Taqlid and the Stagnation of the Muslim Mind
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13139798 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ṭāhā J al ‘Alwānī (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1991 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 513-524 |
| Publication date | 1991-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0887-7653 • E-ISSN: 2642-701X |
| Publisher | International Institute of Islamic Thought (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.35632/ajis.v8i3.2610 |
| OpenAlex | W3112915703 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
The Origins and Beginnings of TaqlidAllah Most High chose the Muslims to be the ummah of mission (risalah),of exemplary good (khayriyah), of the golden mean (wasatiyah), and ofwitnessing to humanity (shahadah). Along with these responsibilities camethe capacity for renewal, for ijtihad, and for correctly interpreting the Shari'ah.As a result, there is a certain inseparable mutuality between the ummah'sroles as a median community czun civilizational witness for humanity andits other role as a moral and ethical exemplar, and between its capabilityfor ijtihad and effecting reform. In order to hcilitate these roles, Allah endowedthe Qur'an and the Sunnah with the necessary flexibility in every aspect ofIslam: its belief system, its methodology, its Shari'ah, and its organization.Thus it was only natural for the early generations of Muslims, both onan individual and a community level, to offer a unique picture to theworld: the complete liberation of the human mind from all forms of mentalslavery and idolatry. Further protection against Wing from this exalted positionwas the provision made for avoiding mistakes, deviations, andmisinterpretations: only those statements which could be proven by acceptableevidence or supported by valid testimony were to be believed. A look at theijtihad exercised by the sahabah, whether they were learned qurra' or commonpeople, will suffice to illustrate the amazing transformation which Islam wasable to achieve.Why do we not see this situation today? What has happened to thepenetrating and enlightened mind inspired by Islam, the one which freedour ancestors from their idols and the obstacles blocking their progress? Hawdid such a mind return to its former prison and fetters, robbed of any chanceto renew and reform the ummah through ijtihad? In a word, the answer is
Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Flexibility (engineering · Humanity · Idolatry · Islam · Natural (archaeology · Order (exchange · Political science · Sociology · Theology · Witness · Education and Islamic Studies · History · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Studies
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |