Qabeelat Al-Abrar | Charlotte, NC
November 11 – 13
Fall 2016 Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 2
No Doubt | God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Shaykh Yasir Qadhi
Class Disclaimers:
- This class is not that much of an Iman-boosting class that you are accustomed to. But it is a different type of Iman-Boosting.
- Almost half the class has more to do with Modernity than with Islam. For example, one of the main issues we will discuss is feminism. In order to discuss these, we have to explain what these –isms are. Its not just dry history. The goal is for us to understand that these trends, they come and go. We have to see where it came from and where it heading.
- When YQ is teaching about these –isms, it is a bit problematic to teach issues that is not in our religion because he might end up convincing us something wrong when he is attempting to present the wrong. Not meant to plant doubts in us. Intentionally, YQ will not go into too much detail because his training as been in Classical Islam. He will try to simplify things as much as possible.
5 Modules that will be discuss in Class:
1) The Quest for ‘Real’ Islam
o Only module where we will look back and not forward. We will not bring up anything new. We will focus on the history and we will discuss the classical controversies very quickly.
o Purpose of this Module is the conclusion of this module which is a new understanding of how we deal with the classical controversies
2) Faith and Reason
o Are they compatible? Are the incompatible? And what do we do when there appears to be incompatibility with faith and reason. What do we do when our mind / logic / common sense says one thing and the Quran says something else. The Conflict between reason (akhal) and faith (which is based on nakhal, texts/scriptures).
o Will lead to other sub-modules, the main one being the existence of God. Many rationale scientific people today are agnostics and atheists and that is a scientific fact. And this presents a problem Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 3 o There is also a rise in New- Age atheism, which we will also discuss in the class. People like Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher. These are people that have taken on religion, especially Islam. They have some argument and we will talk about them, deconstruct their arguments and respond to them
o We will then talk about the existence of God in Modernity. How do we respond to someone who does not believe in a God? What are the proofs that there is a God. What are the rationale, textual and logical proofs that there is a God? And what does the Quran say and what do modern Theologians (who are not Muslims) say?
o Then we will discuss the role of intellect on Islam. How much emphasis must be placed on reason and rationality? Is Islam fully rationale. Are there aspects of Islam that are irrational? What if something is irrational to me but it is clearly in the Quran?
o Concluded with evolution and Darwinism
3) Islam and ‘The other”
o One of the main controversy is What is going to happen to good Non-Muslims? What does Islam say about good Non-Muslims? Is there hope for them? Is Islam salvationally inclusive or exclusive? Does Islam say all of us is Good and we will all go to Jannah or does Islam say my way or the highway (which is hell)? What are the evidences and theological problems that come with that and how to respond to those?
o We will also discuss treatment of non-Muslims. There are interpretations of Islam, from the radical, that say it is not allowed to be friends with non-Muslims. They will try to quote you verses straight out of the Quran. We will look at those texts and discuss that.
4) Modernity and Islam
o We will discuss many of the –isms. Feminisms, Gender Roles, Is there room for change?, Is all feminism bad or is all feminism good?, and is there such thing as Islamic Feminism? These are some of the topics that will be addressed.
o We will then talk about LGBTQI issues and we will talk about what Islam says about same sex issues. What do we do when Gays/Lesbians are in fact some of out most supportive allies in out community? What do we do when those communities are helping almost like no other community? It is a very difficult situation. They are out strong allies in this islamophobic community. So, what do we do? Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 4 o We will then move on to Liberalism, secularism and Humanism. They overlap in our society so we will talk about it together. And what are our roles as Muslims living in a liberal/secular and humanistic society?
o Concluded with a very interesting story which will serve to demonstrate the realities of the impact of our societies on our psyche. The effects of being born and raised in a certain culture have on our values, subconsciously without us even knowing it.
5) Divine Law and Modern Governance
o This module is worthy of its own course all together and perhaps someday there will be a class.
o Democracy and the nation state.
o This module is a very convoluted and difficult topic, so YQ will just introduce some ideas and realities. Because all of us are living in a democracy and because all of us have seen the effects and impacts of the democracy on us. To what extent can we or should we participate in a democracy. There are still voices amongst us that say it is haram to vote. There are still voices amongst us that say we should not be a part of this system.
o We will also discuss the nation of state. Being an American, Canadian, Mexican, Swiss, etc. and being a member of a political entity. What if there are conflicting loyalties between that entity and the ummah? What if your nation of state is currently harming your ummah, which is currently the case? The pros and cons?
Conclusion of the Class:
- Essentially about doubts. We will talk about issues now, but there will be more new issues in the future, which will bring doubts. So, what do you do when you are faced with a doubt? What is the Islamic response to doubt? Is having doubts considered kufr? What happens when you face doubt and what do you do?
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 5 Module 1 | T he Quest for the Real Islam
1.1 | A Chronological Overview of Islamic Theology
1. Definitions of Key Terms: Iman, Kufr, and Islam - The very first controversy that took place in Islam.
- Who is and who is not a Muslim? What is the line between Islam and Kufr? These are questions that we are still dealing with today.
- Who is a Muslim? Who is a kafir? What’s the difference between a Muslim and a Mu’min? What is the clear cut line of Islam and Kufr?
- Look at radical Islam, ie. ISIS, they believe that everyone who doesn’t believe with them is a Kafir and that’s why they think can execute and kill thousands of people. ISIS also believes every Shi’i is a Kafir.
- At what point does someone who calls themselves a Muslim leave being a Muslim for other bizarre beliefs?
- By definition, every term must have a definition
2. Nature of the Divine (Tawhid Al-Rububiyya & Tawhid Al-Asma Wa-l-sifat) - What does it mean I believe in Allah? How do we know that Allah exists? What are the proofs? Must we prove that Allah exists? Or should we believe because our forefathers believed? Is faith that is blind accepted by Allah? Or does faith have to be rationale proved?
- The greatest controversy that engulfed the Ummah is the concept of Allah’s Names and Attributes for more than 700 years. Many groups were formed.
- Every religion has one controversy that is central to it. o Christianity: The Nature of Jesus Christ o Islam: Allah’s Names and Attributes
- How do we understand Allah’s names and attributes? Does Allah speak in symbols and parables? Or do we take whatever Allah says as face value?
- The Quran says that “Allah has a face”, I rose over the throne”, and the hadith tells us “Allah comes down in the third of the night”. How do we understand this?
3. Worshipping Allah (Tawhid Al-Uluhiyya) Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 6 - How is it a controversy when every Muslim worships Allah? But what does worship entail?
- Classical Example: Variations of Tasawoof (Sufism). Some aspects of Sufism were found problematic by the anti-sufi groups. And this tension is still going till this day. Can you ask other than Allah for you needs? Can you go to the grave of a pious person and ask for things? Is it permitted? Or is it shirk?
4. Predestination (Qadr) - This has been a controversy in every religion. There are more than 10 different opinions about Qadr in Islam.
- Sunni Muslims affirm Qadr. The Shi’I and Mu’tazila deny Qadr.
- But even though we affirm qadr, there is a spectrum of opinions. How much free will do I have? Does my intentions impact anything? Or are we just like robots?
- One of the points of Sunni Islam is that Qadr is a mystery that our minds can not grasp. The less we think about it the better it is.
5. Pillars of Iman - People differed over the reality of Jinn and Angels, about Hell and Heaven. Very small groups deny heaven and hell.
- But by and large, the Pillars of Iman were accepted by the majority of the ummah
6. Companions and Righteous People - One of the earliest points of Controversy was over the companions.
- Definitive characteristics of Sunni Muslims is that we accept and respect the companions. We (Sunnis) believe that Allah wants us to respect the sahabah.
- Other groups in our religion have it as a point in their principle to respect the sahabah. These groups include: the Kawarij, the Qadariya, the shi’I, and the mu’tazila.
- Righteous People: Is there a special level of religiosity that makes you higher than everybody else? Is there someone called a ‘saint” or in Arabic “Wali”? Does this wali get certain powers that others do not have? Does he know things that you do not know? Should you then have a relationship with them?
7. Leadership in Islam - There are 2 different types of leadership: o Political Leadership – Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 7 § Who is in charge? Who should be in charged? Who was in charge? Sunni and Shi’i have totally different answers to those questions.
§ What is the role of the person in charge? Sunni’s say their role is political, not theological (religious). The Khalifah for the Sunni’s is a political office. For Shi’I, the one in charge is the Imam and he is religious, primarily, and political is secondary. It is the exact opposite.
§ Must you have a political leader? This is a modern point of controversy. What do you do when you do not have a leader? ISIS says it is wajib to have a Khalifah. That is why AbuBakr Al-Baghdadi is their leader. Many of other groups similar to this also believe Islam will be incomplete if there is not political leader.
§ Other trends believe this is just a waste of time, ie. Tablighi Jamaat and some Salafis. They say politics is nothing but evil. We do not need politics. Manifested in the Arab springs. There were two sides. One side would say It is haram to protest against the current ruler, and the other side would say you must protest against the current. Theology has been mixed up with politics and both sides are quoting ahadith.
o Religious leadership – § Who do you get your religious guidance from? Shaykh Google? Who has the right to give you religious guidance? There are different fatwas one on topic, which one will you follow? These are very difficult questions to answer.
8. Innovations (Bid’ah) - The Religion clearly forbids bid’ah and every classical group says we should stick with the tradition. Who then get to define what is the tradition? Who gets to define what is bid’ah and what is not a bidah?
9. Loyalty to Muslims and its Oposite (Al-Wala’ Wal-Bara’) - What level of loyalty is minimally necessary for someone to be Muslim? When does helping enemies of Islam expel you from Islam?
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 8 1.2 | The Classical Groups
There were hundreds of different theologies that sprang forth over the last fourteen centuries. Only a few of those remain in some fashion or form.
