Book Description

Fazlur Rahman referred to what he perceived was the "intellectual suicide" of traditional ulema. Jurists refer to a responsible, sane person as a mukallaf. A person not in his or her right mind is not equipped to pronounce authoritatively on issues relating to religion. Pronouncing on matters relating to Islam requires a person to be a mukallaf, to be in his or her right mind. Being in one's right mind requires the ability and willingness to use of reason. The jurist that refrains from the use of God-given reason is not just ungrateful; he or she fails the test of a responsible or rational person, a mukallaf. The person that refrains from using reason is irrational. An irrational person is technically insane. A mukallaf, however, must be a "sane" person. By refraining from using reason, traditional exegetes and jurists withdrew from the ranks of the mukallafuna. Thereby they barred themselves from commenting with authority on matters of religion. By refraining from the use of reason, they forfeited their right to be treated as mukallafuna (plural of mukallaf). As a result, their right to pronounce with authority on Islam, in particular on exegesis and jurisprudence, is rendered problematic. The fact that traditional exegesis and jurisprudence are based on the rejection of reason renders the pronouncements of traditionists unreliable. The Muslim umma waned because it turned from revelation to tradition. This transpired under the sway of persons with an aversion to reason. The reluctance to use reason prevented Muslims from understanding and therefore following revelation. For following the guidance of Allah requires attaining knowledge of the Book of Allah. And accessing knowledge of revelation requires the use of reason. By prohibiting the use of reason in religion, traditionists do not just prevent themselves from understanding religion; they also prevent the pious from understanding and therefore following the Book of Allah. They hinder the pious from fi sabilillah: "The Qur'an was neglected almost entirely." [1] "From the time the Muslim community abandoned the Qur'an and was overcome by confusion and error, its unity was lost." [2] "The Muslim Ummah experienced these disasters because it had become alienated from the eternal truths of Islam." [3] As a different writer put it: "the one and only reason for the social and cultural decay of the Muslims consisted in the fact that they had gradually ceased to follow the teachings of Islam." [4] [1] Taha Jabir Alwani, Islamic Thought: an Approach to Reform, IIIT, 2006, p. 36, accessed on 12 May 2021: https: //www.academia.edu/43889716/Islamic_Thought_An_Approach_to_Reform_?email_work_card=title [2] Taha Jabir Alalwani, Apostasy in Islam: A Historical and Scriptural Analysis, Original Edition Translated from Arabic by Nancy Roberts Abridged by Alison Lake, The International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2011, p. 18. https: //www.academia.edu/43889653/Apostasy_in_Islam_A_Historical_and_Scriptural_Analysis. [3] Taha Jabir al-Alwani, "Taqlid and Ijtihad (Part One)," in Issues in Contemporary Islamic Thought, pp. 82-96, Compiled from the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, IIIT, 2005, p. 82, accessed on 17 Sep. 2020: https: //iiit.org/wp-content/uploads/IssuesinContemporarIslamicThought_Combined.pdf [4] Muhammad Asad, Islam at the Crossroads, Kazi Publications Inc, 1995 p. xvii.