The Islamic Movement of Elam

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

When doing a lecture on the Islamic Movement in Elam, one of the things I emphasize is the intellectual heritage of the Movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. An understanding of the issues and environment of that turbulent period is quite useful in gaining an appreciation for the dynamic nature of the Islamic Movement. In the context of Elam, the name of Abul-Qalam stands out as the major personality who serves as the central inspiration for modern Islamic ideas and the Islamic awakening of the twentieth century. For this reason, I want to start my lecture by touching on the life, work and ideas of Abul-Qalam.

Abul-Qalam is actually his pseudonym it literally means father of the pen - and its no coincidence that the father of the pen wrote excessively, perhaps the greatest writer in all of Elam's history. His real name was Muhammad Qutbuddin, and was born in 1876. Growing up in an environment of European colonialism, a time when the Muslims were weak and enslaved while the Christian West was ascendant had a great psychological effect on the mind of Abul-Qalam. He gave expression to the rancour of his soul in his masterpiece The Fall of Cordoba. This book was published in 1908 when he was only thirty-one or thirty-two years old, but its an amazing book and actually one of the beautiful examples of English literature. Strangely enough, Abul-Qalam was self-educated for the most part, having studied in a Christian school only until the age of twelve. He actually left the school despite his father's stern protest, citing the fact that he could not reconcile his personal commitment to Islam with being schooled by Christian missionaries. So we see quite early on that Abul-Qalam had a passion for Islam and was at pains to see the ascent of Christianity through the missionaries and their schools. The book Fall of Cordoba really caught the attention of the Muslim intelligentsia of Elam which at the tiny was minuscule, perhaps a handful of Western and English educated lawyers and professionals. Despite the book's somewhat misleading title, its not actually an historical account of the end of Muslim Spain, but rather a lamentation of the worldwide decline and weakness of the Ummah. Encouraged by the positive response to this book, Abul-Qalam began writing incessantly about the moral, spiritual, political and social condition of the Muslims, using the community in Elam as his main point of reference. Throughout his writings he is quite critical, to the point of severity, with almost every section of the Muslims first and foremost the Ulama, the traditional scholars, then the Sufi mystics, the wealthy aristocracy, the Western educated elite, the political parties and politicians, and even the ordinary people. His writings also condemn the ills of sectarianism, obscurity, illiteracy, and political apathy that were rampant among the Muslims in those days.

Reading some of Abul-Qalam's early books one is shocked to learn about the condition in detail of the Muslims in Elam. I think no reasonable Muslim today would not be somewhat stupefied by the description of that generation. We often speak now as though the Muslims are going through their darkest phase and that everything was fine and dandy back in the day, but a reading of Abul-Qalam will make anyone conclude otherwise. It's actually in this way we can see how the Islamic Movement, which owes its inspiration to Abul-Qalam, has really reformed and transformed present day Muslim society and polity. Although we obviously have a long way to go, the efforts of the Islamic Movement in the past century have really produced positive results, and that itself is a proof that the path which the Islamic Movement has charted out for itself and has embarked upon is the right path.

Abul-Qalam remained busy with his writing and did not actively participate in Elaman affairs until the Khilafah Movement of the 1920s. After the First World War when the Ottoman Turks were defeated alongside their German allies, there was a real possibility that the British would do away entirely with the caliphate in Istanbul. This was obviously an alarming development and deeply concerned not only Abul-Qalam but practically the entire Sunni Ulama. So despite his previous, often harsh criticism of the Ulama, Abul-Qalam found himself side by side with them in the agitation to preserve the caliphate. However, when some modernist and nationalist thinkers criticized the Khilafah Movement on the grounds that it was a reactionary movement representing religious fanaticism and was opposed to the spirit of the times, the spirit of modernity, Abul-Qalam was compelled to respond in the best way he could through his writing. In this connection, his book The Caliphate: A Question of Life or Death is another example of Abul-Qalam's talented writing and the way in which he presents powerful and convincing arguments of an existential nature.

The Khilafah Movement was special in the sense that it was the first real dynamic and popular religious agitation which reflected upon the pent up grievances of the Muslims in general, and those in Elam in particular. Abul-Qalam essentially argued that the Caliphate in Istanbul, although symbolic in its authority, was vital for Muslim cohesion and sense of identity. But when the caliphate was abolished in 1924, ironically by the Turks themselves, it had a very deep effect on Abul-Qalam, and subsequently his writings became quite pessimistic full of doom and gloom. It's safe to say that he died a somewhat dissapointed and depressed man because the abolition of the caliphate had a very profound effect on his heart. But shortly before his death in 1929, Abul-Qalam was already privy to the next generation of Islamic activists and thinkers who were developing their own paths to reform and political awakening. This new generation took its inspiration from the writings of Abul-Qalam, and from the spirit of the Khilafah Movement. It included such notable individuals as Dr. Mahmud Ahmad, Sa'd Ibrahim, and Ali Abdullah Hasan. These three can be described as the trinity of Islamic awakening of the early and mid-twentieth century.