Kawarij: - Considered all obligations to be a necessary part of Islam - Therefore, all major sins negated one’s faith (ie. Major sin = non muslim) - Were constantly rebelling against the caliphs and harassing/ killing other Muslims
Existent group: Ibadiyya (Present in Oman and parts of Algeria Population: about 1.5 million)
Mu’tazila: - Unique definition of Tawhid - Major sinner is neither ‘Muslim’ nor ‘Non-Muslim’ (station in between the two) - God’s justice entailed complete free-will (Does Allah not know? Or does He know but not control?) - No forgiveness for major sinner who dies without repenting
Existent: Disappeared as a pure separate group. They were absorbed by other groups. Most key doctrines absorbed by Zaydis, Ibadis, and Twelver Shi’ites
Zaydis: - ‘Fiver’ branch of Shi’ism - In between Sunnis and Shi’ites in their belief (Middle group) o The only group in the world that the Sunni’s consider to be Shi’I and the Shi’I consider to be Sunni - Any righteous son of the ‘Family of the Prophet’ can be an Imam; no supernatural powers given to him o Believe that the Imam is not divinely appointed. Rather the people can choose the Imam. - Respectful of the Companions, including Abu Bakr and ‘Umar o They believed Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were good people but Ali was better than them. They say Ali should have been the Khalifah but its okay if he wasn’t. We still respect Abu Bakr and Umar
Existent: In specific tribes/locations of Yemen. Population: 9.5 Million
Twelver Shi’ism: - Main Stream of Shi’ism - Largest group after the Sunni - Belief in the necessity of twelve divinely appointed infallible (Ma’sum) Imams Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 9 - Final (12th) Imam is in occultation and will come back and rule the world - Companions who are deemed to have opposed Ali are not given theological respect.
Existent: All over the world, with large concentrations in Iran, Iraq, India, and Pakistan. Population: 150 million estimated
Isma’ilism: - ‘Sevener’ branch of Shi’ism - They do not follow any laws of Shariah. They do not pray 5 times a day. They do not fast Ramadan. They do not really read the Quran. So they are not really considered to be in the fold of Islam
Existent: Many branches (primarily: Nizari Aga Khanis (largest group in Yemen and Pakistan), Musta’li Bohris, and Duruz) Population: 15 million and 1 million (respectively)
Sunni: - Largest group of Islam – 90% of the Muslim world - Six Pillars of Faith (in particular – Qadr) - Respect for the Companions of the Prophet (SAW) - Affirming the legal status and preservation of the hadith
From the classical developments within Sunnism, three are typically considered to be in existence: - Athari - Ash’ari - Maturidi
Major points of difference: - Understanding the Divine Attributes - The specifics of qadr (all affirm Allah’s predestination of events) - Miscellaneous issues …
From these three, various trends have emerged that deal with politics (or lack thereof), spirituality, theology, and legal codes.
Label as a certain group: - Have a utilitarian function. - It makes sense to describe things with labels - At some level, labels can you very useful. And at another level, it can be harmful. It is harmful when they are misapplied, like it being used to preach hatred and divide for violence. It is useful if applied in a useful method or ideology
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 10 1.3 | Causes of Theological Controversies
Found in classical and modern Islam:
1. Neglecting parts of the scared texts (ie. Hadith) - Where do we get our religion from? Simple question, do we follow ahadith or not? Many movements today, known as Quranioon, reject hadith.
- If you’re not going to accept hadith, your ideas of Islam will be very different. You will derive laws and fiqh that is very different from mainstream Islam.
2. Misunderstanding of the scared texts - Primary cause of difference of opinion: To misunderstand what is right in front of you. You accept the verse but the meaning of it is what is disagreed upon
- Example: When the Prophet (SAW) said to a group of sahabah, “Do not pray Asr until you get to the land of the Banu Qurayda”. And he said this to them at duhr time. And the point was to make sure they got to Banu Qurayda before Maghrib salah, so they had to pray asr there. By the time they gathered their belongings and started marching, the sun was setting. So Asr salah was about to finish and they did not reach Banu Qurayda like the Prophet (SAW) told them. Now, they differ. Should they be literal and delay asr even though the sun is setting and we don’t pray and we continue until we get the tribe of Banu Qurayda because that is the literal text. Or should we understand that the point of the hadith was to hurry up and get to Banu Qurayda then pray asr. Now that the sun is setting, we better pray asr or it will be invalid. One group was literal and the other was rationale. Even the sahabahs differed.
3. Relying on sources other than Shari’ah for scared knowledge - Classic example: The Mu’tazila: o They swallowed Greek logic, Hellenistic thought. § Believed the teachings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle to be ideal. They also read the Quran and projected those philosophies onto the Quran.
o We think think this is very ridiculous and very bizarre. But yet each one of us is essential guilty, at some level, of the same thing. We are all products of our society. We all sort of absorbed the values of the world we live in. It sometimes becomes difficult to separate those values from the Quran values. And at times we subconsciously project those values of our society on to the Quran because we want to Quran to validate the values of our society. § Examples: Women’s Rights, Democracy, Liberal Values, Freedom of Speech
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 11 4. Political Strife - Politics and Religion are always combined in every society. Look at this current civilization right now that claims to be secular and neutral. Let’s be real, Islamophobic is being set prorogated by a trend of Christianity. Politics and religion are always linked together. You can NOT separate religion from politics. It is impossible to do so - Political differences are what led theological differences. [Example: Arab Spring, ISIS]
5. Importing external theological controversies into Islam - Our Prophet(SAW) told us we are going to follow/copy other Ummahs.
- The Christian Controversy: The nature of Jesus, relationship of Jesus to God
- The Controversies of Qadr came from certain groups in Iraq
- The Controversy over the Names and Attributes was begun by the Christians in Syria. They were discussing the nature of Jesus and the relationship of Jesus with Logos. And is Jesus the Logos or is the Logos God or is the Logos other than God. Or did God create Logos? Or did God create through a form of Logos?
- Muslims then came and started hearing these conversations, but they don’t believe in Jesus or Logos. So they transfer the questions. What is the Quran vs God? Is the Quran God? Is the Quran other than God? Is the Quran created? Is the Quran uncreated?
- The same things go for controversies today: Islamic Feminism, Women Leading Prayer, LGBTQ Issues
6. Argumentation - Our Prophet(SAW) warned us about wasting time going back and forth with useless arguments because you start going into areas you should go.
- Hadith: It is of the perfection of one’s Islam to leave alone what does not concern them
- Be Practical and be useful to your communities.
- “Never has a nation got astray, after having been guided, except that they were prone to excessive argumentation” – al-Tirmidhi
7. Geographical Climate - “What happens in a land affects the people in the land.” - The Sufism began in Basra and Basra was a land of Buddhism. This provided the basis for Sufism - Modern Day- It is not a coincidence that feminism, LGBTQ rights, etc is a phenomenon. We are susceptible to absorbing the influences of the culture around us.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 12 1.4 | Hadith of 73
All of us are familiar of this Hadith. It is reported by over 7 companions of the Prophet (SAW) and it is reported in many different wordings. It is found in each and every book of hadith except Bukhari and Muslim
Various Narrations 1. Versions of Abu Hurayra - Mention of 73 groups, nothing about ‘guided’ or ‘misguided’ [al-Timidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ahmad}
2. a) Versions of Mu’awiya B. Abi Sufyan (Abu Dawud) b) Awf B. Malik (Ibn Majah) & Anas B. Malik (Ibn Majah) - 72 will go to Hell, and one to Heaven, which is ‘the group’ (al-jama’ah)
3. Versions of Abdullah b. Amr - When the Prophet (SAW) is asked which group, he replies, “What I am upon, and my Companions” [al-Tirmidhi]
From these hadith, a group of early derived the term ‘Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’ah’, which means ‘The people of Sunnah and Jama’ah” - Who was the first to derive this? – Some say Ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet (saw) - For sure this term goes back to the first 100 years of Islam
Is this hadith authentic? - Some scholars (very few) doubted its authenticity because of the various narrations. - Majority of scholars, especially the famous ones (ibn Hajar, Nawawi, etc.), say it is authentic and it has been narrated by way too many people to make it inauthentic. o YQ hold this position too
Why was it not mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim then? 1. They did not aim to collect every authentic hadith 2. The hadith of the 73 is not grade A, it is grade B.
What Combines All these other groups? 1. They are all Muslims a. In the hadith, “My Ummah..” Describing his relationship with them
2. Although they are Muslims, they have done something that has made them different from the ‘one’ group
3. Scholars have elaborated on what exactly constitutes iftiraq. In other words, what makes a sect a sect, and what differences of opinions can be tolerated?
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 13 How do we understand this hadith? - Is the majority of the Ummah misguided?
o The majority of the Ummah of the final Prophet (saw) can NEVER go astray. If the majority went astray, then this would necessitate a correction from another prophet. Previous Prophets were sent because the followers of the prophets before then went astray. And we can’t not have that luxury of another prophet. Allah has protected our ummah from going astray.
o Majority of the Ummah is rightly guided.
- So, is everyone else other that our group going to hell?
o Any time a Quranic verse is found with a threat or punishment, we say, this threat of punishment is generic to the actions/belief and not specific to an individual who happens to do that action or belief.
§ EXAMPLE: Who ever drinks alcohol will drink the pus of the hellfire. Hadith is there. So if Zaid is drinking alcohol, can we say he is for sure going to drink the pus of the hellfire? No, because of Allah’s mercy.
o In fact, we believe that these hadith with threats are threats that with Allah’s mercy will forgive. Breaking a threat is a mercy. Religious deeds can dissolve punishments.
- Believing in the ‘correct creed’ is what it’s all about then, huh?
Problem / controversy of the Hadith: - Seems to justify hatred and violence
**The answer to all three questions is NO**
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 14 1.5 | Relevance of Classical Divisions
Certainty versus Relevance **x-axis changes depending on context; y- axis more difficult to change but not impossible
The more you learn and study about different opinions and expand your horizons, the more tolerate and mature you become.
1. Every theological school has its own spectrum of opinions
2. ‘Books’ are not people. What is found in ‘books’ is rarely what is found in the people
3. Labels, for the bulk of the Muslim world, are almost irrelevant
4. Context dictates relevance
5. Modern lines being redrawn
Circle of Cooperation
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 15 Module 2 | Faith and Reason
2.1 | Atheism
Introduction to Atheism
- Some ancient Greek philosophers appear to have questioned the Greek fables of gods; others posited philosophies that didn’t take into consideration any Divine powers.
- Not a single human being ever wrote a book defending the concept that God does not exist until the early 1700’s.
- The first human being that defended that there is no God dates back to 1729, John M.
- The Reformation allowed the power of the Church to wane more and more. Eventually Enlightenment philosophers paved the way for removing religion and even ‘God’ from the public sphere and even from the mind.
