Reply to Be Wary of Racism and Islamophobes

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[quote=Muslima][quote=Anonymous][quote=Muslima][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As such, the Islam practiced by some people in Muslim countries is not necessarily pure Islam or true Islam. It is influenced by a deeply entrenched, patriarchal belief system. Thus, examining the work of scholars from these countries in particular will not accurately explain true Islam. However, this is what these islamophobes will do and want the public to do, because it simply supports their cause for exclusionary practices, prejudicial and racial profiling, and their own deeply held  philosophical religious beliefs.

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Oh it's not pure or true Islam, is it.  First you tell us to talk to Muslims, then you say people in Muslim countries don't practice pure or true Islam.  Are people in Muslim countries aware they don't practice pure Islam? Are scholars in these countries aware that they apparently cannot accurately explain true Islam?

I'm gonna write to Al Azhar and tell them there's a chick on DCUM who thinks they got their deen all wrong.

You know why people quote these rulings? 'Cause they are there.  You don't like the fact that they are there? Then make them not exist.[/quote]

Stop being so dense!I slam calls on Muslims to think, reflect and ponder. Muslim jurists and thinkers employ their intellects in comprehending and interpreting the divine message expressed in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This, for a variety of reasons, has resulted in a wide range of interpretations that have enriched the intellectual debates throughout the Muslim history. Of course, not all of these interpretations are correct, acceptable, or even excusable. This is called in Islam Ijtihad whose details and rulings are to be found on the books of Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence). Not every scholar can practice ijtihad, he has to meet certain conditions and he has to be aware of the details of the issue being discussed.This is the reason behind having different interpretations of some issues. The differences we find in Islam have to do with the details of the Shari`ah not the basics. The basics of Islam were, are, and will remain the same. There is no difference among the scholars on the number of obligatory prayers, the amount of zakah to be paid by every Muslim, and the obligation to fast during the month of Ramadan and to perform Hajj once in a lifetime.

Human beings are diverse and different in their mental capabilities, world views, perceptions and thoughts. All these are catalysts to having multiplicity of opinions and judgments. When the constitution of the USA, which was written only about 200 years ago by humans, is interpreted by the Supreme Court, the judges differ in their interpretations and it is usually 5/4 or 6/3 division. So why do you think all Muslim scholars would have a consensus on everything from a book that was revealed 1400 years ago?

We cherish the intellectual freedom of our religion, and  the lack of papal hierarchy. There are several benefits for healthy disagreement and variety of opinions that have always existed in our Ummah since the time of the Sahabah. Of those benefits is to protect the religion from human fallibility when people agree on something wrong, and of them is to stimulate the great intellectual discourse with the subsequent intellectual vitality which all resulted in this great fiqhi heritage of ours. But of course because of this, you will for the most part always find a kind of extremism within some Muslims and   also laxity in others, and that is a much bigger problem in my view. [/quote]
You think calling names makes you more convincing or something?

First, no one here is debating on how much zakah to pay so let's not even bring this up.  Also, there is no obligation to perform hajj if you can't afford it.

If you really cherish the diversity of opinions in Islam like you say you do, why is your friend getting apoplectic because I point to the opinions of conservative scholars rather than her preferred one? If you truly believe in robust intellectual discourse, you ought to be happy that in that tent of yours there is room for both Hamza Yusuf and Abdulaziz Bin Baz.  Stop calling people Islamophobic because they don't agree with your interpretation or point out that other interpretations, delivered by equally degreed and learned scholars, also exist.

And well yes, not everyone can practice ijtihad.  In fact, some Sunnis would say the gates of ijtihad have closed centuries ago, and there is no more need for independent thought, only for regurgitation of consensus.  So I do believe the intellectual freedom you mention isn't embraced by the entire establishment with equal fervor.  One almost gains a measure of respect for the Shia for never buying into that.

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I guess you missed the part where I said "  Of course, not all of these interpretations are correct, acceptable, or even excusable." Just because difference of opinion exists amongst scholars doesn't mean all interpretations are valid! Now instead of accusing my friend from being apologetic due to your choice of "scholars", the more pertinent question, the one returned to you  is why would you choose those "scholars" to define Islam and reject other scholars interpretations of Islam ? It has never been the Islamic way to think of scholars as being infallible.  That is different from TRUSTING a scholar, my friend presented to you opinions of scholars she TRUSTED and there's nothing wrong with that. But you on the other hand chooses to trust the opinion of whatever scholar that fits the narrative you want to portray, very telling! Today any Tom, Dick or Harry, or rather any Ali or Hassan is able to invest a few dollars and buy a site then publish on it any personal flimsy interpretations and pass it on as Quranic enlightenment! Some scholars provide provocative and hypothetical interpretation, ostensibly to advance their own agenda. The other thing is that as Muslims we do not believe scholars are infallible. Scholars are learned and give their opinions but we Muslims should  use our God given critical thinking ability  to  either accept their opinions and practice them or reject them. No one can say what the scholars of Qur'an  say is sacrosanct  and unchangeable. Even scholars of old realized that their opinions were not set in stone and could change with the times. Individuals are never infallible. No scholar is right all the time. That's why the weight of an opinion which has the consensus of scholars is much stronger than the weight of individual opinions. In Islam, this consensus is called (Ijmaa') and is one of the main sources of Islamic Law.The theological point made by Muslim thinkers and legal scholars is that since infallibility belongs only to Allah, the "Ijma'" of any place or period cannot be regarded as infallible and hence eternally binding![/quote]

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