Allah says فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ “Ask those who know if you know not” (al-Naḥl 16:43). In Arabic, knowledge علم that speaks in service عمل manifests in the radiance لمع of light. Intellectuals are referred to in English as bright or as luminaries because of the rays of light effused by their knowledge.
The Prophet ﷺ once said إن الله لا يقبض العلم انتزاعًا ينتزعه من العباد ولكن يقبض العلم بقبض العلماء حتى إذا لم يُبْقِ عالمًا اتَّخذ الناس رؤوسًا جهالاً فسُئِلوا فأفتوا بغير علم فضلوا وأضلوا “Allah will not strip His servants of knowledge all at once, rather, He will withdraw knowledge by reclaiming seizing the scholars until none shall remain. Ignoramuses will be as leaders to the people, and when asked, they will speak their opinions without knowledge, mislead themselves, misleading others.”
This course will cover the scholarly legacies of our living luminaries, who have contextualized for us our religion making it more indigenous to our experiences in the West. The very definition of fiqh is to understand with discernment the text, the context, and if, where, when, and how the text applies to the context.
Taught by El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud
Recommended readings: Curated articles tbd