First let me start with Sa'd Ibrahim. He actually owes most of his inspiration to the popular preacher and Qur'an reciter Qari Muhammad Abdullah. The latter brought forth a message return to the Qur'an and strongly emphasized Qur'anic education and study as the only path of redemption and salvation for the Muslims. While Abul-Qalam was known for his pen, the Qari used his voice and travelled the breadth of the country preaching at the mosques late into the night. Amazingly, he was illiterate, neither capable of reading or writing. But the popular message of the Qari was picked up by his disciple Sa'd Ibrahim, an English educated journalist who founded the Al-Iqra Magazine. This magazine, especially in the early twentieth century, was a major force for introducing the public to the Islamic reform and awakening movement. In its pages, Sa'd Ibrahim and other contributors, including both Abul-Qalam and Dr. Mahmud Ahmad, brought to life the essential message of the Qur'an. While many of the conservative and traditionalist Ulama condemned the magazine for the allegedly heretical ideas it was promoting, the educated and younger generation was very enthusiastic about it. With the success of the magazine, Ibrahim founded the Qur'anic Society with the aim of providing a modern education to the young generation of Muslims and opening their minds to the dynamic and fresh message of the Qur'an. However, the Qur'anic Society remained essentially an elitist organization, unable to attract mass membership. Furthermore, the Society began to splinter within a few years of its founding due to the influence of the Ahl al-Qur'an, or Qur'anist sect. Strictly speaking, Sa'd Ibrahim was not a Qur'anist the sect which totally denies the authority of the Sunnah and Hadith and emphasize following of the Qur'an only. But both Ibrahim and the Qur'anists had a major impact on each other. Ibrahim was gradually convinced that one of the things holding back the Muslims was their attachment to medieval and extra-Qur'anic tradition. While he never clearly defined what he meant by that tradition, he was greatly skeptical of the Sunnah and even more so of the Hadith. Whatever the position of Ibrahim, the fact remains that the Qur'anist sect was in existence before him, having come to Elam from India proper. But the Qur'anist sect, at least before Ibrahim, did not espouse any political or social ideology. It had not formulated any dynamic message apart from a fundamental rejection of the Sunnah and Hadith. Ibrahim pointed out that the Qur'anists were lacking a focus on a particular message that was relevant to the society and Muslim polity. It was here that Ibrahim influenced the next generation of Qur'anists who had been attracted to his Qur'anic Society.

But where the Qur'anic Society failed, Dr. Mahmud Ahmad's Jama'ah al-Islamiyah undoubtedly succeeded.

The major scholar or leader of the Ahl al-Qur'an before Sa'd Ibrahim came along was Allamah Zahid Ali (1869-1944). Allamah Zahid was a very stringent Qur'anist and was highly critical of Muslim tradition and jurisprudence. He was accused by virtually all the traditional Ulama of being not only an apostate, but guilty of blasphemy. Consequently, there were even a few attempts on his life. Allamah Zahid was only able to establish a single center under heavy guard known as Masjid al-Qur'an. Sa'd Ibrahim criticized the people of Masjid al-Qur'an for having taken the form of a sect and for their separation from the Muslim community. Ibrahim saw the path of the Qur'anists as isolationist and ultimately destructive.Ibrahim and Allamah Zahid held many debates, some of them transcribed in the Al-Iqra magazine. Commenting on these debates, Dr. Mahmud Ahmad wrote:

The controversy between Professor Ibrahim and Allamah Zahid Ali was quite harmful to the Qur'anic movement. But it revealed a plain fact that the methodology of the Qur'anists in completely rejecting every trace and instance of Islamic tradition opened the doors to greater confusion rather than less. For now every single Muslim, no matter his or her level of comprehension or knowledge could interpret the Qur'an according to his or her own fancy. Such a Protestant-like approach to Islam would inevitably result in nothing but disharmony and chaos.

Dr. Mahmud Ahmad wrote a marvelous and very rational critique of the Qur'anist methodology entitled The Book and Prophecy Go Side by Side. In this book he asserts that the essential flaw of Qur'anism is that it rejects the institution of Nabuwwah (Prophecy) without which Islam is not only incomplete by incomprehensible. The convincing arguments of Dr. Mahmud resulted in many of the educated members of the Qur'anic Society deciding to abandon Professor Sa'd and instead join the Jama'ah al-Islamiyah. Professor Sa'd, of course, struck back with his own polemic against the Jama'ah, entitled, The Criterion of Truth.

