A Herculean task of cleaning the Augean stables of Islam

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 04 November 2022 Main Points · NAI has been interpreting the essence of Islam, the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Hadith for many years. · NAI has been cleaning the Augean stables of Islam and refurbishing it for the deluded readers who think that Islam is an embodiment of divine purity. Recently, I read an article in a leading Bengali broadsheet, entitled, "Hindura aito ugro kaino hoye cholecchhe ? " (Why are Hindus becoming so violent and cantankerous?) The writer of the piece argued that it was the morbid assertiveness of Muslims that made Hindus react just like the way Muslims react when they feel that their Islam has been slighted. Got to say, the observation is quite right. This is what we call reactionary emulation. This is bound to happen when a religiously assertive and exclusivist reader from the US writes: "Islam is Ageless. It is the First and the Last - all prior Messages to the Ancients - Al Awwaleen and the Later Generation ... plus "all of us in the modern period are subject to the same incontrovertible Message of Allah Subhanahu ta'ala." He further questions the relevance of the name New-age-Islam as he thinks, of course, erroneously, that the message of Islam is eternal and, therefore, it needs no further and new interpretations. To him, Qura'an and Islam are self-evident. Aren't Hindus doing the same by calling their Hinduism Sanatan Dharm (Forever new)? Obviously, the followers of both man-made faiths are wrong. Islam suffers from Finality Syndrome: Final Prophet, Final Book, Final and most incorruptible message, that proverbial sea-green incorruptible type. This is mental zealotry that soon manifests itself as open and physical fanaticism. NAI has been interpreting the essence of Islam, the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Hadith for many years. It's been trying to accommodate Islam in a modern age with fresh perspectives and different optics. This attitude that Islam needs no change or betterment can be seen in Muslims’ grovelling reverence for Muhammad and Qur'an, both being sacrosanct (as they think), and can never be questioned or probed. Muslims must realize that life cannot be regulated by a 7th-century book with spurious verses and innumerable interpolations. You need to dust them off to get to the core of not just Islam but all faiths. All religions, your Islam as well, have gathered the algae of negativity and corruption over the years, nay centuries. So, all faiths must undergo a process of overhauling to be fit for the New Age. NAI has been cleaning the Augean stables of Islam and refurbishing them for the deluded readers who think that Islam is an embodiment of divine purity. It's a Herculean and thankless task when you try to reform a faith as rigid and fossilized as Islam has always been. … A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. ------ URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/herculean-cleaning-augean-islam/d/128335 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism