Modern Islamic philosophy

Modern Islamic philosophy revives some of the trends of medieval Islamic philosophy, notably the tension between Mutaziliteand Ashariteview of ethicsin scienceand law, and the duty of Muslimsand role of Islamin the sociology of knowledgeand in forming ethical codesand legal codes, especially the fiqh(or "jurisprudence") and rules of jihad(or "just war"). See list of Islamic terms in Arabicfor a glossary of key terms used in Islam.

Key figures representing important trends include:

• Sayyid Abul Ala Maududiwho is credited with creating modern Islamistpolitical thought in the 20th century, argued that sciencewas itself merely re-discovering that all matter and energy obeys laws, and that Kafirclaims that humankind was free of obligation to comprehend and obey such laws, had to be resisted by Muslims. Caliphate and Monarchy was his most important work. He established the Jamaat-e-Islamiin India. This and the EgyptianIkhwan al Muslimin("Muslim Brotherhood") were revivals of the tarikatradition and committed to religious, political, and intellectual reform of Islam. Nasserexploited the latter to gain power in 1952but then turned against the Brotherhood, murdering and torturing many members. The leader Sayed Qutbwas executed with five others in 1966. But the key difference between the Indian Maududiand the Egyptian Qutbwas that the former accepted democratic means, albeit of a limited form. This contrasts with Qutbwho developed a liberation theology, requiring "true" Muslimsto declare war on anyone who opposed their ultimate goal.

• Muhammad Iqbalsought an Islamic revival based on social justiceideals and emphasized traditional rules, e.g. against usury. He argued strongly that dogma, territorial nationalismand outright racism, all of which were profoundly rejected in early Islamand especially by Muhammadhimself, were splitting Muslims into warring factions, encouraging materialismand nihilism. His thought was influential in the emergence of a movement for independence of Pakistan, where he revered as the national poet. Indirectly this strain of Islam also influenced Malcolm Xand other figures who sought a global ethicthrough the Five Pillars of Islam. Iqbal can be credited with at least trying to reconstruct Islamic thought from the base, though some of his philosophical and scientific ideas would appear dated to us now. His basic ideas concentrated on free-will, which would allow Muslims to become active agents in their own history. His interest in Nietzsche(who he called 'the Wise Man of Europe') has led later Muslim scholars to criticise him for advocating the dangerous ideals, that according to them have eventually formed in certain strains of pan-Islamism. Some claim that the Four Pillars of the Green Partyhonor Iqbal and Islamic traditions.

• Ismail al-Faruqilooked more closely at the ethicsand sociology of knowledge, concluding that no scientific methodor philosophycould exist that was wholly ignorant of a theory of conductor the consequences a given path of inquiry and technology. His "Islamization of knowledge" program sought to converge early Muslim philosophywith modern sciences, resulting in, for example, Islamic economicsand Islamic sociology.

• Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a political ecologist, argues that khalifain Islamis fundamentally compatible with ideals of the ecology movementand peace movement, more so than conventional interpretations of Islam. He argues for an ecology-based ecumenismthat would seek unity amongst the faiths by concentrating on their common respect for life as a Creation, i.e. the Earth's biosphere, Gaia, or whatever name. Pope John Paul IIhas made similar suggestions that "mankind must be reconciled to the Creation", and there is a Parliament of World Religionsseeking a "global ethic" on similar grounds.

• Fazlur Rahmanwas professor of Islamic thought at University of Chicago, and an expert in Islamic philosophy. Not as widely known as his scholar-activist contemporary Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, he is nonetheless considered an important figure for Islamin the 20th-century. He argued that the basis of Islamic revival was the return to the intellectual dynamism that was the hallmark of the Islamic scholarly tradition (these ideas are outlined in Revival and Reform in Islam: A Study of Islamic Fundamentalism and his magnum opus, Islam). He sought to give philosophya free-reign, and was keen on Muslims appreciating how the modernnation-stateunderstood law, as opposed ethics; his view being that the shari'ahwas a mixture of both ethicsand law. He was critical of historical Muslimtheologies and philosophies for failing to create a moraland ethicalworldview based on the values derived from the Qur'an: 'moral values', unlike socioeconomicvalues, 'are not exhausted at any point in history' but require constant interpretation. Rahman was driven to exile from his homeland, Pakistan, where he was part of a committee which sought to interpret Islamfor the fledging modernstate. Some of his ideas from English (which he claimed were from the Islamic tradition) were reprinted in Urduand caused outrage among conservative Muslimscholars in Pakistan. These were quickly exploited by opponents of his political paymatser, General Ayyub Khan, and led to his eventual exile in the United States of America.

• Liberal movements within Islamhave attempted to reconcile Islamic sharialaw with feminismand human rightsnorms of international law. Modern efforts in Indonesia, Afghanistan, Iranand the proposed state of Palestinehave often emphasized the traditional role of women's control of the household finances. In Bangladeshthe Grameen Bankhas been involved in microcreditfinancing of small businesses run exclusively by women.

• Modern Islamistsmovements are considered the 'dominant' voice today, though this belies the reality. Some Islamists(the word itself has yet to be well-defined, since there is no overall global "Islamist" movement) have entered the limited democratic processes in the Gulf States, and others, such as those in Pakistan, have long been on the political stage. The vast majority of Muslimsremain within, what has been termed, Traditional Islam, which is largely apolitical and accomodationist (and so a subject of criticism from certain activists). Advocates of violence, like Qutb, were opposed to the traditional scholars of al-Azhar, because they regard them as complicit in the crimes of the secularstate. One general feature of Islamist movements is that they advocate creation of "the Islamic state", though this often means "Islamisation"of the modernnation-state.

In general, the first two trends are more commonly understood in the Islamic World whereas the latter trends, are more known in non-Muslim and Muslim-minority nations, or ones receiving substantial aid from developed nations. Some argue that this suggests that these trends are insincere and that alternations between fundamentalismand secular military dictatorsare somehow inherently part of the politicsof the Arab Worldin particular. One response is that such trends were likewise observed in other regions, e.g. Latin America, with Communismas a form of fundamentalism, and that those regions often democratize once outside interference is limited.

External links

Modern Islamic Philosophy by Oliver Leaman

• http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/h008.htm

Islamic Philosophy by Oliver Leaman

• http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/H057

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern+Islamic+philosophy Wikipedia article Modern Islamic philosophy.