Ahmed Subhy Mansour… When Peace Becomes the Essence of Faith
With Ahmed Subhy Mansour, the discussion takes a different turn—not merely within the bounds of jurisprudence, but in redefining faith itself, and its relationship to peace, and to freedom of belief and expression.
Faith… Not Merely What We Believe:
Mansour begins with a precise linguistic and Qur’anic reading of the concept of faith.
Faith, as he presents it, is not merely an inner belief, but security and safety in human interaction.
The believer, in the Qur’anic sense,
is one whom people feel safe with, trust,
and do not fear his aggression or coercion.
In this sense, violence becomes the antithesis of faith,
and oppression a departure from it—even when invoked in the name of religion.
Judgment on Faith… Deferred:
Mansour clearly distinguishes between:
faith as an inner conviction, and dealing with people as a social practice.
Belief is a matter between الإنسان and his Lord,
and judgment upon it is deferred until the Day of Judgment.
No human, authority, or religious institution possesses it.
Thus, there is no meaning in coercing people over what they will be judged for by God alone.
Islam… Submission, Not Coercion:
Mansour redefines Islam beyond its widely circulated traditional image.
Islam, in its essence, is peace and submission to God—not the subjugation of people by one another.
For this reason, he rejects any interpretation that makes warfare the norm
and peace the exception.
Fighting, in his view, is a contingent defensive act,
restricted to repelling aggression, and unrelated to imposing belief or expanding influence.
﴿Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths, sought to expel the Messenger, and initiated aggression against you the first time? Do you fear them? Yet God is more worthy that you should fear Him, if you are believers﴾ [Al-Tawbah: 13]
This noble verse from Surat Al-Tawbah (verse 13) contains a rhetorical question and reproach from God addressed to the believers, urging them to fight the polytheists of Mecca who violated their covenants, conspired to expel the Prophet, and initiated aggression. The verse calls on them not to fear them and affirms that God alone is more worthy of being feared.
No Guardianship Over Consciences:
Mansour rejects any conception that grants the state
or religious figures authority over consciences.
There is no priesthood in Islam, nor divine delegation to anyone
to speak on behalf of God in judging people’s faith.
Even the Prophet himself, as he emphasizes,
was neither a controller nor a dominator, but a reminder and a conveyor.
So remind—you are only a reminder.
You are not over them a controller. (Al-Ghashiyah: 21–22)
Why Did He Clash with the Establishment?
Because this reading strips religious legitimacy from:
• violence in the name of belief
• excommunication
• imposing religiosity by force
• monopolizing religious truth
These are tools
upon which religious and political institutions have relied
over long decades.
Freedom… A Condition of Faith:
In Mansour’s conception, faith cannot grow
in an environment of coercion.
True faith is born only in a free space, where the individual chooses, becomes convinced, and bears responsibility for that choice.
Thus, freedom of opinion and expression, from this perspective, is not a threat to religion, but a guarantee of its authenticity.
What Does This Installment Add?
That freedom is not merely a jurisprudential issue, nor solely a political one, but a matter of faith itself—touching the very meaning of Islam.
And that peace is not a moral slogan, but the essence of the relationship between الإنسان and his Lord, and between human beings themselves.
Thus, we conclude the file on contemporary thinkers.
In the Next Installment (26):
We close this chapter with a comprehensive question:
Why has the thought of freedom in Islam remained alive in minds, while faltering in reality?
To be continued,
Cairo: Five in the evening, local time.