- Factors of the rise of Atheism:
o The changes are occurring in Europe which lead to the rise of new trends. And we in 2016 are riding the new trends. We can not use European solutions on the Muslim world.
o Reformation à The rise of Protestant Christianity, The Challenge to the Catholic Church which dominated medieval Europe
§ The reformations represent the attack on the serenity of the Catholic church. This was a fundamentalist movement lead by the Christian fanatics. The protestants attacked the Catholic and that started other voices and trends to be started
o The scientific discoveries of Europe
§ The Scientific discoveries of Newton and Galileo, which were so radically different from Church teachings, further alienated the Church in the eyes of the people, and allowed a new ‘belief’ in science and ‘pure’ rationality to instead take over.
§ When people saw that the scientists were wrong, they started questioning religion as well
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 16
Thinkers that Popularized Atheism
1. David Hume
2. Voltaire
3. Immanuel Kant
4. Thomas Paine
- Was a deist- Believed in a God but not the God of Christianity
- “I am neither a Christian, nor Jew nor Muslim. My mind is my own Church”
5. Percy Shelley
- First person who wrote a book on Atheism in English – The Necessity of Atheism
- Was expelled from Oxford for writing this book, His friends boycotting him, people in the streets were throwing things at him. He then moved to Scotland and died from depression. So, society abandoned him. Now, if you’re religious you considered weird.
6. Ludwig Feuerbach
- The first pseduophilospher
- Argued that ‘Theology was Anthropology’ and influenced an entire generation of atheist o Theology is believing in God and Anthropology is the study of mankind. If you want to study the psychology of any civilization, all you need to do is study their religion. Their religion will reveal their values. It will explain everything.
7. Karl Marx
- Was taught by Feuerbach
- Founder of Communism
- Took Feuerbach’s theories and adapted them to the economic world.
- Explained Religion as the tool of the elites to misguide the masses.
- Marx said: Religion is the Opium of the masses. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 17 o People take drugs to get high so he thinks people turn to religion to numb themselves from the problems they are facing
Political Philosophies, such as Marxism and Communism forced atheism on large segments of Humanity.
Later Movements: New Atheism
- Argues that society shouldn’t tolerate religion: rather, it should strive by every means available to counter and eliminate religious beliefs
- Some would pass laws to make Religion illegal
- Although the hate all religions, they hate the religion of Islam the most
- Main People: Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins.
Main Arguments of the New Atheists 1. The ‘Evils’ of religion
- Primary Proponent of this was Sam Harris.
- Wrote a bestselling book called “The End of Faith”. Talks about the chronological crimes of Religion
- He begins with a detailed account of the 9/11 suicide bomber’s last day. He then works his way through Christianity’s inquisition and persecution of witches and Jews, includes the Holocaust, and mentions other evils that have been perpetrated in the name of religion
- Chillingly, if not ironically, he writes, ‘… some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them.’
- Said that if we eliminate Religion, then it will be better for humanity and we will live better lives.
- This book was refuted by Chris Hedges. He deconstructs Harris’ arguments. He said, “The biggest crimes that were committed in human history were committed not because of religion but because of human greed.”
- However, worst evils are not coming from Religion. Religions bring about more good. Religious people more compassionate, caring, mercy, patience, etc.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 18 1b. The Existence of Evil o Main argument: Why is there evil in the world? If God were loving, caring, and powerful, how could He bring about suffering? How can God allow something evil to happen if He is merciful and compassionate?
o Reasons Why Evil Exists in the World: 1. The very fact that you know and recognize that there is Evil and good demonstrates that we have a capacity to understand what is morally good and what is morally bad. That capacity to understand good and bad itself is an indication that there is a God who gave us that knowledge to demonstrate Good and Evil.
2. The Quran tells us the primary purpose of the existence of evil is to combat evil with good. Allah wants us to respond evil with good. How can we help the poor, if there are no poor people? How can we help the sick, if there are no sick people? Allah does not love evil but loves our response to the Evil. The response can only be generated if the evil is there.
3. Allows us to reconnect with Allah (swt) and rediscover our faith. People are closest to their God and their faith and religion at times of distress. We become more religious during hard and stressful times which makes us turn to Allah.
Then why, when our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they are doing. Al-Anaam :43
4. To raise our ranks and to forgive our sins in this world before the next world. “Never does a thorn prick a person unless his sins are forgive”
5. Bring about a good that people do not understand except for when the evil takes place. Classic Example: The story of Musa and Khidr
6. To test our faith. To demonstrate who is truthful and who is not truthful.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 19
Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe, and they will not be tried? Ankabut:2
7. To show our own mortality and our own life. Evil reminds us that there is a higher purpose. Evil reminds us that there is a life and death and about the akhirah. If there were no evil, we would kind of forget about our higher purpose.
[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and he is the Exalted in Might, the forgiving. Mulk : 2
8. To give us a taste of our own medicine. Occurs as a consequence to our deeds.
Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of the people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]. Ar-Room: 41
9. The existence of evil does not relate to the existence of God. It doesn’t make sense to deny God because Evil exists.
- Jannah is the only world without evil. You must believe in the evil now and connect with Allah and battle the evil.
- One of the names of Jannah is Dar As-Salam (Abode of No Evil)
2. Lack of Empirical Proof - Want scientific proof to God’s existence.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 20 2.2 | Primary Arguments of Western Theists
Argument from Design (or “Teleological”) - Most obvious and self-evident argument!
- You know there is a God by the perfection of the creation. The creation tells you that there is a Creator. Look around how beautiful and creative the world is. Everything is in harmony.
- Used by Socrates, Plato and St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Made famous by William Paley and his ‘Watchmakers Argument’: Used the example of coming across a watch in the middle of the desert. Even if you do not see a sign of a watchmaker, the watch itself is a sign that there was a watchmaker. The watch does not just self construct itself.
- In our times, it was resurrected with the ‘fine-tuned Universe” argument.
- They indicate scientific facts that shows the world is so perfectly constructed and that it just did not appear by chance. They especially mention ‘Universal Constants’.
- Stephen Hawking (an agnostic) writes, “The Laws of science, as we know them at present, contain fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron. … The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”
- Too many constants (‘weak force’, ‘strong force’, gravity, entropy, size and density of matter, etc) are extremely fine-tuned and in complete harmony together. And we continue to discover more and more such constants day by day.
Argument from Morality - Argues that All of Mankind recognizes evil to be evil. Nobody wants to be stolen from. Even the thief doesn’t like it he himself becomes the object of stealing. This demonstrates that there is a value of morality.
- Demonstrates that there is a higher being who implanted in us a sense of justice, of good and bad, of virtue, of honesty.
- Immanuel Kant and C.S Lewis argued this
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 21 - C.S. Lewis (the Author of the ‘Narnia’ series) argued in his work Mere Christianity that ‘...conscience reveals to us a moral law whose source cannot be found in the natural world, this pointing to a supernatural Lawgiver.’
Argument from Consciousness - The fact that we are aware of our surroundings and we that can think and contemplate. Goes by to Descarte, ‘I think, therefore I am’. What is thought? What is rationalization?
- The very fact that we ask our self questions like, who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? Shows that there is a being who put that in us.
- Our level of thinking is simply unparalleled in the creation. Animals have a level of consciousness, but for us humans our level of consciousness is light years ahead of theirs. The most logical and rational explanation is to assume that this consciousness was desired and implanted by a Higher Being.
And he presents for US an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, “Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?” Yaseen:77
Argument from High Purpose (or ‘Desire’ or ‘Transcendence’) - Every human being has a desire to accomplish something in their life – a higher purpose/goal. Even when humans have all they need, they still wish to find more purpose or meaning in their lives.
- There must be a God who implanted this in us.
- People who do not have religion, find other groups to spend their time on (ie. Going Green)
- Life needs to have a purpose. Living in itself is not satisfying.
Argument from Beauty - The very fact that we recognize that there is beauty and not everything is the same is a sign that there is a Creator who allowed us to differentiate that which is beautiful to that which is not.
- Example: Postcard showing beautiful places on Earth. Those images resonate with humanity, compared to a picture of a wall. It evokes a sentiment in us. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 22 - Plotinus: Considered God to be the ultimate perfection of ‘Good’ and ‘Beauty’
- Augustine of Hippo: “Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one who is beautiful and unchangeable?”
Other Arguments: - The Ontological Argument - God exists by definition. Because we understand God, there must be a God.
- Complicated and doesn’t make sense.
- The Cosmological Argument - Philosophical based argument
- Main Stream argument in segments of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Certain Muslim sects invented this argument (The Mu’tazila)
- Pascal’s Wager (or ‘The Pragmatic Argument’) - ‘Pascal’s Bet’: If you had to bet whether there was a God or not, if you gamble that there is a God, you will never be a loser. But betting that there is no God, you might possible be a loser.
There is a God There is No God Believed WIN Neutral Didn’t Believe LOSE Neutral The only time you will lose is if there is a God you didn’t believe in him. If you affirmed God, then you will either win or come out neutral.
- The Existence of Miracles - There are miracles, so there must be a God.
- Valid argument but not useful when talking to atheists.
- Atheist will say: Every religion believes in miracles. They argue how do we know your miracles are right?
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 23 2.3 | Primary Qur’anic Arguments
1. The Creation itself - The Quran mentions all religions except Atheism because:
o There were no atheists when the Quran came down
o One could say that atheism is not a phenomenon that can be argued against. It is an arrogance that refuses to accept evidence and reject the truth. So, the Quran does not waste time on atheists because there is no point in debating with them.
- There is maximum one direct reference to atheism in the Quran:
Were they created from nothing? Or are they themselves the creators? Al-Tur:35
o Allah mentions it as a nonsensical possibility. It is explicitly mentioned but it is addressed to the Pagans of Makkah. Allah is asking them rhetorical questions to emphasize that Allah created them. “Who created you? Where you created from nothing or did you create yourself?”
o There are only 3 possibilities, either nothing created you, or you created yourself, or a God created you. There is only one answer.
- Allah asks people to look at the Creation in order to appreciate Allah’s beauty. The people that Allah is addressing did not reject God, but they rejected Allah as God or they affirmed a lot of Gods.
