Islam: Challenges in Twenty-First Century

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About the Book This book contains number of essays written from time to time on various important aspects of Islam. These essays will enhance proper understanding of Islam and Islamic issues. Islam is one of the world religions and every fifth person in the world is a Muslim. Thus it is very important to understand Islam in proper light. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer is internationally renowned authority on Islam and has the unique distinction of explaining Islamic issues in the light of political, sociological, economic and anthropological perspectives. He believes in socio-theology as every theology is based in given social structures. This concept of socio-theology makes Islam a dynamic religion rather than one stagnating in medieval theology.

The issues dealt with in these essays are very relevant to modern age and also for peace and harmony in the world. Islam, the author argues, is a religion of peace and it is bounden duty of every Muslim to strive for peace. Islam also stresses justice and no permanent peace is possible without justice. The violence one sees in the world is a result of gross injustice perpetrated by dominant powers. Without addressing the question of just grievances problem of peace cannot be tackled.

These essays will enable the readers to understand Islam and Islamic issues in fresh light and will remove misunderstanding from the minds of people created by wrong projections of Islamic teachings in the media.

About the Author Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, director of Institute of Islamic Studies, Bombay, is an internationally reputed scholar of Islam. He is renowned as votary of peace and inter-faith harmony. He has written extensively on Islam. He has several books on Islam at his credit which include Liberation Theology in Islam, The Origin and Development of Islam, Rights of Women in Islam, Rethinking Issues in Islam and others.

Dr. Engineer is not only a leading theologian of Islam he is known for his extensive research and original thinking on Islamic issues. He has also been advocating reform and change in world Islamic community.

Introduction These essays on Islam were written from time to time both on topical and theoretical aspects. Islam has been under cloud, especially in the world media because of certain events one of which is the one that took place on 9/11 in the USA. In Indian media too number of questions keep on arising about Islam and Muslims. Also, modernity itself has become a problem as far as Muslims are concerned, some adjusting to it and others reacting adversely to it.

All these problems need to be analysed and understood properly. Any religion does not work in vacuum; it has to root itself in the society and has to confront social problems whose nature keeps on changing. No society can remain immobile for long and social change throws up ever-new problems. The orthodox theologians often remain oblivious of these changes taking place around them and stick fast to earlier formulations. Change is seen as evil by them and they refuse to re-think issues arising there from.

Every change is seen as bid'ah (innovation) and bid'ah is sin. This did have some relevance in the initial period of Islam. Bid'ah was then defined as deviation from the teachings of the Qur'an and sunnah (practices) of the Prophet. Thus any innovation or deviation from it was strongly denounced and this denunciation had its own justification at the time..

No one has to re-examine the concept of bid'ah since we are far removed from that initial period and also the locale. The Prophet was enacting the Qur'anic teachings.

**Contents and Sample Pages**