**4. The Path of Adam's First Son**

The first book of Jawdat Sa " id<sup>5</sup> we mentioned is *The Path of Adam's First Son: The Problem of Violence in Islamic Activism* (cf. Menghini 2019, p. 58; Sa " id 1993). In another text, Sa " id mentioned that the first he publicly spoke about *The Path of Adam's Son*<sup>6</sup> was in 1965 during the Friday prayer during the month of Ramadan. He describes the emergence of this idea during his time as a student at the University of al-Azhar, where he experienced the incertitude and upheaval of the Arab and Islamic world (Sa " id n.d.). Which kind of theory emerged from this situation? The relationship of law and religion in the Muslim community has to be constructive and dynamic. It should not follow the method of imitation and blind acceptance (*taqlid*) that, for Sa " id, has been a decisive factor of the decline of the Islamic world as a whole.

"In this case Sa " id was strongly influenced by another great Muslim thinker of Jewish descent Muhammad Asad (1900–1992), who commented in his highly acclaimed book *Islam at the Crossroads*, that whereas Islam was a perfect system for mankind, it was its believers who failed to live according to its message.

One recurring theme in Sa " id's thought is the need to observe laws, which constitute a profound part of knowledge, he believes. He particularly strongly stresses the notion of change which needs to occur, quoting the *Qur'an¯* : *Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change that what is in their souls*. Law allows duties, obligations, and freedoms to be established, but it is injustice that destroys societies. It is humans that are faulty, not the law itself. Law is supposed to protect everyone. In the cycle of history, people relinquish their right to protection and leave it to the law. Sa " id warns that when a person gets his right to self-protection, by which he means any kind of violent means, the individual once again becomes part of the law of the jungle, force. Law on the other hand is

opposed to violence. The question one needs to ask is when exactly did the shift between the law of violence and dialogue take place?" (Rak 2016, pp. 35–36)7

The theory he presents is to be found in his book *The First Son of Adam*. We will follow the presentation of Rak. The starting point of the book is the story of Cain (Qabil) and Abel (Habil) as told in the Qur'an—another case of hermeneutic engagement with the text of the revelation. It reads:

"And recite unto them, with truth, the account of Adam's two sons, when they offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them, though not accepted from the other. One said: 'I will surely slay you!' [The other] said: 'God accepts only from the reverent. Even if you stretch forth your hand against me to slay me, I shall not stretch forth my hand against you to slay you. Truly I fear God, Lord of the worlds. I desire you should be burdened with my sin and your sin and so become one of the inhabitants of the fire. Such is the recompense of the wrongdoers.' Then his soul prompted him to slay his brother, and he slew him, and thus became to be among the losers. Then God sent a crow, scratching the earth, to show him how he might conceal his brother's nakedness. He said, 'Oh, woe unto me! Am I not able to be even as this crow and conceal my brother's nakedness?' And he came to be among the remorseful." (Sura 5, *al-ma'ida ¯* , pp. 27–31)8

Abel refraining from slaying his brother materialized the philosophy of nonviolence so dear to Sa " id. The ultimate result of Cain slaying Abel is the grief and sorrow of Cain as described by Sa " id. Thus, Habil brings the historical shift in human behavior by not acting violently.

"Humanity arises from violence, the period of muscles—as Sa " id states—to the period of mind and comprehension, leading it to grant moral values a growing presence in one's actions. The choice between the right and wrong actions is still voluntary, but in Abel's choice to act against violent methods one can notice the introduction of the law of dialogue, openness to the Other that is visible in acts of moral responsibility, which is one of the key factors driving human nature in its decisions. A different decision, that made by Abel, would only bring human regression. God by creating people and granting them the role of being His viceregents on earth expects that humankind will finally start acting according to the role that is presented to them. The shift in authority, first based on violence, later leads to comprehension. Sa " id sees this as an evolution from the law of the jungle to the law of understanding. This behaviour is full of trust in human evolution. Violent actions are perceived as a form of regression understood as blasphemy, which is considered a major crime in Islam because it means acting against nature and God's order." (Rak 2016, p. 36)

For Sa " id, knowledge and nonviolence is to be understood from a Qur'anic perspective. However, it is necessary to move beyond the realm of texts and include the historical experiences of humanity. Yet he understands the human fallibility and tendency to misinterpret, especially, the messages of the prophets. However, experience may help to find a way out. Sa " id argues for the need for a diversity of readings. Following the example of the ancestors would lead to what is called *taqlid*, blind acceptance of former views, restricting openness, diversity, and progress in Muslim thought. He points to Iqbal's idea of the difference between religion and the human understanding of religion. Experience is vital to a true understanding of religion (Rak 2016, p. 38). The concept of the need for experience may be regarded as another Islamic legitimation of nonviolent activism conceptualized by Sa " id to create a new history. Sa " id shies not away from controversial points when criticizing the Muslim orthodoxy. Racism or ethnocentrism stem, according to Sa " id, from the denial

"of the possibility of prophecy to other religious and cultural figures. It is interesting to note the many quotations he himself uses throughout his writings from other than Islamic sources." (Rak 2016, p. 39)

Two important other concepts are equity and justice. Equity is for Sa " id the perfect realization of *tawhid* or believing in one God and unity, a narrow path.<sup>9</sup> Justice, on the other hand, is best exemplified by the Qur'anic saying "There is no coercion in religion." (cf below).

