Reversing the Politicization of Religion: Deconstructing Islamism (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798307118726)

The umma is at tension with its neighbors. The tension is caused by the politicization of Islam. When the umma went to war against the rest of the world to propagate Islam using force, it was met with resistance. The propagation of Islam through the use of force - jihad al-talab - was justified by recourse to faulty exegesis. This exegesis rested upon tenets that contradict the Book of Allah. It rests upon the repression of reason, recourse to the teaching of abrogation and the treatment of tradition as "revelation" and even a "judge" of revelation. The treatment of tradition as a "judge" of revelation subordinated revelation to tradition. The repression of reason subordinated reason to tradition. The abrogation of the verses of reconciliation furnished rulers with the "religious" justification for waging unlawful wars of aggression under the banner of Islam. It justified empire-building. By abrogating the verses of reconciliation, hawkish ulama transformed the teaching of reconciliation into its reverse, a religion of war. In this religion, jihad al-talab became the sixth pillar of Islam. Jihad al-talab requires waging war against non-Muslims every year, even when they wish to remain neutral. In expecting the umma to reject the "abrogated" verses, militant ulama encourage the umma to fall into kufr. For recourse to the teaching of abrogation requires the rejection of all of the allegedly "abrogated" verses, including verses that teach peace and reconciliation. The transformation of Islam into Islamism was buttressed by recourse to the tradition in which the prophet reportedly asserted that the blood of the kafir is halal for Muslims. The Book of Allah prohibits the use of force in the propagation of religion. It also prohibits wars of aggression. For these entail war crimes. But hawkish jurists enshrined wars of aggression within the teaching of Islam. The turn from revelation to tradition and the treatment of tradition as revelation tainted the teaching of the Book of Allah. Transmitters became "authorities" able to "abrogate" and even "replace" revealed rulings. This transpired with the revealed rulings on apostasy and adultery. The ulama took it upon themselves to replace the revealed rulings on these transgressions with capital punishments. Tyranny emerged as the preferred modus operandi. The apostasy law was utilized to enforce authoritarianism. The verse according to which "there is no compulsion in religion" was treated as "abrogated." The alleged "abrogation" of the "peace verses" by the "verses of the sword" enabled hawkish jurists to reinvent Islam as a "religion of war." But rendering the teaching of peace as a religion of war corrupted the knowledge of revelation. It turned Islam into a political enterprise known as Islamism. It is important to affirm the pre-eminence of revelation in relation to all tradition. This requires the rehabilitation and re-engagement of reason. It is necessary to discard the anti-rationalism of the militant ulama and return to the teaching of revelation uncorrupted by politicized exegeses, fashioned to further the purposes of hawkish rulers. The expectation to refrain from the use of reason in matters of faith place the umma at risk. It is a manifestation of "intellectual suicide." This triggered "political suicide." This is reflected in wars of aggression. The ruling elites exposed the umma at the risk of retaliation by aggrieved parties. The proliferation of the teaching of predestination relieved Muslims from taking responsibility for their actions. It exposed people to risks arising from disregarding the effects of their actions, due to the perception that all events are caused by Allah. The teaching of predestination undermines the teaching of the rewards and punishments. Thus, it is necessary to return to the teaching of revelation. This requires the desacralization of tradition, the rejection of the teaching of abrogation and the reengagement of reason.

Author: Leslie Terebessy
ISBN-13: 9798307118726
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 01/15/2025
Pages: 206
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.62lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d