1) MUTALAZITE
“To separate, to withdraw one from”Mutalazites are followers of the rational school of Islamic theology, best known for rejecting the doctrine of the Koran as uncreated and co-eternal with God. They also focus on the concepts of divine justice and unity. They strongly stressed reason as the fundamental determinant of how the Koran should be interpreted.
While the Mutalazites make convincing points in theological discussion, they reduce God to a philosophical abstract. Though I am a Christian, I have occasionally doubted God’s existence when I think about suffering. However, I believe that God as a philosophical abstract is something that is wholly separate from the lived experience and that reason has its limits. This also reminds me that true knowledge can only be known by God and that our senses are so limited that we do not even know what we do not know. Indeed, the Mutalazites worked to solve the theological problem of evil. By theistic definition, God is assigned transcendent properties such as omniscience, benevolence, and omnipotence. I sympathize with the Mutalazites that we have a capacity for reason for insight. However, we have also continuously exhibited an inability to grasp and reason through the universe. Given that there are simply things, including certain objects in the Koran, that are beyond our ability to reason as humans, and that God has been assigned transcendent properties, then couldn’t God’s reasons for permitting evil be beyond our rational capacity to understand and articulate?
2) JIHAD
“Struggle or effort”
Jihad means struggle in the path of God. In the most general sense, it means the personal struggle against one’s own shortcomings that is required for Muslims to perfect their submission. More specifically, it is battle against the enemies of Islam, regulated by the Shariah.
Jihad is significant to me and to this course because it can illustrate how people can be hurt by religion in a way that is separate from true faith and belief. For instance, in the Orlando shootings in 2016, people were attacked and killed for being gay, for violating Sharia law. These acts of violence were supposedly done in the name of God based on an ideological basis, which is not unique to Islam. People have used Christianity and countless other bases as well to justify hatred. This incident makes me not only wonder why and how violent groups or individuals arise from religions of peace and unity but also shows how the actions of the few can lead to damaging conceptions and views of religion in society, spurred on by the media. The greatest power is the power to define. These are examples of the instances that lead to intense media coverage and crisis which then define our encounter and view of Islam.
3) QADA
"Carrying out or fulfilling"
The measuring out. The Koran often states that God measures out good and mercy to test people’s faith and to allow people to prove their own nature. People who have faith in the measuring out, both the good and the evil of it, will recognize that God knows what he is doing, even if it is against their personal desires.
Qada makes me wonder about what good and evil actually means. For instance, something that could be considered evil is pain. However, pain can be seen not only as a positive feeling but a good in itself. Experiencing pain signals to us that something is wrong with our body or with the environment. In this way, it can be thought of as a good rather than an evil. This brings me back to a question about God’s nature. Why does a good God allow suffering that brings no good? And if the pain does bring a kind of good, is that good really worth the pain? I am also uneasy about the argument that first-order evils are justified by the goods that they enable. The point of a second-order good is to end some first-order evil. For example, a given act of charity aims to improve the distress of poverty. It is intrinsic to the second-order goods like charity to eliminate the evils like poverty, and thus, they aim to eliminate the conditions of their own existence. Perhaps promoting charity and creating poverty are explained by the measuring out of good and evil. Furthermore, on similar lines, if we grant that suffering an evil is engulfed by an overwhelming good of gaining further insight into the life of God, can we continue to view this terrible evil as “evil”? But again, humans often distort the way things are and often fail to acknowledge their proper places and make the correct reaction. This is important to me because it reminds me of what I do not know and that all the good and bad that occurs is a test of faith.
4) DOCTRINE OF KASB
"Action"
The Doctrine of Acquisition. A doctrine in Islam adopted by al-Ashari as a mean between predestination and free will. According to this doctrine, all actions, good and evil, are originated by God, but they are “acquired” (maksub, kasb) by humans.
