THE RESURGENT

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 1

TOWARDS A MUSLIM POLITICAL THEOLOGY OF POST-COLONIAL RESISTANCE

DAVID COLLIDGE received his B.A. in

Religious Studies at Brown University

and an M.A. in Religion with a focus on

medieval Islamic intellectual history at

Princeton University. is an Adjunct He

Assistant Professor of Public Service at

the NYU Wagner Graduate School of

Public Service.

Whether we like it or not, the word “Muslim” is politicized, and has implications for all those who consider themselves “Muslim.” This holds true regardless of how religious a person may or may not be. As such, those who self-identify as “Muslim” must understand the dynamics of this politicization and construct a justifiable political response. This should not be seen as a departure from the universal message of Islam, because the entire sīrah (biography) of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace upon him and his family, is about the necessity of engaging with the political and economic spheres of life while seeking authentic ethics and spirituality rooted in Divine revelation (waḥy). But the social reality of 7th century Arabia is not the same as the 21st century, nor is the social reality of the 21st century quite like that faced by Muslims in 15th century Persia, Egypt, or India. Our search for authentic responses to the political challenges of being Muslim in the present era requires that we creatively engage with the social realities that the last 500 years of global history have bequeathed to us. In that respect, the legacies of European colonialism of Muslim lands is by far the most important historical force to consider, and will be the focus and unifying theme of this investigation.

The “Muslim” is a category of people that exist within the inescapable realities of “post-coloniality.” We are primarily a subject population, trying to express self-determination in the face of political, economic, and cultural forces that are stacked against us. We have been subject to outright colonization, such as in Algeria by the French and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh by the British, and we have been subject to more subtle forms of colonization, such as the presence of American military bases in Afghanistan, Qatar, Iraq, and Turkey. We are constantly defined by those who do not label themselves as “Muslim,” the proverbial “non-Muslim,” and so every Muslim attempt at self-definition is simultaneously a reactionary counter-definition. Non-Muslim policy scholars describe how to turn us into docile subjects of powerful nation-states, and capitalists strive to turn us into compliant consumers for the products of multinational corporations . When we serve the interests of influential entities, we are “good,” “moderate,” “modern,” and so on. And many Muslims serve those interests. This is not inherently a bad thing —  it is simply reality. Before one can truly express self-determination, one has to be aware of all the ways in which the self is manipulated by power.

So how do Muslims articulate a political ethic in response to the reality of post-coloniality? There are as many answers to this question as there are Muslims-in-the-world. At the very least, Muslims should have a sense of solidarity with all those who are also subjects within post-coloniality, r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e i r r e l i g i o u s affiliations. In the United States, that means p redom inan t l y Na t i ve Americans and Black Americans. One cannot escape the rac ia l i zed elements of global colonialism, for the Brit ish, French, Germans, and Americans, each in different ways, articulated dominance through the construction of a narrative of cultural superiority that was often tied to the observable physical differences between them and subject peoples. Hence , t he c lass i c Amer i can distinction between the White, Black, and Red man. In this wider context, Muslims have often functioned as a q u a s i - e t h n i c g r o u p , u s u a l l y associated with brown and black skin.

One of the greatest strokes of contemporary political genius comes from Malcolm X, when he stated in his famous description of sitting with light-skinned Muslims on the Pilgrimage (Ḥajj), “their belief in one God had removed the 'white' from their minds, the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude.”

He instinctually understood that Islam had the potential to undermine the master narrative of racialized colonial domination, by providing a vehicle for the ethical redemption of human beings who just happened to be born with white skin. We often forget that Islam began as an indigenous tribal coalition, under the leadership of a charismatic leader who preached that he was in direct communication with the God of their ancestors. But this coalition also included Muslims of non-Arabian origin, such as Bilāl (Ethiopian) and Salmān (Persian), who played a critical role in articulating the universality of the Islamic message beyond the Arabian cultural context. The way in which Islam expressed universality vis-a-vis the plurality of global cultures can never be under emphasized.

In the midst of this historical experience, the Prophet Muhammad (upon him and his family peace) taught his followers that they were not spiritually bound to the misdeeds of their past, such as the practice of female infanticide that was rooted in Arabian tribal misogyny. To be a Muslim was to have hope in creating a more just and inc lus ive wor ld . Malco lm X reformulated this traditional aspect of the Prophetic teaching in light of the realities of racialized colonialism, and it is no surprise that his Autobiography has served as a primary source of inspiration for thousands of Americans of varied racial backgrounds who have embraced Islam. Put simply, Malcolm X showed how the universals of Islam were directly relevant to the particulars of racialized American injustices.

The details of Muslim solidarity with those of other world views should be articulated through the lens of the Islamic religious tradition, which is our primary reference point, theoretical underpinning, and methodological tool. We should be wary of adopting an entirely secular

frame of reference. Tariq Ramadan makes this point powerfully in his recent critique of the work of Edward Said:

“[Said's] is a posture that is frequently encountered among the partisans of secularization who, while often voicing harsh criticism of the West's political and economic formulae and imagined prerogatives, remains captives of their own references and conceptual tools, often displaying a culpable, of times unfathomable ignorance of their own history, and of their cultural and religious traditions.” “Islam and the Arab

Awakening,”( p. 87).

Contemporary Islamic analysis that brings together a focus on the interrelated political, economic, and cultural dimensions of social life must be constantly vigilant of the danger of “epistemicide,” for this was one of the main projects of colonialism.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 22N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 3

TOWARDS A MUSLIM POLITICAL THEOLOGY OF POST-COLONIAL RESISTANCE

DAVID COLLIDGE received his B.A. in

Religious Studies at Brown University

and an M.A. in Religion with a focus on

medieval Islamic intellectual history at

Princeton University. is an Adjunct He

Assistant Professor of Public Service at

the NYU Wagner Graduate School of

Public Service.

Whether we like it or not, the word “Muslim” is politicized, and has implications for all those who consider themselves “Muslim.” This holds true regardless of how religious a person may or may not be. As such, those who self-identify as “Muslim” must understand the dynamics of this politicization and construct a justifiable political response. This should not be seen as a departure from the universal message of Islam, because the entire sīrah (biography) of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace upon him and his family, is about the necessity of engaging with the political and economic spheres of life while seeking authentic ethics and spirituality rooted in Divine revelation (waḥy). But the social reality of 7th century Arabia is not the same as the 21st century, nor is the social reality of the 21st century quite like that faced by Muslims in 15th century Persia, Egypt, or India. Our search for authentic responses to the political challenges of being Muslim in the present era requires that we creatively engage with the social realities that the last 500 years of global history have bequeathed to us. In that respect, the legacies of European colonialism of Muslim lands is by far the most important historical force to consider, and will be the focus and unifying theme of this investigation.

The “Muslim” is a category of people that exist within the inescapable realities of “post-coloniality.” We are primarily a subject population, trying to express self-determination in the face of political, economic, and cultural forces that are stacked against us. We have been subject to outright colonization, such as in Algeria by the French and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh by the British, and we have been subject to more subtle forms of colonization, such as the presence of American military bases in Afghanistan, Qatar, Iraq, and Turkey. We are constantly defined by those who do not label themselves as “Muslim,” the proverbial “non-Muslim,” and so every Muslim attempt at self-definition is simultaneously a reactionary counter-definition. Non-Muslim policy scholars describe how to turn us into docile subjects of powerful nation-states, and capitalists strive to turn us into compliant consumers for the products of multinational corporations . When we serve the interests of influential entities, we are “good,” “moderate,” “modern,” and so on. And many Muslims serve those interests. This is not inherently a bad thing —  it is simply reality. Before one can truly express self-determination, one has to be aware of all the ways in which the self is manipulated by power.

So how do Muslims articulate a political ethic in response to the reality of post-coloniality? There are as many answers to this question as there are Muslims-in-the-world. At the very least, Muslims should have a sense of solidarity with all those who are also subjects within post-coloniality, r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e i r r e l i g i o u s affiliations. In the United States, that means p redom inan t l y Na t i ve Americans and Black Americans. One cannot escape the rac ia l i zed elements of global colonialism, for the Brit ish, French, Germans, and Americans, each in different ways, articulated dominance through the construction of a narrative of cultural superiority that was often tied to the observable physical differences between them and subject peoples. Hence , t he c lass i c Amer i can distinction between the White, Black, and Red man. In this wider context, Muslims have often functioned as a q u a s i - e t h n i c g r o u p , u s u a l l y associated with brown and black skin.

One of the greatest strokes of contemporary political genius comes from Malcolm X, when he stated in his famous description of sitting with light-skinned Muslims on the Pilgrimage (Ḥajj), “their belief in one God had removed the 'white' from their minds, the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude.”

He instinctually understood that Islam had the potential to undermine the master narrative of racialized colonial domination, by providing a vehicle for the ethical redemption of human beings who just happened to be born with white skin. We often forget that Islam began as an indigenous tribal coalition, under the leadership of a charismatic leader who preached that he was in direct communication with the God of their ancestors. But this coalition also included Muslims of non-Arabian origin, such as Bilāl (Ethiopian) and Salmān (Persian), who played a critical role in articulating the universality of the Islamic message beyond the Arabian cultural context. The way in which Islam expressed universality vis-a-vis the plurality of global cultures can never be under emphasized.

In the midst of this historical experience, the Prophet Muhammad (upon him and his family peace) taught his followers that they were not spiritually bound to the misdeeds of their past, such as the practice of female infanticide that was rooted in Arabian tribal misogyny. To be a Muslim was to have hope in creating a more just and inc lus ive wor ld . Malco lm X reformulated this traditional aspect of the Prophetic teaching in light of the realities of racialized colonialism, and it is no surprise that his Autobiography has served as a primary source of inspiration for thousands of Americans of varied racial backgrounds who have embraced Islam. Put simply, Malcolm X showed how the universals of Islam were directly relevant to the particulars of racialized American injustices.

