For lexicography of Qul see Appendix-2.

    The word 'Qul' holds the key to the concept of revealed theology. In Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, it is believed that the truth rests ultimately on the revelation from God to Muhammad (Peace be upon him), Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) and Moses (Peace be upon him), respectively, transmitted through Scripture. Some theologians (e.g. Barth) hold that the only authentic knowledge of God is by divine self-revelation. "Barth rejected attempts to derive knowledge of God from nature and human experience, on the grounds that man's reason has hopelessly been corrupted by the Fall (sin). God as the utterly transcendent and sovereignly free, is only to be known through His Self-revelation to man, a revelation which is uniquely given in the 'Word of God' manifested in Jesus Christ and made known through the Bible". Others (e.g. Acquinas) hold that some valid conclusions may be reached by reason but revelation provides the norms of correct understanding.

According to Jewish and Christian Prophecy, Biblical revelation is based on God's communication to certain chosen individuals through prophetic inspiration. The content of the prophet's message and the style in which it is couched, differ from prophet to prophet. "In the early Church Prophets played a prominent part. They were recognized as mouthpieces of the Holy Spirit. Some traveled from place to place. Responsible teachers insisted that the validity of the prophets' claims should be tested by the content of their utterances." (John R. Hinnells, Dictionary of Religions, p 259). The Talmud recognizes that the Divine Word interacted with the personality of the individual prophet. 'No two prophets prophesy in the same fashion'. The Jewish tradition distinguishes between the prophetic message of Moses and that of the other prophets. But the Quran asserts for belief in itself and all that was 'revealed' before it:

"And who believe in the Revelation sent to you, and sent before you, and have the assurance of the Hereafter." 2-4

The Bible depicts God as speaking to Moses 'face to face and not in riddles' (Numbers 12-8). For this see Quranic verse 2-253. The Rabbis see God as revealing Himself to Moses through a clear glass, but to other prophets through a cloudy glass. In this connection the Quran tells us as follows:

"The people of the Book ask you to cause a book to descend to them from heaven. Indeed they asked Moses for an even greater. For, they said: 'Show us Allah in public.' But they were dazed for their presumption by thunder and lightening.." 4-153

"When Moses came to the place appointed by Us (Allah), and his Lord addressed him, he said: 'O my Lord! Show (Yourself) to me, that I may look upon You.' Allah said: 'By no means; you can't see Me. But look upon the Mount, if it abide in its place , then shall you see Me.' When his Lord manifested His Glory on the Mount, He made it as dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses, he said: 'Glory to You! To You I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe." 7-143

Before Islam, many of the People of the Book recognized only one of the functions of prophecy, i.e., foretelling the future, which was considered to be primarily associated with prophecy. However, a more important prophetic role was that of a religious teacher; some one who would stand up against the corruption of the ruling class on the basis and strength of the Covenant with God. In this connection examine perspective of commission of Moses and Haruun (Peace be upon them), as presented by the Quran, to check Pharoah who had become rebellious. The Quran tells us that the Prophet worked both as reformer and teacher: 2-129 & 151.

Talmudic Judaism considers that age of prophecy came to an end with post-exilic prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It is thought that rabbinical sage superseded prophets. But the Quran informs us that Jews were, in fact, waiting for a new prophet and recognized him too: 2-146 and 6-20. Also see the prophecy of Jesus (Peace be upon him) about Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in verse 61-6. Barnabas has recorded Jesus' (Peace be upon him) similar prophecy in the Gospel. That is why, Jews eagerly awaited and enthusiastically welcomed Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in Madina, but changed their stance afterwards, due to socio-political considerations. Similarly Christian scholars like Naufal and others, testified to the Prophethood of and Revelation to Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Theology Revealed in Surah Ikhlaas, Starting with Qul

