A question I get all the time
Am I a Muslim?
I’ll try to be brief.
While I believe that the Qur’an is from God and preserved (as per the Traditionalist’s position) I do not believe that the religion the Traditionalist conflates with the Qur’an has any implicit or inherit merit – or anything whatever to do with the Qur’an.
The directives in the Qur’an are clear enough when read without a pre-existing expectation of – or allegiance to – brand Islam.
Despite what the Traditionalists like to claim, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were no more Traditionalist Muslims than they were Catholics or Mormons.
To me, Traditionalist Islam is a mechanism designed to limit and control men, and a barrier to intelligent engagement with the Qur’an.
I accept that there are good men who hold to various sects, but there are also good men who prefer fish and chips over steak.
Traditionalist Islam claims a special understanding of the Qur’an. I have studied its claims and I don’t believe them. I ignore them when choosing the path for my soul in this life in the same way I ignore Catholicism or Mormonism.
In the sense the Qur’an uses the term muslīm means one submitted (in this case: to God). In that sense, I regard myself as Muslim.
Beyond that, I’m not much interested in party affiliations, and regard the ongoing and independent use of my own mind as a duty before God.