The details of Muslim solidarity with those of other world views should be articulated through the lens of the Islamic religious tradition, which is our primary reference point, theoretical underpinning, and methodological tool. We should be wary of adopting an entirely secular

frame of reference. Tariq Ramadan makes this point powerfully in his recent critique of the work of Edward Said:

“[Said's] is a posture that is frequently encountered among the partisans of secularization who, while often voicing harsh criticism of the West's political and economic formulae and imagined prerogatives, remains captives of their own references and conceptual tools, often displaying a culpable, of times unfathomable ignorance of their own history, and of their cultural and religious traditions.” “Islam and the Arab

Awakening,”( p. 87).

Contemporary Islamic analysis that brings together a focus on the interrelated political, economic, and cultural dimensions of social life must be constantly vigilant of the danger of “epistemicide,” for this was one of the main projects of colonialism.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 22N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 3

French and British schooling systems replaced indigenous educational forms, and the study of European languages and literature replaced the study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. All of this was undertaken in order to destroy Islam's distinctive hermeneutic of existence, and is eerily similar to the systematic destruction of Native cu l t u res and A f r i can he r i t age t ha t characterizes American history. Ebrahim Moosa highlights this when he writes:

“Particularly during the last three centuries, Muslim societies the world over have experienced cataclysmic changes and t rans fo rmat ions , including the long night of colonization and the mixed fortures of the various postcolonies after independence. Those colonies and postcolonies have witnessed the dissipation of historical knowledge traditions, which were rapidly replaced or turned into hybrids by the addition of newer strands of knowledge and technology. In some instances, the death of knowledge traditions — epistemicide — has indeed occurred.” (“Al-Ghazālī and the Poetics

of Imagination,”p. 28)

The death of indigenous knowledge in contemporary times usually comes about due to the universalizing tendencies of Euro-American “post-Enlightenment” discourse. So the Muslim must be aware and critical of this tendency within secular critique. However, Muslims cannot be proponents of a reactionary traditionalism that obscures the fact that we are part and parcel of post-Enlightenment intellectual history. We are all heirs to multiple intellectual traditions and the forms of human social life that they justify and promote, for better or for worse. We must engage creatively and crit ical ly with secularized social theory. The powers that be are not always in the wrong and the downtrodden are not always in the right — the truth most often lies somewhere in the middle, and it takes the best of our intellectual, spiritual, and ethical talents to find the just median. We are not an intellectual-religious

community that believes in a complete lack of agency in the face of structural and historical injustice, but rather one that puts the onus on human beings to fashion revelation-based responses to social reality.

Believing that “God is in complete control of all affairs (wa huwa 'alā kulli shay'in qadīr),” as the Qur'an so often states, means every challenge is also an opportunity. If God is on one's side, no obstacle is too big and victory is guaranteed, whether in this world or the next. Imam Zaid Shakir explains this clearly when he writes:

“When we accept this reality we can move beyond the frustration and disappointment that is afflicting so many in light of the recent events. To emphasize that it is Allah who is the only effective “power-broker” in the world, reflect on the following verse from the Qur'an, 'Say, O Allah, the owner of all sovereignty! You extend sovereignty to whosoever you please and you withdraw it from whosoever y o u p l e a s e . Y o u e l e v a t e whomsoever you please, and you debase whosoever you please. In Your Hand is all good, and You, over all things, possess power' ('Quran 3:26). Accepting this reality and understanding that it is actualized in our world, is one of the greatest manifestations of Tawhid, or the affirmation of divine oneness. In this case, we are affirming that there is one effective source of power in this creation — Almighty God, Allah. This has to be our starting point in moving forward.”

Another manifestation of the recognition of the Divine in human affairs is accepting our own accountability before the One. If we claim to care about justice, the first question we must ask is, “Am I just?”

The just median in any given situation must be sought, however elusive it may seem in the face o f the enormous complex i ty o f contemporary life. There are many who do not want the Muslim masses, and the other billions suffering within post-coloniality, to decide for themselves how to live. The examples of this are so numerous that is not worth even mentioning examples. But it is necessary to highlight that this is a problem that effects different communities in different ways. Analysis needs to take each situation seriously in terms of the unique aspects of local realities, while at the same time making tenable global connections. For example, the history of unjust usurpation of Native lands in North America, and its lasting effects, has to be studied and understood on its own terms. However, one should also explore the ways in which the experience of Native peoples in the Americas is also related to unjust usurpation of land on the other side of the Atlantic. The expulsion of Muslims and Jews from the Iberian peninsula in the 15th and 16th centuries is not so far removed from the expulsion of the Cherokee tribe from the state of Georgia in the 19th century as some might think. The strands of domination and subjugation run through both the local and the global.

When we begin discussing the actual politics of nation-states and their militaries, the greatest outward (ẓāhir) power-brokers currently, we reach a level of complexity that requires far more detailed analysis than this article can offer. Truly representative and dynamic governments in Muslim-majority countries would have politics that are disruptive, at least in the short term, to the global balance of economic, political, and military power. Ali Allawi explores this theme in his book, and those interested in the affairs of the global Muslim political elite would do well to read his book “The Crisis of Islamic Civilization,”and consider his arguments. But even powerful governments require coordination with “the will of the people,” and so it is also up to individuals, local community insti tut ions (such as m o s q u e s ) , a n d n o n - g o v e r n m e n t a l organizations to work towards greater self-determination and liberation. We all need to play our part, however small, in solidarity with others facing similar struggles.

From an Islamic theological viewpoint, change has to be sought with a clear intention of servitude to the One in whom we find our deepest dignity and freedom. Imam Zaid writes elsewhere,

“As believers we want to be servants of God for we recognize that it is our servitude to God that liberates us from servitude to all else.” ( Treatise For The Seekers of Guidance, p. 3)

Theologically speaking, Muslim politics is ultimately derivative of the recognition that “sovereignty” belongs to God alone, and that in mercy is the ultimate objective of God for humanity both this world and the next. As such, Muslim politics is driven by trying to be embodiments of that mercy, as expressed by our love for and service to all of God's creation. The well-known saying of the Prophet Muhammad (upon him and his family be blessings and peace) states that, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother [and sister] what he loves for himself.” So we should each begin to consider how our words and actions push the global reality in the direction of truth and justice, and away from falsehood and oppression, constantly beseeching God with the words attributed to the Messenger (upon him and his family peace):

Dearest God, grant us to see the true as true, and bless us to follow it, and grant us to see the false as false, and bless us to avoid it.

نا الل�مز قنا حقا ا��ق أ نا و اتباعھ وار رأ ر

قنا و باطال الباطل ز اجتنابھ ار

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 24N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 5

French and British schooling systems replaced indigenous educational forms, and the study of European languages and literature replaced the study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. All of this was undertaken in order to destroy Islam's distinctive hermeneutic of existence, and is eerily similar to the systematic destruction of Native cu l t u res and A f r i can he r i t age t ha t characterizes American history. Ebrahim Moosa highlights this when he writes:

“Particularly during the last three centuries, Muslim societies the world over have experienced cataclysmic changes and t rans fo rmat ions , including the long night of colonization and the mixed fortures of the various postcolonies after independence. Those colonies and postcolonies have witnessed the dissipation of historical knowledge traditions, which were rapidly replaced or turned into hybrids by the addition of newer strands of knowledge and technology. In some instances, the death of knowledge traditions — epistemicide — has indeed occurred.” (“Al-Ghazālī and the Poetics

of Imagination,”p. 28)

The death of indigenous knowledge in contemporary times usually comes about due to the universalizing tendencies of Euro-American “post-Enlightenment” discourse. So the Muslim must be aware and critical of this tendency within secular critique. However, Muslims cannot be proponents of a reactionary traditionalism that obscures the fact that we are part and parcel of post-Enlightenment intellectual history. We are all heirs to multiple intellectual traditions and the forms of human social life that they justify and promote, for better or for worse. We must engage creatively and crit ical ly with secularized social theory. The powers that be are not always in the wrong and the downtrodden are not always in the right — the truth most often lies somewhere in the middle, and it takes the best of our intellectual, spiritual, and ethical talents to find the just median. We are not an intellectual-religious

community that believes in a complete lack of agency in the face of structural and historical injustice, but rather one that puts the onus on human beings to fashion revelation-based responses to social reality.

Believing that “God is in complete control of all affairs (wa huwa 'alā kulli shay'in qadīr),” as the Qur'an so often states, means every challenge is also an opportunity. If God is on one's side, no obstacle is too big and victory is guaranteed, whether in this world or the next. Imam Zaid Shakir explains this clearly when he writes:

“When we accept this reality we can move beyond the frustration and disappointment that is afflicting so many in light of the recent events. To emphasize that it is Allah who is the only effective “power-broker” in the world, reflect on the following verse from the Qur'an, 'Say, O Allah, the owner of all sovereignty! You extend sovereignty to whosoever you please and you withdraw it from whosoever y o u p l e a s e . Y o u e l e v a t e whomsoever you please, and you debase whosoever you please. In Your Hand is all good, and You, over all things, possess power' ('Quran 3:26). Accepting this reality and understanding that it is actualized in our world, is one of the greatest manifestations of Tawhid, or the affirmation of divine oneness. In this case, we are affirming that there is one effective source of power in this creation — Almighty God, Allah. This has to be our starting point in moving forward.”

Another manifestation of the recognition of the Divine in human affairs is accepting our own accountability before the One. If we claim to care about justice, the first question we must ask is, “Am I just?”

The just median in any given situation must be sought, however elusive it may seem in the face o f the enormous complex i ty o f contemporary life. There are many who do not want the Muslim masses, and the other billions suffering within post-coloniality, to decide for themselves how to live. The examples of this are so numerous that is not worth even mentioning examples. But it is necessary to highlight that this is a problem that effects different communities in different ways. Analysis needs to take each situation seriously in terms of the unique aspects of local realities, while at the same time making tenable global connections. For example, the history of unjust usurpation of Native lands in North America, and its lasting effects, has to be studied and understood on its own terms. However, one should also explore the ways in which the experience of Native peoples in the Americas is also related to unjust usurpation of land on the other side of the Atlantic. The expulsion of Muslims and Jews from the Iberian peninsula in the 15th and 16th centuries is not so far removed from the expulsion of the Cherokee tribe from the state of Georgia in the 19th century as some might think. The strands of domination and subjugation run through both the local and the global.

