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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Islam in Retrospect: What Went Wrong?

Islam in Retrospect: What Went Wrong?

Terebessy, Leslie

Paperback

General EducationGeneral Political Science

ISBN13: 9798288059537
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 14 2025
Pages: 310
Weight: 0.83
Height: 0.77 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Islam is misunderstood by non-Muslims as well as by Muslims. Non-Muslims are flooded by unfavorable representations of Muslims. But Muslims are not always well-informed about Islam, either. For the knowledge of revelation was corrupted by politics. It is asserted that the knowledge of Islam was transmitted without alteration. Is this true? Is the Islam as practiced at present the Islam practiced by the prophet? What explains the association of the teaching of the Book of Allah with terrorism, extremism and totalitarianism? How did Islam become political? Hawkish rulers required a justification of wars of aggression to enlarge the empire. They required rendering permissible what Allah prohibited. For wars of aggression, known as jihad al-talab, are prohibited in revelation. Thus, the justification of wars of aggression required a reinterpretation of revelation as a teaching of war. Politicized ulama furnished the required justification of jihad al-talab by weaponizing exegesis and jurisprudence. They reinterpreted the Book of Allah as a teaching of war. Revelation was reinterpreted by recourse to perceptions that reject parts of its teaching. The reinterpretation entailed rejecting all verses in the Book of Allah that prohibit aggression and teach reconciliation. Furthermore, the reinterpretation of revelation entailed the rejection of all verses which teach that the Book of Allah is clear, fully detailed and coherent. The reinterpretation of revelation was expedited by treating tradition as revelation, pressing reason, recourse to hawkish traditions and reversing the relationship between revelation and tradition. The reversal is reflected in the perception that tradition judges revelation. But treating tradition as a judge of revelation is shirk. For it relegates revelation under the jurisdiction of tradition. Treating tradition as a judge of revelation is justified by the perception that revelation requires clarification and detailing from tradition. The reinterpretation of Islam as a teaching of war required the repression of reason, too. For reason could resist efforts to reinterpret revelation by recourse to perceptions that reject parts of revelation. The repression of reason a was justified by recourse to a tradition in which treats using reason to understand revelation as kufr. Thus, traditionalists exhort Muslims to refrain from using reason to understand revelation. This was tragic. For the reluctance to use reason to understand revelation prevented the umma from following revelation. The reluctance to use reason to understand revelation estranged the umma from its way of life. For following revelation is not possible without understanding it. It gets worse. The abrogation of the peace verses transformed Islam into a teaching of war. Islamism endeavors to restore the caliphate. This is to be realized through jihad al-talab. The reinterpretation of the Book of Allah as a teaching of war required the abrogation of all peace verses by the verse of the sword. This furnished the justification of jihad al-talab, the propagation of Islam by resorting to compulsion, prohibited in the Book of Allah. The re-interpretation of the Book of Allah was buttressed by recourse to hawkish traditions. A tradition asserts, God bless prophet Muhammad who was sent with the sword as a mercy to all the worlds. The reinterpretation of revelation set the umma on a warpath, in a clash of civilizations, the dar al-Islam vs the dar al-kufr. Eventually, Muslims were defeated. They were defeated in France in 732, at Baghdad in 1258, and at Vienna in 1529 and 1683. Muslims experienced defeats because they transgressed the prohibition of resorting to compulsion in the administration and propagation of religion. Islamism espouses a warped perception of reality. Islamism is a political expression of Islam. It endeavors to rule everywhere. Islamists present a threat to security. They require being restrained.

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