Abdul Wahid Osman Belal wrote:
To: Ghayyur Ayub ,
Defenders_of_islam Islam
From: Abdul Wahid Osman Belal
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 14:39:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Your assessment./ The Intellectual Situation in the Muslim World
by Muhammad Fazlur Rahman Ansari.
2. THE INTELLECTUAL SITUATION IN THE WORLD OF ISLAM
BY Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari
During the eighteenth century and even during the nineteenth the answer to
the Question posed in the last Section would have been a simple affair. It is,
however, not so now.
Ever since the advent of the Western culture in Muslim lands, which
followed fast upon the heels of Islam’s political landslide in the nineteenth
century, the demoralized world of Islam has been increasingly permitting itself
to be absorbed by the materialistic and anti-religious Western thought and
ideals. The basic cause of this passivity was that much before the Western
nations subjugated the Muslim lands, various factors—moral, social, political
and intellectual—had already continued to render passive, if not, to actually
paralyze, Muslim thought and action. The Western thought, pulsating with all
the vigor of youth, was not confronted with the vigorous and all-conquering
dynamism of the early days of Islam but with an outworn and moribund medieval
outlook.
It is not the purpose of the book to discuss in any detail the causes of
Muslim passivity in the face of Western thought. We are concerned here only
with the results, which, alas! have been most tragic. After one hundred years
of slow poisoning, the condition of the Muslim world can be described today
only in terms of disintegration, confusion and chaos, the struggle for
political stability, economic advancement, industrial progress, military
preparedness, intellectual growth and religious revival notwithstanding.
From the point of view the present dimension, Muslims all over the world
can be broadly classified into four categories, which have been brought into
existence by the currents and cross-currents of the internal weaknesses and the
external impact of Western thought. These categories are:
(1) The progressive and enlightened Muslims who have learnt to understand and
appreciate Islam in the light of modern knowledge and problems. They have an
unshakeable faith in Islam, which is based on understanding, and they practice
it intelligently. This provides them with complete immunity against all
anti-Islamic influences, whether Marxist or otherwise. These upholders of
dynamic orthodoxy are the future hope of Islam.
(2) The old-fashioned Muslims who refuse to come out of the intellectual
atmosphere of eight hundred years ago. Their view of Islam is marred by certain
wrong notions based on obscurantism and misguided conservatism, which confines
their religious outlook mostly to rituals and basic morals, renders their
practice of Islam imperfect and lands them in innocent
forms of compromise with un-Islamic ideals. They have a staunch faith, but
because they do not possess a clear view and a correct understanding of Islam’s
economic system,political outlook, and social ethos, they are capable of being
misguided on that score by the glamour of un-Islamic slogans and movements.
(3)The “believing” but “non-practicing” Muslims and the “indifferent”
whose religious consciousness is defective and for whom Islam is only a
historical legacy—a part of their national heritage which, like the
archaeological remains of the past, might be respected vaguely but which is not
meant to be adopted as a living guidance governing the practical issues
of life. Educated in irreligious Western ideals, brought up in an atmosphere
alien to Islam, and deprived of the opportunity to imbibe Islamic teachings,
they are hardly distinguishable from the non-Muslims in their practical lives
except in the
matter of what might be termed “Muslim nationalism” which,combined with a vague
belief in God, they uphold in varying degrees. They have thus only a formal
faith in the Islamic religion, while in all the practical affairs of life they
look to the West for inspiration and guidance. Though a small minority, they
wield considerable influence in all Muslim countries because of their major
share in the political life and administration where modern Western education
alone counts today.
(4)The atheistic and anti-religious people who bear Muslim names only
because their Muslim parents named them so. They imbibe atheism either because
they become entangled in grossly immoral ways of life and thus lose all sense
of nobleness and spirituality, or because they receive one-sided education in
the materialistic
philosophy of Western atheistic thinkers and are captivated by the idea or, in
the case of those who are not very highly educated, because they consider it
fashionable to swim with the latest currents of Western thought which are
aggressively atheistic. In all cases these “Muslim atheists” are a people who
never had any opportunity of knowing even the fundamentals of Islam and
thinking
on them seriously, This group forms a microscopic minority and is drawn from
among the modern-educated intelligentsia.
Reproduced from
THE COMMUNIST CHALLENGE TO ISLAM- A Warning to the Muslims
BY Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari
Published 1951 by The Makki Publications, 100 Brickfield Road, Durban South
Africa
Suggested for further reading:
1. THE QURANIC FOUNDATIONS & STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETY –
2 VOLUMES BY DR.Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari
Available from:
1. Islamic Book Trust Kuala Lumpur
609, Mutiara Majestic, 6th. Floor, Jalan Othman
46000 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Available from:
1. ISLAM VERSUS MARXISM BY Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari
2. World Federation of Islamic Missions
Islamic Centre Block B, North Nazimabad, Karachi-74700
PAKISTAN Phone 92-021-6644156 Fax No: 92-021-6627021
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: www.wfim.org.pk
Ghayyur Ayub wrote:
Sir,
There are three shelves in Islam, each with EQUAL importance: Theology,
Philosophy and Spirituality. The problem with most of the Muslims is that
they sit in one shelf and talk of the other shelves without having proper
knowledge of those shelves.
As I said earlier I don’t want to go into discussion with you, all I am
saying is that I find strong sectarian tilt in your write-up which is sad
because such tilts bring disaster to the present day Muslims and Islam.
Dr. Ghayur Ayub
>From: Abdul Wahid Osman Belal
>To: Ghayyur Ayub
>Subject: Re: Your assessment.
>Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 19:00:09 -0800 (PST)
>
>Assalaamo alaikum wa rahmat Allahe wa barakatahu!
>In this regard its is suggest for further reading of Waqf Ikhlas
Publications No 10 "Answer to an Enemy of Islam" (which claims to
be the Refutation of the lies and slanders of lies which the la madhabi
Rashid Rida of Egypt who appeared in the disguise of a religious man wrote
against the scholars of Islam in his book Muhawarat) can be viewed and
downloaded at website: http://www.hizmetbooks.org/
>and also Understanding the Four Madhabs - The Facts about Ijtihad and
Taqlid by Abdul Hakim Murad Published and distributed by Islamic
Publications International, P.O.Box 705 Oneonta NY 13820
website:http://islampub.com email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>Ghayyur Ayub wrote:Sir,
>I am a Muslim and detest to be labeled as Sunni or Shia. I critically
>studied various religions (including Islam) and found that Muslims (not
>Islam) were divided by the irresponsible compilation of Ahadith,
reckless
>establishment of various Schools and illogical setting of their own
>Jurisprudence 180 years after passing over of prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
These
>three occurrences brought nothing but misery, hate, strife to Muslims
Ummah
>in the following centuries.
>
>I still believe that if the a few known scholars of the five schools got
>together at Al-Azhar University and have repeated brainstorming sessions
a
>way could be uncovered where these schools can work together. Otherwise
the
>sectarian Islam that you have projected with irrational and immature way
>would eat your (and my) religion by the zealous Zionist and Evangelical
>vultures.
>
>I don’t agree with your conical assessment and I don’t want to
>go into discussion with you on that. All I can do is to request you to,
>please, come out of the sectarian garb and join those Muslims who
understand
>the severity of geo-politico-religious situation facing the world today.
>Dr. Ghayur Ayub
>
>
>
>
>
>ABDUL WAHID OSMAN BELAL
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I
am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever
calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who
follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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