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Islamic Reform

Challenges and

RecommendationsAhmed Vanya

aivanya@hotmail.com

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Why Reform?Reduce & Minimize Mistrust & Phobia.

● Build stable & prosperous societies.

● Peace within, with neighbors & with everyone.

● Example for everyone to be proud & to emulate.

● Participate fully as citizens & leaders at all levels.

● Start Reform at Home!

● See a Muslim Senator, Governor, VP, President!!

● Be ready for the Day of Judgment!!!

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Challenges● Dismal State of Muslim Societies:

- Politics (Stability, Governance, Tolerance)

- Education: Arts, Sciences & Technology

- Economic Prosperity

● Norms: Anti – (Freedom, Women, Humanitarian).

● Many lead hypocritical lives.

● Violence in the name of Religion.

● Cannot blame the Outsiders only, take responsibility.

● Compare to other nations & societies.

Q(3:110) You are the best nation for mankind.

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Criteria for Reform● Right Thing To Do.

● Must Benefit the Muslim Community.

● Remain True to the Basic Message of Islam.

● Not Just Due to Outside Pressures.

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The ChallengeContest Religious Interpretations:

● Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights.

● Separation of Mosque & State.

● Equality of human beings under the law.

● Promote rights for women.

● Promote rights for religious minorities.

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Nature of Islam● Pure Islam - not accessible to humans.

● God did not speak to us directly.

● The Prophet is no more.

● Historical Islam – evolved, based on values and

mentalities of humans doing the interpretation.

● Muslims Scholars – Ambitious quest for certainty, while realizing human limitations.

● Islamic Law – Product of negotiations & consensus over 300years after the Prophet.

● Scholars interpret Islam – Speak in God's Name.

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Theological Challenge:

Reason lost to Revelation ● Nature of God - Will or Reason (Logos) - Pope Benedict.

● Ethics: Subjectivism - Divine Command Theory(DCT).

God decides what is “GOOD” & “BAD”.

● Occasionalism: God creates every moment.

No secondary causes or Cause & Effect.

● Qur'an Uncreated – Out of History.

● Banished Philosophy. Bila Kayfa (Don't ask how).

● Defeat of Mu'tazilah=> Athari, Ash'ari-Maturidi -Kalam.● Triumph of Creedalism, Law & Jurisprudence.

● “Islam & Constitutionalism” by Prof. Hashmi, reply:Prof. Reilly.

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Nature of Islamic Scripture IQur'an

● Qur'an: Progressive revelation over 23 years.

● Discrete, Atomistic, Ad Hoc (Context Missing).

● Non-linear, ambiguities in meaning & structure.

● Oral culture. Lacks diacritical marks.

● Occasions of Revelations, Abrogation Theory.

● Challenge to interpret. (Mountains of

Commentaries - Tafsir(Exegesis).

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Nature of Islamic Scripture IIHadith

● Hadith – Documenting Prophetic Conducts & Sayings.

● Collection: Not contemporaneous, frowned-upon, about 150-200 years later.

● Poor communication & note taking, Violent Age, Sectarian Conflicts, Fabrications(matn + isnads).

● More than 90% thrown out by Bukhari.

● Science of Hadith(Science of Collector's Character).

● Based on Consensus (After the Fact).

● No “Historio-critical” scientific analysis & research.

● Many question both the “Authenticity & Authority”.

● Many Muslims are uncomfortable with Hadith.

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Nature of Revelation

● General Guidance not Recipe Driven.

● Human Effort:

Collection, Systematization, Interpretation.

● Need to use God-given faculty of reasoning(aql) heavily.

● No “Search Engine” called “Sharia”.

● Need periodic reassessment.

● With time develops: rigidity, intellectual temerity, excessive veneration of tradition.

● To guard against: Chaos in interpretation.

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Project Sharia: Quest for Certainty & Totality

● Main Sources: According to Imam Shafi -

Quran(Wahy Matlu), Hadith(Wahy Ghair Matlu)

● Against Innovation (Bid'ah) – For Concensus (Ijma).

● Taqlid - (Following / Imitating).

● Doors of Ijtihad (Barely Open).

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Dominance of LiteralismGuidance(Hidaya) =====> Commandments(Ahkams)

● Ignoring the true nature of God & revelation.

● Taking Qur'an to be Uncreated (Out of history).

● Elevating the status of Hadith to revelation.

● DCT- Reason(aql) subservient to Revelation(wahy).

● Weak / non-existent Natural Theology.

● Ex: “There can be no ijtihad(rethinking) in light of an explicit (nass qatai) text”. (Hadith: Mu'ad to Yemen).

From: Caesarean Moon Births by Shaykh Hamza

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Re-balancing: Reason vs. RevelationNature & Scripture

● Quran: Read(iqra), Aql(Reason), Discern(tawassum), Reflect(taffakur)-Q3:191, Meditate(Tadabbur)-Q4:82.

● Strengthen Natural Theology – Looking at the “signs”(ayahs) how Nature was created(Q:15:75).

● God's actions are not arbitrary: Rational thinking (Aql) is a gift from God. Two wings of a bird analogy.

● God of Reason does not compromise Omnipotence of God, His acts are always GOOD because of HIS nature.

● Hadith: Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)!

● Literalism => Rationalism using Collective Experience.● Trust but Verify(Two Streams of Revelation) - Check & Balance.

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Reform Project● Everyone needs to STAND UP! (Need about 20% only)

● Acknowledge: Deep Problems, use Multiple View Points.

● Educate: Nature of Revelation, Literalism is not justified.

Textual =>Contextual, Experiential, Goal Oriented.

● Re-balance: Reason vs. Revelation.

● Greater role to Ijtihad & Maslaha, seek inputs from everyone.

● Reform Traditional Sharia based on Justice & Mercy.

● Separate Sharia from State: Rituals & Guidance Only.

● Promote & Protect Freedoms: It is a question of J & M.

● Acknowledge equality of humans: It is only Fair to do so.

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Obstacles(Reforms That Went Awry)

● Salafi / Wahhabi – Buying influence with Petro-Dollars.

● Political Islam – Maududists(JI) & Qutubists (MB):

In the US: dual role civil rights & welfare + pushing the Islamist agenda.

● Deobandis, (TJ), Traditionals: apolitical but illiberal.

● Using “Hate Speech” as a Shield.

● Using Religious Liberty as a Shield against criticisms.

● Build bridges between Mosque & Academia.

● Build Reform-oriented: Mosques, Colleges etc.

● Non-Muslims – Ask for Fairness not PC.

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Sharia Threat: Fact or Fiction?Divine Project for many Muslims !

● Muslims: 1.5 billion in the world.

● Some using violence to establish a global Islamic State.

● Historical record of Expansion.

● Terrible record of treating minorities.

● Large majorities of Muslims want “strict” Sharia laws in homelands.

● Rise of Islamists: Salafi, Wahhabi, Ikhwan, Deobandi, Tablighi).

● Very few working on genuine reforms.

● Muslims are not working to takeover; also not actively reforming

Sharia. Hence, the Anti-Sharia Bills!!!

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Living Dangerously(Without progress in Reform)

● Reform in Foreign Lands: Hard - Interference.

● Start reform at Home: Use Freedom of Speech.

● Worldwide: Tension, clashes, mistrust, phobia.

● Catastrophic Blow up during Severe Crisis.

● Lack of opportunity to fully participate in society.

● Learn from the Catholic Experience:

- Vatican II Reforms – Dignitatis Humanae.

- Support of Religious Liberty.

- Father John Courtney Murray's important role.

● Protestants also evolved from the Puritans & the Pilgrims.