Translation
(Some) followers of Moses say: Ezra is the son of God while (most) Christians say: The Christ is the son of God. These are mere assertions from their mouth. They borrowed such sayings from those who disbelieved and denied God’s grace in the past. God strongly condemns such assertions and conducts by which they turn away (from God). These people take their rabbis and their monks as gods besides God and also include Jesus, the son of Mary as such, whereas, they have been instructed that they should serve one God—besides Whom there are no other gods (worthy of worship). God is above all that they associate with Him. They wish to extinguish the light of God with their utterings whereas God will do nothing but perfect His Light even though these deniers will dislike such outcome. 429
He is the God who has sent His Messenger to spread the guidance and the true faith [deen—way of life] so that it can supersede all other ways [deen], even though the polytheists (and disbeliever) may dislike such outcome.
O People of Faith, surely many of the rabbis and monks consume the possession of others under false pretext and lead people away from God’s guidance. And those (rich people) who build up their wealth [gold and silver] and distribute them not in the service of people will face its evil consequence. Such wealth will be branded on their face, their back and their side to remind them and for them to taste the results of such hoarding and overconsumptions. 430
Interpretation
429 The notion of turning prophets, priests, and monks into a godhead, if not directly by worship than by giving their words and laws precedence over the word of God as contained in the Torah and the Bible, is tantamount to elevating them to a godhead. Both Jews and Christians have been known for such deviations and exaggeration, surely more so with Christianity than Judaism as concept of the Trinity had taken a strong hold in Christian belief. The presumed holiness and infallibility of the popes, the sainthood of dead Christians, and the intermediary role between God and laymen played by priests all points to some level of exaggerated belief in some humans to act like a god or to be revered like God, a condition that is considered unacceptable in Islamic belief. Having said that, there are Imams and religious personalities (pir, dervish, et cetera) in some Islamic communities and countries who demand and are given excessive venerations to the point that their words become God’s word and their views supersede what is in the Qur’an, a condition that is unacceptable and creates religious corruption to the detriment of communities and societies.
430 The idea of religious leaders and priests usurping the properties of average people, either in the form of collecting donations without accountability and transparency, or secretly or forcefully taking properties from unsuspecting followers of the faith, is strongly condemned in these verses. In the same breath, the wealthy people who accumulate wealth by legal or dubious means (monopoly, legal loopholes, falsification of documents, and so forth) and refuse to share such wealth with average people is equally condemned here. The current corruption in the Catholic Church around sexual abuse, financial irregularities, and lack of transparency are also present in other organized religious bodies, including Muslim countries and societies. The economic disparities present today in the world among developed and underdeveloped countries, superrich and abject poor, and large corporations with organized monopolies shifting wealth to wealthy shareholders at the expense of average citizens while refusing to pay living wages to their lower-tier employees are the manifestation of abuse of wealth and political and economic corruption and injustice prevalent in our world today.
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REFLECTION
The abuse by clerics and religious leaders in the name of religion—and worse, in the name of God—is not new. Prophets and people of good conscience have always cautioned people of faith to maintain purity of their faith in One God and goodness to all of humanity—we being from God and from each other. Yet many rabbis, clerics, and imams have done the opposite and sometimes partner with people of power and wealth to perpetuate their abuse of others and claim purity for themselves. The current crisis in the Catholic Church, where there is widespread evidence of sexual exploitation of children and nuns, has been known for quite some time, though the papal institutions and church leaders were in denial. The abuse by the wealthy in supporting political corruptions around the world, monopolistic practices, and excessive profiteering is well known and is coming to a head all over the world, including the developed countries such as ours here in United States.
ACTION
God certainly has His plan to address these types of issue in this life and in the life to come as evidence in the verses above, but we as people of faith and people of human goodness also need to demonstrate our capacity to eliminate abuse in the name of God or religion and to create institutions and legal framework to minimize exploitation of average citizens by wealthy individuals or businesses. This can take the form of speaking out in churches and mosques against the falsification of religious doctrines and principles that are contrary to what is contained in the scriptures and what goes against the grain of truth and justice. Educating ourselves better about faith and connecting the dots about how faith and goodness go together is a personal and collective responsibility. In the same manner, dismantling the structural inequality in our society, from income generation to wealth accumulation, will require our collective consciousness and brainpower to revamp our system of economic theories, corporate governance and acts, judicial biases, and simple personal commitment to share wealth across all members of society in an equitable manner. This does not negate capitalism but introduces boundaries to ensure everyone benefits, and at the same time this is not an endorsement of socialism to rob from Peter to feed Paul. What this does call for is to level the playing field for all, take away tax provisions that favor passive income (capital gains) to income earned from labor (personal tax), devise mechanisms to distribute accumulated wealth in a productive way rather than sitting idle or supporting vain and excessive consumption and start viewing people not as mere consumers but as conscientious people who want dignity and honor while ensuring safety, security, and food for themselves as a communal right and obligation.