Islam's Reformers .pdf

seventy days which elapsed fighting Marwan. (?-126)“XIX: Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan was brave,intelligent and efficient in administration. He conquered manylands. He fought the Khawârij and killed their chief Dahhâk. Hewas overcome and killed by the ’Abbâsids. (72-132)“XX: ’Abdullah Saffâh ibn Muhammad ibn ’Alî ibn ’Abdullahibn ’Abbâs was learned, intelligent, provident, eloquent andgenerous. He died of smallpox. He is the first Khalîfa of the’Abbâsids. (104-135)“XXI: Mansûr ibn Muhammad had much knowledge anddecency. He did not care for amusement. He was brave andpatient. He worshipped much. (95-158)“XXII: Mahdî ibn Mansûr was learned, brave, intelligent andvery generous. Everybody liked him. His i’tiqâd was very pure.He slew (a number of irreligious people called) zindiqs. (126-169)“XXIII: Hadî ibn Mahdî was learned, intelligent, eloquent andgenerous. It was written on his seal, ‘I believe and trust inAllâhu ta’âlâ.’ (147-170)“XXVI: Hârûn ar-Rashîd ibn Mahdî performed a hundredrak’as of salât every day and every night. He went on hajj oneyear and on ghazâ the following year. He observed Islam ineverything he did. He had in himself all the beautiful habits.(148-193)”Al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa, Imâm al-Ghazâlî, Imâm an-Nawawî, Ibn Hajar, al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî and Khâlid al-Baghdâdîand many other great scholars were identical with these people.It is obvious that people like Mawdûdî, Sayyid Qutb andHamidullah are quite outside this circle. Nothing can be socredulous as associating Islamic scholarship with such peoplewho are quite unaware of Islamic knowledge and Islamicscholars and who cannot penetrate into the inner essence ofIslam but observe it from without like non-Muslim orientalistwriters. The branches of knowledge taught in madrasas whichMawdûdî calls “scholastic knowledge” are ’ulûm an-naqliyya(religious knowledge). And what he calls “rational knowledge” is’ulûm al-’aqliyya (scientific, experimental knowledge). Thesetwo branches make up the Islamic knowledge. It does not befita Muslim to say that fiqh and hadîth scholars have known oneof these branches of knowledge without knowing the other.- 171 -