ISSN 0890-6831 MUSLIM PERSPECTIVE Published Monthly by MASJID TUCSON May 1988 Ramadan 1408 Editor: Rashad Khallfa, Ph.D. STEVE JOHNSON (Pillar of Islamic Society of North America - ISNA) MAKES THE ULTIMATE MOVE God is the Lord of those who belleve, He leads them out of darkness into the light (2:257l. Only those who possess intelligence will Come to Mel 2:269, 13:19, & 39:93 In View of the Qur'anic facts that the majority blessed move came, and Steve declared that he of people will fail to belleve (12:103), and that could not possibly accept Hadith, Sunna, or any the majority of those who do believe fall into man-made teachings; he decided that the word of God, the Quran, the whole Qur'an, and nothing (12:106), our heart-felt congratulations idolatry but the Qur'an, shall be his source of religious go to Steve Johnson for making the ultimate move lo GOD ALONE. Steve made his courageous initial guidance. Congratulations Steve. "Only those who steadfast- move years ago from false Christianity to false ly persevere.. those who are extremely fortunate. Islam. Obvlously, God knew of Steve's sincerity succeed in making the ultimate mover (41;35). in his quest for God's truth, and God saw to it that Steve discovered the true Islam. Hence, the See Steve's article on Pg 3. National Council on Islamic Affairs Discovers the Fallacy of Hadith on Islamic Affairs as "so stupid," and "un-islamic," A famous Hadith where the Prophet Muhammad and "anti-Islam." Thus, common sense is prevailing is accused of predicting that the Muslims will fight the Jews, and that the stones and trees will among the enlightened Muslims, and the truth speak to tell the Muslims about Jews hiding behind marches on. God bless the National Council on them, has been declared by the National Council Islamic Affairs. THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED ISLAMIC NATION Sop. 2, 3, & 4, 1988, Tucson This year's conference is shaping up as a major historic event. Dr. Mansour, the first Azhar Scholar to embrace the true Islam, will deliver the Friday Khutba. Other speakers: Gatut Adisoma, Kassim Ahmad, Malik Alí, Ismail Barakat, Dr. F. Douglass Brown (formerly Rashid Hamed), Gale Cunningham ¡formerly Razia), Linda Calloway (formerly Johnson, Jamilah), Steve (formerly Karima Omar), Feruz Karmally, Rashad Khalifa, Soussan Rey, and Saeed Talari. Official Reciter: Fatemeh Karbassi Send for your Conference badge today (Individual fees $76.00; Family fees $95.00). See you at the Conference IN SHAA ALLAH. Virginia Kamouneh (Parivash).
THE HADITH DEBATE VS Irrationalism Rationalism by Kassim Ahmad I have sufficiently shown ... that the so-called "authentic" Characteristics Hadith possess the characteristics of being sectarian and factional, anti-science, anti-reason and anti-woman, apart from being anti-Quran. These constitute a perfect prescription for disunity and backwardness. The current Hadith dronis in Malussia and in some other inch countries writer from ms land purlished last year (Hadith - A Reevaluation) remink me of fieorge Saron's monunchen Ihrap-volume "A listory of remark "The main issue. (hen as now, was not Science". lic raid, betucen materialism. and spirilualism. but between rationalism llust in that and irrationalism. i is amazing, lo discover very carly time almoct all the Circet philorophers har already realized that, to sustem of theirs, nol even the Epicureas, was purcly malcrialistic; nonr, not even the Platonic, ves purely spiritualistic. They all understand that one needs some kind of matler even for thinking, and that one cannot refute spiritualism except with suine kind of mind or spirit." The dominant anti-ralionalist current in the preseni Islamic renaissance movement must sooner or later come to realize, as aid their early rationalist ancestors, the profound Quranic truth thes faith and resson are not in confics. Ther are two sides of the same coin. biany verary stress (his, Indeed, Gort repealedly says thal the Quran is addressed to thore who think. And extremeis clear verse pointing to the very class relationship beiween faith and reason reads; "No soul except with Gods leave, for He deliberately can Deliere blocks aul those who defy common sense." (10:100) I1 mas the carls Alucilim genorations observed preciscis because Ils