On Methodology

ON Methodology !

During the centuries that followed Muhammad (saw) there have been two streams of thought for thinking on Islam. One is in my opinion an ossification of the religion and the other represents living Islam. The first is the ahl-al-hadeeth (the people of the sayings if Muhammad(saw))and the second is the ahl al-raey (the people of thinking).

Imam Abu Haneefa (rm) was the foremost proponent of the second school in that he saw that the importance of being able to question, within the remit of what was holy, as being paramount or superior to the answers themselves.

Placing the question over the answer is a fundamental difference between those two streams of thought. The one leaves the door wide open, whilst the other seeks to close it. And contrary to what the ahl al- Hadeeth claim both schools do use Hadeeth as points of evidence!

Some people say that the reason imam Abu Haneefa (rh) did not record his fatwas was because he was well aware of his fallibility, others that he was an incapable scholar of hadeeth (and knew so)...

But both do not know the half of it. If either case were so, then why did his students, who were not even half his worth, both honour him and write down their fatwas? He (rh) wanted to keep the door wide open, knowing full well the power of questions!

The power of questions... is the power of Ah Ha! It is the strength of discovery to shape and change. Ever had to solve a problem, ever felt "Ah Ha"?

If I were to give you a solution, an answer... would you really feel different, feel capable, feel empowered, be willing to change? If I were to give you a problem and help you with pointers... what then?

This is the power of experience, the power of being the problem and finding the solution! And this is power that Rasul Allah (saw) and his companions experienced first hand... being within the problem and feeling the guiding Hand of God about them! And this is the power that changed them so miraculoulsy.

And this is also the power of the Qur'an which talks to your heart, becomes your problem and challenges you to find a solution!

The Qur'an, Allah t'ala's WORD, which calls itself a guide? In it is contained a codex, by which if you live your life God guarantees you Paradise. The codex is the five pillars of action and the six beliefs of your heart. But even then it calls itself a guide? In the first verse following Al-Fatiha... "A guide to the pious", and then Allah t'ala gives us some of their attributes referring to both their actions (5 pillars) and their (6) beliefs! A guide, WHY?

Because Islam concerns itself with living and the 5 pillars/ 6 beliefs are not the whole of life!

(Remember the pious Woman who religiously prayed her salaat, but for whom our RasulAllah (saw) informed us would be punished because she did not water the dog!)

The Qur'an is a miraculous book. It talks to us all on many levels. Firstly it is in it's own right it is a historical document of the happenings that went on around Muhammad (saw) and his companions. Secondly it is a book that talks to you in your own life. It forces you to think on it, ponder it and plume its depths.

Life is a search for meaning! And Islam, and the Qur'an have made us rich with meanings abundant!

And so my methodology here will be the same as I believe! I will not fill in all the blanks, cross all the Ts and dot all the Is! Rather, I will try to ask the relevant question, point to a possible solution and hope Islam enriches your life with countless blessings and meanings as it has mine and so many others!

Your Brother... Shafi

PS

In my blog entitled "Do Muslims love to HATE?" I said a thing that many students of Islam might well disagree with. I have my reasons for both saying and believing what I said there and I will next write a blog to make clear those differences of opinion, so that you might choose yourself which best represents the Truth! Insha Allah!



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