Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age

by Khaled Abou El Fadl UCLA School of Law

Overview

In light of recent concern over Shari’ah, such as proposed laws to prohibit it in the United States and conflict over the role it should play in the new Egyptian constitution, many people are confused about the meaning of Shari‘ah in Islam and its role in the world today. In Reasoning with God, renowned Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl explains not only what Shari‘ah really means, but also the way it can revitalize and reengage contemporary Islam.

After a prologue that provides an essential overview of Shari‘ah, Abou El Fadl explores the moral trajectory of Islam in today’s world. Weaving powerful personal stories with broader global examples, he shows the ways that some interpretations of Islam today have undermined its potential in peace and love. Rather than simply outlining challenges, however, the author provides constructive suggestions about how Muslims can reengage the ethical tradition of their faith through Shari‘ah.

As the world’s second largest religion, Islam remains an important force on the global stage. Reasoning with God takes readers—both Muslim and non-Muslim—beyond superficial understandings of Shari‘ah to a deeper understanding of its meaning and potential.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742552326
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/23/2014
Pages:	556
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Khaled Abou El Fadl is Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor in Islamic Law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where he is also chair of the Islamic Studies program. He was named a Carnegie Scholar in Islamic Law, has served on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, and served on the board of directors for Human Rights Watch, among other honors. He is the author of numerous books, including The Great Theft and The Search for Beauty in Islam.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xiii

Preface xix

Acknowledgments xxix

An Introduction to Shari'ah xxxi

What Is Shari'ah? xxxii

What Is Islamic law? xxxii

The Difference between Islamic Law and Muslim Law xxxiii

The Sources of Islamic Law xxxiv

The Nature and Purpose of Islamic Law xxxvii

The Difference between Shari'ah and Fiqh xl

The Sacred and Profane in Islamic Law xlvii

The Rights of God and the Rights of Humans l

Modernity and the Deterioration of Islamic Law lii

Part I The Islamic Dream and the Chaos of the Modern Condition

1 Genesis: Negotiating the Muslim and the Islamic 3

Growing Up with the Islamic Dream 3

The Nightmare of 9/11 and Its Aftermath 7

Waking Up to the Truth 9

2 Awakening: Reasonableness and Islam 19

The Plight of Modem Muslims 19

Islam as a Complete Way of Life and the Reality of Realization 35

The Modern Challenge of Islamicity 44

Reasonableness, Socialization, and Contemporary Islamic Law 49

Musings on the Absurd 55

3 Crisis: Making Sense of Shari'ah Today 63

Practicing the Pedantic and the Politics of Affectation 63

Muslims in the West as a Microcosm 75

4 Repose: The Islamic between Harmony and Dissonance 87

Affectation as Public Performance 87

Stereotyped Forms and the Practice of Islamic Law 91

Nature of Authority in Islamic Law and Chaos 98

The Music of Shari'ah, Silence of Tradition, and Dissonance of Modernity 99

The Dream Revisited 102

Part II The Culture of Ugliness and the Plight of Modern Islam

5 Faulty Paradigms in Constructing the Islamic 113

The Recurrence of the Ugly in Modern Islam 113

The Muslim Response and Western Vilifications 120

The Origins of Western Hate 122

The Clash of Civilizations Thesis as an Explanation 125

Clash of Civilizations and the Expression of Prejudice 134

The Banality of Ugliness and the Dialectics of Sin 135

Islam, Cruelty, and Modernity 144

6 Beyond Islamophobia 151

The Jahiliyya of Modern Ignorance 151

The Imperative of Empathetic Knowing 153

The Critical Imperative 163

Islamophobia and the Danger to the World 171

7 God the Universal 183

Muslim Self-Criticism between Universalism and Exceptionalism 183

The Universality of Ugliness and Beauty 195

Universal Mercy and Extreme Acts of Ugliness 199

8 What Really Went Wrong 203

Postcolonialism and the Rise of Modern Apologetics 203

Wahhabism: The Puritans of Islam 215

Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab: The Founder and His Thought 227

Why Did Wahhabism Survive and Spread? 248

The Salafis 251

9 God, Shari' ah, and Beauty 271

Puritanical-Salafism, the Authoritarian Specter, and Social Death 271

Classical Music and the Qur'an 282

Submitting to Infinite Divinity 285

Part III Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age

10 Shari'ah as Reasoning with God 291

The Shari'ah Predicament 291

Shari'ah: Between Objectivity and Subjectivity 309

Do We Need Shari'ah? 311

Reasoning with God 318

Shari'ah and Virtue 328

Islamic Law and Reasonableness 338

11 Beyond a Reasonable Shari'ah 359

Beyond Reasonableness: An Ethical Approach to Shari'ah 359

Godliness and Godlessness 366

Shari'ah and Seeking Godliness 373

12 The Caliphate of Humanity 391

On Cursing the Devil and Other Memories 391

On the Ethics of Diversity 405

The Caliphate of Humankind: Ascending to an Ethereal Humanity 411

Concluding the Journey 415

Reclaiming the Path to the Self in God and to God in the Self 415

Notes 421

Index 487

Editorial Reviews

In this important new book, Khaled Abou El Fadl solidifies his well-earned reputation as a leading scholar and public voice on Islam by undertaking a bold and thorough exploration of the role of Islamic law and theology in the modern age. The author firmly situates Islam in the modern world and asks piercing questions about what it means to be Muslim. He stakes out a theological path to ‘reclaim Shari'ah’ by drawing on deep historical knowledge and cross-cultural training, making this a fascinating read regardless of one's personal religious beliefs.

Joel A. Nichols

Seldom have courage and vulnerability combined with erudition in as riveting a fashion as displayed in this book. Abou El Fadl is exacting without being abstruse, passionate but never loud. There is much to be debated in this highly informative, critically argued text. And one can only delight in the thought of how much learning and inspiration will come to those who engage it.

Sherman A. Jackson

This book is a personal intellectual journey of a knowledgeable mind. Khaled Abou El Fadl calls for a new methodology in dealing with both the scriptural sources and the world. A much-needed voice, constructively critical and full of hope.

Tariq Ramadan

Islamic law is widely viewed in the West as synonymous with Nazi law; it cannot be reformed or redeemed. In Reasoning with God, Khaled Abou El Fadl demonstrates not only how distorted this perception is but also how bigoted it can be as well. Part memoir, part scholarly analysis, and part message to the perplexed, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between Islam, Muslims, and modernity. The common leitmotif that runs throughout this volume is Abou El Fadl’s unwavering ethical orientation. His survey and critique of the good, the bad, and the ugly within Muslim societies and his prognosis for the future of Islam is both persuasive and morally compelling.

Nader Hashemi

In this important new book, Khaled Abou El Fadl solidifies his well-earned reputation as a leading scholar and public voice on Islam by undertaking a bold and thorough exploration of the role of Islamic law and theology in the modern age. The author firmly situates Islam in the modern world and asks piercing questions about what it means to be Muslim. He stakes out a theological path to 'reclaim Shari'ah' by drawing on deep historical knowledge and cross-cultural training, making this a fascinating read regardless of one's personal religious beliefs.

Islamic law is widely viewed in the West as synonymous with Nazi law; it cannot be reformed or redeemed. In Reasoning with God, Khaled Abou El Fadl demonstrates not only how distorted this perception is but also how bigoted it can be as well. Part memoir, part scholarly analysis, and part message to the perplexed, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between Islam, Muslims, and modernity. The common leitmotif that runs throughout this volume is Abou El Fadl's unwavering ethical orientation. His survey and critique of the good, the bad, and the ugly within Muslim societies and his prognosis for the future of Islam is both persuasive and morally compelling.

Seldom have courage and vulnerability combined with erudition in as riveting a fashion as displayed in this book. Abou El Fadl is exacting without being abstruse, passionate but never loud. There is much to be debated in this highly informative, critically argued text. And one can only delight in the thought of how much learning and inspiration will come to those who engage it.

This book is a personal intellectual journey of a knowledgeable mind. Khaled Abou El Fadl calls for a new methodology in dealing with both the scriptural sources and the world. A much-needed voice, constructively critical and full of hope.

From the Publisher