life and to move towards anexperience of the abundance of life, we need the humility toaccept the mystery and reality of diversity. This diversityclearly exists not only in the form of different languages,colour and what the human evolution has produced over thepast many centuries but also in the diversity and contributions

\of-faith traditions, If we refuse to accept this, we will try,ineffectually, to restrict the will of God and try and makeHim' according to our image/and likeness. Currently there isa scientific exploration in progress to discover the mysteriesof the planet Mars. Imagine this scenario. The intelligentpeople of Mars having heard, of the many brilliant deeds oflight that that we humans have achieved: on planet earth,come on a visit.' The visitors are specialists from-the manyscientific disciplines. They are amazed to find that all theyheard of the wonders that the humans are making happen areindeed true. Specialists from sociology and anthropology wantto make a closer study of therelational climate that obtains infamilies, in institutions and in the wider society. They are sovery surprised that such brilliant men and women areengaged in so many types of strife, including violence andwar and which is causing so much pain, misery and death.They, return, happy and' surprised!

In this issue, the writers discuss and ask questions evenin areas of long-held faith traditions, an exercise of faith seeking t;

reason. Cart God's revelation be restricted to anyone periodor to anyone group of people, or' is it open to all persons' for

THE NEW VISION OF THE CHURCH

Upon the Muslims too, the' Church 'lookS withesteem. They adore one God, living andendurjng,merciful andall-powerful, maker of heaven and eartband ,speaker to men. They strive to submitwholeheartedly' even to His inscrutable decrees, just asdid Abraham, with whom the ,')slamic faith is pleasedto associate itself. "

Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God,they revere Him ~s, a prophet. They also 'honourMary, Hisvirginmother;attime,stltey calion her,too, with devotioJi.Illadditi0n., tl!ey'a",ait thedax, ofjudgement when God will give each man his due. afterraising him up. Consequently, they prize the morallife, and give worship to God especially throughprayer, almsgiving, and fasting.

AltJioughin the course of the centuries manyquarrels amfhostiIitles Itave ,~risen betWeen Christians'and Muslims, this most sacred, Synod urges aU, toforget the past and to strfve sincerely for mutualunderstanding. OIl beha(f of all mankind, let themmake common cause of safeguarding and fosteringSOCIAL JUSTICE, MORAL VALUES, PEACEANl).FREEDOM.

(Vatican Council TI, Nostra aetate,n.3)

APRIL2016 ' 55

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all times? In order to build a. new world, an alternate worldwhere all will experience peace,. harmony'ancl joy. of life,people of all faith traditions need, the humilitY to listen,the honesty to ask questionsand the courage toiztcept. THE FIRST STEP

Paul Jackson, .. S.J.

An exploration of the similarity of the paths followed by both.Ignatius of Loyola and Sharafuddin Maneri, to discover God and

be reconciled

Any journey begins with the first. step. A journey impliesaiming to reach a destination after travelling for some time.A destination implies a goal, a particular place we intend toreach. A first step implies all this. It is quite different fromsimply going fora stroll. This implies there is no destinationbut a person simply moves around. This implies that it is notappropriate to speak about a first step in. such a context. No,moving towards a destination is a necessary precondition forfittingly using the adjective, 'first' ..

If we apply this to life's journey, what do we find? Oneobvious fact is that life's journey ends in death. Within thisframework there is an .immense variety of ways in whichpeople undertake this journey. Broadly speaking, we canunderline two categories of approaches to life. One is toconcentrate on immediate, short-term goals, even granted thatthey are meant to lead to other goals. The other approach isto focus on evolving goals in the context of one's ultimategoal in life. In the former approach, the focus is on how whatwe are currently doing leads to our immediate; short-termgoal; .while the latter one sees all activity in the context of ourultimate goal.

Most people,· of course, are focussed on the present. Thisdoes not necessarily mean that they are not aware of their'final goal, but that they do not think about it verymuch. Onthe other hand, there are some people who take their final

56 SALAAM APRIL 2016 57

)

goal very seriously indeed and try to orientate their whole lifetowards it. If they are Catholic Christians' there is a possibilitythat they will undertake the Spiritual Exercises advocated bySt. Ignatius Loyola. These exercises are rooted and groundedin his own 'experience when, in a cave near Manresa, Spain,he sought to deepen his spiritual life. This occurred after aconversion experience which occurred while he wasconvalescing. after one of his legs was smashed by acannonball when he was fighting to defend the city ofPamplona almost five hundred years ago.

Our first question is about his destination when Ignatiussets out on his spiritual journey. He expresses it thus: Theseexercises have as their purpose the conquest of self and theregulation oione's life in such a way that no decision is made underthe influence of any inordinate attachment. In a nutshell, theexercises are meant to enable us to advance unhindered alongthe way to our destination, which he explains thus: Man iscreated to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by thismeans to save his soul. It is obvious that Ignatius now fallswithin the category of those who "focus on evolving goals inthe contextof one's ultimate goaUn life." Whatever we do inthis life is meant to "praise, reverence and .serveGod ourLord;" As a Christian, for Ignatius this means imitating. hisLord, Jesus Christ, in ways adapted to our .present situation,For us, it could involve using the Internet, for-example,something not available to Jesus or Ignatius;

Unwittingly, this' expression has international renown asSOS, "Save Our Souls," the universal 'cry' for help. Usedoriginally in Morse code -'- 'threedcts, three dashes, three dotswith no space in between - if ca.n also be used visUally toseek help. For Ignatius, the expression meant an eternity filledwith loving and praising God- quite a leap! Actually, 'leap'is not at allan appropriate word, for this crowning union canbe wrought only by God himself, not by any human effort.

In contrast to Ignatius, Sharafuddin Maneri; the otherprotagonist. in this examination, experienced a pious familyupbringing; a keen desire to studyhis religion; and, finally,the realization that he longed for more than book knowledgeof God. He had the good fortune to corne under the influenceof Najibuddin Firdausi, a revered Delhi Sufi. It was only onthe. death of his guide that, on his way back to Maner, heslipped. off into the jungle of Bihiya in order to be alone withthe Alone. Although a background as diverse as his fromthat of Ignatius can scarcely be imagined, they are united inthe pivotal experience of their personal quest for God,Ignatius in the cave in Manresa, and Maneri in the jungle ofBihiya.

Maneri offers us another striking similarity with Ignatius,whose spiritual exercises were meant to last a month. Hetreats of a forty-day retreat, explaining its purpose as follows:Those people who haveembraced privacy and intimate communionwith God did so in order that their faith might rest more secure;that they might be enabled therein to discern the various states oftheir souls; and, finally, in order that they might be able to 'performall their actions sincerelYfor the sake of God Almighty. Maneri'sfinal point is clearly in consonance with the purposeenunciated by Ignatius - a fact of enormous revelatorysignificance regarding the essence of the spirituality of bothmen!

Furthermore, just as Ignatius has "save his soul" as hisultimate aim, which actually means "an ieternity filled withloving and praising God," Maneri puts it thus: Tomorrow, allthe prescriptions of the Law will be cancelled, but these two thingsremain forever - the loue of God and the praise of God! Moreover,he would agree that "this crowning union can be wroughtonly by God himself, not by any human effort," for he says:In orthodox Islam the vision of God is not a recompense for gooddeeds. No, it is due, purely and simply, to the grace ofGod.

58 SALAAM APRIL.2016 59

The congruence is extraordinary!

Wearenow in a position to turn to the first step alongthe way. Imagi:(lea builder in search of a new home forhimself. His practised eye can expertly assess the value of ahouse. He comes across one for sale that is in a neglectedcondition. The garden is overgrown with weeds; the paint ispeeling off the walls; and the inside of the house iscorrespondingly dirty. His expert eye, however, sees that thehouse is essentially an excellent structure. If the weeds areremoved .and the inside thoroughly cleaned, he would then bein a position to paint th~ house, both inside and outside, andfurnish it to his taste. Moreover, because of its condition, its

.asking price is very low. He buys it.

For Ignatius, the first step means cleaning his life of sin.He notices the sin he is most prone to commit and makes itthe subject of a concerted programme to conquer it - bymeans of the particular examination of conscience, a specialfocus on it. He then prepares to make a general confession ofall the sins of his past life, in order. to purify the soul and to aidus to improve our confessions. He divides sins into threecategories: thoughts, words and deeds. He then. proposesvarious meditations, asking for what I desire. Here it will be toask for a glowing and intense sorrow and tears for my sins, Hethen tells us to imagine Christ our Lord present before you upon

,the cross, and begin to speak with him, asking how it is that thoughHe is' the Creator; He has stooped to become rilan,aizdto pass frometernal life to death here in time. that thus He might die for oursins.

At the end .of a week spent in such meditations andprayers, he advises the retreatant to make a sincere generalconfession of his. whole life - as he had done at Manresawhen he had come to detest his own sins and cry out inwonder a t the love Jesus had shown for him by dying forhim on a cross. Ignatius had no doubt, both from the teaching

r

of-the Church and his own experience, that a sincere generalconfession wiped his soul completely free of sin.

Maned's long years of study, combined with a sincereeffort to lead a good life, and crowned with the experience ofbeing alone with the Alone in the jungle of Bihiya, made himrealize the progressive nature of repentance. Thus he couldwrite authoritatively in letter no.2, "Repentance:" The actualmeaning of repentance. is. "iurning back." There are, however, manyways of turning back, which vary according to the stages; theactions, and the stations of those who repent. Ordinary people, outof fear of punishment, turn from oppressive behaviour to being sorry.The elect turn away from their evil deeds because they have becomecognizant of their obligation to revere their Master. The elect of theelect, perceiving the insignificance and inStability of all creaturesand, indeed, their nothingness in the light of the,.glory of the Maker,are able to turn moay from an that is not God.

One strikingAifference lies in the fact that; while therepentance of Ignatius is emotionally charged; due to the greatupheaval that occurred in his own lifeIn the cave in Manresa7'C! glowing and intense s~rrow and tears for my sins - Manerispeaks in measured tones, reflecting the gradual progressionofhis spir-itual life, in contrast to what Ignatius hadexperienced.This could arouse the suspicions of a person wellversed in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, who clearlyexpects that the retreatant. 0iU experience different emotionsduring the retreat, insisting that if the exercitant is not affectedby spifftual expcrienceseudt as 'consolations or desolations, and thathe IS not troubled by different spirits, he (i.e. the person guidinghim) ought to ply him with questions about the exercises.

For Ignatius, the spiritual exercises are not simply anintellectual exercise but, if freely undertaken, engage the wholeperson. This is why the lack of emotion is nat a gaodsign.Call. we conclude, from Maneri's words above, -that he hadnever had a deeply emotional experience of repentance at any

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stage of .his .life? Beforeedotng-so.. let us hear what he has tosay in letter no.3, "Reconciling Offended Parties."