When we begin discussing the actual politics of nation-states and their militaries, the greatest outward (ẓāhir) power-brokers currently, we reach a level of complexity that requires far more detailed analysis than this article can offer. Truly representative and dynamic governments in Muslim-majority countries would have politics that are disruptive, at least in the short term, to the global balance of economic, political, and military power. Ali Allawi explores this theme in his book, and those interested in the affairs of the global Muslim political elite would do well to read his book “The Crisis of Islamic Civilization,”and consider his arguments. But even powerful governments require coordination with “the will of the people,” and so it is also up to individuals, local community insti tut ions (such as m o s q u e s ) , a n d n o n - g o v e r n m e n t a l organizations to work towards greater self-determination and liberation. We all need to play our part, however small, in solidarity with others facing similar struggles.

From an Islamic theological viewpoint, change has to be sought with a clear intention of servitude to the One in whom we find our deepest dignity and freedom. Imam Zaid writes elsewhere,

“As believers we want to be servants of God for we recognize that it is our servitude to God that liberates us from servitude to all else.” ( Treatise For The Seekers of Guidance, p. 3)

Theologically speaking, Muslim politics is ultimately derivative of the recognition that “sovereignty” belongs to God alone, and that in mercy is the ultimate objective of God for humanity both this world and the next. As such, Muslim politics is driven by trying to be embodiments of that mercy, as expressed by our love for and service to all of God's creation. The well-known saying of the Prophet Muhammad (upon him and his family be blessings and peace) states that, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother [and sister] what he loves for himself.” So we should each begin to consider how our words and actions push the global reality in the direction of truth and justice, and away from falsehood and oppression, constantly beseeching God with the words attributed to the Messenger (upon him and his family peace):

Dearest God, grant us to see the true as true, and bless us to follow it, and grant us to see the false as false, and bless us to avoid it.

نا الل�مز قنا حقا ا��ق أ نا و اتباعھ وار رأ ر

قنا و باطال الباطل ز اجتنابھ ار

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 24N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 5

ISLAM BETWEEN PRIVILEGE

AND RESPONSIBILITY

The great Mufassirs (Exegetes) have found that man is the main focus of Quran the 'Final Revealed Book'. They contend that if one ponders upon the multifaceted discourses incorporated in the Quran, one can safely reach to the conclusion that the central theme and aim pursued by the Quran is the 'training of the human being' as a being conscious of the reason of his existence. The main aim of the Quran, if simplified is therefore to reinforce and accelerate the spiritual ascension, together with all the qualities of human being, towards a state of true loftiness and the dignity of which the human being is worthy for he is created in the best of the moulds (Ashraf al Makhluqat).In another words, we can say that the main purpose of Quran is to expound truths that are relevant to the 'life of a human being' and the exaltation of his being conducive to at ta in a l i fe of t rue happiness. Comprehending the essence of Quran, it was the Prophet himself first who shaped his life on the Qura'anic precepts so much so that 'Ayesha (wife of the Prophet) symbolises his morals with the teachings of Quran. Imbibing the characteristics of their Prophet, the Companions (Sahaba) strived hard to actualise their life in conformity with the Quran. Ali bin Abi Talib is reported to supplicate that reveals how the Holy Quran forms 'the chart of life for man'. He prayed: “O Allah! expand my breast with Quran, actuate my body with Quran, enlighten my sight with Quran, liberate my tongue by Quran, and help me to mould my life according to Quran, so long as You make me live”.

Believers are expected to refer to the Quran and the Sunnah of Messenger of Allah in order to learn the secrets of the life in the world and the hereafter; they also refer to it whenever issues remain unsolved through other means. In such respect Quran says in Surah al-Nahl (16: 89) “We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, Mercy and Glad Tidings to Muslims.” However, one should not conclude from this verse that the Quran is an almanac or a book of science. It is not a book that mentions provisional scientific theories; it may furnish the clues regarding science but in essence, it is a life guide. It is a manual sent by Allah, Who created us and who knows our nature better than us; it shows us how to use our temporary body in this transient world. “This Quran is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it, a detailed exposition of all things, and a Guide and a Mercy to any such as believe”, says Quran in Surah al-Yusuf

Quran has a unique feature of portrayal of preceding nations. One of such communities described is that of Banu Israel. The community was honoured with the endowment of several Prophets. God bestowed them with multiple favours that were unknown to others. Quran abounds in ayahs with respect to the favours done to the said Nation. Thus says the Quran: “O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me. ( 2:40). “Children of Israel! Call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other nations (for My Message) (2:47).

In fact Banu Israel turns up to be the first nation who received the maximum number of Prophets, a fully detailed and comprehensive Law, and a comprehensive revealed scripture in the form of Torah. “And We gave Moses the S c r i p t u r e , c o m p l e t e w i t h t h e b e s t commandments, detailing everything, and a beacon and mercy, that they may believe in meeting their” (Quran, 6:154). All such favours deserved obedience to God and service towards mankind. However Banu Israel ended up with Jews and Christians. The former got so intoxicated with the phrase Chosen People that they became racial (Making Yahweh Only their God) and the later held the salvation as their exclusive right. They abandoned the spirit of servitude to God, instead developed the fantasies of good life here and hereafter. God had sent them constant reminders recorded in Torah and as endorsed by Quran: We [Allah] made a covenant with you [Children of Israel] and raised the Mount [Sinai] above you, saying: 'Grasp fervently [the Torah] what We [Allah] have given you, and bear in minds its precepts, that you may guard yourselves against evil"(Quran, 2:65). Stressing upon the moral and social duties God had revealed: And remember We [Allah] made a covenant with the Children of Israel (to this effect): Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practise regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now) (Quran, 2:83). But being

carried away by the shower of favours, Banu Israel (contemporary Jews and Christians) remained oblivious of the criteria of being good in the sight of their Lord. As Karen Armstrong puts it nicely, “The title of 'Chosen People' g iven to Banu Israel spoke more of responsibility than of privilege.”

Failing in the fulfilment of Covenants made with Allah, Jews and Christians were succeeded by Muslims as Allah makes it a rule to substitute the irresponsible and insensitive with the responsible and susceptible. Muhammad as a Prophet and his immediate followers (Sahaba) lived up to the spirit that was altogether missing in Banu Israel. According to Quranic teaching, service of Allah cannot be separated from service to humankind, or in Islamic terms, believers in Allah must honour both Haquq Allah (rights of Allah) and Haquq al-'ibad (rights of creatures). Fulfilment of one's duties to Allah and humankind constitutes righteousness, as comprehensively stated in Surah Al-Baqarah ( 2:177), which reads as:

Righteousness does not consist in turning your

faces towards the east or towards the west; true

righteousness consists in believing in Allah and

the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the

Prophets, and in giving away one's property in

love of Him to one's kinsmen, the orphans, the

poor and the wayfarer, and to those who ask for

help, and in freeing the necks of slaves, and in

establishing Prayer and dispensing the Zakah.

True righteousness is attained by those who are

faithful to their promise once they have made it

and by those who remain steadfast in adversity

and affliction and at the time of battle (between

Truth and falsehood).

Such are the truthful ones; such are the God-

fearing. Setting themselves right in the colour of

above cited teachings of Qur'an, Prophet and his

comrades in the full light of history displayed to

the world that they represented the group of

“chosen people” in the true sense of the word. The

successors of Prophets Companions termed as

Tabiin and their successors known as TabaTabiin

did their best to preserve the legacy left by

Prophet and his followers.

(12:111). It is the most distinctive feature of the Quran, whose unique aim is the guidance and happiness of human beings, to use a style in compliance with this aim: “to address sometimes the mind, sometimes the feelings, sometimes the conscience and sometimes the heart of its readers, to attract attention to the previous nations, the sky and the earth, the kingdom of plants and animals, the psycholo-gical, sociological, philosophical and ethical realities and to ask its readers to think on these issues”, as Said Nursi puts it. The Quran informs man of his responsibilities toward himself, his Lord, the other people and nature. It teaches those who a re no t aware o f the i r responsibilities and reminds those w h o f o r g e t a b o u t t h e i r responsibilities.

Ashraf Amin is a research scholar in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir and the focus of h is PhD dissertation is “Islam's response to the theories of Religion”. The author can be contacted at ashrafamin12@gmail.com

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 26N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 7

OPINION OPINION

ISLAM BETWEEN PRIVILEGE

AND RESPONSIBILITY

The great Mufassirs (Exegetes) have found that man is the main focus of Quran the 'Final Revealed Book'. They contend that if one ponders upon the multifaceted discourses incorporated in the Quran, one can safely reach to the conclusion that the central theme and aim pursued by the Quran is the 'training of the human being' as a being conscious of the reason of his existence. The main aim of the Quran, if simplified is therefore to reinforce and accelerate the spiritual ascension, together with all the qualities of human being, towards a state of true loftiness and the dignity of which the human being is worthy for he is created in the best of the moulds (Ashraf al Makhluqat).In another words, we can say that the main purpose of Quran is to expound truths that are relevant to the 'life of a human being' and the exaltation of his being conducive to at ta in a l i fe of t rue happiness. Comprehending the essence of Quran, it was the Prophet himself first who shaped his life on the Qura'anic precepts so much so that 'Ayesha (wife of the Prophet) symbolises his morals with the teachings of Quran. Imbibing the characteristics of their Prophet, the Companions (Sahaba) strived hard to actualise their life in conformity with the Quran. Ali bin Abi Talib is reported to supplicate that reveals how the Holy Quran forms 'the chart of life for man'. He prayed: “O Allah! expand my breast with Quran, actuate my body with Quran, enlighten my sight with Quran, liberate my tongue by Quran, and help me to mould my life according to Quran, so long as You make me live”.

