Freedom of opinion and expression in Islam (14)

True Islam advocates freedom of opinion and expression without limits. It grants people the right to choose based on their free will, without coercion.

12 achievements by the School of Renewal and Ijtihad in Islamic Thought

Most notably: the necessity of separating state from religion, calling for innovation and renewal, and rejecting stagnation and imitation

Obstacles that limit the impact of the renewal, diligence and reform current

Most notably: the dominance of the ideas and visions of the school of stagnation and imitation and its ability to influence people

The intellectual duel between Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb and Cairo University President Mohamed al-Khosht sparked widespread controversies.

It did this because the grand imam's response was taken as a restriction of renewal to the graduates of al-Azhar.

The same response was seen by some members of the general public as shutting the door of ijtihad (the independent interpretation of problems and issues not covered by the Holy Qur'an). 

The same members of the public believed that the grand imam is making this jitihad a no-go area for thinkers and intellectuals who are not graduates of al-Azhar. 

This came at a time our country is badly in need of everyone who thinks and uses his intellectual faculties.

This debate opened the door for a sincere, honest and trustworthy dialogue that seeks the good of this nation and monitors everything that raises the status of reason and grants thought its freedom and human dignity. 

God is behind the intent and He shows the way.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

{Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.}

Almighty God has spoken the truth

In the previous episode, we talked about contemporary voices of renewal and their devotion to the belief in freedom of opinion and expression in Islam.

We reviewed the efforts of the Current of Renewal in Islamic thought. 

In this episode on freedom of opinion and expression in Islam, we dwell on two important issues:

First: Contributions of the School of Renewal and Ijtihad in Islamic Thought

Second: The obstacles standing in the way of putting the views of this current into action and limiting its spread

1- Contributions of the School of Renewal and Ijtihad

Sheikh Amin al-Khouli (1) surveyed the most important achievements presented by the Current of Renewal in Islamic thought at the conclusion of his important book 'Innovators in Islam.

He explained that this current sought to resurrect a number of concepts that the School of Inertia tried to obliterate over many centuries, namely:

1. The development of belief is a vital necessity for the benefit of religion and the world.

2. The necessity of spreading the concepts of religious tolerance and broad-mindedness.

3. Freedom of belief and the right to a correct the understanding of religion are an inalienable part of human rights.

4. Liberating the Islamic faith from illusions that make it stand in the face of reason or science.

5. Understanding religion as a reform of life, not only rituals and forms.

6. Realizing the social dimension of religion and the importance of justice and equality.

7. Proving that religion is a means of resisting injustice and confronting tyranny, not a tool in the hands of rulers to justify their tyranny.

8. The role of men of religion is to stand with truth and justice, not with an oppressive ruler.

9. Non-interference by men of religion in public life and the necessity of separating religion from state.

10. Broad horizons and openness of knowledge and science to all human knowledge and experiences.

11. The call for innovation and renewal and rejection of stagnation and imitation.

12. The importance of men of religion having a civil culture and broad-mindedness in addition to their religious culture.

Obstacles limiting the expansion of the Renewal Current ijtihad

Dr. Abdel Mutaal al-Saeedi (2) cites the obstacles limiting expansion of the influence of the Renewal Current, ijtihad and reform in Islamic thought. He summarizes these obstacles as follows:

1. Authoritarian rule, where corruption and tyranny prevent freedom of thought and the launch of reform initiatives

2. The lack of comprehensiveness in reform visions: 

Reform visions were not comprehensive, but rather focused on the particulars, and left generalities. In a contemporary sense, the necessity of a comprehensive reform vision politically, economically, intellectually and religiously.

3. Dominance by the ideas and visions of the School of Stagnation and Imitation and its ability to influence people, in contrast to the Renewal and Reform Current which failed in creating a mass current that supports it and defends its visions.

4. Rulers' fear from reform and its men:

Governments viewed reform ideas, in general, as counter-revolutions and rejectionist interpretations that sought to undermine their authority.

However, the bet on the future remains valid, as the possibility of a reformist renewal movement looms on the horizon, one that trusts in the capabilities of Islamic societies and their ability to overcome the weakness in which they live, and at the same time believes that reawakening the energies of Muslims is can be done by reforming religious thought and presenting a true picture of true Islam, and that Islam is strong with its ability to persuade, with its advocacy of human rights, its defense of the values ​​of truth and freedom, its support for the weak and the poor, and its adoption of justice as a way of life, where there is no difference between people because of gender or creed. Their religion and their strong belief that opening the doors of renewal, diligence and reform is the basis from which will come pride, invincibility and righteousness.

The talk about contemporary voices of renewal and their devotion to faith, freedom of opinion and expression in Islam, and the obstacles that stood in the way of putting their opinions into effect, brings us to the end of our episodes, in which we tried hard to discuss the duality of obligation and choice and its repercussions, and the need to open the door of ijtihad, which was closed centuries ago, so that the contemporary Muslims can keep pace with the spirit of the age and deal with its concerns and issues.

