Abdallah al-Hassan’s Critique of “Blogging the Qur’an” and his slander of Ahmadiyyah

 Along with all the talk of Islam undergoing or needing reform or a re-reading of the texts from every edifice of the internet all the way to Turkey, There are some unnecessary points being made, and also some vital points being missed.

Take, for example, the recent project undertaken by Zia-uddin Sardar through which he ‘asks’ some questions and invites answers from those who claim to be in the know, as well as offering his own admittedly ‘academic’ opinion.

This received commendations and standing ovations from advocates of ‘modern islam’ or ‘moderate islam’ from all over the world.  However, it also received, and continues to receive intense criticism from the Muslim intelligentia, and those who advcoate a ‘traditional route to analysing the texts’ only by those who are well versed with the texts themselves and their relative interpretative methodologies.

A certain Abdallah Hassan wrote a strongly worded letter to Zia-uddin Sardar making known his grievances here: http://maqasid.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/blogging-the-quran-letter-to-ziauddin-sarda/

I have to say although I complement Zia-Uddin Sardar on his stance in defence of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in face of the persecution and vitriolic abuse that Ahmadi Muslims suffer from certain elements of the Islamic Community, I must disagree with him and Madeleine Bunting on their approach of “interpreting the Qur’an” purely with their thoughts and intellect and without recourse to the classical methodologies which are necessary pre-requisites for the understanding and exposition of the Qur’anic verities and subtleties.

What is the Shari’ah?

In the aftermath of the media-frenzy over the comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury about the possible inclusion of certain aspect of the Shari’ah or the Islamic Law into English Law, it was observed by many commentators and academics that the media had, for the most of it, been totally ignorant of the concept, definition, remit and application of the Shari’ah.

There is much information on this topic from both reliable and non-reliable sources. 

See here for a good basic introduction of the Shari’ah and its essential sources that constitute it, aswell as a brief introduction as to the application of the Shari’ah and what it is designed to achieve.

 (If the link does not work, you can download the article directly here: The Shari’ah - an introductory glimpse into the divinely ordained path)

For other interesting articles, also see:

http://www.alislam.org/whats-new.html

http://www.alislam.org/library/articles/

‘Islam in English Law’ by Dr. Rowan Williams: Clarity amidst Confusion!!

  

The article in the Times by Robin Griffiths-Jones and Ian Edge on Islamic Law and English law was a forerunner to the lecture of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams. (click here to download a transcript of the Lecture)

I was at the lecture given by Dr. Williams, which, contrary to my earlier post on this topic was at the Royal Courts of Justice. 

As a British Muslim, and one who has had some significant exposure to Islamic Law and Islamic Jurisprudence, as well as training as a Barrister in English Law, I found myself interestingly placed to receive the enlightening lecture and the interesting points made by the Archbishop.

Unfortunately, however, I feel that those who have called for the resignation of the Archbishop and also those that have read the transcript of the Lecture and yet assume that he called for the inclusion of the complete Shari‘ah within the English Legal System, have totally missed the purport of his Lecture.  

Islamic Law and English Law: Congruent or Divergent?

 In an article on the TimesOnline Website, Ian Edge and Robin Griffiths-Jones ask the question as to whether Islamic Law and English Law can ever meet, and if so, would English Law be able to accommodate the ‘extravagancies’ of the former!!

The Arabic works of Sayyidna Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiani: al-Imam al-Mahdi wa al-Masih al-Maw’ud (as)

24^th Muharram 1429 AH

Saturday 2^nd February 2008

Books of Hadhrat Sayyidna Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiani (as) in Arabic

 

السلامُ عليكم و رحمة اللهِ تعَالَى و بَرَكاتهُ

Peace be upon You and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings

الحمدُ لِ اللهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِين

All Praise Belongs to Allah - Lord of the Worlds

نَحمَدُهُ وَ نُصَلِّي عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الكَرِم

We Praise Him and invoke blessings upon His Noble Messenger (saw)

This short Information page was provoked at the request of ‘nazimtableegh’ which can be read here.

I was very pleased to hear that many more people from the land and lingua-franca of our Noble Prophet (saw) are responding and are being blessed by Allah by guiding them to the Imam of this Age. 

Oxford clergyman attacks Muslim plans for calls to prayer -

The Times has reported on its popular ‘faith’ pages that the Rev Charlie Cleverley, Rector of St. Aldate’s (Oxford) has opposed plans for the Central Mosque in Oxford to be allowed to relay the ‘Adhaan‘ (Islamic call to prayer) from it’s tannoys. 

Read the full article here.

Personally, I don’t think the debate has anything to do with ‘islamization’ of certain parts of the country, and neither do high-tech advancements sufficiently replace tradition - if this is argued, then the Clock tower bell at westmeinster and every other working church should also stop as we all have watches!!

The Adhaan (call to prayer) is a traditional method of reminding people of their religious and spiritual obligations - akin to a church or temple bell - that is used to remind worshippers that they should forsake worldly desires and seek pleasure in their Lord, and that this is a way to bind the community together.

Just think- the more muslims meet up, the more the Imam can keep an eye on those who are straying and can counter that with timely, grass-roots reform.  Thus it will make the Islamic Community much stronger internally, and thus represent less of a ‘risk’ to fellow non-muslim brethren.

As a Muslim, although church bells don’t choke me, I have a tolerance and respect for them, as I do for the Adhaan: both call people to God!  But the Adhaan holds a certain significance for it is a call to prayer made by the human voice, as opposed to by instruments.

 But maybe, the reverend is more worried here about his sheep flocking to other farms(??)  surely, a religious society, whatever religion they may choose to adopt, is better than an irreligious one - secularist arguments aside, that a revealed religion provides its adherents with a codified set of rules and regulations and inherently confers upon its adherents a primitive moral spirit-level to assist in prevention of the propensity to do the immoral or the unethical, is worth calling to…!!

“Let the bells Ring!!” - I say!  (or in the case of the adhaan: “Let the man Sing!!”)

Muslims in Indonesia - Ahmadiyyah and Prophethood

This is a brief excerpt from correspondence I had with some people in regards to the recent actions that the Government of Indonesia, under compulsion from the Islamic Political Parties,  took against the Ahmadiyyah community.

It was reported in the Jakarta Post, and on the ‘Indonesia Matters’ Blog that Ahmadiyya Leaders in Indonesia ‘caved in’ to pressure from national political and religious leaders and diminished the status of Sayyidna Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiani (qaddasa Allahu sirruhu) as demanded by them.

Below is a brief excerpt from som correspondence I partook of, on the Blog.

Khatam al-Nabuwwah

Khatam-un-Nabuwwah

Ahmadiyya; End of the Prophets 

I would like to begin by stating that the author of this document is a simple person and by no means a scholar.

He compiled this brief document of his own volition, not on behalf of Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiya Al-Ahmadiyya, as he felt that misrepresentations had been made about the claims of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (The Promised Messiah, Imam Mahdi & Reformer of the 14^th Century). 

There are a few point which I would like to address concerning the following video posted on youtube, 

 

Whilst the above video might be a sincere and polite attempt to bring into question some of the Ahmadi tenets there are several items I would like to bring to the attention of its author…

Bishop Michael-Nazir Ali -where exactly are his ‘no-go zones’??

In an article in The Sunday Telegraph, Dr Nazir-Ali said that multiculturalism had turned some communities into “no go” areas. “Those of a different faith or race may find it difficult to live or work there because of hostility to them,” he wrote.

The Right Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali would do well to distinguish between cultural ‘no-go zones’ and religious.   Having travelled up and down the so-called ‘muslim’ areas in the country, I can attest to the fact that they are not ‘no-go’ zones for those of other faiths.  If anything, they may be ‘no-go’ zones on racial or ethnic grounds, but they are in no way created by Muslims, or by adherents of any other religious group.

Click here to read a profound  rebuttal to the Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali…

Ahmadis ‘impersonating muslims’ ?? Thank God at least someone is!!

Thank God - at least someone is impersonating Muslims in Pakistan??!!

“Pakistan clerics persecute ‘non Muslims’ “Isambard Wilkinson (London Daily Telegraph)The two million-strong Ahmadiyya community, based in Rabwah in the Punjab, risks charges of “impersonating Muslims” under the country’s controversial religious laws. 

Shameen Ahmad Khalid, a community leader, said: “We have people serving long jail sentences for blasphemy or for ‘posing as Muslims’.”

In an era where one would be hard-pressed to find Islam being practiced in its essence, it should be a cause for celebration that someone is attempting to practice and promote the essential teachings of Islam!!