There is very strong reason to look for different aspects of Revealed Theology in Surah Al-Ikhlaas, which begins with 'Qul' and culminates into divine statements following it, from where it takes stand, which is sustained through reflection, deliberation and reasoning in the Quran and the Creation. Although Attributes (Most Beautiful Best Names) of Allah, Sub-haanahuu wa ta-A'alaa are mentioned in the revelations, right from the first one, but here in this Surah precise and all comprehensive statement has been made. In this Surah, "Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad" (112-1), is the culmination of the objective of revelation. It restores man's spiritual bond with His Creator-Sustainer. It provides intellectual basis for development of man's personality to the point where he gets rid of all disrupting and corrupting forces and submits to One Real Ever All-Powerful Lord-Master. It enhances his responsibility from animal guise to the highest human stature: "We (Allah) have indeed created man in the best of moulds." 95-4

T.B.Irving explains: "It (Qul) forms an answer to a previous rhetorical question implied in the first word, which is 'Say'." The first addressee of this Command of Allah, is the Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself. The imperative in 'Qul', addressed to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), confirms in the unique style of the Quran and precisely that he is Allah's Prophet and Messenger. It was the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who was being asked questions about God. He was therefore commanded in the words of this Surah to respond to the inquirers.

It is an important aspect to note, that there could have been a direct statement from God about Himself, but here the honour of introduction of Most High Exalted Alone One, was given by Allah Himself to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) to 'Say'. In this sense, use of the term 'Qul' points towards Prophethood and continuity of the mission, when subsequent conveyor also starts with 'Qul'..

It has to be pronounced and declared by all and for all. After the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the very imperative in the word 'Qul', makes it obligatory for every believer to bear this call and carry out the Command exactly in the same Word and spirit of the statement. That is, every believer has to pronounce and profess what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has been commanded to declare and do.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was being confronted with tricky and cruel questions. Therefore, he must be wanting Divine Guidance to reply. He was then commanded to respond as revealed. History has recorded that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not respond for days. It was only when he was commanded, he did it in the exact revealed Word. It is neither a compromise, nor a deduction nor conclusion from the argument current at that time among pagans. Therefore, importance of the revelation in this manner is that nothing was said by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), from his side, in response to the queries of polytheists, but Allah replied Himself. Allah introduced Himself. Human beings were never able to offer appropriate and complete explanation in this regard. The word Qul testifies that the correct knowledge of Tauhiid is through Revelation only. Perfect knowledge of Tauhiid does not emanate from philosophy, logic, etc.

The word Qul contains all nuances from receiving to saying, professing and applying with conviction, in true sense. When we recite this Surah starting with Qul, we follow the Prophet in his mission, and undertake the responsibility ordained in the Quran. In this connection also see Surah 103, particularly its last verse.

In this style of expression, by asking to 'Say: He' (Qul Huwa), Allah reminds His servants of His earlier and already existing communication and contact that He is the Same 'He', Whom you acknowledged as your Lord (Rab), when you were asked by Him:

"When your Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam,

from their loins, their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yes. We do testify.' Lest you should say on the Day of Judgement: 'Of this we were never mindful." 7-172

Therefore, by using Huwa (He), man is reminded that Allah is He, the same One, Whom you already know.

By starting with the Command 'Say' (Qul), the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stood clear of any idea or effort, on his part, as to conceive, conceptualize or introduce a new god or anyone in addition to the pantheon of pagans of Arabia, or plethora of gods of other polytheist people, as some other claimants did in the history of mankind.

Since it is a 'Command' from Allah, there is no choice or option for the conveyor in it. He has no choice whatsoever. In usual communication, the listener may convey message or information to other person or people in his own words and according to his own understanding. But in this case there is no room for any interference, interpretation, editing or any kind of personal presentation of the content and its arrangement for its delivery.

