Islam and modern sensibility



Can Islam be modernised? This is the question that confuses people all over the world.

By Prof Muhammad Rafi
Friday April 22, 2011



‘COMPATIBLE’ means something that is capable of existing or performing in a harmonious, agreeable and congenial combination with something else. Muslims today are confused about the compatibility of their religion with modern values and trends.
The confusion has been further aided by the intolerant and stubborn attitude and behaviour of some Muslims that has cast a shadow on the essence of their religion. The situation has encouraged anti-Islamic forces to point their guns at Islam and tell the world that it is an outdated and impractical way of life.
The state of Muslims, good, bad or indifferent, is one thing and success or failure of Islam quite another. The truths represented by Islam are as old as creation itself. These truthful values began forging their way gradually on their onward march. Different people in different periods of history owned them and reaped a happy and hefty harvest.
Islam as an ideology and way of life (deen) is an ongoing organic process that will keep on germinating with fresh fruits, but for a new crop, properly guided efforts based on modern knowledge and in line with Quranic values are necessary. This paradigm is missing in the Muslims of today.
Lack of knowledge and years of indoctrination have led to religious intolerance and bigotry, something that Islam vehemently opposes. Islam is definitely compatible with the ongoing process of time if its core values of justice, tolerance, morality, honesty and accountability are promoted and practised. Islam in the modern perspective should not be judged by institutions that encourage fanaticism but by its insistence on the higher ideals of human dignity and equality.
If Muslims shun internecine antagonism and devote their energies to the system laid down in the Quran, no new laws are needed. According to Sarojini Naidu (address to Young Men Muslims Association, Madras, 1917), “Islam is the first religion that preached and practised democracy, for in the mosque the democracy of Islam is practised five times every day.” The new world order which no one understands has pitched the West and non-Muslim powers against the so-called barbarian Muslims. The underdeveloped Muslim countries with a large population are confused about the new concepts of the modern age like progress, freedom, democracy, development and gender equality. They have started feeling that perhaps Islam is not compatible with these new thinking tools.
The Islamic values are definitely not aligned to support the corporate culture whose motto is maximisation of wealth at all cost. The Quran points out that its teachings are for all times and that God has created man and has set up the balance in order that we may not transgress this balance. It asks us to establish weight with justice and not fall short in balance (55:19). Plundering the resources of the world and depriving others lead to an imbalance that is being perpetrated by the developed countries on the poor and underdeveloped countries of the world in the name of peace and prosperity.
The Quran is against such practices as they disturb man’s happy relationship with nature. Here too we see Islam’s prescription for a happy world order. This problem and confusion lie in defining modern values and their utility. They may be beneficial to those who have canonised these values and trends. At the same time, they are confusing and illogical to those who have suffered as passive recipients of western economic colonialism now reigning supreme.
Islam negates the annihilation of the weak. Even the West’s reliance on pure reason is now termed waywardness by many scholars, and has been a complete mess. Scientific knowledge has increased the quality and span of life, but to what use? There are more suicides now than ever before. It is not a matter of Islam being compatible with modern trends, but going a step further, modern trends have to prove their compatibility with their own values and only then a true realisation of Islamic values will come to the fore.
The West itself is so confused with its own new age metaphysics that many there are talking of the impending end of the world. How can they question or blame Islam for ills of the modern times when they themselves are locked between free will and determinism and have slipped into a moral dark age?
Can Islam be modernised? This is the question that confuses people all over the world. The answer to this needs a valid reinterpretation of Islam as a potential force to harmonise society. The traditional practices of cultural Islam and the true teachings of the divine message have to be treated differently. The embargo on freedom of thought and control on violent suppression of free thinking must go.
The following dictates of the Quran are conducive to a better future for all times: Muslims will conduct their affairs through mutual consultation (42:38) and equal human dignity (17:70). They will establish justice in the land (5:8). They will stop mischief on earth because God does not like mischief (2:205). They will work for the unity of mankind (2:213). Their main objective is to work for the welfare of mankind (3:110), gender equality (4:32), superiority by character only (49:13), rule of law and not of individuals (3:79), and freedom of religion (22:40) and expression (2:42).
The western powers are adamant in propagating every unIslamic act of ignorant Muslims as Islamic and are not willing to let Muslim intellectuals and scholars present the true Quranic Islam lest their own followers change loyalties and follow these universal values. ¦

Animal rights in Islam

MANY Muslims appear to have a callous attitude where dealing with animals is concerned giving the impression that maybe their religion has no consideration for animals.

However, when we examine the Quran and hadith, we are pleasantly surprised to find that the opposite is true. Islam indeed places much importance on animals and on providing for them in a caring manner. There are five surahs whose titles are based on the names of animals.

Besides, the mention of animals is found throughout the Quran. In Surah Al-Anaam it is said, “There is no animal walking on
the earth nor a bird flying on its two wings, except that they are (part of) communities like you” (6: 38). God, in His infinite wisdom, has organised even the most humble of creatures, like birds, bees and ants into communities so that they can work, communicate and survive according to strict ethical and organisational rules, without any deviation. All the creatures in the world, including the animals, glorify their Lord and “sing His praises” (17: 44). The living sing with their tongues, while the non-living with the tacit acquiescence of their condition. Prophet Nuh was asked to build a large boat under divine instructions: “Construct a boat under Our supervision and by Our inspiration, and do not address Me about those who are evil. They are sure to be drowned” (11: 38). The ones to be saved from the flood were the believers as well as a pair each of every species of animals:

“… We said, ‘Load aboard (animals), of every pair two, and of your household, leaving out those for whom the final verdict has already been passed. And (load) those who have come to believe” (11: 40). The fact that the command to save the animals came before the command to save the believers, points to the importance of the animals that were on the verge of becoming endangered species at that point in time.

The Quran relates the story of the Thamud, Prophet Salih’s nation to whom he had been sent to reform their ways, to call them towards the One God and to supervise the equitable distribution of their means of subsistence. He reached an agreement with the nine leaders who had control over the sources of water, which the people and the she-camel (that was sent as a sign, or miracle, from God), would take turns to consume. They were also asked to share the pastures.

“Indeed, there has come to you a miracle from your Lord, this is God’s she-camel, a clear sign. Let her graze freely in God’s earth. Do not touch her with bad intentions, or you will get caught in painful retribution” (6: 73) But they broke their promise and killed her (7: 77-78). Since the whole nation had colluded in this, the whole nation was destroyed. The immediate cause of their destruction was that they had harmed the she-camel.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said that if the smallest of birds is killed without its right and thrown away, this act will be questioned as a crime. He explained that its right was that it should be slaughtered only in case of the need for food and not killed and thrown away unnecessarily (Mishkat). The hunting of animals simply for the pleasure derived from a sharp-shooting spree is not considered lawful.

The Prophet also instructed that the knife for slaughter should be sharp so that the animal is not given more pain. Once the Prophet saw that during a camp, somebody lighted a fire near an ant-hill. He at once asked for it to be put out. Once somebody caught two little baby birds whose mother started to circle above them with cries of pain. When the Prophet saw this, he asked the person to set them free (Bukhari).

The Prophet once related the story of the person who specially went down a well in order to quench the thirst of a dog. He said that treating any and every living creature with kindness is a case for reward (Bukhari). The Prophet forbade the hitting of animals on their faces and branding them. He forbade sports based on animal fights (Abu Dawud).

The Prophet instructed his followers to let the animals take advantage of the greenery on the way when travelling, but to make
them move fast and shorten their trip in dry weather, to shorten their agony (Muslim). According to the teachings of the Prophet, animals should not be harmed but treated with kindness. During the pilgrimage, once a pilgrim makes the intention for umrah or Haj and puts on the ihram, the pilgrim enters a state of consecration, in which certain lawful things also become unlawful (5: 97). One of these is the killing of animals, no matter how small. It is forbidden in the area of the sanctuary (5:95-97), which is about 50,000 square kilometres around the Kaaba in Makkah.

The slaughter of animals is allowed only for food, after the permission of God has been taken, by slaughtering the animal in the name of God, in the prescribed manner. In Surah Al-Jathiya, the Quran mentions some of the great signs of nature: “Indeed, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the true believers. And in your creation and in the spreading of the animals are signs for those who possess firm faith” (45: 4). The importance of the creation of human beings is equated with the importance of the creation of animals. Thus, belief in the importance of animals and treating them with kindness are signs of firm faith.

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Allah (SWT) says: “And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and these it is that are the successful ones” (Ale Imran: 104).

The world of fatwas

By Asghar Ali Engineer

WHEN the Quran was revealed it was assumed that all Muslims would read it to seek guidance for their problems and hence no class of priesthood was needed. But as Islam spread far and wide and Muslims from other cultures spoke different languages, they could not do so.

The Quran was in Arabic and many did not know that language. Hence the need for scholars. Thus, the people approached Islamic experts, who came to be known as ulema, with their questions. The ulema would seek for followers answers from the Quran and Hadith, sometimes making their own interpretations and also in the light of their own cultural background. These answers began to be compiled, and the ulema of the later generations would refer to these compilations to answer similar questions asked by their followers.

This is how the institution of fatwa came into existence. Thus fatwa was the opinion given in the form of an answer to a question or a series of questions posed by the layman. Though the earlier ulema were more creative and tried to exercise their brain more, the later ones followed the rulings given by their predecessors. A lot of the time the ulema simply refer to these texts evolved by their predecessors in answering questions. They hardly bother to apply their own minds. Not only that they simply refer to the texts of the schools of law they belong to i.e. Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, Hanbali, Jafari and so on. Such fatwas contribute to making Islamic society stagnant and create difficulties in bringing about creative and much-needed social change. To this day, the fatwas issued in mediaeval ages are referred to in order to answer modern-day problems.

For example, in an answer to the question that if a father of a daughter jokingly says to a father of a son that he gives his daughter in nikah to his son, would the nikah be deemed to have taken place, the answer given by the Darul Ulum, Deoband, was ‘Yes, the nikah shall take place’ (quoting (Durrul Mukhtar — Bab al-Nikah). This fatwa was issued in the 20th century.

Thus, one can understand what kind of fatwas are issued by such important centres of learning. Here we want to discuss a fatwa recently issued by some muftis of Saudi Arabia in view of a rebellion taking place in the Arab world. These muftis have said that the rebellion is haram as it is taking place against a properly constituted authority and it is a western conspiracy.

Obviously, the rebellion is against the monarchies and despotic rulers, hence the official muftis have obliged the rulers without caring how impermissible the fatwa is even from an Islamic point of view.Let us examine the content of this fatwa and its implications for the Arab world. Before we proceed further it should be noted that throughout history, two types of ulema were associated with giving fatwas, i.e. ulema-i-su (false ulema who issued fatwas to suit a ruler’s interests) and ulema-i-haq (righteous ulema), who issued fatwas as per Islamic teachings without caring for the consequences. Imam Abu Hanifa and other notable ulema had even refused to assume the office of qazi (chief justice) for fear of being forced to issue such fatwas.

But among the ulema-i-haq were also many who took a static view of society and continued to issue fatwas as per the earlier texts without taking in view changes taking place in their own time. The ulema backing despotic rulers with their fatwas cannot be ulema-i-haq. They just cater to the interests of the rulers.

Let us take into account the basic principles involved here and what the Quran has to say on the subject. The Quran stands for just rule and disapproves of oppression, exploitation and corruption. The Quran makes it abundantly clear that its sympathies are with what it calls the mustadifun (weaker sections) and it denounces the mustakbirun oppressors).

Thus we can easily conclude that the Quran stands only for just governance and opposes oppressors and corrupt rulers. It gives the people the right to replace their ruler if the ruler is oppressive, unjust or corrupt. The Quran also prohibits giving bribes to win loyalties. What has happened in Morocco, Iran and Egypt and what is happening in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria is the violation of the right to stage peaceful opposition to dictatorial regimes.

The rulers in most of these countries are dictators or monarchs. Most are utterly corrupt and ruthlessly suppress peaceful opposition. Even the Prophet (PBUH) was asked to consult his people in worldly matters (shawirhum — i.e. consult them).

When the Prophet had been asked to consult people in secular matters who are these corrupt rulers to deny any democratic processes or ruthlessly suppress them? The people demand transparency and democracy in governance.

There will always be ulema who can argue that that dictatorship is preferable to anarchy, citing the rulings given by the ulema in mediaeval times. But often such rulings were given when there was a danger of outsiders attacking and taking over.

Presently, there is no such danger. It is the people of a country themselves who are trying to overthrow corrupt rulers and replace them with just and democratic ones. Instead of anarchy it would result in better governance that the Quran endorses.

Today’s ulema need to free themselves from the rulings found in mediaeval texts and adopt Quranic values. This can be done only by learning more about the changes taking place around them.

The writer is an Islamic scholar, who also heads the Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, Mumbai

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Allah (SWT) says: “And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and these it is that are the successful ones” (Ale Imran: 104).

Democracy and Islam

IT is said by some that democracy has no place in the political system of Islam. Islam is not only a religion, rather it is a complete code of life. All aspects of Muslim society, individually or collectively, are covered by the social structure of Islam.

Hence a political system, an important aspect of human society, also comes very much under the banner of the Islamic hemisphere. The great Muslim thinker and poet Allama Iqbal has rightly said, “Juda ho deen siyasat se to reh jaati hai changezi” (take religion [morality] away from politics and you have despotism), for religion is the source of all morality, individual and collective.

The important manifestation of a political system is vindicated through the establishment of a state and the way of its governance. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) established a state at Madina, of a unique type, based on consultation, justice, equality and accountability. After his passing his righteous successors maintained the same system of governance. The Holy Quran has mentioned the word ‘shura’ for governance. “They govern with mutual consultation.” The essence of a true democracy is also consultation.

The governing system of the Righteous Caliphs was the manifestation of this democracy. Today there is much talk about western democracy, but the aforesaid democracy presented by Islam is more accomplished. The basic pillars of a true democracy, i.e. consultation, justice, equality and accountability, are found in the governance of the Righteous Caliphs, Abu Bakar, Umar, Usman and Ali.

Presently, the UK and the US are regarded as the pioneers of western democracy. Are their rulers questioned so openly and bluntly by the common men in public places as the aforesaid caliphs used to be? Nowadays in a democratic system, the rulers are elected through votes and the candidates offer themselves for their election, utilising all kinds of sources for winning elections while none of the rightful caliphs offered himself for election. Each was selected by a majority of the people, after the proposal of their names by other people. Neither did they display any desire nor made an attempt to win their elections.

Furthermore, their deeds verify the highest democratic values in governance which are extinct today in the governance of so-called democratic rulers. The day after his election as the caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar came out with pieces of cloth on his shoulder to sell, because before his caliphate, this had been his source of income. Hazrat Umar met him on the way and asked, “What are you doing?” He replied, “I have to support my family.”

The right of criticism and freedom of expression before the ruler, which are important features of democracy, were evident in the governance of these caliphs. Hazrat Salman Farsi, a respected companion of the Prophet (PBUH), questioned Caliph Umar in a public gathering, asking why he had taken two sheets while everyone else got a single sheet from the spoils. Hazrat Umar instantly called his son Abdullah who clarified the position of his father by replying that he had given his sheet to his father due to his tall height.

Hazrat Usman had to face very severe criticism by the people during his caliphate, but he did not attempt to stop them by any means; rather, in reply to their criticism he always clarified his position publicly. Hazrat Ali as the caliph tolerated the extreme abuses of the Khawarij.

Once the caliph saw a Jew selling his lost chain armour in the market. Being the ruler, he did not snatch his armour from that person but submitted his complaint in the court of a judge. The judge asked for the evidence and Hazrat Ali produced the evidence of his son, Hasan, but the judge did not accept this evidence as the latter was the son of the caliph, and gave judgment against the caliph. The Jew, observing this rare example of justice, accepted Islam at Hazrat Ali’s hands.

Today, out of the aforesaid examples, can any ruler of a democratic state present such an example? The leading pioneer of India’s independence, Mahatma Gandhi, had once said that he wanted such a democratic state whose ruler followed in the footsteps of Hazrat Umar. Famous jurist Armanus Von Marie had confessed that Islam was the only religion among the universal religions to have democracy for its system of governance.

It may be rightly said that the true democratic government established during the early period of Islam had been that of the Righteous Caliphs. However, it has been a sad aspect of Muslim history that such an ideal rule concluded after the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali. It was succeeded by monarchy and despotism with the exception of the three-year rule of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz amongst the Umayyads, who wanted to revive the same justice, equality and accountability as found in the rule of the Righteous Caliphs.

Thereafter the system of governance prevailed on the same track of the preceding Umayyad rulers, subsequently succeeded by the Abbasids, and then successive rulers in the Muslim world who were either absolute monarchs or dictators, although a few of them individually established justice and equity in their governance. Nevertheless, the system remained undemocratic, which the Muslim world at large still has to contend with.

In conclusion, it may be said that Islam had been the pioneer of democracy, but its followers in general have forgotten their own values along with the democratic system of governance. Now vast swathes of Muslim lands exist under absolute monarchies or despotic rulers. It is an irony of history that contemporary Muslim political thinkers and intellectuals, too, should now begin to see western democracy as a model.

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Allah (SWT) says: “And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and these it is that are the successful ones” (Ale Imran: 104).

By Nilofar Ahmed

JUST as there is a growing global demand for enlightening modern commentaries of the Quran, there is a persisting dearth of exegetical scholarship, even as the overall body of literature on Islam increases.

In this scenario, it is rewarding to look at Imam Ghazali’s classic theory of Quranic interpretation, presented in one of his most well-known works, Ihya Ulum ud-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences). Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (1,058-1,111CE), a great philosopher, cosmologist, jurist, psychologist and theologian-turned-mystic, was born and died in
Tus (Khorasan). He was a prolific writer. Many of his books are extant to this day.

Ghazali says that the hadith, sayings of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and those of other scholars of early Islam prove that for men of understanding there is a broad scope in the meaning and interpretation of the Quran. Hazrat Ali said, “If I so will I can certainly load 70 camels with the exegesis of the opening surah of the Book.” Since the outward exegesis of this short chapter can be written in a few pages, what is the meaning of this statement? Ghazali explains that the person who thinks that there is no meaning of the Quran except for the outward (or obvious) exegesis, is actually expressing his own
shortcomings and he thinks that all other people are at the same level as himself.

Ghazali quotes a religious scholar who says that the Quran encompasses 77,200 forms of knowledge, for every Quranic sentence constitutes one form of knowledge. Since the Prophet is reported to have said that the Quran has an outward aspect, an inward aspect, a limit and a prelude, the above number is multiplied four times. Ibn Masud said, “One who intends to acquire the knowledge of the ancients and the moderns should ponder over the Quran. This knowledge is something that is not achieved by its mere outward exegesis.”

The first requirement of interpreting the Quran is that it should have been heard from the mouth of the Prophet and be supported by a chain of narration going back to him. But, according to Ghazali, this applies only to a small part of the Quran.

Secondly, the Companions of the Prophet, and those after them, the tabiun, gave many varying explanations. The Prophet could not have given all these, sometimes contradictory, explanations of the verses of the Quran, which means that every exegete came to his own conclusion.

Thirdly, Ghazali argues that if the interpretation of the Quran is like revelation and is only heard from the Prophet, and is preserved the way revelation is preserved, then why did the Prophet pray for Ibn Abbas saying, “God, bestow upon him the understanding of the religion and teach him the interpretation of the Quran”? Fourth, Ghazali thinks that it is not a
requirement of interpreting the Quran to find that opinion which is expressed by a learned authority, but it is lawful for everyone to elicit a meaning from the Quran in keeping with his understanding and intelligence.

Ghazali quotes a hadith in which it is said, “He who explains the Quran according to his personal opinion shall take his place in Hell” (Tirmidhi). According to Ghazali, the reason for prohibiting the interpretation of the Quran by one’s personal opinion is for two reasons. Firstly, the interpreter has his own opinion (ra’y), which is influenced by his nature (tab’) as well as his desire or passion (hawa). So he interprets the Quran accordingly, citing as evidence an argument which promotes his purpose.

This can happen to those interpreters who are aware of the Sharia as well as to those who are ignorant of it. Thirdly, sometimes a person has a preconceived purpose for which he adduces proof with a verse, knowing fully well that that purpose is not intended in the Quran. This has led to the growth of many sects.

There are many subjects in which transmission from authorities or classical interpreters is necessary for the explanation of
the Quran, as in the case of ambiguity, or where a word is omitted in case of conciseness or where a word is understood, etc.

Anyone who hastens to explain the deep meanings of the Quran through the outward aspects (of the rules of grammar) of the Arabic language, without knowing the meaning transmitted from the authorities is a person who “explains the Quran by his personal opinion”. He has merely translated its words or the outward exegesis, which is not sufficient.

There are many depths and secrets in the path to understanding and interpreting the Quran, but outward exegesis based on the knowledge of the meaning of the Arabic words and its grammar alone cannot guide us to them. These secrets are not opposed to outward exegesis, rather they complete it and constitute the essence of the Quran. The secret meanings of the Quran are unveiled, when both academic and spiritual links are made, to “…those established in knowledge, in proportion to the abundance of different forms of their knowledge, the purity of their souls, the fullness of their motives in pondering (over the Quran), and their isolation for seeking (its meaning)”.

In other words, according to Ghazali, there has to be a three-pronged approach: the outward exegesis with a linguistic base, a layering of reference to the classical commentators, and embellishment with the secret meanings, which are exposed to ‘purified souls’ or the Sufis.

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Allah (SWT) says: “And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and these it is that are the successful ones” (Ale Imran: 104).

Of reason and knowledge

By Prof Mohammed Rafi
Friday, May 27, 2011

ISLAM’S insistence on reason as the best guide for belief and action, combined with its pragmatic approach, makes it very practical, logical, rational and close to life as a belief system.

Islam is concerned with the broad aim of life for those who have the courage to think, judge and act for themselves. It encompasses rationality and experience and rejects blind faith, as it addresses “Those, who, when the revelations of their Rab (Nourisher) are presented to them, do not fall thereupon deaf and blind” (25:73).

Islam views the world as an expression of God’s creative force. It gives broad principles as guidance to man in all walks of life which enable him to attain the goal of self-realisation and social welfare. These principles are not to be followed blindly, but applied with intelligence and forethought.

The Quran says, “Those who do not use their faculties of thinking, reasoning and deliberating are not human beings, they are living their lives on the animal level, even worse than that; these are the cursed people” (7:179). The Quran repeatedly exhorts man to think. Those who use their reason are held in admiration. “The blind and deaf ignorant and the seeing (knowledgeable) are not equal. Will you not then reflect on this?” (6:50, 11:24). “Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed” (39:9).

However, despite these clear injunctions, for the last 500 years or so, religious thought in Islam has been stationary. In the early period of Muslim history, Mutazilites, the rationalists, upheld man’s freedom of thought and action and hence his responsibility for whatever he does. They rejected the fatalism of the Asharites. Due to the peculiar circumstances of that time, they lost their case to the orthodox Asharites in the fourth and fifth centuries (Hijra). However, the rationalist trend continued through philosophers, thinkers and reformers across Muslim lands.

The Quran does not accept as momineen (believers) who readily believe without questioning or thinking. True believers are those who do not accept without scrutiny and deliberation (25:73). “Allah brings forward the clues and hints in a fashion, thereby enabling you to reflect on this life and the hereafter” (2:219). The true practice of Islam in that spirit of thinking and reasoning has been long forgotten, rather lulled to sleep by clerics and religious obscurantists. They consider intellectual development and achievements of a particular period in history as a benchmark and have ruled out any further thinking, re-evaluation and progress of the thought process.

Nations using their intelligence and knowledge keep gaining strength while Muslim states have become weak to the point where they cannot even defend themselves. Islam stresses the importance of this world as well as the hereafter: “The heavenly bodies and earth have been brought under your control (human beings) by Allah. There are signs in them for those who think and reflect” (45:13). The entire universe works in accordance with the divine laws of nature. These can be discovered only through intelligence, knowledge and hard work for the benefit of mankind.

The great philosopher and scholar of medicine and social sciences Al Kindi believed that the highest existence was that of reason and intellect which proceeded from God by way of emanation, and that our soul was an uncompounded, imperishable essence which was in the world of reason before its descent to the sensuous world. Thus, it can have both sensible and rational knowledge. Al Farabi also stressed the acquisition of knowledge of all things in the universe; its main aim being to realise God. Ibn-i-Sina contended that intellect enabled man to know God. Thus it is incumbent upon man to polish his intellect, acquire knowledge and develop his reasoning abilities so that he may ennoble his soul and make it perfect.

The rejection of religious interference in state affairs in the West has had its negative effect over the centuries. Complete secularisation of thought and action has led them to reject the hereafter and hence they feel that they are not answerable to any supreme authority for their worldly actions. The law of retribution and requital has no place in their thought process.

Islam, on the other hand, is a deen of balance in all walks of life. It stresses that all emotions should be controlled by reason which should be guided by divine revelation through a set of permanent values. More than 1,000 verses of the Quran relate to nature and its working and in these verses human beings are asked to pause, see, ponder, reflect and act. It is the duty of every Muslim to use his mental faculties and acquire knowledge.

Many among today’s ulema of Islam are not those who have religious knowledge and lead prayers in mosques. In the light of the following verse, the word ‘ulema’ can only be translated as ‘scientists’: “The Book of nature is for everyone, but only those who submit to the awe-inspiring grandeur of its laws, who think and reflect upon these in the light of knowledge and discernment, are the people entitled to be called ulema” (37:27,28). Inactivity in exploring and studying the world around us and not taking advantage of the bounties of nature has led present-day Muslims to a life which is miserable, poor and meaningless. This will ultimately make them losers in the hereafter too.

No one knows how long the shackles which Muslims have put on the Quran and human intellect will keep crippling them, but certainly this cannot last long. Notwithstanding the forces of exploitation, the Eternal Truth is ultimately bound to prevail. “Man shall have only for which he strives” (53:99).

Of reason and knowledge | Opinion | DAWN.COM

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Islam and feminism

By Asghar Ali Engineer
Friday, June 03, 2011

OFTEN people object to the term ‘feminism’ as being a western one. One maulana when invited to speak in a workshop of this title refused to come as he considered feminism un-Islamic. Is the use of this term objectionable from an Islamic viewpoint? Not at all.

In fact, Islam is the first religion which systematically empowered women when women were considered totally subservient to men. There was no concept of a woman being an independent entity and enjoying equal rights with dignity. What is feminism? Nothing but women’s movement to empower women and to consider them full human beings. Thus we see in western countries until the early 20th century that women did not enjoy an independent status. It was only after the 1930s that women won equal status legally and various western countries passed laws to this effect. Yet patriarchy still looms large in many societies.

Though the Quran empowered women and gave them equal status with men, Muslims were far from ready to accept gender equality. The Arab culture was too patriarchal to accept such parity. Many hadiths were ‘readied’ to scale down the woman’s status, and she, in most Islamic societies, became a dependent entity; often Quranic formulations were interpreted so as to make her subordinate to men. One such hadith even said that if sajdah (prostration) were permitted before human beings, a woman would have been commanded to prostrate before her husband.

This is totally contradictory to the Quran, but no one cares. It is patriarchy which influences our laws, not the Quran. In fact, when it comes to patriarchy its jurists make it prevail over Quranic injunctions. Either Quranic formulations were disregarded or interpreted so as to have them conform to patriarchy. The time has come to understand the real spirit of the Quran. But the Islamic world still does not seem to be ready. What is worse, due to poverty and ignorance Muslim women themselves are not aware of their Quranic rights. A campaign has to be launched to make women aware of their rights.

Another important question is: what is the difference between Islamic and western feminism or is there any difference at all? If we go by the definition of feminism as an ideology to empower women, there is no difference. However, historically speaking, Muslim women lost the rights they had due mainly to the tribalisation of Islam, which was dominated by patriarchal values.

In the West, on the other hand, women had no rights but won them through a great deal of struggle known as ‘feminism’. But there are significant differences between Islamic and western feminism. Islamic feminism is based on certain non-negotiable values, i.e. equality with honour and dignity. Freedom has a certain Islamic responsibility whereas in the West freedom tends to degenerate into licentiousness, not in law but certainly in social and cultural practices. In western culture, sexual freedoms have become a matter of human right and sex has become a matter of enjoyment, losing its sanctity as an instrument of procreation.

Though the Quran does not prescribe hijab or niqab (covering the whole body with a loose garment, including the face), as generally thought, it lays down certain strict norms for sexual behaviour. Both men and women have right to gratification (a woman has as much right as a man) but within a marital framework. There is no concept of freedom for extramarital sex in any form. In a marital framework, it is an act of procreation and has much sanctity attached to it.

It is important to emphasise that in a patriarchal society men decided the norms of sexual behaviour. It was theorised that a
man has greater urge for sex and hence needed multiple wives and that a woman tended to be passive and hence had to be content with one husband at a time. The Quran’s approach is very different. It is not a greater or lesser degree of urge which necessitates multiple or monogamous marriages.

There is emphatic emphasis placed on a monogamous marriage in the Quranic verses 4:3 and 4:129. Multiple marriages were permitted only to take care of widows and orphans and not to satisfy man’s greater urge. Verse 4:129 gives the norm of monogamy and not to leave the first wife in suspense or negligence. Thus, as far as the Quran is concerned, sexual gratification is a non-negotiable right for both man and woman tied in wedlock. Hence a divorcee and a widow are also permitted to remarry and gratify their urge.

In western capitalist countries, woman’s dignity has been compromised and she has been reduced to a commodity to be exploited. Her semi-naked postures and her sexuality are exploited commercially and unabashedly. It is totally against the concept of woman’s honour and dignity. Unfortunately, many western feminists do not consider this objectionable but accept it as part of women’s freedom. Some (though not as many) even advocate prostitution as a woman’s right to earn a living.

This is against the concept of Islamic feminism, which while sanctioning sexual gratification to be as much of a woman’s basic right as a man’s prohibits extramarital sexual liaison. This, on one hand, upholds a woman’s honour and dignity, and on the other, exalts marital relations to the level of sanctity, restricting it for procreation. Islamic feminists have to observe certain norms which western feminists are not obliged to.

The writer is an Islamic scholar who also heads the Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, Mumbai.
Islam and feminism | Opinion | DAWN.COM

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Thanks Allah

Are all ‘houris’ female?

By Nilofar Ahmed
Friday, June 10, 2011

IT has traditionally been believed that good men who go to paradise will be rewarded with the beautiful women of paradise known as houris. Women throughout the centuries never thought of asking, ‘what about us?’

But in this century of women, this question keeps coming up, even in the most conservative of circles. In several places in the Quran, where the blissful condition of the dwellers of paradise is described, mention is also made of houris. In Surah Al-Dukhan it is said, “We will pair them with large-eyed companions (44: 54).” In Surah Al-Tur, it is said, “They will be resting against pillows on couches arranged in rows. We will pair them up with beautiful companions with big, beautiful eyes (52:20).”

In Surah Al-Rehman, the Quran says, “The houris will be protected in tents, whom neither humans nor jinns have touched before (55: 72).”

According to Surah Al-Waqia among the blessings of paradise will be “…houris with beautiful eyes like hidden pearls” (56: 22).

In the same surah, the Quran goes on to describe the conditions for the righteous in paradise: “With companions most refined; Whom We have created in the best of form; We made them virgin; loving, well-matched; For those on the right” (56: 34-38). Even though the word ‘virgin’ is most frequently applied to women, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, it is applicable to both males and females.

In An Arabic-English Lexicon, Lane gives the definition of ‘hur’ or ‘hurun’, which is the plural form of haura, and can be both masculine as well as feminine. ‘Hawar’ means, “the intense whiteness of the white of the eye and intense blackness of the black of the eye, with intense whiteness or fairness of the rest of the person”. ‘Ahwariyyun’ means “a man, white or fair of the towns or villages”. The word ‘hawariyyun’ means, “those who whiten clothes etc. by washing and beating them”. Or, “one who is freed and cleared from every vice, fault or defect”, or, “a thing that is pure and unsullied”.

According to Maulana Umar Ahmed Usmani, it is a misconception that hurun means the females of paradise who will be reserved for good men. He says that ‘hur’ or ‘hurun’ is the plural of both ‘ahwaro’, which is the masculine form as well as ‘haurao’, which is feminine. It means both pure males and pure females. He says that basically the word ‘hurun’ means white.

‘Alhawarriyat’ means the women of the towns and cities who are comparatively fairer. The word ‘al-hawariyyun’ has also been used in the Quran to refer to the disciples of Jesus, who used to wash clothes white. By whiteness here is also meant the purity of their personalities or souls.

Another word in the Quran, which has been widely misinterpreted, especially in Urdu translations and commentaries, is ‘zauj’, whose plural is ‘azwaj’. In Arabic this word means “a pair” or “one of a pair”, or “a spouse” (36:36). In Urdu, this word has come to refer to wives only. Sometimes it can also mean “various kinds”, or “variety”. Since ‘zauj’ is also used to refer to the female partner, the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) are referred to as ‘Azwaj-i-Mutaharrat’, or pure companions.

In the Quran when mention is made of those who will go to paradise, it is stated, ‘Wa lahum fiha azwajum mutaharratun’ (2:25).

‘Hum’ is a masculine preposition, but this is used as a common gender and is the manner of address adopted throughout the Quran. It actually means, “And for them will be pure companions”. Pick up any Urdu translation of the Quran and you find something like, “And for them will be pure wives”, and sometimes, “pure women”, assuming that only men will go to paradise and be rewarded with pure and beautiful wives or women.

There is also the belief that good wives here will be transformed into the women of paradise for the benefit of good men. In the case of ‘zauj’, the word itself belongs to the group of words which come under the heading of ‘ghair zawil uqool’, meaning “those without intelligence”. For the plural of this group, the grammatical female form is used.

There are numerous examples in history and the Quran of women who will go to paradise. One example is that of Hazrat Aasiya, the wife of Pharaoh. She was an extremely pious woman and did not support her husband in his cruelty, false pride and shirk. When it became clear to him that she was a staunch believer in one God and would never accept him as her god, he punished and tortured her.

At this she prayed, “O my Lord, make for me a house near You in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the people who are unjust” (66: 11). At this God showed her her heavenly abode and she became blissful. One wonders what the reward for Bibi Aasiya would be: would she be turned into a houri for some man’s pleasure, or would she be rewarded with pure companions, just like the male dwellers of paradise?

Since loneliness is a blight and no one likes to be alone for a long period, those who are successful will be provided with companions for their eternal life in paradise. Thus houris and azwaj in the Quran refer to the pure, chaste and beautiful companions that both good men, as well as good women, will be rewarded with, without discrimination.

nilofar.ahmed58@gmail.com

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There is more to the West

Friday Feature Blaming the West for our unpleasant reality is not going to solve anything.

By Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad


TO the present-day Muslim masses, the West mainly signifies indecency, materialism and an insatiable hunger for global political dominance. This perception is largely based on prejudices caused by a lack of adequate and credible information regarding different western societies.
It is true that certain western moral norms are unlike ours; westerners, generally, are more focused on ensuring material security and advancement than we are; and some western governments regularly interfere, illogically and in a dictatorial fashion, in the Muslim world worsening the already existing political turmoil. However, this is definitely not all that the West stands for.

Muslims, unfortunately, do not look beyond same-gender couples, old people’s homes, going Dutch, cut-throat competition on Wall Street and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have failed to appreciate or even take notice of several commendable aspects of the West. Consequently, they have not been able to take advantage of the so many western intellectual achievements. At best, they take the West as a rival if not an enemy.

It is a common practice among Muslims to narrate marvellous accounts of the glorious deeds that they performed centuries ago, always contrasting that splendour with the primitive condition of Europe at that time. We love to continuously remind ourselves that there was a period when we ‘were’ great and Europe ‘was’ nowhere. Though this is true, it is tragic that most of us have failed to understand the responsibility which memories of a splendid past place on the living. We are justified in celebrating our glorious history only if it inspires us to perform better now.

Yes, Muslims did play a vital role in Europe’s struggle to free itself from the Dark Ages. However, today, is there any Muslim country that can outperform a western one in arts, science, technology? Is there any university in the Muslim world that can compete with the best western universities, like Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge and Heidelberg? No.

We are in a sorry state. All we do is to recall our past grandeur and blame the West for our present predicaments, while driving western cars, enjoying western appliances and playing with western Blackberries and iPhones. Blaming the West for our unpleasant reality is not going to solve anything. And if someone must be blamed, we must blame ourselves for disregarding the Quranic injunctions regarding the pursuit of knowledge and excellence. If western countries are leading the globe, it is because they have earned this right through their relentless hard work and continuous struggle for intellectual advancement. We talk about our contribution, but we never talk about the tremendous efforts that Europeans made to pull themselves out of the Dark Ages.

Yes, they were reintroduced to knowledge — we must not forget the scholarship produced by the Greeks much before the emergence of Islam — at our institutions. However, the main thing was that the Europeans had the prudence to further develop what they learnt from us. That development of knowledge is still going on and there is hardly a part of our existence that does not bear the mark of western technology and know-how.

While the West was busy exploring its intellectual abilities and discovering new horizons of thought, we, on the other hand, gradually ceased to apply logic and to exercise our wits in the search of knowledge. Though severely discouraged in the Quran, this attitude was introduced and encouraged by powerhungry scholars and selfish rulers as it is always easy to manipulate people given to blind following. This inevitably resulted in the swift downfall of the Muslim world.

It is high time for us to get rid of the intellectual inactivity that we have been in for so long and enter into a meaningful interaction with the West. Just as the West took advantage of our knowledge, now we must take advantage of the West’s modern knowledge. Not only we should learn from them, but further develop what we learn. We must compete with the West instead of taking it as an enemy. After all, healthy competition leads to improvement and excellence. In no way does this mean that we adopt everything western and completely shed our beliefs and values. We are talking about modernisation, not westernisation.

Where there are differences, there are also principles and concepts that Islam has in common with the West. Similarly, there are so many concerns and issues that are faced by Muslims and westerners alike. While gracefully disagreeing on matters in which there is a conflict of opinion, Muslims should not hesitate to cooperate with the West in areas of mutual interest. After all, did the Prophet (PBUH) not instruct Muslims to acquire knowledge even if it be in China? Surely, he did not mean them to study Arabic and Islamic jurisprudence over there.

It must be mentioned that where Muslims must try to understand the realities and dynamics of western cultures, the West must also make a sincere effort to understand Islam and the way several Muslim groups behave. Don’t we all know that there is much more to Islam than Al Qaeda and Taliban? Thus, we need a joint effort based on mutual respect and common interests. It is true that the problems confronting the Muslim world are neither simple nor easy to solve and have aggravated over the centuries. However, westernisation, as some westerners and western-educated Muslims erroneously believe, is definitely not the answer. ¦ The writer is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the director of Centre for Law and Policy, University of Management and Technology, Lahore.

EMAIL
syed.asad@umt.edu.pk

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A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that other throw at him. (David Brinkley)

Purdah and Islam

Women are not required to observe the kind of purdah many say they must in our society.


By Anees Jillani


A FOREIGN journalist friend working in Pakistan was per plexed after visiting the family of Salmaan Taseer’s assassin near Islamabad. She was intrigued that the men from the assassin’s family while talking to her did not look at her even once.
She is not the first westerner who has mentioned this, as many regard this either as an insult or a sign that the other person does not like her. This is also unlike what the same woman experiences in the streets when nearly everybody stares at her. So how does one explain this phenomenon?

The Holy Quran says that “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do” (24:30). It also states: “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers or brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of shame; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. … (24:31).

The cited verse clarifies many things. For instance, it is not stated that the women should cover their faces. If their faces had to be covered then there was no reason for them and for the men to lower their gaze. Secondly, they are directed not to display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear. This direction can be interpreted in many ways. One interpretation could be not to ostensibly display one’s beauty and ornaments but the woman need not conceal what is ordinarily visible.

Thirdly, bosoms must be covered with a veil. This perhaps explains the dupatta in South Asia which provides adequate veiling. Another verse (33:59) says almost the same thing that “believing women … should cast their outer garments over their persons (when outside): that is most convenient; that they should be known (as such) and not molested….” This condition, too, is relaxed in the case of men or older women.

The question is where does the head-to-toe-covering come from? It is clearly an attempt by men to subjugate women and keep them within strict limits. Otherwise, there is nothing in the above verses which can lead to such a strict interpretation. Islamic hijab is best seen in the ehraam of women pilgrims, with the body covered by loose clothing and the face clearly visible, as ordained by God.

Women are not required to observe the kind of purdah many say they must in our society. Modestly dressed, they can work alongside men and appear in photographs and in the electronic media. Ogling is not permitted for reasons of decency and modesty. The Holy Quran in another verse (33:32), says that the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) are not like any of the other women and in the next verse (33:33) tells them to “…stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former times of ignorance; and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey God and His Apostle. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the family, and to make you pure and spotless.” The wives of the Prophet were thus the only exception to the general rule of veiling applied to believing women. Could one then argue that the condition is inapplicable to ordinary women whom the Saudi government, for instance, tries to restrict and not even permits to drive? The last part of the cited verse (24:31), along with the directions to the Prophet’s wives not to make a dazzling display clearly prohibits women from striking “…their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments….” Does this mean that there is a case for outlawing dance or even walking in such a fashion that women’s hidden ornaments are heard?

I think not, and here’s why: dance recitals and catwalks held in many Muslim countries are hardly the scenes of lewd behaviour. Where such behaviour ensues, there are laws to deal with rowdiness and those laws are enforced, with men and women enjoying equal freedoms. Thus modern-day laws have ensured that vice is not the necessary outcome of striking parity between men and women in what they do in a public space.

This is an indication that times have changed and human societies have evolved to a degree where segregation can be a matter of personal choice but need not be the norm, as is the case in the vast majority of Muslim countries today. A strict enforcement of purdah by the state, as done in Saudi Arabia, Iran and during the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan, is no longer required to keep order in society. Women today are educated and work alongside qualified men in professional capacities.

An unsaid code of decent behaviour in the public sphere is observed without any coercion in most Muslim societies where the state does not force women behind a head-to-toe purdah. Therefore, it should not be a matter for the state to be concerned with, but that of the individual’s choice. ¦

EMAIL: aJ@Jillani.org

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A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that other throw at him. (David Brinkley)