It took a long time but has now definitely arrived. A reformed Islam with a reformulated Shariah at its heart. It is interesting to note how the perception and representation of the Shariah has changed from a word used to scare little children to sleep to a concept now widely associated with the promotion of humane, inclusive and socially just policies and strategies. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, in a complex, interconnected world, Shariah has become a problem solving methodology. And you don’t have to be a Muslim to use it.
It all began decades ago with the attempts to reform religious thought by modernists, traditionalists, feminists and all hue of critical folks and international reform oriented organisations. At some crucial moment of history two things happened simultaneously: a plethora of different efforts reached a critical mass; and reformists with different agendas and outlooks realised that their differences were more apparent than real, and all could be accommodated within the higher objectives – maqasid – of the Shariah. From then on, things spiralled and have now reached the peace and prosperity, creativity and problem solving that we witness in the House of Islam.
Two key realisations played an important part in the stounding success of the reformers. The first realisation was that everyone was equally right and equally wrong. The seriously appalling consequences of modernity had to be acknowledged, but modernity per se could not be ditched. Tradition was important but only its life enhancing aspects were worthy of conserving; and it had to be reinvented within the framework of maqasid al-Sariah. The feminists had a point; but the aggressive anti-tradition rhetoric had to be exceeded. The emphasis was on integrating the best of everything; it produced a new mode of thought that is trans – over and beyond modernity and tradition that shaped a original synthesis. That is why some people refer to it as TransIslam.
The second realisation naturally followed from the first. If everyone was right and wrong than everyone had a right to criticise and be criticised. They called it muhaasabah, a term that is not found in the Qur’an but was derived from the phrase yawmu-l hisaab – the Day of Judgement. It was defined as a state that embraces criticism and self-criticism in all aspects of thought and learning. The practice of muhaasabah lead to another innovative concept: mutually assured diversity, or MAD for short. What was – indeed is – seen as mutual is that the human condition is a cultural condition and is an essential relational attribute, an enabling feature of knowing, believing, being and doing. It is an acceptance that all interpretations of Islam, and attempts at understanding it, are culturally oriented and are equally important. Even the interpretation one regards as heretical has the right to be – and has something important to say. Mutually assured diversity played a vital part in the realisation – so widespread today – that there is more than one way to be Muslim. It has brought the Muslim people to a point where everyone accepts that there is no single, right, absolutely correct way to be Muslim. The creativity that we see around the Muslim world is a product of the universal recognition and acceptance of the multiple ways the Muslims have of seeking meaning, of comprehending Islamic values, and means of delivering the ethic of Islam in daily life.
So thank you to all the reformists, of past and present, who put aside their differences to work together in the spirit of muhaasabah and MAD. The synthesis of TransIslam is ushering Muslims towards a new stage in their evolution. The complex, interconnected, wicked and chaotic problems of Muslim societies now have ardent champions, fully equipped with an ethical problem solving methodology.
Short Story
Following TransIslam
8 July 2048
By a Special Correspondent
Our correspondent in Saudi Arabia follows the early morning of a non-Muslim in the heart of Islam. Along the way she explores Trans Islam and how it has brought a 180 degree shift in the global thinking about Islam.
Rupa wakes up at the buzz of the iPhone alarm. She stretches, trying to wake up her muscles and then shuts the alarm. Her iPhone indicates that it is time for her first spiritual break of the day. As she bends on the water faucet, she picks up a teeth cleaning twig (miswak) from her tooth brush holder to clean her teeth. Her tooth brush lies adjacent and she will be using it later to clean her teeth after breakfast. Soon she settles down on her meditation rug and starts meditating. Rupa is a Saudi female transgender and is a follower of the TransIslam lifestyle, which has swept the world.
TransIslam (not to be confused with trans as in transgender) took a long time but has now definitely arrived. A reformation discourse in Islam with a reformulated Shariah at its heart. It is interesting to note that within a space of three decades, the perception and representation of the Shariah has changed from a word used to scare little children to sleep to a concept now widely associated with the promotion of humane, inclusive and socially just policies and strategies. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, in a complex, interconnected world, Shariah has become a problem solving methodology. And you don’t have to be a Muslim to use it.
A long day beckons for Rupa and she has to start early. As she packs her meals, she checks for the expiry date on her meat pack. The packaging reads, ‘Halal invitro beef’.