wily of faltle and ronson ilmt lhey were able lo create montinils of srience, thorslit nnel culture. Present-day Aluslims must retrace tbeir steps back to the spiril of those scientific. Inlellectual and political limes la regain the Iradership of the world that they once held. Are they rapable of doing ll again? If they are not fand the odds are against iném), other nations will replace them, as the Quran has warned (see Quran 47:38). I ramrol deal with all the points that haye been raized In this debare. I have ansmerrel some of them in two of my Star" and "New Sunday Times". carlier nrticles (sce "Sunday 1986). My traditionalist critics, sume 22, Kunia Jumpur. theologians and scholars alike, wio have brought out two have merely repeated the agemold books lo answer mine. classical arguments for uphniding the ladith, which I have refuter It is my humble opinion that they have not answered my refutation. i havo quoled many ricar verser of lle Quran and some conforming hadith in my book to prove that the prophet brought, taught, follower and preacher with only the Quran. Unfortunalely, our morkerit-day blind followers of traditionalist theologians simply will not give serious consideration to recking lo rationnlize them lo conform lo their Ilem. already-formed opinions. and arguing thint the majorily of Urcologians, past and prosent, cannot make mistakes. Yet they know full well that the truth does not depend on the majority! Mey tirclessiy and unashamedly argur. thal Gor's command lo us lo obey the messenger menns that me should fullow the liudith when the phrase rieuri, means lo obey Gort and 1o follon anly the Quran. This neaning is supported by councicas otlier verses In the Human, by such proven weaknesses of very many authentic' ladith and hy such proven wenknesser of the slassical Insith melhorolmis that it is pointless 1o dwell on il any further. Most of our traditionalist thenlorian: and scholars have proved themselves quite innude of discusing the Hadith imud ruliuralis und intelligrull!. Iis is the strongest tenson villy a publle debale ls neroszars so that the enligturned sections of the diuslim communil! can criticize their errors nt well us thelr narrow-minderress and bigorry, and bring them buck to rcason. Mains people crilicize me for connerting the larith with disunits and backwarden, ronie contending that ilemiiin airlims hove not even tri em bank of Hartith, Int Horn Bring Infhrences by il' Thes luve mised the paint allogether. The relevant question is one of the joelological basis or bases of Muslim behaviour. not what books they read or do not read, As a matter of fact, the Hadith has been with us for around & thousand years and has been nellvely propagaird lo us for as long. I agree, Ilsat not all Muslims have come under the spell of the Hariti, ax a number of chosen in follom liberalisni or Marxism as of thiam have late (including me, al one time!). Hul none of us can deny the fact that the ladith, alone among athor Ideological ingredients, hns bers, lite major enierience. since f1 ideological basis of Muslim thoughl and behaviour. Il one understands this non-furaníe idcolorical configuration under one can prasp the profound which modern Muslims live, import of the prophacle words of the Quran: Shall We treat the submitters like the gullty! What is wrong with you? How do you judge? Do you have another book that you apply? One that rives you anything you want? (68835-38) The messenger will say, "Mly Lord, my people have deserted this Quran." (25:30) Or course, the traditionalist theolorians and scholars; tied to their traditional holly will methodolory, sacrasanet' deny the applicability of these vertes lo the Muslims. Bur what can the phrase "another since the Quran ls current, book" that "vives you anything you wars" mean for the Muslims hut the lindith? As to the second verse, it obviously refers lo the present rejection of the Quran hy all Ideological proups "my of mankind. Including 1he fornial Mutilims. The term 'pooplc" used by Prophel Mutummad must mean "all mankind" slure his mission was universal. In spite of the contradictor testiniony of historical sources, a general conclusion may lse sufcis drawn that the first division in the early Alulsim community bel ween the 'orthodox' Sunni party and the "xterodux' Shiah party of All was both political and rellgious. Thic party of All resorted to a so-called Cindir Khum hadith in which the proplict was alleged to have said, "lle of wisom 1 am mustror, of him All is also the master," in order 1o bolster up teir Inctionalism when the noble preple! spent his whole life fighting against i!! Of course, at this time the hadith had nol vel been compiled or institutionulized as a primary source of lam, bul the grest prestiye of the proplet lund urey heen misuard by the various political and theolupiral furtions, It should be well roled that 1is long as tle Chiran reamined the only primar: Alstalinka thes could reunile source of reforence ior li Hurt advance on tle basis of its lenchis, bul as soon as they set up olher sources of refrrence lo rival the Quran. "arsith ar the "gecond as happened when try set up the primary" source, the division bernie irreversible, continuous und perninnent. I have suffiriently shown in my little hank that the so-callest "hurned cristics 'uuthentic Hadith of being possest the sectariun and factionni, anti-spiris, anti-renson, and
anti-wanen, opart from being anti-Quras. These constitute a perfeci perscription for disunity and backwardness. collected to fully detailed data should now be course. of the liadith demonstrate and prove the destructiveners ircology to the Murlims. This, however, was not the aim of ray book. n spile of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, man fuslims ure still unable to disasociato Prophet Muhammor from the Hadith. But this is precisely the first important hurdle to clear before one can grt any rational understanding "Bukhari for the of the lindith. The classical formula is: B, who other compilers) reports from A. who heard from heard from C, who heard from 1), who heard from E, who heurd from F. who heard from the proplirt." It is a report of an alleged saying or doing of the prophet across six to At the time of the compilation (between eight generations. 2u0 and 400 years after the prophet) the first few generations of alleged reporters were no more and there were no sure muons of determining the truth of those reports directly. Even of the report the Irnditionalists edmit that the bulk Is hearns. Such being the cose, It is astonishing that the consensus of truditionalist theologians lur required Muslims lo believe in it, and has pronounced those who disbelieve in it to be outside the fold of Islam! [ To be continued in the coming issues ] MEDITATION ON A JUGULAR VEIN by Steve A. Johnson Closer to me than my jugular vein? Then He knew. He knew when joy slipped into routine and routine into hatred. Why didn't He just flick my heart. ever so lightly-d reassurance, a hope fillad nudge? Mut Ile didn't, and even hatred slipped away. Then came the tears of pleading, "Please me feel." let Bul the angwer! Silence. Always the same "please", the same questions. the same remnants of hope; but the same answer-Silence. The tears stopped. "Everyone walks through the desert." the wise-feigning, saint-feigning kluslim slicikh said. didn't understand. It was not the desert | feared. Deserts can have blue sky surrounding the cruel sun, they have shifting sands, days and nights, skittering creaturer-life. I don't fear the desert, only the absence of desert; the absence of feeliag-spiritual death. He knew when the prayer was followed by sighs and quiet stares through cold window glans into...onto streets chaotic with twilight traffic. He was there when I played my role—-Mr. Muctim lecturing to the lost lonely miserable unbellevers-a paid savior amid the "ma sha Allahs" and "Allahu Akbar's". didn't He at least let me delude myself in the act? Why Why always the silence inside, placing silent judgment on the different me's? He felt and knew before 1 forced my smile, a handshake, a word of praise. So what was He teaching me? What was I to see? What Insight? What meaning? He was closer to me that the pulsing vein the moment I whispered, "NO", "NO MORE." No moro. My God is not of ossilled rules separating men from bellevers women, in this from believers in that. My God does not sit sternly denouncing the goodness outside the barbed wire of Islamic law, or condemning love that bursts into music and festivity. He felt the joy in me, in Him when after the "NO" I said "YES" to the mysterious Real beyond theology, beyond hadith, cosmic light and hope years past ritual. He sustained the me that did not leave a truth, but who now embraces The Truth that cannot be enshrined in Arabic. No, It Is The Truth thet dances on the language of wordless faith. Closer than my jugular vein? He knew and felt it all. He gave the permission, and shared in the journey. It cannot be wrong or evil because life cannot be wrong or evil. if He is closer to me than me, then it was all His and it was good. NEW VIDEO PROGRAMS Virginia Kamouneh [ Cont'd from Page 4l He is comfortable, at-home-with- his-feet-propped-up-on-the-coffee-table, with self-correction -and I think i know his secrel. It's no secret, really-it's simply Quran. "Yeah," he'd probools say with a sly smiling "Simply Quran. Just the Word of God." Well, you (winkle, get the point. His platform is Indeed constructed entirely fact which la genlly evident in conversation on Qur'an, a with him. Uniike no many self-styled "scholars" and Ignoront "alims.* his incessant reference to Qur'an is truly spontaneous, uncontrived-and uncluttered by fishy fish stories and fatuous Sinco my "association" with him lit sounds like we've been with Shaikh Rattle 'n Roll and Jimmy Swaggert In ISNA HQ and let's see how long it takes for that to hit the rumor mill!), I have been asked by countless Individuals, "Do you know what Rashad Khallfa is all about?" They have heard, they confide in hushed tones, that he is • apy for the Qudiyanis, a Bahai, a Mason, Jello Binfra's podiutrist... No, they've never actually met him, they confess; no. they haven't actually read his work, from someone whose second cousin heard from But Dr. Khalife remains unfnzed by these rumors; in fact, he seems gemuinely amused by them. le soys that these learned tales have actually been instructional, he's that most of what he knows about these sects from the "Islamic" tabloids, the Mational Exoirera of the Muslim world, that broadenst them. Yes, I do know what Rashad Khalia is ell about, or id. to; I only icast. I think I'm beginning wish that they All they would have to do to find out is to pick up a Qur'an. "They want to put out God's light with their mouths, but God insists upon perfecting llis light..." (9:32) God insista And that's what Racnad Khalifa, this gentle, twinkling 119 man in Arizona is all about. (1) Marriage in Islam$19 (2) What Is Islam Essentials of Islam 19.00 (3) Martin Luther King Died A Muslim.$19.00 (4) Who Is God? $19.00 SEND FOR OUR FREE CATALOG ISLAMIC PRODUCTIONS 739 E 6th St: Tucson, AZ 85719
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S POSTAGE PAID TUCSON, ARIZONA T39 E.Gth St, Tucson, AZ 85719 Permit No. 201 :ECOME A SUBSCRIBER NOW ONLY $12.00 for 12 issues One Dollar a month 88&488984468k357k06%0 IF GOD INSISTS: A TRIBUTE TO RASHAD KHALIFA by Virginia Omar Kamouneh (formerly Karima Omar) for several years I had thoughs of him simply as "the Number 19 Man'-you know, that guy in Arizona whose computer research on many intellectual walls, fread so many hearts 1o accept God's last revelation. I also thought of him with a goor deal of bewilderment. Afler all, this Reshad Khalifa, Mis 819 guy, was elso repuled and openly claimed-lo deny Prophetic ireditions. Even the collections of hadith which 1 had invested so mucti money Bad so many brain cells in amassing and absorbing. Not onis the "weak" hadith (rather a redundancy, really) frowned upon even more which my imported role models than usual, but the good old sunni slaples of Bukhart and audim with chair lovely bedtime storles of the Mercy lor Mankind forcing his enemles lo drink camel urine, gouging hot nalls-in berwcen satisfying 9 wives in our eyes with a single eroning. So this t19 guy had the goll to prefer the Quran-che Word of Got lo these gratulously graphic goodies? Gee. Then how old he know how to do all the fun sluff the sumnah reaches us? Hor did he know which shoe 10 pur on first, which hand to eat with, or what to say before, during and after going to the bathroom? From what i had been laught, man could not only not live by bread alone, but he couldnt even make It on & strel word of God dior-he had to have supplements, other men to do the hard stutt for him-like