This is a draft of my sermon later on today at ISGH Main Center. I had prepared i yesterday, together with and so woke upwards to the catastrophic massacre at a North Sinai mosque inwards my native Egypt (at the fourth dimension of writing this draft, 235 were confirmed killed). Sadly, the same analysis that I was planning to hash out at the micro aeroplane of Muslim communities applies to the challenge of our times every bit modern Muslims, together with the determination is the same: So-called religious scholarship is to blame.
On Tunisia's National Women's Day, August 13, Tunisian President Al-Baji Qa'id Al-Sibsi called for greater sex equality inwards his country, citing specifically inheritance rules together with intermarriage amongst non-Muslims (English coverage of the speech communication is available here). He said that he is confident that competent Tunisian legislators volition let on a way to reconcile modernity amongst religious edicts.
A calendar week later, on August 20, Al-Azhar issued an official declaration "to the umma" without explicitly mentioning President Al-Sibsi, but left no doubtfulness what number they were addressing. Their primary message was that they recognize the demand for ijtihad (legal reasoning) inwards cases wherein in that place are no explicit together with unequivocal texts, together with affirmed that identify unit of measurement affairs (inheritance together with marriage) discussed past times President Sibsi brutal into that category.
(1). They went further, though, affirming that "knowledge of which texts are dependent acre to interpretation together with which are non is entirely available to scholars [meaning their construct of religious scholars, no doubt], together with is non acceptable from commoners together with non-specialists, regardless of their levels of education."
(2). They together with so said that fifty-fifty every bit they produce non hateful to interfere inwards whatever political affair, they likewise "refused categorically whatever political moves that tin send on Muslims' creed together with Shari`a rules, or to meddle therein." [In other words, they claimed a power sharing arrangement for which they were non elected.]
(3). They closed amongst an fifty-fifty to a greater extent than shocking claim of monopoly over religious affairs: "Let everyone know that the mission of the Noble Al-Azhar, peculiarly when it comes to protecting the faith of Allah, is a universal mission, which is non saltation past times whatever geographical boundaries or political leanings."
I experience compelled to address those 3 extravagant claims:
(1.A). The first, that the entirely knowledgeable people are their types of scholars is belied past times the next Hadith:
Now, I render to the horrific terrorist assault on the Egyptian mosque before today. For nearly 2 decades, "religious scholars" of Al-Azhar together with other reputable institutions possess got assured us that terrorism cannot locomote to a greater extent than distant from the teachings of Islam. What is needed, they proceed claiming, is to a greater extent than empowerment of their construct of religious scholarship inwards monastic tell to defeat the warped logic of terrorist groups. And it is, indeed, they who possess got been called upon, repeatedly, past times political regime worldwide to reform religious discourse, etc.
I desire to locomote clear on i thing, the Shaykh-ul-Azhar, Dr. Ahmad El-Tayeb, who read this declaration inwards August, is i of the most scholarly together with decent people who possess got ever lived. The employment is that he belongs to an institutional together with intellectual framework statically anchored inwards early on medieval times, together with hence fundamentally incapable of helping us to bargain amongst the problems of modernity.
On Tunisia's National Women's Day, August 13, Tunisian President Al-Baji Qa'id Al-Sibsi called for greater sex equality inwards his country, citing specifically inheritance rules together with intermarriage amongst non-Muslims (English coverage of the speech communication is available here). He said that he is confident that competent Tunisian legislators volition let on a way to reconcile modernity amongst religious edicts.
A calendar week later, on August 20, Al-Azhar issued an official declaration "to the umma" without explicitly mentioning President Al-Sibsi, but left no doubtfulness what number they were addressing. Their primary message was that they recognize the demand for ijtihad (legal reasoning) inwards cases wherein in that place are no explicit together with unequivocal texts, together with affirmed that identify unit of measurement affairs (inheritance together with marriage) discussed past times President Sibsi brutal into that category.
(1). They went further, though, affirming that "knowledge of which texts are dependent acre to interpretation together with which are non is entirely available to scholars [meaning their construct of religious scholars, no doubt], together with is non acceptable from commoners together with non-specialists, regardless of their levels of education."
(2). They together with so said that fifty-fifty every bit they produce non hateful to interfere inwards whatever political affair, they likewise "refused categorically whatever political moves that tin send on Muslims' creed together with Shari`a rules, or to meddle therein." [In other words, they claimed a power sharing arrangement for which they were non elected.]