Believers are expected to refer to the Quran and the Sunnah of Messenger of Allah in order to learn the secrets of the life in the world and the hereafter; they also refer to it whenever issues remain unsolved through other means. In such respect Quran says in Surah al-Nahl (16: 89) “We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, Mercy and Glad Tidings to Muslims.” However, one should not conclude from this verse that the Quran is an almanac or a book of science. It is not a book that mentions provisional scientific theories; it may furnish the clues regarding science but in essence, it is a life guide. It is a manual sent by Allah, Who created us and who knows our nature better than us; it shows us how to use our temporary body in this transient world. “This Quran is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it, a detailed exposition of all things, and a Guide and a Mercy to any such as believe”, says Quran in Surah al-Yusuf

Quran has a unique feature of portrayal of preceding nations. One of such communities described is that of Banu Israel. The community was honoured with the endowment of several Prophets. God bestowed them with multiple favours that were unknown to others. Quran abounds in ayahs with respect to the favours done to the said Nation. Thus says the Quran: “O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me. ( 2:40). “Children of Israel! Call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other nations (for My Message) (2:47).

In fact Banu Israel turns up to be the first nation who received the maximum number of Prophets, a fully detailed and comprehensive Law, and a comprehensive revealed scripture in the form of Torah. “And We gave Moses the S c r i p t u r e , c o m p l e t e w i t h t h e b e s t commandments, detailing everything, and a beacon and mercy, that they may believe in meeting their” (Quran, 6:154). All such favours deserved obedience to God and service towards mankind. However Banu Israel ended up with Jews and Christians. The former got so intoxicated with the phrase Chosen People that they became racial (Making Yahweh Only their God) and the later held the salvation as their exclusive right. They abandoned the spirit of servitude to God, instead developed the fantasies of good life here and hereafter. God had sent them constant reminders recorded in Torah and as endorsed by Quran: We [Allah] made a covenant with you [Children of Israel] and raised the Mount [Sinai] above you, saying: 'Grasp fervently [the Torah] what We [Allah] have given you, and bear in minds its precepts, that you may guard yourselves against evil"(Quran, 2:65). Stressing upon the moral and social duties God had revealed: And remember We [Allah] made a covenant with the Children of Israel (to this effect): Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practise regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now) (Quran, 2:83). But being

carried away by the shower of favours, Banu Israel (contemporary Jews and Christians) remained oblivious of the criteria of being good in the sight of their Lord. As Karen Armstrong puts it nicely, “The title of 'Chosen People' g iven to Banu Israel spoke more of responsibility than of privilege.”

Failing in the fulfilment of Covenants made with Allah, Jews and Christians were succeeded by Muslims as Allah makes it a rule to substitute the irresponsible and insensitive with the responsible and susceptible. Muhammad as a Prophet and his immediate followers (Sahaba) lived up to the spirit that was altogether missing in Banu Israel. According to Quranic teaching, service of Allah cannot be separated from service to humankind, or in Islamic terms, believers in Allah must honour both Haquq Allah (rights of Allah) and Haquq al-'ibad (rights of creatures). Fulfilment of one's duties to Allah and humankind constitutes righteousness, as comprehensively stated in Surah Al-Baqarah ( 2:177), which reads as:

Righteousness does not consist in turning your

faces towards the east or towards the west; true

righteousness consists in believing in Allah and

the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the

Prophets, and in giving away one's property in

love of Him to one's kinsmen, the orphans, the

poor and the wayfarer, and to those who ask for

help, and in freeing the necks of slaves, and in

establishing Prayer and dispensing the Zakah.

True righteousness is attained by those who are

faithful to their promise once they have made it

and by those who remain steadfast in adversity

and affliction and at the time of battle (between

Truth and falsehood).

Such are the truthful ones; such are the God-

fearing. Setting themselves right in the colour of

above cited teachings of Qur'an, Prophet and his

comrades in the full light of history displayed to

the world that they represented the group of

“chosen people” in the true sense of the word. The

successors of Prophets Companions termed as

Tabiin and their successors known as TabaTabiin

did their best to preserve the legacy left by

Prophet and his followers.

(12:111). It is the most distinctive feature of the Quran, whose unique aim is the guidance and happiness of human beings, to use a style in compliance with this aim: “to address sometimes the mind, sometimes the feelings, sometimes the conscience and sometimes the heart of its readers, to attract attention to the previous nations, the sky and the earth, the kingdom of plants and animals, the psycholo-gical, sociological, philosophical and ethical realities and to ask its readers to think on these issues”, as Said Nursi puts it. The Quran informs man of his responsibilities toward himself, his Lord, the other people and nature. It teaches those who a re no t aware o f the i r responsibilities and reminds those w h o f o r g e t a b o u t t h e i r responsibilities.

Ashraf Amin is a research scholar in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir and the focus of h is PhD dissertation is “Islam's response to the theories of Religion”. The author can be contacted at ashrafamin12@gmail.com

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 26N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 7

OPINION OPINION

However as t imes passed, Musl ims developed signs of negligence towards the ways set by their Prophet under the all wise guidance of God (Allah). The rot deepened to such an extent that Muslims like Jews and Christians felt contended with the title of Khayr-i-Ummat (The Best Community) and Ummat-i-Wasata (The Middle Ummah) at the cost of obligations that the titles brought with them.

In the words of Muhammad Azizan: “It must be made clear that although the Ummat-i-Wasat of the Prophet is recognized by a specific name, they are neither a chosen group nor a saved community of faith. By virtue of exercising the final, concrete and universal form of Islam, they belong to a single community of believers. Thus the model community of the Prophet stands as the final community of the final al-Millah al Hanaffiyah (the absolute monotheistic religion). To be a Muslim today or any day as Rifat Hassan puts it is to live in accordance with the will and pleasure of Allah.” She comments: Muslims often say, with joy and pride, that it is easy to be a Muslim since Islam is 'the straight path' leading to paradise. What this means, in other words, is that the pr inc ip les o f Is lam are s imple and straightforward, free of ambiguit ies, confusions, inconsistencies or mysteries, and that comprehending them or living in accordance with them is not difficult. The assumption here is that if one somehow comes to "the straight path" by accepting Islam, which is Allah's last and final revelation to humanity, one will fairly effortlessly arrive at the destination which is a state of eternal blessedness in the presence of Allah.

Qur'an always hosts an integrated vision that contains belief in Allah and Allah's revelation (Iman) and righteous action (amal), or regular remembrance of Allah (Salah) and discharge of one's financial and moral obligations to Allah's creatures (Zakah). Thus, to be a Muslim means in a fundamental way to be both Allah-conscious and conscious of his fellow human beings, and to understand the interconnectedness of all aspects of one's life, of the life of all creation and of our life in

this momentary world to life eternal. Qur'an beautifully summarises this as:

“Those who remember God (always, and in

prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their

sides, and think deeply about the creation of the

heavens and the earth, (saying), “Our Lord! You

have not created (all) this without purpose, glory

to You! (Exalted are You above all that they

associate with You as partners); give us salvation

from the torment of the Fire” (3:191).

It is really unfortunate that today Muslims all over the world fail to uphold the ideas of Islam. They are in-serious towards the affairs within their own societies and the global crisis of justice, order, leadership, harmony and peace. Instead of realizing their responsibil i t ies they appease themselves with ideas that they are the favourite Ummah of the Prophet and witness over all Ummam. They don't pay heed towards when Prophet Muhammad will say, “O my Lord! Surely my people have treated this Qur'an as a forsaken thing”( Qur'an, 25:30) or the Hadith of the Prophet like “All are entitled to Jannah except those who deny. Upon asking who will deny going Jannah, the Prophet replied those who cast his Sunnah aside (Bukhari). Instead of applying what Iqbal calls “The Principle of Movement”, Ijtihad, (The greatest gift offered by Prophet to the Ummah), Muslims still live in the past mesmerizing themselves with Ideal Medinan society, Khilafat-i-Rashidah, Golden Period of Abbasids, Conquest of Jerusalem, etc. In the context of Kashmir such things turn more interesting.

A Kashmiri Muslim anticipates his salvation in his respective sect assessing its conformity more with the Prophetic Era. He reduces the cosmopolitan outlook and universal appeal of Islam to a parochial outlook of his particular sect. He hardly tolerates the religious views of others. He is ready to knock out his fellow Muslim in a sectarian religious debate (Munazarah), but remains ignorant of the Islamophobia, the world is garnering against him. It really is high time for Muslims to come out of Utopia and ensure their living presence in

RE-READING (IBN) ARABI AND

(IBN) TAYMIYYAH

Ishfaq Parrey is a PhD scholar in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir. The researcher has recently completed his M.Phil on the topic “Imam Ghazali's approach to Maqasid al-Shar'iah and his doctoral research focuses on “Modern Trends in Maqasid al Shar'iah”. The author can be contacted at ishfakameen@gmail.com

Kashmiri society is not into 'well grounded' when it comes to Islamic theology, cosmology and philosophy, in general; hence initiating a debate in public space regarding the theme which historically remains its most sensitively debated and disputed and stays more of an academic discourse than a public debate, seems not just an ideological onslaught on unqualified masses but also politically motivated invitation to ostracize the 'Other'. The daily, Greater Kashmir (dated as November 24, 2016, Thursday), featured an article titled 'Reading Arabi and Taymiyyah' by (Respected) Dr. Muhammad Maroof Shah. The article 'claimed' to 'read and understand' these two stalwarts in their historical contexts and proper perspectives. But, delving into the article it was a big disappointment, as a very primary student of ibn Taymiyyah and his legacy; it seemed rather an attempt to reinterpret Ibn 'Arabi to make him relevant in Islamic orthodoxy; meanwhile (mis-) interpreting Ibn Taymiyyah as a 'great soldier seeking to guard one of the lofty peaks of Islamic sciences from “stupid friends”' where Ibn 'Arabi guards its most sensitive frontiers from the most accomplished enemies'; when they figure themselves with two distinctly different weltanschauungs, they differ not just in branches (extensions) but in roots (fundamentals) as well.

Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Taymiyyah are not just two stalwarts in their own colors, but they represent two schools of thought rather two different world-views and construct their understandings of the Reality on two unlike epistemologies; the episteme of wujud (existence/being), almost independent of Prophetic scheme of realization of the Truth and the episteme of 'ubudiyyah (servitude), utterly dependent on the Prophetic pattern, respectively. These epistemologies deliver out two conspicuously poles apart sets of principles of understanding the Sacred Text; as an example, the basic pronouncement of Islam, la ilahaila Allah, although stated by both the world-views but means altogether two different things. For the wujudi or Akbarian school, it is interpreted as la mawjudila Allah, denouncement of any existence besides Allah contrary to the Islamic orthodoxy; whereas for the orthodoxy or ibn Taymiyyan school, it stands for denial of any kind of 'ibadahfor anyone in created cosmos (ghayr Allah), while accepting their existence.

Taking the case of Ibn 'Arabi, which is actually the case for Sufism (for wujudinarrative remains the dominant lingua-franka of post-Akbarian Sufism) with respect to their ep is temolog ica l , hermeneut ica l and experiential stand, Shihab Ahmed writes, “the Sufis lay claim to an epistemological and hermeneutical authority that is superior to that of jurists of whom Mohyi al-Din Ibn-'Arabi once said: the jurists (fuqaha) in every age have been, and still are, in relation to those who have realized Truth (al-muhaqqiqun), at the station of pharaoh in relation to Prophets”. (don't tell me..it is takfeer!! Sufis don't excommunicate!!!).

Marking the difference between the patterns of the Prophet and a sufi in realization of the Truth, Sirhindi pronounces: “the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which depends upon fana and baqa, suluq and jadhbah, is the saintly piety (qurb-i-wilayat) and the saints of the ummah have been graced with it.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 28N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 9

OPINION DEBATE

However as t imes passed, Musl ims developed signs of negligence towards the ways set by their Prophet under the all wise guidance of God (Allah). The rot deepened to such an extent that Muslims like Jews and Christians felt contended with the title of Khayr-i-Ummat (The Best Community) and Ummat-i-Wasata (The Middle Ummah) at the cost of obligations that the titles brought with them.

In the words of Muhammad Azizan: “It must be made clear that although the Ummat-i-Wasat of the Prophet is recognized by a specific name, they are neither a chosen group nor a saved community of faith. By virtue of exercising the final, concrete and universal form of Islam, they belong to a single community of believers. Thus the model community of the Prophet stands as the final community of the final al-Millah al Hanaffiyah (the absolute monotheistic religion). To be a Muslim today or any day as Rifat Hassan puts it is to live in accordance with the will and pleasure of Allah.” She comments: Muslims often say, with joy and pride, that it is easy to be a Muslim since Islam is 'the straight path' leading to paradise. What this means, in other words, is that the pr inc ip les o f Is lam are s imple and straightforward, free of ambiguit ies, confusions, inconsistencies or mysteries, and that comprehending them or living in accordance with them is not difficult. The assumption here is that if one somehow comes to "the straight path" by accepting Islam, which is Allah's last and final revelation to humanity, one will fairly effortlessly arrive at the destination which is a state of eternal blessedness in the presence of Allah.

Qur'an always hosts an integrated vision that contains belief in Allah and Allah's revelation (Iman) and righteous action (amal), or regular remembrance of Allah (Salah) and discharge of one's financial and moral obligations to Allah's creatures (Zakah). Thus, to be a Muslim means in a fundamental way to be both Allah-conscious and conscious of his fellow human beings, and to understand the interconnectedness of all aspects of one's life, of the life of all creation and of our life in

this momentary world to life eternal. Qur'an beautifully summarises this as:

“Those who remember God (always, and in

prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their

sides, and think deeply about the creation of the

heavens and the earth, (saying), “Our Lord! You

have not created (all) this without purpose, glory

to You! (Exalted are You above all that they

associate with You as partners); give us salvation

from the torment of the Fire” (3:191).

It is really unfortunate that today Muslims all over the world fail to uphold the ideas of Islam. They are in-serious towards the affairs within their own societies and the global crisis of justice, order, leadership, harmony and peace. Instead of realizing their responsibil i t ies they appease themselves with ideas that they are the favourite Ummah of the Prophet and witness over all Ummam. They don't pay heed towards when Prophet Muhammad will say, “O my Lord! Surely my people have treated this Qur'an as a forsaken thing”( Qur'an, 25:30) or the Hadith of the Prophet like “All are entitled to Jannah except those who deny. Upon asking who will deny going Jannah, the Prophet replied those who cast his Sunnah aside (Bukhari). Instead of applying what Iqbal calls “The Principle of Movement”, Ijtihad, (The greatest gift offered by Prophet to the Ummah), Muslims still live in the past mesmerizing themselves with Ideal Medinan society, Khilafat-i-Rashidah, Golden Period of Abbasids, Conquest of Jerusalem, etc. In the context of Kashmir such things turn more interesting.

A Kashmiri Muslim anticipates his salvation in his respective sect assessing its conformity more with the Prophetic Era. He reduces the cosmopolitan outlook and universal appeal of Islam to a parochial outlook of his particular sect. He hardly tolerates the religious views of others. He is ready to knock out his fellow Muslim in a sectarian religious debate (Munazarah), but remains ignorant of the Islamophobia, the world is garnering against him. It really is high time for Muslims to come out of Utopia and ensure their living presence in

RE-READING (IBN) ARABI AND

(IBN) TAYMIYYAH

Ishfaq Parrey is a PhD scholar in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir. The researcher has recently completed his M.Phil on the topic “Imam Ghazali's approach to Maqasid al-Shar'iah and his doctoral research focuses on “Modern Trends in Maqasid al Shar'iah”. The author can be contacted at ishfakameen@gmail.com

Kashmiri society is not into 'well grounded' when it comes to Islamic theology, cosmology and philosophy, in general; hence initiating a debate in public space regarding the theme which historically remains its most sensitively debated and disputed and stays more of an academic discourse than a public debate, seems not just an ideological onslaught on unqualified masses but also politically motivated invitation to ostracize the 'Other'. The daily, Greater Kashmir (dated as November 24, 2016, Thursday), featured an article titled 'Reading Arabi and Taymiyyah' by (Respected) Dr. Muhammad Maroof Shah. The article 'claimed' to 'read and understand' these two stalwarts in their historical contexts and proper perspectives. But, delving into the article it was a big disappointment, as a very primary student of ibn Taymiyyah and his legacy; it seemed rather an attempt to reinterpret Ibn 'Arabi to make him relevant in Islamic orthodoxy; meanwhile (mis-) interpreting Ibn Taymiyyah as a 'great soldier seeking to guard one of the lofty peaks of Islamic sciences from “stupid friends”' where Ibn 'Arabi guards its most sensitive frontiers from the most accomplished enemies'; when they figure themselves with two distinctly different weltanschauungs, they differ not just in branches (extensions) but in roots (fundamentals) as well.

Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Taymiyyah are not just two stalwarts in their own colors, but they represent two schools of thought rather two different world-views and construct their understandings of the Reality on two unlike epistemologies; the episteme of wujud (existence/being), almost independent of Prophetic scheme of realization of the Truth and the episteme of 'ubudiyyah (servitude), utterly dependent on the Prophetic pattern, respectively. These epistemologies deliver out two conspicuously poles apart sets of principles of understanding the Sacred Text; as an example, the basic pronouncement of Islam, la ilahaila Allah, although stated by both the world-views but means altogether two different things. For the wujudi or Akbarian school, it is interpreted as la mawjudila Allah, denouncement of any existence besides Allah contrary to the Islamic orthodoxy; whereas for the orthodoxy or ibn Taymiyyan school, it stands for denial of any kind of 'ibadahfor anyone in created cosmos (ghayr Allah), while accepting their existence.

Taking the case of Ibn 'Arabi, which is actually the case for Sufism (for wujudinarrative remains the dominant lingua-franka of post-Akbarian Sufism) with respect to their ep is temolog ica l , hermeneut ica l and experiential stand, Shihab Ahmed writes, “the Sufis lay claim to an epistemological and hermeneutical authority that is superior to that of jurists of whom Mohyi al-Din Ibn-'Arabi once said: the jurists (fuqaha) in every age have been, and still are, in relation to those who have realized Truth (al-muhaqqiqun), at the station of pharaoh in relation to Prophets”. (don't tell me..it is takfeer!! Sufis don't excommunicate!!!).

Marking the difference between the patterns of the Prophet and a sufi in realization of the Truth, Sirhindi pronounces: “the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which depends upon fana and baqa, suluq and jadhbah, is the saintly piety (qurb-i-wilayat) and the saints of the ummah have been graced with it.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 28N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 9

OPINION DEBATE

Marking the difference between the patterns of the Prophet and a sufi in realization of the Truth, Sirhindi pronounces: “the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which depends upon fana and baqa, suluq and jadhbah, is the saintly piety (qurb-i-wilayat) and the saints of the ummah have been graced with it. But the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which was given to the Companions of the Prophet in his company was the Prophetic pietywhich they got through him and by following him. In this piety there is neither fana nor baqa, neither jadhbah nor suluk. And this piety is many times superior to the saintly piety. For it is the real piety while the other is a zilli piety”. A century later, Shah Waliullah commenting upon the difference between the approaches of Prophets and Sufis of attaining Sa'adah, writes in his magnum-opus Hujjah Allah al-Balighah: “there are two ways to attain happiness (sa'adah). One is the way of theistic philosophers (al-muta'alimuhummin al-hukama) and God intoxicated Sufis (majzubunmin al-sufiyyah); and the other is the way for which the Prophets are sent”. Evidently enough, some of the most authentic voices within Sufism differentiate the methodology of the Apostle of God from the Sufi's. Mohammad Haneef Nadvi sums up the basic constructs of the Sufi methodology into three (upon which ibn Taymiyyan criticism positions itself):

1. The concept of wahdat al-wujud. (which is inherently unislamic and illogical as well)2. The precedence of wilayah over Nabuwwah.3. The centrality of kashf in sufi epistemology against wahy; as a source o f a b s o l u t e k n o w l e d g e a n d understanding.Upon understanding this sufi paradigm we actua l ly understand the sufi utterances like ana al-Haqq, ma fi al-j ubbah i l a A l l ah , Subhan i ! ! Ma a ' a d h m a s h a n i , l a y s a s u r a h a l -'alammadhahiratunkhalkuhuwabatinatunhaqqah.

