Big_H99369
11-01-06, 04:01 AM
Islam And Philosophy
With the reality of sects in Islam becoming evident amongst the Ummah, many youth have went out in a search for the saved sect … Firqaatun Al-Najiyhah. The youth are in pursuit for pure Islam, a manhaj purely adhered in the Quran and Sunnah, that being the way of Salaf Al-Salih, but unsurprisingly, many of these youth begin losing faith when they see what the secularist call “a lack of philosophy and spirituality with the salafis”. In this article we will tackle this accusation with both daleel (evidence from the Quran and Sunnah) and a rational approach.
Firstly, let us define philosophy: Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. In other words, the search for truth, search for wisdom. It is common, especially in the west to see people who become indulged in philosophical questions to answer things such as; what is our purpose? Why are we here? Is there a God ? I pose a very simple reply, Islam does not need philosophy because it IS the answer. It is that answer which men seek to find, the answer being Tawheed. If one was to finally finish this pursuit of wisdom, one would end up with Tawheed, which is the center of all answers, center of life, and the guidelines on which we live by.
O People, NO PROPHET OR MESSENGER WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of the QUR'AN and my SUNNAH (the life style and the behavioral mode of the Prophet), if you follow them you will never go astray.
5:3 This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful..
To put it simply, why must one pursue the truth/wisdom, if it was already given to us? Islam already tells us our purpose,
Islam tells us how to live, from how to dress to how to comb our hair. Islam gives us utmost self-discipline and the wisdom we need to live.
-96:4 He Who taught (the use of) the pen,-
-96:5 Taught man that which he knew not.
The way of Salafis have understood this and further pursued understanding tawheed. They have found the purest and best way to live…according to the Quran and Sunnah. So in conclusion, Islam does not need philosophy, we do not need to pursue wisdom or establish self-discipline, Why? well because we already have this answer and self-discipline, the ultimate answer and root … tawheed.
Secondly, Although there Is no need for philosophy in Islam, it still exists in a truthful way. Islamic philosophy revolves around tawheed and its pillars. As muslims all our philosophy revolves around the guidelines and restrictions provided to us by Islam. We must understand that these philosophical ideas are rather interpretations or thoughts on Aqeedah, fiqh, tawheed, etc …, point being, they are meant not to be innovations rather philosophical conciliations with Islam and its principles, and has complete regards to the ultimate goal and destination of the human soul … paradise.
Thirdly, let us look at the general view and benefits of non Islamic philosophy. Although history highlights many famous philosophers, we tend to forget that the majority of the world cannot grasp these ideas and pursuit their own truth or the wisdom which many westerners seek, so in fact, very few people benefit from non-religious motivated philosophy, rather they are hurt from it, as will be discussed in the forth point.
Our fourth point, Looking back at history we see many negative effects on un-guided philosophy. Some famous examples can be Hitler and his radical philosophical claims in his book entitled “Mein Kampf”, his ideas lead to the massacre of 6 million Jews and a fascist government. Another disturbing example is Karl Marx, whose ideas lead to the establishment of communism and world turmoil following it. The list continues.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that the pursuit for wisdom outside what has already been given to us in its complete form (The Quran and Sunnah). Let us philosophize around the guidelines already given to us for our own benefit.
- Abdul Haqq As-Salafi (Big_H)
With the reality of sects in Islam becoming evident amongst the Ummah, many youth have went out in a search for the saved sect … Firqaatun Al-Najiyhah. The youth are in pursuit for pure Islam, a manhaj purely adhered in the Quran and Sunnah, that being the way of Salaf Al-Salih, but unsurprisingly, many of these youth begin losing faith when they see what the secularist call “a lack of philosophy and spirituality with the salafis”. In this article we will tackle this accusation with both daleel (evidence from the Quran and Sunnah) and a rational approach.
Firstly, let us define philosophy: Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. In other words, the search for truth, search for wisdom. It is common, especially in the west to see people who become indulged in philosophical questions to answer things such as; what is our purpose? Why are we here? Is there a God ? I pose a very simple reply, Islam does not need philosophy because it IS the answer. It is that answer which men seek to find, the answer being Tawheed. If one was to finally finish this pursuit of wisdom, one would end up with Tawheed, which is the center of all answers, center of life, and the guidelines on which we live by.
O People, NO PROPHET OR MESSENGER WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of the QUR'AN and my SUNNAH (the life style and the behavioral mode of the Prophet), if you follow them you will never go astray.
5:3 This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful..
To put it simply, why must one pursue the truth/wisdom, if it was already given to us? Islam already tells us our purpose,
Islam tells us how to live, from how to dress to how to comb our hair. Islam gives us utmost self-discipline and the wisdom we need to live.
-96:4 He Who taught (the use of) the pen,-
-96:5 Taught man that which he knew not.
The way of Salafis have understood this and further pursued understanding tawheed. They have found the purest and best way to live…according to the Quran and Sunnah. So in conclusion, Islam does not need philosophy, we do not need to pursue wisdom or establish self-discipline, Why? well because we already have this answer and self-discipline, the ultimate answer and root … tawheed.
Secondly, Although there Is no need for philosophy in Islam, it still exists in a truthful way. Islamic philosophy revolves around tawheed and its pillars. As muslims all our philosophy revolves around the guidelines and restrictions provided to us by Islam. We must understand that these philosophical ideas are rather interpretations or thoughts on Aqeedah, fiqh, tawheed, etc …, point being, they are meant not to be innovations rather philosophical conciliations with Islam and its principles, and has complete regards to the ultimate goal and destination of the human soul … paradise.
Thirdly, let us look at the general view and benefits of non Islamic philosophy. Although history highlights many famous philosophers, we tend to forget that the majority of the world cannot grasp these ideas and pursuit their own truth or the wisdom which many westerners seek, so in fact, very few people benefit from non-religious motivated philosophy, rather they are hurt from it, as will be discussed in the forth point.
Our fourth point, Looking back at history we see many negative effects on un-guided philosophy. Some famous examples can be Hitler and his radical philosophical claims in his book entitled “Mein Kampf”, his ideas lead to the massacre of 6 million Jews and a fascist government. Another disturbing example is Karl Marx, whose ideas lead to the establishment of communism and world turmoil following it. The list continues.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that the pursuit for wisdom outside what has already been given to us in its complete form (The Quran and Sunnah). Let us philosophize around the guidelines already given to us for our own benefit.
- Abdul Haqq As-Salafi (Big_H)