Return to God with lamentation and supplication, Take apurificatory' bath, put on clean clothes, and,perform four prostrationsof formal prayer ::.-, and make sLireall,this proceeds from the core ofyour heart! Then, in some deserted place where no (me except GodAlmighty can see yoU, put yolir face to the earth»: throw dust onymir head and rub your face in it too! With tears in your eyes anda heart filled with compunctionand grief,' recite, one byonei the

sins of your whole l~fe;

00 these worcls refleetan actual experience ~f Maneri's?Consider his words, with tears in your. eyes miq a heart filledwith compunction andgriej Such words are, for me/redolent ofpersonal experience. Looking. at Maneri's words. fron~ anotherangle, the advice to go to a deserted place and, head in thedust, recite the sins of one's whole life, is most unusual. Infact, I cannot recaUhaving seen it anywhere else. Thisstrengthens the case for its being a record of what Manerihimself had done, probably when he was alone in the jungleof Bihiya, where he could easily have acted unnoticed-in this

fashion.

TIle. very title of the third 'lelfer - "Rec~ncilingOffepdedParties" - shows Manari's grasp of the inter-personal n~rtureof sin as offending someone - oneself included ~ or, directlyorIndirectly, God himself. It is i~structive to see thisinthecontext of the Catholic sacrament of confession. Ignatiushimself had ~ade a general confession at Manresaalld he

;- ',', .,," ,":-" ','

recommends that an exercitant should do so at the end of thefirst week of his Exercises. He gives detailed instructionsabout how to prepare' to make a sincere confession. Hehimselfhadmadeatomplete list of the sins he could recallwhile making his own general confession. Notice, the worditself puts the main fOC1.1S of the sacrament on confessing one'ssins. Only in the nineteen sixties did the Catholic Church

change the name of the sacrament from 'Confession' to·'Reconciliation'.

One P?ssible way of looking at the rationale behind thischange is to consider a normal married.couple in the firstfiveyears or so of their marriage. Moments of friction inevitablyarise when, knowingly or unknowingly, one partner has hurtthe other. It is like a shadow hovering over theirrelationship. When one of them realizes that the fault is his orhers and openly acknowledges it, while adding those twomagic words, III'm sorry," reconciliation takes place. Onceagain, they become a devoted, loving couple. On the otherhand, if the problem does not get resolved, the vitiatedatmosphere inevitably leads to a worsening situation andtheir relationship breaks down completely. The remedy is thesame as for a solitary action, but acknowledging one's faultand asking for· forgiveness now becomes much moredifficult. Correspondingly, if this step is actually taken, theloving relationship is not merely restored, but, alsostrengthened. This reconciliation was the whole aim of theexercise - to live together in peace. The new name focuses ourattention on this hoped-for result, not on the process,necessary as it is.

Maneri understood this, and offers specific ways ofmaking up with the offended person. He sums it up thus:What needs to be grasped in the present chapter is this: As far aspossible, make your peace with anyone toho has a legitimate grudgeagainst you. If you cannot do this, turn to Almighty God; humblingyourself and crying out for help from a righteous heart so that, onthe Day of Resurrection, God himself might be happy toiih you. Beconfident that, when the Lord realizes how sincere-hearted Hisservant is, He, out of the infinite treasure of His mercy, will makeyour adversary happy.

Once again, the congruence between the' teaching ofIgnatius and Maneri about the first step is striking. The reason

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for this is that both men, although rooted in their respectivereligious traditions, were fully open to the activity. of God intheir own lives. Moreover, both were granted the spiritual

,insight to grasp what was happening and thus be enabled touse their own experience to be of assistance to countless

others.

A NEW SPIR.IT IN CHRISTIAN­MlfsLIM RELATIONS: POPE PAULVI AND THE SECRETARIAT FOR

NON-CHRISTIANSLeo D. Lefebure

In the course of history, there are often long-term patternsthat shape life and thought through the centuries. But everyso often, there is a major shift, a transformation that launchesa new set of attitudes and actions. In Christian thought, sucha time is known as kairos, the Greek word for time thatimplies the opening up of new possibilities that can changelife forever. I would like to propose that the pontificate ofPaul VI represents a kairos moment in transforming Catholic­Muslim relations. This transformation in the Catholic worldhad a beneficial impact on other Christian communities,positively influencing the relations of many other Christianswith Muslims as well.

To appreciate the new spirit that Pope Paul brought toChristian-Muslim relations, it is necessary to have a sense ofthe earlier relationship. So I will begin by briefly noting somecharacteristics of the "old spirit'<of Christian and in particular,Catholic attitudes towards Muslims and Islam. At a time ofwidespread suspicion and hostility, Louis Massignon playeda decisive role in developing warm relations with Muslimsand in preparing his friend and colleague, Giovanni BattistaMontini, for his later papal ministry as Pope Paul VI. I willalso briefly mention the new path in interreligious relationsand religious freedom that was begun by Pope John XXIII.Then I will discuss Pope Paul's involvement in theinterreligious events of the momentous year 1964 and then

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---rvorman Daniel, Islam and the West: The Making of an Image (1960;reprint, Oxford:Oneworld, 2000), 210-12; The Apocalypse of Pseudo­Methodius, in The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles,trans. Andrew Palmer and Sebastian Brock (Liverpool: LiverpoolUniversity Press, 1993), 222-42; Paul Julius Alexander, The ByzantineApocalyptic Tradition, ed. Dorothy de F. Abrahamse (Berkeley:University of California Press, 1985); F.J. Martinez, Eastern ChristianApocalyptic in .the Early .. Muslim Period: Pseudo-Methodius and Pseudo­Athanasius (Washington, DC: Catholic Universttv. of America,unpublished dissertation, 1985), 58-246; Benlard McGinn, Antichrist:Two ThollsandYearsof'the Human Fascination with Evil (SariFrancisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994), 150.

Second Council of Lyons, Consfitution.j . in Tanner 1: p.309.

J.N.D.Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford and New York:Oxford University Press,1986), p.248.

the Son of Destruction of2Thessalonians2:3.4 In 1274 theSecond Council of Lyons criticized "the impious enemies ofthe Christian name, the blasphemous and faithless Saracens'!for their slaughter. of Christians in the Holy 'Land.Ir

When earlie?popes thought Of journeying to Jerusalem, itwasusually tb lead a mili tary expedi tiori. Pope InnocentIIIinthe thirteenth century associated the prophet Muhammadwith the Anti-Christ and hoped toleada, Crusade to re~

conquer the Holy Land from Muslims: Two centuries later,in the wake of the conquest of Constantinople by the OttomanTurks in 1453, Pope Pius II tried to organize a Crusade andcapture .Ierusalem. However, his efforts did not winwidespread support, and he died in Ancona, Italy, in 1464.6

He m.ay well be the last pope before Pope Paul VI to make .serious plans to journey to the Holy Land. While in somecontexts, Christians and Muslims respected each other andcollaborated in intellectual explorations, all too often, suspicionand hostility dominated the general atmosphere of Muslim-Christian relations: .

Louis Massignon

Often great transformations begin quietly on a small scalewith profound personal experiences. One man's spiritual

4" ~

5

6

note their impact on the later actions of the Catholic Churchand the broader Christian community.

Catholic Traditional ,AttitudestqW,ards Muslims and Islam

Chris tiansand M u sli l11s)'lavebe.en in (;1 iV arie ty ofrelationships Over the centuries. The great medieval historian,

,'" " ' ~ ;:,"_', ' .' r , :,' ,-:; r' . '.' ':, :.: . ::, ,,: '.' ' . .' '. .R.W. Southern observed that t~e IllaJoropbons forChnstlanrelationships with Muslims in the Middle Ages were:"Crusade, conversion, coexistence, and commercialinterchange/" While in some contexts,' Muslims and Christiansdwelt in harmony, from the seventhcentury C.E. until themiddle of the, twentieth, c=hristian ,a ttitudes arid policiestoward-Muslims and Islam Were all too often hostile." In the.eighth century, John,ofDamascus(ca~675-74:9) set the moclelfor much of the later Christian tradition in viewing Islam as"the Iast and greatest of the heresies" and by interpretingMuhammad in a very negative light. Many later Christiansviewed Islam as a variantoftheChristological heresies ofthe

early. churc.h, often as. a form o.f. Nesto. ria.nis.m or Arianism.becauselslamaccepts Jesus asa prophet but ~ot as the divineSon of' God,

From the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, and intothe modern period, there were some Christians who knewand respected Muslims; but many Christians, traditionallyviewed. Muslims "(who were usually referre~, to "as ."Saracens"inofficial Catholic Churchstatem~r:ts? through a hostile lensas forerunners and alli~ of the Anfichrist and as associates of

1 R.W. Southern, Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages(Cambridge, MA.ilnd London: Harvard University Press, 1962),p.3.

2 Hugh Coddard, A History of Christian-Muslim.Rela tions (Chicago; NewAmsterdam Books, 2000).

3 E.~., the Third Lateran Council ordered: "Jews and Saracen: arenot tobe allowed to have Christian servants in their houses." Canon 26, inDecrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Volume One: Nicaea I to Lateran.V,ed. Norman P. Tanner (London: Sheed-Sc Ward and Washington,DC: GeorgetownUniversity Press, 1990), p. 223.

66 SALAAM APBll.2016 67

journey would have a decisive\ impact on Giovanni BattistaMontini, who later became Pope Paul.V'I. Early in thetwentieth century, a young agnostic' French scholar, LouisMassignon, studied the Sufi mystic and martyral-'Hallaj.When he was in Baghdad. the yo~mg Massignon received thekind hospitality of a Muslim family in Baghdad, anci thismade a lasting impression. During the timeof a rebellionagainst the Ottoman Turkish governing authorities in 1908,Massignon went through a profound personal crisis. At onepoint he considered suicide, but he experienced apreternatural visitation and felt a sense of God's presencewhich he later compared to Abraham's experience of theheavenly visitors at Mamre. In the aftermath of the crisis,Massignon entered the Catholic Church, but he retained aprofound debt to Islamic hospitality. He felt a profound senseof vocation to develop. better relations between Catholics andMuslims. The virtue of hospitality, shared by Catholics andMuslims, had shaped his life at a vulnerable moment andbecame the guiding thread in his lifelong exploration ofIslamic spirituality and Muslim-Catholic relations. As hestudied the sacrifices of Jesus Christ and of Halla], Massignoncame to an understanding of Badaliyyah (Arabic:"substitution") as the mystical substitution of one person for

some else's salvation.

With Mary Kahil, Lenis Massignon journeyed to Egypt,where on February 9, 1934, they prayed in the remains of thesame church in Damietta in which Francis of Assisi hadreportedly met Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil in 1219, Mary Kahiland Louis Massignon together made a vow of Badaliyyah,offering their lives in service to Muslims without seeking toconvert them, and they established a prayer group in Cairo in1934. He sought the approval of Pope Pius XI and received apapal blessing for his commitment. Massignonlater recalled.

his encounter with the pope:

He [Pope Piux XI] blessed the oblation of my life and

"7 . Letter of Jtily 24, .. 1934; quoted in ChristianSalenson, c:hri$tian deCherge: A 'Theology of Hope,' trans, Nada Conic (Collegeville, MN:Liturgical Press/Trappist, KY: Cistercian publications, 2012), 36, n. 12.

8 Peter Hebblethwaite, Paul VI: The First Modern Pope (New-York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1993), 84.

9 Hebblethwaite,C p. 225.

death, for-my Muslim brothers-and sisters... '. He stoodup (1ndbless~(:lmyparticular/way' and all mycollaborators. He teased me, saying-that by. dint of lovingthem, I had become a 'CatholicMtrslim' in order thatMuslims might be loved, on account of me,in theC1}urch.7(Letter of July 24'"1934; in Salenson 3( n. 12)

Massignon founded. prayer groups in Paris.' and Rome, aswell-asother.Jocations, where Catholics prayed for betterrelations wif;h Muslims. In 19f17 Massignon and Kahilreceivedofficial.Church approval for the statutes of the BadaliyyahPrayerAssociation, Massignon.was a friend of the notedFrench Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.vand a. numberof well-educated Catholics. attended his prayer groups. Oneof them, a Swiss priest, Maurice Zundel, introduced GiovanniBattista Montini to LOllis Massignon inParis during the-years1927-29..8 Massignoninspired Montini to take an interest inIslam, and Montini joined Massignon's prayer group wheneverhe could. These encounters had a significant.Influence onshaping Montini's attitude towards Muslim~ and Islam..

One areif in which Massignon made a .particular impacton .1tfontini .was his proposal that Catholics view judaism,Christianity, and Islam as"the. three Abrahamic .religions,"

, -" '-".:';","",' ',. , '." .. '.... ';: "'-'-.'..," .... , ,,-,'. .. .:

sharirig " the triple inheritance of Abraham;" PeterHebblethwaite comments that for Massignon and Montini, thismeant: ';In so far as it shares in 'the faith of OlU fa ther

, . ..' ..

Abraham' Islam .participatesjnfrue revelation."." However,this perspective was. quite controversialat the time .becausesome Vatican authorities considered mention of "the. threeAbrahamic religions" to be suspect.. In 1961, the Holy ()ffice

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of the Catholic Church censured Massignon for using thisphrase because it was judged to be "perilous arid scandalous";however, Cardinal Montini defended the language of hismentor and friend,'Massignon. lO

Massignon died on October 31, 1962, at the. end of thevery same monththat Pope John XXIII opened the SecondVatican Council. The following June, less thana year afterMassignon's death, Pope John died, and Cardinal Montini waselected as his successor, becoming Pope Paul VI. Even .thoughMassignon had already departed this world, his influence onPope Paul VI continued to be strong,particularly in the eventsof 1964 and 1965. Even though the Second Vatican Councildid not' adopt Massignon's view of Islam in its entirety,hisrespect and. admiration for Islamic virtues and his emphasison the shared Abrahamic inheritance were powerful influenceson the conciliar documents. Archbishop Michael Fitzgeraldand John Borelli hail Massignon as a "prophet of dialogue.'?'

Pope John XXIII

After the death of PopePius XII, Angelo GiuseppeRoncalli (1881-1963), wase'lected as Pope John XXIII onOctober 28, 1958. Earlier in his career Roncalli had becomefamiliar with Muslims when he was the Apostolic VIsitor, thepope's diplomatic representative, in Sofia, Bulgaria from 19~6to 1936. Then he served as the Apostolic Delegateto Turkeyand Greece, living in Istanbul from 1936 to 1944 anddeepening his familiarity withMuslims. Throughout 11is life,Roncalli .had .': a deep "'respect- for': persons of differingbackgrounds, including .Muslims.

After announcing thatthere would be a Second VaticanCoullcil, Pope}ohnmetwith French JeWish historian JulesIsaac qn June 13, ,1960. I~aac had already.,studiedth~history

10 Giulio Bassetti-Sani, Louis Massignon (1883~i962) (Florence: Almea,198:;),p. 79.

11 Michael L. Fitzgerald and John Borelli, Interfaith Dialogue: A CatholicView (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006), pp. 229-32.

of the Catholic Church's "Teachtrig of. Contempt," and hepresented a request to the pope' that the upcoming Councilcorrect the inaccurate traditionalCatholic teaching' about. theJewish people. Pope John was moved by this appeal, and hecommissioned Agu,stin Cardinal Bea.a [esuit scripture scholar,to lead the process preparing for a statementon CatholicChurch's relation to the Jewish people. In 1960, Johnestablished a new Secretariat forPromotingChristlan Unity,with Cardinal Bea as its president. In the wake of theaudience with Jules Isaac, he asked Cardinal Bea to considerhow to improve the CatholicChurch's relations with Jews.

Reflection on. Catholic relations with Jews promptedconsideration of Muslims. and Islam, as well as other religious.traditions, As discussions proceeded, Catholic leaders began tothink more closely about the, Catholic. Church's relationshipwith Muslims, and eventually the statement was broadened toinclude Muslims and followers of other religious traditions aswell, eventually becoming NostraA~tate, The Declaration on theChurch'sRelation with.non-Christian Religions, which' was issuedin 1965~

At the time of Pope John's death in 1963, there was aprocess of discussing interreligious relations Underway, but nodecisions had been made, and no official conciliar statementson the topic had been promulgated. Among the councilparticipants, there were some very vocal opponents of anystatement on: interreligious relations. Pope JohnXXIII made adecisive contribution.in, placinginterrelipiousrelations, on theagenda of the Council, but he didnoflivelongenoughto seethe process through to completion. Thus an unfinished agendain interreligious 'relations was part of the legacy bequeathedto the incomingPope PaulVlin the summer of 1963.

; Pope John also Illadeamajor contribution in the area ofreligious freedom, which is integrallyre\ated to Muslim­Christian relations. For centuries the Catholic Church had

70· SALAAM APFIIL2016 71'

befterrela tions .with followers 0 f other 'religious'. paths,including' Muslims inparticular~" Iri. AUgust, Pope Paul issuedhisfiist encyclical, ECclesiam SUa1n, which was the first papalencyclicalttrplaes interreIigious-dtalogue'at the center of: thechurch's relationships with the world; it was also the firstencyclical to call on Catholics 'to view Muslims withad'miratio:t:l.In Novernperof the same year, Pope Paulandth~S,econd.VatkanCouncil isslledLumen Gentium, TheDogmatic Constitution on the Church; this, is thefirst Catholicconciliar document in history to proclaim formally thatMuslims are included 'in God's plan ofsalvation. Finally, inDecember of. that same extraordinary' year, Pope Paul traveledto India, where he addressed not only Christians but followersof the other religions-as well." This was the .first time that apope had visited India.

Trip to the Holy Land

St. Peter, who is venerated by Catholics as the first pope,had come from the Holy Land to Rome, where he wasm.artyred in about. 66C.E. Prior to Pope Paul Vf, no pope inhistory had ever been recorded to have made the return visit.Pope Paul's first papaljourney outside of Italy was hispilgrimage to the Holy Land from January 4-6, 1964. PopePaul's trip of just three days. had a .powerful impact on bothecumenical and interreligious relations, capturing theimagination of people throughout theworld, In contrast tothe earlier Popes Innocent III and Pius II; who had hoped tolead Crusades to retake Jerusalem by military force, Pope PaulVI went to the Holy Land' ona pilgrimage of peace,seekingto encourage and supportChristianecumenism and alsopondering the relation of Christianity to Judaism and Islam."Pope Paul took up the phrase.used by Massignon and

ill~isted on •. the right of r~ligiou? freedom for its Joll()"Wer~

when they were .in (lrninority situation.i However, it deniedin principleanyrightto religi()usfreedom for().thers because,in the famous phrase, "err()rhas,no<rights.'~NOll-CatholicCh.ris.tians and. followers of other religious' traditionssaw thisposition as inconsistent, ,eve.n hypocritical. ThispolicY;vas along-standing barrier, .to ,ecu.menical,. and., interreltgiousrelations. In his final.encyclical, PaCen'l;11 Terris,which wasissued early in 1963, Pope. Iohn reversed earlier. Catholicteaching andclearly affirmed the right toreligious freedom,making a crucial. distinctionbetween error and persons whoare in error: "It is always perfectly justifiable to distinguishbetvveen error as such andthe-person who falls into error­evel1.in the case of men who err regarding the truth or areled astray as a result of their inadequateknowledge, inmatters'Of religion or of the highest ethical' standards.:A manwhohasfallen int'o error 'does nbt cease to be a man. Henever forfeits his personal dignity" (#158). This principleprepared the way for Pope Paul VI and the Second VaticanCouncil 'toaffirrri religious freedom in 'Dignitatis Humanae (TheDeclaration on Religious Freedom). Thus Pope John took decisivesteps that prepared the way for the pontifical ministry of PopePaul VI in 'Muslim-Christian relations.

Annus Mirabilis: '1964

Ona number ofIevels, the year)964 was an annusmirabilis ("a wonderful, .astonishing year';),.,q. kairos moment,a time. of profound transformation in Catholic relations withotherreligious tradifions, including Muslims in particular.Five, moments in. that .remarkable year. are especiallysignificant forMuslim-Catholicrelations, In January 1964, Pope

. i .. ' _ : . _ . ,'_ ... _ ,-.. '. . .. . . ":'. '. '. '. ," . . .; ~

Paul Vlmadean,ihistoricpilgrirnage to jerusalem, .the firstpope recorded to do so since SaintPeter Ieft jerusalemIn thefirst century. In. 1v1ay; Pope 'Paul 'established 'the Secretariat forNon-Christian Religions irithe Vatican in order to promote

12

13

Pope P~lUI VI,"Address tothe Members of the Non-ChristianReligions," Dec. 3, 1964; http://www.viltican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/speeches /19641documents/hCp-vCspe_19641203_other-religions_en.html.

Hebblethwaite, 373; Pope Paul VI in theHoly Land (New York: Herderand Herder, 1964); Pietro Ritorna: Peter is Back Again (Milan: CentroPropaganda e StampadiTerra Santa, 1964).

72 . SALAAM APRIL 2016 73

14 Hebblethwaite, p. 374.

15 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father I paulvi/speechesIJ9641documentsIhCp-vCspe_196401063ommiato-husseirr.en.html

\ ,

described Jerusalem as. acity dearfo 1/ the three Abrahamicreligions,"~\PopePaul's words. of. peace-In tllElI-IOly ~ity

expressed a, radically new spirit in Catholic, relations withMuslims; with' Jews" and <with other Christian communities.He repeated Jesus's Beatitudes in the land they were firstspoken. Pope Paul was jostled by the crowds as he enteredthe old city through the Damascus Gate and walked the Wayof the Cross. His intention wasto form a lastingconnectionbetween [erusalern, the city of peace, and Rome:

In his farewell remarks to King Hussein of Jordan andother MuslimIeadersvPope Paul stressed the importance offorgiveness, 'reconciliation, and peace:

Inthe words which the Apostle Paul used to theChristians of Ephesus, in bidding them. farewell, We also«commend you to God and to the word of His grace,who is able to build up, and to give the inheritanceamong all the sanctified» (Act. 20, 23), Al}d,.as he wroteto the same Ephesians, We, exhort you: «Let all.bitterness,and wrath, and indignation, and clamor, and reviling,beremoved. from.y·ou, along with all malice. On thecontrary, be kind toone another,and merciful, forgivingone another, as God in Christ has generously forgivenyou» (Eph. 4, 31w32).