I like this concept because it raises the questions: how does Islam square the issue of free will and predestination? How does this help elucidate the nature of the relationship of humans with God? The doctrine of kasb suggests moral responsibility on the part of the agent. This is a fascinating way of reconciling predestination and free will. Though it is a great responsibility, I like that we have some degree of freedom and can be held accountable for our actions.
5) SHIRK
“Share, associate.”
Shirk means associating others with God, the only unforgivable sin. It also implies following one’s own desires or anything less than the guidance of God. It consists of thinking or acting as if anything other than God shares in the attributes of God. The opposite of shirk is the tawhid; to associate others with God is to overturn what makes us human or our fundamental instincts.
This word is relevant because it is something I (and most people) struggle with all the time. An idol is something that one deems as having value and has attachment to. This can be anything from social status to a job. One challenge for me is identifying the idols in my life. Though I do not believe in multiple gods, I have numerous ways of practicing shirk, but it is arduous to genuinely think about and truly acknowledge them. A lot of the times, I go through the day without praying and set acting with God in mind aside with the mentality of “I’ll do it later!” or “I need to go to sleep or go run first.” Every day is a constant fight to follow God. This is a reminder to readjust my priorities.
6) FITRA
“Disposition, nature, instinct”
Fitra is the original human nature as created by God. Its fundamental attribute is the innate understanding of the tawhid; only God deserves worship. Fitra can be obscured by upbringing or circumstances.
The fitra is an instinctive knowledge inside every human. Fitra is an extremely relevant word that is connected to multiple concepts in Islam. For example, fitra leads the human to the conclusion that there is one God and that we should worship Him alone. In this way, we possess an innate understanding of the tawhid. Iman and Ihsan are also concepts that are encapsulated in the fitra. For instance, Iman is the natural reaction of humans to the marvels of their own existence. Iman means faith, to believe in a truth that is true. This faith demands Islam, or submission to God’s instructions, and is a form of gratitude. Going off of this, Kufr is inversely related to fitr in the sense that the opposite of faith is infidelity, or ungratefulness towards God to whom people owe their existence.
I also enjoy the idea that people are striving to head back to the essence, to return to their pure state. As time progresses from childhood, in which we were closer to the world of tawhid, we often stray from the original fitra. This is because we live in a society that cuts us off from our fundamental instincts; we are tempted by materialism and desires. This is related to the ruh being obscured and how humans begin to identify with appetites like fear and anger. To me, fitra not only demonstrates the importance of one’s environment but also inspires me to fight forgetfulness of God and to strive to grow in faith.
7) DHIKR
“Mention, to remind, to remember”
Dhikr makes possible the actualization of the fitra. In fact, the primary function of the prophets and the scriptures is reminding people of God. The natural human response is dhikr, to remember God and one’s responsibilities towards him. It entails the repetition of certain names of God or certain formulae containing God’s name, such as the first Shahada.
I find the Dhikr to be extremely relevant to Islamic society. I see small instances of Dhikr in Morocco all the time, built into the language and the day-to-day life. For instance, the language is heavily filled with Islamic phrases, such as Inshallah (God willing), Salam Alykum (Peace be upon you), and Al-Hamdullilah (Praise be to God). Moreover, the call to prayer occurs five times a day. It summons the faithful to the salat, the ritual prayer. The salat demonstrates the daily renewal of the Koran, of God, and one’s responsibilities towards him. Dhikr illustrates the power of Islam as a cultural tool of unification and providing social solidarity in society.
I additionally believe that Dhikr can come in different forms, other than repetition of names of God or through prayer. I do not pray all the time or even 5 times a day. An analogy is that this is like friendship- I do not need to talk to my friend every day in order to maintain and have a good relationship with her. I think that one can demonstrate faith through actions. For example, performing actions that one loves, such as running, journaling, painting, or playing music, are spiritual acts and also reminds and brings one closer to God.