Here some people raise some questions whether the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) responsibility finished with just saying the same words, that is whether his job was simply and only to say as is usually translated. But it may be recalled that the word Qul has many more connotations than mere meaning to say. Syed Muhammad Rafai Arab, in his 'Tafsir-e-Rafai', (p.730), explains that Qul means disclose that which Allah has revealed to you, in the same word, manner and arrangement in which you have been informed. It also means to say with conviction, profess and stand by it. The very meaning of the word Qul here devolves responsibility for correct communication of the Message in the most perfect practical terms, in its course of delivery:

"He (Allah Alone) knows the Ghaib (unseen-hidden), And He reveals to none His Ghaib; (26)

Except to a Messenger, whom He has chosen, and then He makes a band of watching guards to march before him and behind him. (27) Till He sees that they have conveyed the Messages of their Lord (Allah), And He surrounds all that which is with them, and He (Allah) keeps count of all things." (28) 72-26 to 28 Also examine 29-45 & 46

The Quran tells that Allah tried His Messengers in the course of delivery of His Message, e.g.:

"And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain Commands, which he fulfilled.." 2-124

The history of struggle of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and successful implementation of the dictum imbued in Qul, really demonstrate perfect delivery of the Message, exactly in conformity with the requirements of above verses. It shows not only conveying but also successfully converting the Command into a practical possibility. The 'Weighty Word' (Qaulan Saqiilaa, 73-5) brought out human excellence in all aspects of life in the form of his Sunnah.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "When Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) sent Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen, he said:

'You will come upon the People of the Book, let your first act be to call them to testify that - there is nothing worthy of worship in truth but Allah (Alone)".

It is reported from Sahl bin Sa'd that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave the flag to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day of Khaibar, he said:

"Advance with ease and gentleness until you arrive in their midst, then call them to Islam and inform them of their duties to Allah in Islam. By Allah, if He may guide through you a single man to Islam then it is better for you than the red camels."

Sincerity of intention is very important because some people who may apparently invite to the truth, may merely be calling to themselves and their motives. Tauhiid being the basis of the Belief comes before all forms of sincere prayer. The advice of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) emphasizes the manner in which to approach people with ease and gentleness, and inform them of their obligations. Before initiating fighting or waging war, it is necessary to call to Islam. It continued to remain the way of the true followers of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to invite people to Islam. For universalization of the Message see verse 12-108.

Bearing Testimony to the Truth

The Quran tells us that other creations could not bear the Trust offered to them. Even giant physical forms in cosmos could not bear it:

"We (Allah) did indeed offer the Trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains. But they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof. But man undertook it; he was indeed unjust and foolish." 33-72

In creating man, Allah sparked him with something from His Spirit: 15-29. This enabled the man to receive, different forms of guidance (hidaayah), process and apply them in his life and in the world, in fact in the universe. Even sky has not been placed in the way of man as a limit. Spirit was sparked in as the operating link or platform for receiving revealed knowledge for its applications. Allah has chosen those of His servants who stood the test of purity of 'Spirit' as the dominating factor in their lives. They were so pure in this regard that they withstood all challenges to bear the burden of testimony to the 'revelation': 58-22

Theosophy and Theophany

The journey from Iqra' ('Read', 96-1) to Anzir ('Deliver the warning', 74-2), and to Qul ('Declare', e.g. here in 112-1), needs to be carefully studied, besides content of each revelation, along its course. It presents history of progressive revelation of the content of the religion (Ad-Diin). It presents several aspects for curious study, from Theosophy developed by Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in Hira and marveled through the Quran, stage to stage (84-19), to Theophany, made manifest to him, including his 'Ascent' (Mairaaj) 17-1, 53-1 to 18, (For Ibrahim, see 6-75), and perfection of Theology: 5-3.

T.B.Irving explains some experiences of ecstasy and understanding developed in the relationship with God (Theosophy): "Any new reader, specially a fresh convert, needs to find the cadence when he is meeting this for the first time. The Quran is literally untranslatable: each time one returns to it, he finds new meaning and fresh ways of interpreting it; the messages are endless for it is a living book."