From the episteme of 'Ubudiyyah, emerges the binary relation of 'abd and ma'bud, whereby the definition of la ilahaila Allah emanates in terms of 'Ibadah. The episteme of Wujud negates this binary and hence

interprets la ilahaila Allah in terms of monism of existence(s).Shihab Ahmed states “The potential pantheism and relativism of these concepts are encapsulated in the notorious passage from ibn 'Arabi's celebrated summa, the Fusus al-Hikam in which the 'Greatest Shaykh' addresses the refusal of the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah) to abandon their idols, as mentioned in the Qur'an 71:23, “if they had rejected these (gods/idols), they would have been ignorant of God-the Truth (al-Haqq) in the measure that they rejected them, for in every object of worship there is an aspect of God-the Truth, which one who knows Him knows, and one who doesn't know Him doesn't know”. Similarly, ibn 'Arabi'stawil of the story of Moses and Aaron, ibn 'Arabi alleging the stance of Aaron as rightful and that of Moses as hasty.Historically, Ibn 'A rab ipe rs i s t s as one o f t he mos t controversial, ambiguous and dangerous author to read; with his abusively flirtatious behavior with Qura'nic text. The renowned

thsufi-scholar of 20 century sub-continent, prof. Yusuf Salim Chisti, argues the alleged interpolations in ibn 'Arabi'stexts by the Batanite sect. Henceforth, campaigning for the theology and cosmology of Batinniyah and subsequent effects on wujudi-sufi tradition; which marks a radical breakaway from the pre-Akbariansufistic tradition.

The philosophical language of wujudi Sufism is intrinsically ambiguous because of some known historical reasons, this within ambiguity allows its proponents to change theological positions with change in contexts. But historically, the wujudi persuasion has fashioned the experience of Divine, which leads a sufi to denounce the creator-creation dual categorizations and hence-forth proclaiming freedom from following the Shari'ah(Sufis can be quoted in abundance in this regard), eventually transcending the Divine moral project aimed by the Shari'ah.

Ibn Taymiyyah (a sufi of Qadiri order, proposed by an orientalist George Makdisi, vehemently contested by ibn Taymiyyan experts) subjects ibn Arabi, the central figure in wujudi context, to a detailed criticism. While analyzing the wujudi Sufism, ibn Taymiyyah does not just undertake the written documents of ibn 'Arabi but of his novices as well; ibn Taymiyyah while analyzing it does not suffice himself only with their writings rather takes the course on to their sufistic experiences, claimed ascendance of different madarij(stations), extent of their Shari'ah adherence and social demeanor.

He is, however, fair to recognize that “of all the exponents of wahdat al wujud ibn 'Arabi is closer to Islam, that many of his ideas are correct, that he distinguishes between the Manifest (al Zahir), and the objects of manifestation (mazahir), and accepts the commands and the prohibitions of the Shari'ah and other principles as they are.

Ibn Taymiyyah reinvigorates and illustrates the cosmology and hermeneutical paradigm of the Apostle of God as learned by the first three interpretative generations of Islam, who witnessed the emergence of Is lamic call from an individual to the greatest civilization humanity ever saw, exploring and expounding on it from Muqadimmah to al-'Ubudiyyah, Minhaj to Haqiqah Madhhab al-Itihadiyah, al-Radd 'ala al-Mantaqiyyin to Dar' al-Ta'arudh, Wasitiyyah to Tadmuriyyah for experiencing the Truth against the one developed, experienced and disseminated by the sufis.

Rearticulating the author, I conclude “it is not the question of liking or disliking a person but our attitude towards masdar al-talaqqi (sources of knowledge) and manhaj al-talaqqi (way of knowledge) or mukallaf's way to the Truth that is at stake in having a view for or against ibn 'Arabi or ibn Taymiyyah.

”

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 210N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 11

DEBATEDEBATE

””

Marking the difference between the patterns of the Prophet and a sufi in realization of the Truth, Sirhindi pronounces: “the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which depends upon fana and baqa, suluq and jadhbah, is the saintly piety (qurb-i-wilayat) and the saints of the ummah have been graced with it. But the nearness to God (qurb-i-Ilahi) which was given to the Companions of the Prophet in his company was the Prophetic pietywhich they got through him and by following him. In this piety there is neither fana nor baqa, neither jadhbah nor suluk. And this piety is many times superior to the saintly piety. For it is the real piety while the other is a zilli piety”. A century later, Shah Waliullah commenting upon the difference between the approaches of Prophets and Sufis of attaining Sa'adah, writes in his magnum-opus Hujjah Allah al-Balighah: “there are two ways to attain happiness (sa'adah). One is the way of theistic philosophers (al-muta'alimuhummin al-hukama) and God intoxicated Sufis (majzubunmin al-sufiyyah); and the other is the way for which the Prophets are sent”. Evidently enough, some of the most authentic voices within Sufism differentiate the methodology of the Apostle of God from the Sufi's. Mohammad Haneef Nadvi sums up the basic constructs of the Sufi methodology into three (upon which ibn Taymiyyan criticism positions itself):

1. The concept of wahdat al-wujud. (which is inherently unislamic and illogical as well)2. The precedence of wilayah over Nabuwwah.3. The centrality of kashf in sufi epistemology against wahy; as a source o f a b s o l u t e k n o w l e d g e a n d understanding.Upon understanding this sufi paradigm we actua l ly understand the sufi utterances like ana al-Haqq, ma fi al-j ubbah i l a A l l ah , Subhan i ! ! Ma a ' a d h m a s h a n i , l a y s a s u r a h a l -'alammadhahiratunkhalkuhuwabatinatunhaqqah.

From the episteme of 'Ubudiyyah, emerges the binary relation of 'abd and ma'bud, whereby the definition of la ilahaila Allah emanates in terms of 'Ibadah. The episteme of Wujud negates this binary and hence

interprets la ilahaila Allah in terms of monism of existence(s).Shihab Ahmed states “The potential pantheism and relativism of these concepts are encapsulated in the notorious passage from ibn 'Arabi's celebrated summa, the Fusus al-Hikam in which the 'Greatest Shaykh' addresses the refusal of the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah) to abandon their idols, as mentioned in the Qur'an 71:23, “if they had rejected these (gods/idols), they would have been ignorant of God-the Truth (al-Haqq) in the measure that they rejected them, for in every object of worship there is an aspect of God-the Truth, which one who knows Him knows, and one who doesn't know Him doesn't know”. Similarly, ibn 'Arabi'stawil of the story of Moses and Aaron, ibn 'Arabi alleging the stance of Aaron as rightful and that of Moses as hasty.Historically, Ibn 'A rab ipe rs i s t s as one o f t he mos t controversial, ambiguous and dangerous author to read; with his abusively flirtatious behavior with Qura'nic text. The renowned

thsufi-scholar of 20 century sub-continent, prof. Yusuf Salim Chisti, argues the alleged interpolations in ibn 'Arabi'stexts by the Batanite sect. Henceforth, campaigning for the theology and cosmology of Batinniyah and subsequent effects on wujudi-sufi tradition; which marks a radical breakaway from the pre-Akbariansufistic tradition.

The philosophical language of wujudi Sufism is intrinsically ambiguous because of some known historical reasons, this within ambiguity allows its proponents to change theological positions with change in contexts. But historically, the wujudi persuasion has fashioned the experience of Divine, which leads a sufi to denounce the creator-creation dual categorizations and hence-forth proclaiming freedom from following the Shari'ah(Sufis can be quoted in abundance in this regard), eventually transcending the Divine moral project aimed by the Shari'ah.

Ibn Taymiyyah (a sufi of Qadiri order, proposed by an orientalist George Makdisi, vehemently contested by ibn Taymiyyan experts) subjects ibn Arabi, the central figure in wujudi context, to a detailed criticism. While analyzing the wujudi Sufism, ibn Taymiyyah does not just undertake the written documents of ibn 'Arabi but of his novices as well; ibn Taymiyyah while analyzing it does not suffice himself only with their writings rather takes the course on to their sufistic experiences, claimed ascendance of different madarij(stations), extent of their Shari'ah adherence and social demeanor.

He is, however, fair to recognize that “of all the exponents of wahdat al wujud ibn 'Arabi is closer to Islam, that many of his ideas are correct, that he distinguishes between the Manifest (al Zahir), and the objects of manifestation (mazahir), and accepts the commands and the prohibitions of the Shari'ah and other principles as they are.

Ibn Taymiyyah reinvigorates and illustrates the cosmology and hermeneutical paradigm of the Apostle of God as learned by the first three interpretative generations of Islam, who witnessed the emergence of Is lamic call from an individual to the greatest civilization humanity ever saw, exploring and expounding on it from Muqadimmah to al-'Ubudiyyah, Minhaj to Haqiqah Madhhab al-Itihadiyah, al-Radd 'ala al-Mantaqiyyin to Dar' al-Ta'arudh, Wasitiyyah to Tadmuriyyah for experiencing the Truth against the one developed, experienced and disseminated by the sufis.

Rearticulating the author, I conclude “it is not the question of liking or disliking a person but our attitude towards masdar al-talaqqi (sources of knowledge) and manhaj al-talaqqi (way of knowledge) or mukallaf's way to the Truth that is at stake in having a view for or against ibn 'Arabi or ibn Taymiyyah.

”

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 210N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 11

DEBATEDEBATE

””

In order to develop a critical and compre-hensive understanding of Islam, it is important to tread a proper path to attain a well-knit understanding of Islam and Islamic intellectual tradition. Living in the whirlpool of ideas, and philosophically speaking in the emblem of narratives, ideologies and Epistemes, the “Being” is fettered in complex web of discourses. The primary question which strikes the mind of an average student of Knowledge in the midst of these infinite “isms” is the “Identification of thought” which gets more precarious when he/she turn towards the “Sources of Thought” (masdar tallaqqi) and even if one gets out of these convulsed chains finally he/she may end befuddled up in the pre-requisite tools of “Interpretation of Thought” (manhaj tallaqqi). It is an undeniable fact that the Greek philosophical tradition had an unflinching augmented influence on every rational soul beyond religious and cultural boundaries. The unrelenting Aristotelian pursuit to find out the “Ultimate Truth” was the pivot around which the questioning narratives of existence revolved, and still continues to perturb the students of Knowledge across diverse intellectual boundaries.

Islam being a transcendental and meta-physical reality, a meta-narrative in the emblem of discourses insists upon acquiring necessary pre-requisites to experience and aplomb the three above mentioned ideals which qualify you to reach the level of a proficient connoisseur in a particular field of Knowledge. One of the important books written on this discourse is Hamid Kamal-uddin's “Apke Fehm-e-Deen Ka Masdar”.

Demystifying and questioning the divergent understandings and interpretations of Islamic thought nourished under the influence post-Enlightenment scientific rationalism which supplanted metaphysics and religion, and ending up formulating a secular positivist philosophy.

In order to establish the relevance of Islam, it becomes imperative to deconstruct this myth of labeling Islam as a “meta-rational” religion. Looking through Kantian paradigm, Islam is a religion which is “within the limits of reason” if seen through the dichotomy of Taymiyyan analogy of dar al-taru'ud al-aql wal-naql and furthered by a proper technical evolutionary principles which opens up the fountain of Knowledge to those who identify and tread the approved roadway towards the sources of Islam.

The very indispensable question which acts as a lynchpin in Islamic discourse is “Masdar Talqi” (Identification of Sources) and “Manhaj Talqi” (Method of Knowledge), which defines the sources of religion and methodology of understanding Islam.

AAP KE FEHM-E-DEEN KA MASDAR: SALAF,

KHALAF YA ZAATI TEHQEEQ BY HAMID KAMALUDDIN

At the very outset, Kamalludin talks about the dilemma of those “Seekers of Knowledge” who either get trampled in “sectarian biases” or in the interpretations of “modern/ progressive secular rationalists”. Unfor-tunately, he dwindles to find a balanced way out of these two extremes. With hindsight, he continues to ask himself, Is there any contextualized and contemporaneous sacro-rational interpretation of Islamic intellectual tradition? What is the universal precept of understanding and interpreting religion? What are the sources of understanding Islam? Where does the boundary of revelation impede and reason starts? What are the principles of disagreement in Islam?

Quran and Sunnah including Ijma and Qiyas are universally accepted as the sources of Islam but the so called “progressive modernists ” circles start dilly-dallying when furthered with a question for “qualifying their rationale” to establishing their locus-standi about “tools of interpreting and under-standing” the sources of religion. The encounter of modernity with a theocentric metaphysical “Being” forced God (theology) to disappear and “rationalist/humanist” philosophy was offered a seat in place disbanding and fracturing the sacrosanct place of religion. This paradigm shift from T h e o — c e n t r i s m t o h u m a n i s m g o t 'unconsciously' permeated among Muslims, unconsciously “empowering” them to question the understanding and interpretation of our own pious predecessors “al-Salaf al-Salih” (schools of Sahaba). Ironically, we tend to forget that the foremost receivers of God's indubitable guidance nourished under Prophetic guidance known in Islamic history as “school of Sahaba” are the universal "a priori" models (in piety, understanding and interpretation of Islam) for every Muslim beyond social, cultural and intellectual capacities (except in some obvious newly emerged/emerging issues).

Islamic tradition is primarily based on the principles emerged from Quran and Sunnah which was established it in the society through Prophetic idealism, further transferred to the “School of Sahaba” leading to the

evolution of “School of ahle-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah”. The reader may get this impression that the author is demeaning any individual's inde-pendent capabil i t ies of “under-standing” and “interpretation”? But, rather, the author is trying to qualify “our pious predecessors” as the official interprets and true representatives of understanding of religion because they knew the context of every ruling and its interpretative/ implementative reason.

The main aim of this book is to address the institution/groups of ahlu sunnah in the subcontinent. Without indulging in the internal conflicts but sensitizing the essence and uniting them on a bigger paradigm is the sole argument of this work.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 212N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 13

BOOK REVIEW BOOK REVIEW

“Mehraj Din is a doctoral candidate in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir. The researcher is interested in contemporary discourses revolving around Islam and Muslims.” You can contact him at bhat.mehraj7@gmail.com

Quran and Sunnah including Ijma and Qiyas are universally accepted as the sources of Islam but the so called “progressive modernists ” circles start dilly-dallying when furthered with a question for “qualifying their rationale” to establishing their locus-standi about “tools of interpreting and under-standing” the sources of religion.

”

”

In order to develop a critical and compre-hensive understanding of Islam, it is important to tread a proper path to attain a well-knit understanding of Islam and Islamic intellectual tradition. Living in the whirlpool of ideas, and philosophically speaking in the emblem of narratives, ideologies and Epistemes, the “Being” is fettered in complex web of discourses. The primary question which strikes the mind of an average student of Knowledge in the midst of these infinite “isms” is the “Identification of thought” which gets more precarious when he/she turn towards the “Sources of Thought” (masdar tallaqqi) and even if one gets out of these convulsed chains finally he/she may end befuddled up in the pre-requisite tools of “Interpretation of Thought” (manhaj tallaqqi). It is an undeniable fact that the Greek philosophical tradition had an unflinching augmented influence on every rational soul beyond religious and cultural boundaries. The unrelenting Aristotelian pursuit to find out the “Ultimate Truth” was the pivot around which the questioning narratives of existence revolved, and still continues to perturb the students of Knowledge across diverse intellectual boundaries.

Islam being a transcendental and meta-physical reality, a meta-narrative in the emblem of discourses insists upon acquiring necessary pre-requisites to experience and aplomb the three above mentioned ideals which qualify you to reach the level of a proficient connoisseur in a particular field of Knowledge. One of the important books written on this discourse is Hamid Kamal-uddin's “Apke Fehm-e-Deen Ka Masdar”.

Demystifying and questioning the divergent understandings and interpretations of Islamic thought nourished under the influence post-Enlightenment scientific rationalism which supplanted metaphysics and religion, and ending up formulating a secular positivist philosophy.

In order to establish the relevance of Islam, it becomes imperative to deconstruct this myth of labeling Islam as a “meta-rational” religion. Looking through Kantian paradigm, Islam is a religion which is “within the limits of reason” if seen through the dichotomy of Taymiyyan analogy of dar al-taru'ud al-aql wal-naql and furthered by a proper technical evolutionary principles which opens up the fountain of Knowledge to those who identify and tread the approved roadway towards the sources of Islam.

The very indispensable question which acts as a lynchpin in Islamic discourse is “Masdar Talqi” (Identification of Sources) and “Manhaj Talqi” (Method of Knowledge), which defines the sources of religion and methodology of understanding Islam.

AAP KE FEHM-E-DEEN KA MASDAR: SALAF,

KHALAF YA ZAATI TEHQEEQ BY HAMID KAMALUDDIN

At the very outset, Kamalludin talks about the dilemma of those “Seekers of Knowledge” who either get trampled in “sectarian biases” or in the interpretations of “modern/ progressive secular rationalists”. Unfor-tunately, he dwindles to find a balanced way out of these two extremes. With hindsight, he continues to ask himself, Is there any contextualized and contemporaneous sacro-rational interpretation of Islamic intellectual tradition? What is the universal precept of understanding and interpreting religion? What are the sources of understanding Islam? Where does the boundary of revelation impede and reason starts? What are the principles of disagreement in Islam?

Quran and Sunnah including Ijma and Qiyas are universally accepted as the sources of Islam but the so called “progressive modernists ” circles start dilly-dallying when furthered with a question for “qualifying their rationale” to establishing their locus-standi about “tools of interpreting and under-standing” the sources of religion. The encounter of modernity with a theocentric metaphysical “Being” forced God (theology) to disappear and “rationalist/humanist” philosophy was offered a seat in place disbanding and fracturing the sacrosanct place of religion. This paradigm shift from T h e o — c e n t r i s m t o h u m a n i s m g o t 'unconsciously' permeated among Muslims, unconsciously “empowering” them to question the understanding and interpretation of our own pious predecessors “al-Salaf al-Salih” (schools of Sahaba). Ironically, we tend to forget that the foremost receivers of God's indubitable guidance nourished under Prophetic guidance known in Islamic history as “school of Sahaba” are the universal "a priori" models (in piety, understanding and interpretation of Islam) for every Muslim beyond social, cultural and intellectual capacities (except in some obvious newly emerged/emerging issues).

Islamic tradition is primarily based on the principles emerged from Quran and Sunnah which was established it in the society through Prophetic idealism, further transferred to the “School of Sahaba” leading to the

evolution of “School of ahle-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah”. The reader may get this impression that the author is demeaning any individual's inde-pendent capabil i t ies of “under-standing” and “interpretation”? But, rather, the author is trying to qualify “our pious predecessors” as the official interprets and true representatives of understanding of religion because they knew the context of every ruling and its interpretative/ implementative reason.

The main aim of this book is to address the institution/groups of ahlu sunnah in the subcontinent. Without indulging in the internal conflicts but sensitizing the essence and uniting them on a bigger paradigm is the sole argument of this work.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 212N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 13

BOOK REVIEW BOOK REVIEW

“Mehraj Din is a doctoral candidate in the faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir. The researcher is interested in contemporary discourses revolving around Islam and Muslims.” You can contact him at bhat.mehraj7@gmail.com

Quran and Sunnah including Ijma and Qiyas are universally accepted as the sources of Islam but the so called “progressive modernists ” circles start dilly-dallying when furthered with a question for “qualifying their rationale” to establishing their locus-standi about “tools of interpreting and under-standing” the sources of religion.