And, repeating the apostolic salutation. «Peace be to thisland, and. to. all those who dwell herein», We call.dOvy'nupon you all the richest gracesfrom on high, impartingto you and your loved onesand to all the beloved peopleof [ordan Our. particular fatherly Apostolic. Blessing."

This journey had a positive, hopefulImpacton thediscussion. of ecumenical and interreligious relations' at theSecond Vatican Council. It prepared the way forthe lifting. of

75

John W.O'Malley, What Happened at Vatican II (Cambridge, MA andLondon: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 20Q8), 221; RalphM. Wiltgren, The Rhine Flows into the Tiber: The Unknown Council(New York: Hawthorn Books, 1967), pp. 73-78.

Yves Congar, My Journal ofthe Council,trans.May John Ronayne,Mary Cecily Boulding; editor of the English translation Denis Minns(Collegeville; MN: Liturgical Press, 20120), p, 521.

the mutual excommunications of Roman Catholic and GreekOrthodox leaders and encouraged a sense tha,tnewunderstandings in old relationships are possible and desirable.

The Second Vatican· Council

Nonetheless, obstacles remained. By .the fall of 1963,many conciliar leaders believed that if the Council was goingto Issue a statement on the Church's relation with the Jewishpeople, there must also be acknowledgment of Muslims."However, not all agreed; in the spring of 1964, manyparticipants in the Council expressed doubts about theprospect of expressing any positive appreciation of Muslill1s.Yves Congar, OP,a leading French Dominican theologian atthe Councilrrecords in hisdiary for 25 April 1964: 1/Accordingto Msgr. [Johannes]WilIebrands [1909-'2006, who was thensecretary' of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity,which was handling the proposed statement on interreligiousrelationsLther~ should not beany specific reference toMuslims' [in the projected DecIaratio deHeoraeie et de gentibusnon christianisi. All the experts .and the missionary bishopssay that an attitude like that of Massignon is, in practicalterms, contrary to the realities. We areInpeace with theothers everywhere else, except the Muslims, who fight againstUS."17 SO within the COUncil, a number of influential voicesopposed any outreach. to Muslims. Nonetheless, despite' thesehesitations, under the leadership. ofPope Paul'VI,someaspects ofthe attitude ofMassignon would play a significanttole in shaping the final Couricildocurnents.

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16

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The-Secretariat for Non>Chtistian Religions:ProgrediettteConcilio

When Pop~'Paul assrimedthe papacy, there'was.no officeof the Catholic Church responsible for.relationswith followersof other religions, Popep;aul wanted to improve. Catholicrelations with Muslims .and .other religious traditions, and hedid not believe there, was reason to wait for the CouncilFathers to finish their deliberations before doing so. Thus onMay 19, 1964, Paul VI issued an Apostolic Letter, ProgredienteConcilio, whose name comes from its opening words:"Whilethe Council is in progress." In it, the pope expressed hisconcern for relations with those who are not Christian:

While Vatican CouncilILis in progress, we thought ituseful to institute a special council or secretariat with thetask ofturningits wholesome attention to those who arewithout Christian religion, and to whom it would,however, seem that the words of the Lord refer: 'I haveother sheep that do not belong to 'this fold. These also Imust lead' On 10:16). Thisardor of divine love muststimulate the Church~which continues Christ's workespecially in these times when numerous relationships arebeing developed between men of every race, languageand religion. IS .

Many generations of Christians had interpreted the gospelof John as restricting salvation exclusively to Christians. In astartling innovation, Pope Paul here interpretsJesus in thegospel of John as including followers of .other religious pathsin the love and care of his ministry and thatof his church.Even though Paul's Apostolic Letter is very brief (only threesentences in Latin), it had a .tremendouseffeet on transformin~

relationships.

18 PontiflcalCouncil.for Interreligious Dialogue, Interreligious Dialogue:The Official Teaching of the Catholic Church (1963-1995)"ed.FrancescoGioia (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 1997), 63-64.

The' establishment of the new Secret,ariatcould have easilybecome a,· source "of, major .. controversy. Pope Paul appointed,Paolo Cardinal Marella as thef~rlstpresidentofthe~ew

Secretariat. Since Marella. was viewed as a conservative, otherconservatives in the Roman Curia viewed him with confidenceas "one of them."19Hehad earlier served as the papal nuncioin Japa~ during World War II and, thus had some familiaritywith Buddhism and Shintoism; "However, it was a seriouslimitation that he did not have much direct knowledge ofMuslims or Islam, since improving Catholic-Muslim relationswould be one of the major goals of the new Secretariat.

The First Encyclical of Interreligious Dialogue: EcclesiamSuam '

Three months later, on August 6,1964, the Feast of theTransfiguration of Jesus, Pope Paul issued his first encyclical,Ecclesiam Suam, Encyclical on the Church, which presents hisagenda for his pontificate and his vision of the CatholicChurch in dialoguewith other Christians, practitioners ofother religions, and all people of good will.2° In an audienceat Castelgandalfo on the day before its release, Paulannounced to the world:"Wehave finallyfinished writingour first encyclical letter": it appears that he had written theencyclical himself, and it has been described as "the mostpersonal encyclical ever Written, an expression of histemperament andconvictions."21 In his remarks atCastelgandalfo, Pope Paul' describes. the three ways proposedin the encyclical: spiritual awareness, lmo-ral renewal, and­finally, dialogue as "the art or style that must inspire theChurch's ministry to the dissonant, voluble, complex concertthat is the contemporary world."22

19 Hebblethwaite, p. 378.

20 http://vvww.vatican.va /holy~father/pauLvii encyclicals/documents/hLp-vi~enc_19640806_ecclesiam_It.html. '

21 Hebblethwafte, p. 380.

22 Quoted by Hebblethwaite,p. 380.

76 SALAAM APRIL 2016 77

In the encyclical itself, Paul calls Catholics to ineianoia, aconversion ofheart and mind in a spirit of charity andpoverty; Paul describes the ••'attitude. necessary for dialogue;

c:onfidence is. also necessary;. confidence not·only.iD •. thepow-~r of one's o""n wordsybut ~lqo in thegood win ofboth parties to the dialogue. Hence dialoguepr()motesintimacy ~nd friendship on both sides, It unites theln. ina mutual adherenceto the Good, and thus excludes, all

• ". . .'J, .,'" '.' ',' ".". .' .. :-' '-••: .. '

self-seeking.... In a dialogueconducted with this, .kin<:iof foresight, truth.is weddedto charityand understandlngto love. (81, 82)

Before the Second Vatican Council had issued anystatement regarding other religions, Pope Paul directed theChurch'sattel1tion to respectful relations with other religioustraditions, explicitly mentioning Muslims and Islam:

Wew()uld mention first the. Jewish people, who stillretain the religion of the Old Testament, and who areindeed worthy of p:llr respect and love. Then .we havethose worshipers w-ho adhere to other monotheisticsystems of religion, .especially the Moslem religion. We. dowell. to admire these people for all that. is good and truein their worship of God. And finally we ·p.ave thefollowers of the great Afro-Asiatic religions." (107)

Quietly reversing centuries of papal teaching, Pope Paulexpresses his hopes forinterreligious dialogue, recognizing thegoodness in other religions and the importance of workingtogether:

But We do not wish to turn a blind eye to the spiritualand moral values of the -various.non-Christian: religions,for we desire to join with them' in promoting anddefending common ideals .. in the spheres of religious

23 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father IpauLvi/encyclicalsldociunents/hCp-vLenc_06081964_ecclesiam_en.html.

liberty, human brothe:rho9d,edu<::ation" .sulture, socialwelfare, and civic .order. Dialogue is possible in all thesegreatprojects,Which are our concern .as much as theirs,andw~Willn()rfail-to offer opportunities fordiscussl():nin the event of such: an offer being favorably received ingenuine, mutual respect. (108)

The.Historle First-Coriciliar Appreciation of Muslims; LumenGentium

As<wehave noted, s~rhe leaders in the-Council did notapprove Of makinga ~tatement of appreciation of Muslims.However, the deliberations at the Second Vatican-Council tookcountless unpredictable twists and turns, and the predictionin April 1964 that the Second Vatican Council would notexpress any positive appreciation' of Muslims turned out to befalse. Indeed, that negative attitude did not dominate thecouncil throughout-that same year. Seven months later, onNovember 21, 19p4,Pope Paul VIand the Council issuedLumen Gentium, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, whichproclaims: "[T]he plan of salvation also embraces those whoacknowledge the Creator, .and among tht:!se the Muslims arefirst; they profess to hold- the faithof Abraham and alongWith us they worshiJ? the one merciful God who will judgehumanity on the last day" (LG 16; Tanner 861). LumenGentium reverses the tradition of hostility toward Muslims andproclaims a new spirit of respect for Muslims. Instead ofcondemning-Muslims as earlier .popes and councils haddone,Pope Paul and the Second Vatican Council. dramaticallyinclude Muslims in the salvific planof God,affirming themas worshippers of the one God in continuity with the .faith ofAbraham. GeraldO'Collins comments that Lumen Gentiumsuggests and implies. that Islam plays a posftiverole in thesalvation of Muslims: ''It is hard to escape the conclusion thatthe constitution recognizes some revealing and saving' efficacyin Islam. In some way the Muslim religion enjoys a' specificrole in' mediating the knoWledge of God and grace of God."24

'24 .' .Cerald Q'Collins,1'heSecond Vatican Councilon Qther Religions(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013),p. 74., .

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The' First Papal .Pilgrimage to Irtdia. ' ! /' ,

In December 1964, Pope Paul',VLmadethehistqric firstpapal.journey to. India, celebrating theIntemational EucharisticCongress in Bombay. He met with the leaders of otherreligious traditions and addressed. them cordially:

Therefore we> must come closer together, not only, throughthe modem means of communication, through pressaridradio, through steamships. and jet planes..« we mustcometogether with our hearts..In mutual understanding, esteemand love. We must meetnot merely as tourists, butvaspilgrims who set out to find God - not in buildings \ofstone but in human hearts. Man must meet man, nationmeet nation, as.brothers and.sisters, as children of God.In this mutual understanding and friendship, in thissacred communion, we' must also begin to work togetherto build the common future of the human race. We mustfind the concrete andpracticalways of organisation andcooperation, so that allresources be pooled, and all effortsunited' towards' achieving' a true communion among allnations. Such a union cannot' be built on a universalterror or fear, of mutual destructioruit must be built onthe common love that embraces all and has its roots inGod, who is 10ve. 25 " ' , ,

Nostra Aetate: The Declaration on the Church's Relation tonon-Christlan Religions

On October 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI and the SecondVatican Council issued Noeira Aetate: The Declaration on theChurclis,Relaa~nto non-Christian Religions. This Declaration isvery brief, but it .is revolutionary in transforming Catholicrelations ,withoth~r religions. The third section, of theDeclarationexpresses the respect of the Catholic Church forMuslims. After centuries of Catholic demonizing of Muslims,

----------25 http://www.vatican.va/holy~fatherjpaut.vi/speeches/19M/documents/hCp-vUpe_19641203_other-religions_en.html.

this signals a profound sfitft in attitude. The Declarationmakes no mention of the Qur'an or Muhammad. NostraAetate calls attention to the dose relation ()fMuslims toelementsiof the Catholic faith; In contrast to those whobelieve Muslims worship a different god, Nostra Aetate followsLumen Gentium in teaching that Muslims worship the one trueGod. ,The Council fathers describe God in, attributes thatresonatewith the Islam, calling God "merciful" and "livingand enduring," alluding to the terms rahman and al-hayy al­qayyum,which are found in Qur'an 2:255 and throughout theIslamicfradition."

