A Qur’anic Reflection on Dabru Emet
by Zeyneb Sayilgan
As a Muslim scholar, I understand the Qur’an to be a deeply interreligious text. It often observes the dynamics within and between Jewish and Christian religious communities, at times confirming and clarifying or correcting certain positions. In doing so, the Qur’an models a posture of interreligious engagement: affirming sameness and difference alike.
One passage that particularly stands out to me in Dabru Emet is the theological and moral assertion that “All of us were created in the image of God.” I would like to offer a brief exegetical analysis of this statement stressing the aspect of sameness. In doing so, I seek to identify Islamic entry points into this Jewish–Christian conversation, exploring differences in perspectives along the way and, perhaps most importantly, self-critically assessing Muslim standing on upholding this principle.
The Qur’an on Human Dignity
In reflecting upon this foundational premise in the fourth claim of Dabru Emet, I am reminded of many Qur’anic passages that echo “the inalienable sanctity and dignity of every human being”—no exceptions here. The creation narrative in the Qur’an is a case in point:
Your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will create (innī khāliqun) a human being (basharan) from clay (ṭīn). When I have shaped him (sawwaytuhu) and breathed (nafakhtu) from My Spirit (min rūḥī) into him, bow down before him.” (Qur’an 38:71–72)
The Qur’an upholds the value, honor, and worth bestowed on humans by stressing time and again that God is personally involved with the creation of the human being. Furthermore, the Qur’an mentions frequently that God shared a divine piece with humanity—the spirit (rūḥ). What is clear is that every human being carries the divine imprint in them. This Qur’anic description stresses the great honor given to humankind. God shares something with humanity. To honor God is to honor the human being.
In addition, through shaping the human being by hand, God expresses affection and love toward humanity. Hands are generally understood to be the tools to create great artistry and craft. As such, they symbolize power, will, ability, and creativity. Muslim theologians generally refrain from anthropomorphism and understood these descriptions in a metaphorical way.
If the Qur’an is so clear on the sacred nature of human beings, why, then, do we witness so many crimes and injustices perpetrated by humans against each other? The answer is given in the very same account:
The angels all bowed down together, but not Iblīs, who was too proud (istakbara). He became a rebel. God said, “Iblīs, what prevents you from bowing down to what I have made with My own hands (bi-yadayya)? Are you too arrogant (astakbarta)?” Iblīs said, “I am better than him: You made me from fire, and him from clay (ṭīn).” (Qur’an 38:73–76)
The offense of nonprostration is not an offense against the object of prostration (the human), but against the creator of that human, God. People who refuse to embrace another person actually commit a crime against God, dismissing the sanctity of human life and preferring to listen to their own egotistic standards of hierarchy and superiority.
Arrogance—A Universal Challenge
The term used to describe Iblīs’s attitude (istakbara) is derived from the root k-b-r and designates someone who magnifies himself, behaves proudly, haughtily, or insolently. It also describes someone who boasts of great qualities that the person does not possess. Interestingly, istakbara is the most frequent form of the root k-b-r in the Qur’an, appearing 40 times.
Sources outside the Qur’anic text provide us with more detail about the character and origin of Iblīs. Scholarly opinions differ, but it is generally agreed that he was a devout believer who was occupied with worshipping God. As a jinn, he was raised among the angels and joined them in their devotion to God. Yet, as a believer, he was still prone to fall into the sin of kibr (arrogance). Iblīs becomes haughty and arrogant and ultimately ends up becoming one of the unbelievers (al-kāfirūn). Not only is he alienated from God, but also from the rest of creation by setting up boundaries and excessively focusing on differences.
Following Iblīsi logic, by adopting an exclusionary attitude, the person or community that looks down on others and considers themselves to be on a higher rank fails to see the sacred ties and bonds between all creations. The believer is called, instead, to maintain the sacred links and acknowledge the interconnectedness of the universe, for God is the creator of everyone and everything.
But religious people are far from immune to holding exclusionary attitudes. Instead of seeing faith as a means to increase one’s humility toward God and others, it can be used in personally and socially destructive ways, alienating the believer from God and claiming ownership of the goodness and virtues bestowed on the human being. To plagiarize the divine attributes and regard oneself in a delusional way as the source of goodness and perfection is a violation against God’s wisdom of creation and alienates the person from the creator.
Arrogance is socially destructive because it focuses excessively on differences instead of on the common ties. To be clear, the Qur’an acknowledges differences of tribe, race, color, and language as God-willed and for people “to know one another not to despise one another” (Qur’an 49:13). This verse basically states that there is a danger of taking differences as markers of inferiority or superiority. Excessive emphasis on difference then leads to the alienation of individuals and groups from one another. This is a failure to see the common human interests and basic needs—whether physical, spiritual/religious, intellectual, or social—for which we all long.
Arrogance is despised as a vice, whereas humility is a virtue loved by God. As the Qur’an reiterates over and over, humility manifests itself in seeing others as close to oneself and not any different. Moreover, the truly faithful prefer others over themselves. True faith acknowledges the sacred bonds in creation and makes an effort to maintain those instead of severing them by setting up artificial boundaries and creating unnecessary social and legal constructs. Unfortunately, such arrogance is individually and collectively manifested on many levels in today’s societies. It can lead to the commission of crimes against other people (Qur’an 4:75) and is the root cause of many injustices, be they legal, social, or cultural.
As a Muslim who has been engaged in interreligious dialogue for the past 20 years in Germany and now the United States, it is this fundamental principle that has guided me in this journey. Upholding it is not always an easy task, especially if one experiences many dehumanizing efforts on the part of various individuals or groups within and outside one’s own community. Nonetheless, God calls believers to be persistent in seeking the moral high ground.
One cannot—and should not—sit still if one affirms faith in God and the sanctity of the creation. That affirmation should naturally translate into action, especially if God’s creation is continually violated in various ways in front of our eyes. A tradition narrated by Prophet Muhammad makes clear that loving God means serving the creation.
Dabru Emet, therefore, serves as an important call and reminder for action not only for Jews and Christians. Muslims also need to continue to deepen our understanding of the fundamental dignity and sanctity of all people, joining hands with other religious communities in building alliances in order to challenge injustices in our world.
Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D., is the Muslim Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies.