T HE War within Islam: Niyaz Fatehpuri’s struggle against Islamic Fundamentalism by Juhi Shahin is a collection of writings by one Niyaz Fatehpuri (1884-1966).
Fatehpuri was the publisher of a monthly magazine called Nigar, which became a hot pot of literary and religious discussion in its time. The book is an attempt to bring to light the unique and forward thinking views of Fatehpuri to a generation far removed from its own intellectual heritage and its own language, Urdu. The book walks the reader through the life of Niyaz Fatehpuri, but dwells much more so on his religious views.
As I approached this book, I did so with little if any knowledge of the subject-person. However, as I read the meaty chapters of the book, namely those directly based on Fatehpuri’s religious views, the book grew more interesting. Fatehpuri was one of the few intellectuals of his time who actively opposed the theocratic principle, the formation of a religious elite (the ulema) and the formation of a separate Muslim state. Instead of the practices, he focused on the moral values prescribed by religion. Most of his words revolve around akhlaq, the practice of virtue, and he actively questioned the overemphasis on archaic practices.
He even went so far as to question whether religion is a creation of man; that is an interpretation of the inspiration bestowed on man by Allah. Though Fatehpuri’s knowledge of religion was well-established and his faith in God unquestionable, he nevertheless reasoned that religion served a purpose to society which could only be borne out through human intellect. Unlike many of his contemporaries Fatehpuri asserted that religion was a completely rational vessel, which could evolve and grow alongwith the capacity of the human race.
http://newageislam.com/an-ode-to-debate-in-islam!-/the-war-within-islam/d/1247
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