What would you change about your religion?: Islam - The Daily of the University of Washington
By Zakariya Dehlawi
November 13, 2008Given that Islam prides itself on sticking to authenticated traditions and texts, change isn’t really a sought after ideal. We believe the central beliefs and values of Islam have been unaltered for almost a millennia and a half.
Naturally, the understanding and implementation of certain Islamic laws have been applied differently, depending on context and culture, but this flexibility has been inherent since the earliest inception of Islam. Depending on who you ask, there either has been too much flexibility, or not enough.
The discussion of change, specifically reform, is a contentious issue. I offer you my humble untrained opinion and apologize for any mistakes, which are mine, while any benefit is by God’s mercy.
In order to understand Islamic progression, we need to understand the roots of Islamic jurisprudence. Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, received verses from God which were memorized and recorded as the Quran. The Quran is considered the complete and unalterable holy book for Muslims. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an exemplary human being, who received divine inspiration and guidance. His actions and sayings were recorded and transmitted and came to be known as hadith. The Quran and hadith form the basis of Islamic belief, as well as Islamic law.
The Quran and hadith aren’t cookbooks. There isn’t any explicit recipe on what it takes to be a Muslim; rather, the ingredients are sprinkled liberally throughout (This cooking analogy is making me glad Thanksgiving is soon). The point being, the Quran and hadith rarely issue explicit commandments. Instead, they offer a basis that is often open to interpretation. Throughout the centuries scholars have primarily performed this interpretation. Via scholarly debates and discourse a diverse legal literature emerged. But despite this diversity, every argument is still based on Quranic or hadith principles.
The scholars and their discourse continue to this day, drawing upon the writings of earlier scholars, as well as forming their own opinions. The discourse has adapted as science has progressed and Islam has spread all over the world. The issues discussed range from the mundane, like whether kangaroos are permissible to eat, to the serious, like what is the role of DNA evidence in a Muslim judicial system.
Some people and groups perpetuate an idea that Islam needs to undergo a reformation, often alluding to Martin Luther’s reformation of Christianity.
Writers such as Irshad Manji, or organizations like Muslims Against Sharia, cite that female inequality and violence found in Muslim societies today is inherent to current day Islam and can only be solved by changing it.
They fail to recognize that the societal ills that plague Muslim communities are, for the most part, socioeconomic problems or inappropriate cultural applications and understanding of Islam.
Islam doesn’t require a broad reformation because the framework for Islam creates a space for discussing practices. This framework grants legitimacy to contrary views and allows them to be evaluated against strict scholarly standards.
The tenets of Islam are unchanging, but its relevance in everyday practice is constantly reassessed.
Reach columnist Zakariya Dehlawi at opinion@dailyuw.com.
What would you change about your religion?: Islam - The Daily of the University of Washington