Adjusting To Modernity: Sultan Shahin Tells An American Audience What Can Be Done To Reverse The Trend Of Muslims Accepting Radical Ideologies

By Sultan Shahin, Founding Editor, New Age Islam 12 January 2022 ---------------------------------------------------------------- What can be done to reverse the trend of Muslims accepting radical ideologies? By recognizing that while the Quan’s text is eternal, its interpretation has constantly changed, and this has direct implications for the Sharia (Islamic law). The reigning theology contradicts modern pluralism and so needs to be adjusted. What efforts toward such an adjustment are Muslims taking? What has been accomplished? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Full Text Of Mr. Sultan Shahin's Talk Followed By A Transcription Of The Question And Answer Session Radical ideology is far more powerful and well-entrenched today than it was on 9/11. So-called Islamic State may have lost territory, but radicals have gained new territory in Afghanistan, and Africa. ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to preach their venomous ideology and attract educated Muslim youth. One of their main targets now is Indian Muslims, whom they are trying to incite for Jihad against their own government through their new propaganda organ Voice of Hind. Many blame US foreign policy mistakes post 9/11 as part of the reason behind their increased strength. But I don’t buy that. There is a reason why. I was based in London as a journalist in the 1980s. I had a chance encounter with a radicalised Muslim youth in Nottingham in the winter of 1986-87. He was trying to convert the children of a friend to Ahl-e-Hadeesim, a Salafi sect supported by the then Saudi regime. According to him, Ahle-Hadeesis were the only true Muslims. I asked him what he thought of other Muslims. He said they are the first and foremost enemies of Islam. But they constitute 99 per cent of the Muslim community, how will you deal with them, I asked him. “Kill them,” was his unhesitating response. This set me thinking. After all, this was only a young student. Something is going on in my community of which I am not aware, I thought. I had never associated Islam with extremism and violence. I started investigating this phenomenon and discovered that already 60 to 70 per cent of Muslim students in most UK universities had acquired an extremist medieval mindset under the influence of a charismatic Salafi Omar Bakri who later became spokesman for Osama bin Laden. This was early 1987, so I can’t accept that what is happening today is merely because of post 9/11 mistakes. Islam has now become almost synonymous with terrorism. Does this bother Muslims? Some Muslims, yes, they are bothered. But not the traditional Muslim Ulema. They may not say this publicly but seem to agree with the radical narrative in principle. As Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi had said in 1940s, "Islam needs to conquer the whole world, not a part of it." According to radical theologians while Islam can allow non-Muslims to live and practice their religion, it cannot allow them to be in positions of power, much less to perpetrate atrocities against Muslims; it cannot allow them to dominate the Muslim powers as they are doing now. What is the secret of radical Islamism's success? Its strength lies in the fact that it is based on unquestionable early Islamic history, and not just Islamic scriptures. Scriptures many do not understand. But history everyone can relate to. Scriptures may lend themselves to various interpretations. But established history remains the same. Wars against Kafirs, Mushriks, Apostates. All these actually happened in the seventh century C.E and Muslims were victorious, at a time when they were very weak. Muslims destroyed the two reigning superpowers. The then world order was overturned. Within a century after its advent Islam started ruling from Spain to borders of China. An atheist like India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru called it a miracle. Now radicals claim they have again defeated two superpowers. This is another miracle, they claim, and only establishes the power of their faith once again. They feel vastly empowered with the turn of events post 9/11. What, if anything, are the moderate Muslims doing to reverse the trend, to prevent further radicalisation. As a global community, Muslims have encouraged their religious scholars, the Ulema, to issue fatwas against terrorism. Practically every Muslim religious institution has issued such a fatwa. Some of these fatwas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been signed by hundreds of thousands of clerics. They all passionately declare Islam a religion of peace and denounce terrorism. But these fatwas have not worked. And they will not work. There are very clear reasons why. One, these fatwas are mostly rhetorical statements and do not question the foundations of the radical narrative. The Jihadi theology is a theology of consensus. It has evolved out of opinions of scores of revered Ulema of all sects of Islam over the last 1400 years. It cannot be countered merely by rhetorical statements like Islam is a religion of peace. All that most fatwas do by way of refutation of terrorism is present a popular quotation from Quran (5:32) saying killing even one innocent person amounts to killing humanity and saving one person amounts to saving humanity. Two, the Jihadi narrative cannot be countered by a fatwa that itself seems to agree with the fundamentals on which that narrative is based. Let me give you a concrete example. As many as 126 reputed moderate ulema from around the world, scores of them from the United States, wrote an Open Letter to the self-styled Khalifa Baghdadi denouncing his activities in August 2015. This 14,000-word fatwa was considered a big breakthrough, raising expectations, but 40,000 educated Muslim youth joined ISIS the same year from 86 countries around the world. Apparently, this well-publicised fatwa from eminent scholars of all sects of Islam, representing the moderate voice of the global Muslim community, had no impact. I had written a 2,000-word critique of this Open Letter pointing out why it will fail. This is available on my website. But I will share with you some of the reasons I had cited. This Open Letter actually made the Jihadi task easier by saying: "... everything in the Qur’an is the Truth, and everything in authentic Hadith is Divinely inspired." It also says: “Hadith is akin to revelation," even though these so-called sayings of the Prophet were written down up to 300 years after his demise.” This is precisely what Jihadis too tell our youth. These 126 Ulema also imply that the Quranic verse (2: 256) “there is no compulsion in religion,” may well have been abrogated by later militant verses in the Quran. They clearly agree with the militant Doctrine of Abrogation according to which militant verses that came later in Madina abrogated the earlier Makkan verses of peace and tolerance. Just one militant verse (9:5) alone is said to have abrogated 124 peaceful verses revealed in Makka. Similarly, the moderate Ulema say: "Hudud punishments are fixed in the Qur’an and Hadith and are unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law," thus accepting the basic premise of the Baghdadi tribe about a Sharia that is mostly based on 7th century Bedouin Arab mores, and was first codified 120 years after the Prophet had passed away. Also, the renowned moderate Ulema accept the supposed obligation to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk, polygamy, that is idolatry. What right do Muslims today have to destroy idols worshipped by people of other religions? Even Bamian Buddhas had survived 1300 years of Muslim rule. And so have worship places of other religions across the Muslim world. This completely obliterates the difference between moderation and extremism. What more would terrorist ideologues need by way of support from mainstream and moderate Islam. The problem with the theologians is that they have read and teach the same traditional theology on which the Jihadi narrative is based, so they cannot go beyond merely questioning its tactics, implementation, timing, etc. Now, in the remaining few minutes, I would like to share with you a few points of what I think should be the counter-narrative which will strike at the very root of the Jihadi theology. This counter-narrative is consistent with Islamic teachings and can be made acceptable if presented to the masses of Muslims properly, bypassing the theologians. Fortunately, we do have the technological means today to reach the masses of Muslims with a counter-narrative without having to approach mosques and madrasas run by traditional Ulema. 1. Qurʾān has been created by God. It is a collection of verses that were revealed to Prophet Mohammad initially in Makka. These Makkan verses teach us peace and harmony, good neighbourliness, patience, tolerance and pluralism. These are the foundational and constitutive verses of Qurʾān. They constitute the fundamental message of Islam. 2. Qurʾān also contains many contextual verses, the war-time instructions, for instance. Such verses are no longer applicable to us Muslims today. 2. The Doctrine of Abrogation, as defined by radical ideologues, is a false doctrine. God cannot be giving orders only to abrogate them later. So the militant Medinan verses of war have not abrogated the earlier peaceful and pluralistic Makkan verses. 3. God does not prescribe any punishment for blasphemy and apostasy. Nor does He authorise any human to punish anyone for Kufr or shirk. So, if at all any such 'crime' has been committed, in the eyes of theologians, the punishment has to be left to God. 4. We are now living in the world of modern nation-states; our international relations are guided by the charter of United Nations which has been signed by all Muslim states. So, all talk of performing Jihad at least once a year should cease. 5. There is no scriptural sanction for the call of a global Khilafat. Modern pluralistic states are very much in tune with the first Islamic State evolved by Prophet Mohammad under his constitution called Meesaq-e-Madina. 6. Modern Democracy is a fulfilment of the Quranic exhortation of Amrahum Shoora Bainahum (42:38). So, Muslims should try and strengthen democratic institutions. 7. Islam is primarily a spiritual path to salvation, one of the many (Qurʾān 5:48), not a supremacist political ideology. As Qurʾān came to confirm all previous faiths, we can only accept and respect all other religions as paths to the same divinity. 8. The Doctrine of al-Wala wal-Bara (Loyalty and Disavowal for the sake of God alone) as propagated by radical elements is misconceived and impractical in the present highly complex and intricately interwoven global society. I keep explaining these and similar points to my readers, hoping that common Muslims will consider them and a consensus will gradually evolve. ------ A Transcription Of The Question And Answer Session Moderated By Stacey Roman Of Middle East Forum ( Slightly Edited For Clarity) Stacey Roman : Wonderful. Thank you so much. We have the first question from Jeffrey Norwoods. Islam demands adherence to the Medina and the rule of Abrogation. How can the Muslim world deny the specific words of Muhammad and not be apostate? Sultan Shahin: With an unstable internet connection, I did not get your question fully, but I think you're probably talking about Makkan and Medina verses, the difference between them. Is that so? Yeah. What happens is that the Jihadi viewpoint and the traditional Islamic theology also is that since the Medina verses of war came later, so they have abrogated the previous Makkan verses of peace. Makkan verses had come at a time when Muslims were very weak. They were very few in number. They were living in Makka, and they were besieged by them. And so on. We didn't have a state of our own. We didn't have the power to fight. And so these new verses that came in Medina have abrogated the previous verses. However, this is a very false doctrine. And for moderate Ulama, as I told you, to support this doctrine of abrogation just amounts to supporting the theology of Jihadis. It is their theory. It suits them. How can one verse 9:5 contradict and abrogate 124 verses of Quran, which came earlier telling Muslims about coexistence and plurality and accepting other religions. La Ikraha Fiddin, for instance, there is no compulsion in religion. It is one of the main pillars of moderate Islam. This is how we present Islam. And also this is how we can live today in the modern world. We just cannot live in a world in which religion is by compulsion. You cannot convert people, compel them to convert to Islam or force them. That is something impossible. So we Muslims have to come out and say all these things out aloud and repeatedly and reach our common masses, as I said, bypassing the theologians because they are never going to accept. As I gave you the example of these 126 Ulama who are very renowned as moderate Ulama, very well respected by governments around the world, and some of them, scores of them actually are in the United States itself and Europe and other parts of the world. And they are saying, as I have explained to you, the same thing that the Jihadi theology is saying, they are actually strengthening their theology instead of refuting it. Stacey Roman: Thank you. Arnold Cohen asks, does the law of the nation state in which Muslims reside take precedence over Islamic law? What is the relationship of Islamic law and the law of the nation in which Islam is