"If this is the first time that you are reading the Quran, then you may look for special passages to begin with. For instance, the first call to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) comes in the Chapter 96 called Al-Alaq [The Clot or Read!]. His second call comes at the beginning of Al-Mudaththir (The Man Wearing a Cloak, Surah 74), and is confirmed in Al-Inshirah (Consolation, Surah 94): "Did We (Allah) not relieve your breast for you?" These are the first thrilling words.Then followed the commission heard in Al-A'la' (Glory to your Lord in the Highest!, Surah 87). There is comfort for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) during his trials in Ad-Duhaa (Morning Bright!, Surah 93), and more consolation in Al-Kawthar (Plenty, Surah 108). Two of Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) visions appear at the beginning of An-Najm (The Star Surah 53). He is told to reject Kaafiruun [Disbelievers (or Atheists) in Surah 109].A true ecstatic quality can be felt in the early Makkan Chapters, at the out set of the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) mission." (T.B.Irving, The Noble Quran, p.xxxiii)

As some of marvelous examples of Theophany, Maracci, von Hammer, and other Orientalists, have selected the 91st Chapter (Surah-91) of the Quran, titled the Surat 'Ash-Shams', or the chapter of the 'Sun', as a favourable specimen of the best style of the Quran. The renowned Orientalist, Sir William Jones, praised the account of the drowning of Noah's son as truly magnificent. D'Herbelot also considers it one of the finest passages in the Quran: 11-42 to 44. (Dictionary of Islam, pp.521-522)

For lexicography of the word Qul see Appendix-2.

Different Approaches to Theology and Tradition

It is interesting to study various concepts termed as different types of theology, various beliefs in God and His Word their development into different religions, from different perspectives.

Tradition, in Christianity, has played a very important role. In the early Church, tradition presented Christian belief embodied in creeds of major church centres. Roman Catholicism sees Christian truth as contained in Scripture and Tradition. The Catholic understanding of both is claimed as infalliable dogma (binding doctrine) through Councils and Papacy. The Council of Trent (1545-63) asserted that Scripture and Tradition were of equal authority. Vatican Council II (1962-5), however, appeared to minimize the distinction. Protestantism originally referred to the Bible alone as authority, interpreted by individuals under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. However, Confessions of Faith and Church authority soon provided new tradition. In other religions, similar debates and divisions have taken place revolving around scripture, tradition or both. There are some Muslims also who differ on such considerations of interpreting and implementing primarily the Quran only, or the Quran and Hadiith, both, and their extent.

Christians have often claimed that reason can by itself discover some religious truths (Natural Theology) as well as interpret revelation. Since recently, science is also being employed more increasingly in such enquiries about religious truth. Since 18th century in the West, reason some times (e.g. deism) overshadows Church Authority, if not Scripture, specially in Liberal Protestantism. But Protestant Fundamentalism takes Scripture alone as an infalliable guide.

For the Orthodox Church, tradition is the living authority of the church and its teaching, which includes Scripture. Orthodoxy is the Christian belief, judged correct by a Church authority. Heresy is a denial of an officially defined doctrine of the Church. Schism is deliberate separation from the Church without involvement of doctrinal error. In Roman Catholicism this means out of communion with the Papacy. (John. R.Hinnells, Dictionary of Religions, pp.56 & 145) In Islam, Blasphemy, (in Arabic 'Kufr'), literally means to hide (the truth). It includes a denial of any of the essential principles of Islam. (Thomas Patrick Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, p.43)

Study of different theories and concepts about religion and theology, exposes human constraints of religious thought in defining and determining his own place and position in society, world and universe in physical and metaphysical terms, and particularly arguments for the existence of God and His relationship with His creation, specially man.

