The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam

"This is an old book, from 1930, before Pakistan’s creation. It’s based on lectures given by Dr Iqbal, the Indian poet-philosopher who initially came up with the idea of Pakistan. He is also officially designated as the country’s “national poet”. You can buy this book everywhere in Pakistan – not only major bookstores, but small ones as well. Iqbal emphasises the concept of ijtihad . This is an Arabic word, which implies creative interpretation of Islamic law through rational or logical reasoning. He is making the case that religious belief, especially when its ideas are applied to politics, should be rational. He was also a supporter of representative democracy. Today his ideas are very relevant, especially when we have to counter the dogmatism of religious forces in the political arena, and challenge those involved in militancy or terrorism using Islam. His book makes the case that Islam is not rigid – as Muslim theologians portray it – and it has some very progressive credentials and dimensions. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . Iqbal’s ideas and philosophy have the credibility to help democratic forces in Pakistan a lot. Because when any newcomer, or an upcoming scholar, talks about these progressive aspects he is immediately dubbed pro-Western – which is, unfortunately, a negative term in various parts of the country. Iqbal was very open-minded in his religious discourse, and his main message to the Muslims of South Asia was to come out of intellectual stagnation and realise their potential through education and political action. His six lectures, which are transcribed in this book, can play a very constructive role in Pakistani society today. Pakistan has a chequered constitutional and political history but progress has been made in some sectors. For instance, the Movement for Rule of Law in 2007-09 has greatly helped the judiciary gain independence. Where Pakistan has really failed – and why democracy and the democratic system has not been able to gain a lot of currency and support – is because democratic leaders have failed to do much about governance issues. Here, there are two important sectors. One is the failing healthcare system. Pakistan is a country of 180 million people. If they are not healthy, they cannot do anything well. The other is the deteriorating education system."

"Most people think that The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam is a religious text focused on theological issues. But in my opinion, Muhammad Iqbal, who is renowned in the Indian subcontinent as a poet and philosopher, was the first Muslim futurist. And this powerful and challenging book is packed with deep insights on the future of Islam. Like me, Iqbal is concerned with shaping rather than predicting the future. He was totally disillusioned by the religious scholars who he described as ‘ignorant’ and ‘absolutely incapable of receiving any fresh inspiration from modern thought and experience’. He wanted to develop a modern epistemology of Islam as the basis for the reconstruction of a future Muslim civilisation. He saw the future as an open possibility, not closed and predetermined, and life as an organic unity where everything was connected to everything else. He wanted to change everything, particularly the sharia, or Islamic law, which he saw as arcane and outdated. He argued that every generation has to rethink Islamic law and recast it in a futuristic framework. I think the full import of Iqbal’s futuristic thinking has yet to be appreciated by contemporary Muslims. He was certainly one of those who inspired me to write The Future of Muslim Civilisation. I accepted his assertion that time within Islamic cosmology is largely future time: devout Muslims are always preparing for a future life, both here in this world, where as trustees of God they are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the abode of their terrestrial journey and preserving its good health for future generations, and the hereafter, where a full account of earthly activities is due. The book presents an alternative vision of a dynamic, thriving future civilisation of Islam. It starts with an observation that is also a glaring dichotomy. Given that Islam is perforce a future-orientated world view, why is the future so conspicuously absent from contemporary Muslim thought and discourses? So – single-handedly for almost a decade – I tried to shape a current discourse on Islamic futures. When The Future of Muslim Civilisation was first published, way back in 1979, most Muslim scholars found it difficult to comprehend. Part of the difficulty was due to the fact that there was no internal language for discussing the future of Islam: I had to invent my own language. But there was another problem: the inertia associated with thinking about the future. Considering the mountains of problems that the Muslim world faces today, why should we be concerned about the future? – this was the most common comment on the book. But now it is seen as a classic in the field. Yes. I had to tackle the difficulty that most Muslims – indeed most people – experience with thinking about the future. Islamic Futures: The Shape of Ideas to Come, tries to overcome this resistance by showing the sheer depth of futures consciousness within Islamic concepts and ideas that most Muslims take for granted. I examined such ideas as ‘Islamic state’, ‘Islamic economics’, the sharia, fundamentalism, etc, explored the possible future problems inherent within them, and suggested various paths to viable futures. I like to think I succeeded in raising the future consciousness of a small segment of the international Muslim community."