"For example, the fourth caliph Imam Ali faced Khariji rebels who insisted that he simply 'apply' the Qur'an's judgment without interpretation. In that situation of armed conflict, Imam Ali gathered the people and brought out a copy of the Qur'an and as he touched the book he exclaimed, 'O Qur'an, speak to the people!' The people gathered around Ali saying, 'O Ali, do you mock us? It is only paper and ink and it is we [human beings] who speak on its behalf.' To this, Ali stated, 'The Qur'an is written in straight lines between two covers. It does not speak by itself. It needs proper interpreters, and the interpreters are human beings.'"
Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, Homosexuality in Islam, p. 39
Kugle's book is an interesting one, and one that I'm using in my Dar al-Islam: Yemen course this semester. His point, as we've discussed before, is that the Quranic rules against homosexuality are actually misreadings, either intentionally or unintentionally, or sacred text. Essentially, the argument is that the crimes committed were not based on homosexual acts, but rather the attacks on Lot's guests, using rape as a weapon of war, in defiance of his position as a prophet. It's a compelling argument - and one that I've seen from Jewish scholars as well - although one that is also in the minority (at least for now). I might, if I have time, devote more time to it here on the blog. For now, however, I just wanted to include these words from Ali. It's certainly a theme we've touched upon over the past year: what do we want from our faith, rules or a philosophy of living a righteous life? And are we going to accept that the Gates of Ijtihad are closed and we can't discuss/argue/analyze/interpret scripture any more? Islam is a living faith, and it's a faith that should be lived, and that means grappling with the complexities. It may be messy process,but I think the faith is more than strong enough to handle the mess. It may be simpler to reduce the faith to a series of rules constructed fourteen centuries ago, but is that even true to the what the faith is about? I keep coming back to our recent discussion of Moses and Khidr, the exoteric laws were not enough, and I don't think they're enough today. I think you can be true to your faith and still interpret, as long as you aren't doing so randomly to match the superficial needs of that day. The Quran provides extraordinary lessons for living a righteous life, but that transcends the memorization of rules; interpretation has to be part of the process.
Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, Homosexuality in Islam, p. 39
Kugle's book is an interesting one, and one that I'm using in my Dar al-Islam: Yemen course this semester. His point, as we've discussed before, is that the Quranic rules against homosexuality are actually misreadings, either intentionally or unintentionally, or sacred text. Essentially, the argument is that the crimes committed were not based on homosexual acts, but rather the attacks on Lot's guests, using rape as a weapon of war, in defiance of his position as a prophet. It's a compelling argument - and one that I've seen from Jewish scholars as well - although one that is also in the minority (at least for now). I might, if I have time, devote more time to it here on the blog. For now, however, I just wanted to include these words from Ali. It's certainly a theme we've touched upon over the past year: what do we want from our faith, rules or a philosophy of living a righteous life? And are we going to accept that the Gates of Ijtihad are closed and we can't discuss/argue/analyze/interpret scripture any more? Islam is a living faith, and it's a faith that should be lived, and that means grappling with the complexities. It may be messy process,but I think the faith is more than strong enough to handle the mess. It may be simpler to reduce the faith to a series of rules constructed fourteen centuries ago, but is that even true to the what the faith is about? I keep coming back to our recent discussion of Moses and Khidr, the exoteric laws were not enough, and I don't think they're enough today. I think you can be true to your faith and still interpret, as long as you aren't doing so randomly to match the superficial needs of that day. The Quran provides extraordinary lessons for living a righteous life, but that transcends the memorization of rules; interpretation has to be part of the process.
No comments:
Post a Comment