The Subservient Muslim World - A Laughingstock: Is There Any Hope For A Redemption? Yes!
By T.O. Shanavas, New
Age Islam
25 January
2021
An
electronically transmitted video from an Indian madrasas propelled me to
compose my thoughts here. The spokesperson in this video pleads for the Islamic
education while belittling the parents for expending resources for college
education outside Madrasas. His definition of Islamic education includes only
the 6 article of faith, 5 pillars of Islam, and its related topic.
Such a
definition of Islamic knowledge is not limited to teachers of Madrasas..
Unfortunately, the same disposition exists even among highly educated American
Muslims. These American Muslims, many with doctorate degrees in different
fields of expertise, have a truth tell in the mosques and another in their
external professional lives. The old Latin expressions, “contra evidential
credo (I believe despite the evidence)” and “credo quia evidentia ( I believe
because of evidence)” most accurately differentiate their dual lives.
Moreover,
these scientifically educated Muslims play a pivotal role in making all mosques
and Islamic centers into impervious fortresses against any fresh ideas
including new approaches to the interpretations of the Qur’an. Under the watch
of the educated Muslim class and totalitarian Muslim rulers globally, the
religious body of ulama and fuqaha marginalized scientists and philosophers in
society and led Muslims at large to a terrain of subordination beneath the feet
of the scientifically advanced nations.
Despite the fact that there are so many Muslims in the world, in many
places there is a lack of understanding about Muslim people and Islam Photo
Courtesy ADL
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The
dialogue between God and Prophet Abraham in the verse 2:260 lays out an
important article of faith that Muslims ignore, or the Islamic scholar decry
and suppress. The verse reads: And when Abraham said, 'My Lord, show me how
Thou wilt give life to the dead,' He said, 'Why, dost thou not believe?' 'Yes,'
he said, 'but that my heart may be at rest.' Said He, 'Take four birds, and
twist them to thee, then set a part of them on every hill, then summon them,
and they will come to thee running. And do thou know that God is All-mighty,
All-wise.'” ( وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ). This verse is revealed not to discredit or
project Prophet Abraham as a weak and shaky believer, but as an important
message to the Muslims. This verse grants Muslims the freedom to confront and/or
cross-examine even the most knowledgeable and/or to demand evidence supporting
an opinion. Here the prophet and the Kalil (friend) of God demands evidence to
satisfy his rational mind. So, the verse demands critical thinking in all
matters from Muslims.
Unfortunately,
critical thinking Muslim children are told in mosques by Imams, and teachers
that science is based on theories not on fact. Parents echo same language at
home to suppress inquisitiveness when
children notice conflict between what is taught in mosques and schools. As
these children grow up as adults they recreate and perpetuate a similar Muslim
community as happens today, i.e., a Muslim community subservient to a shrewd
scientifically advanced external world.
I hold the
view that education in medicine, engineering, astronomy, and all basic sciences
are also fundamental to Islamic education. Why?
1. Quran 3:191: “Who remember Allah while
standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens
and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly;
exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of
the Fire.”
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
The Quran
(3:191) demands from Muslims to reflect on God’s creations and to make a dua:
“رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ” (“Our Lord, You did not create
this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of
the Fire.”). God here warns Muslims of retribution ( عَذَابَ النَّارِ ) for
ignoring His command.
2. Quran 42:29: “And of His verses ( آيَاتِهِ ) is the creation of the heavens and earth and
what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He, for gathering them
when He wills, is competent.”
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ جَمْعِهِمْ إِذَا يَشَاءُ قَدِيرٌ
Here in
this revelation, God reveals that heavens and earth are verses ( آيَاتِهِ) for human to read, reflect, and
benefit. In other words, the universe is a Divine Book with messages written
in material medium while the Quran is a
Divine Book in human vernacular. So, a parallel reading of both Books is
crucial to capture the true meaning of the revealed divine messages. The author
of both Books is the one and the same, i.e., the Omniscient, and therefore the
meaning of the messages cannot conflict. If we detect a conflict in the
meanings between the Books, it is our faulty reading, not the fault of the
Book, and so we are commanded to reread both Books carefully and repeatedly
until the meaning of both Books complement each other as suggested in the verse
67:3.
“who
created seven heavens one upon another. Thou seest not in the creation of the
All-merciful any imperfection. Return thy gaze ( ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَر ); seest thou any flaw?”
الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِنْ فُطُورٍ
All
scientific knowledge is basically the unravelled mysteries of the created
world. We humans, mostly non-Muslims, unravelled a little of the revealed
knowledge, and codified into 3 disciplines—Physics, Chemistry, and Biology and
its subclasses. For example,
Quran
29:20: “Say [Muhammad to your people]:
"Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so,
will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah has power over all things.”
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ۚ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنْشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
In the above
verse, there are at least 3 messages for
Muslims and humanity at large:
(a) God gave us the potentialities and
faculties to unravel and understand God’s process of creation. Otherwise, God
would not have commanded us “فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ (see how I create.”
(b) The verse commands, سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ (“Travel through the earth see how”). It
signals that God has given His vicegerent (Khalifa) all the necessary tools in
the earth to decode the Divine process of creation.
(c) It is a God assigned chore for Muslims to
explore and learn the process of creation because the verse asks Prophet(s) to قُلْ “Say” [Muhammad to your people] “Travel through
the earth see how I create…” Unfortunately, contemporary Muslims with few
exceptions ignore the assigned task.
