Need For A New Scholasticism

Need For A New Scholasticism

(‘ilm al-kalaam – علم الكلام)

Apparently there is a need for a new scholasticism (a science developed by the Muslim philosophers, most prominently Imam Ghazzali [1058-1111 CE], when they were debating with the atheists), in keeping with our intellectual tradition in a significant part of our history.

The new scholasticism will facilitate the application of the ideals of Faith in the daily business of life, in understandable, relevant and applicable terms. The faith we subscribe to has all those universal precepts which adorn the life beyond expectation, if understood and applied in a befitting manner.

How the ‘fear of Almighty’ and ‘belief in the Hereafter’ will rectify all problems in society and will put us in the forefront (where we always belonged to) in the fields of ‘Science, Medicine, Astronomy, Management, Business …… etc’ is what requires a new scholasticism, the ability to explain and to show the relevance of ideals with the said objectives in view. The new scholasticism is supposed to show the road map and to describe the journey, step-by-step - in measurable and analysable terms.

‘Understandable’, ‘relevant’ and ‘applicable’ are the key words here. Because of the absence of these dimensions the ‘spiritual democracy’ and ‘emancipation of individual’, which is the avowed aim of Islam, is not finding its full expression.

The thought patterns will require a change. It will indeed be a painful process. Every speech and piece of writing will have to be scrutinized from this perspective. For instance, next time when we listen to a Friday sermon (khutbah) we should see if every bit of it was related to our life as we live it actually today. If the whole discourse was in applicable and intimately relevant terms we should be delighted about it. If not, we should ask the Imaam to explain the relevance. If he is not able to we should still forgive him and should go back to our educational institutions and look at the materials and the methodology. There is something amiss here.

Having studied in a traditional seminary this scribe is a witness to the absence of the applicability. A case in point is Fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The modes of business transactions taught are the same as were in practice and were modern centuries ago. The chapter on purification of water explains the techniques of purifying the waters in well. Both of these aren’t quite practicable today, obviously. Where are we headed to? In the opposite direction. The gap is getting bigger, given the speed of the age.

The call to a new scholasticism is, in fact, a call for creation of new ideas. ‘This is the purpose of life. Without this the vocation of human beings on earth is unaccomplished and their value unrealized. The human beings are the masterpiece among the creation of Almighty. Heaven and Hell are not His masterpiece.’ (Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqui, KhundaaN, p. 305) The individual creator of ideas (truth starts in the minority of one) needs to be rescued. When individuality gets ‘crushed out of existence’ it is more disastrous than the sinking of Titanic. ‘If anyone slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the entire mankind. (Soorah al-Maa’idah, 5: 32)