ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER AND HIS THOUGHTS:
INTRODUCTION AND OVER-ALL ANALYSIS
Khalil Ahmad,*1 Mohammad Shekaib Alam2
1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Usul
al Din and Comparative Religion, International Islamic Malaysia
(IIUM), P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. Email: khalilshaikh188@gmail.com
2 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of
Political Science, International Islamic Malaysia (IIUM), P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
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ABSTRACT |
Keywords: Asghar ali;Engimeer; Thought;Introduction Analysis; |
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Asghar
Ali Engineer (1939-2013) is one of the modern scholars from India who has
written extensively on Muslim issues. His writings revolve around the
exploitation of Muslims in the hand of religious and political leaders,
subjugation carried out on Muslim women in the society, compatibility of
Islam with modern socio-economic and political concepts, and 21st-century
thinking and lifestyle. The ongoing article discussed the life of Asghar Ali
Engineer in brief and introduced some of his thoughts for the aforementioned topics. An overall analysis is presented in
his thoughts as well. The article is qualitative in nature where data is
collected from both primary and secondary sources. Publisher All rights reserved. |
A
GLANCE AT ENGINEER’S LIFE
Asghar
Ali Engineer (1939-2013) which is referred with the ‘Engineer’ in the latter
part of this article is one of the famous, extensively published, liberal, and
modern scholars from India. He was born in Salumbar,
near Udaipur, in Rajasthan
The engineer felt sorry for what he has observed in his community where
innocent and poor Muslims were being exploited by Syedna,
who is considered the head priest of the Bohra community. Since he had gone
through Islamic literature, he intended to change the face of his community and
devoted himself to this cause. Therefore, firstly, he resigned from his
white-colour job in the government in 1972 and started writing on problematic
issues prevailed in the society and joined numerous organizations aiming to reform
the society. Due to his activeness and continued effort for change, he faced
several challenges from the established leadership of the community. He was
assaulted and harmed physically
OVERVIEW
OF ENGINEER’S THOUGHTS
As
mentioned above, the Engineer’s main focus was to
protect the exploitation of Muslims by the religious authority, where
everything used to happen in the name of Islam including exploitation of women
especially in Muslim society. He wanted to demonstrate that Islam is fully
compatible with the modern socio-economic and political developments. Whatever
the contradiction looks related to Islam and modern developments in the
society, according to him is due to neglecting the core principles of Islam
which is valid for all time and space. He believed that the problem is due to
relying on medieval jurisprudence which emerged in its own specific time and
space
According to the Engineer, there are
two types of issues, faced by the Muslims in India. The first one includes
illiteracy, poverty, and poor representation in the government and private
sectors. In these areas, Muslims are more backward than the other communities.
The low level of education of Muslims is mainly due to their financial
condition. The second issue is confined within Muslim community, such as
interference in Muslim personal Law by the authority, the problem of Muslim
identity, struggle for minority status of Aligarh Muslim University, and
negligence of the due place of Urdu
language
Engineer considered that the condition of Muslims clearly shows the
failure of the leadership of Indian Muslims. The leaders are not able to
resolve the issues of the community. Even he mentions that in pre-independence,
the Muslim League’s fourteen demands charter had no demand for the betterment
of poor Muslims, and the League only struggled and fought for the
representation of hierarchy Muslims. It only benefited none but the upper-class
Muslim elites. Even Dr. Iqbal, the great philosopher,
was ignored by Jinnah when he tried to draw his attention to the economic
condition of common Muslims
Liberation
Theology
One of his most prominent idea which he has
discussed repeatedly is that Muslims must develop a new theology compatible
with modern time. This theology is named with liberation theology. According to
him, the liberation theology deals with concrete reality increases vital
knowledge and establishes a revolutionary framework for countering all types of
dehumanization, fundamentalism creates utopia, invests in constant propaganda
and dulls the minds of those who embrace its messages by making them feel full
and superior to the Others
In his book Islam
and Liberation Theology, Engineer identified what he considered to be the
transformative elements in Islam and how these could constitute a liberation
theology for Muslims. According to him, there are four aspects to be found in
any liberation theology: (1) primary concern for the here and now of human life
and only then for the hereafter; (2) does not support the status quo which
favors those who have as compared to those who do not; (3) plays a favorable
role in the rights of the oppressed and dispossessed and provides powerful ideological
support to these parts of society
Engineer focused on the importance of the context in which the Qur’an
was revealed. He suggested that the contextual interpretation of the Qur’an is
important and believed that a legal declaration in the Qur’an and Islamic Shariah
cannot be validated universally. Besides some basic values, these
declarations were meant for the specific context of the 7th century
Arabia, when all these pronouncements were made. Hence, to implement them in
the contemporary world is not only outdated but it would also be against the
Will of God. He argued that to apply some of the instructions, stated in the
Qur’an and the Shariah in our contemporary time, it is important to
critically examine the social contextual background of the revealed ayaths
Considering the context, the verse would contain a very different
meaning if we follow a correct approach for the interpretation of the Quran.
Using the pick-and-choose method, the theologians have concluded that the Quran
allows the beating of women. That contrasts fully with the other verse, 33:35
in Qur'an. There are some other passages in the Quran using the word daraba. Imam Raghib, a lexicographer of the Quran
from the 12th century, says that a male camel should go to a woman camel to
mate in pre-Quranic Arabic. If we take this context in the verse, it would be
more fitting if she abstains from her "rebellion" as the previous
line in the verse indicates that the man isolates his wandering wife before
resorting to drastic actions. That means that the husband will get close to her
after reconciliation between the husband and the wife who had been separated.
In the hermeneutic design of Engineer there are three basic
considerations which one should bear in mind when reading a certain verse or
text of the Qur’an: (1) a distinction exists between the normative and the
contextual verses; (2) that all readers approach a text with a specific
worldview and a specific position; and (3) each text exists and has to be
interpreted in the social context. For example, during the time of the Prophet
Muhammed (PBUH), the Qur’an accepted slavery and the patriarchal system which
were part of the society’s social norm. However, they cannot be implemented in
today’s world because as per Engineer, they are against the Qur’anic notion of
human dignity. In support of his argument, he quoted the following verse from
the Qur’an:
And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on
the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them
over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference [17:70].
Hence,
he argued that the Qur’an had demolished slavery as it goes against the
foundation of Islamic values. However, slavery was inevitable during that time
and, therefore, the Qur’an pronounced some concessions. Hence, the main
objective could not be implemented by merely freeing all the slaves from
slavery. Instead, the Qur’an emphasized to improve the condition by improving
societal treatment towards the slaves. Nevertheless, the main goal was to
discourage slavery, must be recognized. Thus, in the 21st century,
the implication of the Qur’anic revelation is to mainly observe human dignity
Further, he says that context plays an important role in carrying
justice. It can be social, political, economic, and depends on the form of
social structure. Fair punishment is, for example, deemed to comply with
justice in a tribal society. The Quran calls it a qisas
(equal retaliation) and since Arab society was organized tribally, al-hayat fi'al-qisas
was declared that is, life is comprised of retaliation (equal). The context is
overlooked by many theologians and proclaimed as an immutable law of justice.
Justice will become an injustice if we disregard the background. At present,
such tribal retaliation would be unreasonable when human rights and dignity are
extremely significant. Principles and ideals are far more important than the
laws of the past when the definition of justice was different
He mentions Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s 10 reasons for
modifying fatwas, all of which are highly important to support his theology.
Firstly, Qaradawi provides four explanations for the
change of fatwas, i.e. shift in time, a shift in place, changing circumstances,
and changes of what it calls the ‘urf. He
further explained why improvements are beneficial, namely: improvements in
knowledge; people's needs; people's willingness to change; the spread of
calamity (when any acute issue is common); changes in the national economic or
political situation and changes in opinion or thinking
Communal
and Religious Harmony
The
second most prominent idea on which Engineer wrote a thousand pages is about
communal and religious harmony between different religious, linguistic, and
ethnic communities. He believes that everyone is driven by the values of their
respective religions to achieve common causes such as justice, equality, and
peaceful coexistence because every religion is created by God and no religion
is superior to the other, including Islam. He stated that being religious today
means to be interreligious and, one must be mindful of the pluralistic aspect
of society while elaborating about Islam
As per Engineer, the Qur’an is against any forms of religious friction.
Islam believes that Judaism and Christianity were revealed to the Prophets
(peace be upon them all) of God; Islam even allows Muslim men to marry women
from Ahl al KitÉb,
which means people of the book. In this context, people of the book refer to
the Jews and the Christians. Based on this literal interpretation of the
Qur’an, the Engineer concluded that Islam accepts Judaism and Christianity as
revealed religions. Whereas, it was revealed in the Qur’an that:
They say: “Be Jews,”
or “Be Christians.” “Then you will be rightly guided,” Say to them: “No, follow
exclusively the way of Abraham who was not one of those who associate others
with Allah in His Divinity.” Say: “We believe in Allah, and in what has been
revealed to us and Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the descendants [of
Jacob] and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and in what the other Prophets
received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we
are those who submit to Allah. [2: 135-136]
He further stated that religions are particularly different from one another
in terms of their secondary practices which include rituals and modes of
prayers. Thus, it is important to focus on the values and good deeds of a
person rather than one’s beliefs, religious practices, and rituals.
Additionally, he said that the psychological effect of rituals of any religion
has its effect on people, but it is not the central idea of any religion,
rituals might be ignored but not the essential values. Therefore, Engineer
believed that a religious person is the one who concerns more about one’s
values rather than ritual practices
Furthermore, he stated during Abbasid and Fatimid administrations, the
Muslims were not allowed to persecute the Jews and the Christians. This, he
uses as a piece of evidence to justify his position of religious pluralism. No
administration will persecute any community due to the differences in religion.
However, for him, there were political reasons which brought a clash between
Muslims and other societies. Moreover, The Jews enjoyed religious freedom and
coexistence in the middle eastern countries until 1948. Nevertheless, as per
him, the establishment of Israel led to a political clash between Jews and
Muslims, but it is not a religious conflict. A great portion of the modern
history of Islam revolves around Israel’s issue, even the relationship between
Arabs and the US was affected and it was then called ‘clash of civilization’ by
Huntington, instead of ‘clash of interest’. Thus, the problem is not pluralism
but a clash of interest
A per Engineer, equal treatment to all religions in a democratic manner
might resolve the issue. For a peaceful coexistence for all communities, it is
necessary to start a dialogue by establishing democratic values and diversity
in the country. Besides, Engineer believes that the Qur’an does not only
recognize religious pluralism but also linguistic and ethnic pluralism. To
validate his argument, he quotes ayaths of
the Qur’an such as:
And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming
that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not
follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each
of you, We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah
willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He
intended] to test you in what He has given you; so
race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will
[then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ [5:48].
And of His signs is
the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages
and your colors. Indeed, in that are signs for those of knowledge [30:22].
Today people seek jobs
and education in far-off countries across continents. Also, it is Allah’s will
to create diversity among His creation. The Quran says: “And if Allah had
pleased, He would have made you a single people, but that He might try you in
what He gave you. So, vie one with another in virtuous deeds” [5:48].
Thus, diversity is Allah’s will and it is a trial for us if we can live in
peace and harmony with one another other despite our diversity. Also, Allah
wants us not to assert our superiority but to vie with one another in good
deeds only. But the fact is that if there is diversity there are likely to be
misunderstandings and misconceptions about one another
Engineer mentions that
communal politics emerged in the colonial era in India
due to emphasis on religious identity than culture and civilization shared by
both Hindus and Muslims. For example, the Urdu language was communalized as its
script is similar to that of the Arabic script.
However, those who communalized the Urdu language do not realize that the
existence of Urdu language is not only due to languages such as Arabic, Turkish
and Persian but the existence of local linguistic communities in India. Some
north Indian languages- Khadi Boli, Sanskrit
and Punjabi contributed greatly towards the development of the Urdu
language. All these languages which existed in India together with Urdu
contributed a lot towards a new culture and civilization- Ganga Jamni Tahzib which became the
identity of the urban elites of northern India. Both the communities later used
Urdu as a medium of communication
He believed that the traditional approach is irrelevant for contemporary
India because it was mainly influenced by the interests of Sultans and leaders
in their attempts to preserve their control and to legalize their oppression
towards their subjects. He asserted such an approach may lead to disagreements
among people of different faiths. Thus, Engineer formulated his liberation
theology, based on the current Indian context to overcome religious,
caste-based, and race-oriented conflicts and, to develop a pluralistic and
harmonious society. He believed that there is a need to establish a just and
practical ideology based on various social components and pluralistic aspects
of present-day India. He also encouraged interfaith dialogues and said to make
dialogues succeed and achieve results, certain laws must be followed. The first
requirement is not to have an attitude of superiority which contradicts the
spirit of dialogue, as well as debate, must be on particular
topics such as women's rights or war or non-violence, etc.
Religious leaders, scholars with a detailed understanding of matters,
Journalists (who propagate misunderstandings), and laypeople who sometimes are
victims of misinformation should be part of the substantive dialogue. Secondly,
one does not contend based on beliefs but rather based on understanding.
Participants must always be able to challenge themselves to overcome their
doubts. Thirdly, one needs to be firmly rooted in the teachings of one's
religion and can justify why such actions have taken place or provide the
justification for certain teaching. Any doubt or ignorance can destroy the
dialogues’ spirit. Besides, one should be able to remove any doubts posed by
his detailed knowledge, argumentative conviction, and clarity of thought during
the discussion. Fourthly, one must be exceedingly tolerant and capable of
listening and respecting the viewpoint of the other side, without seeking to
silence the opposition by arguing talents or using polemics
Women
Rights and Islam
Women's rights are another most significant
area of Engineer’s writings. In his book The Rights of Women in Islam,
Engineer discusses several Qur’anic verses that accord gender equality for
women and men. The implications of this view are two-fold: firstly, one
must accept the dignity of both sexes in equal measures. Secondly, one
must see both sexes enjoying equal rights in social, economic, and political
spheres
According to him, the
whole discourse about women in the Qur'an is right-based and men
duty-based. What is surprising is that the whole discourse is right-based for
men and duty-based for women in Islamic jurisprudence. Muslim intelligentsia
would be extremely important to reconsider and to put into line with the
Quranic sense of justice, equal rights, and the human integrity of the full
body of Islamic jurisprudence
Engineer states that
there are many issues Muslims need to be aware of. Firstly, in no uncertain
terms, the Qur'an supports gender equality. Second, because of the first, past
thinkers and theologians had formulated opinions and laws for men. Third,
Muslims need to recognize that past scholars and theologians have done so
because of historical pressures, i.e. they have been patriarchal in society.
These lead us to a fourth issue: the need for women's laws to be rebuilt in the
light of Qur'anic ethos and present circumstances
Women cannot be
compelled to whatever men want. Now things have shifted radically, and women's
understanding is not what it used to be like when Shariah laws were developed
by the previous Ulama. The entire approach to the divine text will shift
in line with the transcendent vision of our time. Not only does it allow the
Qur'an to research in-depth, but it also focuses more on its true vision. In
the past, Ulama regarded women as a reproductive agent and as a means of
satisfying men's desires, in conformity with the spirit of their times. Sadly,
with similar logic even contemporary Ulama talk of polygamy often and
interpret it, since women experience menstrual cycles and pregnancies. There
can be nothing more ridiculous than this.
He questioned the
practice of not allowing women to enter in Dargah and Masjid in India. He noted
that marriage between children is possibly more cultural than religious. It is
also well known that both parties will stipulate conditions, i.e. husband and
wife, without fulfilling which marriage would not be valid. A child should
stipulate a condition? Marriage is a lifetime
relationship and it cannot be assumed that a child would have the maturity or
intellectual capacity to select a partner in his or her life. Therefore, child
marriage cannot be Quranic or Islamic in any situation. Because marriage is a
contract in Islam, Imam Abu Hanifa while allowing
child marriage for sociological rather than religious or Quranic reasons, still
had to make allowance for what is known as the option of puberty (khiyar al-bulugh)
i.e. the girl could accept or refuse the marriage to attain puberty or age of
proper understanding and her guardian (usually the father) could not compel her
to do so either. Imam Abu Hanifa had to make this
clause since he knew the guardian was not an absolute authority to marry the
child
Related to the
inheritance of women, he writes that today many women feel that it is injustice
with them and that they should get an equal portion in their father's property.
Based on the following premises, he suggested a daughter could not always get a
significant Mahr, she occasionally gets only a
nominal Mahr. Second, both men
and women are contributing to the family income these days and a woman has
the right to a greater share. Women generally weren't working in those days
(though in some cases they did). Fourth, in many cases, may a woman does not
get married and have no Mahr thus, she will
have to maintain herself after the death of her parents. Yet separate Muslim
law schools say a daughter cannot get more than half that a son gets. Yet the
Qur’an is not disrespectful and leaves space for justice. The Quranic verses on
inheritance ends with the proviso that after paying “a bequest you may have
bequeathed or a debt” [4: 11-12] — and the Qur’an has repeated these four
times — the rest will go to the inheritors as set out in the Qur’an
Related to wali, he mentions that
generally Muslim societies were much male-dominated if a woman wished to marry,
she needed to have a wali or a guardian, which
still exists in various Muslim societies. On the contrary, as per him, the
Qur’an does not insist having a wali for women
to marry. For the Engineer, such exercise must be abolished in the modern
context because Islam having a democratic system, gives equal rights to both
men and women. Engineer considered that the existing Islamic law was
interpreted based on personal opinions and cultural milieus of the jurists,
particularly with women's rights. Such interpretations and opinions had
projected a negative image of Islam. Hence, the Muslims must not blame the
media but the rigidity of such ideas and views
Modern
Concepts and Islam
Many
socio-economic and political concepts emerged during and post-colonial era in
the world. Here some of his thoughts related to secularism, democracy, and bank
interest are noted down along their justifications. He
believes that secularism and democracy are rather similar to
the system established by the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). As per him, there is no
such thing called political system in Islam, but it stands for the
establishment of an ideal society
According to Engineer, the fundamentalist rejection of secularism
appears to lie in many theories. Among these are: (1) there is no place for
divine laws in a secular state; (2) secular laws (being man-made) is in direct
contrast to divine rules; (3) Islam does not allow any distinction between
religion and politics; and (4) secular philosophies do not provide room for
belief in the afterlife, which Islam emphasizes. In response, the Engineer
calls the usage of the word 'Islamic State' into question first. He wrote:
“It is important to
note that there is a difference between an Islamic State and Islam being the
State religion. In an Islamic state, all laws must strictly conform to the
Islamic Shariah, but if a country declares Islam as its religion, it means
that Islam is preferred to all other religions and it enjoys more privileges in
the country
However, as far as Shariah laws are
concerned, Engineer points out that they evolved and are not divine in the
sense of being absolute. In other words, as discussed above, the corpus
of Shariah law is a human attempt at locating the Divine Will.
Concerning Muslims in
India, he suggested that Muslims in India should
develop a strategic plan based on secular values to ensure political growth in
the country especially at the moment when they are
threatened by Hindu fanaticism. They should support existing secular political
parties to retain pluralistic and diverse principles of Indian culture.
Similarly, the visionary leaders of India, such as Nehru, had envisioned India
as a pluralistic country, based on democratic and secular values instead of
being dominated by the hegemony of one religion
As per Engineer, some Muslims did not understand secularism properly and
believed that it is against Islam. They think that democracy replaces the
Shariah law with man-made law. Engineer
also stated that the connection between democracy and
the Shariah is not holistic. He argued that the
Shariah in its totality cannot be established in the modern world but
some of its values can be practiced, especially the value of agreement and
disagreement. Therefore, he concluded that Muslims need to accept secularism
and democracy because it is the most appropriate political strategy for Muslims.
In this way, the Muslims will be able to ensure equality and freedom for all and their representatives in the parliament will
develop laws for them. Engineer believed
that the Shariah must be
confined within the personal domain and it should not deal with any of the worldly affairs in a secular state.
He considered that the body of the Shariah, which was developed during and after the Prophet (PBUH)
period, had become outdated. Hence, he asserted that the authority of
the secular and democratic country should be able to develop new laws based on
the fundamental values of the Qur’an
He went a step ahead and mentioned that what
have been the characteristics of modernity? Freedom of conscience, individual
and human dignity, democracy, gender equality, and a scientific outlook. The
Qur’an lays stress on freedom of conscience (22:56); democratic and collective
decision-making (42:38); the dignity of human beings (17:70); gender equality
(22:28; 33:35). Numerous other verses urge one to reflect on the creation of
the universe, the creation of human beings, animals, and so on to encourage a
scientific outlook through inductive reasoning. He says:
“I would also like to assert here that the Qur’an is no less compatible
with post-modernity thinking; in fact, it is most compatible with it because it
makes religious pluralism and multiculturalism the very basis of creation (5:48
and several other verses). It exhorts Muslims to show equal respect for others'
prophets (biblical and others), as all were sent by Allah in different
cultures, with teachings handed out in different languages”
The
Qur’an is in Arabic only because it specifically addressed the Arabs and
others through them. Quranic teachings state that the presence of various
tribal, races, people of different colours, and speakers of different languages
are recognized and owned in deference to the identity of the respective people;
there is no space here to create any superiority; no religion, language, or
culture has supremacy over others.
Another characteristic of post-modernity is the negation of total
supremacy of rationality, while modernity appears to be rather intolerant in
its dismissal of all extra-rational stuff. Postmodern thought, like Islam, acknowledges
that faith and spirituality are central to meaningful human life besides
reason. Therefore, while acknowledging the importance of material life and
earthly human needs, the Qur’an does not ignore the forces of faith, tradition,
and culture as modernists do
For all of his beliefs, the premise behind them
is what he believes that first of all, "no religion comes down from heaven
in a social vacuum ... every religion comes into being in a given society with
its principles, culture, practices, and traditions." Second, the
conditions of social transition as civilization evolves and progresses
materially and technologically. Third, values will change as new practices
replace customs and rituals disappear or re-emerge in new ways. Such
sociological shifts will generate new conflicts in society between the old and
the new. Any religion that fails to participate in the creative process of
mediating such tensions will eventually lose its survival-critical potency, relevance
and dynamism. This is the groundwork of reformism
DISCUSSION
AND CONCLUSION
Asghar
Ali Engineer’s main concern was to develop a new theology which he thought will
counter the challenges faced by Muslims in post-independent India and the
world. The Engineer is seen as a scholar, specializes in liberal Islam and
comparative religions. His understanding of Islam for contemporary India was
appreciated by other liberal and secular Muslims. The discussed ideas in this
article belong to several subtopics and each required detailed analysis.
However, in this article, the concern is to provide an overall analysis of his
ideas. First of all, what appears from those ideas is
that Engineer is very much inclined to the liberal approach which goes against
the contemporary traditionalist and Islamic revivalist scholars. To explain who
the traditionalist are or what features they possess,
let us mention the arguments mentioned by traditionalist scholars who justify
unequal inheritance between men and women noted down by the Engineer himself as
he says that traditionally the objection is dealt with in
various ways. Firstly, there was no share in inheritance for daughters, and Islam
created it. Secondly, women were not earning and contributing to the family
wealth, and, thirdly, a woman goes to her husband's place and gets a share in
her husband's property. Also, her husband gives her Mahr
at the time of marriage besides being obliged to maintain her. So, it is not
injustice even if she gets half the share in her father's property
Related to his idea the religion dīn was always the same, not laws (Shariah).
