Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem
assalamu alaikum
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Faith & Reason Emotion is not Enough |
By Faraz Rabbani
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�When
those bombs exploded in London, I felt my faith itself rocked,�
confessed a friend of mine. Many people find their beliefs shaken by
the flow of events, in their own lives or in society. Why? It would
appear that most people�s religious commitment is based largely upon
emotion� rather than knowledge, understanding, or spiritual
realization. The danger with emotions is that they are fickle. The
�heart� is termed qalb in Arabic because it is given to taqallub�
�turning over completely�. Thus, a heart only emotionally attached to
religion can suddenly find itself swept away by worldly concerns, or
shaken and left without religious inspiration.
The Prophet
Muhammad (May God him and give him peace) said that, �Whomever Allah
wishes well for, He gives deep understanding (fiqh) in matters of
religion� (Bukhari 71, Muslim 1037). This fiqh (deep understanding) is
knowledge that is coupled with understanding ��ilm is to know
something; fiqh is to know something deeply, with understanding. Imam
Nasafi, the great Hanafi jurist and exegete, explained that this deep
understanding has a transformative effect�if true, it invariably
results in action, for the one who truly understands acts in accordance
with their realization. This acting�with the hearts and limbs �is
likely to be consistent and steadfast, because it results from deep
understanding. On the other hand, action based on the impulses of
emotion is like student activism�one sees a flurry of activity for a
period of time, and then it ends when one �moves on� in life with
marriage, a career, and related concerns.
Even more
dangerous than loss of religious commitment is the losing of one�s very
faith. Laqani says in his creed, fa kullu man qallada fi�t tawhidi /
imanuhu lam yakhlu min tardidi, or �Whoever believes through mere
following / Their faith is not safe from creeping doubts.�
In
the turbulent world we live in, many things can happen that challenge
one�s beliefs. Faith based on emotional attachment to the way of one�s
parents or community is easily eroded by creeping doubts. Often, these
doubts grow because one is unable to respond to the intellectual and
spiritual challenges one faces as an individual and citizen in a global
community where Muslims live under questioning eyes.
A
similar thing often happens to Muslims in academia. It is no doubt
important for Muslims to get involved in academia, and to be active
participants in the intellectual debates of our age�whether related to
Islam, or more general.
However, when Muslims enter academia
unequipped�but with the best of intentions and the noblest of
goals�they put their religious commitment and very soundness of faith
on the line. The challenges are not simple; and simple emotional
attachment and religious goodwill isn�t enough.
What happens
time and again is that such Muslims either succumb to prevalent
academic currents that run counter to basic Islamic understanding, or
become disillusioned and fail to make a meaningful contribution. Imam
Taqi al-Din al-Subki mentioned that there are three conditions for
engaging in the study of scholastic theology: (a) sound knowledge of
the religious sciences, to know what is right; (b) sharp intellect, to
be able to reason soundly and engage others� arguments; (c) a strong
religious practice, so that the intellectual challenges one faces do
not spiritually drain and weaken one.
These three conditions
are critical for Muslims living in the modern world, if they wish to
base their religious commitment on solid ground.
The
question arises: how is this done, realistically? Here, we have to turn
to our tradition. The transmission of our religion and its preservation
has been through studying with scholars, and keeping their company.
This
is the means of gaining knowledge with understanding�knowledge itself
may be gained haphazardly through books, but understanding can�t. The
Prophet (may God bless him and give him peace) said, �Knowledge is only
through learning (ta�allum)� (Haytami, Majma �al- Zawa�id I.340, from
Bazzar, with a trustworthy chain of narrators). Learning (ta�allum)
entails studying under a teacher (mu�allim). This gives one
understanding, a living example of the knowledge one gains, and also a
guide to turn to when confused. After all, �Asking is the cure for
confusion,� as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told us
(Abu Dawud 336, Ibn Maja 572, with a sound chain).
This
means of learning also ensures that one�s understanding is
well-rounded, and balanced�without the extremism of emotional calls to
merely outward activism, for learning is a calming process that imbues
one with the capacity for restraint and reflection. Living examples of
piety and faith stir one towards spiritual transformation. And,
ultimately, it is only the spiritual transformation that results from
fiqh�deep understanding that results in consistent action�that sustains
religious commitment.
FARAZ RABBANI is a specialist on Hanafi jurisprudence and answers questions on Islamic law at Sunnipath.com | |
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