| Living \r\n the Quran |
Al-Nisa \r\n (The Women)
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n He who expects all people, irrespective \r\n of their circumstances and individual abilities, to realize the \r\n ideal vision of Islam is setting a goal which is not easy to attain. \r\n This points to a clear recognition of the fact that the human \r\n abilities and actual efforts and energies expended vary from one \r\n individual to another. This is why there are various levels of \r\n worship and obedience, and these will be reflected in the varying \r\n levels of the believers in paradise. \r\nIn his commentary on the Quran, Ibn Jarir al Tabari relates that \r\n some people met Abd Allah (the son of Umar ibn al Khattab) in \r\n Egypt and said to him: \"We see teachings of the Quran which \r\n are adhered to by some and not by others. We want to meet the \r\n Amir al Muminin (Umar Ibn al Khattaab) to question him \r\n about these matters.\" They went with him to Umar, may God \r\n be pleased with him. Abd Allah told his father why they had come \r\n and so they were invited to meet him. When they were gathered, \r\n Umar looked at the nearest man to him and asked: \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Umar then put the same questions to everyone in the audience. \r\n When he came to the last person he said: \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Umar then asked whether the people of Egypt knew of their coming \r\n to make this complaint. Fortunately for them, they said: \"No,\" \r\n as Umar threatened: \"If they had known, I would have made \r\n an example out of you.\" \r\nThere is a profound lesson which Umar, may God be pleased with \r\n him, clarified in this incident. It is that the \r\n ideal vision which the Quran holds out for the Muslim is a model \r\n which he must try to realize or attain. Whenever \r\n he falls short of this model - as is inevitable - he should realize \r\n that God's mercy is indeed vast. When he avoids the major sins \r\n at least, he is assuredly on the way to attaining abundant good \r\n - if God wills. He has the obligation, \r\n however, to constantly strive towards the ideal vision and never \r\n to be content with the minimum standard. \r\n \r\n Source: |
| \r\n Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Acceptance and Love \r\nBesides being a matter of trials and perseverance, calling people \r\n to the way of Allah requires being accepted by the people themselves, \r\n such that one’s teaching and advice is listened to. \r\nThe hearts are between the fingers of the Merciful. It is Allah \r\n alone who brings the hearts together and who places love in the \r\n hearts of the other believers. Allah gives this blessings to those \r\n who truly believe and perform the righteous deeds. \r\nThe Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stated that love and \r\n acceptance is a result of being beloved to Allah, which is a result \r\n of purifying one’s soul. The Messenger of Allah said, \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Source: |
| Blindspot! |
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n The Scholars of Context \r\nOur scholars lack the necessary deep understanding of the complex \r\n issues of the modern world with which their judgements must \r\n deal. \r\nThough they speak about economy, natural and social science, \r\n they have in fact little to offer in any of these fields. When \r\n they pronounce on current matters their rulings often contradict \r\n one another, and we are unable to decide which of them is best \r\n qualified. To make matters worse, they jealously guard their \r\n authority in religious prescription (fatwâ). \r\n When, for example, specialists in the so-called \"profane\" \r\n sciences try to assist in formulating contemporary Muslim jurisprudence, \r\n their efforts are often resented as dangerous intrusions. Though \r\n they may have relevant expertise, unless they are specialists \r\n in Islamic law they find their opinions dismissed. This is where \r\n the need for radical reform is greatest. \r\nOur task is to shift the centre of gravity back to the fundamentals \r\n of Islamic jurisprudence. For the texts are not the only normative \r\n references in Islamic law. The universe - the \"book of \r\n the world\", to use the expression of the great scholar \r\n al Ghazali - represents a source equal to the texts. \r\n Instead of being pushed to the margin, scholars and specialists \r\n in applied sciences and social sciences must become important \r\n contributors to contemporary Islamic ethics. \r\n \r\nTheir mastery of contemporary knowledge positions them eminently \r\n to guide the religious scholars’ deliberations, and to \r\n produce a transformative, ethically-driven reform rather than \r\n the necessity-driven adaptations of today. \r\nTextual interpretation specialists, though their competence \r\n is beyond dispute, do not have exclusive ownership of ijtihâd. \r\n They must be joined at the table by women and men versed in \r\n other fields who can help find new directions for reform that \r\n are both faithful to Islamic principles and fully engaged with \r\n the issues of the day. \r\nWe desperately need spaces for ijtihâd that \r\n reconcile ordinary Muslims with their references by restoring \r\n their right to speak, their competences and their authority. \r\n The tasks at hand are immense: promoting a critical spirit and \r\n educational reform; developing a Islamic ethics of science; \r\n proposing alternatives in global economics; transforming the \r\n status of women in Muslim communities; creating civic societies \r\n and managing violence. \r\nTo achieve the radical reform \r\n we need and hope for, we must shift the centre of gravity away \r\n from the religious scholars and back to the centre of the Islamic \r\n universe. All must participate and each individual’s conscience \r\n must awaken. Alongside our scholars of the texts, in other words, \r\n we need scholars of the contexts. \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Source: |
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