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