A "Community of the Middle"

A "community of the middle" - what is that supposed to mean? Is the Muslim community to be a new version of the ancient Chinese "Empire of the Middle" around which the universe is imagined to revolve? Is it meant to be a community of mediocrity, something without a profile, of the kind that is despised by Friedrich Nietzsche in his quest for the superhuman?

The commentators often explain the term as referring to the Middle Path that Muslims are supposed to follow. In fact, the Qur'an frequently mentions this point in the context of rules and principles. A well-known example is the passage in Surah 17:26-29: "Give to the relatives their due rights as well as to the needy and the stranger but do not waste ... do not let your hand be tied to your neck (as a miser) nor stretch it forth too far (in excessive generosity) ..." This is reasonable, isn't it? Some wisdom is certainly required to understand these injunctions, to maintain the delicate balance between selfish greed and the urge to give away too much until the giver is overcome by need himself. The Qur'an repeatedly admonishes is readers not to transgress "the limits ordained by God" but is, at the same time, critical against those who arbitrarily prohibit what God has not forbidden and make life difficult for people. Fasting in Ramadan is a religious duty and there is nothing wrong with some additional fasting, but asceticism as such is not an Islamic value - rather we are expressedly taught to "enjoy the good things that We have given you and be grateful ..." (Surah 2:173). The Prophet Muhammad and some of his companions sometimes spent part of the night in prayer, but they are told not to overdo because "among you there are those who are ill and others who move about in the land in search of sustenance from God and again others who struggle in God's path", but rather to recite what is easy for everyone. The Qur'anic concept of justice is connected with the image of the scales that represent a balance between different individuals, in the relationship with creation and between human beings and God. In his instructions for character-building, al-Ghazzâli points out that instincts like greed or anger have their legitimate role in human self-preservation but cause harm if they exceed these limits and must be controlled. He explains at length how important it is to keep the right balance between fear and hope as the motivating forces behind one's efforts in order to keep a distance from evil and to persevere in the struggle for the good. Again and again we are reminded in various ways not to exaggerate in religion, to keep to the straight path and to avoid crooked extremes. Considering all this, any extremism should be incompatible with Islam, shouldn't it?

But this is not all. The passage was revealed in Madinah in the context of the change of the qiblah, the direction of prayer. This was an enormous experience for the young community. When we remember the emigration and the first years in Madinah, we tend to highlight the end of the long tribal feuds, the constitution of the autonomous city-state with its perspective for peace between groups of various cultures and religions, or the integration of muhājirūn (the emigrants) and the ansār (their local helpers), or the construction of the first mosque. Idealizing the intentions and possibilities, we sometimes forget that peace does not "break out", that an agreement can be no more than a starting point to work on a relationship. The reality was a challenge to be worked on. The economy of Yathrib, based on agriculture and crafts, had suffered severly from the war, and many of the immigrants had arrived practicaly empty-handed. There was great relief at the dangers being over, but this did not automatically end old resentments, group interests and prestige-related ambitions of some tribal leaders. Nor was the external war with the Makkan Quraish condictive to intensive steps for the development of mutual trust and understanding. The more it was necessary for the Muslims to be in touch with their ethical and spiritual centre.

Following the self-understanding of the Prophet as one in a long line of divine messengers, the Madinan Muslims, like the local Jews, initially turned towards Jerusalem in prayer. This seemed to be the most natural thing to do. But it soon led to misunderstandings. Were the Muslims trying to take sides in that complex fabric of tribal interests? Even some modern orientalists still speculate if this qiblah had been chosen as a compromise with the Jewish tribes or as an attempt to "win them over". Apparently, similarities between faiths are not always helpful for a better understanding. In any case, the atmosphere demanded something to clarify the confusion, a clear statement of "what the Muslims wanted", a clear expression of "Muslim identity". As a result, the direction of prayer was changed to Makkah in memory of Abraham who, while being the ancestor of three religious communities, was a person who walked his own way, always centered in the presence of God. "Thus," the Muslims are told, "We have made you a communitiy of the middle," a community that is centered and therefore able to bear witness for its values and aims, not by constant explanations and discussions and certainly not by spectacular activities, but by constantly walking on its way in the middle of everything else without allowing itself to be challenged to react in extreme ways.

There are other aspects here as well. As Muslims today, dealing with our everyday challenges, we often feel tempted to stare at an idealized past or to have high dreams for the future. The fact is that we are standing, as it were, in the middle between the past and the future and need to have our feet on the ground of our own time and place. We may learn from the past and we can make plans for the future, but the success lies in what we do here and now in a way that preserves the balance between individual and social activities, between material and spiritual matters, between "us" and "the others".

Last but not least, the idea of being in the "middle" is contained in the concept of mediation. From this position, we are able to see both sides of a conflict, to find ways to "translate" and help towards a better understanding. If we follow the Middle Path and practice enough discipline, we might be able to keep ourselves at some distance from a problem even if we are involved in it, finding ways to overcome hostility and to contribute to a genuine reconciliation.

All the thoughts in my heart circle around You.
My tongue does not speak of anything but my love for You.
When I turn to the East, You shine forth in the East,
When I turn to the West, You stand before me in the West.
When I turn my eyes upwards, You are still higher than that.
When I look down and around me, You are just everywhere here.,br> You give a place to every thing but You are not its place.
You are the total of everything but not transient as we.
You are my heart and my conscience, You are my spirit, my thought,
You are the rhythm of my breath, You are the centre of my heart.

The supplication is a poem by the mystic Mansûr al-Hallâj.

(c) Halima Krausen, 2006