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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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disputed one. However, <strong>the</strong> 'progressives' promote strange/heretical<br />

opinions in order to term agreed upon matters as disputed; <strong>the</strong>n insist<br />

upon following <strong>the</strong> peculiar opinion over <strong>the</strong> traditional view. They<br />

seek after <strong>and</strong> promote strange <strong>and</strong> mistaken opinions <strong>of</strong> past<br />

scholars, or accept <strong>the</strong> views <strong>of</strong> outright deviants <strong>and</strong> heretics when it<br />

suites <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

As is evident, <strong>the</strong> 'progressives' mimic closely <strong>the</strong> Christian-<br />

modernist idea that scriptural guidelines are relative truth <strong>and</strong> not<br />

absolute. What <strong>the</strong>y overlook is that unlike Christianity, <strong>Islam</strong>ic texts<br />

as well as <strong>the</strong>ir preliminary interpretation by <strong>the</strong> Prophet � <strong>and</strong> his<br />

companions are preserved <strong>and</strong> available today such that one can refer<br />

back to <strong>the</strong>m in order to determine <strong>the</strong> original state <strong>of</strong> affairs, <strong>and</strong><br />

distinguish between what are religious injunctions <strong>and</strong> what are<br />

cultural practices.<br />

The 'progressives' seek to make <strong>Islam</strong> more humane by<br />

removing practices from it that are not part <strong>of</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> in <strong>the</strong> first place,<br />

like forced marriages <strong>and</strong> honor killings. By this, <strong>the</strong>y have exposed<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir ignorance <strong>and</strong> prejudice towards <strong>Islam</strong> to be on par with that <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> western media that <strong>the</strong>y cater to.<br />

The 'progressives' may be ardent claimants to independent<br />

thinking, but in reality it is nothing but <strong>the</strong> age-old disease <strong>of</strong><br />

philosophy in a new garb. Hence we find <strong>the</strong>m seeking guidance from<br />

<strong>the</strong> works <strong>of</strong> Ibn Sina <strong>and</strong> Ibn Rushd. They also have<br />

extremely distorted views about <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong><br />

'Ijtihaad' <strong>and</strong> when <strong>Islam</strong>ic scholars resort to<br />

Ijtihad to deduce rulings.<br />

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