The back and forth polemics between the Jama'ah and the Qur'anic Society make for some very interesting reading insofar as it reveals a lot of the ideological similarities between these two strains which share a common intellectual heritage. For example, both sides make appeals to the writings of Abul-Qalam and to the sermons of Qari Muhammad Abdullah.

However, Dr. Mahmud Ahmad himself made the conscious decision to end the dialogue. He basically said: I have bigger fish to fry.

Professor Ibrahim, of course, pointed to Dr. Mahmud's ending of the dialogue as proof of his inability to answer and to maintain the high level of intellectual and academic arguments. Annoyed by this accusation, Dr. Mahmud wrote a comprehensive reply entitled: The Last Word on the Qur'anist Controversy

The book is quite compelling in a number of ways. Firstly, it focuses on a philosophical repudiation of Qur'anism (Qur'an-only) by emphasizing the historical reality of the Muslims, especially the very early Muslims the Companions who were obviously attached to the sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Dr. Mahmud essentially asked: If following the Qur'an alone is the ultimate truth, why was this truth not recognized by the Prophet's closest companions and disciples? Dr. Mahmud emphasizes his oft-repeated challenge to the Qur'anists to identify a single such individual in all the history of Islam who held a similar interpretation and understanding of the religion as they did. The Qur'anists readily admit that no such single individual existed in all of Islamic history, let alone an actual group or sect.

Furthermore, Dr. Mahmud Ahmad criticized the lack of a yardstick by which to judge the varying and contradictory interpretations of the Qur'an by the Qur'anists themselves. Rather then unifying the Muslims the Qur'anists methdology would only serve to further disunite them. Professor Ibrahim himself agreed that the major impediment to the progress of the Muslims was sectarianism and disunity on the basis of theological controversies. Of course, Professor Ibrahim responded that the variation of interpretation of the Qur'an by the Qur'anists themselves did not necessarily lead to disunity or social fragmentation. He pointed out that the variance in interpretation was only restricted to subsidiary matters but not the essential message of the Qur'an. Dr. Mahmud Ahmad typically fired back by citing the old controversy of Professor Ibrahim with the founder of the Qur'anists in Elam Allamah Zahid Ali as a perfect example of even major ideological differences among the Qur'anists as a result of differing interpretation of the Sacred Text.

Professor Ibrahim wrote:

Dr. Mahmud says again and again that we have no cohesion and that since every individual Muslim is free to understand the Qur'an through his own effort the result is that no two students of the Qur'an can agree on a single interpretation of even a single verse! Surely, that is a much exaggerated allegation against our movement. But the truth is that Dr. Mahmud has revealed about himself that he cannot tolerate anything less that absolute uniformity when such rigid uniformity, even in religious matters, goes against fundamental human nature. The Qur'an is a Book which is meant to be studied as a lifelong endeavor. Almighty Allah by no means meant for every student of the Qur'an to arrive at the same conclusion. If anything, the Qur'an itself points to celebrates the diversity that comes about because the way in which the human mind works. Nevertheless, as far as the essential message of the Qur'an, which no true student of the Qur'an can contest, and that is the message of obedience to God alone and the establishment of a unique Qur'anic system and society governed by the principles of justice, equality, and friendship then this is a message which I say with utmost confidence that the members of our movement hold firmly onto and propagate with utmost zeal. The problem with Dr. Mahmud and his Jama'ah is that, while they accept the Qur'anic principles and message in theory, in practice, due to their being tainted with medieval Islamic tradition and hearsay, they oppose those very principles and I have written extensively about this. For now, I point to a number of issues, such as the draconian penal code of the Jama'ah; the capital punishment for apostasy, the restriction on religious liberty, and the social marginalization of women under the pretext of modesty.

It is interesting that after Elam achieved statehood in 1948, the Jama'ah actually began to politically agitate against the Qur'anists and clamored for the state to declare them as a non-Muslim minority. The Jama'ah saw the Qur'anists as not only a rival and an intellectual threat, but as a opportunistic target through which they could whip up popular sentiment and ignite the fires of religious frenzy among the common people. By doing so, they would be indirectly challenging and even weakening the institutions of the State. Dr. Mahmud had made this policy clear as early as 1949, when he said:

The present state and administration is a reality, but we intend to change that reality. Independence is a change of circumstances, but it does not change our objective and purpose. We seek the establishment of a purely Islamic society and state. Despite our recent freedom from British rule, nothing has essentially changed except the fact that the administration of the state has passed from the hands of Christians to the so called Muslims. Our demand is that since the right to rule and govern is the exclusive domain of God Himself, therefore, the practical administration of this infant state is the prerogative of the Islamic vanguard alone, and not any so called Muslims.

He further stated: Now the policy of the Jama'ah must be to challenge each and every action of the present administration because we say, without any hesitation, that the current state is illegitimate and that it has no right or authority to govern. In other words, we shall agitate with all our might, in the way which we have agreed upon and formulated through our Islamic methodology, for the implementation of Islamic laws and policies.

