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A critical analysis of the Modernists and the Hadeeth ... - Islam House

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eginning by underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> deviations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mu'tazilah sect. We<br />

shall see with examples;<br />

a) <strong>the</strong> rejection <strong>of</strong> Kalaam by <strong>the</strong> scholars <strong>and</strong> Imams <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Muslims,<br />

b) <strong>the</strong> turmoil that <strong>the</strong> Mutazilah brought upon <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic<br />

world as a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir Kalaam <strong>and</strong>,<br />

c) <strong>the</strong> ill-effects <strong>of</strong> philosophy on pious <strong>and</strong> knowledgeable<br />

scholars who indulged in it <strong>and</strong> later ab<strong>and</strong>oned it.<br />

We shall study <strong>the</strong> views <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 'Muslim' rationalists (al-<br />

Aqlaniyah), a group that emerged towards <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonial era<br />

<strong>and</strong> found intellectual nourishment in <strong>the</strong> views <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mutazilah.<br />

Impressed by Western advances in science <strong>and</strong> technology, <strong>the</strong>y<br />

sought inspiration from <strong>the</strong> west for <strong>the</strong> advancement <strong>of</strong> Muslim<br />

societies, assimilating along <strong>the</strong> way 'Modernist' attitudes towards<br />

religion that had gained popularity amongst European Christians<br />

<strong>and</strong> Jews.<br />

The European Modernist agenda was primarily aimed at<br />

settling <strong>the</strong> conflict between religion <strong>and</strong> rationality with <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong><br />

philosophy. On <strong>the</strong>ir part, 'Muslim' <strong>Modernists</strong> attempted to reject or<br />

alter those teachings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Qur'aan <strong>and</strong> Sunnah that <strong>the</strong>y saw as<br />

hindrances, <strong>and</strong> turned to <strong>the</strong> Mu'tazilah <strong>and</strong> 'Muslim'<br />

philosophers for guidance.<br />

We shall see in this booklet <strong>the</strong> close<br />

resemblance between Christian <strong>and</strong> Jewish<br />

<strong>Modernists</strong> on one h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> 'Muslim'<br />

modernist <strong>and</strong> progressives on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r.<br />

We shall analyze <strong>the</strong> views that have<br />

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