Blogs

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and the Tradition of Religious Humanism

By Guest articles on 12/2/2010 4:06 PM

Professor Emiritus P.S. van Koningsveld

(Leiden Institute for the Study of Religion: LISOR)

One of the major methodological principles of the humanistic tradition of the study of texts, is often quoted in Latin as “e mente auctoris”. This principle underlines the necessity to understand texts “from the mind of the author”. Researchers are supposed not only to identify the author of a text, but also to study his/her biography, the society he or she was living in, in short his/her biography in order to grasp the text as fully as possible. This principle was also applied to the study of Biblical texts which for a long time, were regarded to be of Divine origin, a belief which is still shared by millions of people today. The de-sacralisation of the Divine Revelation formed an essential part of the process of secularization resulting in various forms of separation between State and Religion. This was a painful process marked by many conflicts and even wars. In view of the existing Christian fundamentalist movements and the political power they are able to mobilize until this very day, we cannot claim that this process has come to a full completion, even today. A Biblical scholar denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for instance, may still meet serious opposition.

A Conservative Legacy

By Guest articles on 4/26/2010 3:02 AM

by Sohail H. Hashmi

A Response to The Place of Tolerance in Islam I have long been intrigued by an exchange between Abraham and God that comes early in the Qur'an: "Behold! Abraham said: 'My lord! Show me how you give life to the dead.' [God] said: 'Do you not then have faith?' He said: 'Yes, but [I ask this] to satisfy my heart.' [God] replied: 'Take then four birds and teach them to incline toward [or obey] you. Then place a part of them on every hill around you, and then summon them. They will come flying to you. And know that God is almighty, wise'"(2:260). This verse follows several others and precedes many more in which Abraham is depicted as steadfast in his private faith and his public preaching—so much so that he is called khalil Allah (the friend of God) based on Q. 4:125. Why would the Qur'an even allude, I have wondered, to the possibility that this great prophet of God would harbor any doubts about God's power?...

Beyond Interpretation

By Guest articles on 4/26/2010 2:58 AM

by Amina Wadud

A Response to The Place of Tolerance in Islam article.

I want to commend Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl for his insightful assessment of the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon and especially for his parallel historicization of those events and the work of Qur'anic interpretation. The tendency to de-contextualize September 11—to treat it as a single random act of violence—has been challenged by Muslim thinkers, activists, and political analysts since September 12. Many have been condemned as apologists for the heinous act, as if understanding implies forgiveness. What is unusual here, and what draws my interest to this particular discussion is Abou El Fadl's juxtaposition of the historical reading of political events with an interpretive imperative that calls for a similar historical reading of the Qur'an. Indeed,...

Tolerance and Religious Freedom in Islam

By Guest articles on 4/26/2010 2:54 AM

Sadly, most Muslims do not think or reflect about this critical matter, but its proper interpretation and application is vital to the future of Islam and Muslims, especially in the UK. What is this inner disease within the Muslim community that is harmful to the personal upliftment of each believer and the social progress of the community? The subject under discussion today deals with the key notions of freedom and tolerance. What does the Holy Qu’ran teach us about mutual co-existence and ideological pluralism? Far too often Muslims have not heeded the clarion call what their Sacred Scripture teaches them about philosophical diversity and intellectual freedom. In the linguistic context the word tolerance means ‘to bear’. As a concept, it means respect, co-existence, acceptance and appreciation of the rich mosaic of global cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance does not mean condescension or indulgence. Since Islam emphasizes the establishment of justice, peace and equality regardless...

The Place of Tolerance in Islam On reading the Qur'an—and misreading it.

By Guest articles on 4/26/2010 2:50 AM

by Khaled Abou El Fadl The terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon have focused public attention on the state of Muslim theology. For most Americans, the utter indifference to the value of human life and the unmitigated hostility to the United States shown by some Muslims came as a great shock. Others were confirmed in their belief that we face a great struggle between civilizations. Islamic values, they say, are fundamentally at odds with Western liberal values. The terrorist attacks are symptomatic of a clash between Judeo-Christian civilization, with its values of individual freedom, pluralism, and secularism, and an amoral, un-Westernized, so-called "authentic Islam." Indeed, Islamic civilization is associated with the ideas of collective rights, individual duties, legalism, despotism, and intolerance that we associated with our former civilizational rival, the Soviet bloc. We seem to project onto the other everything we like to think that we are not. This intellectual trap is easy to fall...

Principles of Western Democracy and Islam

By Guest articles on 4/26/2010 2:43 AM

by Anna Jordan

The current issue (Dec.1998) of Life Magazine sports an interesting cover which poses the following question: WHEN YOU THINK OF GOD WHAT DO YOU SEE? The article by Frank McCourt of the same title could not be better timed for the purposes of this paper. The opening paragraph reads: America’s God is vaguely defined. Ours is not a monocultural nation like, say Iran, Italy or Ireland, but a proudly diverse one. In many countries, the state, so entwined with a national religion, paints a picture of God no less stark than a portrait of the ayatollah, of the pope, of Saint Patrick. Everyone knows what God looks like, and accepts the image or leaves it alone - this latter option sometimes at one’s peril. America, meantime, makes it society’s business to support, protect and nurture minority viewpoints, values and traditions. Within these are many different views of God (sometimes Gods, plural; sometimes "exalted beings" possessing a divine essence). Americans answerable only...

The True, Peaceful Face Of Islam

By Guest articles on 4/21/2010 7:08 AM

By Karen Armstrong

There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, and Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion. If the evil carnage we witnessed on Sept. 11 were typical of the faith, and Islam truly inspired and justified such violence, its growth and the increasing presence of Muslims in both Europe and the U.S. would be a terrifying prospect. Fortunately, this is not the case. The very word Islam, which means "surrender," is related to the Arabic salam, or peace. When the Prophet Muhammad brought the inspired scripture known as the Koran to the Arabs in the early 7th century A.D., a major part of his mission was devoted precisely to bringing an end to the kind of mass slaughter we witnessed in New York City and Washington. Pre-Islamic Arabia was caught up in a vicious cycle of warfare, in which tribe fought tribe in a pattern of vendetta and counter-vendetta. Muhammad himself survived several assassination attempts, and the early Muslim community narrowly escaped extermination by the powerful...

The Enemies of Islam according to the Quran-Pluralism or Prosecution?

By Guest articles on 4/13/2010 8:44 AM

by Reaz Islam A major misconception amongst some Muslims and some non Muslims is that Islam is at war with all other religions and ways of life. I wish to challenge this misconception by studying and identifying the characteristics of the enemies of Islam as described in the Quran. What is the nature of the enemies of Islam in the Quran? According to the Quran who did the prophet Muhammad and earlier prophets fight and for what reason? Did the prophets fight disbelievers simply because they were disbelievers or were there other reasons? What were the reasons for the war? The Quran repeatedly describes the enemy disbelievers, not just through the events in the life of the prophet Muhammad but also through the stories of the earlier prophets. This article analyzes the characteristics of the enemies of Islam. The enemies of Islam as described in the Quran are disbelievers, but these disbelievers do not simply deny the call of the prophets, they persecute the prophets and the believers In the events...

Islamic Law: An Ever-Evolving Science Under The Light of Divine Revelation and Human Reason

By Guest articles on 4/13/2010 8:39 AM

by Havva G. Guney-Ruebenacker

It is a matter of fact that each era in human history has its own predominant logic and rational that manifests itself in the philosophy, culture, art and law of that era. Islamic law is not an exception. Islamic law is not a sacred nor a mystic science, but a human science that is produced and developed by people and influenced by the predominant culture and the rational of each era in the Islamic history. In this sense, it shares all the characteristics of other human sciences. In other words, the Qur'an is the last word of God to humanity until the end of human history, therefore its text is divine and immutable, while the interpretations of that text are human and subject for a constant change. No legal system may exist nor survive without a basic philosophy, which feeds its growth and gives that legal system a certain horizon and a direction. All divine messages and books share the same basic philosophy and logic, yet differ in their methods of implementation...

What is briefly written in the Qur'an

By Guest articles on 4/6/2010 6:11 AM

The Qur’an presents

A living and Lasting God (2:256)

The Lord of all creation (1:2)

The Gracious, the Merciful (1:3)

The Almighty (29:43)

All-hearing, all-knowing (5:77)

The Wise (34:2)

The Forgiving (34:3)

The Bountiful (27:41)

The Loving (11:91)

Blogs by DRC researchers

DRC's own researchers discussing and posting on diverse subjects on the Qur'an, the world, human society, interpretation, Muslim world, history, science, philosophy etc.