What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic - Critical Essay

Introduction

Islamic religion discourses have been characterized by a diverse understanding of what is Islamic and who is a Muslim. The greater population of earth thinks distinctively of Islam. He re-conceptualizes Islam as a human and historical phenomenon stating that Islam is being owed at the very effort of trying to make it have a meaning to every individual. His reconceptualization tends to marginalize the voices of other people, their theologies and perspectives. He condenses the various Islamic dispositions and beliefs into a single essence. However, he does not present the religion as an analytical dissolve. Rather, he states that the Islamic religion can dissolve if not well conceptualized or located to give a coherent meaning. Ahmed stresses on the need to define what Islam. This is 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.

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In chapter 3, Ahmed critiques the work of other Islamic scholars. He argues that the term religion has a wider meaning than just thought as of politics. He maintains that being a Muslim is beyond that. There is a 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 a 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 of distinct vocabulary and distinct register of meanings stating that a totally different dictionary with different meanings of words such as literature, politics, art and wine-drinking should be presented. Muslim has a 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 a most convincing articulation of Islam since it can be seen to express hermeneutical engagement better in relation to the revelations of Muhammad. 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 especially takes keynote of the contradictory instances associated with Islam. For instance, Ibn Sina always believed in eternal life, one without resurrection after judgment day, as well as no paradise. Shariah's prescriptions were ultimately discriminated to the philosophic truth. Another example is the poets who appreciated their passion as an indication for God's endless love. At the same time, it is the same people who praised the consumption of wine and some mild drunkenness. These are some of the contradictions being addressed by Ahmed in regards to Islam.

Ahmed gives examples of Islamic visual arts which relates to the practices and beliefs of Muslims. He states that some people do not understand the best way of reconciliation and linkage between Muslims and 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 about what is Islam? was informed by a discussion he had with an individual at Princeton University who found him drinking wide. The individual wanted to know why Ahmed was taking wine yet it is prohibited by all schools of Islamic law. Any wine has been described as being sourced from intoxicating liquids even by the Qur'an and presents an abomination from satanic deeds.

He relates wine drinking to luxury wine cups. Some wine jugs had an inscription of verses of Hafiz, which gave 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. The wine was used as a symbol of authority during a celebration or social practice as wine-cups contained Islamic art. Wine-drinking was commonly defined by art in various objects such as wine-cups yet it violated the Islamic law.

Another compelling visual art that Ahmed presents in his book is Persian painting. This is a pictorial frame of paintwork. The paintwork is divided into four planes with each plane showing individuals engaging in wine drinking. The figural painting and wine-drinking should be known as related to the practical subordination of the normative value-rulings as related to Islamic hermeneutics. However, the art shows that wine drinking has connections with the upper world. When Muslims drink wine, they communicate with super being or people in the upper world such as angels and prophets. This art shows that drinking wine is not forbidden as perceived.

Ahmed stresses on the need to look at historical perspectives of various beliefs 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 the Islamic religion. Just like any other religion, these arts have very significant meaning. Using these paths of thinking would unite all Muslims for a common purpose. It would dispel the 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. It is defined in line with Muhammad's revelation as Pre-Text, Text, or Con-Text. The Muslim orthodox creed and Shariah law are good but they are not consistent with Pre-text, Text, and Con-Text. This is why Ahmed dismisses them as being a determinant of who is a Muslim and what is Islamic.

This book is significant to students of religion in general. Nevertheless, Islamic students and believers would benefit most. This is because Ahmed tries to deconstruct some of the assumptions commonly held among Muslims. Many Muslims believe that complying with Shariah law and following Qu'ran is what it means to be a Muslim. However, according to Ahmed, this is not enough. Being a follower of a certain religion calls for commitment and devotion towards the history of religion's starters. This means following the revelations they recorded. In addition to this, religious issues should be approached in a rational way. Additionally, it is noted that the attained levels of distinction should be suspended. The book has taken a historical approach to examine issues that are of contention among Muslims.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ahmed's main argument is that there is a need to reconsider some of the Islamic traditions. Muslims of the present generation are unable to find any linkage between modern Islam and pre-modern Islam. It would be that some Muslims so what is not supposed to be done by Muslims. They could be doing something that is not consistent with Muhammad's revelation. The book actually gives the criteria that should be used to discern what is really Islamic. Doing this will bring back the authenticity of Islam religion. It will also end the divisions that have been witnessed among Muslims over a long period of time. In this book, it is evident...