RLST 2257 - Modern Interpretations of Islam in the Modern World

This essay delves into various aspects of Islam in the modern world, focusing on modernist interpretations and the contributions of key figures. It discusses Muhammad Husayn Haykal's biography of Prophet Muhammad as a modern retrieval of his example, comparing it with orthodox views. The essay also contrasts the arguments of Ayatollah Khomeini and Abul Ala Maududi on Islamic government, highlighting their differing views on Islamization and the role of Sharia law. Furthermore, it examines Muhammad Abduh's significance in bringing about Islamic renewal to create a modern Egyptian society, emphasizing his efforts to integrate scientific and rational theories with Islamic theology. The essay concludes by referencing films like 'Takva, A Man’s Fear of God' and 'A Separation', using them as lenses to view adherence to religion in the modern world. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

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WORLD RELIGION
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1. Discuss Muhammad Husayn Haykal’s biography of Muhammad as an important
modern attempt to retrieve the example of the Prophet Muhammad for life in
modern society.
Answer- The author Husayn Haykal has presented the life and teachings of the Islamic Prophet
Mohammad in a very rational and modern method, with great knowledge. “The Life of
Muhammad” is one of the most highly regarded life narrative of the Prophet that makes a
balance between the two aspects of “miracles” that he made happen, and the “human” and
practical part of the person which includes his daily chores. The author has established him as
the “most loving, most forgiving, and perfect person”. (Haykal, 1976). The author begins the
book with the remarks on the relationship pattern of the Muslims and the Christians, which are
the world’s two greatest faith in numbers and the Haykal has expressed his wonder about the fact
that in spitye of so much similarities in the holy books of these two religions how there can be
any point of conflict between the two groups, and how can there be war.
There are many sections of Islamic scholars which are orthodox and hardline and they
view the life of the Prophet as a miracle person and not as a human being, and they try to react
the super human aspect of the prophet (Fitzpatrick & Walker, 2014). However, this author has
given more importance on the aspect of the prophet which is more of a human being, this
following the narrative of rationality, and scientific explanations of Islam as a religion and
Prophet Muhammad as a human being. Example of such a difference in narrative between the
orthodox writers and him may be given by the incident of the journey of the Prophet to
Jerusalem overnight, this has been identified by most of the orthodox Islamic scholars as “done
physically by Muhammad.” Haykal on the other hand expressed that the journey was done in
“spirit” by the Prophet. Haykal wrote “Those who believe that al Isrd' took place in spirit do not

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find such reports unbelievable now that science in our own days has confirmed the possibility of
hypnotism and of the hypnotized one to report about events far removed from him. For a spirit
holding in unity and presence the spiritual life of the universe in toto, for one so endowed with
vision and power so as to penetrate the secret of all life from eternity to eternity, such a feat is
not at all surprising”.
Haykal consciously and intentionally rejected those aspects of the faith that reflects
irrationality, superstitions and out of the realm of modern scientific explanation and sensibility.
He has stated that the religion is most “scientific and modern religion”.
The writer had understood the fact the modern society is slowly moving to the age where
everything needs to9 be supported by empirical facts and scientific evidences. The author
understood that attemts to explain the religion in terms of vague ideas and miracles will be
failure and it will rteult in the larger section of the population to reject the religion.
Haykal has given all efforts endeavors in establishing islam as the most scientific,
comprehensible and rational religion among all. The Prophet is depicted as a human being who is
perfect in every senmse but in human terms, he is loving, he ius kind nad he is better than the rest
in terms of these qualities. While he established the life of the Prophet as the ideal one, he also
countered the criticisms made by many scholars about his marriages and invasions. The author is
succesfull in explainming the life of prophet Muhammad in a very rational and sincere way. This
book is one of the finest works on the life of the Prophet based on scientific facts and rationality.
4. Compare the arguments of Ayatollah Khomeini and Abul Ala Maududi on the necessity
and the nature of Islamic government.

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Answers- The countries where the official religion is Islam is known as the Islamic states. In
most of these states there is no permission for preaching any other religions in public sphere. The
nature of the first modern Islamic state and its descriptions were delved out by scholar Abul Ala
Mawdudi. He conceptualized the first modern definition Islamic state. There are two different
perspectives given by Ayatollah Khomeini and the author who has been mentioned previously.
Khomeini’s idea of Islamic state is much more radical and extreme to some extent. The person
also advocated forced conversion into Islam, which can be termed as Islamization (Gholizadeh &
Hook, 2012). On the other hand, Mawdudi did not prefer a system of forced conversion or
Islamization of individual, rather he advocated Islamization of the society and the thought
processes of the members of the society. He thought of the system where the social system will
be designed in such a way that the people of the society will be following Islam naturally.
In an Islamic society the main concepts and principles are “Tawheed”, “Risala”, and
“Khilafa”, which means oneness with God, Prophet hood and Caliphate. These three are the
main principles that drive an Islamic state. “The Islamic government was clearly defined by
Khomeini in his book Hokumat-e Islami: Velayat-e faqih”. The author in this book has explained
the urgent need for instituting Islamic states, and according to him such state will be
administered by very strict Islamic laws. These laws may be including penalties such as
execution when the religion or the Prophet is blasphemed. However, the author Mawdudi has
given by philosophical reasoning, “sovereignty of God” and he has stated that the sources of all
the laws on earth is God himself. A Muslim is only Muslim when he or she is perfectly following
the faith and not just by birth. The Islamization of the individuals must be done by education and
awareness instead of enforcing the Islamic way of life on the individuals (Mawdudi, 2016).
According to Mawdudi the two very evil concepts of the modern world are secularism and

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socialism. These two concepts, he believed are the products of western imperialism. On the other
hand, Khomeini has gone two steps further and stated that saying “democracy as bad as
prostitution”. He has envisioned Islamic state where the Islamic laws or the Sharia law will be
enforced by very strict authority (Leurs, 2012).
Mawdudi believed that “Sharia was the basis on which a Muslim society will essentially
be Muslim in its nature.” He has emphatically stated without the application of the laws of the
Sharia the society is not an Islamic state. The Sharia law must be the only law and laws from
other sources cannot be considered as law, and societies following laws from other sources are
not Islamic state.
5. Discuss the significance of Muhammad ‘Abduh for bringing about Islamic renewal
as a vehicle to create a modern Egyptian society.
Answer- The contribution of Muhammad Abduh in Islam has been its reformation to
modernism. The idea of Abduh is that if the modern Islamic followers continue to follow the
very rigid systems and laws of the medieval era then it would be difficult for the religion to
become popular and include new people into its realm. The ancient and medieval laws that are
not in par with the modern rationality must be transformed or reformed according to need.
Muhammad Abduh has stated that the intelligence of the human being is the key to understand
and interprete the ancient philosophies and ideas into modern rational interpretation.
Abduh has researched on understanding that why the quality of the Muslim society
worldwide is declining and what are the factors that are contributing to such decline. One reason
as identified by his is the gradual spread of un-Islamic systems and beliefs, and the Muslims of
the present day world being stuck into the medieval belief systems. The scholar has believed that

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there is an urgent need of reformation in the Islamic theology otherwise it will be stagnant after
sometime. Some of the older thoughts and systems needs to be re-interpreted and education of
the larger section of the population will help in bringing such reformation.
The scholar has divided the Islamic traditions into two divisions, the first one is known as
Ibadat which are the inseparable customs of the Islamic religion and these cannot be reformed or
changed in any situation to any extent. Muamlat is another part of the Islamic faith which deals
with the social affairs and lifestyle of the people and these have scope of modernization or
change. Abduh has stated that an absence of the clear comprehension of these two separate
concepts has given rise to such stagnation in Islamic theology.
He has played a very important role in bringing the much needed discussion of
transformation within Islamic society. The importance of his proposition behind creating a
modern Islamic state is that he endeavored in integrating scientific and rational theories with
Islamic theology. Abduh stated that if the Quran is interpreted in the proper and perfect manner
then there is no difference of opinion between rationality and Islamic philosophy (Amir, Shuriye
& Ismail, 2012). He has stated that the Islamic religion is complete and self-sufficient and it has
legal, medical, and social solutions for problems in human life. These aspects of the religion
must be highlighted to the people in general so that the religion is seen in a positive light. The
systems, the beliefs and the customs that are blocking the growth of this faith must be reformed.
Muhammad Abduh also emphasized on establishing a friendly relationship among all the
religions of the world. He said "I hope to see the two great religions, Islam and Christianity
hand-in-hand, embracing each other. Then the Torah and the Bible and the Qur'an will become
books supporting one another being read everywhere, and respected by every nation”. He would

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be one of the notable scholars in the Islamic faith whose contribution n bringing modern
reformation in the religion will be applauded in the future (Aksoy, 2015).
References:
Aksoy, N. (2015). Meeting the challenges of modernity as experienced by Said Nursi,
Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Abduh. Rutgers The State University of New Jersey-New
Brunswick.
A'la Mawdudi, S. A. (2013). Towards Understanding Islam. Kube Publishing Ltd.
A'la Mawdudi, S. A. (2016). Let us be Muslims. Kube Publishing Ltd.
Amir, A. N., Shuriye, A. O., & Ismail, A. F. (2012). Muhammad Abduh’s Contributions to
Modernity. Asian Journal Of Management Sciences And Education ISSN.
Fitzpatrick, C., & Walker, A. H. (Eds.). (2014). Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture:
An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO.
Gholizadeh, S., & Hook, D. W. (2012). The discursive construction of the 1978–1979 Iranian
Revolution in the speeches of Ayatollah Khomeini. Journal of Community & Applied Social
Psychology, 22(2), 174-186.
Haykal, M. H. (1976). The life of Muhammad. American Trust Publications.
Leurs, R. (2012). Ayatollah Khomeini: The changing face of Islam. Estudos Em Comunicação N
o 12, 25-45 Dezembro de 2012, Estudos em, 25-45.

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