so, for quite awhile, my perception of him mas marked Intellectual/emolional/social by ambivalence. Given my the best of all stato el lhe timo, this was probably emotiona-firm indecision. Por quite awhile, my comment on Dr. Rashad Khalifo was, "I love the work he's done with Qur'an and may Allah bless him or it but-s cant agree with his views on hadith. Il was a stock response, • mantra which I dutifully chanted when asked my opinion of this man from the Mysterious East of Tucson. Par quite awhile. But, as the Qur'un says, "You pass frama stage 1o stage" (84:18) and I certainly did. To stage to stage, Sa lack, though thal's another slory allogether. For pradually, to understand and finally almost imperceptibly, I came accept-what ironically had siways qualified my admiration of Di. Khallla. But It wasn't through him: is wasn't through his books and newslellers which, I confess, were eclipred in my Ilbrary by irightful mounds of Tarsimof-the-Years and Icky-thyas it wos simply shrough my study of hadith, my rescarch and writing and reevaluation of my own belleis-e prócess of evolution as unlikaty as it was inevitable. I had heard of lovors ol God beforo; had even met o law who seemed to be caught up in an affair with the Divine. But, more often than not, it seemed 10 have degenerated into & Milos Standish siluntion with the love originally (unwilling) by intercepted an addressed to God being intercessor-a Prophel, a spirilual guide, a teacher or somerhat shaky sheikh. carefully cultivaled hothouse piers, bus no direct-dialing And i certainly didn't oxpect to find one in this Rashad Khalila. By the time I met him, I was a supporter, even a bit of a fan, so! had fully bracod myseif for the inevitable letdown. Yes, inavitablo, los frankly, I expocted to ind an air af-at paranoia. After all, anyone who had wenthered the slings and arrons of controversy that he had over the years was bound to be a liltle on the jumpy side. So, i anticipated at least a samber, Intense man, one who matched the bold face and exclamation points of his writings. I expected a man who hadn't time to be silly, hadnt strength left 1o laugh al himself and was too busy opening hale mall la crack a smile. But that was OK, i rominded myself, OK and quile natural Wrilers always seemed lo sulfer in the translation of face-to-faco encounters After all, 1 mas a writer, and hant scen the suicidnl look, of renders who had had the misfortune to at last meel me in thic Mesh. instead, that bright pro-spring afternoon, in the international flouse of Pencakes deep in the bowels of Burbank California. no less, i found a shining exception lo the rule, I found a lover, a true lover of God. A man shaso speech, behavior and mannerisms bore wiiness to the fact thal submission to God is indead a happy state-not the gloomy and prim affair that so many portray Il. I found a man witle e quick wil, a ready smile, & pentle humillly which was fairly radioactive in its trust and rellance on his Creator. On his Creator. Nol on his Creator's crcation, not on the cullural • the petty shisk security blankot of krec-jerk rituan, not on of self-righteous Miles or Sufic psychobabble but on God Alone. Ironically, in all my years of rearching for a magical mystícal cure-all, I found Il in a man who demystifies Islam, of what-to All of the idolatry cuts through who do-lo-whom-with-which hand whon to reveal the saft, sane and sensible Way Ihar we always pretend and soldom portray It lo be. A man who scenis content with his Gort-"..sacure and content soul, come back to your Lord, satisfied and salisiying." (89:87-28), a man salisfied that God has "imposed no hardship on you in observing the religion" (22:78) Perhaps that's why he ruffles the feathers of so many bird-brained bluslims, for he embories the truttrothe simple fact that picty and clinical depression are not synonymous, not even on speaking terms. A subversive truth, indeed. Khalife is indeed a curious caso. He has garrians of laurols of Impressive achievements on which he could easily Ilis transiation of the Quran ress-and not unjustifiabls. concile-and being scrapped by its is truls inspired, cleor, scars after its publication, he is publishing a revised adition. ( Continued on Page 3]
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