Similarly, many contemporary Islamic scholars share the same view about the dīn and the Shariah. However, the conclusion
drawn by the Engineer goes against the views of contemporary Islamic scholars.
The Engineer concluded that all existing ancient religions cannot be dismissed
and considered untrue because of their one prime source. However, this belief
is not parallel with some of the ayaths in the
Qur’an and the narrations of the Prophet (PBUH). This is because, Engineer and
all others who equalize and consider all religions as true overlook the fact
that the worldview, the truth about the origin of man, and the world cannot be
many.
Furthermore, Engineer argued that his understanding of the universality
of revelation and unity of religions was based on the Qur’anic values. He
elaborated that all religions are different forms of the same Dīn. However, his statement is
questionable: then, how do we differentiate the differences which exist in the
historical religions? He neglected this and the concept of corruption, Taḥrīf, in previous scriptures by their followers as mentioned
in the Qur’an [2:75; 4:46; 5:13 and 41]. He believed that God did not guide
people clearly and state which Dīn is
true. As per him, it is God who will determine on the Day of Resurrection that
which religion enjoys the highest degree of truth. Thus, he says, that human
beings should strive for social justice and peace for every human by ignoring
the religious and racial differences among them. They should contest with each
other in doing good. Nevertheless, he ignored the declaration of the Qur’an
that God “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam” [3:19]. The
Engineer used several ayaths to justify his
views on religious pluralism. Nevertheless, he does not differentiate between
the religious pluralism and plurality of religions. He also suggested that
Muslims must respect and help to propagate religious pluralism instead of
religious diversity. Nevertheless, throughout history, Muslims never accepted
and supported the idea of religious pluralism, but they strongly supported and
practiced the existence of religious diversity. Therefore, religious pluralism
was established based on liberal ideology.
He also ignored the fact that this social justice and peace cannot be
guaranteed based on false worldviews. First, they must ensure the truth of
worldview, origin, and destination of life. Furthermore, Engineer believed
there is no contradiction between reason and the Qur’an as they are
interconnected. He also believed that reason and the Qur’an complement one
another. He relates this to how the physical world may be understood by the
reason and the revelation leads humans to understand the ultimate objective of
their existence which helps to achieve their spiritual goals
The Engineer also criticized numerous practices in Muslim societies of
which he believed were non-Islamic and were motivated by cultural and local
customs especially related to women. However, he did not realize that he
contradicts his statement. He considered that a universal message is given by
all religions. He also believed that the inimitable message of Islam was based
on contextual circumstances. Hence, this reflects his inclination toward
liberalism. This reflects that Engineer does not distinguish the difference
between the meaning of democratic approach and consultation (ShËra). For Engineer, insistence on the need
of wali conveys an adverse perception to the
world that Islam is a rigid religion and maintains the supremacy of men over
women, while Islamic values are very much democratic and equitable. Some contemporary
sociologists stated that most teenagers do not think rationally and decide
things based on emotions. The idea of wali is
to protect the future of young girls and it is a form of guidance and
consultation. Both father and girl have to be reasonable
and should decide mutually. Furthermore, his understanding of Islamic values
concerning democratic nature seems to be problematic. Islamic values are Divine
oriented whereas the democratic system is decided by the people without any
reference to Divine guidance.
Contemporary Muslim scholars such as Iqbal, Muhammed Asad,
Naquib al Attas, and Mawdudi view secularism from both political and
philosophical perceptions. They accepted the political notion of secularism and
rejected its philosophy. Similar to the Engineer, the
Jamaat-e-Islami also viewed secularism from a
political point of view. The Engineer also believed that secularism, or modern
political ideologies, share similar values as Islam such as benevolence,
justice, wisdom, and reason. However, the major limitation with Engineer’s view
is that he considered that values of the world are originated and practiced in
line with the framework of the view adopted by the world itself. Islamic
values, on the other hand, such as benevolence, justice, wisdom, and reason are
ingrained within the framework of the Islamic worldview. Furthermore, the
scholars of Jamaat-e-Islami and others had
demonstrated some reservations towards pluralism. They accepted the plurality
of societies but reject the idea of pluralism.
The Engineer struggled to develop a new theology for Muslims which is
suitable for India. He considered that politics and Islam both entail for an
ideal society. He believed that there is no reference for establishing an
Islamic system in the Qur’an, rather, the emphasis is given on Islamic society.
The Islamic system established by the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was not commanded
by God. Furthermore, he considered that the formation of an Islamic system in
the Muslim majority or minority country will be against the Will of God. In
this way, most of the scholars who are influenced by liberalism and other
modern ideologies argue the way the Engineer does. However, they fail to
provide any concrete example of any secular state in which the values of
wisdom, intellect, reason, fairness, and compassion have been practically
materialized. Many secular states, racial discrimination, gender inequality,
and poverty such as Philippines and India.
Here, he like many other scholars does not differentiate between the Shariah and its interpretation- the fiqh.
The Shariah constitutes the Divine Will whereas the fiqh
human. However, despite this, he still makes some statements that go against
the Qur’an. He continues and insists that Divine Will
truly exists in democracy and secularism. As
per him, a secular state does not oppose religion but
provides the freedom to all religions in the country. However, the state established by the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in
Madinah was an ideal state, where every religious community, including the
Jews, Christians, and pagan Arabs, were given equal rights and religious
freedom. Furthermore, they were free to practice their laws in their matters,
but he ignores that the state of Madinah was never
termed as a secular state. He also ignored the truth and reality that the
Islamic system established by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the first system
in human history which followed a written constitution and guaranteed to all
religions and parties’ total freedom. Here, one more
important point needs to be emphasized that the system developed by the Prophet (PBUH) was not a religious system rather it was
based on the truth and reality of life, society, and the world as considered by
Islam.
The Engineer suggested that Muslims should agree to be a
part of a secular country that guarantees religious freedom and equal rights to
every citizen regardless of faith and race. Here, he ignores that the Muslims
in independent India never questioned the secular nature of India. They
accepted it willingly as a reality. Anybody who lives in a secular state as a
citizen has the right to freedom of speech and the right to bring a change in
the state with the will of the majority of people of
the state. The Engineer’s views seem to be against some
of the fundamental teachings of Islam. For example, he argued that instead of
focusing on ‘aqīdah, Muslims
should focus on the importance of good deeds and personal values. However, it
was revealed in the Qur’anic that ‘aqīdah
must be correct as it is the foundation for the development of a kind and compassionate personality who practices tolerance, equality, and
justice. For example, ayaths
15:94, 5:67, and 68:9 in the Qur’an clearly stated the importance of ‘aqīdah. The
Qur’an explicitly revealed that:
The example of those who disbelieve in their
Lord is [that] their deeds are like ashes which the wind blows forcefully on a
stormy day; they are unable [to keep] from what they earned a [single] thing.
That is what is extreme error [14:18].
In another place, it
states: But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland
which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is
nothing but finds Allah before Him, and He will pay him in full his due, and
Allah is swift in account [24:39]. It seems that Engineer has adopted a selective approach by accepting some teachings of the
Qur’an and ignoring some other fundamentals. For such behaviour, the Qur’an
comments: so, do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part?
[2:85]. It also appears that he is in the state of IfrÉt-o-TafrÊt (Extremism and Negligence). It is true that due
to cultural issues, injustice has taken place on women issues which no doubt
needed to be removed from the society. One example can be cited that in many
parts of the world, women are not allowed to learn which is a blatant
contradiction with the teaching of Islam. Women have the full right to learn
and serve the people by observing the prescribed limits of Islam including men.
But the kind of reform or theology, Engineer is seeking for belongs to
extremism form. It is not Islam that needed to be bend as per culture and
lifestyle, rather it is people who have to mould
themselves in the view of Islam. The truth is Islam does accept and accommodate
the culture if it matches its tenets but if it does not, it rejects such
culture and it happened during the time of Prophet (PBUH) itself.
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