While
non-Muslim world ceaselessly probes the Divine process of creation refining
their understanding of the physics, chemistry, and biology from the verses ( آيَاتِهِ) in the Book, the universe, we
Muslims reject science claiming that scientific theories contradict our
traditionally held meaning of the time-unbound Divine revelation.
Non-Muslim
world resurrected a millennium old Muslim the theory of evolution of life and
out of it they developed genetic engineering, cheaper food, created plants with
better yield, medicines to cure the sick, and vaccine to prevent diseases. Out
of the physics and chemistry of the Divine process of creation came the
computers, drones, supersonic planes, bomb showering missile, atomic and other
weapons.
Muslims
claim to be the followers of Prophet Muhammad (s), “the mercy to mankind”
(Qur’an 21:107), who instructed his true followers: “O people, spread peace,
feed the hungry, and pray at night when people are sleeping, and you will enter
Paradise in peace.” (Sunan Ibn Majah). Nevertheless, Muslims on daily basis
mercilessly annihilate each other in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Egypt,
and other part of Muslim world using outdated weapons coming from non-Muslim
world. Muslims world groans and cries
foul blaming others for their subordination under foreign powers.
Sorry
Muslims, current state of Muslim life controlled by external powers is Muslims’
own creation or choice. We are in the current unenviable cubbyhole because of
divine decree: “...Say, Are those who know equal to those who do not
know...?" (Quran 39:19). Yes, most of Muslim population (36% illiterate)
is least educated in the world, and they live in an echo chamber listening to
Imams who are illiterate in science or
know science but ignore it to comply their words with outdated meaning of
Divine Messages from earlier generations. Let me remind Muslim world,
“...surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change
their own condition...” (Qur’an 13:11).
If Muslims
what to change their current subservient state, I suggest following
suggestions:
1. First and the foremost commitment needed
from the Muslim World is establishment of peace within them :“The servants of
the All-Merciful who walk humbly upon the earth—and when the ignorant taunt
them, they reply, ‘Peace!’” (Qur’an 25:63); and “Spread peace…” (Sunan Ibn
Majah)
2. Return hostility with goodwill. “Not
equal are the good deed and the evil deed. Repel with that which is fairer and
behold, he between whom and thee there is enmity shall be as if he were a loyal
friend.” (Qur’an 41:34)
3. Erase current arrogant community mindset
of Muslim supremacy.
4. Accept the reality that no group of
scholars is the absolute source of all knowledge. The figure here shows the
growth of knowledge into subclasses and growing.
5. Accept that it is possible for human
cognitive distortions creeping into the meaning of divine messages if the
interpreting religious scholars lack the cosmic knowledge from the Divine Book
in material medium. To avoid such distortions God revealed in verse 42:38
“...who conduct their affairs with consultation among themselves..” ( وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ”) asking us to deliberate all matters within the community at large and
consult with those who are knowledgeable in their pertinent field (“...Say, Are
those who know equal to those who do not know...?" (Quran 39:19). The
prophet (s) accepted the existence of important knowledge outside his Arabian
nation and urged his companions to travel away from home to acquire it
(“Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a
path to Paradise…” Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2699).
6. God’s knowledge of the objective reality
(cosmos, nature, and society) is infinite and perfect, while human knowledge is
finite and deficient. So, Muslims at large must accept the fact that the past
scholarly interpretations of the Qur’an are from finite and deficient human
beings. And it is contingent, subjective, and mutable. So, instead of hanging
on it with blind faith, Muslims of every time-frame must take Islam forward
approaching the Quran with a cognitive understanding of reality that is rooted
in the most advanced discourse on nature, cosmos, and human society.
7. Encourage critical thinking.
8. Transform mosques and Islamic centres
into centres of intellectual discourse where all ideas, propositions and
theories are discussed and debated in civil manner.
9. Transform madrasas into institutions
where the religious and secular education are comingled and debated.
10. Muslims must constantly remind themselves
that God has given the rational faculty,
and the idling that divine gift would be a disgrace of and affront to
God, the Almighty.
11. Community must be reminded constantly that forgetfulness
of the possession of rational faculty, and ritualism taking priority over
critical enquiry arrest human worldly progress.
12. Muslims must take fear out of their mind in
hearing out the opposing point of view and ideas, and also in re-defining their
world-picture.
13. Reject dogmatization of salafi traditionalists and their claim to be in
possession of absolute knowledge about the Qur’an because such a claim
presupposes that humans can be equal to God in His knowledge and so violates
Allah’s oneness.
14. Accept the Qur’an and the universe as the
twin manifestations and messages from God as books—one written in human
vernacular and other in material medium—to be read and interpreted not in
isolation but in parallel to grasp true meaning.
15. Muslim community must orient themselves
that science basically is a tafsir (interpretation) of the Divine Book, the
universe, and treat it with respect as we do to the Tafsir of the Qur’an.
16. Do not misappropriate the knowledge from
the two Divine Books to harm others and the natural world: “...do good as Allah
has been good to you and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not
the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants,
mischief-makers, corrupts).” (The Qur’an 28:77)
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T.O. Shanavas is the author of book: “The Islamic Theory of Evolution:
The Missing Link between Darwin and The Origin of Species.” Co-author of the
book with Prof. Howard J Van Till and Rabbi David Kay : And God Said, “Let
There Be Evolution”: Reconciling the Book of Genesis, the Qur’an and the Theory
of Evolution, by Prof. Charles M. Wynn of
Eastern Connecticut University and Prof. Arthur W. Wiggins of
Oakland University (Editors)
URL: https://newageislam.com/ijtihad-rethinking-islam/the-subservient-muslim-world-laughingstock/d/124145
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