"The Bible and rabbinical literature discuss theological issues through stories and parables, rather than in abstract terms. It was only in Islamic countries in the Middle Ages that a tradition of philosophical theology emerged within Judaism. The first important philosopher was the Babylonian sage Saadiah Gaon (882-942 CE), whose Book of Beliefs and Opinions advocates the rational reflection on religious truth as a valid alternative to revelation. The next major figure was the Spanish poet-theologian Judah Haveli (d. 1141), who sought to show the limitations of philosophy in his 'Kuzari', and claimed that revelatory truth began where philosophical investigation left off. Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) was the greatest of these medieval philosopher-theologians, and his controversial work 'The Guide for the Perplexed' attempts a synthesis of Jewish and Aristotelian thought. There was new flowering of Jewish philosophy during the 18th century Enlightenment in Europe. The first important figure of modern Jewish philosophy was Moses Mendellssohn (1729-86), who translated the Bible into German, claimed in his book 'Jerusalem'. that the beliefs of Judaism were not dogmas but the conclusions of a universal rational religion. (J.R.Hinnells, Dictionary of Religions, p.210, 252-253)

In contrast to what has been done to the Old Testament in the New Testament, and then in the Traditions, Councils, etc., as discussed earlier, editing of the Quran is not thinkable and not possible at all in Islam. Since the Scripture and the example of the Prophets (Peace be upon them) do not, however, represent everything in detail that believers regard as normative and religiously binding, there is room and always need for interpretation and explanation, particularly in changing circumstances. Therefore, in Islam, there is a provision for Ijtehad (diligent interpretative judgement), Ijma (consensus), exercise of Qiyas (analogical deduction), and development of Fiqh (science of Islamic Law).

Orthodox theology is trinitarian, and apophatic, in Christianity. It is thought that in His Essence, God is utterly unknowable. Islam on the other hand holds that His Wujuud (from Wajada, Presence), means knowable. According to Orthodox Theology He is present in all creation and energies, as believed in Hinduism. It is thought that energies are God and can be experienced. It is believed that man is created in the image of God; the image of God remains but likeness fades. It is thought that by the sin of Adam, human nature is damaged; it brought death in the world, and because of death sin multiplies. Jesus Christ conquers death by his death and resurrection, defeats rule of sin, and gives new life.

Neo-Orthodoxy is a widely influential school of theology in Protestantism. It shares fundamental insights of Karl Barth (1886-1968). It re-expresses classical Protestant Orthodoxy of the Reformation period. It includes following types of theology:

Kerygmatic theology considers theology as proclamation (Kerygma) of God's saving and revelatory activity in Christ,

Dialectical theology holds that God so surpasses human understanding that descriptions of Him inescapably involve paradoxical expressions, and Crisis theology stresses the Divine Word as a judgement (krisis) on the world.

Thomism follows teachings of Thomas Acquinas (1225-74), and enjoys a dominant position in Roman Catholic theological instruction. Acquinas' many works culminated in the Summa contra Gentiles, a missionary textbook, which defends Natural Theology. In this and his unfinished Summa theological, he used Aristotle's works to produce a systematic presentation of Christian theology. Aristotelian influence is visible particularly in Acquinas' treatment of the Attributes of God. His doctrine of God as unmoved, impassible, and simple follow from Aristotelian principles and lies uneasily with Christian views of God as loving. He believes that certain truths about existence and nature of God can be determined by natural reason although they are also normatively revealed. Other truths lie beyond reason, but not contrary to it. They are knowable only through revelation.

