Islam Rediscovered
13. The Shariah and Its Application
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This appears to be quite damning. But in reality, it
is a total misapprehension.The error can be made
plain if we may suppose for a while that if a
complete Quran had been in people’s possession in
Makkah, as it is in the possession of the person
mentioned above, there might have arisen the same
confusion in Makkah.
We find from traditions that in the early phase of
Islam in Makkah, when the Makkan pagans had
begun their cruel persecution of the Muslims,
certain of the faithful, reacting to this grievous
injustice, asked the Prophet’s permission to do
battle with their persecutors. But the Prophet went
on exhorting them to exercise patience, saying: “I
have been commanded only to perform
da’wah,
communication of the message of God. I have not
been given permission to do battle.” If the complete
Quran in bound form had existed at that time,
someone might have stood up and said: “See,
Muhammad, may peace be upon him, is asking us
to exercise patience, while in the Quran God asks us
to do battle with our opponents.” But no such thing
took place in Makkah, for the simple reason that