Nostra Aetaie also acknowledges with appreciationMuslims.' veneration for Abraham, Jesus, and Mary, and theirexpectation. of a final, resurrection and judgment, ,as well astheir practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which arethree of the Five Pillars of Islam." Passing over most earlierpapal statements in silence, the declaration cites a cordialletter from Pope Gregory VII to Al-Nasir, the Muslim ruler ofBijaya, in present-day Algeria in 1076.28 This is the onlyreference. in Nostra Aetate to an earlier papal document; thereare no references to earlier ecumenical councils. Regarding theCatholic Church's long history of conflict with Muslims, Nostra

26 Risto [ukko, Trinity, in Unity in Christian-Muslim Relations: The Workof the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Leiden and Boston:Brill, 2007), p. 12. ' , ' ,

27 Nostra Aetate 3; in Tanner, 2:969

28 Gregory VII wrote: "Almighty God, who wishes that all shouldbesaved and none lost, approves nothing in us so much as that afterloving him 'one should love his fellow man, and that oneshould .notdo to others, what one does not want done to oneself, You and weowe this charity to ourselves especially because we believe in andconfess, one God, admittedly in a different way, and daily praise andvenerate him, the Creator of the world and ruler of this world." Quotedby Pope John Paul II in his "Message to the Faithful of Islam at theEnd of the Month of Ramadan, April 3, 1991, in John Paul II andInterreligious Dialogue, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Harold Kasimow(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999), p, 66.

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Aetate proposes .thati.Catholtcs and Muslims pursuereconciliationthroughforg~ttingtheir . past animosity("praeteritaobliviscentes") so that they can together collaboratein realizing values that are important to both traditions. Thisset the agenda for Catholic-Muslirnrelafioris in the decades tocome.

The Work of. the S~cretariatfo~Non-Christi~n.R~Hgions 'andthe Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue

The Secretqriat for non.-ChristiariReligionsconsists oftheofficers, who are appointed by the pope, the members, whoare bishops from around the world, and also consulters, whoare experts in areas pertaining to interreligious' relations'. TheSecretariat for non-Christian Relipionsbegan to hold regularmeetings with its consulters from around the world in January1965.29 On October 22, 1974, Pope Paul VI established theCommission for. Religious Relations with Muslims, attached tothe Secretariat for non-Christian Religiol1S.Later, on June 28,1988, 'pope John Paul II issued the' Apostolic Constitution,Pastor Bonus, which reorganized the Roman Curia; thisdocument renamed the Secretariat so that it became thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Michael Fitzgerald explains that there are four elementsin the mission of the Council: to advise the pope oninterr~ligiousmatters;-to establish relations withfollowers ofother religions; to promote interreligious studies; and toensure the formation of persons involved in interreligiousdialogue."

'Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II moved further on the path opened upby Pope Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council inimproving Catholic-Muslim relations. the. Holy Qur'an

29 [ukko, p. 14.

30 [ukko, p. 15, n. 64.

challenges Muslims to compete in virtue .with followers ofother religious paths:': "50 .let your goals •• be everything good;'Your destiny, everyone, is to God, Who will tell you aboutth~tvvhereinyou differecl,,(Q 5:48).31 Pope John Paul II tookup this challenge when he accepted the invitation of KingHassan II of Morocc? and addressed about 1000,000 youngMuslims in Casablanca, Morocco on Augus] 19, 1985:

The. catholic •. Church regards with, respect and recognizesthe quality ofyour .religious progress, the richness of yourspiritual tradition.... Christians and Muslims, in generalwe have badly understood each other, and, sometimes, inthe past, we have opposed and even exhausted each otherin polemics and in wars. I believe that, today, Godinvites us to change our old practices. We must respecteach other, and also we must stimulate each other ingood works on the path of God.... Dear, young people,I wish that you may be able to help in. thus building aworld where God may have first place in order to aidand to savehumankind. On this path, you are assuredof the esteem and the collaboration of your Catholicbrothers and sisters whom I represent among you thisevening. (# 10)32

This invitation from a Muslim ruler to a pope and itsacceptance were unprecedented in the history ofMuslim­Catholic relations; both are hard to imagine apart from thenew spirit that Pope Paul VI had brought to this relationship.Sixteen years later, on May 6, 2oo1,John Paul IIbecame thefirst pope ever recorded to visit a mosque~the UmayyadMosque in Damasclls, which ':Vasbuilt on aI). earlier ByzantineChristian church honoring the grave ofSt. John theBaptist,

31 The Qur'an: A New Translation by Thomas Cleaty(Starlatch Press,2004), p. '55,.

32 http://www.vatican.vilihbl)Uather/jollItpaul....ii/speeches/1985/august!documents /bfjp-Iijspe__19850819~gi0'Vanicstadioccasablanca_en.htmL

82 SALAAM APRIL 2016 83,

John Paul II again urged Muslims and Catholics to movebeyond all conflict into relationships of respect aridunderstanding:

His my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religio~sleaders and teachers will present our two&reat religious

.communities as communities in respectfuldialogue, nevermore us-communities in conflict. It is crucial for theyoung to be taught the ways of respect andunderstanding, so that they will not be led to misusereligion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence.. ; . In Syria, Christians and Muslims have lived side byside for centuries, and a.rich dialogue of life has gone onunceasingly.... For a!!- the times that Muslims andChristians have offended one another, we need to seekforgiveness from the Almighty and offer each otherforgiveness. (2001)

Pope Benedict XVI

It is regrettable that the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI wasmarked by the bitter controversy over his remarks at theUniversity of Regensburg. In September 2006, Pope BenedictXVI gave an address in Regensberg, Germany, in which hecited a medieval conversation reported between the ByzantineErrtperor Manuel II Paleologus and an unnamed educatedPersian.. Benedict cited a brusque remark attributed to ManuelII:flS~ow me just what Mohammed brought that was new,and there you will find thingsol1lyevil and inhuman, such ashis cofilmand to spread by .the sword the faith he preached."Benedict went on to cite a Western scholar, T~eodoreKhoury,who claimed that Islam's view of the transcendence of God isso extreme, that G()d's will is allegedly "l1()t bound up withany of ()urcategories, even tha] or rationality." Benedictquoted Khoury quoting a French scholar Arnaldez, whoargues-that a medieval Muslim scholar Ibn. Hazm claimed that"God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing

Ii

would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were if God's Will,we would even have to practice idolatry." Benedict also notedthe claim of Khoury that the .Qur'anic command, "There is nocompulsion in religions'" (2:256) .came from. the early Meccanperiod, when Muslims were powerless and persecuted inMecca. Benedict stated that Manuel II /falso knew theinstructions, developed later and recorded in .the Qur'an,concerning holy war." This suggested that the teaching againstcompulsion in religion is not as authoritative as later Qur'anicteachings that allegedly refer to "holy war." .

These remarks aroused a furor in the Muslim world.Two churches in the West Bank of the Holy Land wereburned, and. a Catholic sister in Somalia was killed. ManyMuslim leaders protested.. About a month later, 38 Muslimscholars sent an "Open Letter to His Holiness Pope BenedictXVI." In it they rejected Khoury's dating of the commandagainst compulsion in religion.• They dated it to the Medinanperiod when Muslims were in power and when some wishedto enforce Islam by the sword. The Qur'an forbade thatpractice. The Qur'an and the Islamic tradition, they noted,have no teaching concerning holy war as such: Jihad means"struggle,"and it can be ina holy cause.

The Muslim scholars argue that.Benedict's view of divinetranscendence in Islam is "a simplification which can bemisleading." They point out that Ibn Hazm, whom Benedictcites, by way of Khoury and Arnaldez, was a marginal figurebelonging to the Zahiri school of Islamic law, which no onefollows today. They suggest other figures as more central,such as Al-Chazzali. They suggest Benedict'sstatement aboutGod's Will not being bound up in any of our categories isalso misleading. Benedict'sdichotomy between reason andfaith"does not exist in precisely the same form in Islamicthought."

Regardirtgfhe claim that, Mohammed brought nothingnew except what was "evil and inhuman, such as his alleged

84 SALAAM APRIL 2016 85

34

command to spread by the sword the faith he preached," theMuslim scholars note that Muhammad never claimed to bringsomething new. The Qur'an says: "Naught is said to thee(Muhammad). but what already was said to the Messengersbefore thee" (41:43). They reject the charge that Muhammadcommanded thatIslam be spread by the sword. RegardingKhoury and Arnaldez, the Muslim scholars state that"Muslims have not to our knowledge endorsed the 'experts'you referred to, or recognized them as representing Muslimsor their views."

In response to the controversy, Pope Benedict addedfootnotes to the text of his remarks when they were publishedon the Vatican website, commenting on his citation of thestatement of Emperor Manuel II and distancing himself fromit:

Iri the Muslim world, this quotation has unfortunatelybeen taken as an expression of my personal position, thusarousing understandable indignation. I hope that thereader of my text can see immediately that this sentencedoes not express my personal view of the Quraru Iorwhich I have the respect due tothe holy book 'of a greatreligion. In quoting the text of the Emperor Manuel II, Iintended solely to draw out the essential relationshipbetween faith and reason. On this point I am in,agreement with Manuel II, but without endorsing hispolemic,33

About a year later, in October 2007, 138 Muslim leadersissued "Common Word between Us and You." This statementstates: "The future of the world depends on peace betweenMuslims .and Christians. The basis for this peace andunderstanding already exists. It is part of the veryfoundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God,

33 http://www.vatican.va/hoIy_fa ther /benedict_xvi/ speeches/2006 /september / documents/ hCben-xvLspe_20060912_university­regensburg_en.html.

and love of neighbour. These principles are found. over andover again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. TheUnity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessityof love of the neighbour is thus the common ground betweenIslam and Christianity." I believe my colleague in thisconference will say more about this important document andthe dialogues to which it has led. Georgetown University ishonored to serve as the North American home of theCommon Word Dialogue.

At the time, Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio of Buenos Aires,Argentina, publically distanced himself from Pope Benedict'sremarks in Regensburg. He commented that"Pope Benedict'sstatement don't reflect my own opinions. These statementswill serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction ofa relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul 11 built over thelast 2,0, years."34 In March 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio was elected

pope ~~d'iook ~he name Francis.