Halal in-vitro meat was at the forefront of the intense struggle which took place in the twenty-first century, for the heart and soul of Islam. The thirties and the forties witnessed pitched battles in academia, the marketplace and trenches, between the traditionalists and the modernists, the Shia and the Sunni, over their interpretation of Islam. Ironically, the target was not the West or Israel; it was very much an intra-Muslim affair, with the persecutors as well as the persecuted were all indigenous. The globalised world soon realised that in an interconnected world they could not stand by, as one-fifth of the world got embroiled in the fight for Islam. Instead of choosing sides, the plan was to find a middle path to a stable and peaceful global co-existence.
The resulting discourse resulted in a realisation that if everyone was right and wrong then everyone had a right to criticise and be criticised. They called it muhaasabah, a term that is not found in the Qur’an but was derived from the phrase yawmu-l hisaab – the Day of Judgement. It was defined as a state that embraces criticism and self-criticism in all aspects of thought and learning. The practice of muhaasabah lead to another innovative concept: mutually assured diversity, or MAD for short. What was – indeed is – seen as mutual is that the human condition is a cultural condition and is an essential relational attribute, an enabling feature of knowing, believing, being and doing. It is an acceptance that the interpretations of Islam, and attempts at understanding it, find roots in culture and are equally important. If Islam was to flourish, it did not need to destroy, disrupt or supplant the native culture; on the contrary, local culture needed to be embraced, honoured and preserved.
Mutually assured diversity played a vital part in the realisation – so widespread today – that the state of the world is a reflection of the state of our hearts and that the higher self does not require dominion over others. It has brought the Muslim people to a point where everyone accepts that religious opinions are eventually opinions; human and fallible. As Muslims we respect these differences of opinion. The creativity that we see around the Muslim world is a product of the universal recognition and acceptance of the multiple ways the Muslims have of seeking meaning, of comprehending Islamic values, and means of delivering the ethic of Islam in daily life.
As she prepares her breakfast, Rupa checks her schedule for the day. Business meetings – tick; five mindfulness breaks spread throughout the day – tick; virtual conference with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation transgender committee – tick; oh no!…all of a sudden she is reminded of her virtual conferencing bill payments. Hurriedly she checks her virtual console for her credit check and payment schedule. At the bottom of the bank page is an insignia of SIB (SMART Islamic Bank)
It was the economics which formed the glue which brought it all together. Islamic banking had shown stronger resilience during the global financial crisis of 2009 and the principles behind Islamic banking offer the western banking system some important lessons. There was a worldwide trend to move towards Islamic banking and relevant financial products. In subsequent decades, Islamic banking became systemically important and too big to be ignored, by the global netizen. The credit vacuum crash of 2028, proved the final straw and Islamic banking provided a global paradigm shift towards the Islamic banking model because of its resilience and worldwide demand. Global banking is not traditionally something closely linked with cultural attitudes; it has been allowed to roam free in the pursuit of growth, sustained profit and ethical banking. Today, countries all over the world have turned to Islamic capital markets for financing, and all international financial institutions are heavily active in Islamic banking.
There are still a few minutes for her ride to arrive, so Rupa starts to look at the OIC meeting agenda. Her looks wander around the room and fixate on her mother’s hologram. Rupa’s mother was a staunch feminist and a vocal anti-Islamist. But it was her generation which while attempting to reform religious thought, realised that the differences between reformists and traditionalists were more apparent than real. These differences could be accommodated within the higher objectives – maqasid – of the Shariah. The softening of stances brought together modernists, traditionalists, feminists and all hue of critical folks and international reform-oriented organisations. The seriously appalling consequences of modernity had to be acknowledged, but modernity per se could not be ditched. Tradition was important but only its life enhancing aspects were worthy of conserving; and it had to be reinvented within the framework of maqasid al-Shariah. The feminists had a point; but the aggressive anti-tradition rhetoric had to be exceeded. The emphasis was on integrating the best of everything; it produced a new mode of thought that is trans – over and beyond modernity and tradition that shaped a original synthesis. That is why some people refer to it as TransIslam.
From then on, things spiraled and have now reached the peace and prosperity, creativity and problem solving that we witness in the House of Islam. Rupa’s generation is indebted to all the reformists, of past and present, who put aside their differences to work together in the spirit of muhaasabah and MAD. The synthesis of TransIslam is ushering Muslims towards a new stage in their evolution. The complex, interconnected, wicked and chaotic problems of Muslim societies now have ardent champions, fully equipped with an ethical problem-solving methodology.
The result is that Rupa is free to practice her faith, save lives through organ donations (considered a taboo two generations ago), exercise her intellect and be vocal about policies that are unfair (considered heretic two decades ago). Along the way she has also picked up valuable lessons about Islam and practices them. Rupa’s generation is reaping the benefits of this paradigm shift in ways and geographies that would have been unimaginable a generation ago.