If you look at the period in which Islam was given to humanity, you see that it came as an intellectual renaissance and human rights reformation. It is both curious and heartbreaking that this religion became in the hands of its adherents an instrument of intellectual stagnation and human rights violation. Social scientists delve into this topic from time to time, but they do it in a secular way. Accordingly, their ideas don't necessarily find correspondence among the Muslims. I think what is necessary is an internal assessment of the Muslim mind in terms of their own paradigms and values.
1. It is not about the path, it is about the sojourner:
Here, we are not questioning the path of God or His religion. Rather, we are questioning the people who announce themselves as believers. I would like to present a metaphor to make my point clear. An apple is an apple, be it now or ten thousand years ago. The same apple can fuel a body that is doing good or a body that is doing evil. Similarly, the book of God is a food for the believing mind and heart. Based on that nourishment, the mind and heart can evolve into whatever they want to. One must keep in mind that your identity as a believer does not warrant a correctness in all your actions and thoughts.
"As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]." (3/7)
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried? (29/2)
2. Fear of God misunderstood
In the Quran, there are different words that are translated as fear of God into other languages. However, dumping all of those meanings into a single one, and a dangerous one for that matter, is neither correct nor harmless! Fear of hell fire and dreading God's anger is a major factor used by the preachers and religious leaders to encourage people on the way of God. But the fear factor is also a very effective psychological tool to achieve intellectual stagnation. The bad news is these two are inseparable! That is, if you are using the fear factor to encourage people, you are also shutting off their thinking ability, since your audience is entering a fight-or-flight mood that is unfavorable for critical thinking.
What is more, a leader who is using the fear factor as their constant tool is very likely to be a person of blind imitation rather than thinking. Given that, how are they going to lead others towards a search for new meanings buried in the divine book? In fact, world history and the recent past is full of proofs of juxtaposition of fear and blind imitation yielding awful results!
If you read the Quran, on the other hand, most of the time you see some general values and encouragement towards the conservation of those values. The emphasis on values gives the freedom, not fear, of interpretation, and enables diversity of applications.
"And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?" (2/170)
3. Universalism blunder:
A mind that is fueled by fear harbors a logic of universalism. That is, their inability to appreciate the notion of simultaneous-multiple-truths, a notion embedded in the creation by its very Creator, leads them to believing that people who don't embrace their understanding and way of life are risking the hell fire. So, out of compassion, they want to convert all of humanity to the universal truth they have.
In a more real-time scenario, the believers in their daily lives need to consult the religious leaders about the compliance of their actions with the religious rules. But since such detailed structure does not exist in the original divine message nor in the example of the prophet, the imams try to come up with an interpretation. The bad thing is, more often than not, the human dimension of this practice is overlooked and a universality notion is embedded into such jurisdictions. That is, the imams try to come up with universal decisions and those embracing their decisions treat them as universal truths.
If, on the other hand, people try to find their microuniversal, i.e. personal, truths in such cases, or at least treat the decisions of those imams as an educated-guess rather than a God-given truth, than the discomfort of not having a definite answer could make them tolerant towards other practices and thoughts.
"... Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." (5/48)
But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." (3/7)
4. Side effects of the hierarchy of knowledge
The Quran was already in written format during the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad pbuh, and for the matters not clearly defined in it, the believers could consult the prophet. But after the passing of the prophet, the knowledgeable Muslims did two major things in order to establish a common ground for understanding and interpreting Quran. The first challenge was the recollection of the life details and teachings of the prophet. The second was devising a logic for the interpretation of the Quran and the example of the prophet.
However, humanity and human life was too complex and detailed to be mapped. So, the scholars put forward a hierarchy of knowledge: Quran, Sunna, Agreement of scholars, Comparison. With the passing of time, the new scholars embraced the teachings of the works of early scholars. What is more, due to their historical distance from the prophet and due their fear of making a wrong ruling, they went into a imitative mood in their teachings and interpretations of the Islamic sources.
In the end, today, the body of knowledge from the believers after the prophet has grown so much that we cannot really reach the Sunna nor the Quran. The hierarchy of knowledge once set to enable freedom in the wide world of the Quran has become vector that strictly dictates how to see things through the eyes of the people who lived a thousand years ago. In order to really reach the Sunna and the Quran, the Muslims must put aside this hierarchy, and enjoy the communication with God and with the prophet Muhammad directly.
"And how many a sign within the heavens and earth do they pass over while they, therefrom, are turning away." (12/105)
"And when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, [saying], "You must make it clear to the people and not conceal it." (3/187)
5. Murder of ego and self-confidence
In the eastern cultures and philosophies, ego is something to be abandoned. This notion has also infiltrated into the understanding of the Quran among Muslims. Today, also with a reactionary psychology towards the West, Muslims treat ego as pure evil. Self confidence, along the same lines, is considered as not having confidence in God, hence a major sin. But is such understanding among the Muslims correct in this matter?
I would like to answer this question by using a proxy. Take lust. Is it forbidden by God to have a sex life? No. On the contrary, proper sex experience is an integral and indispensable part of a believer's life. Both the Quran and the example of the prophet instruct the believers (man and woman) to ensure a satisfactory experience for themselves and for their spouses. Nevertheless, and unfortunately, we can say that feeling of lust and sex life have been marginalized among Muslims. And this state of the believers is leading to misinterpretations of the Quran and unacceptable applications in the society.
Similarly ego is an instrument given by God. Arrogance and selfishness are misuses of ego, but they are not the only uses of ego. Ability to stand alone for truth and pursuing independence from all other than God, critical thinking for understanding the word of God and deciphering his signs in the universe (i.e. science) are all functions of the ego.
"O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion - Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers; they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the favor of Allah ; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing." (5/54)
These five items listed above are my conclusions from personal experiences, observations and contemplation. Of course other people can present their view of the issue, and they may not be the same as mine. Regardless of their classification and focus, I think that the diagnosis and the prescription in this matter must have explicit roots from the Quran and the Sunna in order to ensure a path of worship. This is what I am trying to do in this blog and in all previous blogs. In the end what is important is that believers wake up from their stagnation and start moving...
God knows best.
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