Pope Francis 1.1 ,

The Muslim community in ·A~gentina welcomed the newsthat Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis: The BuenosAires Herald reported on March 14, 2013:

In an interview with Buenosairesherald.com, SheijMonsen Ali and CIRA [Islamic Center of the Republic ofArgentina] Secretary General Dr. Sumer Noufouri praisedPope Francis's "pro-dialogue" nature. "He always showedhimself as a friend of the Islamic community. He visitedthe At-Tauhid Mosque (located) in the neighborhood ofFloresta and the Arab-Argentine Ali Ibn Abi Talib Schoolstrengthening our relations", the Director of the House forthe. Diffusion of Islam Sheik Mohsen Ali said anddescribed a personal anecdote with the man that has now

Palash Ghosh, "Pope Francis: A Friend to Muslims?"lnternationalBusiIless Times, March 15,2013, http://www.ibtimes.com/pope-francis­friend-muslims-1130225.

86 SALAAM APRIL 2016 87

become "thePopeof .the end of the world." "In SuipachaStreet, at the headquarters of the Argentine Episcopacy,his humility drew my attention. I Went there. with SheijAbdul Karim Paz. There was a smaU wicker chair andsome soft armchairs. H~ took the little chair for himselfand left us the comfortable armchairs," the Sheif MohsenAli recalled. . . ;

"With joy and expectation of strengthening dialoguebetween religions", Secretary General of the IslamicCenter of the Republic of Argentina (CIRA) Dr. SumerNoufouri told Buenosairesherald.comto resume how newsabout Bergoghos appointment were received by theinstitution he presides;

Considering ties between the CIM andnow Pope Francis"excellent", Dr. Noufollr~expiained that the'on~-decaderelation has helped to' build Christian-Muslim di;ilogue,something "really significant in the history of monotheisticrelations ,i11\ Argentina". A "joint work",CIRA headadded,"that we .have never given up on".

Mario Jorge Bergoglio is a"respectful, pro-'dialogueperson who knows the Islam", theCIRA SecretaryGeneral said and, just like Sheij .Mohsen Ali. He chose ananecdote. to picture the personality of the elected pontiff.

"When Bergoglio attended the CIRA to have lunch withthe board, he told us that in Rome, when he talked aboutthe relation he had with Muslims saying that he came tothe CIRA and that we congratulated him on Christmas,they just could not believe it/it shocked them," Dr.Noufouri said and affirmed. thaf"Argentina is a model ofdialogue and coexistence that; God Willing, could beexported to the world."35

35 http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/126369/pope_francis_a_frierid_of-the-islamic-commtmity.

Sinc~. 1967, presidents of the Secretariat for non-ChristianReligions, laJ~r re-named the Pontifical Council forInterreligiouspialoguehave sent aI+\essa~eof greetings toMuslims throughout the world as they celebrate Id al-Fiir' atthe conclusion of Ramadan." In 2013 Pope Francis decided tosendthismessage as his own personal greeting, asa sign ofthe importance that. he places on Muslim-Catholic relations.i.vlwould like to cite his. words:

To Muslims throughout the World

Itgives me great pleasureto greet you~s you celebrate'Id aI-FUr',. so concluding the mcmtlL. of Ramadan,dedicated mainly to fasting, prayer and almsgiving....

This. year,. the first of my Pontificate, I have decided tosign this tra<iitional message myself and to sendit to you,dear. friends, as an expression of esteem and friendshipfor a.ll Muslims, especially, those. who are. religious leaders.

Turning tornutualrespectjn interreligious relations,especially between Christians and Muslims, we are calledto respect the-reltgicn-of the other, its teachings, itssymbols, its values. Particular respect is due .. to religiousleaders and to places of worship. How painful are. attackson one or other. of thesel

It is clear that, when we show respect for the religion ofour neighbours or when we offer them our good wisheson the. occasion of a religious celebration, we. simply .seekto sharetheir joy, without making reference to .the contentof their. religious convictions.

Regarding the education of Muslim and Christian youth,·.we· have to bring up our young people to think and

speak respectfully of other teligionsand their followers,and to avoid ridiculing or denigrating their convictionsand practices...

36 Jukko pp;21-22.

88SALAAM APRIL2016 89

We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in anyhuman relationship, especially among people who professreligious belief. In this way, sincere and lasting friendshipcan grow."

In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, TheJoy ofthe Gospel,. Pope Francis strongly supports interreligiousinitiatives in the context of seeking peace and the flourishingof life for all: "An attitude of. openness in truth and in lovemust characterize the dialogue with the followers of non­Christian religions. . .. Interreligious dialogue is a necessarycondition for peace in the world, and so it is a. duty forChristians as well as other religious communities" (250).Francis endorses the attitude toward followers of otherreligious paths commended by the Catholic bishops ofIndiaof "being open to them, sharing their joys and sorrows"(#250). He stresses the importance and the transformativepower of listening: "Efforts made in dealing with a specifictheme can become a process in Which, by mutual listening,both parts can be purified and enriched. These efforts,therefore, can also express love for truth" (#250). Francis isaware of the important differences among various religioustraditions and does not wish to ignore or minimize them: "Afacile syncretism would ultimately be 'a totalitarian gesture onthe part of those who would ignore greater values of whichthey are not the masters. True openness involves remaining,steadfast in one's deepest convictions, clear and joyful in one'sown identity, while at the same time being 'open tounderstanding those of the other party' and 'knowing thatdialogue can enrich each side'" (#250; quoting PopeJohnPaulII). Regarding how to handle the disagreements amongdifferent religious traditions, Francis stresses honesty, mutualrespect and trust.

37 http://www.vatican.va/holy~father/francesco/messages/pont-messagesl

2013/documents/ papa-francesco_20130710_musulmaru-ramadan..:.en.html.

Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of goodrelationships between Christians and Muslims: "We Christiansshould embrace with affection and respect. Muslim immigrantsto our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to bereceived and respected in countries of Islamic tradition"(#253). Francis acknowledges the difficulties in relations inmany settings and advises: "Faced with disconcerting episodesof violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers ofIslam should. lead us to avoid hateful generalizations, forauthentic Islam and the properreadingof the Koran areopposed to every form of violence" (#253).

According to Pope Francis, the grace of God thatChristians experience in [esus Christ can nurture and shapethe lives of followers of other religious p aths as well.Christians do not have a monopoly on grace and can learnfrom other traditions: "The same Spirit everywhere bringsforthvarious forms of practical wisdom which help people tobear suffering and to live in greater peace and harmony. AsChristians, we can also benefit from these treasures built upover many centuries, which can help us better to live our ownbeliefs" (#254). In the ministry of Pope Francis, the new spiritthat Pope Paul VI brought to Muslim-Christian relations finds

.new expression.

90 SALAAM.' ,

APRIL 201691

THE CALIPH ANDrHE BISHOP _AL-MA'l\1UNANDABU QURRAH,

Pearl'Drego and team

The events and conversations we are presenting to you aretakerifrojr; a book titled The Caliph and the Bishop - A NinthCentury Christicm-Muslim'Debate: Al-Maimun and Abu Qurrah. Itwas the Egyptian Jesuit Fr.WafikNasry, an expert in theculture and languetges of West Asia, who came upon theArabic manuscript which reports the theological discussionand polemics between a Christian bishop Abu Qurrah, whowas bishop of Harran, and the Caliph AI-Ma'mun. Thealleged debate, is said to have taken place in the 9 th centuryand reflects a previous tradition of qiscussionspetweenPatriarch Timothy I and Caliph al-Mahdi in 781. It is part ofwhat is known as the Arab-Christian Heritage. The aim of thebook is to promote dialogue between Christians and Muslimsand to remove common misunderstandings' between these tworeligious groups.

There aremany examples of unity of faith among diverseChristian denominations in West Asia. Fr. Samir Khalil SamirSJ (the Director of the dissertation and who has written thePreface of the book) lists 10 such works of ecumenicalcharacter produced between 780CE and 1260CE. Thesetreasures of ancient manuscripts are still waiting to beresearched. The author in his Foreword says that Arab culturehas been a ill1ifying factor among Christians in West Asia, justas a Greek culture had the same effect in the 1St centuries ofChristianity.

In Scene ORe, :A1:Ma'mun the Caliph is surrounded byhis questioning -clerics who are skeptical about the bishop AbuQurrah. They d0'419t like the respect given to him by the

Caliph. However, Al-Ma/mum the Caliph loves Abu Qurrahand even gives him the liberty of criticizing the ProphetMohammad. 'Al-Ma/mum is called the Commander of theFaithful. Circumcision is the first topic taken up, probably asan introductory intervention.

The elite Muslim theologians! scholars present are:(Abdallahal Mamun, Harun .B Hasimaluzai, Salm al­Hamadani, Sa'sa'ahs.bHalid al-Basri, A group of the elite ofQurays).

Scene I

Abu Qurrah (Bishop of Harran) enters. Abdallah alManum (Commander of the Faithful) welcomes him and theyboth sit together.

Harunto the Caliph: You sit with a Nazarene man andwelcome him to the court t!

Al Mamun: Yes - but He is a knowledgeable man andknows a lot about religions

Harun: Religionsll!ll What Religion? Islam is the onlyreligion.

Al Mamun: I. request you to, come and debate with sothat we can clarify the truth of the religion of Islam and alsomanifest the weakriess of the religion of the Nazareanes.Evenin the Quranic verse, it is mentioned do not argue with thepeople of .the book except with ways that are best.

Harun: Let me call all our Islamic scholars Harun BHasimaluzai.Salm al-Hamadani and Sa'sa'ahs.bl-Ialid al-Basri.

, Now we are ready.

Al Mamun: First we shall discuss about the Law and theold covenant: Do you know 0 Abu Qurrah that the foreskinis impure.

Abu Qurrah: God created our Father, Adam from thedust and breathed into him the breath of life God fashionedhim in his image and likeness.

92 SALAAM APRIL 2016 93

ALMamun: Yes.

Abu Qurrah: HGod created us how; could impure firiclsits. horne in God's paradise, .

Harun: But why was Abraham-told to be .circumcised.

Abu Qurrahi During the time of Abraham many peopleworshipped idols and prostrated themselves before them inderogation of God. God wanted his people to be marked justas one marks a sheep so that they could be distinguishedfrom the worshippers of idols.

Harun:Why?

Abu Qurrah: So that God makes a covenant with themunitl the coming of the Lord the Christ.

Sa'sa'ahs.bHalid al-Basri: Christ ... You call him Son .ofGod. You make One God into three. Woe to you.

Al Mamun: Abu Qurrah why are you silent? Today letthe truth triumph Let us speak what is true so that we canunderstand better. Let us not be bogged down by other~' viewof us.

A'9u Qurrah: Or<: Sa'sa'ahs.bl-Ialid al-Basri, Let. me know.Was Adamcreated from something that can be describedandknown or not?

Sa/sa/ahs.bHalid al-Basrh.From something that can bedescribed and 'known.

Abu QU'rrah: then it can be measured and thereforelimited.

·Sa.'sa'ahs.bHalid al-Basri : Yes.i",;" ,.,.\.,

Abu Qurrah: What about the Christ is he created fromsomething Or not.

! '."}',../" ',.

Sa~sa."ahs.bHalidal~Basri:The Quran'sayshe is createdfrom the word of God and his spirit..

AbuQAb.ll,Qurrah: Is the word of God and his spirit

limited fashioned and, described?

Sa'sa'a.hs.liHalida.I-Basri: No, nor can it be

comprehended.

Abu Qurrah: Is the word of God creator or created?

Sa'sa'ahs.bHalid al-Basri: (bows his head).

Narrato~:Sa.'sa'ahs.bI-Ialidal-Basribows h.is head as heknoww that if hesays /Yes" h~woulcl fall in trouble.

Salm aI-Hamadani:We are pJ;oudof our Islam religion!'Yes Proudll Whoever follows a religion other than Islam, willnot be accepted, and in the life hereafter heisa loser.

Abu Qurrah: Your book, 0 Muslim contradicts these

words

Salm '.' al-Hamadani: -. How?

Abu Qurrah: You say, "to God has been surrendered all

that is on earth and in heaven, voluntarily or gqldgingly/.Hence, if it were as you said, that all people, birds, lions,animals, and devils have entered Islam and alltreatiolls havebecome Muslims, whether they willed itor refused,andyourstatus is no more than one of them; why then do you boastover\us with your Islam when you have no superiority over

anyone who-entered it with you.

Silence.

Abu Ql1rrah: Don't you'thinkthat theprophet is af ' :~ " ," ..

human? He prays to God for deliverance, ,s~fety .and good

health.

Salm al-Hamadanir So whatis wrong with that?

. Abu Qurrah:Beca.useonthe other hand you hope forparadise and the tampanions with bea.utiful, big andlustrolls

eyes, who are not your wives.

94.; SALAAM APRIL 291695

Salm al-Hamadani: Tell me 0 Ab1.1 Qurra.habouttheChrist. Did he not S?y to his disciples'Tatn ascending to myFather and your father; to my God and your Cod."

Abu Qurrah: Yes

Salm al-'Hamadani: He is a human, then from the sons ofAdam

Abu QUJ'rah: If heIs justa human from the sons ofAdam he ""puld not have done the signs and wonders tha]He did, such as raising the deaths 'and other miracles whichwould take too long an explanation to, you here, without ahelper or an, assistant with a firm order and a resolotueutterance. He came to us perfectly human and perfectlydivine.

Salm al-Hamadani: How can you say that?

Abu Qurrah: He said to His disciples "My father andyour father" in his divinity, and "My God-and your God" inhis humanity. God is said to be His father in fact and thefather of the disciples in favor and grace.

Salm al-Hamadani: Can you explain to us?

Abu Qurrah: Let us take an example-of the son. ofa kingwho said to his servants "My master and your master andyour master said to you". He (the king) is their (servants')master in fact and his (sons) master in veneration and thisgrace he now bestows on us.

Salm al-Hamadani: If God wished to do the wonders thatChrist did on the earth while He is' in heaven he would havebeen able to do that .. ,

Abu Qurrah: But our God wished to meet his people. Hemanifested in the Old Testament but now he sent "his Wordand Spirit to the chaste Virgin Mary. Thus she conceived .theOne of God who is from God and he was manifested to thepeople. incarnate. We would not have been able toIook atGod directly, so he became human; except in sin He is God.

. Salm al-Hamadani: How do we believe this?

Abu Qurrah: Your book witnesses to this, since it says"we sent to Maryfrom Our spirit and he appeared to her asa human in all' respects. "

Salm al-Hamadani: But how cal1we trust you? You arepolytheists.

Abu Qurrah.: Know that your prophet' did not wish toleave you in doubt; rather he let you knowthat weare notpolytheists or-infidels. He said that the one who makes anassociate for God has clearly strayed far away and let youknow also tha\t the polytheists are the Bedouins and not theNazarenes; those who believe and lead the right way are theNazarenes, the ones who speak about the superiority ofGod.They are the victors on the Day of Resurrection.

Salm al-Hamadani: We believe in Muhammad. We donot believe in Christ God.

Abu Qurrah: The wondrous thing of you is that youmock us for following the Christ who you yourselves admitis the spirit ofCod: arid his word. You tend to accept theword of him who died .and decayed over him who', neitherdies .nor decays.. You ought to have believed the word of Godand his spirit.

Balm al-Hamadanir-Woe to you Abu Qurrah/ .Listeri wedid not attribute polytheism to you except for your sayingthat God has, a son.

Abu Qurrah: Had God wished to take himself a son Hewould have chosen him from his creation whomever hewilled. But you denied your pod chooses his word and spiritdignifies and glorifies Him and .. calls Him a son for Himself.And you call your prophet messenger and Abraham. is called.an intimate friend and Moses interlocu tor.

Harun .B .Hasimaluzair Is not your Christ" your God? But ,your Christ has died.

96SALAAM APRIL 2016 97

Abu Qurrah: Yes. But hHl ll1eis<the'Christ in heaven orin the earth?

Haruri'B Hasimaltiiai: In paradise'... What do you say... You tell me?

Abu Qurrah: In' heaven.

Harun B HasimaIuzai: But how do. yoV. know?

.Abu Qurrah: From you book. Surat al Nisa:.they did notkill him nor did they crucify him rather it was made. toappear to them and God raised him up to Himself.

And it is also said, "0 Isa' son. of Mary I will make youdie and raise you up to myself and purifyyou over thosewho rejected faith.in you and I will make those who followedyou superior to those who rejected faith in you and you arethe' judge of all."

Al Mamun: You said the truth.

Harun B Haaimaluzah But why do you crucify yourC;od?And worship the wood that he 'was crucified on? Whydo youexalt the cross?

Abu Qurrah: We not only exalt the cross but w~ takerefuge in it - through the cross we get our salvation. Webelieve that He was crucified buriedand.rose up and Hisbody did not know corruption and His ascension into heavenis as your book says. He ascended into heaven.

HarunB Hasimaluzai: Tell me when the Christ was inMary'sbeUywho managed the heavens and the earth andsince he sent his spirit and his word to Mary, did he notremain without word or spirit': If Mary had' died while' shewas pregnant with theChrtst:' who would have been thejudge, on the Day of Judgment?

Abu Qurrah: Your argument is very weak. God is acreator. He is able to send his word and spirit wherever He

wishes Without leaving Him.. You tell me 'with regard <•. to yoursaying tha:t,"The Lord whep he approached and wassuspended," if had fallen from t~eheavens~hi1ehewassuspended and was shattered/who would ha".eguardedtheheavens and the earth and his creation.

Both the sides agreed that they have not seen God;

Salm al-Hamadani: He descendedfromthe exaltedness ofHis Heaven to His earth, and vested Himself with {a human}body to address the body with the body; for behold bodilyeyes are incapable of looking at the Essence of the Divinity.

Abu Qurrah: HE (WhoisPowerh~1and Lofty!) createdall creatures, not that He. .needed anything from them, oranything else (that he might createj.iAnd He did not createthem frivolously/rather, He created them asHe loved in Hiswisdom, and He poured forth His grace upon them, and Hebestowed upon them His Holy Spirit, and consequently Herequired of them prostration before Him and work inobedience to him until the Day of Reckoning.

Salm al-Hamadanii The stronger reason for His comingdown is that God (Who is Powerful and Loftyl). first createdthe Angela.pure. intelligent spiritsr subtle and radiant.unlikethe creation ofhumans(who have) dense bodies, and (God)embellished them (the Angels) with intellect and strengthenedthem ':Vithmight,CI,Ild gave. them a home in the. highest andmosthonorable of places.L mean heaven, and made them theclosest of His creation to Him and most honorable..

A group of.theelite of Qurays: Satan, the damned, wastheir chief; (and among them) he was loftier in rank, granderin status, highest in grade, greatest in might/and the mostreaching in authority. Thus, when he looked at the exaltednessof his status, the greatness of his majesty, the honor of hismight, and .theexaltednessof his significance with God (Mayhe be praisedl), vanity and pride crept into him (Satan).

98SALAAM APRIL~016 99

Salm al-Hamadani: And the da.mned (one), in his'ignorance, said to himself, I' What superiority has, the Creatorover me? And in what is He more honorable than I? Orhigher in rank? Or more subtle in nature? And in what is Heworthier of kingship? I am from the essence of fire, and undermy hands are ,these troops, who listen to me and obey myorder".

A group of'the j'!lite of Qurays: When his baseproclivities, and', his vile thought prevailed' over him, and(when) several angels veered towards him, and indeed theybecame his troops, and they listened to him, obeyed him,accepted his order, and followed him, at this point, he enteredfor himself among them a podium.This is when the anger ofGod was stirred against him (Satan), and He (God) hurledhim (Satan) and his troops, who were listening and obeyinghim( Satan), into the lowest abyss, and threw them downfrom their most'honorable high ranks into the lowest chasm.

Abu Qurrah: When the damned (one), then,knew that hehad no power against the'Mighty God, and indeed he (Satan)had fallen from his honor and had been deposed from hisrank, and that there is no way of returning to his previoushonor, at this point, he came to the poor, weak sons ofhumans, who were created in his stead, and he beguiled themwith his ignorance, out, of envy of. them, and prevatled overthem with his deception, and took them to E:!very base way inorder to distance them from God, the Creator, as he (Satan) c

had distanced himself. The people followed him' (Satan), andveered" towards him. And he made them worship the human­made (idols) and the stars' of the heaven and the sea.

Saint al-Hamadani: God (Who is powerful and Lofty:Blessed be His holy name, and may the remembrance of Himbe exalted!) was not content to' abandon the people under theworship of devils. Hence, He sent to them His prophets, callingthem (the people) to Himself and to His worship. They (thepeople) did not accept (the call) from them (theprophets), andSatan kept their hearts from answering.

Abu, Qurrah: Then God saw (fit), with His abundantclemency and kindness and honorable .Natiire, to manifest HisMajesty and redeem the work of His Holy hands from thecaptivity of the deceitful enemy. Hence, He descended fromthe exaltedness of His praises to, the virgin Mary, and Hebecame Incarnate in her by the Holy Spirit, with a body likethat of our form.to let us know, the weakness of our enemy,for, behold He (God) advanced towards him (Satan) in thelikeness of a human.

Salm al-Hamadani: And as (in the 'case of) a vile slave,if he escaped from his master, cannot rest in a place that canbe reached by his master" thus, the Word of God and HisSpirit became Incarnate, to discredit, our enemy, the devil,away from us.Thus, when the Christ made the, he (Satan)looks at them (The Word of God and His Spirit), he (Satan)would escape and his authority would vanish

Abu Qurrah: Whoever resists the Word of God and HisSpirit has indeed become a clear enemy to them.And aboutbook witnesses that the form of birds from clay and breathed(life) into them from His Spirit, and ordered them to fly, sothey flew.And whoever seperates God and His Word and HisSpirit is, indeed, ruined in this world and the hereafter. Andyou make a judgment over when you say that the Christraised the dead by the command of God. And your book saysthat the Christ is the Spirit of God and His Words.

Salm al-Hamadani: The Muslim, then, said, He (Jesus)raised the dead by the command of God, and His (God's)spirit is not from Him.

Abu Qurrah : As if He (God) had command and HisWord and His Spirit had not been with Him? Know, 0Muslim, that whoever has denied that the Christ is God hasindeed defamed God and His Word and His Spirit, for if youwere tosay that the Word of God and His Spirit raised thedead without their own proper permission, you would beignorant in your words and would be speaking withoutcorrectness, and you would be ignorant (with regard) to the

100SALAAM APRIL 2016 101

gqod Word.and the Chaste Spirit, .of whom the Angel Gabrielhad witnessed, by. his ·saying to the chaste virgin Mary," TheLord will come upon you, and the spirit of the Holy One willreside in you" .

Salmal-Hamadani: Arid you,. with your ugliness andignorance, attribute ignorance to and belief the witness of theAngels, and you deny the saying of your hook, wherein itsays in surat al Zuhruf,"If The Most Gracious has taken ason"

Abu Qurrah: God (The Most Gracious, the mostcompassionate!) is He who called the Angels by their namesbefore He created the human. I do not see yourmessertget, 0Muslim; except admitting a Son.

Salmal-Hamadal1i: .Why, then, do you deny what yourmessenger had acknowledged .and to which your book hadwitnessed, unless you wish to anger and contend with us.And this is not permissible because your book. and yourprophet believe what you have spoken. At this, the group ofministers was perplexed.

AI- Mamun: May God bless you! 0 Abu Qurrah!Oertainly, (By God!) you have .improved the discourse, anddefinel\i\~heanswerfor whoever resisted you; And youclarifiedwJllM\ has not even occurred in people's thoughts.

Narrator: Anotherq,uestion is put to Abu .Qurrah.

Al-Ma'mun: 0 Abu Qurrah, if the Christ were your God, (as you claim, how then, did he eat the food, and drink thedrink, and go around in the markets; as you say and claim?

Abu Qurrah: 0 Commander of the Faithful, I arrived atthe correct response from what preceded in the discourse andfrom what I .gave in my previous answer .and indeed I havebegun my discourse with a clear discourse, which lam unableto either deny Or doubt.

AI,.Mamun:O Abu Qurrah, let go of what has passedand hasten with an answer and a correct discourse which mymind can accept and my· thought will not deny.

Abu Qurrah:Ocornmander of tll~ Faithful, May God befavourable. to you. Since you have asked me, then I mustclarify my beliefs foryou and for all who are present in yourcourt.

Al-Ma'mun: Say what you will, 0 Abu Qurrah,

Abu Qurrah: Now to your topic, 0 commander of theFaithful, know that the discourse is for you. I now let youknow that the Christ is God. The Father and the Son and theHoly Spirit are one God. He is knownby the Oneness of Hisessence, worshipped in His Trinitarian properties. He has noequal, nor anyone identical. nor any match, nor is there anyway to reach Him, nor any opposite nor any rival. Theknower whose knowledge has no end, the Able one with noinstruction to His ability; the Fi~st who has no beginning; thelast who has no end; the permanent one who suffers noannihilation; the Magnanimous One who has no end; theCreator who has no-helper, theExalted who cannot bereached or comprehended: the Powerfu] who cannot bedefeated, the Knower who cannot be ignoranf; 'the CustodianWho is not inattentive.

Narrator: There upon,al-Mamunglancedat the group ofhis ministers.

Al- Mamun: Does there remain, among you, he who hasknowledge to debate with Abu Qurrah?

ON THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST AND HIS CRUCIFIXION

AI- Hisami: Tell me, 0 Abu Qurrah, (with regard to) theChrist, did the Jews crucify him according to his wish or~ithout his wish? .

.For I see you, the assembly of the Nazarenes, claimingthat the, Christ is your God and that the Jews indeed crucifiedhim.

Bence" if the Jews indeed crucified him according to hisWish, then there is noguilt upon 'them with him, and if itwere with other than his Wish, then he isa weak lord.

102SALAA~ APRIL 20.16 103

Tell l1.1R, then, o Abu Qurrah, about what I have asked,you.

Narrator: And there were (people) from Qurays andBanuHasim and others from the Muslim elite, a large group,which al-Mamun had brought to debate .\-Yith Abu Qurrah.,

In this part of the dialogue, Abu Qurrah asks the groupto bear witness against their companion,

Abu Qurrah: Indeed, the saying has gone before in thepreceeding discourse. But tell me, 0 cousin of the messenger,if you long that I should speak?

AI-Mamun: He said to him, 0 Abu Qurrah, speak!

Abu Qurrah: Be witnesses against your companion thathe should not blame anyone except himself.

The group: We' witness against him.

Ahu Qurrah: (to al-Hisami) Are you content that I speak?

AI- Hisami: He said, Yes, I am content.

Abo. Qurrah: You say, 0 Muslim, that we have defamedGod?

AI-Hisami: Yes, you associate with God, and whoeverassociates with God has defamed Him, indeed.

Abu Qurrah: And that is according to His wish or other-than His wish?

If you were' to say that we defamed Him and rejectedfaith in Him according to His wish, then we have no guiltwith' Him or punishment.And if you were to say, with otherpresent company that He isa weak god, because He did notguide Us to the right faith.

Narrator: Al-Ma'mun praises Abu Qurrah. In this part thepeople present objections but Abu Qurrah is affirmed.

Al-Ma/mum You told the truth (By Godl), O. Abu Qurrah.

They all cry out: This is not analogous to the slaying ofour companion, nor is it a convincing answer .For God hasindeed led you to the right way, but you did not go to theright way.' , ,

Abu Qurrah said your messenger witnesses on theauthority of your God, that He said, "Whoever We guideastray, rio one can lead to the right way. And Whoever Welead to the. right way, no onecan.giiide-astray."

Abu Qurrah: Tell me, then, 0 Muslim, if you were toinvade the lands of the Byzantines, would you not in a holywar, for the. sake of God, and you assume that this wouldsecure your arrival in paradise?

Al-Hasimi: By my life! It is thus.

Abu Qurrah: Hence, if you went tOlnvade,you and yourbrother, .the son of your mother and. your fa ther, and yourcousin; and then an infidel encountered you, and he cameclose to you and struck your brother a blow. that woundedhim and brought him close ..todeath, tell me, .would you, ifyou were able to overcome that infidel, would you notrevenge your brother against him?

A-Rasim!: I would kill him as ransom for my brother.

Abu Qurrah: Is it, not a duty, for he, the infidel, hadgiven your brother his wish, for.he, your brother, wascertainthat if he were to be killed, he would enter the paradise?

Why do you, then, kill him, who had enabled you toattain your ,wish and lead you to your intention?

For this infidel is the reason for your. brother's entranceinto paradise! Bis, the infidel's, mutdervthen, is not a duty.

Narrator: Al-Hasirni-was confounded fora protractedhour; he bowed his head tci the ground in silence; thereupon,he said to Abu Qurrah,

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A-Hasimi: That Infidel did. not seek [anything] from mybrother except his murder, and he [the infidel] did not wish ,him [the brother] to enter paradise, but sought his destruction.

Likewise, I would reward him in proportion to what hedid to my brother.

Abu Qurrah: Reason this nowanddiscernit!

When the Jews crucifiecl..the Lord, the Christ, they didnot wish to agree with Him and fulfill what was prophesiedby the prophets.

On the contrary," their certain [intention] was Hisdestruction,. and the eradication of His name,ahd theobliteration of His memory from the world.

Hence, He, the Christ, judges and rewards them,according to their intentions.

Narrato:r:The grouppreserit admits that al-Hasimi isunable to debate with Abu Qllriah.The group presentadmitted [the logic of the reasoning], and they said; Certainly,our companion (By God!) has been 'exposed. And this is acorrect and convinCing answer. And they all left.

Then the minister of Al-Ma'mun invites Abu Qurrah toIslam promising him the goods of this world and the goodsof paradise. Abu Qurrah refuses.

Abu Qurrah: I do notV\lis~, Qfriend, that paradise youoffer me; rather I wish for the 'paradise which is promised bymy Lord Jesus, the Christ, myLord and my God, the Creator­Word of God.

If'is the delightfhar no eye has seen no ear has heardnoihas it Occurred '. tothe heart of a human, for if is loftierand. sweeter than all that-is in the world;'

This is the :matter IllopefrOIh my Lord and :my God, notanother.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE DE:BATE

Narrator:' All remained silent.

AI-Ma'mun: Does there remain any ,one among you whowould debate with Abu Qurrah ?

Nartator:They all remained' silent. an:dthen confused,' theywalked away.AI-Ma'rnlln 'said he was' very unhappy to seesuch a day, but he praised Abu Qu:rrahandgave him theROBE OF HONOUR and ordered him to REMAIN IN HISPALACE. The next day .the judge,Yahya b. Aktam came. Boththe judge and Abu, Qurrahagreed that no one had seen God.On that-note of agreement the debate ended.

REFLECTION

.The dialogue .between N·Ma'mun theCaliph and. AbuQurrah, the. Bishop, is fascinating as it portrays a relationshipof respect and trust between a Muslim Caliph and a Christiar;Bishop. This relationship is indeed unique as the Caliphpermits the Bishop to speak openly about Christian theologyand doctrine, even to the extent of criticizing Islamic beliefs.

The Caliph has an open-hearted .admiration for AbuQurrah.yand applauds his Persistence in confounding hisMuslim opponents. Some of the terminology used to describeboth the Islamic and the Christian concepts sounds quaint andiconoclastic, yet it gives a colourful and down-to-earthexpression of the often unvoiced prejudices, that exist in inter­religious dialogues and debates.:

The position of Abu Qurrah cannot be replicated today,because he is at times even contemptuous of Islamic views ofparadise and of practical ethics. Today we need to look morefor what Muslims and Christians have in common and movefrom wanting to win a debate that confounds others, to

'bringing in partnership and harmony which brings mutuality,support and solidarity.

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Muslim-Christian dialogue needs to lead to deepening ofthe understanding of spiritual realities, and most of all, helpus to a deeper experience of God. The two parties need toadmit differences and respect the differences. If these are tobe challenged, they need to be done in. a spirit of joint search,and not to prove what is right or wrong.

Sharing of each other's spiritual journeys and spiritualencounters will bring a positive fellowship between Muslimsand Christians, and pave the way to address many of theother contentious issues that appear in today's world ofpolitics, social conflict and multiple identities. However, thehistorical value of the recorded debate he-tween Al-Ma'rnunthe Caliph and Abu Qurrah, the Bishop, cannot beunderestimated, for it underlines the comradeship andaffinities, as well as the polarities that have existed in pastinteractions between the two religious communities. Thedebate leaves one with a sense of embedded antiquity as wellas with a desire to delve deeper into the history of Islam­Christian interactions, giving them a new direction, for thecommon benefit of future generations.

(The other members of the team are Merwin D'Souza,Rajesh Lobo, Bada Majong, and Vidya Miranda-Kiyur)

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"Blindlyfollowing ancient customs and traditions doesn'tmeanthatthedead are alive, but that the Living are Dead. II

IBN KHAlDUN.ANorth African Arab Muslim Historiographerand Historian,

regarded to be amongthe founding fathers ofmodernsociology, Historiography, DemographyandEconomics.