For a common Muslim, there arise many
questions in the mind when he tries to understand and practice the Islamic
faith. Be it the early inclination towards the creed or the general tendency
towards Islam, each stage carries or continues to carry with it various
questions regarding religion. These questions take him to different sources
of learning to find answers. The response to his questions generally results
in two kinds of reactions. If he gets a convincing answer, he will regard
that source as a reliable one; otherwise, he may reject this learned man
for any religious guidance. Secondly, he may get doubtful over those concepts
on which he does not find a satisfying reply; he may consider religion
limited in scope because it does not answer all the questions. The fact
of the matter is that our questions on Islam generally pertain to the specific
category of knowledge which one scholar may be adept at answering whereas
some other can only answer it superficially. But a common Muslim regards
the one who answered to his satisfaction as the genuine fountain of inspiration
and places the other lower in rank in terms of knowledge. What he fails
to understand is the division of Islamic knowledge into different realms.
If one can identify and keep in mind the relevant area to which his specific
question belongs, he might be consulting multiple sources of knowledge
to find the appropriate answers.
Like other fields of study, Islamic
knowledge can be categorized into various sub-disciplines in which specialization
can be pursued. However this division is mostly scholarl-based and not
from the viewpoint of a common Muslim. Hermeneutics, Classical Arabic,
Hadith studies, Jurisprudence, Comparative Religion, etc are the
sub-disciplines within Islamic Studies but these are mostly scholar-oriented
rather than meant for an ordinary man. Therefore, for the general public
these disciplines are of no interest. Moreover, the problem of finding
the correct answer is even further worsened when a common Muslim, who is
confronted with different questions while on the road to understanding
and practicing Islam, takes the scholars and other learned men as the ones
who must know each and every facet of Islam. In case he does not find the
appropriate answer for his questions from a scholar, he either rejects
the learned man per se or gets doubtful about religion. From a common
man’s point of view, there can be another division within Islamic learning
which can be more useful for him. In this regard, I shall discuss three
approaches which can simplify this division and be helpful.
Considering the general and specific
issues which a common man faces during his journey towards Islam, there
can be three approaches towards finding suitable answers for the
questions that pop up in the mind about Islamic beliefs and practices.
One should understand the true nature of one’s question and refer to the
specialist in these individual approaches for the answers. In this regard,
the first approach can be called the philosophy-based approach.
This approach, basically, addresses the hikmah aspects of the Islamic
faith. The concepts of God, the Hereafter and man’s place in the universe
are few of the many areas of thought to study in this approach. These and
other allied aspects provide the theoretical basis of our religion. These
concepts will make the larger canvass under which other disciplines and
approaches flourish. Is the Universe created by God, or it occurred as
an accident? If God exists then is He concerned about His creation or not?
Is this world a place of trial or an opportunity to enjoy and die? Does
God’s attributes have any meaning in our lives? These and many such questions
form the very bases of our religious knowledge and subsequent actions.
To add more, this approach also focuses on man-to-man relationships and
the different scenarios that emerge consequently, for example our economic,
social and political life. The philosophy-based approach actually gives
the general premises and guidelines to start our journey of understanding
Islam. So an ordinary Muslim must keep in mind the nature of his question.
If he feels that the question is more of an intellectual nature than a
practical one, he should try to find a scholar specialized in this area.
The second approach towards understanding
our faith can be termed as application-based approach. This approach
takes into account the application of general concepts and principles which
form the true basis of the creed. It gives us ideas to look into specific
situations to apply our theoretical knowledge. It invites us to focus on
the nitty-gritty of human life and answer on the finer and daily routine
aspects of human life. For example, it will address the details of various
prayers and other forms of worshipping the Lord and their very rationale
as well. We study the Prophet’s spiritual life in its minutest of details.
Furthermore, we study the application of economic, social and political
principles and the resultant systems that emerge in a particular period
of time. We look into different scenarios that occur in man-to-man relationship
and explore the rationale behind the minutest elements of religion. For
example, we may want to know about different economic concepts and Islam’s
guidance on such issues. We may like to learn about Islam’s stance on various
social customs. Similarly, we may be interested to find Islam’s viewpoint
on different political issues. This approach towards answering questions
is the most difficult of the route to draw upon. Since the range of situations
which can occur in our spiritual, economic, social and political lives
are innumerable, so does the huge knowledge framework within which that
approach asks us to operate. Therefore, if our query pertains to daily
activities that we perform in different spheres of life, then a scholar
well versed in such issues can be most helpful for answering to our satisfaction.
The third approach to finding satisfying
answers for our questions on Islam may be called training-based approach.
This approach, in fact, focuses on the issues that are faced by people
when actually practicing religion. They may understand concepts and applications
quite clearly and even have belief in these, but what really matters to
them is the strength and regularity in their actions. The training-based
approach addresses the problems that people face while saying prayers regularly,
complying with moral code strictly in an immoral environment, or developing
a strong and living relationship with their Creator. Having kindled a strong
belief in God does not mean that one will come up to the expectations that
such a belief carries. Believing in the evils of the interest-based system
in an economy does not ensure one’s strict abstinence from this phenomenon.
Understanding the spiritual promise that the saying of the prayer embodies
does not guarantee our regular attendance for the occasion. These are few
of the many practical problems that a common Muslim faces even after getting
convinced of the truth of the Islamic creed. Those problems can owe their
bases to many phenomena. However, the overriding influence is of the environment
in which one is brought up and the atmosphere and ambience in which he
works for his livelihood. In such a state of affair, the training-based
approach keeps into account the psychological state of the people and comes
up with such proverbial literature that strengthens the psychological fabric
of people to follow the path of Islam. The specialist in this area is usually
a strict follower of religion himself and is aware of the down-to-earth
practical problems. Their method draws upon religious sources if these
carry pieces of knowledge for the very problems. Otherwise their insights
into human nature are usually amazing to help common man. They usually
train people in a certain religious atmosphere so that they may be able
to follow religion when they go back to their practical lives.
Reviewing the above discourse, we
can analyze the difference between a scholarly approach and user approach
towards understanding Islam. A scholar should study Islam based on the
academic division of the discipline but when he addresses people, he should
keep in mind the user approach. An academic approach should be focused
and thorough even in trivial details. Whereas a user approach should be
simple and taking into account the psyche of an individual. The three approaches
discussed above, if understood properly, can really help people to find
appropriate answers to their questions. The common blunder one commits
is that he asks a philosophical question from a specialist in religious
training or a person learned in applications. Similarly one may ask a practical
problem from a scholar whose actual area of work is Islamic philosophy.
An analogy here may help to elucidate the problem. The realm of business
studies is a fast growing discipline these days. In this field of study,
philosophy-based approach may take into account such subjects as the origins
of business, business as a social activity, different schools of thought
studying business, and the established principles to run a business organization.
An application-based approach will give birth to many consultants who work
with different business organizations on different functions, going into
minor details on strategy and policy. A training-based approach quite differently
will give birth to a breed of trainers who reach different employees in
an organization and train them to solve the practical problems they confront
in their day to day lives. One can easily understand the havoc one will
play if he asks a trainer about the philosophy of business and then rejecting
him on finding a not very convincing answer even if that person was a wonderful
trainer of business executives.
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