Salvation and Inqadh (Deliverance): two theological doctrines in monotheistic religions and their contemporary implication in understanding Islamic penal code
Introduction This paper is primarily about the contemporary debate on the implementation of the SharÊÑah. Evidently, the discourse on SharÊÑah in general and Islamic penal code in particular is dominated by issues regarding Islam and modernity, inter-religious dialogue with Christianity and post...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Asian Christian Review, Kanagawa,Japan
2008
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Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/31013/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/31013/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/31013/1/Salvation_and_Inqadh_%28Deliverance%29.pdf |
Summary: | Introduction
This paper is primarily about the contemporary debate on the
implementation of the SharÊÑah. Evidently, the discourse on SharÊÑah in general
and Islamic penal code in particular is dominated by issues regarding Islam
and modernity, inter-religious dialogue with Christianity and post-colonial
state and human rights. The principal issue in such a debate has much less
to do with these topics but rather with the fundamental vision of both Islam
and Christianity. In addition to that modernity and its sub-discourses on postcolonial
state, human rights and others are consequences of the particular
history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Thus, fundamental term such as
salvation, which expresses the provision of God for human predicament and
redefines the relationship between God and humanity in Christianity in such
away that draws the difference between Judaism and Christianity, needs to
be studied for a meaningful discourse. Though Islam shares with the Judeo-
Christian tradition the story of creation, it has not developed soteriology.
Rather it emphasizes “..at birth man stands on the threshold of ethicality, at the
zero point of ethical dimension, Islam conceives of his duty as positive deed, as
the doing of something new, not as the undoing of something past” . Although
al-FÉrËqÊ makes the contrast between falÉh (felicity) and salvation, it is rather
essentially the difference between salvation and inqÉdh (deliverance), both of
which are acts of God , that is at stake. Indeed felicity presupposes inqÉdh. It is
because of inqÉdh the human act will be guided by hidÉyat al-IrshÉd (guidance through the commandments of God). Thus the will of God takes a concrete
form in the SharÊÑah. It should be noted that Islam like Judaism does not make
any theological claims about Adam’s sin, but rather the QurÑÉn told us that he
repented and was forgiven. Much that can be attributed to the story of creation
in the QurÑÉn, is that it depicts two patterns of behaviour: Adam’s response to
his misdeed and Iblis’ (Satan) attitude of arrogance. Perhaps, the meaning of
justice and law can be derived from this story and the story of the two children
of Adam. An understanding of the Biblical story of creation within the
concept of inqÉdh as in Judaism will mark a sharp distinction between God and
humanity. While “salvation” in Christian theology develops a new orientation
in the monotheistic vision, inqÉdh retains both the essence of ethics of intent
and action and transcendence of God.
This paper deals with the contemporary implications of these two moral
visions. The focus will be mainly on the legal narratives regarding contemporary
codification of Islamic penal code. This is because the penal code is the most
problematic and visible in any discourse on the implementation of SharÊÑah. It
is equally important that metaphysical postulates of such a debate should be
predicated on these two paradigms of salvation and inqÉdh. |
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