practiced? Do the answers differ depending upon the particular strain of Islam which is being observed? Sultan Shahin: Islamic law, as I said, was codified 120 years after the Prophet’s demise, and since then it has been changing. It is different from country to country. Even today, the different Muslim countries have different laws. Some of them practice only the family laws and nothing else. Most of them actually only practice the family laws. And even there are differences. Pakistan, for instance, which claims to be an Islamic Republic, has itself changed, modified and reformed Islamic law, even the family law. Even things like triple talaq law, for instance, which is considered part of the Sharia law, although it is not, it cannot be by any means. There is no sanction for that in the Quran. So there is no point in insisting on Sharia, and it is absurd living in Europe and wanting to establish Europe as a Sharia controlled zone. I was living in the UK and once found a part of East London declared by extremist Islamists as a Sharia-Controlled zone.What kind of nonsense was that? So these kinds of things that Muslims keep saying and the Jihadis have convinced some Muslims that it is their duty as Muslims to enforce Sharia on the world and that every society in the world should be following Sharia laws. And it is our duty to say that this is all absurd. And we have to say this again and again, repeatedly. And you see in a way which is consistent with Islamic scriptures. We can say these things by remaining within the Quran and Hadith perimeter. Stacey Roman: Thank you. Robert Slater asks, does Sufi Islam come closer to some of your positions? Sultan Shahin: Not Sufi theology? There are two things in Sufi Islam. One is the behaviour, the conduct of the Sufi Masters, the way they treated non-Muslims. In fact, many people converted to Islam because of their treatment, in countries like mine, for instance, where there was untouchability and things like that and these Sufis invited everybody to come and sit down with them and dine with them on the same table, etc. So it was their behaviour. They made Khidmat-e-Khalq which is service of humanity as the cornerstone of Islam. Then they also went for what is now considered as a derivative from Vedas, which is Monism, not monotheism, but monism, that God is everywhere and God is in all of us. And we are all made of the same divine Godly stuff. So we are all one. So this was the message of the Sufis, some of them, you know about that, some of them were crucified for this by the Muslims themselves. So this is what the Sufi conduct is, the Sufi Masters and how they behave. And that's how we have so much respect for Sufism also. But then there is also Sufi theology. There are Sufis who have tried to reconcile the Sufi theology with traditional Islamic theology, and they more or less say the same things. In fact, you will find that all schools of Islamic thought, including the Shia and all within Sunni Islam, all of them -- when it comes to the question of Islam, Islam's relationship with non-Muslims, Islam supremacism, exclusivism and xenophobia within Islam, they all come together. They all say more or less the same things, maybe sometimes using some different words and some different terminologies, but essentially the same thing. And Sufi theology is also no different. So when there was a big international Sufi conference in Delhi a few years ago, I had written a long piece, an Open Letter, requesting Sufi theologians to consider these issues and bring their theology in line with modernity and in line with the conduct of Sufi Masters themselves. Stacey Roman: Thank you so much. Yosef Tiles asks, Since much of the Quran speaks about punishment and torture of infidels, would it be possible to change the Quran with a more moderate sacred book? Sultan Shahin: No, I mean, you can't change the scriptures. There are so many scriptures in the world and all of them say things that you don't like and which are not compatible with modern sensibilities. You cannot change them. But what you can do. And as far as the Quran is concerned, my view has been for decades now that we should tell our people that some of these verses are contextual verses. In any war when there is a war, we do not know today exactly how this war happened. You see, even in recent events, we sometimes disagree with how things happened, what actually happened, so if something happened in a desert village 1400 years ago in Arabia at that time, we do not exactly know how things happen, why things develop, the way they develop, why God felt constrained to give the kind of orders he did. But these were wartime instructions. And in any war, this is common sense. Anybody would understand that any war order is given to kill the people. What do you do in a war? You kill people, you fight with them, you defend yourself, you try to protect yourself and you kill in that process, et cetera. So these orders are given in every war. Even in future wars, there will be orders given to the military to kill people. But then the moment that war is over, those instructions lose their value and applicability. How can instructions given 1300 years ago in a war that took place in a village in a desert be applicable to us today? What is the point of that? What kind of sense does that make? So we cannot remove verses from the Quran, for that matter, we can't do that from any scriptures. There are many scriptures and all of them contain things that are not acceptable to us today. But what we can say and this is the truth also that these verses are no longer applicable to us Muslims today. This is something that every Muslim should understand. This is the message with which we should go to the Muslims, common masses. Ulama, I am very disappointed with them. I have been dealing with them. I argued with them for decades now and I'm very disappointed that these people are simply not able to understand even matters of common sense. You just can't talk to them. They said, oh, this is in the Quran. And they say the Quran is uncreated, which means it is like God. It is an aspect of God. So you just cannot discuss the Quran. And this again is absurd because the Quran is not a book that fell down from heaven, one fine morning. It is a collection of verses, instructions that came to the Prophet from time to time for over two decades in bits and pieces. And they were basically advising the Prophet as to how to tackle a certain situation that had arisen. That situation no longer exists. There is a whole section in Islamic theological training, you go through studying Shane Nuzul, which means the context, which means how and why this verse came. What time did this verse come? What was happening at the time when this verse was revealed? Now, what is the point of understanding and studying Shane Nuzul, If you don't also say that since that context no longer remains, these verses are no longer applicable; this should be, you know, the logical conclusion. Stacey Roman: Thank you. Yes. Your point early on about the scriptures being up to interpretation, but history being undeniable was fascinating. Jeffrey Norwood follows up on that the Quran is perfect and eternal. Isn’t challenging the historic accuracy of the Quran apostasy? Sultan Shahin: There are questions about how it was collected. It was collected ten to twelve years after the demise of the Prophet in the form in which it exists now. And there have been some questions about, there have been found some pieces of Quran which seemed to differ a little bit in grammatical form, qir'at et cetera from the Quran that is considered the authentic one today by all Muslims. They do not change the meaning. And it seems that there is not much difference of opinion on this except that some people will always question. Anything that happened 1400 years ago in a very uncertain situation will be questioned and can be questioned. And people have questioned that. But the thing is that Muslims had even memorised this right there and then when the verses were revealed, it was written down as well as memorised by many people. And so many people would not have allowed Hazrat Usman, the third caliph, to give a very different version of the Quran. However, in Islamic theology itself, in the Islamic literature itself, you find some narrations which say that some verses of the Quran have disappeared. About one Surah it is said it was as big as Surah Baqarah, but retains only half of it, et cetera. So there are these questions that have arisen. Muslims have themselves recorded these down very honestly. All these questions that have come and they are there and they are even taught in Madrasas. There are several books that are taught which talk about these things and they are there. But by and large. There is not much question about the authenticity of Quranic verses. Stacey Roman: Thank you. And In our last minute here, can you just tell our viewers a little more about your website? Sultan Shahin: Well, my website, I started it in 2008 and what we try and do is to refute the arguments made in Jihadi websites point by point and of course there are also some articles and statements but this is one of the things that we do. When we started doing that our site was banned in Pakistan, unfortunately. Pakistan claims to be fighting extremism itself. But what happened was that there was a magazine Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad published by the Taliban and printed and distributed free of charge to Pakistanis. It is also available on their websites. It once published a series of articles justifying the killing of civilians according to Islamic theology. So we picked that up, and we started refuting every point that they were making, point by point. This didn't suit some people and the Pakistani government first banned the Urdu articles, then they banned the English ones, then they banned the whole Urdu section and then they banned the whole website, and today you can't read our website in Pakistan. We are also a multilingual website, we publish and translate our articles in Urdu, Hindi and Malayalam which cover areas where there is a great deal of radicalization in India and we also have articles in Bangla, Assamese and Tamil, and you know, Kannada, etc, but few. (We also used to translate in French and some articles are still there in the French section.) We have not yet been able to find the right translators for those languages but we are trying to reach as many people as we can, through these translations. Stacey Roman: Thank you so much for speaking about newageislam.com. Thank you some much Mr. Sultan Shahin for joining us today. Sultan Shahin: Thank you very much. I would like to appeal to you and to your viewers to visit my website and contribute in terms of articles, as well as comments. We debate issues. There are hundreds and even thousands of comments on an article sometimes. And I would like your viewers to also contribute articles and comments. Thank you very much indeed. ---- Radical ideology is far more powerful and well-entrenched today than it was on 9/11. So-called Islamic State may have lost territory, but radicals have gained new territory in Afghanistan, and Africa. ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to preach their venomous ideology and attract educated Muslim youth. One of their main targets now is Indian Muslims, whom they are trying to incite for Jihad against their own government through their new propaganda organ Voice of Hind. Many blame US foreign policy mistakes post 9/11 as part of the reason behind their increased strength. But I don’t buy that. There is a reason why. I was based in London as a journalist in the 1980s. I had a chance encounter with a radicalised Muslim youth in Nottingham in the winter of 1986-87. He was trying to convert the children of a friend to Ahl-e-Hadeesim, a Salafi sect supported by the then Saudi regime. According to him, Ahle-Hadeesis were the only true Muslims. I asked him what he thought of other Muslims. He said they are the first and foremost enemies of Islam. But they constitute 99 per cent of the Muslim community, how will you deal with them, I asked him. “Kill them,” was his unhesitating response. This set me thinking. After all, this was only a young student. Something is going on in my community of which I am not aware, I thought. I had never associated Islam with extremism and violence. I started investigating this phenomenon and discovered that already 60 to 70 per cent of Muslim students in most UK universities had acquired an extremist medieval mindset under the influence of a charismatic Salafi Omar Bakri who later became spokesman for Osama bin Laden. This was early 1987, so I can’t accept that what is happening today is merely because of post 9/11 mistakes. Islam has now become almost synonymous with terrorism. Does this bother Muslims? Some Muslims, yes, they are bothered. But not the traditional Muslim Ulema. They may not say this publicly but seem to agree with the radical narrative in principle. As Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi had said in 1940s, "Islam needs to conquer the whole world, not a part of it." According to radical theologians while Islam can allow non-Muslims to live and practice their religion, it cannot allow them to be in positions of power, much less to perpetrate atrocities against Muslims; it cannot allow them to dominate the Muslim powers as they are doing now. What is the secret of radical Islamism's success? Its strength lies in the fact that it is based on unquestionable early Islamic history, and not just Islamic scriptures. Scriptures many do not understand. But history everyone can relate to. Scriptures may lend themselves to various interpretations. But established history remains the same. Wars against Kafirs, Mushriks, Apostates. All these actually happened in the seventh century C.E and Muslims were victorious, at a time when they were very weak. Muslims destroyed the two reigning superpowers. The then world order was overturned. Within a century after its advent Islam started ruling from Spain to borders of China. An atheist like India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru called it a miracle. Now radicals claim they have again defeated two superpowers. This is another miracle, they claim, and only establishes the power of their faith once again. They feel vastly empowered with the turn of events post 9/11. What, if anything, are the moderate Muslims doing to reverse the trend, to prevent further radicalisation. As a global community, Muslims have encouraged their religious scholars, the Ulema, to issue fatwas against terrorism. Practically every Muslim religious institution has issued such a fatwa. Some of these fatwas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been signed by hundreds of thousands of clerics. They all passionately declare Islam a religion of peace and denounce terrorism. But these fatwas have not worked. And they will not work. There are very clear reasons why. One, these fatwas are mostly rhetorical statements and do not question the foundations of the radical narrative. The Jihadi theology is a theology of consensus. It has evolved out of opinions of scores of revered Ulema of all sects of Islam over the last 1400 years. It cannot be countered merely by rhetorical statements like Islam is a religion of peace. All that most fatwas do by way of refutation of terrorism is present a popular quotation from Quran (5:32) saying killing even one innocent person amounts to killing humanity and saving one person amounts to saving humanity. Two, the Jihadi narrative cannot be countered by a fatwa that itself seems to agree with the fundamentals on which that narrative is based. Let me give you a concrete example. As many as 126 reputed moderate ulema from around the world, scores of them from the United States, wrote an Open Letter to the self-styled Khalifa Baghdadi denouncing his activities in August 2015. This 14,000-word fatwa was considered a big breakthrough, raising expectations, but 40,000 educated Muslim youth joined ISIS the same year from 86 countries around the world. Apparently, this well-publicised fatwa from eminent scholars of all sects of Islam, representing the moderate voice of the global Muslim community, had no impact. I had written a 2,000-word critique of this Open Letter pointing out why it will fail. This is available on my website. But I will share with you some of the reasons I had cited. This Open Letter actually made the Jihadi task easier by saying: "... everything in the Qur’an is the Truth, and everything in authentic Hadith is Divinely inspired." It also says: “Hadith is akin to revelation," even though these so-called sayings of the Prophet were written down up to 300 years after his demise.” This is precisely what Jihadis too tell our youth. These 126 Ulema also imply that the Quranic verse (2: 256) “there is no compulsion in religion,” may well have been abrogated by later militant verses in the Quran. They clearly agree with the militant Doctrine of Abrogation according to which militant verses that came later in Madina abrogated the earlier Makkan verses of peace and tolerance. Just one militant verse (9:5) alone is said to have abrogated 124 peaceful verses revealed in Makka. Similarly, the moderate Ulema say: "Hudud punishments are fixed in the Qur’an and Hadith and are unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law," thus accepting the basic premise of the Baghdadi tribe about a Sharia that is mostly based on 7th century Bedouin Arab mores, and was first codified 120 years after the Prophet had passed away. Also, the renowned moderate Ulema accept the supposed obligation to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk, polygamy, that is idolatry. What right do Muslims today have to destroy idols worshipped by people of other religions? Even Bamian Buddhas had survived 1300 years of Muslim rule. And so have worship places of other religions across the Muslim world. This completely obliterates the difference between moderation and extremism. What more would terrorist ideologues need by way of support from mainstream and moderate Islam. The problem with the theologians is that they have read and teach the same traditional theology on which the Jihadi narrative is based, so they cannot go beyond merely questioning its tactics, implementation, timing, etc. Now, in the remaining few minutes, I would like to share with you a few points of what I think should be the counter-narrative which will strike at the very root of the Jihadi theology. This counter-narrative is consistent with Islamic teachings and can be made acceptable if presented to the masses of Muslims properly, bypassing the theologians. Fortunately, we do have the technological means today to reach the masses of Muslims with a counter-narrative without having to approach mosques and madrasas run by traditional Ulema. 1. Qurʾān has been created by God. It is a collection of verses that were revealed to Prophet Mohammad initially in Makka. These Makkan verses teach us peace and harmony, good neighbourliness, patience, tolerance and pluralism. These are the foundational and constitutive verses of Qurʾān. They constitute the fundamental message of Islam. 2. Qurʾān also contains many contextual verses, the war-time instructions, for instance. Such verses are no longer applicable to us Muslims today. 2. The Doctrine of Abrogation, as defined by radical ideologues, is a false doctrine. God cannot be giving orders only to abrogate them later. So the militant Medinan verses of war have not abrogated the earlier peaceful and pluralistic Makkan verses. 3. God does not prescribe any punishment for blasphemy and apostasy. Nor does He authorise any human to punish anyone for Kufr or shirk. So, if at all any such 'crime' has been committed, in the eyes of theologians, the punishment has to be left to God. 4. We are now living in the world of modern nation-states; our international relations are guided by the charter of United Nations which has been signed by all Muslim states. So, all talk of performing Jihad at least once a year should cease. 5. There is no scriptural sanction for the call of a global Khilafat. Modern pluralistic states are very much in tune with the first Islamic State evolved by Prophet Mohammad under his constitution called Meesaq-e-Madina. 6. Modern Democracy is a fulfilment of the Quranic exhortation of Amrahum Shoora Bainahum (42:38). So, Muslims should try and strengthen democratic institutions. 7. Islam is primarily a spiritual path to salvation, one of the many (Qurʾān 5:48), not a supremacist political ideology. As Qurʾān came to confirm all previous faiths, we can only accept and respect all other religions as paths to the same divinity. 8. The Doctrine of al-Wala wal-Bara (Loyalty and Disavowal for the sake of God alone) as propagated by radical elements is misconceived and impractical in the present highly complex and intricately interwoven global society. I keep explaining these and similar points to my readers, hoping that common Muslims will consider them and a consensus will gradually evolve. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/multimedia/modernity-sultan-shahin-american-audience-radical-ideologies/d/126142 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Rich and Liberal Ideas of the Muslim Faith: We Ought To Show Compassion To Gay Individuals

By Junaid Jahangir, New Age Islam 12 January 2022 Imam Daayiee Abdullah Rejects Patriarchy As A Cultural Construct, For “During The Lifetime Of Prophet Muhammad, Women Gained Significant Freedoms, Including The Right To Choose Their Husbands, The Right To Divorce, And Inheritance Rights” Main Points: 1. Progressive Islam is concise, written simply to be accessible, and reasonably priced to be affordable for a wider audience. 2. Rampant homophobia among Muslim scholars, let alone the masses, would not allow a dispassionate look at the subject. 3. In telling his story and his understanding of Islam, the Qur’an, and the Prophet, he allows us a glimpse of his inner world. ------- Progressive Islam by Imam Daayiee Abdullah Abdullah, Daayiee. (2021). Progressive Islam: The Rich Liberal Ideas of the Muslim Faith. MECCA Institute Publishing. 186 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0578851372, paperback $5.23 ---- Introduction Imam Daayiee Abdullah, the world’s first openly gay black Imam and founder of the MECCA Institute, published his book Progressive Islam last year. It is concise, written simply to be accessible, and reasonably priced to be affordable for a wider audience. Often books on progressive Islam are written for the academic market and are exorbitantly priced, which push them beyond the reach of everyday Muslims. Therefore, his book is a much-needed welcome addition in the Muslim market. I came to know of Daayiee in 2004 when I had begun to read about the position of gay Muslims in Islam. This was a year before same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2005 and a decade before the same in the U.S. in 2015. It was long before the Orlando gay bar shooting of 2016, which incentivized western Muslim leaders to condemn homophobic violence if only to protect their own vested interests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Why Accommodating Gay Rights within Islam is a Challenge? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back then, I was affiliated with Qur’anic studies scholar, Dr. Shehzad Saleem, as his research assistant for the Renaissance monthly magazine. He was quite gracious to publish my article, where I argued that while homosexuality was a sin, we ought to show compassion to gay individuals. While this position of tolerance is mainstream in Muslim cultures today, at least in western countries, back then my article was met with intense scorn. It informed me that rampant homophobia among Muslim scholars, let alone the masses, would not allow a dispassionate look at the subject. Imam Daayiee Abdullah, the world’s first openly gay black Imam ---- To date, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, the chief scholar who influenced many of my teachers including Dr. Shehzad Saleem and Dr. Khalid Zaheer, maintains the erroneous view that homosexuality is a result of childhood incidents (alluding to sexual abuse), in contrast to the mainstream position of professional bodies of psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians and medical doctors. Though, at least the topic is talked about today for the issue was a taboo back in 2004. This is why it was amazing to find out that there was an Imam, who did not preach that homosexuality is an Azmaish (test) but rather blessed Muslim same-sex unions. Unlike Sufi masters and Muslim celebrity speakers with YouTube channels, Daayiee does not make supernatural claims or puts himself on a pedestal with a large following of minions. Additionally, he seems more interested in offering his perspective on progressive Islam than engaging in counterproductive Munazaras (debates) that have come to define the religious sphere in the Indian subcontinent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: ‘Gay Rights’ Versus The ‘Human Rights Of Gays’ – A Fresh Insight Into The Broader Message Of The Qur’an ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indeed, from what I know of him for more than a decade, he is a simple, kind, and sensitive human being despite his larger-than-life physical appearance. While I have my own outlook on Islam, I honour him for his humanity and for being a beacon of hope where many others succumb to societal prejudice. In this spirit of honouring him, I highlight a few salient ideas below that emerged from my reading of his book. The Black Gay Imam The book is a blend of how Daayiee embraced Islam, his relationship with the Qur’an and how it informs his worldview, and his lived experience as a black gay Muslim. In telling his story and his understanding of Islam, the Qur’an, and the Prophet, he allows us a glimpse of his inner world. This honesty is refreshing because so many Muslim scholars, academics, and celebrity cult speakers hide their insecurities behind their titles and positions of privilege. But Daayiee speaks to his audience as a peer instead of speaking down from a pedestal. Sometimes, I wonder what reception he would have received from the larger Muslim community had he been a straight, blue eyed, white skinned convert. For I often ponder how white converts assume positions of privilege and power based on the internalized racism of brown skinned Muslims of Middle Eastern and South Asian origins. I think had he not been black or gay, Daayiee’s story of conversion would have been universally spread across Muslim communities. He writes that despite being baptized in the Southern Baptist denomination and expected to see Jesus as a saviour or God, he never did (p. 31). He mentions how his connection to the Qur’an allows him to grow spiritually and writes about his conversion that “I eventually had my Iqra moment … I felt my breath taken away. I was in such a state that there was no time or physical presence; I felt in the fullness of my soul that I had connected with my Creator and was at total inner peace” (p. 46). Growing up in the pre-civil rights era, he writes about how “people were afraid of integrated education, integrated neighbourhoods, and any form of equality between whites and blacks” (p. 72). I found his description of that time quite moving of how “blacks were brutally attacked by individuals, mobs, the police forces with dogs and guns” and how “the state and federal government turned a deaf ear” (p. 72). It is important to remember this history, as it made black people “rethink the idea of a common Saviour” after both Malcolm X and Dr. King were murdered, and as history repeats itself where black people are blamed for “the burning of ransacked shops and businesses” even as “it was probably white police provocateurs inciting the riots” (p. 72). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: The Holy Quran: Why Were The Verses On The People Of Lut Revealed? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daayiee’s words made me think of how people are oppressed and then blamed for their own oppression. This victim blaming the black people also holds true for poor people who are blamed for their poverty. It also holds for gay people, whose legitimate human need for intimacy, affection, and companionship are first rejected and who are then judged as sinners and accused of bringing misery upon themselves. Daayiee’s experience of racism was only compounded by homophobia. He writes about his lover who committed suicide that “he was a black gay boy in a world that did not want him to be either of those things; the non-blacks rejected his blackness, and the blacks rejected his gayness” (p. 114). And this homophobia followed Daayiee when he converted to Islam. He didn’t chase the title of an Imam, but it came to him as he was “pushed to become an imam … when a gay Muslim was denied their last rites” (p. 115). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: To Sustain an LGBTQ Affirming Islamic Discourse, Lateral Violence Must End ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In essence, regardless of the reaction of the larger Muslim community, I think Daayiee’s story of a black gay man who was born before the Civil Rights act of 1964, his conversion to Islam and subsequent stepping into the role of an Imam who offered compassion when none was shown, deserves a documentary of its own. Dispelling Casual Islamophobia Daayiee’s simple and concise book is useful against casual Islamophobia where, ignoring the socio-economic and political conditions, Islam is simplistically reduced as the factor responsible for the problems in Muslim countries. He writes that Muslim communities suffer from “theocratic dynasties, monarchies, colonialism, despots, and extremists”, and from “cultural conflicts” and “political wounds” that “date back to Prophet Muhammad's death”, which “were further strengthened through European colonialism and modern dictatorships” (p. 12, 113-114). Daayiee does not delve into topics like the age of Aisha and the massacre of the Banu Qurayza, issues that have been addressed ad nauseum, and which take away time and effort from the pressing concerns of economic inequality, automation, climate change, and weakening democratic norms. He spends less time on apologetics and more on building an affirmative narrative. He alludes to how the Prophet’s “new religion challenged the very foundation of Mecca’s pilgrimage economy”, which rested on “trading in human slavery, including sex slavery … blood feuding between the tribal groups, female infanticide, … the rich taking advantage of the poor through usury and other forms of oppression” (pp. 34-35). He rejects patriarchy as a cultural construct, for “during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad, women gained significant freedoms, including the right to choose their husbands, the right to divorce, and inheritance rights”, whereas “in the United States, it was not until the mid-1800s that women were allowed to sue for divorce” (p. 86). Similarly, he contrasts the Prophet’ saying that “the best women who ride camels are the women of Quraysh” with modern Saudi Arabia, which was able to prevent women from driving cars (p. 86). He upholds a significant insight that it is not about Islam but about how “leaders use Islam to promote or minimize concepts that may intersect with political interests (p. 114). He states that where the Qur’an is “used as a calling card to bring about change in the disenfranchised lives” it is also “used by the ruling classes to maintain their hegemony” (p. 63). What this means is that where Islam is diverse, it is its practitioners who wield it to support capitalism or socialism, dictatorship or democracy, homophobia or affirmation, and patriarchy or liberation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Why Gay Muslims Are Upheld To Standards That Not Even Prophets Fulfil? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daayiee also captures the increased conservatism of Muslims, as they immigrate to western countries. Based on his travels to Muslim countries, he writes that, “I realized the immigrants were not as diverse as those living in their native countries. I suppose this happens to diverse communities of any faith, as we all want to "unite" in foreign countries” (p. 18). This is perhaps what lies behind the increased “black and white” positions of some Muslim youth who grew up in the west, as they rail against the women and LGBTQ empowering norms. In essence, Daayiee’s book helps dispel casual Islamophobia by offering the insight that ignoring socio-economic and political considerations, patriarchal and homophobic norms that run much deeper than religion, and simplistically blaming all problems on a caricatured Islam is reductionist and unwarranted. Additionally, he creates a narrative that draws our attention away from never ending debates on dead-end issues that add no meaning to our lives and towards economic and systemic oppression, which matter. Addressing Muslim Homophobia And Internal Divisiveness Just as racist Islamophobes defend themselves against being called out as racists, so too Muslim homophobes claim that they are not homophobic. Yet, the litmus test of someone being racist or homophobic is simple enough, for many such people are starkly absent when it comes to anti-racism and anti-homophobia initiatives. It is not uncommon to find Muslim leaders, who raise their voices against Islamophobia but who are deafeningly silent when it comes to their own complicity in the oppression of minorities like Ahmadis or LGBTQ Muslims. Daayiee narrates a moving story of the institutionalized homophobia he experienced in the American Muslim community. He glowingly talks about how the late Dr. Taha Jabir al-Alwani (d. 2016) encouraged him to pursue “Islamic Studies, specializing in Qur'anic interpretation” (p. 21). Yet, despite fulfilling the requirements for graduation at the “Graduate School of Islamic Social Sciences, which eventually evolved into Cordoba University”, he was informed that he would not graduate because he was gay (p. 20-22). While Dr. Taha informed him “that he was against the administration's decision”, Daayiee “heard from the school that they were considering issuing” his certificate but would not maintain his records at the school (p. 23). This is unthinkable in this day and age when institutions support equal opportunities for minorities. Yet, just two decades ago, Daayiee could not get his certificate because “it was a Saudi funded school”, which “could negatively affect their future funding” (p. 23). Moreover, even though many Muslims like to claim they are not homophobic, Daayiee was refused internship at a mosque, as the Imam did not want him there just because he was gay (p. 22). Such issues are not unique to the Muslim community. I am reminded of a Christian case where Delwin Vriend was fired from the King’s College, which is now the King’s University, a private Christian institution in Edmonton, Alberta. Today, the same institution proudly supports its LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty. Unfortunately, such is still not the case with Muslim institutions across North America. I think part of the reason is the constant infighting and divisiveness within progressive Muslim communities. Daayiee writes that the “Progressive Muslim Union of North America or PMUNA ... was an impressive group” that supported progressive thinking and LGBTQ Muslim rights, but “there began schisms within the membership, and eventually, the infighting tore the group apart in 2006” (pp. 24-25). He reiterates generally that “progressive organizations disbanded one after the other because the members had disagreements on certain topics” (p. 107). I have noticed this even within the marginalized LGBTQ Muslim community where lateral violence and scathing criticisms burn individuals out. In the end, it is not only conservative Muslims but rather the progressives who, by chewing each other out, impede effective change in Muslim communities. Addressing this concern on divisiveness, Daayiee recognizes that “a significant number in the community” are “still dealing with multiple levels of internalized trauma”, which is “linked to the complex nature of reconciling ancient cultures with modern realities” (p. 115). He argues that we will have to create and highlight values to “overcome division” and to remind people that “commitment to the group’s values” does not lessen “their individual growth” (p. 107). In essence, Daayiee’s story reminds us that a lot remains to be done in the Muslim community that rightfully challenges Islamophobia but casually ignores the entrenched homophobia within its own institutions. To this end, his book informs us that LGBTQ and progressive Muslims would first have to overcome division among themselves and commit to cooperation if they hope to change the status quo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: The Quran on Homosexual Relations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Qur’anically Inspired Vision For Change Daayiee does not allow himself to be bogged down by the division within progressive Muslim communities for his anchor is the Qur’an and his direct relationship with Allah that countenances no intermediaries. He writes that “in building my personal relationship with my Creator, I am not so easily swayed to believe that I must mimic Prophet Muhammad’s practices of the 7th century” (p. 32). In support of his position, he quotes “Ibn Khaldun, who said, “[Deliberately] following ancient customs and traditions [of a faith] does not mean that the dead are living, but that the living are dead” (p. 32). He remains rooted in his personal connection with the Qur’an and gives it precedence over the secondary sources of Islamic knowledge including the Hadith and Tafsir (commentary). Alluding to the late Gamal al-Banna (d. 2013), he writes that “he is well known for removing some 600 Hadiths from Bukhari alone, saying they were fabricated and unsuitable for keeping in the book” (p. 39). Similarly, he writes about Tafsir that it “tends to be a domain of male academic theologians and a relatively conservative field” (p. 69). Daayiee is clear in his approach that while “the Holy Qur'an represents the divine message from our Creator, it is the human interpretation that makes it what it is in the Muslim communities” (p. 51). He writes that “the personal relationship with the Qur'an is what also makes it a fundamental tool for change ... there is a call for unity through the concept of human diversity leading back to the same historical ancestor. Concepts like this have the power to eliminate ugly aspects of human history such as racism, xenophobia, and imperialism (p. 111-112). He set outs a Qur’anically inspired vision for change, as he writes that “some of these Qur'anic messages include that there is no compulsion in religion, to care for members of society, honor one’s commitments, honesty and fairness through dealings, not kill unjustly” (p. 75). He continues that “these ethics are not limited but can also include much larger societal issues such as environmentalism, religious pluralism, freedom of expression, politics, animal welfare, peace and justice, human welfare, military ethics, as well as various medical ethics” (p. 75). Daayiee shows how the wisdom from the ancient text manifests in contemporary times. He writes that “the code of human rights we find in the United Nations is as Islamic as anything else” and reiterates that “the Qur'an, in verse 21:92, commands us to acknowledge our unity and God. In the 20th century, by creating the United Nations, it seems that humans attempted to fulfil this commandment” (p. 75-76, 104). In essence, Muslim readers gather that if God has not spoken to human beings since the Prophet, he has also not abandoned them, for the Qur’anically inspired vision for change manifests itself through the United Nations and therefore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Conclusion In conclusion, Daayiee has written a book that showcases the story of a black gay Muslim who was thrust into the role of an Imam because others were too homophobic to show any compassion. It shows how Islamophobia is dispelled less by engaging in apologetics and more by offering a liberating narrative that draws Muslims away from incessant dead-end debates and focuses their attention on the pressing issues of our times. It shows that internal division would have to be overcome through values for a progressive vision of Islam to thrive. Finally, it shows that a Qur’anically inspired vision for change manifests in contemporary times through the United Nations and therefore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One hopes that his message receives the wide readership that it deserves, for where pessimistic Muslims are consumed by the fear of calamities, pandemics, and the end of the world, Daayiee’s optimistic approach reminds us of the Hadith to plant a tree even if the world comes to an end. ------ Junaid Jahangir is an Assistant Professor of Economics at MacEwan University. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions. With Dr. Hussein Abdullatif, a paediatric endocrinologist in Alabama, he has co-authored several academic papers on the issue of same-sex unions in Islam. He contributed this article to NewAgeIslam.com. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/daayiee-muslim-faith-gay-individuals/d/126139 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Causes of Downfall of Muslim Community: How To Regain The Honour and Progress

Muslims Who Excelled In The Sciences And Arts Were Admired By People From All Walks Of Life All Around The World Highlights 1. When did the Muslim Ummah start to fall apart? 2. There are numerous reasons for the Muslim Ummah's collapse. 3. Muslim backwardness has also been attributed to a lack of interest in education and technology. 4. We would not be in such a state of deterioration if we were real believers. 5. In today's Muslim community, moral values guided by Islam are on the decline. ---- By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam, New Age Islam 12 January 2022 When did the Muslim Ummah start to fall apart? Nothing can be said for definite, but history shows that the Muslims began to decline in every sector around the end of the twelfth century, when they endured political and military collapse and became stagnant, leaving the road of research and writing, ijtihad, and inventions. The Muslim Ummah plunged from here, having attained the zenith of development in technology, industrialization, civilization, culture, sciences, and arts. There are numerous reasons for the Muslim Ummah's collapse. The main reasons are: lack of religious education, faith weakness, Muslims attacking one another, failure to judge with justice in affairs, adopting extremist attitudes, distancing oneself from wisdom, not caring about Haram and Halal, lying, betrayal, lack of sincerity and love, unjust occupation of one another's property and lands, lack of respect for saints and religious leaders, increase of enmity, doing religious work for the sake of fame, and in short doing what is forbidden in Islam, etc. We will discover that we are not sincere believers if we analyse our beliefs today. We would not be in such a state of deterioration if we were real believers. Today, oppressive rulers are imposed on the Muslim Ummah in various parts of the world because Allah Almighty says that if the Ummah is involved in evils, an oppressive ruler will be imposed on it, but if they come out of the mire of evils and walk on the path of goodness, they will be protected from the tyrant rulers. Our obsessions with worldly issues, as well as our ignorance of the light of faith, show that our faith has weakened significantly. So, first and foremost, we must illuminate our faith and belief within our hearts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Had Muslims Gone For Universal, Modern Education There Would Have Been Peace in Islamic Societies and the World, Not Terrorism and Militancy, Either Religious or Social -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Distancing From Education Muslim backwardness has also been attributed to a lack of interest in education and technology. Even small nations are developing through education today all throughout the world. Muslims, on the other hand, are at a disadvantage in terms of education and technology. Muslims who excelled in the sciences and arts were admired by people from all walks of life all around the world. There are 57 Islamic countries that are autonomous and independent. Their overall population is estimated to be around a hundred billion people. An estimated 40% of the population is illiterate. The entire manpower in the disciplines of science and technology in these Islamic countries is only about 8 million, or about 4% of the global population working in these fields. Every year, about 100,000 scientific books and 2 million scientific articles are published around the world. While there are fewer than a thousand scientific and research books and articles published each year in Islamic countries. Sectarian Clashes and Disagreements among Muslims Muslims’ backwardness is primarily due to sectarian conflicts and disagreements within Muslims. Allah and His Messenger have constantly admonished Muslims to stay united and avoid strife. Allah said, “Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute, lest you falter and your strength departs; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient” (Al-Anfal 45-46). As a result, disagreement is a source of stumbling and the enemy's win over you. And dispute is a gateway for evil and hate to infiltrate your relationship. There have also been numerous hadiths recounted in this regard. According to a hadith, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) stated, “A believer is like a building for another believer, with each part strengthening the others” (Sahih). Despite all of these commands, the Muslims grew increasingly split, as a result of which they declined, becoming backward in several fields. Decline of Moral Values In today's Muslim community, moral values guided by Islam are on the decline. This has also contributed to their downfall. The renowned historian Ibn Khaldun writes in his work 'Muqaddama,' that a nation that has gained prosperity and advancement in the world is always seen as having good morals, whilst a nation with evil morals collapses. If the Muslim Ummah is to restore its magnificence and avoid the traps of humiliation and dishonour while also ending oppression, it must address the flaws, which can be accomplished through education and reformation. The Holy Qur'an also emphasises the significance of first gaining knowledge and then reforming in accordance with the criteria. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/downfall-muslim-community-honour/d/126138 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 11

By Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, New Age Islam (Translated from Urdu by Newageislam.com) 11 January 2022 Explaining verses 3:151 and 48:20 out of 26 Verses Presented by Wasim Rizvi in Supreme Court Main Points Discussed In Part 11 1. The Quranic commentators [Mufassirin] argue about whether Allah Almighty’s promise (of instilling fear in the hearts of disbelievers) is limited to the day of Uhud or is universal. 2. Most commentators hold the opinion that this divine promise is specific to the day of Uhud. 3. All the commentators agree that verse 3:151 exclusively refers to the disbelievers who spilt the blood of Muslims with tremendous cruelty on the day of Uhud. 4. As all commentators have agreed, the verse (3:151) definitely does not refer to current disbelievers and polytheists in our country or around the world. ------ Allah says in the Quran: (1) “We will cast dread into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they have set up partners with Allah, to which He has revealed no evidence. Their abode is Hell, and what an evil abode of injustice!” (3:151) (2) “Allah has promised you much booty that you will take [in the future] and has hastened for you this [victory] and withheld the hands of people from you - that it may be a sign for the believers and [that] He may guide you to a straight path.” (48:20) In the first verse of this part of the article, Allah Almighty says that the Muslims should not be concerned about the momentary victory and success of the disbelievers and polytheists since He will soon place fear and awe in their hearts, prompting them to abandon the battlefield. Those who are familiar with the Ghazawat history know that in the battle of Uhud, the Muslims initially triumphed over the infidels and polytheists of Makkah and were advancing with triumphant glory, but their victory was turned into defeat due to the archers' negligence and abandonment of the front. As a result, one hundred eight or seventy-four companions [Sahaba] from the Ansar and Muhajireen were martyred. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) sustained injuries himself. His lowest tooth had been sacrificed. His bottom lip was swollen and bleeding. Amr ibn Qamiyyah threw a rock at the Prophet, breaking two links of his helmet and causing him to fall into one of the secret pits dug by the enemies. Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Talha backed him up to stand. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah used his teeth to rip out both links of the Prophet's helmet one by one, losing two of his teeth in the process. The situation was such that Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed's (who did not convert to Islam at the time) invasion threw the Islamic army into disorder and reorganised the infidels and polytheists. Abu Sufyan (who had not yet converted to Islam) and his associates were wandering in the battlefield looking for the bodies of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar. Abu Sufyan climbed the hilltop and asked the Muslims where Abu Kabasha, Ibn Qohafa, and Ibn Al-Khattab were, but no one responded. All were dead, Abu Sufyan thought since if they were alive, they would respond. Hazrat Umar who couldn't bear the silence any longer said, “O the adversary of God! You are a liar because we're all here”. The conversation between the two then went on for a while. Then, when the Muslims were vanquished and their bodies were strewn across the battlefield of Uhud, the Kuffar fled the battlefield with no apparent threats. The reason why the disbelievers fled from the battlefield is that Allah Almighty suddenly instilled such fear and awe in the hearts of the disbelievers and polytheists that their footsteps became detached from the battlefield and they made their way to Makkah. As Allah says: ““We will cast dread into the hearts of those who disbelieve...” (3:151) The Quranic commentators [Mufassirin] argue about whether Allah Almighty’s promise (of instilling fear in the hearts of disbelievers) is limited to the day of Uhud or is universal. Most commentators hold the opinion that this divine promise is specific to the day of Uhud because the earlier verses were only revealed in relation to the fight of Uhud. Then the commentators who believe in such a commentary expressed the state of infusing Muslim horror in polytheists' thoughts. There are two reasons for this. The first is that when the disbelievers prevailed over and defeated the Muslims, Allah implanted fear and glory in their thoughts, enabling them to run away from there without being threatened. Abu Sufyan mounted the hilltop and asked, “Where are Ibn Abi Kabshah (the Holy Prophet), Ibn Abi Qohafa, Ibn Al-Khattab?” as previously stated. Hazrat Umar replied to Abu Sufyan, making him tremble, and Abu Sufyan did not dare to descend from the mountain and move farther towards the Muslims, instead, fleeing to Mecca, saying, “We will return here again next year.” The second reason is that on their trip to Makkah, the disbelievers and polytheists stopped at a location along the path and discussed the possibility of launching a decisive attack upon their return. They were outraged that they had abandoned the Muslims despite their win. The reason for this was that the disbelievers were going to assault and uproot the Muslims, but Allah, praise be to Him, instilled fear in their minds, and they returned to Makkah instead of attacking. This divine promise, according to some commentators, was more generic than specific to the day of Uhud. Despite the fact that this event occurred on the Day of Uhud, these commentators think that Allah Almighty instilled fear in the hearts of disbelievers and polytheists until they were defeated, and Islam triumphed over all religions. Thanks to Allah Almighty's fulfilment of this promise, Muslims governed several parts of the world for centuries, with Islam being triumphant over all religions. Scholars and commentators have debated whether Allah Almighty will create terror in the hearts of all disbelievers, or simply in the hearts of disbelievers and polytheists battling Muslims on the Day of Uhud, based on this verse (3:151). Some scholars argue that this verse is interpreted according to its apparent meaning and that it relates to general disbelievers and polytheists. On the contrary, all the commentators [Mufassirin] agree that it exclusively refers to the disbelievers who spilt the blood of Muslims with tremendous cruelty on the day of Uhud. [See Imam Razi, Tafsir-e-Kabir under the verse 3:151) As all commentators have agreed, the verse “We will put dread into the hearts of those who disbelieve...” (3:151) definitely does not refer to current disbelievers and polytheists in our country or around the world. By the second part of this verse, “...because they have set up partners with Allah, to which He has revealed no evidence...” (3:151), Allah Almighty has stated the reason for instilling fear in the hearts of the disbelievers and polytheists. Allah Almighty has made man the best of all creatures. The intellect and nature do not believe it is proper for a man to worship someone or something other than himself. Allah Almighty created all the strength and magnificence in man's nature. Regardless, if he worships lower-ranking creatures and considers them as his sustainer, providers, and rulers, it is as though he, as a king, has adopted the enslavement of worthless things. Associating someone else in God's worship is the greatest injustice and, without a doubt, the most serious offence, and when the crime is severe, the penalty must be harsh, as God Almighty declares at the end of this verse. 