This is the Creation of Allah! So then show me…what have those beside Him created? Luqman:11
So take a good look! Do you find any flaw? Then look again, and again… and your eyes will become tired. Al-Mulk:3-4 Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 24 2. The Prophets and Revelations and Miracles - Applies only to people who believe in God. More useful with those people who believe in other faiths, not with atheists and agnostics.
- One of existence of Allah is the life of the Prophet (saw), and all the Prophets, and they miracles given to them and the Quran and its revelation
o For us, The Quran is the ultimate Miracle
- We are asked to examine the life and teachings and miracles and revelations of the prophets as evidence for their truthfulness, and hence the existence of God.
3. The Fitra - An innate subconscious knowledge that Allah has implanted is in our spirits. The fitra is gifted to us at birth. It is a gift that is equal to all human beings, Muslims and non- Muslims.
- “Every child is born upon the fitra. Then, his parents convert him into a Christian, Jew or Sabian.” [Muttafaq ‘alayh]
- Even society corrupts the fitra. But the fitra is pure and every human being has some remnants of the fitra inside him or her.
This is the fitra that Allah created mankind upon. Ar-Room:30
- Ibn Taymiyyah felt that the fitra is another faculty, just as important, if not more important, than the intellect
- What does the Fitra tell us: 1. That there is a God. And there is only one God and that God is Beautiful, Powerful and Majestic. Every person in the world at some level is monotheistic. Why? Because the Fitra tells you that there is only one God.
• Example: Hindus believe in more than one God. But they believe there is one that is more supreme
2. It is our consciousness. It gives us a higher purpose. It teaches us morality and right vs wrong.
3. Allowed to flourish in Islam. Islam and the fitra are compatibility together. A Muslims fitra is not corrupted but the Kuffars are corrupted. However, when a kafir’s fitra is pure (have a good heart) and they hear or see about Islam, the fitra will be rekindled and will bring them closer to Islam. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 25 Equivalence of Atheist in the Quran: - The Yahud and Munafiqoon
- When Atheists demand for proof, they are not going to accept any proof that you give them. They have shut their eyes (of the heart) and sealed their hearts from any proof you could present to them.
And [recall] when you said, “O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah outright”, so the thunderbolt took while you were looking one. Baqarah:55
And those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, “Why were not angels send down to use, or [why] do we [not] see our Lord?” They are certainly become arrogant within themselves and [become] insolent with great insolence. Furqan:21
This ayah describes the root cause of Atheism.
And [even] if we opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend, They would say, “Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic.” Hijr:14-15
This ayah is saying, even if I should you the miracles, what would you say? They would not accept it.
Atheist stands from spiritual arrogance.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 26 2.4 | The Role of Intellect in Islam
The Quran asks us to ‘think’, ‘ponder’, and ‘reflect’. But in what context?
1. To rationally prove that there is one All-Powerful Creator who alone is worthy of worship • These verses are directed to those who do not believe in one God and only one God.
• Allah challenges them to rationally believe there is only one God.
• Addressed to polytheists, pagans, Christians, and those who worship more than 1 God.
• First, you must use your mind to believe in Allah (La Illaha ila Allah)
Do they not contemplate within themselves? Allah has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And indeed, many of the people, in [the matter of] the meeting with their Lord, are disbelievers. Al-Room:8
Uff to you and what you worship instead of Allah. Then will you not use reason? Al-Anbiya:67
2. To rationally examine the life and teachings of the Prophet (SAW) • These verses challenge the Quraish, Jews, and Christians to examine the life and teachings of out Prophet (saw) and come to the logical and rational conclustion that he must be a Prophet form God.
• After using your mind to believe in Allah, use it to believe in the Rasool (Muhammadan Rasool Ul-Allah)
• Addressed to non-Muslims who do not believe in the Kalimah (La illaha illa Allah, Muhammadan Rasool ul-Allah).
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 27
Then do they not give thought? There is in their companion [Muhammad] no madness. He is not but a clear warner. Al-Araf:184
Say, “I only advise you of one [thing]- that you stand for Allah, [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give though.” There is not in you companion any madness. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment. Saba:46
Say, “If Allah had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?” Yunus:16
3. To ponder over the creation and marvel at Allah’s Power
• Once you believe in Allah and the Prophet (saw), now rationality can not challenge that belief. It should not challenge something you have already affirmed.
• Once you have affirmed the religion and the Prophet (saw), Allah is saying use your brain when it comes to this dunya.
Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishments of the Fire. Ale Imran: 191
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 28 4. To ponder over the revelation and understand it
• The purpose of the brain is to study and understand the Quran and not to challenge the Quran
Indeed, we have sent it down as an Arabic Quran that you might understand. Yusuf:12
- Islam is not illogical or irrational, but neither is it based on purely logic and ration
- What if someone says, ‘How do we know Islam is true’? - The Fitra- which is intuitive. The fitra and Islam come together
- Islam is not illogical or irrational and everything that logic is true leads you to say Islam is potentially true. Islam is Suprarational (beyond rationality) (ie. Angels)
- Nothing in Islam is irrational. But there are many things in Islam that are beyond what the mind can understand.
Dangers of considering an ambiguous rational opinion over explicit scripture: 1. An actual clash can never occur between true reason and explicit scripture - A real clash can never occur between correct reasoning and explicit scripture. It is impossible because even if the mind is infallible, where it is used properly it is a tool from Allah and it should be correct. And if it used properly it should never contradict the speech of Allah
- If you think something in Islam goes against well known facts, then: i. Your reading of the Quran is incorrect
ii. What you think is logical, rational or a fact is not really a fact
2. ‘Rationality’ does not have a precise definition, or a consistent methodology, or an external verification mechanism. In fact, experience shows that much of what is deemed ‘rational’ is subjective and faulty.
- Rationality is very subjective and prone to error. What one believes in rational might be irrational to someone else. - Rationality is a tool that Allah has blessed us with. And if we use this tool much good can come out of it. But the tool has a limit just like any other tool Allah has given us (i.e. eyes and ears)
3. Opposes the reality of ‘submission’(Islam) to Allah Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 29
2.5 | Muslims and Evolution
The Theory of Evolution, in its broad premises, is considered to be an authoritative as any other mainstream scientific theory (such as the theory of gravity) by an almost unanimous consensus of the modern scientific community (rejected only by religious fundamentalists- Christians and Muslims).
The Christian fundamentalists do not believe in dinosaurs. They don’t believe that there were any creatures before us. They believe that God is testing us through the dinosaur bones. They also believe that the world has only been around for 6,000 years and the world hasn’t been around for billions of years. This goes against everything we know from science.
Dissenting voices from within the scientific community (such as those of Denton, Behe, etc.) all point out various flaws on specific points, but don’t reject the overlying principles of the theory.
Theory of Evolution: States that essentially every single life form (animal, plant, etc) has come from previous life forms that completely merge in together and somehow all creation are linked together in this great tree of life that. Permutations at the DNA level lead to differences between the species and continue to evolve until different species come out. There are no two animals in the world expect that they are linked together somehow. For Example: Crossbreeding dogs, sheeps, Horses, cows, etc.
The theory of evolution is just not a theory. A theory when used by scientists, essentially means its one step away from being a fact. Every single piece of data that they have understood means it fits in with the theory.
It is an undeniable reality that the primary voices of criticism come almost exclusively from faith-based communities.
Question: Is the entire Theory of Evolution incompatible with the Quran?
Answer: Not at all. In fact, almost everything that this theory posits does not in any way contradict Quranic teachings.
Allah never told us he created the chicken and cow separately. If the theory of evolution links the chickens and cows together, or different life forms together, we can see that this is how Allah created these life forms. There is nothing unislamic about linking all these life forms together.
We have observed microevolution. Microevolution we can observe in within our own life times. For example: flies and cockroaches. If you put the same batch of flies in a lab in different circumstances, within a year the two different fly batches will evolve to fit in and adapt to the circumstance.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 30 However, Macroevolution we have not yet observed because it takes hundreds and thousands of years. But macroevolution is nothing but tens and thousands of microevolutions. So if a fly keeps on changing for thousands of years, you may (for example) get a wasp or bee.
We as Muslims have no problem when it comes to this theory. But we have 2 conditions: 1. If this was how life was formed, then it must be the same for all. - This is Allah’s mechanism and it does not happen by itself. Christians and Jews call this intelligent design and for us, it does not go against the Quran.
2. The Creation of human beings (This is a problematic issue for us) - This is the one explicit story in the Quran and we can not comprise. The Quran is very clear about Adam and Hawaa and from the two have come the children of Adam. The Quran does not allow us in room when it comes to the children of Adam.
Question: Why can’t we just interpret the Adamic story as being symbolic?
Answer: Because that would imply: - Allah is not speaking the truth • If Allah is not telling the truth about Adam, then what about heaven and hell. The angels. The shariah would also be symbolic. And everything will just be a fable • When Allah wants to give a parable, He says He is giving a parable
Allah presents an example… • When Allah wants to give you a story, He give you the factual story • So, if you state that the story if Adam is just symbolic then you are accusing Allah of lying and Allah does not lie. - The Quran is full of myths - The rest of the Quran can also be interpreted symbolically
Question: So what exactly should we believe?
Answer: Is it not the role of a religious scholar to teach specific scientific views. Let others take on that role. Religious scholars are not scientist and scientists are not religious scholars.
However, we can point out two things: 1. Why we believe the Quran 2. That such theories might indeed ‘connect the dots’ but there will always be unknowns as well (ie. language, meta-cognition, civilization, consciousness, intellect), and ‘faith’ is always needed, whether in ‘science’ or in other sources, to fill in those unknowns. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 31 Module 3 | Islam and the Other
3.1 | Are good Non-Muslims going to be ‘saved’?
This is an asked question because we live in a multicultural society and its in our human nature to worry and want to know about their afterlife.