8) ZAKAT
« Alms tax »
Zakat’s root meaning is “purity” – people purify their wealth by giving a share to God. As one of the five pillars of Islam, the Zakat requires a certain percentage of one’s acquired property or profit for the year to be paid to the needy.
First, Zakat demonstrates social relevance: it encourages helping others and depends on social interaction. It is a concrete redistribution of wealth and warns against self-importance. As we are all God’s creatures, we should treat others well. I love that this has a strong egalitarian message and is a way of bringing home the idea that all humans are fundamentally equal and that whatever differences of fortune we may enjoy are only contingent. I discover examples of this when speaking with my language partner at AmidEast. She tells me that being a true Muslim means to always share what you have with your neighbors or with others. This is what society these days needs more of.
Secondly, Zakat illustrates how Islam performs a critical role in the social system. Zakat’s primary task is the set up a right relationship with God, beginning with the individual. A healthy society can only exist if its members are healthy. It is able to reaffirm the beliefs and morals held collectively by all of the individuals in a society, providing guidelines and purpose. Zakat also indicates the flexibility of Islam. Fulfilling the duties of the Zakat is circumstantial and depends on the individual’s situation. This echoes how people need to perform the Hajj once in a lifetime but only if they have the means to do so.
9) OCCASIONALISM
Occasionalism is a theory about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, God is behind every causal connection and there is divine intervention at every moment in time.
Occasionalism is a fascinating concept to me, though I have typically defended causality. It implies that all events in nature are discontinuous and that the world is a domain of separate entities that are independent of each other, with no connection except the divine will. Occasionalism reminds me of Descartes’s view of time and duration. Descartes believed that concrete duration is successive by nature, with parts arranged in a fixed order regardless of motion, and that God is necessary for each moment for duration. He fills God in as the gap between abstract and actual reality. I am inspired to think about these arguments more.
Moreover, I am interested in the context that this concept arose from. The Asharites arose as a reaction against the rationalists and the scripturalists. (I can’t help but think about Aristotle’s Golden Mean in action, whether it is oscillating between asceticism and hedonism or the rationalists and scripturalists.) Occasionalism seemed to have emerged when the Asharites began to reinterpret and develop Aristotelianism, and it occurred in the context of the Asharites’ attempt to reconcile tashbih and tanzih.
10) SUFI
Sufis are followers of a branch of Islam that believes in a more mystical connection with Allah. Sufis aim to practice all 3 dimensions of Islam and truly emulate the Prophet Muhammad. They are on a journey to embody divine existence and focus upon developing interior qualities and on spirituality. They also tend to emphasize the Tashbih.
I like the word Sufi because of its emphasis on Ihsan, to worship God as though one sees Him, and the purity of intention of any religious act. Al-Basri even denigrated a religious act to be worthless if it is performed out of habit or even a sense of duty alone. Even in non-spiritual acts, this is good motivation to be present and intentional in what I am doing; I never want to be going through the motions. This highlights an interesting point about the Sharia and legal interpretation of Islam. The Sharia deals with intentions nearly exclusively based on acts. This permits room for religious façade in society. In fact, many Sufis regarded the ulama’s concern for particular behavior to be legalistic and bereft of true spirituality.
Some Sufis practice asceticism as a way to bridge the gulf between the divine and the mortal. Several Sufis sought a highly disciplined life of the spirit, shunning the trappings of wealth, which stood in stark contrast to the Umayyads. Looking back at some of my notes from high school and sophomore year of college, one of my goals on and off was to “live an ascetic lifestyle.” Some small instances of asceticism in the modern college life were drinking only water, fasting for 48 hours once a week, not watching TV, only taking cold showers, etc. This usually happened after periods of hedonistic experience and indulgence where I felt sick of that lifestyle. I can see how it can reduce one’s appetites like pride, greed, and gluttony which are obstacles to the spiritual path. It helps nurture mindfulness and encourage empathy of the hardships of others. Ultimately, I love how Sufism emphasizes transcendence and the experience of spiritual reality for which the texts were the representation.