2. “Allah has promised you much booty that you will take [in the future] and has hastened for you this [victory] and withheld the hands of people from you - that it may be a sign for the believers and [that] He may guide you to a straight path..” (48:20) In this verse of Surah Al-Fatah, Allah Almighty promised Muslims a large amount of booty and He has even delivered them numerous spoils of war in a hurry. This alludes to the war spoils that the Muslims received as a result of the conquest of Khyber, which Allah Almighty states in Surah al-Fatah verse 19: "And much war booty which they shall seize." Allah is Exalted in Might and Wisdom forever." (40:19) The Arabic phrase "Maghaanim Katheera" in verse 40:20 refers to the spoils that Allah has set aside for the Muslims at specific times until the Day of Resurrection. And, according to a portion of the Quranic verse, “...withheld the hands of people from you,” who are the individuals whose hands Allah has kept from reaching the Muslims, protecting their lives, property, and honour? There are two points of view in it. The first is that it relates to the people of Khayber and their allies Banu Asad and Banu Ghatfan, with a total number of seventy thousand people in Khyber alone. Less than a month after the Prophet (peace be upon him) came from Hudaybiyyah, a report of the march of the Jews of Khyber arrived. They had joined the Banu Ghatfan tribe's 4,000 men, promising that once Madinah was conquered, they would always give the Banu Ghatfan half of the Khyber’s produce. However, Allah Almighty instilled fear in their hearts, and as a result, they broke their mutual pact. The second view is that it relates to the hands of the people of Makkah. (For more on verse 40:20, read Tafseer Ruh al-Bayaan and Tafsir-e-Abi Saud.) Both sides agreed not to take military action against each other for ten years under the terms of the Hudaybiyyah peace pact. The Muslims benefited from this, as it provided them with an opportunity to take action against the Jews. The Jews of Khyber were quickly discouraged by the prospect of losing support from the people of Makkah and were defeated by the Muslims. The route was paved, and it became evident that the peace pact of Hudaybiyyah was not a defeat for the Muslims, but rather a forerunner to tremendous successes. The portion of verse 40:20 that says, “...that it may be a sign for the believers and [that] He may guide you to a straight path” denotes that after returning from Hudaybiyyah, Allah Almighty gave the Muslims the victory of Khayber and that He gave them many spoils and protected them from the reach of the enemy. There is a sign for the believers in this. This sign alerted the Muslims to the fact that the provisions of the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty ostensibly pointed to the weakness of the Muslims but were actually a prelude to great victories behind the scenes. The conquest of Khayber, as well as the conquest of Makkah, is an example of this. Muslims were allowed to enter the Haram, and both Arabs and non-Arabs were brought under the jurisdiction of Islam. In this way, the Muslims recognised the authenticity of the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) pledge to his companions [Sahaba] while returning from Hudaybiyyah, that this Hudaybiyyah agreement was a clear triumph for them, and that this marked the way to trust and rely on Allah in all situations. (Continuing) ----- Maulana Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, Principal of Madrasa Arabia Ashrafia Zia-ul-Uloom Khairabad, District Mau, UP (India) is a Sufi-minded, well-mannered, classical Islamic scholar, an expert teacher, an excellent writer, a good poet and orator. He has authored numerous books, some of which are as follows: 1) Fazilat-e-Ramazan, 2) Zad-ul-Haramain, 3) Mukhzin-e-Tib, 4) Tauzeehat-e-Ahsan, the commentary on the well-known logical book “Mulla Hasan” 5) Muhazarat fi Halle Qutbi Tasawwurat, 6) Tahzib al-Faraid commentary on “Sharh al-Aqaid”, 7) Atayib al-Tahani fi Halle Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani, 8) Commentary on Sahih Muslim Other Parts of the Articles: The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 1 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 2 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 3 The Verses of Jihad- Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 4 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 5 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 6 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 7 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 8 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 9 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 10 URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/jihad-quran-revelation-context-background-part-11/d/126131 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Emerging Perspective of a Hindustani Muslim on Islam

The Average Muslims Of India Have No Hesitation In Proclaiming Themselves As Hindustani Muslims, Just As Indonesian, Malaysian And Others Do Main Points: 1. Hindustani Muslims are not Arab, Turkish or Persian Muslims. 2. Muslims of India aren’t and can’t be the agents of the Saudi (the Sunni) or Irani (the Shia)-financed factions. 3. Hindustani Muslims would love to call themselves Hindustani ‘nationalist’ Muslims. 4. Socrates, after all, had said unverified faith was not worth following. ----- By Dr Binoy Shanker Prasad, New Age Islam 10 January 2022 Why are they silent?/ Quartz India ---- The average Muslims of India have no hesitation in proclaiming themselves as Hindustani Muslims, just as Indonesian, Malaysian and others do. The Hindustani Muslims are not Arab, Turkish or Persian Muslims. They aren’t and can’t be the agents of the Saudi (the Sunni) or Irani (the Shia)-financed factions trying to create division against their own motherland, Hindustan, and against their own Muslim brethren. And yes, they would love to call themselves Hindustani ‘nationalist’ Muslims too -- they have no sense of shame in doing so. The history of the Indian Independence Movement since 1857 (the Sepoy Mutiny or the first war of Independence) is full of Hindustani Nationalist Muslims: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Humayun Kabir, Zakir Hussain and many more were all glorious representatives of the Hindustani nationalist Muslims. It's only after the Saudi petro-dollar infiltrated into many countries like India that anti-national forces within the Muslim community started springing up. The Hindustani Muslims, in general, gave up the pretense long time ago that they were the descendants of the Arab, Pathan, Mughal or Turk Muslims. Whatever tiny percentage in the beginning, they know they were assimilated with the Hindustani population by marriage, adoption and residency -- Hindustan did become their Madar-e-Watan. Period. Madar-e-Watan is the Urdu translation of Bharat Mata. Then, why will the Hindustani Muslims have any objection in calling Jai to Bharat Mata? Unfortunately, we have a politician Member of Parliament in India who declared that he wouldn't call “Bharat Mata ki Jai” even if his neck was brought under a sword. On the other hand, we have distinguished Muslim public figures across the party lines in India who would never hesitate to say, Bharat Mata ki Jai. If we ask the average Hindustani Muslims who would they like to model after, their emphatic answer will be the latter. A miniscule number of self-styled leaders of the Muslims poison the ears of a vast number of our Muslim brothers and sisters and bring them into unnecessary conflict with the Hindus. There are also a number of strong well-financed and well-oiled fundamentalist Islamic organizations that are active in radicalizing the average Hindustani Muslims. The Hindustani Muslims are also aware of the fact that as long as there was a hostile Islamic State, Pakistan, in their neighbourhood that would always blame India for all its failures and try to win over the Hindustani Muslims on their side, there would be a constant threat of Hindu-Muslim division in India. Then, along with their Hindu brothers and sisters, the average enlightened Muslims also think about reforms in their faith and community. First of all, they have every reason to brag about the fact that the 300 million Hindustani Muslims continue to be the best of all Muslims around the world -- particularly in comparison to the Muslims of the 57 member-countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries). The Hindustani Muslims command a lot of respect in every part of the world because of their serenity and higher level of education and professionalism. The young, educated, enlightened and scientifically analyzing Hindustani Muslims, owing to their shared culture of openness, would agree that there are roughly three categories of Muslims around the world. Mohandas Gandhi, the father of the nation, said, in 1931: "A Nation's Greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members and shows compassion to those who can't protect and fend for themselves." Photo: Ummat.com ----- In the first category, there are Muslims (agnostics, atheists etc.) who don't believe in their holy book, the Quran. They argue it’s eclectic, unorganized, obsolete, full of contradictions, racist-supremacist and, therefore, irrelevant. Despite a few couplets preaching righteousness, they claim, the book dangerously contains seeds of violent conflicts among and between communities. They don't concur with any fundamentalist preaching of Islam. They certainly don't find Muhammad with attributes worth emulating in the 21st Century. This horde of Muslims are the young University educated, smart, articulate rationalists of the post-9/11 generation. They argue if the Islamist regimes were to take off their coercive methods (killing apostates, for example), not only the Sharia-based Islamist regimes but Islam as a faith itself would collapse. They have, thus, turned either atheist, Marxist or Ex-Muslims. The second category of Muslims calls for "contextualizing" the holy book and the faith. They aren't antagonistic to the faith they were born into. They wish and try honestly to persuade their non-Muslim friends to not take Islam as a frightful, dogmatic or intolerant faith. In order to make Islam more acceptable, they aren't averse to introducing caveats, corrections or footnotes extensively in the Quran. By and large, they want Islam to be respected as co-equal with other faiths of the world, it must not be associated with separatism or terrorism. The third category of Muslims emphatically holds that the Quran is the revelation of God, each and every word of it is unalterable, irrefutable and sacrosanct. Therefore, it must not be tampered with at all. They exhort every one to follow Muslims whose sacred duty it is to begin their education or literacy with "Taleem-E-Deen" through the Quran. Their faith (perhaps prompted by the Quran) tells them every one in the world who had been led astray by a different faith would eventually come back to Islam. Every one was born as a Muslim. They call everyone an ‘Islamophobe’ who raises honest doubts or questions. There’s a huge number of Hindustani Muslim authors and Islamic scholars who belong to the second category. They must be commended for at least summoning up the courage to say that the Muslims must take a second look at their scriptures and re-interpret them in the light of the globalized and a wholly changed world since the 7th Century. Socrates, after all, had said unverified faith was not worth following. These liberal, progressive Hindustani Muslims, in the company of their international colleagues, are becoming more assertive and with the apparent theological support and blessings of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS), they are poised to take Islam in a different direction. When that happens, the sustained efforts of movements like ‘New Age Islam’ would come to a fruition. ---- Dr Binoy Shanker Prasad lives in Canada. He is a former UGC teacher fellow at JNU in India and a Fulbright Scholar in the USA. He has taught at Ryerson University, Centennial College and McMaster University. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/hindustani-muslim-islam/d/126119 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

The Perils of Separatism among Barelvis in India

