August 14, 2002
Two worldviews of Islam and the impacts
Very interesting article by a Muslim legistator from Jakarta on the two world-views at battle in Islam."Many Islamic thinkers opine that such a great divergence could only be caused by differing interpretations concerning the basic meaning of "Islam". According to Muhammad Said al-Ashmawi, a former Egyptian chief justice, initially Islam meant "obedience to God (Allah)". And the "being" of God cannot be experienced intellectually, but only spiritually. Therefore "cultural-Islam" people emphasize the spirituality of Islam. To them theology is the most important aspect in Islam, not jurisprudence, or fiqh.
This basic and literal meaning of Islam has been altered and reduced by proponents of political Islam. They argue that the meaning of Islam is not only obedience toward God, but also obedience toward The Prophet as God's messenger.
Islam further came to mean obedience toward every ulema (scribe) who understands the messages of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad, and also toward every holder of state power. According to al-Ashmawi again, it was in this way that Islam underwent reduction in meaning, from faith in the oneness of God to 'an ideology in the service of worldly power-holders in their pursuit of political objectives.'"
Posted at August 14, 2002 05:23 PM | Indonesia