The Fate of Those who have never heard of Islam 1. The Mu’tazilite and Maturditie Position - Even before a Divine Message reaches a person, s/he should be a monotheist and ethically upright
- A person who never heard of Islam would only be saved and go to Jannah if they believed in One God (Montheist) and tried to live a righteous life (Honest, compassionate, loving, forgiving)
2. The Ash’arites Position - Al- Ghazali categorized Non-muslims into 3 categories:
i. Those who never heard of Islam à will be forgiven and enter Jannah automatically
ii. Those who have heard of Islam and have a distorted understanding à There is hope but we leave it to judgment day
iii. Those who know Islam and interact with Muslims à Will not be forgiven
3. The Athari Position (Ibn Taymiyyah) - They shall be tested on Judgement Day with a special test
- Evidence: “There are four (who will protest) to Allah on the Day of Resurrection: the deaf man who never heard anuthing, the insane man, the senile man, and the mad who died during the fatra (the gap between prophets). The deaf man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’ The insane man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but the children ran after me and threw stones at me.’ The senile man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I did not understand anything.’ The man who died during the fatra will say, ‘O Lord, no messenger from you came to me.’ He will accept their promises of obedience, then a word will be sent to them to enter the Fire. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.” [Ibn Hanbal in his Musnad]
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 32 The Fate of those who knowingly reject Islam - The notion of ‘salvation for the one who knowingly rejects Islam’ was simply never entertained by the pre-modern scholars.
- Every group all state the same thing, that those people will not enter Jannah: Unanimous consensus
- Evidences for this is so explicit in the Quran. They are divided in the following 3 categories.
1. Verses that indicate that ‘Islam’ is the only religion acceptable to Allah
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him, and he shall be of the losers in the Hereafter. Ale-Imran:85
The religion in the eyes of God is Islam. Ale-Imran:19
2. Verses that Criticize those who reject the Prophet/Quran
- To reject the prophet is to reject Allah. To reject the Quran is to reject Allah. You can not be a believer in Allah without believing in ALL the Prophets.
All of them belied the messengers, so the punishment was due on them. Saad:14
They belied My messengers, so how severe was My reckoning. Saba:45
In another passage, the people of Hellfire are asked, “Did not a prophet come to you?” – to which they respond, “Yes, a warner came to us, but we belied him and said that god has not revealed anything…” Mulk:9
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 33
And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has been made clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall lead him to what he has chosen and cause him to enter the Fire. Nisa:115
3. Verses that Criticize Other Theologies and Faith - The Quran’ic Criticism of Key Christian concepts is quite pronounced, and often involves the use of the verb kafara or a noun derived from it, kufr (unbelief)- the very atheists of faith. In Q. 9:31, God’s curse is placed on those who claim that the Messiah is a son of God; according to Q. 5.72-73, “They have blasphemed (kafara) those who say God is the Messiah, son of Mary” and “those who say God is the third of a Trinity (thalith thalatha); and in passages such as Q. 9:31 and 5:116, the Christian deification of Jesus is equated with shirk, the unforgivable sin of associating partners with God.
- Most explicit Hadith: “I swear by Him in whose hands is my soul, there is not a single Jew or Christian who hears about me, and then dies not having believed in my message, except that he shall be of the denizens of Hell.” (Sahih Muslim)
- As for common sense - They can’t all be right (Mutually exclusive belief) - What’s the purpose if there is no purpose in the prophet/book?!
Responding to Misunderstanding:
Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] – those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness – will have their reward with their Lord, and o fear will there be concerting them, not will they greieve. Baqarah:62
But what about verse 2:62 in which Allah says Jews, Christians and Sabeans will all go to Heaven if they’re good? Response: - Read the context of these very verses o This verse deals with each and every ummah during their time frame. The Jews in the time of Musa. The Christians in the time of Isa. The Sabeans in the time of their Prophet. If they were good during that time frame, then they will enter Jannah Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 34 - Understand it in light of other texts
- Know the reason for its revelation (Salman Al- Farisi’s Question) o Salman had a group of good Christian teachers who were good people who died before the coming of Islam. They told him to wait for the Prophet. Salman asked the Prophet, “What is going to happen to my teachers. They would have believed in you if they saw you, but they did not make it to your time.” So Allah, revealed this verse as a response to his question.
- Historically, this perennialist understanding is unprecedented
But how can Allah punish forever even if they lived a good life? Response: - Know your limits, and the rights of Allah
- Perhaps because of the ease of what was asked, and the gravity of rejecting it o They are being punished because what was asked of them was so little but they didn’t do it
- Definition of ‘good’ o Our definition of good is subjective to our culture. A good person is a person who has good belief and good actions. o The good people who were good to other people, Allah will reward them in this dunya because Allah is just and fair.
- There is some discussion in Sunni literature regarding the eternality of Hell o Some scholars (very few) say that Jahannam is not eternal. They say Jahannam will seize to exist and so will the people.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 35 3.2 | Does Islam preach hatred of others?
The Islamic Doctrine of Wala’
What does the word Wala’ mean? - Come from the same root as the name of Allah Al-Wali (The Protecting friend). And from it we get AwLiya.
- Wala’ means a special sense of protection and loyality
The Qur’an and Sunnah clearly preaches us to have a special love for our Muslim brothers and sisters:
And the believing men and the believing women: they are protectors of one another. Tawbah:71
“The example of the believers in their love and mercy, and compassion, is like that of one body; if even one part of it is in pain, the entire rest of the body joins it in staying awake and feeling ill.” [Muttafaq]
Allah is teaching us the the most important bond is the bond of faith.
It is natural to have special feelings for one’s family, friends, and those who share something similar (tribes, nations, interests, values, etc). But some strands of Islam argue that the opposite is also true: that we must not have any positive feelings towards those of other faiths.
A type of Wala’: Say you are traveling in a foreign country, where English is not the first language, and you find another English speaking person from your city, you have a stronger pull towards that person. It is natural and part of human nature.
Essentially one can say that Al-Wala’ is the concept of Ummah, that we help one another out.
The Islamic Doctrine of Bara’a
What does Bara’a mean? - It means many different things, but it depends on the circumstances. Ideally, Bara’a means that you have absolutely nothing to do with them, even physically. But sometimes, you have to interact and your heart knows that they are evil. Actions can change from time to time, especially with the type of people you are dealing with.
You cannot have love without hate. Undeniably, there are specific verses and hadith that can easily be interpreted to suggest that Muslims should unconditionally dissociate from others.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 36
Never will you find a group who believes in Allah and the Last Day, and who also show love to those who have become enemies of Allah and His Messenger, even if they be their parents, or children, or brothers, or tribesmen. Al -Mujadilah:22 When was that ayah (Surat Mujadilah:22) revealed? - It was reveled when one of the sahabah, in the battle of Badr, his father was on the Quraishi side. And his father continued to want to kill the Muslim side and kept targeting his Muslim son. One time, his father charged at him and he ended up killing his father as self-defense. The Quraish and even some of the Muslims began to speak out saying, ‘How can you kill your own father?’. Allah then revealed this verse. It wasn’t a conflict between father and son, it was between being muslim and not.
- Allah does not say ‘to kafirs’. Instead he says, ‘those who have become enemies’ which means they have gotten out of their way to declare war and engage in acts of hostility for the sake of religion.
- And Allah says if you take them as allies, you are amongst them, as seen in the following verse:
And whoever takes them as allies (awliya)is from them… Ma’idah:51
But who are these people? All Non-Muslims, or only some?
In Relation to the Prophet’s (SAW) feelings towards his uncle Abu Talib,
You can not guide the one whom you love, but rather Allah guides the one who He wants…Al Qasas:56
Allah is saying that the Prophet (SAW) loved his uncle and Allah did not criticize the Prophet for this love. So, from this Ayah we can derive that is is permissible to love a non-Muslim. You can love the kafir for the good in the kafir.
What about the Muslim man who marries a christian women? Does he show bara’a to his wife? No. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 37
And fight back against those who fight you, but do not go beyond [that], for Allah does not love those who transgress. Al-Baqarah:190
You have to distance yourself from the enemies of Allah. The Quran, seerah, and Sunnah clearly demonstrate something called the sympathetic non-muslim who is virtuous in their ethic (akhlaq), not aqeedah.
We can essentially say that Bara’a is shown to one category of non-Muslims, those who show Allah and his Messenger as their direct enemy. Those who want to hate, harm and persecute you just because you are Muslim.
Asma’ bint Abu Bakr said, “My mother came to visit me, and she was still an idol-worshipper. So I asked the Prophet (SAW) about that, and said ‘My mother is coming to visit me, and she is eager [to do so]. Can I be good to my mother?” He replied, ‘Yes! Be good to your mother.’” [Bukhari]
The most significant and explicit verse in the Quran:
Allah does not forbid you to be good (birr), and to be just (qist), with those who do not fight you with regards to your faith, and who do not expel you from your lands. Truly, Allah loves those who are just. What Allah has forbidden on you is that you take them as protectors (tawalli) those who have fought you for your faith, and expelled you from your houses, and cooperated with other to expel you. For whoever takes them as allies (tawalli) is surely a wrongdoer. Al-Mumtahanah: 8-9
This verse clearly shows how there only show Bara’a to one category of non-Muslims.
Two concepts are mentioned in this verse: 1. Al-birr: The highest level of being good. It is so high that it is typically used for Birr ul- walidayn (Good to parents) 2. Al-qist: The lowest level of being good…justice.
We can infer: - People who persecute believers because they are believers do not deserve any wala’, and bara’a must be done of them (how can you genuinely love someone who insulted your mother, for example?) Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 38
- People who do not hate you for your faith: you have a spectrum that you can apply. The bare minimum is “… to be just”, and the highest is the height of goodness (birr)
Conclusion: Islam does not preach a general unconditional hatred of ‘the other’. Quite the contrary, there are explicit evidences to demonstrate the opposite. What Islam does preach is that people who persecute believers and hate the religion cannot be taken as confidants and allies.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 39 Module 4 | Modernity and Islam
4.1 | Feminism
- What is Feminism?
o “Feminism constitutes the political expression of the concerns and interests of women from different regions, classes, nationalities, and backgrounds … there is and must be a diversity of feminisms, responsive to the different needs and concerns of different women, and defined by them for themselves” – one of the 3 UN conferences on Women’s issues (Mexico City, Copenhagen, Nairobi)
o Context from within which feminism appeared: religious, legal, and social impediments on European women in the pre-modern period.
o There are many types and shades of feminism. It is a varied spectrum of movements.
o Many Christians viewed women differently than how Muslims viewed women. The Christians believed that Eve was the root to all evil and God cursed her as a punishment with childbirth pains. However, in Islam, Eve was not the only one to blame.
o Education: Women were limited in places to study. Universities were men only schools. No women were allowed. It was very rare to find female that were educated, scholars, educators, etc. Only recently allowed women to attend the universities
- First Wave of Feminism (1850 – 1915)
o Began in middle of the 19th century and lasted till WWI
o Concentrated on women’s right to vote
o Also known as The suffrage movement
o What was the big deal about the right to vote? § Women understood that once they get the right to vote, then the playing field would be equal. They could have the power and access to change other aspects of legislation.
o This did not change the domestic role of the women. They did not wish to challenge the femininity of women. That’s why All the women still dressed in Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 40 matronly attire, as noble ladies. The women were in an elegant attire, and wore white to show purity. They didn’t want to show that feminism is changing female roles, sexuality, etc.
o So, what happened? § They won. Every single Western Country gave women the right vote
o Then WW1 happened § Brought this movement to a standstill because of the war
§ The majority of men disappeared, especially in Europe. Towns were deserted. When men are kicked out and the entire civilization is left for the women, the women were asked by the government take on the roles of the men.
