"Islam: Religion or Ideology?" by Imam Zaid Shakir

don't worry all, i haven't run low on links, but instead on motivation to post them. not to mention the (lack of) motivation to type up sections from things i'm reading offline. i actually have a backlog of online links that should be thoroughly played out by the time i actually get them up. khair.

------------------------------------------------------

yet another article that i'm hesitant to post. when i first read "Islam: Religion or Ideology?" by Imam Zaid Shakir, i didnt really think much of it. i was actually rather unimpressed since my superficiality often causes me to appreciate works due to their amazing writing styles rather than their content. so i read it, thought, "meh," and continued on my merry way. but the more i thought about it, the more i began to realize its implications. basically, imam shakir intends to challenge the notion of islam as a political idealogy, and instead argues that we should continue to view it soley as a religion.

Highlights [bolded regions are my own edits]:

Like all other religions in their respective milieus, Islam also has profound and far-reaching political implications. It has shaped law, government, commerce, social relations, and virtually every other sphere of life in the Muslim world. However, its political implications are subordinate to its religious teachings. Hence, for example, a Muslim individual or polity may succeed politically, while being damned religiously, because basic injunctions of the religion have been sacrificed to unsanctioned political imperatives, or unacceptable motives. A vivid illustration of this result is given to us in the well-known prophetic tradition that mentions a great Mujahid (warrior) who achieved the epitome of worldly success, but lost his soul because of the corrupt intention motivating his efforts.

i guess that's the part that's interesting for me. i've always viewed islam as perfect in the sense that "it's a way of life" -- just as imam zaid said, it's influenced every sphere of our life. islam can be viewed politically, philosophically, culturally, sociologically and, to me, from every angle, it just makes sense*. but i guess the important thing to note is that without Allah, Islam is lost. i know, it seems obvious when we say it, but i swear when advocating Islam, giving dawah and discussing all it's good qualities, spirituality tends to be a trait that many people don't understand and, more importantly, don't seek.

Politicized readings of our texts can be seen as part of the growing tendency to reduce Islam to a political ideology. The implications of this reduction are grave. Perhaps the gravest of those implications is turning the primary focus of Islam away from the spirit or soul and orienting it towards the world, thereby reducing the sacred understanding to the level of the mundane.

there's some amazing philosophies in the religion that, i believe, correspond perfectly to human nature. there's prophecies mentioned in the quran that have been fulfilled centuries later. i see so much beauty in every forest, in every sunset, in ever ocean that, despite being the hardcore science geek that i am, i can't help but to know there was a divine influence that created it all. but the former two statements conflict with the latter in that they are observing tangible traits in the religion while the latter hints at a purely spiritual connection. i guess that's why i'm so interested in this article; it's been a reminder to me that despite everything that islam is good for (its social structure, its culture, its rationale, its advocacy to seek knowledge, etc etc etc), the bottom line is Allah and forming a spiritual connection with Him.

pretty sure i just read a lot into the text that wasn't there to begin with.

when Islam is reduced to an ideology, it is inevitably relegated to the realm of political expediency. Whatever appears to advance the political cause is seen as Islamic, such as suicide bombings, massacring civilians, murdering other Muslims, destroying public order, or other tactics that have become associated with the ideology and practice of “Islamic Jihad.”

despite my nonsensical ramblings, this is really the brunt of Imam Shakir's arguments. i think i just ended up extrapolating my argument because... while i can rave on and on about the worldly benefits of Islam, how this and that practice can calm your heart, about balancing your desires and your deen, etc etc... it's all worthless if it's for the wrong reasons. it's all worthless if it's not for Allah. if you dont believe in Allah.

so how is it that you help someone to believe?
f