By Mohammad Ali, New Age Islam January 6, 2022 Sunni Muslims In The Indian Subcontinent Are Divided Into Barelvi, Deobandi, And Ahl-E-Hadith Schools Of Thought Main Points: 1. This essay discusses the causes of Barelvi separatism in India 2. It briefly elaborates on the repercussions that have resulted from this separatism 3. And how Barelvis have maintained to sustain this separatism among their community ----- Sunni Muslims in the Indian subcontinent are divided into Barelvi, Deobandi, and Ahl-e-Hadith schools of thought. Fissures between them started appearing during the nineteenth century when some Ulama believed that the decline of Muslim political power and society in the subcontinent was due to the corruption of faith which they found in Muslims’ indulgences in rituals like seeking intercession from the Prophet and dead saints and associating with them supernatural powers that, the reformist Ulama believed, could only be associated with God. This corruption of faith had seeped into their behaviour and made it immoral and unresponsive. ---------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Beyond the Moderate and Radical in Indian Islam ---------------------------------------------------------- Therefore, they strove to restore the purity of faith by reinstating God as the most supreme being, and that his qualities like the knowledge of the unseen, forgiver of sins, etc. could not be shared with any creation, whether it be a prophet or a saint. Among the Ulama who resisted the reformation of Islam into a puritanical one, Ahmad Raza Khan of Bareilly emerged as the most prominent one. He wrote extensively against the reformists and criticized their arguments as un-Islamic. Ahmad Raza believed that God has endowed the Prophet Muhammad, and through him, saints with some miraculous powers and has allowed them to intercede with Him on behalf of sinners. This should be clear that seeking intercession from the Prophet Muhammad and visitation of shrines were age-old practices among Muslims, which Ahmad Raza defended against the reformers. Furthermore, he charged the founders of Darul Uloom Deoband, Qasim Nanotavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Khalil Ahmad, and Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who also advocated for religious reforms, with blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad and declared them as Murtad, meaning by committing blasphemy against the Prophet they ceased to be Muslims. He published his verdict in one of his fatwas, Husamul Harmain, published in 1906. Some of these Ulama were dead already, but who were alive, they along with their followers resisted the fatwa of Ahmad Raza. And they succeeded in doing so, but only in the circles of their followers. The followers of Ahmad Raza continued believing in his fatwa. ---------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Making Barelvis Count: The Sufi Conference in Delhi ---------------------------------------------------------- To make the matter worse, Ahmad Raza inserted a ruling into the fatwa declaring that whoever does not believe in the apostasy of these Ulama would be considered among them, i.e., Murtad, thereby, extending the fatwa not only to those Ulama but the generations after them who did not and do not believe in Ahmad Raza’s fatwa and considered/considers those Ulama as Muslims. Declaring the entire community of Muslims as Murtad was unprecedented in Muslim history. The followers of Ahmad Raza, the Barelvis, took the fatwa literally and anathematized everyone who dared to refuse to believe in Ahmad Raza’s fatwa. Since Ahmad Raza regarded these Deobandi Ulama and their followers as Murtads, he decreed that they are worse than non-Muslims and any social transaction with them is haram/forbidden. I will not engage with the theological underpinnings of the fatwa and arguments of Ahmad Raza here. I only like to discuss the repercussions of Ahmad Raza’s fatwa that have created a separatist and an uneasy extremist life for his followers. Early repercussions of Ahmad Raza’s fatwas started appearing in the form of separatism during the colonial period. Since Ahmad Raza believed that social intercourse was haram with these Murtads, he opposed the movements such as Nadwatul Ulama, Khilafat, and Jamiat ul Ulama-e-Hind. These movements were all-Ulama movements. The presence of Deobandi Ulama and the Ulama who considered Qasim Nanotvi, etc. as Muslims did not allow Ahmad Raza and his followers to participate in these movements. So, he opposed them and their policies. Unfortunately, this separatism resulted in the marginalization of Barelvis in colonial India and in Independent India as well. This fatwa of Ahmad Raza not only stopped them from participating in those mass movements along with the Deobandis and other non-Barelvi Muslims but also did not allow them to engage with them on other levels, i.e., teaching, daily business, community building, etc. This could be illustrated by an incident that I heard in a Taqrīr (religious speech) of a Barelvi ‘Alim, who to demonstrate how compassionate Mustafa Raza Khan, the younger son of Ahmad Raza, was said that once he went to meet one of his disciples whom other disciples had boycotted only because he had been dealing with Deobandis. When Mustafa Raza met him, he convinced him to come back to his circle and reproached his disciples for abandoning him. However, he did not approve of his dealings with Deobandîs. However, the biggest problem of this fatwa resulted in the emergence of a hypocritic behaviour in Barelvis. Because it is really difficult for a common Barelvi to live his life without ever engaging with Deobandîs and non-Barelvis on social levels. Sometimes these engagements demand respect and lead to relationships. Being a Barelvi and respecting a Deobandi is contradictory. For example, there are hundreds of graduates from Barelvi madrasas who are studying in universities. Because of their separatism, Barelvis have a very low representation in universities. As a result, these Barelvi Ulama are left with no choice except to study with the non-Barelvi teachers in universities, which means they need to deal with them, respect them, greet them, and so on. But this contradicts with their Barelvi creed: dealing with non-Barelvi Murtads is forbidden. However, they compromise here with their belief out of compulsion. But when they are in their own circle, they show that they are still true to the teachings of Ahmad Raza and curse those who have violated those teachings, sometimes publicly. ---------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Bizarre Response of a Section of Indian Muslims to the Historical Sufi Declaration of Peace, Pluralism and Moderation ---------------------------------------------------------- I know some Barelvi scholars who are teaching at Jamia Hamdard along with their Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith colleagues, with whom they deal, eat, have developed cordial relationships. But when, as Ulama, they address religious gatherings, they tell people that social interactions and dealings with non-Barelvis are forbidden. This is so hypocritical. Barelvis are Muqallids of Ahmad Raza in his fatwa against the Deobandi Ulama, meaning they do not allow any fresh thinking in these matters. This is also unprecedented. Because in the entire Islamic history, no scholar forced others to believe in his fatwa of apostasy against a certain person. For example, Ulama differed on the issue of declaring Yazid, the Umayyad Emperor, as Kāfir. Those who declared him Kāfir did not condemn other Ulama for not declaring Yazid as Kāfir. Because, to them, declaring someone Kāfir is a delicate matter and requires thorough research. However, Ahmad Raza reduced this matter to Taqlid only, meaning that after his declaration, no fresh research and difference of opinions are allowed in this matter. This Taqlid of Ahmad Raza by Barelvis has elevated him to an extraordinary scholar and imam to an extent that no one can disagree with him in any jurisprudential or theological matters. Whatever he said is considered the final ruling. This behaviour is reflected in extreme levels, like declaring dissidents as Kāfir. Recently, Barelvi Ulama have anathematized an entire Khanqah, Khanqah-e-Arifia at Sayyid Sarawan, Allahabad, and its associates for disagreeing with the fatwa of Ahmad Raza. Even though their disagreement is a result of fresh research and noble intent, that is, they want to reduce the differences among the Sunni Muslims in India. ---------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Who and What is a Deobandi? ---------------------------------------------------------- Barelvis have maintained the status quo for almost a century. But voices of dissents have started emerging within the group. However, to break the status quo, there is a need for a robust interpretation of the issues which have been a bone of contention among the Barelvi and non-Barelvi groups and that should function as a bridge for overcoming differences. This should also curb the potential of extremism which is embedded in the Barelvi separatist ideology. ----- Mohammad Ali has been a madrasa student. He has also participated in a three years program of the "Madrasa Discourses,” a program for madrasa graduates initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA. Currently, he is a PhD Scholar at the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His areas of interest include Muslim intellectual history, Muslim philosophy, Ilm-al-Kalam, Muslim sectarian conflicts, madrasa discourses. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/perils-separatism-barelvis-india/d/126104 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Muslim Obsession with Jewish Conspiracy

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 4 January 2022 Imams On The Pulpit Of The Mosque, Teachers In The Madrasas And Muslim Political Leader Lambastes, Condemns, And Blames Poor Jews For Every Miss Happening In Muslim Countries Main Points: 1. In the United States there are so many interfaith groups wherein Muslims and Jews are participants alike and work together for common interests. 2. Zionism is only a plate form to betterment and work for the benefit of the Jewish community, 3. Zionism is not necessarily against Islam or any other religion and religious community or faith group. ---- Anti-Semitic sign held by a protester at the Columbus, Ohio anti-lockdown demonstration. April 18, 2020Credit: Twitter/@RepWeinstein ----- Since 35 Years past, I have been fed up with the ongoing propaganda about Jewish conspiracies against Islam and Muslims. To my astonishment, I never met any direct sign of any conspiracy. Every imam on the pulpit of the mosque, every teacher in the madrasa, and every Muslim political leader lambastes, condemns, and blames poor Jews for every miss happening in Muslim countries, or Muslim societies. Not only semi-literate mullahs of mosques of different shades sniff Jew’s mischievous plots, but educated Islamists of all hue and colour the world over too are being seen and heard citing all the times this bogey, and thus playing a major role in shaping a negative and parochial mindset in their youth members and young cadres. Which is the common feature of new Islamic literature written in Arabic, Persian, and especially in the Urdu language in general and particularly in the Mideast and Indian subcontinent In 2011 on a fine morning, I found myself in the central synagogue of Washington DC as a participant of a nine-member delegation comprising of Ulema, media persons, and community leaders and activists visiting the USA on a 21 days trip to States on the invitation of US State department. We were warmly welcomed by the chief Rabbi and served with dry fruits and testy eatables which we rakishly enjoyed. In conversation with the rabbi and his office bearers, our group very vehemently raised the Palestine question, and our spokesperson, one Maulana from Delhi, quoting Gandhi’s famous quote” Palestine belongs to Palestinians as Germany belongs to Germans and England to the English” advocated for the Palestinian cause and emphasized on giving their due rights with criticizing Zionist moves in the region. The rabbi very calmly and patiently heard us and answered that Zionism is only a plate form to betterment and work for the benefit of the Jewish community, it is not necessarily against Islam or any other religion and religious community or faith group. So in the United States there are so many interfaith groups wherein Muslims and Jews are participants alike and work together for common interests. Contrasting to this Jewish behaviour I found that when there is a mishap and dreadful incident in any Muslim place, instantly a Jewish conspiracy is on every lip. Even in world tragedies like that of 9/11 or 26/11, London bombing, Bali, Charlie Hebdo killing etc. did not escape the Jewish colour. Take for example the Nine Eleven tragedy there are so many theories still in currency about the Jewish involvement in this inhuman violent, and deadly strike in which 3 thousand innocent people were killed citing that why 3000 Jewish employees were on leave on the same day, though this is a pure creation of fervent imagination not confirmed by any authentic data or credible reporting. Be it Babri demolition on 6 December 1992, Danish cartoons, or ongoing Islamophobia in the world our Maulvis find Jewish hands behind everything. One Urdu writer very bizarrely outstripped all the others in this venture, having written a dozen books on conspiracy theories. To him, all the major historic, religious, sectarian conflicts, political upheavals like Hazrat ‘Uthman’s murder, Umayyad’s fall, Baghdad’s destruction by Hulago Khan, Timor’s sanguine invasions, Ottoman’s downfall, and Arab armies’ trounce by the Israeli army in 1948 and so on all were the handy work of mischievous, hidden Jewish conspirators. Asrar Alam very bizarrely whimsically attributed to Jews all these things without any soundproof or citing any credible reference, and his books are in currency among Ulema, Maulvis, and youth belonging to various Islamist organizations. A reader into his writings would conclude that the evil-doer Jews replaced the God Almighty !! because He is not doing anything in the world, all is done by sinister Jews. In fact, in our religious circles this mind-set is developed by the vast so-called Islamic literature produced chiefly by Islamist ideologues; Maulana Maududi, Syed Qutub, Mohammad Qutub et al. This is also picked by Salafi zealots and fundus of HT whose motif and mission are to re-establish the gone worldwide Islamic Caliphate either with mobilizing general masses or by launching a coup de tête if possible. Some of our madrasa, universities, and colleges have now become the bastions of their gory ideas, harping on their literal interpretations of Islam brainwashing the youth, and indoctrinating the boys and girls in their teenage. The only exceptions I found among Muslim Ulema were Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and a few others. Here some would say that the Quran is also very harsh on Jews and disbelievers alike in compression to Christians whom he profusely praised. As the holy Quran says: Image from dark web discussion board: 'It's not Chinese. It's the Jew flu'Credit: Flora Cassen ----- Surely you will find the Jew and polytheists the bitterest of mankind in enmity towards those who believe. And surely you will find the nearest in affection to the believers those who say: we are Nazarenes.