Critical Essay on What is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic by Shahab Ahmed

Introduction

Ahmed Shahab in his book What Is Islam? Gives a phenomenal understanding of Islamic religion. His position is quite different from that of radical and traditional Muslim scholars who conceived Islam as a very diverse religion. The book begins with questions that seek a clear definition of Islamic religion and some of Islamic norms.Ahmed gives a new conceptualization of Islam that would characterize discourses in Islamic religion. There have been many parallel discussions about Islam which makes Islam look like an unauthentic religion. He questions the authenticity and essence of traditions widely held by Muslims. For example Islam prohibits Muslims from taking wine. Such traditions have generated contradictions leading to emergence of many factions within Islam such as Talal, Sahabs and Surfis among others. Each faction believes in that its practices are what Islam is truly.

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In this book, Ahmed critiques religious theories that conceptualizes adherence to Islamic law as the determinant of who a true Muslim is. He takes a different approach and say that reason is more supreme.Ahmed argue that in order to independently determine what is Islamic or not, we should analytically examine what Muslims do and say. This is because not everything a Muslim does and say that is based on Islamic values.Ahmed's book is therefore a re-conceptualization of what Islamic religion is and what it means to be a Muslim. His understanding aims at condensing all Islamic manifestation as one practice which would be based on truth seeking.

The book gives a conceptualization of Islamic from a human and historical perspective. This is by looking at Muhammad's revelation in terms of Pre-text, Text and Con-text. Doing this will help Islamic followers to distinguish the true concepts of Islam from contradictions.Pre-text implies truth about Islam that are universally agreed and which existed before Muhammad's revelation. Text implies what is recorded in Qu'ran.Coin-text refers to contributions of Islamic philosophers which are in line with revelations present in Islam.

Ahmed's work also seems to be marginalizing the work of other Islamic theologies and geographies. He maintains that there is need to discern Islam beyond the simple manifestations and beliefs. The book provides philosophical explanations for Islamic practices like poetry, Islamic jurisprudence, philology and epistemology. His approach challenges dominant understanding of other scholars on these fields.

Ahmed is interested to know how certain practices and believes became Islamic. He believed that some of the things that Muslims do are not Islamic. Their origin is not genuine. The book emphasize of historical engagements in order to find which practice are worth observing. He notes that there are things that people would be doing only to oppress themselves yet they don't have significant meaning. For this reason, careful analysis is required to avoid creating unnecessary beliefs.Ahmed blames the traditional Islamic scholars for taking believes from a non-rational angle. They didn't carry thorough analysis and research to validate importance of certain practices.

At the heart of Ahmed's book, is analysis based on Pre-text, Text and Con-Text. Anything that is short and beyond of the three is not Islamic. He emphasize that it is not acceptable for scholars to deconstruct Muhammad's revelations. Doing so would bring further contradictions that divide Muslims.

Islamic religion discourses have been characterized by diverse understanding of what is Islamic and who is a Muslim. Ahmed through his book is trying to come up with a common understanding that would dismiss these diverse conceptualizations. He condenses the various Islamic dispositions and beliefs into a single essence.Ahmed stresses on need to define what is Islam. This should be based on what Muslim do and what makes them distinct from other religions in the world. Any intellectual and religious discourse should be limited to this definition.It should recognize the common thoughts and practices that all Muslim observes and disregard the rest.

Ahmed critiques the work of other Islamic scholars. He argue that their understanding on Islamic religion is myopic since they perceive being Muslim as adhering to Muslim orthodox creed and Shariah law. He maintains that being a Muslim is beyond that. There is need to focus on beliefs, values and language that Muslims apprehend. This review essay will focus on Islamic arts as emphasized in Ahmed's book what is Islam?

There is great diversity of Muslim practice. This makes it hard to have a single definition of what is islam.However; Ahmed's argument on common art held by Muslims brings a common understanding. Muslim has certain sort of artistic orientations. According to Ahmed, the visual arts and fictional literature are significant in tracing how Muslims conceived Islamic religion. The arts are most convincing articulation of Islam and they must have a background in Qu'ran.He blames the radical and populist Islamic scholars for neglecting visual culture in their conception of islam.Arts forms indisputable evidence and every practice must be related to a certain art. Using this approach, the contradictions that exist in Islamic studies would be brought to an end.

Ahmed gives examples of Islamic visual arts which relates to practices and beliefs of muslims.One such practice is wine drinking. The practice has been very divisive whereby some Muslims believe that drinking win is not bad and others believe that it is evil.Ahmed's decision to write his book what is Islam? was informed by a discussion he had with an individual in Princeton University who found him drinking wide. The individual wanted to know why Ahmed was taking wine yet it is prohibited in Islam.

He relates wine drinking to luxury wine cups. The wine jugs of Islam timid ruler Husayn Mirza Daygara had inscription of verses of Hafiz (d.1390). This verse gives authority to a ruler to drink wine. Despite Shariah and Qu'ran condemning wine drinking, Ahmed does not think that it is a non-Islamic practice. There are many other such wine cups with such inscriptions. This should dismiss Islamic articulations that wine drinking is evil. It was common in Islamic political order. Qu'ran narrates how kings used to take wine before making political decisions. Wine was used as a symbol of authority and was important in celebrations where people with authority were present.

Another compelling visual art that Ahmed presents in his book is Persian painting. This is a pictorial frame of paint work. The paint work is divided into four planes. Each plane show individuals engaging in wine drinking.However, the art show that wine drinking has connections with upper world. When Muslims drink wine, they communicate with super being or people in upper world such as angels and prophets. This art show that drinking wine is not forbidden as perceived.

Ahmed stresses on need to look at historical perspectives of various believes held by Muslims. This would help to know which practices are valid and which ones are invalid. Visual arts were common during the formative stages of Islamic religion. Just like any other religion, these arts have very significant meaning. Using these paths of thinking, would unite all Islams for a common purpose. It would dispel confusion that brings unnecessary divisions among Muslims. Islam will now look like an authentic religion.

Although Ahmed did not define what Islam is, his conceptualization of Islam is clear. Anything that Islam say and believe should have basis in the Pre-text, Text and Con-text. It should be consistent with revelations of Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim orthodox creed and Shariah law are good but they are not consistent with Pre-teext, Text and Con-text. This is why Ahmed dismisses them as being determinant of who is a Muslim and what is Islamic.

References

Ahmed, Shahab. What is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2017