Muslims Today

Muslims Today: Changes within, Challenges without

The struggle for an inclusive progressive understanding of the faith.

Most of my articles on Muslims, Islam and the contemporary situation are scattered in numerous publications, and any attempt to put them together in a single volume would be most welcome. Besides, my modest attempt over three decades to develop an inclusive and progressive understanding of Islam— an attempt which echoes the more outstanding efforts of illustrious Muslim reformers past and present— has remained on the margins of society, and I felt that if Mumtaz’s Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, could facilitate the entry of this perspective on the religion into mainstream public discourse, it would persuade more people to engage with the ideas it articulates.

The thirteen articles I have chosen embody some of my deepest concerns about the Muslim community and humanity at this juncture in history. Global hegemony for instance— the control and dominance of the many by a few— which impacts directly or indirectly upon Muslims everywhere is partly responsible for the spread of terrorism and the growth of bigotry within the community. It also explains why a siege mentality which has strengthened the hold of exclusive minded, conservatively oriented religious leaders upon a significant segment of the community, has become more pervasive in recent years. Hegemony, which negates respect for the other, on the one hand, and the siege mentality, which rationalizes the erection of barriers, on the other, have not only impeded interaction between the Western world and Muslims but have also widened the chasm separating the two.

While global hegemony and other forces external to the community have shaped its outlook, there are also internal factors that have moulded its thinking on religious issues. As religious elites consolidated their power and often monopolized the authority to interpret the faith from the 13^th century onwards, preserving the status quo, rather than reinvigorating and revitalizing the values and principles embodied in the Qur’an, became their main preoccupation. In this endeavour, the religious elites developed a mutually beneficial relationship with the political elites of the day as they worked hand in glove to perpetuate their power.

Certain conservative notions of the place of women in society, the role of non-Muslim minorities, the sacrosanct status of the Muslim criminal code, loosely translated as hudud, and even some of the aspirations that have influenced the goal of an Islamic state in contemporary times, can be traced back to this matrix of power forged by an incestuous religious-cum- political nexus. Some of the articles in this book show how the overwhelming authority of the religious elites, buttressed by political power, has given rise to a situation where prescriptions and prohibitions contained in Islamic jurisprudence — the fiqh tradition— are sometimes more readily accepted by the Muslim mind than the more universal principles enshrined in the Noble Qur’an.

Like some other concerned Muslims, I argue for a different approach to Islam in which faith in God and the God Consciousness that emanates from it; the position of the human being as vicegerent (khalifah) on earth and the trust and responsibility that he bears as vicegerent; and the universal values and principles that he is expected to live by in accordance with that trust, take precedence over rules and rituals, prescriptions and prohibitions, edicts and injunctions associated with the fiqh tradition. It is an approach that harmonizes with the letter and spirit of the Qur’an and the life and example of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him). I am of the view, as indicated in a number of chapters, that a more inclusive and progressive understanding of Islam encapsulates its essence; it embodies the crux and the core of the Qur’anic message.

Such an understanding of the religion not only addresses the challenge of global hegemony but also focuses upon problems of good governance, social justice and public accountability within Muslim societies. It is through the implementation of the Qur’an’s universal values and principles— and not by dogmatic insistence upon their exclusive identity— that Muslims will be able to forge a bond of fraternity with people of other faiths and other persuasions. It is the Qur’an’s underlying commitment to justice and equality— and not the rulings of jurists of yesteryear— that will ensure the dignity and integrity of both women and men.

Finally, a word about how the book treats events, personalities and contexts. Since the various chapters were written at different times, for different purposes and for different audiences, certain ideas and concerns are repeated over and over again. They serve, in a sense, to underscore the central theme and sub-themes of the book.  I have also made no attempt to update events or to eliminate references or names that are no longer relevant to a particular context— except in a couple of instances where I provide explanatory notes— mainly because the context often defines the issues that are being analyzed.  It is these issues that reveal the struggle between an inclusive, universal and progressive outlook on Islam, on the one hand, and an exclusive, parochial and retrogressive approach to the religion, on the other.

The Essence of Islam seeks to make a case for the former against the latter.

Chandra Muzaffar