(3). They closed amongst an fifty-fifty to a greater extent than shocking claim of monopoly over religious affairs: "Let everyone know that the mission of the Noble Al-Azhar, peculiarly when it comes to protecting the faith of Allah, is a universal mission, which is non saltation past times whatever geographical boundaries or political leanings."
I experience compelled to address those 3 extravagant claims:
(1.A). The first, that the entirely knowledgeable people are their types of scholars is belied past times the next Hadith:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ ، وَأَبُو أُمَامَةَ ، وَوَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ ، وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ ، قَالُوا : سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ " مَنِ الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ ؟ قَالَ : هُوَ مَنْ بَرَّتْ يَمِينُهُ ، وَصَدَقَ لِسَانُهُ ، وَعَفَّ فَرْجُهُ وَبَطْنُهُ ، فَذَلِكَ الرَّاسِخُ " .
[Several highly trusted companions narrated that the Prophet (p) was asked: "Who are those `well established inwards knowledge'," together with he answered: "one who is honest inwards his dealings, honest inwards his words, together with chaste inwards his body, that is someone who is good established inwards knowledge."]
It merits noting that this is inwards reference to i reading of the poesy [3:7]:
which allows for those "well established inwards knowledge" to reinterpret verses when needed. It is likewise narrated on the control of Ibn Umar (r) that the Prophet (p) supplicated for Ibn Abbas (r):
وقال الحافظ العراقي في تخرج أحاديث إحياء علوم الدين: حديث: اللهم فقهه في الدين وعلمه التأويل ـ قاله لابن عباس، رواه البخاري من حديث ابن عباس دون قوله: وعلمه التأويل ـ وهو بهذه الزيادة عن أحمد وابن حبان والحاكم وقال صحيح الإسناد. اهـ.
which includes inwards several narrations that he (p) supplicated that Allah would render Ibn Abbas agreement of faith together with the might to reinterpret texts... This begs the question: Why wouldn't God offering the same gift of reinterpretations to others exterior their institutions.
(2.A). The 2nd claim that they don't meddle inwards politics together with don't desire politicians to meddle inwards faith is a claim to might that religious scholars possess got precisely never had historically. Religious scholars tin serve an important social together with political business office inwards providing advice, but when they possess got claimed such might over societies, the results possess got ever been catastrophic.
(3.A). Which brings me to the tertiary might conduct take away maintain of past times Al-Azhar together with similar scholarly bodies. They claimed that their mission together with might is universal, which agency non entirely that they tin opine on how legislation that claims to locomote consistent amongst Shari`a should locomote framed, but likewise that they possess got might over our daily lives correct hither inwards Houston, TX. Unfortunately, they produce indeed possess got this might over many of us, but entirely because nosotros select to give it to them.
Now, I render to the horrific terrorist assault on the Egyptian mosque before today. For nearly 2 decades, "religious scholars" of Al-Azhar together with other reputable institutions possess got assured us that terrorism cannot locomote to a greater extent than distant from the teachings of Islam. What is needed, they proceed claiming, is to a greater extent than empowerment of their construct of religious scholarship inwards monastic tell to defeat the warped logic of terrorist groups. And it is, indeed, they who possess got been called upon, repeatedly, past times political regime worldwide to reform religious discourse, etc.
The catastrophic terrorist attacks inwards Al-Azhar's backyard today tin entirely hateful i of 2 things:
(i). They produce non possess got that universal might to guard Islam every bit they possess got claimed, because the terrorists are acre non mindful of their edicts to refrain from terrorist activities, and/or
(ii). They produce possess got that might together with they possess got failed us miserably inwards using it.
Either way, they demand to alter their discourse that the solution to our global employment of Muslim terrorists is farther empowerment of their institutions together with their type of "scholarship".
Either way, they demand to alter their discourse that the solution to our global employment of Muslim terrorists is farther empowerment of their institutions together with their type of "scholarship".
I desire to locomote clear on i thing, the Shaykh-ul-Azhar, Dr. Ahmad El-Tayeb, who read this declaration inwards August, is i of the most scholarly together with decent people who possess got ever lived. The employment is that he belongs to an institutional together with intellectual framework statically anchored inwards early on medieval times, together with hence fundamentally incapable of helping us to bargain amongst the problems of modernity.
