Global Intifada

Kufi tip to Amad and Mujahideen Ryder for contacting me regarding this excellent movement by our ‘Ulema and leaders to stop engaging in vicious polemics or, in the very least, telling their students to stop harassing the hell out of scholars and students who ascribe to different methodologies.

Well, it seems like the era of the never ending flame war is over. While I don’t expect that the purpose of this pledge is to produce uniformity in all religious rulings nor eliminate intense scholarly differences, it is the first step in creating a framework of respectful scholarly discourse in the West. After all, a strong component of all scholarly traditions whether it is the science of aqeedah, fiqh, or hadeeth, has always involved rigorous discussions, arguments, and counter-arguments. Unfortunately, we still lack a discourse of functional literacy by which the modern Muslim who is literate and has access to the sources of Islamic law are still incapable of comprehending many of these issues. The old school method of saying “shut up and follow the scholars” isn’t a good enough response once the proverbial cat is out of the bag. People know of Sufis and Salafis and madhaib and kalam and it can’t be expected that they simply blindly turn their minds off with regards to these matters. So while this pledge is a great first step, there needs to be more done.

With that said, I think that mere proclamations of unity are ultimately futile in the absence of substantive action. Sufis need to stop being castigated constantly in certain types of literature and Salafis need to stop being portrayed as mujassimah or khawaraaj. What is needed is a clarification of matters and an investigation of matters before passing judgments, especially upon particular scholars and institutions.

The remaining issues I have with the pledge is the lack of Deobandi ‘Ulema. Where are the rest of the Deobandi ‘Ulema at? Shaykh Abdurrehman Ibn Yusuf isn’t the only Deobandi scholar in the West. Many of the issues that are a source of tension between these various groups are not as big of a deal with Deobandi ‘Ulema since they seem to have adopted Shah Waliullah’s priority of reconciliation in the Islamic sciences. Thus, there are no overly caustic debates over kalam, tasawwuf, mawlids, etc since the Deobandi ‘Ulema began re-interpreting such issues in light of the revival of hadeeth studies. It might be prudent for Deobandi ‘Ulema to serve as a broker between the various scholarly factions since they seem to be in between the middle of many of the polarized positions anyway.

The other issue I have with the pledge is with regards to hot topics. What’s the proposed solution to deal with particular issue?

• Aqeedah: How does one reconcile the difference in classification particular rulings as matters of aqeedah or fiqh (i.e. the issue of tawassul, which is construed as shirk by a particular manhaj and not shirk by another manhaj?)
• Ilm ul Kalam: How does one reconcile the difference between the schools of kalam and those who reject kalam altogether and strongly feel its an innovation whose origins are in Aristotlean tradition and not the Qur’an and Sunnah? What does one do when one party accuses the other of being the mu’tazila for allegedly negating the attributes of Allah while the party responds that the other is mujassimah for allegedly analogizing the attributes of Allah to the creation?
• Tasawwuf: What about matters of giving bayah and following a tariqa, let alone the matters of the hadra which are classified on particular fiqh opinions? If these are classified as innovation by one scholar and acceptable by another scholar, won’t that create sore feelings?
• Fiqh: What about the degree with which a person is supposed to follow a madhab? Stick to one or follow the hadeeth if its brought to you?

While I understand that the pledge is not aimed at eliminating the differences of opinion, many of which have existed for over a millenium, it would be more helpful to lay down the parameters of discussing the issues above in more specific detail. How does it follow from this pledge that these subjects will not produce the same vitriol that often results in the type of fanaticism that the pledge condemns? Will they simply stop being discussed? Will the manner in which they are being discussed be changed? Is this calling for a transformation in the educational curriculum of various schools? After all, these various ‘Ulema will still be teaching from particular texts and as such, these controversial topics are likely to bubble up. What is this pledge going to change exactly to address the problems? I’d like to see more elaboration on the details, inshaAllah.

Even though I think the pledge needs more detail and explanation to be a pragmatic document that can create functional unity, I support it nonetheless. By functional unity, I mean a framework of synthesis and reconciliation between various scholarly traditions, not to be confused with particular theological or legal opinions. In a previous post (Solution to the Sectarianism), I argued that it was possible for such a synthesis to occur since it, in fact, has occurred in the past and is still in existence today in the form of the Deobandi school which is probably the best example for the potential reconciliation of the polarizing tendencies in our traditions.

Lastly, and most importantly, we must never allow these theological and legal differences to enter the political arena, such as in the Dispatches Debacle. The kuffar (RAND) would be more than happy to play a game of divide and conquer with our Ummah and we must never grant them a single strategic footing.

Anyhow, here’s the original text and a PDF version of it as well.

May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) raise up a leader from amongst us who will end this fitnah and unite our Ummah. Ameen.

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Pledge of Mutual Respect and Cooperation Between Sunni Muslim Scholars, Organizations, and Students of Sacred Knowledge

Hold fast to the Rope of Allah , all together, and be not divided. (Qur’an, 3:103)

Surely, those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you
have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with Allah ; then He will inform them of
what they used to do. (Qur’an, 6:159)

In light of the Divine Word, we recognize that the historical nature of Sunni Islam is a broad one that proceeds from a shared respect for the Qur’an and Sunnah, a shared dependence on the interpretations and derivations of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and a shared respect for the writings of a vast array of scholars who have been identified by their support for and affiliation with the Sunni Muslims and have been accepted as the luminaries of Sunni Islam - as broadly defined.

Likewise, detailed discussions in matters of theology are the specific domain of trained specialists, and proceed on the basis of well-defined principles and methodologies, which are beyond the knowledge of the generality of Muslims.

Our forebears in faith, with all the dedication, brilliance and sincerity clearly manifested in their works, have debated and discussed abstruse and complex issues of creed and practice, and have failed in most instances to convince their opponents of the veracity and accuracy of their positions.

The average Muslim is only responsible for knowing the basics of creed as they relate to a simple belief in Allah , His Angels, Scriptures, the Prophets and Messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Decree.

Recognizing that the specter of sectarianism threatens to further weaken and debilitate our struggling Muslim community at this critical time in human affairs, and recognizing that Allah , Exalted is He, has given the Muslim community in the West a unique historical opportunity to advance the cause of peace, cooperation, and goodwill amongst the people of the world, we the undersigned respectfully:

- Urge Muslims to categorically cease all attacks on individual Muslims and organizations whose varying positions can be substantiated based on the broad scholarly tradition of the Sunni Muslims. We especially urge the immediate cessation of all implicit or explicit charges of disbelief;

- Urge Muslim scholars and students of sacred knowledge to take the lead in working to end ad hominem attacks on other scholars and students; to cease unproductive, overly polemical writings and oral discourse; and to work to stimulate greater understanding and cooperation between Muslims, at both the level of the leadership and the general community;

-Urge Muslims in the West, especially our youth, to leave off unproductive and divisive discussions of involved theological issues that are the proper domain of trained specialists, and we especially discourage participation in those internet chat rooms, campus discussion groups, and other forums that only serve to create ill-will among many Muslims, while fostering a divisive, sectarian spirit;

-Urge all teachers to instruct their students, especially those attending intensive programs, to respect the diverse nature of our communities and to refrain from aggressive challenges to local scholars, especially those known for their learning and piety;

- Urge our brothers and sisters in faith to concentrate on enriching their lives by deepening their practice of Islam through properly learning the basics of the faith, adopting a consistent regimen of Qur’anic recitation, endeavoring to remember and invoke Allah in the morning and evening, learning the basics of jurisprudence, attempting to engage in voluntary fasting as much as possible, studying the Prophetic biography on a consistent basis, studying the etiquettes that guide our interactions with our fellow Muslims, and the performance of other beneficial religious acts, to the extent practical for their circumstances;

- Finally, we urge the Believers to attempt to undertake individual and collective actions that will help to counter the growing campaign of anti-Islamic misinformation and propaganda that attempts to portray our religion as a violence-prone relic of the past unsuitable for modern society, and by so doing justify indiscriminate wars against Muslim peoples, occupation of Muslim lands, and usurpation of their resources.

Saying this, we do not deny the reality of legitimate differences and approaches, nor the passionate advocacy of specific positions based on those differences. Such issues should be rightfully discussed observing established rules of debate. However, we urge the above measures to help prevent those differences from destroying the historical unity and integrity of the Muslim community, and creating irreparable divisions between our hearts. Further, we do not deny the urgency, especially in light of the situation in Iraq, of efforts to foster greater cooperation between diverse Muslim communities. Hence, this document should not be seen as negating any statements, or declarations designed to foster greater peace and harmony between diverse Muslim communities. However, we feel, as Sunni Muslims, a pressing need to first set our own affairs in order.

In conclusion, having called our brothers and sisters to act on these points, we, the undersigned, pledge to be the first to actively implement them in response to the Divine Word:

Do you enjoin righteousness on the people and refuse to follow it yourselves and all along you are reciting the scripture!? Will you not reflect? (Qur’an (2:44)

We ask Allah for the ability to do that which He loves. And Allah alone is the Grantor of Success.

Signed,
Abdelrahman Helbawi, Abdul Karim Khalil, Abdullah Adhami, Abdurraheem Green, Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera, Abu Aaliyah Surkheel Sharif, Abu Eesa Niamatullah, Aisha Faleh AlThani,, Asma Mirza, Cheikhna B. Bayyah, Dawood Yasin, Ebadur Rahman, Faraz Rabbani, Fuad Nahdi, Gul Mohammad, Haitham al-Haddad, Hamza Yusuf, Hasan al-Banna, Ibrahim Osi-Efa, Jihad Hashim Brown, M. Abdul Latif Finch, M. Afifi al-Akiti, Mehdi Kader, Mokhtar Maghroui, Muhammad Alshareef, Muhammad Ash-Shaybani ,Muhammad ibn Adam, Omar Qureshi, S. Abdal-Hakim Jackson, Shamira Chothia Ahmed, Siddique Abdullah, Suhaib Webb, Tahir Anwar, Talal Al-Azem, Tanveer Hussain , Tawfique Chowdhury, Usama Canon, Usama Hasan, Walead Mosaad, Yahya Rhodus, Yasir Qadhi, and Zaid Shakir.

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