Religion, particularly Islam, has become one of the most difficult subject areas to tackle in recent years. Contemporary culture, whether approached from the perspective of anthropology or theology, psychology or psychoanalysis, evaluates religion with empirical methods. On the one hand, religion is an inwardly experienced and felt phenomenon, one mostly related to life’s permanent aspects. On the other believers can see their religion as a philosophy, a set of rational principles, or mere mysticism. The difficulty increases in the case of Islam, for some Muslims and policy-makers consider and present it as a purely political, sociological, and economic ideology, rather than as a religion.
Imam Shatibi (r) in his Muwafaqaat laid out the platform for another method to Usul al-Fiqh alternate to those methods in place. In fact, his work was just as radical as that of Imam Read the rest of this entry »
I. Definition of Ijtihad and Conditions of Being a Mujtahid
A. What is Ijtihad?
The word ijtihad is derived from the root jahd, meaning exerting oneself to obtain something. In this context, it is a mujtahid exerting himself to the utmost in order to make a ruling of the Shari‘a from specific evidences. If we analyze this definition, the following elements emerge:
Shaikh Muhammad Abdu (r) is considered a modernist by some, despite that others consider him a Mu’tazili and for yet another group he is bewitched with the West. Despite such diverse interpretations that seek to check mark the identity of Shaikh Muhammad Abdu (r) it still remains to be said that Read the rest of this entry »
By Adil Salahi, Arab NewsThere are very few scholars whom people recognize instantly the moment you mention a book written by him. Or it can be the other way round. You mention the book and instantly the name of the author comes to your mind.
The Muslim `ulama’ and religious leaders were isolated from the freedom movement (after their initial defeat) and were alienated from it (except those who were in the vanguard of the movement, leaders like Mawlana Muhammad `Ali). Political isolation and economic Read the rest of this entry »
Abstract: This paper surveys the growth and various phases of and influences on the concept of democracy in the Islamic political thought of the last two centuries. Among the thinkers covered in the survey are Rifa`a Tahtawi (1801-73), Khairuddin at-Tunis (1810-99), Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani (1838-97), Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905), Abdurrahman al-Kawakibi (1849-1903), Rashid Rida (1865-1935), Hasan al-Banna (1904-49), Ali Abd Ar-Raziq (1888-1966), Sayyid Qutb (1906-66), Sa`id Hawwa, and Malik Bennabi (1905-73). Reference is made to the influence of Sayyid Mawdudi (1903-79), on the thought of Sayyid Qutb. The paper traces also the bearing of Bennabi’s thought on Rachid Ghannouchi and on the Islamic movements of our times.
Democracy has preoccupied Arab political thinkers since the dawn of the modern Arab renaissance about two centuries ago. Since then, the concept of democracy has changed and developed under the influence of a variety of social and political developments.1 The discussion of democracy in Arab Islamic literature can be traced back to Rifa`a Tahtawi,2 the father of Egyptian democracy according to Lewis Awad,3 who shortly after his return to Cairo from Paris published his first book, Takhlis Al-Ibriz Ila Talkhis Bariz, in 1834. The book summarized his Read the rest of this entry »
Bidayah al Mujtahid, is an instrumental text in building the mind of a scholar. The logic of the work in itself is a testimony to the contours of true fiqh scholarship. Imam Ibn Rushd (r) puts order to what can seem to be a chaos of scholarly difference. His main concern is not proving who is right but rather explaining why the scholars differ and then showing Read the rest of this entry »
al-Ihya Uloom ad-Din (the Revival of Islamic Sciences) is an interesting text, it has its opponents and its advocates. Of late it is a central piece in the bibliography of Maqasid ScholarsRead the rest of this entry »
The school of Imam Shafi (r) is an interesting school in that the fiqh of the madhab is replete with analogies and literal readings of various text. What we gain from the Shafi school is how to combine these two tendencies and further how to Read the rest of this entry »
The student of fiqh and particularly the student of hadith studies before coming to perfect understanding is obligated to sit in the School of Imam Abu Hanifa (r). What we need from Imam Abu Hanifa’s school is to comprehend the science of Read the rest of this entry »
One finds in Imam Ibn Hazm (r) an intense desire to preserve the Sunnah and moreover to practice the Sunnah and to eliminate speculative reason the opens up a platform of confusion. Imam Ibn Hazm (r) at minimum teaches us that a serious commitment to scholarship require an equal Read the rest of this entry »
One of the trajectories of thought that has been formed by the approach to fiqh established by Fiqh us-Sunnah is to consider that the student of fiqh can do without the madhahib (four schools of fiqh). This indeed is problematic. In fact, the student of hadith at times feels empowered to the degree that he too feels that he can withstand madhab study.
Development of Maqasid al-Shari’ah
In this post we will look briefly at the history of the science of Maqasid al-Shari’ah and how it developed over time. As with most of the Islamic Sciences, if we were to look back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Companions (ra), we would be not find them referring to these sciences as we Read the rest of this entry »
Fiqh us-Sunnah, was a text written in a time of great change and turmoil in the Muslim Ummah. The political leadership of the Ummah had collapsed, superstition was wide spread, Read the rest of this entry »
We shall not concern ourselves here with detailing the various issues on which the Companions (r) differed during and after the lifetime of the Prophet (s). Nor shall we detail on each issue who adopted the literal or obvious meaning of a text on the one hand and who reflected on and scrutinized its various aspects and derived various interpretations from it on the other. Such an undertaking would require volumes. Read the rest of this entry »
Hasan al-Banna, is an odd figure, a child of the Islamic enlightenment and a master of diplomacy. He opted for an educated-activism rather than a scholarly career. A graduate of Dar al-Uloom (Egypt) many boast but rarely share that in his day Read the rest of this entry »
Imam Shaukani (r) is a figure of interesting proportions. A scholar of hadith, philosophy, usul al-fiqh, logic, arabic, tafsir, history and aqeeda. In his curriculum for students of knowledge he charted two paths:
Syed Qutb, one of the most influential Muslim thinkers and activists of this century, means different things to different people. For some, he is the key ideologue of Islamic militancy and terrorism. For others, he is the key intellectual of Islamic reform and revival. But where would Syed Qutb stack up if one looked at him in the framework of Western intellectual history? Muqtedar Khan explores the issue.
Daily Star - Egypt
Friday, August 29, 2008
This week marks the 42nd anniversary of the execution of Sayyed Qutb, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Islamism.
Over four decades after his death, Qutb remains controversial, with his views on violence, political systems and societies still fiercely debated. While some argue that Qutb has been misinterpreted, others may vilify him, arguing he is the chief ideologue for most contemporary radical groups.
Sayyid Qutb is easily one of the major architects and “strategists” of contemporary Islamic revival. Along with Maulana Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, the revivalist movement in South Asia, and Imam Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s Islamic revolution, he gave shape to the ideas and the worldview that has mobilized and motivated millions of Muslims from Malaysia to Michigan to strive to eintroduce Read the rest of this entry »
Remember, being laid off is not your fault and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Layoffs are based on business decisions, which are far beyond your control
It is clear to the student of biographies that Sayyid Qutb was an intellectual trained in Arabic literature and language. The last century incited a range of opinions over the nature and thought of Sayyid Qutb. Further, it is said that associations Read the rest of this entry »
Abu Zayd Says:Jazakallahu khairan for these thoughtful words. As a long-time student of the Islamic movement, I am interested in what you mean by the “ideological conception of Islam” as opposed to one grounded in knowledge. Can you try to be specific?Also, from your last sentence, when does one qualify for performing dawah? Is it a specific stage in one’s development and practice, or do you mean a matter of priorities?
In revisiting the notion that the category of hadith known by later day scholars as “hasan“ was not known to Imam Ahmad (r) nor scholars such as Imam Tirmidhi (r) one Read the rest of this entry »
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