c
 



 

Can this stifle our development as having the best of characters as well
as undermining cohesion between Muslims themselves, let alone the
rest of humanity?
Y
?he motivation for this blog lies in my readily observable idolisation that exists within human
society that often compromises the betterment of our character. It is as if the human conscious
needs an attachment to a figure that can provide some type of security and legitimacy to its
position. I would argue that this has always been the case whether it was with the use of images
of Zeus and ?hor to images of Saints and Prophets, or words of wisdom from the ancients,
whether it is Confucius or Churchill, or simply a mixture of images and words. It is as if recalling
the words of our forefathers carries with it an aura of integrity that is not shared by words of the
living.
Y
However, one wonders whether we are stifled by the efforts of our forefathers to move ahead in
the 21st century. Ingenious as they were, many feel the work has been done and we but only
need to refer to them for guidance. Debates are rife as to what Islamic law and our theology
really entail. I often find myself contemplating that the Prophet had made Islam so simple with
simply the belief in a creator; the creator, but how often have too many issues become the
subject of division when they need not be often leading to attacks whether verbal or physical
against those who may think differently, though sincerely.

I often wonder how the great scholars of our past would react to the divisions that have risen in
their names, division on issues that have been accentuated post 20th century, maybe it is
because each group is looking for a way out of the quagmire Muslims have found themselves
in, but in the manner in which they conduct themselves have lost enough credibility to win the
hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority who simply get on with their lives sharing in the
trials and tribulations as the rest of humanity.

I often wonder as we create intellectual idols often of authorities that have passed away, is this
not a manner in which we associate partners with our creator, believing that their edicts and
approach which in itself may have been revolutionary and subject to attack in their own lifetimes
are subsequently accepted in the following generations thereby only to become part of the cycle
which leads to it being challenged as time and space change and thus requires new paradigms
in order to extrapolate the best manner in commanding what is right and forbidding what is
wrong, just as Imam Abu Hanifa had done, and Imam Shafi after him.

I often feel that our difference of opinion is definitely a mercy, but only when we are sincere in
our approach and we strive to have the best of characters and not lowering ourselves to the
degrading levels of behaviour that we have witnessed against Baroness Warsi, a Muslim, a
woman, a human being who though I have personally critiqued in the past fully support her
position within Conservative party and even more so now.
Y