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  • Islam Without Modernism

    Posted by Mohammed Zubair Alam on August 1, 2022 at 2:36 am

    There is a question that is bothering me a lot. I don’t know if this is the right place to ask this question, but yes I am asking hoping to get an answer.

    The Question is :- If there were no modernist scholars or scholars like Javed Ahmed Gamidi Sahab, would we still be Muslims or followers of Islam?

    Like, if a non mulsim comes to someone who believes in Ghamidi sahab’s interpretation of Quran. The questioner started asking him the questions such as, Slavery in Islam, Rights of Women in Islam, Pardah for women, concept of Dhimmi, hell for non-muslims etc. And then the respondant answers him every question in Satisfactory manner by critizing the traditional Interpretations. The questioner gets satisfied but then asks the respondent what he would have done if there had not been such a scholar in the past or present.

    The respondent criticized the traditional views very well but whether he is able to criticize other views because of the presence of such modernist scholars. Had such scholars been absent, he would have remained in doubts or ended up leaving Islam in the absence of unsatisfactory answers.

    So this is the same thing what I am thinking right now, would we still be a muslim if there were absence of such Scholars?

    If yes, then how would we deal with such questions ?

    Umer replied 1 year, 7 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Umer

    Moderator August 1, 2022 at 11:59 pm

    Please refer from 5:18 onward:

    https://youtu.be/SWCj_iqFXAk?t=318

    • Mohammed Zubair Alam

      Member August 2, 2022 at 1:11 am

      Thank youu sir🙏🏻.

      This video actually answers 90% of my question but 10% still remains and that is If there were complete absence of any such scholars, or if someone asks us to assume , what our answers should be?.

      Shall we then say that the question is wrong?. I found a way to tackle this question by watching this video. Like I can say that the question is itself wrong. If we assume that such scholars were absent in the past, then we must also assume that such doubts were absent amomg muslims and scholars and if we talk about the present them such scholars can born for the first time. The one who seeks answers to his doubts can himself become a such an ideal scholar for the present time. And those having the same doubts can take the advantage of that particular scholar and in this way, many such scholars will born. So the question is itself wrong.

      If there is any other better approach , please let me know.

    • Umer

      Moderator August 3, 2022 at 1:11 am

      Two things need to be separated here:

      One is guidance and deviance and,

      The Second is practical matters related to that guidance and interpretation of certain directives related to that guidance.

      As far as the former is conerned, there is ample evidence available (in one’s own nature, history and through inference based on observations) to reach that guidance and at an individual level, even without help of any scholar, one can can reach to that guidance. In additon to this, this guidance is being supervised under divine law of guidance and error, which entails that God will make sure that a true seeker of guidance is bound to find it, one way or another. The same goes for first part of the latter, one can easily follow such practical matters of religion without any major difference among the followers.

      As for the second part of the latter, there lies some differences of opinion based on differences in understanding of linguistics, interpretation of some historical matters and preference given to one source over another etc. etc. Very minor part of this difference results in some grave misunderstanding of any divine directive. But this is the inherent limitation that lies with every text that is bound to be understood by humans and cannot be eliminated completely.

      The questions in a human mind regarding God kept changing over the time depending on domination of a particular ideology, particular nation and/or particular technology etc. over the centuries. And when looked in the hindsight, we find erudite scholars being born during each of these times who were most suitable for their time and there were never any questions left unanswered in any era that were diectly related to God and his existence or other pertinent matters of their time.

  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar August 2, 2022 at 4:48 am

    No doubts were absent ever. Such things kept bothering for a long time. Scholars had different interpretations. They satisfied some. until we get such satisfactory answers, yet there are many who are not satisfied with these interpretations of ghamidi sahib. This intellectual exercise keeps going.

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