"Equity for him means no more than the process of denunciation of tyranny and the act of prohibiting religious coercion. It is interesting to note that Sa " id sees tyranny as a specific case of breaching the teachings of Islam—and calls it an example of polytheism, an unforgivable sin. According to Sa " id, the call for equality is vital for human prosperity. The main problem of mankind is connected to the rejection of the need for equality, or equity, which can give some people the feeling of superiority, a nearly godlike position among others. This superiority is embedded in the arrogance of people, which is an obstacle not only in building everyday relations but, in the believers' eyes, may also prevent one from entering paradise in the hereafter." (Rak 2016, p. 39)

Rak sketches the concept of Malik Bennabi that there is a certain state of mind or the *conditio humana* allowing for the emerging of a disposition to be colonized. This state of mind creates the conditions for being colonized. The root causes are the weakness and apathy emerging in Arab societies including the loss of communities dispersed into assemblies of individuals (cf. below). For Sa " id, the vital element of the story of Habil he refers to is the ability to end oppression and to build a new society based on equal rights. To use an argument of Sa " id (1993), nonviolence means a shift to the nervous system from the muscular system. The main example for Sa " id are the prophets addressing the minds of people and not their bodies. This means that no physical actions are needed (Rak 2016, p. 40). Physical action will be needed when change to a nonviolent society has to take place (cf. below).

Nonviolence is, for Sa " id, an act and idea of freedom since it can be traced back to disobedience, "the negation of the need to take harmful action against another. A disobedience to the *culture of muscles* as he calls it" (Rak 2016, p. 40). *Not* engaging in violence is the final proof of intellectual freedom.

#### **5. Change**

Sa " id stresses the need for individual and societal change in his book referring in its title to sura 13, *al-ra* " *d*, 11: "Truly God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves."10 The title is: *Until They Alter What Is in Themselves*. <sup>11</sup> The interdependence of individual and collective change as spiritually inspired is described by Sa " id as a dual change. The first change is that instilled by God in his creation; the second one, that of the humans, is inspired by God, "a gift from God". Humans will be able to realize this inspiration when they are willing (cf. below) to change themselves. The change, however, is relevant for the individuals. It is a collective change of an entity composed of these individuals.

In this book, Sa " id directly criticizes some thoughts of Sayyid Qutb, one of the forefathers of modern-day Jihadism. This indicates the involvement of Sa " id in the ongoing discussions in the Arab and Islamic world of this period. Sayyid Qutb may be regarded as the paragon of the movement advocating the use of force and coercion against all other Muslims and non-Muslims.

The denial of coercion (*ikrah¯* ) is—as mentioned before—crucial for *The Path of the First Son of Adam*. This concept is further discussed in other texts that may help us understand the hermeneutic engagement of Sa " id with the Qur'anic revelation and to situate him in the contemporary landscape of Islamic discourses

#### **6. La ikr ¯ ah fi 'd-d ¯ ¯ın**

A Qur'anic verse discussed by Sa " id especially is Sure 2, *al-baqara*, 256. Usually, the shortened version is used: "There is no coercion in religion."12

"The tempter to error (*tagh ¯ ut¯* ) <sup>13</sup> is the one who brings coercion (*ikrah¯* ). Hence, it is ordered not to believe in the tempter. The believers are told to believe in God for whom it is true that there is no coercion in His religion (*d¯ın*).<sup>14</sup> He is not afraid of suffering defeat from renouncing coercion. He trusts in textual logic (*mantiq*), in the humans (*insan¯* ) and in God in whose religion is no kind of coercion.

"As to coercion in religion, the removal of coercion is of its most important chapters, more important than all the other chapters. In particular, politics (*siyasa ¯* ) based on coercion is no [true] leadership. There is no truth (*rushd*) but error (*ghayy*) <sup>15</sup> and deceit. [ ...] According to the strength of coercion truth is far away and the Shari'a16 is defective or not existing at all. [ ... ] It may be said that according to the advice of the Qur'an to watch out in the future since adopting coercion<sup>17</sup> since the history of this issue is pitch-black." (Sa " id 1998)

Since Jawdat Sa " id mentions the West as a paradigm for adopting coercion and making it *the* source of predominance, we may identify one element of the Pre-Text of this interpretation. The other main element is the tyranny of the contemporary Arab world. The references to the Qur'anic revelation are easily identifiable. These presuppositions and the reference of the Qur'anic revelation enable the believers to make a deliberate choice for the devotion of the Qur'anic injunction to resist oppression and coercion. This kind of resistance is, for Sa " id, legitimate if it does not lead to coercion and violence. Hence, these paragraphs make the call to nonviolent resistance based on the Qur'anic revelation visible. The framework for the nonviolent opposition in Syria mentioned at the beginning of this chapter is laid out.

The crucial factors that will enable the change needed in society, especially Muslim societies, are described by Sa " id as a manifold endeavor: work or activism (*'amal*), will (*irada ¯* ), ability (*qudra*), and the application of these principles. They are sketched in a book<sup>18</sup> called *al-'Amal: Qudra wa-Irada* or *Work as Ability and Will* (Sa " id 1984).