Let me illustrate this signal further, during the remaining time, together with at my lowly social pay grade. On the number of inheritance, which was the starting fourth dimension addressed past times President Al-Sibsi together with rebutted harshly past times Dr. El-Tayeb on behalf of Al-Azhar, I want to refer to a legal conference that I attended terminal calendar month inwards Chicago (National Association of Muslim Lawyers, or NAML, annual conference).
At a session on identify unit of measurement law, I observed every bit lawyers offered multiple familiar solutions to parents who were bespeak how to bargain amongst the explicit rules of inheritance inwards the Qur'an, which mandate that a immature lady would inherit one-half of what her blood brother would. The lawyers went through the usual ancient together with modern methods: give her to a greater extent than during your lifetime, constitute a identify unit of measurement trust or corporation amongst equal benefits, etc. This is the "knowledge" that nosotros possess got received from "religious scholarship."
One lady inwards the audience interjected words to the next effect: "But yous don't empathize my problem! I am fully convinced, inwards this twenty-four hours together with age, that it is fundamentally immoral to give my immature lady less than I give her brother. But I likewise experience that it is fundamentally immoral to say that the poesy is valid inwards my province of affairs together with and so purpose the legal tricks yous are suggesting to circumvent it. Either way, I experience that I volition locomote doing something deeply immoral, together with cannot escape the guilt."
The Chair of the conference, Dr. Asifa Quraishi, who teaches Islamic together with Constitutional Law at the University of Wisconsin (I received her permission to quote her) asked the lawyer-panelists why they possess got non contemplated precisely proverb that the rules of inheritance inwards the Qur'an were component subdivision of a larger system, wherein a estimate would enforce fiscal back upwards for women if they needed it from manful somebody relatives, etc. In the absence of that amount scheme of laws, together with the concomitant cultural norms non to circumvent it, it does non construct feel to apply the rule.
This is an opinion that several scholars had suggested over at to the lowest degree over the past times century, including most famously Mohammed Arkoun together with Khaled Abou El Fadl, amid many others. The lady who had asked the inquiry seemed much to a greater extent than comfortable amongst that approach, because it didn't outcome inwards whatever guilt. The lawyers implied that they would non experience comfortable expressing such an opinion.
I should advert likewise that the 2nd number raised past times President Sibsi, together with rebutted harshly past times Dr. El-Tayeb, regarding Muslim women marrying non-Muslim men, had been similarly contested past times scholars who would locomote considered "non specialists" past times Al-Azhar. They had argued that the Qur'an explicitly introduced symmetry inwards the prohibition of Muslims marrying polytheists [2:221]:
and although an explicit exception is made for Muslim males to get hitched amongst a adult woman "of the Book" (which was expanded inwards sure instances to include Zoroastrians together with Hindus), but didn't offering a similar exception for women, the logic used past times scholars to justify denying women the same correct is paternalistically flawed: They debate that a Muslim human being is required to permit his Christian or Jewish married adult woman to exercise her religion, but they fearfulness that a Christian or Jewish married adult man volition non permit his Muslim married adult woman to exercise hers.
This is grounded inwards a social together with legal framework that is alien to most of us today, so the scholars' claim to monopoly on such religious-legal edicts is deeply problematic. By failing to render convincing arguments inwards both cases (inheritance together with intermarriage), "religious scholars" feed Muslims' religious insecurities, guilt, together with cognitive dissonance, which are sure responsible for convincing closed to demented people that the entirely way to alive their Islam fully is to render to the norms of the 7th century.
This is grounded inwards a social together with legal framework that is alien to most of us today, so the scholars' claim to monopoly on such religious-legal edicts is deeply problematic. By failing to render convincing arguments inwards both cases (inheritance together with intermarriage), "religious scholars" feed Muslims' religious insecurities, guilt, together with cognitive dissonance, which are sure responsible for convincing closed to demented people that the entirely way to alive their Islam fully is to render to the norms of the 7th century.
Thus, nosotros possess got seen that "religious scholarship" lies at the meat of our difficulties every bit modern Muslims, whether at the macro level, dealing amongst the global scourge of Muslim terrorism, or at the micro aeroplane of our identify unit of measurement affairs. Readers of this weblog volition locomote familiar amongst my similar arguments nigh the incoherence of classical Islamic jurisprudence inwards the historic stream of fiscal engineering.
It is fourth dimension for "religious scholars" to acknowledge their failure together with engage gild amongst greater humility nigh their levels of "knowledge," inwards monastic tell to start a fruitful conversation on how to bargain amongst the problems (both large together with small) of Islam together with modernity.
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