By Abdur Rab on
4/13/2013 5:02 PM
There probably is no one simple, clear-cut answer to the question: How God exists. Scientific, philosophical, and theological positions on this question proliferate. It is indeed a Herculean task to go through and make a sense of the almost endlessly complex maze of all the discussions on this issue. This article attempts to provide a concise understanding of how God exists by reflecting on a deeper meaning of some of the Quran verses, as well as by appreciating the modern scientific position that everything that exists or occurs in the universe is a result of the evolutionary process that has been at work throughout the universe from the very beginning, if there was a beginning that could be defined.
God's existence cannot be proved, but can be intuited by spiritual experiences, as by prophets, saints, and mystics. God is Immanent in the universe, i.e., He manifests Himself through His agents, which are Nature, human beings, and other beings.
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By Abdur Rab on
1/22/2013 8:46 PM
This is a revised and somewhat expanded version of a topic discussed earlier on this site in December 2010.
The article focuses particularly on the practice of halala (Called “hilla” in Bangladesh or “hulla” by some) –the system that entitles a divorced wife to remarry her husband, but only after she marries another person and after that person divorces her. The article demonstrates that this practice is unIslamic, barbaric, not really supported by the Quran.
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By Abdur Rab on
12/17/2012 6:18 PM
Does Islam denegrate women and discourage their education? The ultra-conservative version of Islam like the one promoted by the Taliban has suppressed women's legitimate rights. They have not refrained from even taking repressive measures to dissuade girls from going to school. Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai has been on media spotlight since their savage assassination attempt on her. This incident is a wake-up call for Muslims to reexamine Islam’s true message about education for women.
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By Abdur Rab on
11/19/2012 8:34 PM
This is a synthesized, compact look into this complex subject, coming after an earlier one written in January 2010.
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By Abdur Rab on
11/3/2012 4:52 PM
This article makes a vital distinction between riba or interest banned in the Quran and that used in the modern finance and banking system. While the former used at exorbitant rates in pre-Islamic Arabia was clearly unethical and unacceptable, the latter serves a necessary and very beneficial role. The latter interest makes possible proper functioning of the modern finance and banking system and serves as a vital tool for monetary and economic development policy and as an essential device for efficient allocation of productive resources.
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By Abdur Rab on
10/10/2012 1:14 PM
So-called Islamic finance or banking has spread rapidly worldwide in recent decades. This financial system is ostensibly based on the principle that all its products should be free of interest involvement, which means that such products (loans for various services and payments for deposits) must be backed by real assets on the ground. In practice, however, it can be seen that Islamic banks have miserably failed to avoid interest receipts from borrowers of their funds and payments to their depositors. Though such receipts and payments are cloaked in different (Arabic) names.
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By Abdur Rab on
4/27/2012 5:20 PM
This handy volume of Aisha Musa makes some solid contribution to Islamic discourse – to a crucial debate that has been of concern to Muslims of all walks of life throughout Islamic history: Does the Hadith have authority as a source of religious law and guidance in Islam? Unveiling hitherto unknown, extant literature – a commendable effort in itself – Musa finds that the challenge to the Hadith as an authoritative source in Islam is almost as old as Islam itself and that such opposition was widespread in early Islam. Interestingly, she finds echoes of the arguments used against the authority of the Hadith in early Islam in the contemporary anti-Hadith movement as well.
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By Abdur Rab on
4/10/2012 5:22 PM
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By Abdur Rab on
5/12/2011 4:42 PM
The American Muslims are currently going through what one could characterize as a critical, trying time. It’s a great irony that today, they find themselves trapped in a very delicate situation due to home-grown terrorism that has involved “Muslims” in name. Such “Muslims” are a microscopic minority of extremists – examples: Nidal Hasan, Faisal Shahzad and their likes. Nidal Hasan is an American-born Army Major of Palestinian descent who is shortly to undergo trial, having been accused of killing more than a dozen soldiers and injuring dozens more at the Fort Hood army base. Pakistani-born Faisal Shahzad is serving a life in prison term for attempting a car-bomb attack at the New York Times Square. They are self-declared, self-righteous, so-called jihadists or soldiers of God who are influenced by the fundamentalist, fanatic, and militant ideas of some Muslim writers like Sayyid Qutb of Egypt and Maulana Mawdudi of Pakistan. Other extremists include American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki now probably holed up in Yemen, five American Muslim students who were recently arrested in Pakistan for contacting al Qaeda via the Internet and for trying to join a Pakistani militant-training camp and one Saudi student of Texas who was recently caught buying explosive chemicals online. They are a handful of indoctrinated Muslims who would not hesitate to even kill themselves to take innocent lives. This new development is a matter of serious concern to all Americans, and in particular to Muslim Americans. The critical question they face is: How do they deal with this situation?
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By Abdur Rab on
2/13/2011 4:56 PM
Dr. Asghar Ali’s “Some Thoughts on Training Ulama” posted on his blog on this website has some good points and suggestions, but, unfortunately, his suggested strategy to train our religious ulama (singular alim) falls terribly short of what is needed to bring about a fundamental change in the status quo. The basic premise from which such discourse should start is to recognize the big mess the traditional ulama have made of our religion.
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