(5:82) Yes, it is true. The holy Quran in some places passed harsh comments on Jewish people, yet these have a context. Quran was revealed in parts, not in Toto, and it was revealed as a guide book for the Islamic movement let by the prophet (pbuh) going under very harsh circumstances, and his reform movement was welcomed neither by Jews nor by the pagan Arabs, so in this background, you should read all the passages of Quran sound very aggressive and hurting regarding Jews, It means that all such comments are only related to prophetic era and to his direct addresses and necessarily should not be taken in absolute and generalized terms. The generalization of fixed verses is a hermeneutic fault our Ulema easily fall prey to. So there is no justification whatsoever, for the dehumanization` of Jews as a whole. which is a common phenomenon and prevalent feature of today’s Muslim mind. And here It must be noted that I am not justifying Israeli occupation of Palestine or her atrocities and war crimes against innocent Palestinian civilians, not at all. I have been writing on Palestinian -Israeli conflict and its dreadful consequences for the past 15 years in Urdu and am fully aware that this is a very complex issue and emotional one too for both communities. Yet one can’t ignore that Noam Chomsky, the great thinker, linguistic luminary, is the greatest critical voice after Edward Said against Israeli and American establishments alike and he is a Jew. And also how can one ignore Uri Avery an Israeli liberal, the most vocal figure for Palestinian rights. Some seven years ago in Delhi, I was editing an Urdu news and views magazine, once one big Maulana from Hyderabad sent me a voluminous Arabic book running into 800 pages for review. Going through the book I noticed the writer mentioned Jews very contemptuously اولاد القردة والخنازير (Children of apes and pigs) on many places.it caused me so much disgust, sadness, and disappointment so I gave vent to my anguish on this sentence in the review I wrote on the book. There is no healthy attitude of condemning the whole nation or community for the crimes of some people or groups belonging to that community. The other important thing and to me the real problem is not the conspiracy of imperialism or the Jews. The real question is why we Muslims fall prey to conspiracies again and again. The reason might be found within us. Malik bin Nabi a noted modern Muslim thinker from Algeria, used to say that we Arabs and Muslims have the potential to fall prey to imperialism. Always blaming another nation instead of one's own crimes, one's own mistakes, and one's wrong policies makes one's own nation mentally ill and no one else be harmed. This is the real problem. We should try to overcome this negative ability. Why we are not realizing the fact that once upon a time Jews also faced the same miserable and wretched situations we are now going under, they survived the Holocaust, yet getting rid of that past ,looking forward went ahead. And thus they learnt their lesson while we haven’t. Very little in number, none the less, ruling the world! ----- Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate with the Centre for promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/muslim-obsession-jewish-conspiracy/d/126090 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Abdul Bari - “A Forgotten Leader of Indian Muslims”

By Mohammad Ali, New Age Islam 1 January 2022 Human Contributions To The Islamicate Civilization Have Been Very Rich And Diverse Main Points: 1. From Arabia to Spain, Iran, and India, literature and fine arts were among the most popular objects of attraction and the ingenuity . 2. Muslims and non-Muslims alike cultivated a good many of literary genres and curated them for later generations. 3. The Tazkira is a reference book not only for the history of the ulama of Farangi Mahal but also for the history of the Muslims’ contribution to learning and the Indian freedom struggle. ----- Ulama-e-Firangi Mahal By Khushtar Noorani ----- Human contributions to the Islamicate civilization have been very rich and diverse. It was embellished by various human expressions that were evolved and nurtured in the Islamic heartlands. Muslims along with non-Muslims living in the Muslim world discovered and developed the skills, techniques, and genius that are instrumental to the development of what we can call the features of civilization, such as science, fine arts, literature, etc. These are some of the features that help determine the advancement of civilization. The more sophisticated they are the more advanced the civilization is. From Arabia to Spain, Iran, and India, literature and fine arts were among the most popular objects of attraction and the ingenuity and energy that were put into them are still manifested by their presence after so many years. Muslims and non-Muslims alike cultivated a good many of literary genres and curated them for later generations. Not only the literary marvels of scholars and poets were preserved but the lives of the geniuses who had brought them into being were also recorded so that people should remember them and applaud their intellectual feats. The efforts of the preservation of the lives of scholars and poets gave birth to a unique literary genre, Tazkira, or a biographical dictionary, developed by the Persianate scholars and made its way later into Urdu as well. The word is derived from an Arabic root word meaning, to remember. This genre flourished in the Indian subcontinent during the medieval and modern periods. Several Tazkiras were written recording the lives of Sufis, Ulama, and poets, such as Tazkiratul Awliya by Fariduddin Attar, Tazkira Ulama-e-Hind by Rahman Ali, Talāmiza-e-Ghalib by Malik Ram, etc. The aforementioned names of Tazkiras are very famous in the literary world. However, there are many Tazkiras that are lost in obscurity and forgotten. They are either extinct or shelved in libraries and archives waiting to be destroyed completely until or unless they are revived again. Khushtar Noorani has revived two of such Tazkiras, Mazharul Ulama fī Tarajim al-Ulama wa al-Kumala (published with a new Urdu title, Tazkira Ulama-e-Hindustan), and Āthārul Awwal min Ulama-e-Farangi Mahal. The latter Tazkira, about whom I will be discussing in this essay, was written in Arabic by Abdul Bari Farangi Mahalli and was first published in 1907 from Matba Mujtabai, Lucknow. Noorani gives an account of the circumstances under which he came across the Tazkira in Raza Library, Rampur, and how he determined to translate and republish the Tazkira, and how he sought to find other manuscripts of the Tazkira from the libraries of Budaun, Aligarh, and Lahore. This Tazkira comprises biographical accounts of 137 Ulama of the prestigious family of Firangi Mahal. This family of Ulama due to its contribution to Islamic learning and education possesses a distinct position in the intellectual history of Islam in the subcontinent. The family traces its lineage back to the notable companion of Islam, Abu Ayyub Ansari. The family appears in Indian history during the time of Aurangzeb. A scholar, Mulla Qutubuddin, whose expertise in Islamic science was admired none other than the Mughal Emperor himself, lived and taught at a small town, Sihali, in the district of Barabanki, UP. An unfortunate event occurred when a mob of miscreants killed him at his house while he was delivering lectures to students. After the incident, Aurangzeb granted the family an empty mansion, which was once used by French traders, in Lucknow. Thereby, the family came to be known as Ulama-e-Farangi Mahal, i.e., the Ulama who live in the Farangi (the Urdu dialect of French) mansion. Mulla Qutubuddin had three sons, and the youngest of them was Mulla Nizamuddin. This Nizamuddin was destined to become a great scholar whose name is immortalized in the curriculum, Dars-e-Nizami, which he designed for madrasa students. The curriculum of Nizamuddin soon become very popular and was adopted by Ulama and madrasas across the subcontinent. It is still in function, of course, with some modification, not just in the Indian subcontinent but in the madrasas of other countries in the world running by the Indian and Pakistani diaspora. Noorani says that the family produced more than two and a half hundred Ulama in its three hundred years of history. They all tremendously contributed to Islamic learning and teaching and wrote hundreds of books. The Tazkira under discussion mentions more than five hundred books of Firangi Mahalli Ulama on various subjects. However, there is not even a single comprehensive history, laments Noorani, on the family of Firangi Mahal (pp.28-29). This realization motivated him to edit and translate the Tazkira into Urdu and publish it. He employed modern and scientific techniques in editing the Tazkira, which discusses in detail in its introduction. As mentioned earlier, the actual Tazkira, Āthārul Awwal min Ulama-e-Farangi Mahal was written in Arabic and spread over 95 pages. Noorani edited the Arabic text and then translated it into Urdu. Both texts he published under a new title, Ulama-e-Firangi Mahal, which is easier and more accessible. Both Arabic and Urdu texts make respectably the second and the third chapter of the book. The fourth chapter comprises the extensive annotations that Noorani have added to explain the actual text of the Tazkira. These annotations are scattered over 107 pages. The annotations help the reader to access the text with much more depth and understanding. At the end of the book, Noorani has added an appendix in which he has given information about the books that Abdul Bari had consulted to write the original Tazkira, an index. Another important feature of this book is its first chapter. Instead of writing an introduction in a traditional sense, Noorani chose to write a lengthy biographical account of the author, Abdul Bari, and entitled it, “A Forgotten Leader of Indian Muslims”. This chapter comprises 73 pages. While discussing the biography of Abdul Bari, Noorani focuses on his achievements in the field of education, and politics and his efforts to unite Muslim Ulama and seek a Hindu-Muslim unity against the British. Abdul Bari was born on April 14, 1878, and received traditional education from his father, elder brother, and other Ulama. Abdul Bari was a bibliophile from a very young age and had amassed a number of books in his library which was the second largest library in Firangi Mahal. He was also devoted to teaching. In 1905, he established Madrasa-e-Aliya Nizamiya, a madrasa that was built on modern standards. When the Balkan Wars started in 1912, Abdul Bari was travelling to the Muslim countries in the Middle East and had a chance to witness first-hand the plight of the Muslim world. After coming to India, he organized Muslims and raised funds to help the injured in the Balkan Wars. He later established Majlis Khuddam-e-K’ābā along with the famous Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali and played a significant part in the formation of the Khilafat Movement and Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He also supported the non-cooperation movement. In the second decade of the twentieth century, Abdul Bari emerged as one of the prominent political and religious leaders in India. He died in 1926. Noorani’s contribution is remarkable in many ways. This Tazkira is not a simple republication. Noorani’s annotations, appendix, and biographical note on Abdul Bari provides the Tazkira with a historical context and make it more valuable. The Tazkira is a reference book not only for the history of the Ulama of Firangi Mahal but also for the history of the Muslims’ contribution to learning and the Indian freedom struggle. Scholars, as well as students of Islamic studies and Indian history, can easily be benefitted from the book. ----- Mohammad Ali has been a madrasa student. He has also participated in a three years program of the "Madrasa Discourses,” a program for madrasa graduates initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA. Currently, he is a PhD Scholar at the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His areas of interest include Muslim intellectual history, Muslim philosophy, Ilm-al-Kalam, Muslim sectarian conflicts, madrasa discourses. Link for the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Ulama-Firangi-Mahal-علما-فرنگی/dp/B08K7FY3WX URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/abdul-bari-indian-muslims-firangi-mahal/d/126080 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism