Theology of Muslim modernists

Submitted by IBRAHIM A.B. (Malaysia), Apr 6, 2004 at 21:17

Literally theology means the study of God. By extension, theology also refers to the study of other religious topics in addition to study of God. I would like to use theology here to mean the study of God and human understanding of God and human relationship with God. As all readers know that all Muslims believe in God and their God is one, omnipotent, omnisceint etc. Muslims think that their God will reward them for their good deeds and punish them for their evil deeds. There are many ways to do the good deeds.

Muslims are told that if they religiously and sincerely do what Islam commands and do not do what Islam prohibits, they are doing good deeds. Among the commands of Islam are related to individual Muslims such as performing the prayers daily, recollecting the confession that there is no god but Allah (God) and Muhammad is God's messenger, performing the pilgrimage etc. Some other Islamic commands are related to Muslim societies and non-Muslim societies such as paying the obligatory property taxes, zakat, to be distributed to poor human beings, commanding right and forbidding wrong in the communities and countries etc.

Ms Cheryl Benard classifies the Muslims in relation to their religion into four main groups. For me these four main groups are also easily possible to identify them as four theological schools among the Muslims because they have their understanding and perception about their relationships with God and what they think and prioritize in their lifes in order to implement God's commands in this world. Due to their different thoughts about the priorities and the methods to realize their priorities, they are different in their outlooks and courses of action. Muslim fundamentalists tend to be radicals and scripturalists. Muslim traditionalists tend to be coservatives and reformists. Muslim modernists tend to be reformists and rationalists. Muslim secularists tend to limit the role of their religion into personal and private spheres.

Among the leaders of Muslim modernists are Muhammad `Abduh, Jamaluddin Afghani in Egypt, Sayyid Ahmad Khan in India, and Sayed Syeikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) in Malaya. For them Islam is compatible with modern life. Islam is simple and rational. Islam is for the happiness in this world and in the next world. Islam does not prohibit Muslims from taking what is good from the West such as science, technology, clean and fresh cities and villages, protecting environment, time management, efficiency, dedication to work and fulfilling the promises and contracts. For these obvious reasons, some Muslim modernist leaders said that we can find Islamic teachings in the West but not in the East. Asking Muslim students to go and study in the Western universities was one of the good deeds of Muslim modernists since they see some good and positive aspects available in the West for Muslims in their efforts to attain happiness in this world.

Although there have Muslims who opposed Muslim modernist thoughts and actions, they have contributed to Muslim goodness in certain ways. Muslim modernists are not radical like Muslim fundamentalists. Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Syed Syeikh Al-Hadi did no see any wrong from Islamic prescription to cooperate with the British and respectively for the betterment of Muslims economically and socially during the British rule in India and Malaya. The independence of Malaya in 1957 was attained through negotiation because the Muslims in Malaya were rationalist and modernist in their outlook and action towards the powerful British colonizers.

Malaysian former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, stepped down in late October 2003, had his own understanding of Muslim fundamentalists. For him, they are like Muslims in Malaysia; they implement the fundamental teachings of Islam such as performing daily prayers, giving donations in money and kinds, performing the pilgrimage in Mecca, doing goods to Muslims and non-Muslims since Malaysia is about 50% Muslims and 50% non-Muslims. Due to Malaysian Muslim modernist, rationalist and fundamentalist (fundamentalist as perceived by Dr. Mahathir), outlooks and actions, Malaysia has not experienced politcal. social and economic problems, turmoils and disorders like other Muslim countries in Asia and Africa.

Ibrahim A.B. Malaysia

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