Among such Islamic policies was the demand for the Qur'anist sect to be declared as a non-Muslim minority. Dr. Mahmud stated: Certain anti-Islamic movements which seek to undermine the correct understanding and practice of the Religion are right now the greatest threats to the work and progress of the Jama'ah even more so than the State itself. The Ahmadiyah, the Qur'anists, the Baha'i movement, and the followers of Hamza Asad are all determined to mislead the Muslim Ummah.

Hamza Asad was a charismatic preacher and writer who questioned the Islamic tradition and many established and recognized facets of Islam. He was declared an apostate by the traditionalist Ulama. Among the heresies of Hamza Asad:

He claimed that he was the Mahdi who had come to lead and guide the Muslims back to the true path of Islam.

He preached a materialistic and scientific approach to religion which rejected all supernatural miracles or occurrences.

He was essentially a naturalist and materialist rejecting supernatural miracles and the like.

He claimed that Angels were forces of nature and that the Qur'an had referred to them in an anthropomorphic sense only because of the literary style of the Qur'an.

He claimed that the Qur'an was not a direct revelation, but more like an inspiration to the mind of the Prophet (peace be upon him) based on his reflection on nature. That is, the Prophet (peace be upon him) by deeply reflecting on nature and his heart was inspired to dictate the text of the Qur'an.

According to Hamza Asad, there is no such thing as the dead coming back to life physically or the resurrection, or heaven and hell. This is only the Qur'anic literary style in how it refers to political and social conditions of the world.

According to Hamza Asad, Islam did not contain any rituals of worship (Salat, Sawm, Hajj, etc.) but these were only literary expressions and so forth.

Dr. Mahmud felt compelled to respond to the movement of Hamza Asad since he was regarded as an intellectual in Elam. He wrote a short tract entitled: Mr. Asad and His Ideas

Here is an excerpt from that book:

I was compelled to write this short book only because Hamza Asad has acquired considerable influence thanks to the covert support he is receiving from the present administration. Mr. Asad is essentially a manifestation of the State's experimentation with religious movements and controversies with the aim of dividing and weaking the ordinary Muslims. I have pointed out repeatedly that the worst enemy of the Islamic Movement is internal dissension and disunity, especially in the form of religious and theological controversies.

There is absolutely no question about the apostasy of Hamza Asad, even if he claims to be a Muslim. His doctrines are simply beyond the pale. This is nothing like the classical Sunni-Shi'ite schism or the differences between the traditional Islamic schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'ie, Hanbali, Ja'fari etc.).

All of the Ulama are agreed upon the apostasy of Mr. Hamza Asad. The Jama'ah has in its possession the Fatawa (legal edicts) of dozens of major Islamic schools and academies across the spectrum of Islamic thought and jurisprudence clearly pronouncing Mr. Asad as an apostate. Both Sunni and Shi'ite, including Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'ie, Hanbali, Ja'fari, Zahiri, and other legal schools of thought. Religious leaders and guides of the Salafi movement as well as those of the various Sufi orders. There are edicts from the Shams al-Islam academy, the Nur al-Iman academy, the Ulum al-Din academy, the Anwar ul-Qur'an, the Sunniyah movement, the Majlis al-Ulama, the Jamiyat al-Ahnaf, the Al-Madaniyah movement, the Ahl al-Hadith sect, the Ashari Ulama, the Muwahhidin, the Ibadiyah, and even the Jama'ah at-Tabligh.

We have twenty handwritten and signed fatawa from independent and freelance clerics, such as Allamah Muhsin Abdul Wadud, Allamah Yasir Ahmad, Allamah Salim al-Malik, Allamah Abdul Khallaq, Allamah Ya'qub Uthman, and Prof. Dr. Zaid Mustafa of the Elam University's Department of Islamic Studies.

Dr. Zaid Mustafa's fatwa states:

Mr. Hamza Asad has been judged an apostate by every single Islamic scholar asked about him. There is no room for any discussion or excuse in his matter that could delay, for even a split second, the ruling of apostasy in his case. His controversial beliefs in summary are his rejection of the Qiyamah (resurrection), his rejection of the Angels, his rejection of Paradise and Hell, and even his rejection of Allah as an imminent being.

Mr. Hamza Asad was asked to respond to the overwhelming opposition he faced. He wrote in his defense a book entitled Islam the Straight Path

Reviewing some of the Fatawa which have been printed against me, there are so many outright lies and fabrications which one cannot even begin to address. Take for example the allegation that I have claimed to be a Prophet. Where have I ever made such a claim? Nor have I ever entertained the idea that I am the Mahdi as the position is traditionally understood by the commoners.