”

”

Disagreement between “ahlu sunnah” and “ahlul bidah” primarily emerges in the “approaches and interpretation of the text” and how the schools of Shiites, Mutazilites, certain schools of Sufism, rejecters of Hadith and secular liberals stands on a different onto-epistemological pedestal of appro-aching the texts.The incessant under-standing and interpretation of Islam permeated through the “School of Suhaba” is the only referential source for understanding the roots of knowledge in Islamic tradition except matters where religion opens up a vista for “Ijtihad”. The “new progressive intellectual minds” even consider rethinking the roots (usool) of Islamic Religious Sciences and re-interpret the very essence and rationale of existence of Religion. It is not only the understanding of our “pious predecessors” which is being repudiated but the very “text” is being innovatively interpreted in order to create resonance with the “human subjectivity” which emerged under the influence of modernity. It is equally important to understand that the sincere effort of “tajdid” (renovation) is cherished in Islamic tradition but must remain in-line with the principles (usool) and essence of the foundational structure of Islamic intellectual legacy.

Ibn al Qayyim in 'Aelaam al-Muwaq'een refers to the Quranic verse:

“And the first forerunners (in the faith) among the

muhajirren and the Ansar and those who followed the

with good conduct. Allah is pleased with them and

they are pleased with him”.

The ayah refers to the attestation of “those” who followed the Muhajirren and the Ansar not in terms of their outward piety rather in the primacy of their understanding the religion in its purest form. The linguistic analysts also believe that the word used in the ayah “Ittiba” shows the “dependability of understanding and walking” through the same pathway.

In Part III “Sources of Understanding (fahm ke marajiah)” Kamaluddin argues for the case of identifying the appropriate sources of understanding and interpreting the religion. He further on delineates into theology and

how different sciences (uloom) evolved as a natural phenomenon and the idea of “reinventing the tools” of interpretation, abstention from the understanding of our pious predecessors, questioning their intellectual agency by portraying it irrelevant for modern times has become a dominant discourse in modernist thought.

Due to the paucity of word limit i intend to conclude the review only discussing the very basic idea about the book without delving into the more important issues discussed in the work. This book has also delved into some other important debates between orthodox and modernist approach to the issues of interpretation, re-appropriation, reform and epistemological connotations pertaining to Islam in contemporary times. It is a must read for any student who is interested in Islam and wish to understand the methodological fissures in modernist thought vis-a-vis the importance of a proper conduit to con-textualize Islam through its onto episte-mological epistemic construct.

WHY RESURGENT NEWSLETTER?

A great painter does not content himself by affecting us with masterpieces; ultimately, he succeeds in changing the

landscape of our minds.

NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT- Shakespeare's famous opening line to Richard III seems an entirely appropriate way to describe the current state of affairs afflicting the Muslim world and its own sense of despair. Although Islamic civilization is by no means at the point of collapse and has never quite entered the dark ages of its medieval European counterpart, nevertheless its clear demise is a profound reminder of what it has lost, and more importantly, what it has the potential to regain. For where there is winter there is summer. With hindsight, Muslim scholarship in post-Renaissance and after the colonial onslaught encountered a serious blow on all fronts leaving the two majoritarian narratives—traditional/orthodox and modernist schools in a crazy epiphenic trance. Both the strands of thought rushed to conclusions—traditional school showed strong resentment against any kind of engagement with Modernity and progressive/modernist school accepted and tried to appropriate Islam with western epistemological epistemic construct. In such challenging situations, it becomes imperative for us to offer a “hermeneutical space” or an “approach” between the ultraorthodox and neo-rationalist positions for understanding and rethinking our approaches of engagement with the contemporary challenges faced by Islam and Muslims. The history of Islam and Muslims in Kashmir is one of the beautiful examples of diversity and farsightedness where the “essence of religion” was given precedence over personal leanings towards a particular school of thought. The call (dawah) of Bulbul Shah (r.a) and Syed Ali Hamadani (r.a) intrinsically called the people of Kashmir towards recognizing and worshipping the one true Creator and his Messenger Muhammad (saas) and not the “interest based interpretation of religion” emerged out of creation. The RESURGENT NEWSLETTER is a humble platform to contextualize the priorities and develop theoretical and practical means through which we can address the issues faced by Muslims in individual and collective level.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

The monthly newsletter is pleased to announce a call for contributions to its publication series. The newsletter intends to publish original research based articles in a broad range of issues in the areas of Quranic Studies, Sirah of the Prophet, Islamic Jurisprudence, personalities, global movements, international relations, political science, economics, Middle East, Kashmir, and Indo-Pakistan. Other topics of current significance also will be considered. We expect to publish articles on core issues of Islam from experts who are “trained” or “are training” in Islamic sciences and articles for other areas will be taken from people trained in their respective areas. Article should be a maximum of 1700 words and book reviews must not exceed 900-1000 words.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 214N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 15

BOOK REVIEW

Disagreement between “ahlu sunnah” and “ahlul bidah” primarily emerges in the “approaches and interpretation of the text” and how the schools of Shiites, Mutazilites, certain schools of Sufism, rejecters of Hadith and secular liberals stands on a different onto-epistemological pedestal of appro-aching the texts.The incessant under-standing and interpretation of Islam permeated through the “School of Suhaba” is the only referential source for understanding the roots of knowledge in Islamic tradition except matters where religion opens up a vista for “Ijtihad”. The “new progressive intellectual minds” even consider rethinking the roots (usool) of Islamic Religious Sciences and re-interpret the very essence and rationale of existence of Religion. It is not only the understanding of our “pious predecessors” which is being repudiated but the very “text” is being innovatively interpreted in order to create resonance with the “human subjectivity” which emerged under the influence of modernity. It is equally important to understand that the sincere effort of “tajdid” (renovation) is cherished in Islamic tradition but must remain in-line with the principles (usool) and essence of the foundational structure of Islamic intellectual legacy.

Ibn al Qayyim in 'Aelaam al-Muwaq'een refers to the Quranic verse:

“And the first forerunners (in the faith) among the

muhajirren and the Ansar and those who followed the

with good conduct. Allah is pleased with them and

they are pleased with him”.

The ayah refers to the attestation of “those” who followed the Muhajirren and the Ansar not in terms of their outward piety rather in the primacy of their understanding the religion in its purest form. The linguistic analysts also believe that the word used in the ayah “Ittiba” shows the “dependability of understanding and walking” through the same pathway.

In Part III “Sources of Understanding (fahm ke marajiah)” Kamaluddin argues for the case of identifying the appropriate sources of understanding and interpreting the religion. He further on delineates into theology and

how different sciences (uloom) evolved as a natural phenomenon and the idea of “reinventing the tools” of interpretation, abstention from the understanding of our pious predecessors, questioning their intellectual agency by portraying it irrelevant for modern times has become a dominant discourse in modernist thought.

Due to the paucity of word limit i intend to conclude the review only discussing the very basic idea about the book without delving into the more important issues discussed in the work. This book has also delved into some other important debates between orthodox and modernist approach to the issues of interpretation, re-appropriation, reform and epistemological connotations pertaining to Islam in contemporary times. It is a must read for any student who is interested in Islam and wish to understand the methodological fissures in modernist thought vis-a-vis the importance of a proper conduit to con-textualize Islam through its onto episte-mological epistemic construct.

WHY RESURGENT NEWSLETTER?

A great painter does not content himself by affecting us with masterpieces; ultimately, he succeeds in changing the

landscape of our minds.

NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT- Shakespeare's famous opening line to Richard III seems an entirely appropriate way to describe the current state of affairs afflicting the Muslim world and its own sense of despair. Although Islamic civilization is by no means at the point of collapse and has never quite entered the dark ages of its medieval European counterpart, nevertheless its clear demise is a profound reminder of what it has lost, and more importantly, what it has the potential to regain. For where there is winter there is summer. With hindsight, Muslim scholarship in post-Renaissance and after the colonial onslaught encountered a serious blow on all fronts leaving the two majoritarian narratives—traditional/orthodox and modernist schools in a crazy epiphenic trance. Both the strands of thought rushed to conclusions—traditional school showed strong resentment against any kind of engagement with Modernity and progressive/modernist school accepted and tried to appropriate Islam with western epistemological epistemic construct. In such challenging situations, it becomes imperative for us to offer a “hermeneutical space” or an “approach” between the ultraorthodox and neo-rationalist positions for understanding and rethinking our approaches of engagement with the contemporary challenges faced by Islam and Muslims. The history of Islam and Muslims in Kashmir is one of the beautiful examples of diversity and farsightedness where the “essence of religion” was given precedence over personal leanings towards a particular school of thought. The call (dawah) of Bulbul Shah (r.a) and Syed Ali Hamadani (r.a) intrinsically called the people of Kashmir towards recognizing and worshipping the one true Creator and his Messenger Muhammad (saas) and not the “interest based interpretation of religion” emerged out of creation. The RESURGENT NEWSLETTER is a humble platform to contextualize the priorities and develop theoretical and practical means through which we can address the issues faced by Muslims in individual and collective level.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

The monthly newsletter is pleased to announce a call for contributions to its publication series. The newsletter intends to publish original research based articles in a broad range of issues in the areas of Quranic Studies, Sirah of the Prophet, Islamic Jurisprudence, personalities, global movements, international relations, political science, economics, Middle East, Kashmir, and Indo-Pakistan. Other topics of current significance also will be considered. We expect to publish articles on core issues of Islam from experts who are “trained” or “are training” in Islamic sciences and articles for other areas will be taken from people trained in their respective areas. Article should be a maximum of 1700 words and book reviews must not exceed 900-1000 words.

N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 214N E W S L E T T E R | F E B 2 0 17 | I S S U E 2 15

BOOK REVIEW

Like Us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/The-Resurgent-Newsletter-493508767509416/ © 2016 THE RESURGENT NEWSLETTER A forum for engaging with issues related to Islam and Muslims

The articles on personalities and movements must be within 1000 words. Your inputs and suggestions are welcome to make this endeavor more engaging and beneficial. You can send your contributions and suggestions to theresurgentnewsletter@gmail.com