Before concluding this discussion, we need to remind everyone that that we talked about freedom of opinion and expression in the Holy Qur'an.

We were keen to trace and analyze the Qur'an's discourse in its comprehensiveness that transcends the apparent and common understanding, and to demonstrate that the verses of the Qur'an exalt free will, and grant every human being the right to choose, and confirm that true faith cannot be the product of coercion, and oppression. 

We referred to the highness of the Qur'an's lesson, which commands the Noble Messenger to turn away from his opponents, to argue with them in goodness, and to coexist peacefully with them within the framework of acknowledgment of the right to difference and variance.

Freedom of opinion and expression in the Sunnah

The Prophet's biography was nothing, but a practical confirmation of what the Noble Qur'an calls for and proclaims. 

In the Prophet's practical behavior is what leads to the same meaning. He {PBUH} had nothing, but to follow the lessons of revelation and the teachings of the Qur'an, and all of that would be translated into actions and attitudes that correspond with the essence of Islamic thought embodied in the Qur'an.

The rightly guided caliphs and freedom of opinion and expression

The rightly guided caliphs, may God be pleased with them, were at the forefront of those who embodied, through their behavior and practices, the essence of pure Islamic thought in all fields. It is logical that they accorded freedom of opinion and expression a lofty position represented clearly in many of their luminous practical positions.

We reviewed in the previous episodes those positions. Then we analyzed the attempts of the old mujtahids and the pioneers of innovation in defending freedom of opinion and expression. We came across the problems they encountered. 

The hoped-for in all of the above was that ijtihad would be successful in achieving the goal, which is the practical scientific proof that true Islam supports - without limits - freedom of opinion and expression, and grants man the right to choose according to his free will, without coercion.

To clarify this, it is logical that stagnation and reluctance to renew, and clinging to everything that is traditional, static, leads to a dangerous state of thought, the most important manifestations of which can be found in the certain belief in the possession of absolute truth and correctness that does not involve doubt, a belief associated with the past alone, and related to old ideas, no matter how far this is away the spirit of the age and contrasts with its different rhythm.

In conclusion, I hope that I have succeeded in shedding light on a serious issue related to Islamic thought on the one hand, and which is subjected to a lot of misunderstanding by many of the ignorant and those affiliated with it, and related to the reality of Muslims and their future on the other hand, on the grounds that they are part of the comprehensive human system. 

There is a lot still to be said about the greatness of Islam in many matters, other than freedom of opinion and expression. We tried to contribute to clarifying things. However, what we did was only the tip of the iceberg. We will surely meet and discuss other important issues if God wills this. 

Preamble

This preface discusses some of the basic terms and issues, which the researcher believes that awareness of their dimensions represents an indispensable entry point for a correct and integrated understanding of the concept of freedom of opinion and expression in Islam:

The position of man in Islam

The duality of obligation and choice

Meaning and importance of ijtihad

The position of man in Islam

If the human right to free expression of opinions, ideas and beliefs is an indispensable and not negligent requirement, as the concepts and values ​​of the modern era call for, then a brief conscious briefing of Islam's view of man is necessary before discussing Islam's position on freedom of opinion and expression.

The Holy Qur'an considers man as a precious value. Humans are God's successor on Earth. They are responsible for bearing the heavy trust, which other creatures cannot bear. (Al-Baqarah, Verse No 30)

The term 'man' appears in dozens of Quran verses. Many studies have contemplated the image of man in the Holy Quran. There is not enough space here to provide a detailed presentation of the different aspects of human nature in the Qur'an, but from the important pillars of this picture:

1- Man is God's vicegerent on earth.

2- He is responsible for the reconstruction of the universe and the continuation of its existence.

3- Such a noble mission does not contradict the limitations of the human being.

4- Good and evil mix in the depths of man; he is neither an angel nor a devil.

5- This mixing and overlapping is what makes man a unique being, with a will and ability to distinguish between good and evil.

Man is subject to corruption and bloodshed. Man – and this is the secret of his greatness and distinction – possesses the will that allows him to strive for elevation and transcendence.

It is not possible – logically – for the successor of God on Earth to be subject to persecution, injustice, oppression, and repression. The Holy Qur'an gives him what he deserves of respect, appreciation and veneration.

Puritanical conservatives call for adopting the literal text of the creed without acting. They only recognize the conditions that were mentioned in that text and the solutions it brings to these situations. It is clear that this position leads to the creation of an abyssal gap, and a deep ambivalence, between the source from which they derive their ideas and base their actions on, and the actual conditions in which they live. 

This duality is clearly reflected in their failure to address the problems of the times, and to address the masses, and the new generations, in particular, in a language that cannot find applicability to reality.

The paradox, which deserves attention and reflection, is that the text of the Qur'an contains many rights that those who believe that they are the guardians of Islam and are monopolized by their understanding and deduction of its rulings and laws are not recognized.

References

1- Amin al-Khouli: Renewing Persons in Islam, Pages 158 - 168 

2. Abdel Mutaal al-Saeedi: Innovators in Islam, Pages 435 – 438