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A Choice Between Tradition and Secularized Islam?

"The idea behind promoting maqasid a shariah is to re-interpret Islam in the modern-era that would enable interaction with the society in a manner that would avoid hardship and enable Muslims to interact with Western society in an appeasing manner. The advocates of such an approach state that the shariah has come with the legal reason (illah) of benefiting the people. From this view, it is understood there are five benefits that are the aims (maqaasid) sought by the shariah: the protection of deen, life, mind, lineage and property. According to this view these aims are taken as the illah for the rules (ahkam) as a whole." The first generation of Muslim immigrants came to the West carrying with them Islam as a collection of beliefs, rituals and traditions. As Muslims held fast to Islam, the second generation of Muslims started discovering Islam. The first generation of Muslims worked hard to preserve the Islamic heritage of the Muslim community, through the construction of ma

The Error in the Methodology of the Mutakallimīn (scholastics)

The following is a draft translation of a section from the Arabic book Shaksiyyah Islamiyyah (The Islamic Personality) by Sheikh Taqi ud-deen an-Nabhani Volume 1: The Emergence of the Mutakallimīn and Their Approach The Muslims believed in Islam with an imān that did not admit any doubt. Their belief was so strong that it had no trace of any questions that would indicate scepticism. Nor did they discuss the ayāt of the Qur’an except in a manner that would enable them to comprehend the reality of the thought therein. They did not inquire into the suppositions that might be drawn from it nor the logical [mantiqiyya] conclusions that may be deduced from it. They went to the world, carrying this Islamic Da’wah to all the people, fighting in its path, opening the cities, wa danat lahum us-shu’oob The whole of the first century Hijri elapsed with the current of the Islamic Da’wah overwhelming everything that stood in its way; the Islamic thoughts were being given to the people as they had be

Britain under Gordon Blair

Like Blair, Brown is expected to fully extend Britain’s cooperation to America and at the same time search for opportunities to frustrate American plans and strengthen British assets. By Abid Mustafa Much has been said about Tony Blair stepping down as the Prime Minster of Britain. Most political commentators and media pundits have summed up Blair’s legacy in one word— Iraq. They describe his decision to invade Iraq as a monumental failure of British foreign policy in the Middle East and a setback to Anglo-Muslim relations world-wide. Others have gone much further in their condemnation of Blair’s neo- colonial policies, and attribute Blair’s servitude to American interests behind Britain’s flagging popularity around the world. However, away from the critics both at home and abroad, the astute observer cannot help but notice that Blair— far from the discredited leader— may go down as the most influential British Prime Minister of modern times. On May 10 2007, Blair delivered a telling s