Muslims are not even required to understand what they recite. Many are not Arabic and do not speak the language. A book by two Muslim authors says, “It is not uncommon to meet people who know a great deal of the text by heart but have not the slightest understanding of the world view that permeates it.” But this is acceptable, the authors say, because in Islam “understanding is secondary” to recitation and ritual. 59 Thus Islam proves the reductionist principle once again—that a lower view of God leads to a lower view of the value, status, and dignity of the human person.
