IJTIHAD

In response to:MYTHS ABOUT ISLAM

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 12:11:54 +0100

Please refer to this link to find out the real facts instead of the myths you prefer to believe:

marriage with Hazrat Aysha:
http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=375

Quran:
http://www.islam4all.com/new_page_32.htm

Best,

In response to:MYTHS ABOUT ISLAM

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 20:47:08 +0100

what rubbish.

your so called prophet muhammed married a six year old girl and had sex with her when she was nine. there were 14 versions of the koran floating about hundreds of years ago, so it is hard to believe that what is recorded is the "whole picture". at best the koran is mixture of old teachings and fables.
islam - peaceful, what rubbish you want to dominate the world. why are we kafirs if all humans equal.

In response to:Ijtihad: A report

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 02:02:49 +0200

Thank you for your recommendation. I will post a link on this blog.

In response to:Ijtihad: A report

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 23:07:45 +0200

Salam,

I think you might find "Ijtihad: Its Meaning, Sources, Beginnings and the Practice of Ra'y" by Muhammad Ibrahim Jannati, a good explanation of ijtihad. It is posted on my blog:http://alshia.blog.co.uk/main/

quick link:
http://www.blog.co.uk/main/index.php/alshia?tag=Ijtihad

ws

In response to:Ijtihad: A report

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 15:09:54 +0200

salaam,

thank you for sparing the time to reply to my post thinkingpeace.

I agree with you on the principle of Islamic unity. My point is that there are lots of uninformed Sunnis Muslims, who for various political rather than sound theological reasons want to re-open Ijithad. This is quite different from the views expressed by the serious Sunni scholars like Dr. Qaradawi.

I see no problem with a Sunni of any of the four recognised schools of jurisprudence switching to the Shi Ja'fari school of jurisprudence where ijtihad is alive. If Sunnis want to re-open ijtihad and not join the Shia, then we are talking of a new school of jurisprudence. This new school would not currently be within the fold of Islam, the Al-Azhar would have to approve it, for it to be recognised as a legitimate school of Sunni Jurisprudence. There is a considerable difference between Dr. Qaradawi founding a school of jurisprudence and Manji.

This then is not a national project but something very significant. If the Western Sunni Muslims were to adopt Ijtihad as a progressive alternative to the traditional school of jurisprudence, this could well amount to what would be a heresy within Sunnism.

With regard to Iran; I disagree that it is totalitarian, it is a modern Islamic democracy and if it is more of the case of the West being anti-Islamic thus anti-Iranian than the other way around. But it is true that Iran see Islam as the appropriate body of law and model of governance for the Twentieth-First Century. The role of ijtihad and Taqleed is central to Iran.

I think that some of the misconceptions about Ijtihad within modern Sunnism are worrying, there are far too many political organisations and unscrupolous individuals who wish to present ijtihad as something that it is not. Take Irshad Manji for an example: a woman with no theological or scholastic background within Islam, advocating that ijtihad, is something that all Muslims can do, regardless of knowledge.

If she understood the science and scholastic tradition of ijtihad, she would be most disappointed becasue it could never lead to "sane" Mujtahids re-interpretating the Sharia in the way that she would want. Homosexuality, the necessity of the Hijab, the age of marriage cannot be re-interpreted to fit Western secular and irreligious values.

regards

Babak

In response to:Ijtihad: A report

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 12:37:51 +0200

Dear Babak,

Salam.

Thank you for your comments. Firstly this article is not mine and the views shared in this article do not necessarily match completely with mine. I have posted this article to make people aware of what different groups are upto.

I agree that that the Shias generally seem to have a more alive intellectual tradition and outlook nowadays compared to us ‘Sunnis’. I for myself just like to call myself plain Muslim. I feel that no man-made system is perfect and we need to keep working to come closer to the Islamic principles by devising better governments. It has been observed in some sections that Iran government is totalitarian and imposing at times and its extremely hostile stance to anything western is not the perfect attitude either. In any case Pakistanis who are neighbours with Iran need to go beyond the Sunni-Shia divide and adopt closer ties to Iran. Pakistan can definitely get help in the education and other sectors from Iran. Since we are both in the UK, I’ll keep in touch with you.

Allah hafiz.

thinkingpeace

In response to:Ijtihad: A report

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 07:44:29 +0200

Salam

Ijtihad is still practiced by the Shia, who account for approx 15% of the Muslim Ummah.
The fact is that Ijtihad is beyond most Muslims, thus the need to do Taqleed of a Maraja: that is to follow the rulings of a preeminent Mujtihad, recognised as a source of emulation. This is the reverse side of Ijtihad.

Whilst it is correct that the four schools of jurisprudence that are followed by Sunni Muslims, has shut the door on Ijtihad, not mentioned is the fifth school: Ja'fari, although this school of jurisprudence actually practices Itjihad.

Where Sunnisn to re-open the science of Ijtihad, then it would be necessary for the majority to adopt a scholar to follow, least they be led into error.

If one looks at the pre-eminent living Maraji': Ayatollah Sayyed Khamenei, Ayatollah sayyed Sistani and Ayatollah sayyed Fadlallah, one sees that all the issues you raise have already been addressed. Moreover, we see that Islam remains valid and has embraced technological innovations but rejected imperialist and occidental ideologies that are incompatible with Islam.

Former Iranian president Ayatollah Khatemei, describes Iran as a beacon to the World - its model of Islamic democracy is full of vibrancy, and has demonstrated that Islamic governance can work. This model of democracy was itself a form of Ijtihad, the late Imam Khomenei (ra) re-introduced the principle of velayat-e faqih.

There is already a movement within the Sunni sect under the eminent Sunni scholar Dr. Qaradawi, that is bordering on re-opening Ijtihad. However, it would be wrong for anyone to think that Ijtihad is a gateway to progressives or relativism: it is not; rather it is both a science and philosophy.

Whilst there are Mujtihads living in the West, there are no eminent Maraji'. This is significant because not every Mujtihad is capable of issuing rulings for others. This article has little to do with ijtihad and more to do with subverting Islamic core beliefs, using Ijtihad as a vehicle.
For example the role of women, and rues for living in the dar-al-Islam and the dar-al-harb (house of conflict) are clearly defined by modern mujtihads, such as the current living Maraji and the late Khomeini(ra).

w.s.

In response to:Invitation

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:23:00 +0200

Btw,

regarding 'extremism'. I wrote a piece on it that disputes the general application of such a term. Basically, most extremist behaviour cannot be construed as such when couched within a capitalist/nationalist framework of being.

To the site administrator, I'm not trying to use your site as an ad. Just an attempt to further understanding of this most interesting issue, which, sadly, the western media is appreciating with the historical myopia that necessarily comes when we view the here-n-now as natural.

http://the-heretic.blogspot.com/2005/08/fallacy-of-extremism-return-of-sans.html

In response to:Invitation

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:18:59 +0200

"People become bigots when there is something that scares them and do not
understand and because of the increasing violence that is attached to it ...

First one must understand why people become bigots...I think mostly it is
because of ignorance."

Theah,

Just a thought,

Amongst others, the fusion between the practice of culture and a culture of practice increases propensities towards various forms of bigotry. The practise of culture means simply just that. The latter however contains implicit or explicit directives coercing conformance and regimentation .

Whilst the practise of culture can descend to a culture of practise due to propensities towards the familiar and formulaic, the additonal component of the 'culture of practise' exacerbates matters. This basically means that people will be resistent to any form of change or difference, be it in terms of ideas, persons, etc. A good example is chinese culture.

In response to:Terrorism: A Return To Jahiliyya

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 08:02:48 +0200

The world of Islam is one that has been adapting to the national world's refusal to bother about the 100s of thousands of deaths of its family members simply because it is not encompassed within their idea of a state.

