Introduction
This section of the Web Site seeks to address a number of issues and themes concerning the nature of Islam. The essays/articles are written by someone who operates out of - or tries to - a Sufi perspective, but the topics being addressed are of importance to all Muslims, irrespective of whether, or not, they are inclined to the esoteric or mystical dimension of Islam.
Many of the articles/essays are of a critical nature - not toward Islam, but, rather, toward certain kinds of understanding which are endorsed by various Muslims - individuals, organizations, institutions, mosques, jurists, educational facilities, and governments. The intention of the essays/articles is to induce, God willing, individuals and groups to re-examine the character of their own orientation toward Islam and, perhaps, to begin to think about various possibilities within Islam which they might not have otherwise considered
Many Muslims suppose - quite incorrectly, I believe - that the door to ijtihad - or the personal striving for the truth(s) of a matter - closed in the 11th or 12th century. I feel those who approach Islam in this manner do a great injustice to the nature of God's Himma concerning the role of human beings within Creation, for such a position is tantamount to saying that all human understanding subsequent to that time is irrelevant and God has nothing more to disclose through human understanding. In effect, those who think in this fashion are seeking to place constraints on the infinite character of Divine Creation.
While it is true that the last revelation for this cycle of time and within our sphere of being ended with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), nevertheless, the human quest to understand the Qur'an - which is the uncreated word of God and, therefore, cannot be exhausted - has never ended. While it is true that the various authentic collections of Hadith emcompass what is known, for the most part, about the sunnah of the Prophet (there are some who - via dreams and spiritual experience - are put in touch with the Prophet, from time to time , and whatever transpires during those states becomes part of the Hadithic literature), nonetheless, the niyat of the Prophet in any given communication is not always clear in terms of how that communication fits into the entire body of sayings and actions or how any given saying or action of the Prophet either modulates, or is modulated by, other sayings and actions of the Prophet.
We live in times in which there are scientific, poltical, economic, international, social, educational, and cultural problems which did not exist during the life of the Prophet. Yes, there are points of overlap between the events occurring during the life of the Prophet and the happenings of our present age, but there also are significant differences and, consequently, how one should seek to apply the teachings and model of the Prophet to current problems is far from clear.
The words which are usually used to frame the exploration of such matters are terms like: qiyas, ijma, ijtihad, taqlid, bid'at, ta'wil, and tafsir. However, whatever clarity may have permeated such ideas in earlier times to assist individual and collective understanding concerning the nature of Islam, the conceptual and existential atmosphere has grown much murkier since those days.
I have no desire to re-invent Islam. I do have a desire to try to seek a viable understanding of the nature of the Divine Himma which is inherent within Islam and which constitutes the source toward which all our hermeneutical efforts must be directed in our struggle to discover the truth concerning our essential being and the nature of our purpose in life.
Theology, philosophy, science, rational methodology, and jurisprudence - at least as presently conceived - all have their limitations and problems which have the potential to obscure the search for truth ... or, at least, as much of the truth as a human being is capable of acquiring. I believe we all are faced with an enormous challenge to strive for the sorts of understanding which are rooted in the Divine Himma of Creation, and, yet, very little of the kind of spiritual exploration which needs to go on - both individually and collectively - appears to be present in the discourse which all too frequently typifies modern Muslim attempts to understand the nature of Islam.
Those who are snuggled within their complacency concerning their attitudes toward, and ideas about, Islam are tremendously out of touch with the fact that something is very wrong with the state of the Muslim community ... in every corner of the Muslim world (including North America) there is intolerance, enmity, dogmatism corruption, betrayal, spiritual abuse, terrorism, bloodshed, arrogance, alienation, cruelty, oppression, and indifference to the difficulties of fellow human beings - whether Muslim or non-Muslim. We ignore these issues and problems at our own peril.
Whatever the contributions may be of various economic/military/cultural predators of the world (past or present) to the problems confronting Muslims, in truth, the difficulties of the Muslim community are of an internal, spiritual nature, and the vulnerability of Muslim communities to various forms of imperialism is but a symptom of a disease which has existed in the Muslim community long before the arrival of colonial powers at the doorstep of the Muslim world. Instead of lecturing to the West about the nature of the sins of the latter, we would be better served if we were to look to our own sins and shortcomings and attempt to correct what is within our power to do rather than suppose that if only the West were different than it is, then, Muslims would live in an earthly paradise. This is sheer delusion and constitutes what psychoanalysts would label as projection, reaction formation, rationalization, denial, or some other defensive maneuver of the nafs to avoid taking responsibility for one's own life to whatever extent God permits this to be done.
Insha' Allah, from time to time, more essays and articles will be added to this section. I hope visitors to this section of the web site will engage the material presented here with the same spirit which forms the intention out of which the material arose.
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