Moral Theology is based on love for God. In Islam, God is conceived as the Most Compassionate (Ar-Rahmaan) and the Most Merciful (Ar-Rahiim). Love of God is the basis of worship and obedience. Man is the basic principle of Christian morality, regarded as chief theological virtue, in contrast to cardinal (fundamental) virtues (prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice) derived from classical ethics. Moral distinctions and precepts were elaborated in the medieval period, when they were still influenced by classical thought and also by the development of penance (sacrament for forgiveness of sins). By 17th century an elaborate casuistry (science of cases of conscience) evolved. The Jesuits developed probabilism, favouring leniency to sinners, opposed by Jansenism. Early Protestantism reacted against such complexities. They believed in salvation through deeds, i.e. salvation achieved through man's own actions, and thus as Law rather than Gospel. But they generally resisted antinomianism (rejection of moral law). Anglicanism and Puritanism developed a casuistry based on their own doctrines. Modern Christians have been influenced by complexities of contemporary society, concern for social morality, and non-Christian moral reflection. Some simply apply general concept of love, liberally adopted to circumstances (situation ethics). Others go into detailed guidelines for general and individual situations. In USA, much use has been made of psychological influences; pastoral counseling. (J.R.Hinnells, Dictionary of Religions, pp.219-220)

According to psychologist, Daniel Goleman, Emotional Inteliigence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well, in us and in our relationships. Research indicates that emotional intelligence is twice as important as Intelligence Quotient, plus skills for outstanding performance. According to Mayer & Salovey, emotional intelligence is a type of social intelligence that involves ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions. Emotional Intelligence subsumes Gardner's inter- and interpersonal intelligence, and involves abilities that may be categorized into five domains: Self-awareness, Managing emotions, Motivating oneself, Empathy, and Handling relationships. Emotional Intelligence has its roots in the concept of Social Intelligence, first identified by E.L. Thorndike in 1920. (Muhammad Ali Habib, 'EQ = IQ', Dawn - September 25, 2005)

In Islam, morality and ethics are fundamentally part of Diin ordained by revelation and exemplified in the Sunnah. The Diin is full of these ordainments and applications, with the objective of development of different aspects of 'social intelligence', if we explain in the terminology used by Mayer & Salovey. The Diin aims at development of human personality at individual level and society at universal level, e.g., 5-1 to 9. It would be seen from this discussion, that Quranic injunctions and Traditions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) cover much more than such most modern considerations for managing one's own person and all inter-relationships.

Process Theology deals with understanding, developed under influence of metaphysical insights, e.g., of A.N. Whitehead (1861-1947) and Charles Hartshorne (b.1897). It is believed that to be real is to be in process, i.e. to be continually responding to environment, in temporal dimensions. Reality consists of plurality of entities, significantly self-creating and intimately related to each other. God is considered as the chief exemplification and not an exception to the ultimate metaphysical principles. Whitehead's 'Process and Reality, (1929), is a cosmological treatise which aims at developing unified understanding of reality through reflection on its constituent parts. Hartshorne develops a priori arguments as a way to understanding nature and reality of God. In spite of important differences. process theologians, generally argue that God has a temporal aspect, both being maximally affected by all other entities and influencing them in ways that are compatible with their freedom.

This needs to be examined in the light of explanations on Transcendence and Nullification under the heading of the term Huwa (He). In contrast to theism, which asserts distinction between world and the timeless, impassable God, consider explanations on the term As-Samad. Examine pantheism, which identifies God and world, in the light of explanations on the term Ahad. Process theology advocates panentheism in which God is considered to embrace world and lovingly seeks to lure all things towards their maximum aesthetic satisfaction. Examine this in the light of explanation of the term Rab. 'The Gateway to the Quran', a book by this author, besides detailed discussions on above concepts, provides an elaborate and separate chapter on the term Rab.

Jansenism was a movement in Roman Catholicism, named after Cornelius Jansen, who promoted St Augustine's severe doctrines of God's Grace. Their severe moral theology was opposed to Jesuit casuistry. It was condemned by the Papacy in 1653 and 1713. Its influence, however, continued in moral severity and resistance (sometimes political) to papal authority. It would be seen that different approaches to theology have shaped different religious and intra-religious thoughts. And vice versa is also true. This brings discussion on religion and different concepts about it, in focus. Religionswissenschaft is a discipline (science of religion) or group of disciplines comprising history of religions, comparative religion, and phenomenology of religion.