'Jihad' is 'Patriotism' without the Nation-State. 'Jihad' is also due to 'Patriotism' of the Nation-state that divided the singularity of the value of human life by the illusory borders of nationalism.

Personally, i support neither. But i do know that the latter necessarily gives rise to the former. Time to get rid of the Cause.

In response to:MYTHS ABOUT ISLAM

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 07:47:30 +0200

I am impressed with your description of Islam. I have read a couple of books on Islam and also the Qur'an, and your essay gives me greater knowledge and understanding.

Regards
Dawn

In response to:Invitation

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 22:42:10 +0200

We westerners have a lot of prejudice, I read about the Vietnam, Japanese and Korean dilemma that came off the wars, till these days people (and especially from the USA) still point to anyone from the Asian race with hatred and racist remark. There isn't much help from the government to change that around the world.

These days anyone that would look like an Arab even if he or she is not, would get a nasty look.

Just after September 11 somewhere in Detroit, a man was stoned because he looked like an Arab, but he was Mexican and a faithful Christian among other things. He has spend a week in the hospital recovering from wounds, he almost died. I have heard of many of those incidents.

In response to:Invitation

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 15:36:50 +0200

I think you article was very insightful, informative and very well written.

Thanks for the information.

In response to:Words of wisdom

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 14:26:13 +0200

Yeah, I know. The world media also has a role in perpetuating the myth also. It is indeed mind numbing the way there is silence in the world media over extra-judicial executions, kidnappings, subjugation and occupation of the Chechans by the Russian government over all these years. To add insult to injury the only thing that people seem to know about Chechens is with reference to the Beslan school atrocity. I totally condemn the use of violence especially against non-combatants. However we need to bring justice to the Chechens who have been brutalised by the Czars, Stalins and Putins for the last 400 years.

In response to:Words of wisdom

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:59:05 +0200

It is a shame so many people are falling for the myth of Islam as the 'evil religion'. Me and a friend encountered one such guy and recorded it in a blog;
http://www.blog.co.uk/main/index.php/trixta-x

In response to:Invitation

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 12:57:56 +0200

Yeah, I agree with you. Not many people are trying to understand the situation. The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) conducted a survey in the wake of the 7/7 bombings. The survey asked various questions about the definition and causes of extremism and suggestions for improving the situation. However the outcome of the survey has been presented to blame the generally Islamophobic or Anti-Islamic media coverage and the rising frustration among the Muslims with the British foreign policy.

Although there is no doubt about these are issues, one felt that FOSIS would use the survey to give a better insight into the situation. I myself am concerned about these issues but that does not motivate me towards suicide bombing or joining shady hate-mongering groups. We need to pinpoint and address the flaws with the thinking of sections of Muslims themselves. If students have any other complaints or suggestions, they should be presented clearly. It is time we stopped living in denial and adopted a more self-critical approach.

In response to:Invitation

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:48:11 +0200

People become bigots when there is something that scares them and do not
understand and because of the increasing violence that is attached to it ...

First one must understand why people become bigots...I think mostly it is
because of ignorance. I have no bigotry because I am trying to understand humane
reaction.

My simple theory is:
To start, and recognize the problem is to let people talk and stop pointing
fingers, of course you will find this in the minority.

Thea

In response to:Invitation

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 06:15:27 +0200

Hi thinkingpeace
Theah has visited my site too, in which Muhammad and the Quran are discussed. I started this writing in order to find out about Islam, and to escape from being a bigot.

Regards
Dawn

In response to:Invitation

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 01:30:39 +0200

Well one concern when I started this blog was the increasing bigotry and intolerance among a portion of the Muslim community and also among sections of other groups which is not helping the global situation at all.

What have you been studying in theology?

In response to:Invitation

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:51:13 +0200

What a lovely idea!

I'm all ears, when do you start and on what theme? ..

Get a topic up, you're going to save up a lot of time - I was about to do the same...

I study theology and I'm extremely curious to read all aspects to all religion!

Thea