God in His infinite wisdom created mankind in all its variety. A passage in the Quran declares that variations in our languages and colours are His intent and design. Thus we must not only tolerate these differences but also more significantly, celebrate them, just as we celebrate His other grand designs and creations.

Each of us is unique. This very individuality gives measure to the diversity that defines human society. We cannot be a society if we are all clones; we would then be like a colony of bacteria. Because we are different, it naturally follows that we will view things differently.

God also gave us intellect, akal , the capacity to think and reason. We use this akal to decide between good and bad, right and wrong, and whether to believe or not believe.

To Muslims, the Quran is the word of God, a divine revelation. Its message is immutable, universal, and eternal; for all humankind, at all times, and under all circumstances.

Power of the iman

Islam is unique in that there is no proscribed theocratic class - no priests, bishops, or popes. There is only the Creator and the individual, with no intermediary. Sure we have the imam but to paraphrase an old saying, he is an imam because we, the ummah , call him so. The power of the imam is derived from and not imposed on the masses. This is worth re-emphasising because today hardly a day goes by without some ulama (both real and self-styled) issuing fatwa (edicts).

Osama bin Laden is only the most recent and most bizarre example. It is appropriate to ask, who appointed or elected them, and who are they accountable to? Merely replying that they are answerable to God is not good enough; we all are. Until then they should remain answerable to us, the ummah. I would have more confidence if they have consulted experts in the field and deliberated in an open and transparent manner before issuing these edicts.

The religious establishment would like us to believe that they, and they alone, can interpret the faith. Islam is not rocket science, comprehensible only to the few. These mullah conveniently forget that our exalted prophet (pbuh) was illiterate.

Allah's bounty

We should not be surprised that Islam is interpreted in many ways. Neither purity of purpose nor piety of pursuit guarantees an agreement. It is the height of naivety to expect otherwise. Indeed, differences of opinion within a community are a sign of Allah's bounty.

Muslims should accept differences and learn to manage them. We should use these differences to prod us to seek greater understanding. Such an attitude would also lead to less divisiveness. Jabor Al Alwani of the International Institute of Islamic Thought, suggested that Muslims have a code of ethics on disagreement.

Early Muslims channeled their disagreements into unparalleled intellectual vigor and vitality of our faith. We must relearn this fine art and etiquette of agreeing to disagree agreeably. We must make disagreements work for, rather than against, us.

We all agree on the basic pillars of our faith: belief in Allah and Mohammad as His Last Messenger; praying five times a day; fasting during Ramadan; giving tithe; and conditions permitting, a pilgrimage to Mecca. The rest are ornaments that vary with time and culture. If we can tolerate these variations we would get along well with our fellow Muslims, and in turn, with non-Muslims.

In a building, a functional builder may show the structural pillars boldly, glorifying their massive strengths and advertising their supporting functions, as we see in modern warehouse-like offices. A more aesthetic architect may want to camouflage them as Grecian or Roman columns. A post-modernist designer would hide and blend them into the walls.

Enriching experiences

So it is with Islam. Some display their faith exuberantly, others more subdued but no less pious. Living in America I am blessed with the opportunity to learn from fellow Muslims from all over the world. From the conservative Wahabis I value the anchoring stability of traditions and rituals; from the liberal Ismailis, pragmatic accommodation.

They both enrich my understanding of my faith. I also learn from non-Muslim scholars. This is no surprise. In my specialty for example, many innovations are made by non-surgeons, including non-physicians. For Muslims to limit themselves only to Muslim thinkers or to suggest that reading non-Muslim writers is haram (sinful) is short-sighted. Early Muslims eagerly learnt from the Greeks and Romans.

A continuing and often violent source of disagreement is in interpreting the Quran. The late Fazlur Rahman of the University of Chicago suggested that we deduce from the particularities of the Holy Book its underlying principles, and then apply them to our specific present-day situations. Obviously modern society differs from those of the prophet's time, but the moral principles remain the same. The Quran teaches by parables and anecdotes, but we should not confuse examples with the underlying principles.

Let me illustrate this. If I were to explain the universal theory of gravitation by saying that gravitational pull is directly proportional to the mass and inversely to the square of the distance, or g=km/d2, only math jocks would get excited. Others would fall asleep. But if I were to illustrate this with an apple falling to the earth, then the concept is readily grasped.

But if one confuses the example for the principle, then one's faith would be severely shattered on seeing an apple floating when in a spaceship. Indeed dropping an apple while on one of the gut-wrenching roller coaster rides, it "falls" to the sky. If we truly understand the principle of gravity, then these apparent aberrations, far from shaking our faith, reaffirm it.

Essence of the Quran

Much of the disagreements are the result of confusing examples with principles. We interpret the Quran literally, missing its essence. Muslims imitate the prophet by having multiple wives, forgetting that the prophet's many marriages were expressions of his charity, to take care of widows and orphans during times of social stress and not, as many simplistic critics claim, of lust. As a popular leader he could have his choice of virgins, instead he chose older widows.

Muhammad Syahrur, the Syrian reformist, in his book al-Kitab wa al Qutan: Qira'a Mucasira (The Book and the Quran: a contemporary interpretation), challenges Muslims to imagine, had Allah revealed the Quran today, how would it be written? Apart from being an intellectually stimulating exercise, it certainly helps us understand the Holy Book better. In my book The Malay Dilemma revisited , I pondered had Allah chosen an Eskimo as His last messenger, would hell be a place of eternal fire or a cold frozen dungeon?

I am reminded of the priest who was preaching to the Eskimos. On his first sermon he was in his usual fire and brimstone form, exhorting them not to plunder, lie or fornicate lest they would be sent to burning hell. Imagine his horror the next day to find his congregation enthusiastically doing those bad deeds. To his angry tirade they countered, "Father, we want to go where the fire burns all the time!" Confusing example with principle!

We must respect differing opinions. If we disagree, critique the idea rather than the person. We should judge ideas on their merits and not be influenced by extraneous factors like the bearer's string of titles, length of robe, or eloquence of oratory.

Where genuine differences do occur, we must abide by the consensus, or failing that, the majority view, not because it necessarily represents the truth, rather the best interpretation, recognising that it could change with new insights.

"Allah will not let my community to be in error," goes a hadith . It pains me immensely to see Muslims polarised and divided over mere interpretations. We should have a Jeffersonian generosity: every difference in opinion is not a difference of principle.

[This essay is an excerpt of a presentation given at South Valley Islamic Center, Morgan Hill, California, as part of the Ramadan Lecture Series.]