§ Women said No because it wasn’t common for women to work in man jobs (factories, etc.), and government started to put out propagandas (ie. the ‘You Can Do It’ Posters)
o Twin Goals – Legal position of married women and economic independence of single women
- Second wave of Feminism (1960’s – 1980’s)
o Emphasis on a women’s sexual freedom, also equal access to education, and pay equity
o Extremely open about their sexuality -- burning bras on streets, thought it was not fair for men to sleep around and go about their way and women have to suffer the affects and the shame that is put on them
o Sleeping around was not unheard of before WWII, Men used to first come to the women’s father to date her. One generation later, sleeping around is very common. That’s how fast feminism spread
o They also demanded the right of Abortion. They wanted to get rid of the shame and stigma. They wanted to be as free as the men and not have to deal with the effects of sleeping around.
§ What Happened? • The won. They won in Roe v Wade and women were allowed the right to abort their pregnancy
o Contraceptives Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 41 § Christianity frowned about using contraceptives, even amongst married couples. Men didn’t care about contraceptives because they would just sleep around. But the women who didn’t want to get pregnant and still want to sleep around were secretly getting these or get a note from the doctor.
o Secularism § Women demanded the right to preach as well. To become ministers and Rabi’s. Every protestant sect allows women to become ministers, pastors, and priests. And some Jews as well are given the right to preach, but no the chief Rabi.
- Modern Feminism - Third Wave (1990’s – current)
o No longer one strand of Feminism, there are multiple strands/movements: § Equal pay for men and women § Reproductive rights à Abortion § Violence against Women (one of the positives of Feminism) • In second wave feminism, when women went into the work force some were sexually assaulted § Prostitution / Pornography • Those for say: Its their right and their body § Work § Education
- Islamic Feminism
o Main Premise: to achieve equality between men and women in ALL / most areas of life – based on Qur’anic principles
o They are arguing for a radical reinterpretation of the Shariah. They argue for full gender equality in private and public life.
o Famous Names § Fatima Mernissi – Founder of Islamic Feminism § Amina Wadud § Asma Barlas § Kecia Ali § Activists: Asma Nomani, Raheel Raza
o Practical Manifestations § Men and women praying together led by Amina Wadud that took place in a church Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 42 • There are 5 ‘masjids’ in North America that men and women pray together and are LGBTQ friendly
o Methodology relies on:
§ A new (sometimes completely unprecedented and frequently linguistically untenable) reading of the Quran
• For Example: They say the Hur ul ‘Ayn are white grapes because they don’t agree with the idea of it
§ Non-holistic reading
§ Rejection of hadith
• You can not deviate from Islam and not cut of from hadith.
§ Tawhidic Paradigms
• By Amina Wadud
• Says: The fundamental principal of Islam is Tawheed. Tawheed means that Allah and Allah alone is God/creator/ source of authority. So anyone who claims that their wife needs to obey her husband commits shirk because we only obey Allah.
§ Claiming the ‘Truth’
§ Residual ‘harmful’ meaning
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 43 4.2 | Gender Roles in Islam
- Definition: o Umm Salama, the Wife of the Prophet (SAW) said, “O Messenger of Allah! Allah has mentioned men in the Quran and praised their emigration, but about women?” § So as a response to this question, Allah revealed:
“And their Lord responded to them, ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed – I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah, and Allah has with him the best reward”. Ale-Imran: 195
o Allah said, men and women are spiritually equal § Giving sadaqah, praying, etc. both are given the same rewards
§ We can derive one simple rule: Allah has explicitly said the rewards of Men and Women are the same, spiritually speaking.
§ They have equal opportunities to get to Jannah and that is the equality that we should be interested in
§ There are dozens of verses that mention the spiritual worth of men and women being equal, such as:
Whoever does an evil deed will not be recompensed except by the like thereof; but whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer- those will Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 44 enter paradise, being given provision therein without account. Ghafir:40
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer- We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. Nahl:97
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those – Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. Tawbah:71
o When it comes to responsibilities, they are different.
For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much – an obligatory share. Nisa:7
§ “The Men is not like the Women” (3:36) • If the men are not like the women, how can the role of the man be like the role of the women?
• It’s not about who is better, there are no value. Both are equal. However, they automatically assume that the Male role is better and start their argument.
• Biologically, physically, mentally, hormonally, men and women are not the same
• Allah gave women a role that is suitable for them and the same goes for the men Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 45
§ Most Explicit Verse –
Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. Al-Nisa:34
• Men are Qawwam over women o Qawwam is the plural of qa’im
o Root wood (qaama) is from the verb ‘to stand’. Think about ‘standing’ à the one who is watching, protecting, etc
o Qiwama entails: Protectorship, guardianship, maintenance, responsibility in front of Allah
o 2 reasons why men are qiwam over women § Biological: Men are given characteristics to make them qawwam over women – ie strength, courage, stamina, traits, etc
§ Economic: The men have to always take care of the women financially. *He who has the gold, makes the rules
• Bima (2 Meanings) o Some therefore interpreted it to mean that the category of ‘men’ has certain privileges and blessing, and that the category of ‘women’ don’t (not individual men /women). § Inherent and natural
o Others claimed that this distinction was because Allah had mandated that a man should take the responsibility of providing for his wife, and that she is required to obey him in domestic matters § Religious and mandated by Allah through scripture.
Men’s and women’s roles in the Shari’ah are broadly defined – yet the shari’ah allows for flexibility and overlap if the need arises.
Changing contexts and times do necessitate fine-tuning the laws with the spectrum of permissibility: Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 46
- Fine-Tuning the Laws o Specifics of Hijab § Women are required to dress more modestly than men because women’s bodies do to men
§ Fine-tuning: Wearing loosely clothing, western attire but modestly
o Specifics of Gender interactions § No gender segregation (Some societies have men and women banks, classes etc).
§ Learn to say Salam to brother and sister without presuming that there is a hidden agenda(Marriage)
o Specifics of roles / responsibility of husband and wife § The shariah does not dictate who does the cooking, cleaning, changing diapers… it is allowed to change based on the family
§ Biggest Problem in Marriage: The role of the husband and wife
o Fine tuning divorce laws § Main Problem: Abuse of Divorce
o Women’s active participation in society (masjid boards for example)
Conclusion: While it is undeniable that men and women are spiritually equal, there are gender- specific roles that men and women have been assigned in Islam. With this in mind, we must also realize that there is a spectrum of permissibility that individuals, couples, and society can agree on and that the religion allows
Remember: Paradise lies under the feet of the mother, not the one who leads the Friday Prayer J
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 47
4. 3 | Is there space for the LGBTQ community in Islam?
- History of Modern LGBTQ movement: o Gays and Lesbians have always been around. However, in the past people kept it quiet and hid their sin.
o Stonewall Riots of 1969 in NY § A well known gay bar, that police raided and man-handled the people. They men fought back and a riot occurred. And the LGBTQ arose without police intimidation and harassment.
o Formation of specific groups dedicated to the championing of LGBT acceptance
o Publication (in 1989) of ‘After the Ball: How America will conquer Its fear and Hatred of Gays in the 1990’s’
§ Used as a marketing strategy so Americans can accept Gays.
§ 6-Point Plan of Action that was outlined in the book: Ø Talk about gays and gayness as loudly and as often as possible
Ø Portray gays as victims, not aggressive challengers
Ø Give homosexual protectors a ‘just’ cause
Ø Make gays look good
Ø Make the victimizers look bad
Ø Solicit funds – get major donors / cooperation to help financially support the above
o 1973: The American Psychiatric Association changed its views on same-sex attractions, in a very controversial manner…
§ DSM: The Diagnosis book for psychiatrists. Up until 1973, homosexuality was considered a disease. They eliminated it based on the votes on its members. Demonstrates how unscientific there evidence was.
o 1986: first university department dedicated to Queer Studies is formed in NY
o 1990s: mainstream TV shows (Friends, Will and Grace…)
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 48 § Hayes code (up to affect until late 1960s): Prohibited any mainstream television, Hollywood or media from portraying nudity, illegitimate sexuality, drug use or violence.
o 2009: Harvard dedicates a permanent faculty position
- Muslims and Same-sex Issues o As other faiths attempted to legitimize same sex unions, this influenced some Muslims as well.
o Quite a few people have actually argued that same-sex relations are halal.
o Most famous work is by Scott Kugle in his ‘Homosexuality in Islam’. He was the very first to attempt to justify homosexuality in Islam.
§ For the Qur’anic Story: “Lot condemned his tribe for rape and aggression that happened to be male on male…the essential issue is aggressive use of sex as a weapon to reject the teachings of the Prophets, and express infidelity towards God (p.72)” Ø Qatad, A tabi’un, said one of the sins of the People of Lot was they would rape passerby’s. Scott Kugle focused on rape and said the quran prohibits nonconsensual rape as an act of war, not talking about two people who love each other.
§ For the Hadith evidences: “As gay, lesbian and transgender Muslims assess the authenticity of hadith that are used against them, they raise a wider theological question, one that is key to Islamic reform around any issue. Are Muslims bound by their faith to accept hadith? … of course, it is difficult issue that confronts the reason, trust and conscience of each Muslim to decide which particular reports to believe… (p. 126)” Ø He said we base hadith based on our conscience. If we like it we follow it, and if we don’t we don’t follow or accept it.
