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Tariq Ramadan's View on Islam and Modernity

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Tariq Ramadan's View on Islam and Modernity TARIQ RAMADAN 'S VIEW ON ISLAM AND MODERNITY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS BY ZAKIR ULLAH A Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge International Islamic University Malaysia OCTOBER 2019 ABSTRACT Modernity has occupied much of Muslim scholars’ attention in the last two centuries especially with regard to its meaning, its relationship with Islam, and the compatibility or incompatibility between Islam and modernity. There are two notions on modernity; A very simple and superficial understanding of modernity is one that is equivalent to rationality. At a higher, more complex level, the concept of modernity includes specific ideologies and worldview. Islam is also defined by various scholars in different ways; for some, Islam is a mere religion like the others, concerned only about spirituality and private life; but to other scholars, Islam is the complete way of life and system. As a result of the way, modernity and Islam are understood scholars have different opinions on the issue of compatibility or incompatibility between Islam and modernity. Tariq Ramadan is one of those scholars who has extensively contributed to the discussions on Islam and modernity. He considers the two entities as compatible with each other. The aim of this study is to present the views of Ramadan on Islam and modernity by way of analyzing his approach and theoretical framework. This study is qualitative using content analysis method. The relevant works of Tariq Ramadan are used to highlight the need of a critical study on Islam and modernity. This study has taken into account the established views of great Muslim scholars especially Islamic Revivalists to analyze and evaluate Ramadan’s views. Thus, this study will be useful and important to investigate and examine the thoughts and views of a contemporary scholar who is exercising his influence upon young Muslim minds. Finally, this study will help young Muslims to appreciate the true nature of the relationship between Islam and the West. ii ُمل َّخص البحث شغلت احلداثة اهتمام كثري من العلماء املسلمني يف القرنني اﻷخريين، وﻻ سيما ما يتعلق مبعناها وعﻻقتها باﻹسﻻم، وتوافقها أو اختﻻفها معه، وللحداثة تعريفان؛ أحدمها سطحي مكافئ العقﻻنيةَ، وآخر أكثر تعقيًدا يشمل أيديولوجيات معينة والنظرة إىل العامل، وكذا اﻹسﻻم يُعِّرفه العلماء بطرق خمتلفة، فبعضهم يراه دينًا كغريه من اﻷديان؛ يهتم بالروحانية والذاتية، وبعضهم يراه نظاًم ا متكامﻻً للحياة، وعليه؛ يؤدي مفهوما اﻹسﻻم واحلداثة إىل آراء خمتلفة يف مسألة توافقهما أو اختﻻفهم، وممن أسهموا كث ًريا يف املناقشات عن اﻹسﻻم واحلداثة؛ طارق رمضان؛ إذ يرامها متوافقني متاًما، وعليه؛ يهدف هذا البحث إىل تقدمي آراء طارق رمضان يف اﻹسﻻم واحلداثة من خﻻل حتليل مقاربته واستعراض اﻹطار النظري، وتو َّسل البحث منه ًجا نوعيًّا قوامه طريقة حتليل احملتوى؛ إذ تُستخدم أعمال طارق رمضان ذات الصلة لبيان احلاجة إىل دراسة نقدية عن اﻹسﻻم واحلداثة، وقد أخذ هذا البحث يف احلسبان اﻵراء الراسخة لكبار علماء املسلمني، وﻻ سيما مدرسة اﻹحياء والتجديد؛ لتحليل آراء طارق رمضان وتقييمها، ومن مث؛ كان البحث مفيًدا مهًّما يف اﻻستكشاف واﻻختبار ﻵراء ذلك الباحث املعاصر الذي يؤثر يف عق لو الشباب املسلم اليوم، وأخ ًريا؛ يساعد هذا البحث الشباب املسلم يف تقدير الطبيعة احلقيقية للعﻻقة بني اﻹسﻻم والغرب. iii APPROVAL PAGE I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion) …………………………………… Muhammad Mumtaz Ali Supervisor I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al- Din and Comparative Religion) …………………………… Adibah Binti Abdul Rahim Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of civil law and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion) …………………………….. Nur Suriya Mohd Nor Head, Department Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion This dissertation was submitted to the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion) ……………………………… Shukran Bin Abd Rahman Dean Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences iv DECLARATION I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions. Zakir Ullah Signature…………………....………. Date …….………………. v INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH TARIQ RAMADAN ON ISLAM AND MODERNITY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS Copyright © 2019 Zakir Ullah All rights reserved. No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement. 2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes. 3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieved system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries. Affirmed by Zakir Ullah ……..…………………….. ……………………….. Signature Date vi I sincerely dedicate this dissertation to my beloved family who have been patient and supporting for me throughout my research vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, all praises due to Allah Almighty who is the creature of this universe. All our deeds and actions are only possible with his blessing. It is His mercy that I am completing my master’s degree in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Usul al- Din and Comparative Religion). I wish to extend my words of thanks my supervisor, Prof DR. Muhammad Mumtaz Ali, who guided me on how to explore my ideas. His passionate behavior is clear from his collaboration to check and comments on every word of my thesis. It is the result of his hard work that I am going to finish my work in an excellent way. I always pray for his utmost sympathies and seek from Allah to grant him the reward. This work would not have been possible without the support, affection, sacrifice and prayers of my lecturers and teachers. I also want to extend my gratitude to all my friends who provided me with all kind of support at every needed point. Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the support, encouragement and assistance of my family, through which I was able to successfully complete this significant work. I pray to Allah Almighty to grant everyone the best of rewards in this life and hereafter. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Abstract in Arabic ............................................................................................................... iii Approval Page ..................................................................................................................... iv Declaration .......................................................................................................................... v Copyright Page .................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... viii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem........................................................................ 3 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................. 4 1.4 Objectives of the Research ..................................................................... 5 1.5 Significance of the Study ........................................................................ 5 1.6 Scope of the Study .................................................................................. 6 1.7 Research Methodology ........................................................................... 6 1.7.1 Descriptive Method ....................................................................... 7 1.7.2 Analytical Method......................................................................... 7 1.8 Literature Review ................................................................................... 7 1.9 Research Justification ............................................................................. 12 CHAPTER TWO:
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