By Dr Wasim Ahmad,
For long I have wondered who could qualify to become a Muftee? How could anyone become a Muftee by earning a certificate is a question that has always intrigued me. How could those with only the partial picture of Islam and strictly subscribing to their respective schools of thought (later opinion) decide the important matters of life? How could those who have now started citing Qur’anic texts and Hadeeth for the permissibility of Ijtihaad (which actually was an obligation) guide us? Do we look for any textual evidences to prove that breathing is allowed, as an example? How could those who lament for zawaal and inhetaat (downfall) and perpetuate the very reasons of that without realizing the self-contradiction issue any Fatwaas? How could those who contradict themselves every now and then without even realizing it can guide us?
It is strange to note that those who are intellectually the most detached people from the society – due to a faulty education system – and have a very marginal role to play without even realizing it are the ones who are ‘prescribing’ for the society. It is like a physician who doesn’t know the patient but still prescribes for him. How could our Muftees violate the basic norm of listening to both the sides? How could they violate this fundamental principle which is observed by the modern courts – even in the cases of criminals? How could they prescribe whom education has not enlightened? It has actually and unfortunately ‘endarkened’ – God forbid. At the best it has only conditioned them to specific thought patterns coming out of which is the real challenge of life. Generations after generations have grown in exclusive educational environments unmindful of the fact that these are ill-equipped social laboratories.
One of the main purposes of education is to sensitize the person towards society and its problems and to alert him about what is missing in it so that he may supply it (i.e. to groom leaders). It should infuse and awaken rooh-e-‘asr (spirit of the age) in them. And this is precisely what is missing. What a paradox?! This is why while we quote a lot from Qur’an and Hadeeth we still remain stationary or even recede– contrary to the spirit of the Faith and of education. It is not about introducing English, computers and some other ‘modern’ subjects. It is about a paradigm shift. It is about taking ourselves in a new and unified direction – doing away with the duality of knowledge and with the division between dunyaa and deen once and for all. It is not about reinforcing the same duality and division on a daily basis and passing judgements from ivory towers. It is about learning and teaching in order to be in the thick of it – braving the stresses and strains like everybody else does.
We have had very few Muftees in our history of the Indian Subcontinent, in fact. The most recent ones were Muhammad Iqbal and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. And they themselves became the targets of Fatwaas. The two Muftees reflected rooh-e-‘asr and had the whole picture. Because they quoted less and related as well as applied more. Because they did not “graduate” and we become Faazil – so easily. Muftees do not claim that they are Muftees because they have degrees. They do not prefix it to their names. They do not issue retrospective Fatwaas. They do not deal with only the existing situations – and that, too, quite belatedly. They visualize a possible situation in future and give a solution to problems which do not even exist.
I would like to suggest that the Universities should guide the societies in all crucial matters – not by issuing Fatwaas but by providing reasoned arguments. Instead of directing their queries to madrasaas the people should send their questions to the Universities – for which a portal could be created on the website of Universities. The Universities owe it to the society. They are the light houses. We have talked enough about talaaq. Let us now discuss about the nikaah of Universities with the society. Madrasaas do not qualify to truly guide the society because – apart from other failings – they mostly subscribe to specific schools of thought – in one manner or the other. When an educational institution does that then it defeats the very purpose of education. When it seeks to produce followers and not the leaders it indicates that there is something seriously wrong in our education system – which requires an overhaul.
The Universities, on the other hand, have to imbibe the holistic and correct concept of knowledge,“Developing a coherent body of ideas and creatively reaching out to the unknown with the power of critical and scientific thinking” and a VISION: The students coming out of our Colleges and Universities should have Qur’an in the right hand, most modern scientific and technological advancements in the left hand and the crown of Laa Ilaah on the forehead. So that the Muslims regain the same glorious status of founders and promoters of science and technology as they did during the ascendance of their civilization.
This is the only way to achieve all the good things that we want for the entire humanity on this earth (neither beneath it nor above the heavens). The truncated and misconceived notion of knowledge will not help. Unless we take to this (longest) path knowing very well the implications of it and the need for making some adjustments we will not get qualified physicians (Muftees). If we still get any we will be lucky.
(The writer is Dept Head of Islamic Studies at Preston University, Ajman, UAE)