§ For the books of fiqh and laws of the shari’ah: “If Muslims do not adapt to new circumstances by changing some rulings of the Shari’ah, then increasingly many will opt for secular solutions. They may hold that the Shari’ah need not be followed outside of the field of ritual norms for worship, or they may leave Islam altogether in frustration… [The] Islamic root of a doctrine of inalienable human rights allows Muslims in democratic states to argue that the secular human rights doctrine is not foreign to the Islamic tradition (p. 185)”
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 49 In essence, this methodology is a complete destruction of the entire edifice of Islam, and it would make more logical, and methodological, sense, to simply abandon the faith than so radically reinterpret each and every pillar upon which it is build.
Question: How about the argument that specific Arabic poems and incidents in history present an alternative picture? - Since when does popular culture represent laws and moral norms? There is even more literature and history with regards to wine and drinking – does that mean it was considered morally acceptable?
Question: But why should we care what two people do in the privacy of their bedrooms? - In some sense, you are right, we don’t legally care… - Neither are we as Muslim minority calling for laws that represent our point of view - Morally, though, we as Muslims believe certain acts are spiritually, and perhaps even physically, harmful, hence society as a whole suffers if it’s individuals suffer… - What is done in private will spill out publically
Question: Still, it’s just two people who consent to have a very intimate moment between them. Their feelings are different than yours. Don’t they have a right to act upon them? - Once again, let’s differentiate between legal prohibitions and ethical disapproval… - Consent does not make it permissible - Logical conclusion: incest would be valid o If it is consensual, then it is acceptable for mother/son or father/daughter to have relations. - Are all feelings justified in being expressed?
Question: Are you homophobic? Because homophobia is the new racism of our era. - Terms such as ‘homophobia’ need to be defined… - One cannot compare sexuality with race - What if one was to substitute same-sex feelings for other feelings? o Pre-martial sex, drinking, extramarital, etc - One can feel ethical qualms about an action and still treat people nicely - Perhaps the opposite question should be asked, is it morally acceptable in your eyes to not approve of ‘alternative lifestyles’?
The decisive factor in all this is very simple: where do we derive morality and laws from? Modern Culture: From Society. So morality changes bad on majortity Religion: From texts we believe to be Divine. So morality comes from the One who knows what is best for us
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 50
Question: So what exactly does this mean? Is there space for Muslims who are homosexuals? - We differentiate the one who is struggling from the sin, versus the one who is committing the sin, versus the who is justifying the sin - We can speak out against homophobic violence and harshness without considering same-sex unions to be ethical.
** Having homosexual tendencies is not sinful in Islam, if you withhold acting upon those desires**
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 51 4.4 | Liberalism
- There is no agreed upon definition, but one can say that Liberalism is a political philosophy that is founded on specific notions of individual liberty and equality. o It is individualistic o It aims to be egalitarian o It is universalist o It presupposes meliorism
- Typical ideas associated with liberalism: o Freedom of speech o Freedom of press o Freedom of religion o Free markets (no or minimal government interference) o Democracy (will of the people by the people) o Secularism o Humanism (philosophy of anti-theism that believes people are inherently good and capable of solving all problems rationally)
- John Locke – Wrote the most about politics
- Liberalism is currently the dominant political ideology of the Western World.
- Some of the factors that contributed to the rise of liberalism include:
o Decline of the European Feudal Order § Hereditary privileges § Absolute monarchy § Divine right of kings and the Scala Naturae
o Weakening of the Catholic Church and the rise of the Protestantism § Dozens of intra-Christian wars, and rising intolerance § Questioning the role of Church in state affairs § Religion was too messy and bloody § Reformation movement effectively removed the power of religion from the public sphere.
o Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution § Questioning age-old religious concepts § Darwin proposes theories that eliminates God from the picture § Rise of Biblical Criticism § Role of Religion becomes secondary
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 52 - All of these circumstances, and more allowed some key thinkers of that era to challenge the status quo and propse alternative theories of government. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Montesquiei, Jean Jacques Rosseau, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and others all helped shaped these notions.
Liberalism is a philosophy that is a byproduct of the social, political and religious milieu of the late medieval Europe. While it has its positives, to assume that it and it alone is the only way to achieve a successful society is just as fundamentalist and intolerant as the previous systems that it claimed to oppose.
Things that allowed these ideas to be manifested in the real world: 1. American revolution 2. French Revolution Both are the ‘mothers’ of liberalism. In both of these lands, the monarchy was overthrown. America with England and the French with their King. In both lands, the people did not want monarchy and replaced with Liberalism and secularism. America wanted a liberalism that allowed Religion. France, on the other hand, wanted liberalism without religion
- Positives of Liberalism for a Western Muslim: o Typically offers more religious freedoms than other lands § Allows the freedom of Religion (growing beard, praying, wearing hijab)
o Religiosity in such environments is more genuine, not by habit § The people who choose to be Muslim are sincere Muslims
o Possible to be a part of the system and influence it to some extent (be a part of the broader narrative instead of creating your own; allows society to accept you) § If you play their system, you get to be part of their game.
- Negatives of Liberalism for a Western Muslim: o Freedom for you means freedom for those very different than you § Others will use this freedom to be irreligious
o Some would argue there is religious compromise
o Moral deterioration inevitable § How pure can you be when society around you is filthy?
o Charge of ‘hypocrisy’ if we use it only when we need to
o Ultimate change can never come from such a system § It ultimately gets worse
o Muslims’ own understanding of Islam and Islamic values will be ‘liberal’ Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 53 4.5 | Classifying Muslim Responses
Hypothetical Scenario
Welcome to the United States of Veganopolis – USV!
An entire culture which accepts that veganism is necessary part of being ‘civilized’ and where the notion of slaughtering an animal for its meat is universally acknowledged to be something from the past.
The USV, eating meat is cruel, barbaric, medieval, and unethical. The people consider themselves to be superior to every other civilization because they do not eat meat. They are the most progressive and modern civilization in mankind because they are vegan.
1. Rejection of Islam o Meet Salman! He says, “Islam cannot be the truth, because it clearly allows and even encourages the slaughter of animals. o The young man Salman is so convinced of the veganism if his land and the backward uncivilized mentality of eating meat that he simply cannot remain a Muslim anymore o He publically renounces his faith and writes a book mocking Islam. In his speeches, he will say that when he studied the Qur’an and Sunnah, he decided he simple couldn’t remain loyal to such backward and barbaric way of life that permits the slaughter and eating of all cattle o Salman will express his disgust, explaining how the Qur’an commands its followers to line up all the animals and slaughter them after mentioning the name of God. He will then explain how the most authentic book of Sahih Bukhari narrated that the Prophet (SAW- which he doesn’t even say) favorite dish was the shoulder of the lamb and that the Prophet(SAW) used to command them to regularly slaughter animals. In fact, one of their Holy days is the day of sacrificing animals. o He will then explain the books of shariah and how come some of theirs schools of law even allow the eating of coyotes and foxes. Some allow the eating of cats and dogs. o How can a religion that comes from God be so barbaric? How can a prophet who is supposed to be the best man like to eat meat? Salman rejects Islam and becomes multi-billionaire.
2. Progressive Radical Reinterpretation of Islam o Meet Yasmin! She says, “Well, Islam tolerated eating meat but its goal was indeed the eventual banning of animal slaughter. The maqasid Shariah (Goals of the shariah) clearly show that eating meat does not conform to the spirit of Islam” o Yasmin and her group decided to remain muslim, but they acquiesce to the dominant culture and come to the conclusion that eating meat is unethical. How Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 54 can you remain faithful to Islam when it allows the eating of meat? Veganism is the way forward and eating meat is backward. o Yasmin becomes one of the leaders of progressive radical Islam to impose her own ideology onto the Qur’an while rejecting Sunnah completely. Yasmin says that she is proud to be Muslim. As for you people who claim that Islam allows the eating of meat, you are all wrong, and you have taken the qur’an out of context. o She will argue that since the Qur’an was revealed for all times and all places, it can be re-interpreted in a completely different manner! You can’t adopt the opinion from 1000 years earlier and implement it in out current times. Yasmon will explain how during the time of Qur’anic revelation, people were drinking the blood of animals and eating dead carcasses! The Qur’an came to limit such acts and ultimately turn people into vegans! This is the ‘maqasid shari’ah’ àshe throws in Arabic words and doesn’t even know the meaning o Yasmin goes on to explain how the hadith that “moslems” say cannot be authenticated. We don’t even know if they are true! The prophet (SAW- which she does not say) was a vegan himself for most of his life. She will quote the hadthat that she likes and finds advantageous for her argument, a hadith in the most authentic book. Although she rejects this book, she accepts this one particular hadith. In this hadith, the wife of the Prophet (SAW) stated that six months would pass without the fire being lit (meaning they didn’t cook any meat) o Yasmin finds the hanafi school to support her as they were very restrictive and didn’t allow for any meat except for 2-3 kinds. She will take the hanafi school and extrapolate it to such an extent that it is practically one step away from veganism. o She will then explain how the hadith tradition supports veganism. In their most authentic books (which she rejects), the Prophet (SAW) commanded the kind treatment of animals. So how can the Prophet (SAW) allow the killing and eating of animals?
3. Traditionalist Conservatism o Meet Abdullah! He says, “Eating biryani (or Kebabs) is an established part of Islam and in order to be Muslims we must preserve it” o Abdullah loves meat, especially biryani. He loves it too much to let it go. He wanted to preserve the meat-eating heritage of his forefathers, and he disdained the USV even though his grades and level of education was superior to those people of the USV. o His rebellious nature made him look down upon the USV. He took the cultural tradition of his family and culture and as an act of worship itself. o His friend Ahmed wants rice and lamb instead of biryani while others want couscous and chicken. While the different meat-eating groups tolerated one another, they did not tolerate bean-eating burrito groups because it is what the Kuffar eat. The Sunnah of the Indians in 1850 is the real Sunnah. o Abdullah become a counter reaction to popular culture. What was considered pure culture becomes Islam itself. So, anyone who does not eat biryani becomes a progressive modernist and a threat to the ummah. Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 55
4. Moderate Reform o Meet Ali! He says, “Eating meat is not a necessary part of Islam; and there is no doubt that elements of our culture should be modified (i.e. humane treatment; method of slaughtering, etc.). It is also undeniable that consuming more fruits and vegetables is indeed healthy. So we should consume more fruits and vegetables is indeed healthy. So we should try to take the good of USV culture and modify some elements of our ancestral culture, while remaining true to the scriptures of Islam.” o This group attempts to historize both the dominany culture of USV and the conservatism of Abdullah’s groups. In other words, rather than just agree that veganism is the only correct lifestyle or flat out reject veganism, this group contextualizes veganism. o They understand that even though veganism did not exist in pre-modernity, not everything about it is haram. o They try to eliminate the emotional aspect of the argument while explaining that eating meat is not a fundamental aspect of Islam. It is possible to have sincerity and taqwa while abstaining from the eating of the meat. o This group is critical of both the modern culture and the Islamic culture. They look back at their books to find the true teachings of Islam in order to analyze the possible compatibility with the dominant culture of USV.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 56 Module 5 | Divine Law and Modern Governance
5.1 | Introducing the Nation State and Citizenship
- Nationalism and the division of the world into nation- states is a relatively modern phenomenon. In fact, it could only have emerged in a modern world, where: o Languages become more predominant in a region because of print and paper o Unified authority becomes easier to manage larger groups o Industrial changes breaks class structure
- Trivia: What is the ‘newest’ country in the world? South Sudan, formed in 2011
- Types of Nationalism o Ethnic nationalism (Germany in the 1930s) § The rise of Hitler, If you are a Jew you have to right to a Israel citizenship
o Integral nationalism (Italy under fascist rule)
o Religious nationalism (Israel) § “Our Christian values…” “Those Muslims...”
o Civic nationalism (America) § People of different ethnicities and religions come together and work together to create a better society
- But there is always an overlap between these types of nationalism – the Tea Party of America is an example
- Nationalism, although it is the status quo in the world today, has its critics.
- Critics of Nationalism o Benedict Anderson – wrote his classic ‘Imagined Communities (1983) o Argued that a nation is an imagined community – a nation must falsely construct that notion that it is unique and different that other nations, and then create imaginary boundaries on humanly drawn maps - Comparison between various other philosophies of rule
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 57 Tribes: Definition Geneologically related to each other Origins (When/how it began) Very Old – as old as recorded history Founding Myths/Conception Viewed as Warriors, Powerful, Generous, Brave The Honor of serving and dying for… Fight for their people and defend their honor. Viewed as brave if they die What is common between members Blood, ancestor, lineage How do you treat ‘the other’ Can’t become a certain tribe The punishment for ‘breaking away’ Will get killed Who is in charge? What system is used to Wisest, bravest, strongest judge?
Nation-state: Definition Share same passport Origins (When/how it began) Depends on the country Founding Myths/Conception Viewed as prophets by the people(not verbally said ) The Honor of serving and dying for… Fight for their people and defend their honor. Viewed as brave if they die. Troops are sacred What is common between members Passport How do you treat ‘the other’ Faces difficulties and no guarantee The punishment for ‘breaking away’ Will get killed Who is in charge? What system is used to Group of politicians whose interest will clash with judge? those beneath them
Ummah: Definition Share same religion Origins (When/how it began) Every Prophet has an ummah Founding Myths/Conception Viewed as sacred and holy (made sacred by Allah) The Honor of serving and dying for… Fight for their people and defend their honor. Viewed as brave if they die What is common between members God, Prophet, Qibla, Shariah, holy Language, Symbols, rituals, calendar, festivals, ethos of living, ethics, laws., etc. How do you treat ‘the other’ Take the Shahadah The punishment for ‘breaking away’ Will get killed Who is in charge? What system is used to Derived from the Shariah of the Divine Creator judge?
In essence, the Islamic notions of wala’ make more logical and rational sense than either tribalism or loyalties to the nation-state.
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 58 5.2 | The American Muslim Experience
Muslims have had a few opportunities to live as minorities. And if we look at those situations, we find that there were different views:
- Muslims of Andalucia after recapture (al-Wansharisi’s harsh fatwa) o When Muslims were conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Christians promised the Muslims of Spain. The Ulamah understood that they were being lied to because they seen it happen to other places. They knew the ywere just trying to make the religion haram for the people. Within 10 years, the first verdicts began. The Muslims were told you can not fast Ramadan, pray jumuah, you can not wear hijab, etc. And with 100 years the Muslims were forced to change religions.
- Muslims of India after the collapse of the Mughals in 1857 o When Queen Victoria invaded India, the invaded the Mughal dynasty and overthrew their dynasty. They imprisoned the emperor and stripped him of all his jewels and took his big diamond in the world and now it sits on top of Queen Elizabeth. They stole all of the Muslim wealth and took over. o The British promised the Muslims that they have the freedom to pray, fast, wear the hijab, and separate family courts. And they did exactly that. The Muslims remained in India and flourished.
- Muslims of Algeria after the French Invasion of 1830 o The people wondered if they should agree and obey their rules (become kafir) or disagree and fight against them. The majority of the Muslims agreed to live and a good minority said no, they will fight against them.
Additionally, the division of lands was something various madh-habs did differently, taking their socio-political world into account. Simplistic schemes of world division needs to be updated; perhaps even new categories found.
The Story of Fudayk
Fudayk accepted Islam during the time of the Prophet (SAW), but his entire tribe remained non-muslim. Fudayk was told that he had to make hijrah in order to be a ‘real’ Muslim.
And so Fudayk went to the Prophet (SAW) and asked about whether he should emigrate, saying, “O Messenger of Allah! There are people claiming that whoever does not emigrate will come to ruin.”
To this the Prophet (SAW) replied, “O Fudayk, establish prayer, avoid bad deed, and live with your people wherever you like.” [Sahih ibn Hibban, Sunan of al-Bayhaqi, and other]
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 59 The Story of Hudhayfah b. al-Yamam
Hudhayfah and his father were from Yemen and lived in Makkah for a while. They have accepted Islam and decided to migrate to Madinah. When they left to migrate to Madinah, the Qureysh stopped them and said “we are not going to let you go to Madinah.” Hudhayfah and his father asked, ‘why, we are not even qurashi, we are Yemeni”. The Qureysh said, “You came here to Makkah with no money and now you are leaving with all these camels and money”, This meant that they wanted bribe. Hudhayfah and his father said, “If we give you everything we have, will you let us go?” The Qureyshi said, “Okay, but with one condition. You can go to Madinah but you can never fight against us.” Hudhayfah and his father agreed. They told the Prophet about what happened and was happy about their transaction. The battle of badr was one week away and the Prophet (SAW) said, “We shall fulfill their treaties with you, and rely on Allah against them!”
And if they (another group of Muslims) ask you for help, in the name of the religion, then you must help them, unless it be against a group with whom you have treaty in place. Anfal:72
Mainstream clerics have, therefore, permitted the living of Muslims in non-Muslim lands and under non-Muslim rule, provided they have the freedom to practice their faith.
So how do Muslims navigate ‘the system’? Andrew March, an expert on Muslim minorities, has given several model that are in use:
1) The Thin Social Contract Model Ø Standard position of most Ulamah (Shaykh Qaradawi, Shaykh Bin Bayyah)
Ø Argues that we American Muslim have a treaty with our home country. And that treaty is in the form of our passport or visa. And when we enter the country we have an implicit treaty – which is obeying the laws. According to Islam, when you have a treaty you must honor the treaty.
Ø Islamically, you can not enter or live in a country with a passport or visa and harm the people there
2) The Internal Retreat Ø Popular amongst ultra-conservative groups
Ø You try to form an internal/modified retreat, where you try to create an internal retreat to preserve their identity (i.e. Amish and Mormon people)
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 60 3) The Self-Governance Model Ø Not possible in America; practical in one or two countries
Ø That the government allows you to take care of your own internal affairs.
Ø This is the Islamic model when it comes to minorities
4) The Temporary Modus Vivendi Model Ø Typically espouses by extremely political and/or radical groups
Ø We will just live with the system but we have a long term goal of overthrowing the system
5) The Thicker Social Contract Model Ø Most Muslims active in politics and media or sympathetic to those who are
Which one is best for us?
Qabeelat Al-Abrar No Doubt: God, Religion & Politics in the Modern World Charlotte, NC Yasir Qadhi 61
Conclusion
Feeling doubts is natural - Ibrahim o When Ibrahim asked Allah to resurrect the dead and Allah said ‘Do you not believe’ and Prophet Ibrahim said ‘Yes I do, but for my heart’. And the Prophet (SAW) said that we have more right to doubt then Ibrahim. - Umar b. al-Khattab and Hudaybiyya - “Dhak sarih al-iman!” ie. “That is the ESSENCE of Faith!” o A man came to the Prophet (SAW) and said “Sometimes I have thoughts in my mind that are so bad. I would rather be ripped to shreds then say those doubts.” The Prophet (SAW) said “Dhak sarih al-iman (That is the essence of Faith)”. Battling against those doubts is the essence of faith
What do you do? Understand the overlapping roles of intellect, and spirituality, and belief.
Basic Premise of Islam: every part of your being (logic, rational intellect, fitrah, prophets, Qur’an) … all of it, causes you to believe that the message is true.
But the message also has matters that are supra rational (soul, angels, Heaven, Hell, afterlife, etc.), or of ambiguous rationality (Islamic laws), or, in very rare instance, of dubious rationality (Theory of Evolution)
Given that everything else makes sense, and that the alternatives are nonsensical and illogical, belief in Islam thereforem at times, requires a logical and spiritually fulfilling ‘leap of faith’, and that is the iman bi’l-ghayb that is always praised in the Qur’an.
The Hadith of Doubt: The Prophet (SAW) said: “The people will keep on questioning until it will be asked, ‘This was created by Allah, but who created Allah?’ Whoever experiences any of that, let him say, ‘I believe in Allah and His Messengers.’ And let him seek refuge with Allah and stop [this line of reasoning}.
3 Things the Prophet (SAW) said to do at times of doubt: o Say, Amantu Billah Wa Rasulli o Turn to what you know to seek comfort from what you don’t know. Turn to what you understand to seek what you don’t understand. Turn back to the fundamentals that you know. I believe in Allah and His Messenger.
o Spiritually Component: Turn to Allah o Having a Qalb connection through quran, dhikhr, salah, dua, prolong sajda
o Stop playing with fire or you will be burned. Do go to the tangent. Be humble in your limits. Stop playing with dangerous idea