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The Challenge of Interpretation in Islam by Babbar Sattar.Question a) Give 3 differences that the author gives between strict constructionists and liberal constructionists in their approach towards interpreting the sacred text.Question d) In your opinion,
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Islam and Modernization Assignment no.2 The Challenge of Interpretation in Islam by Babbar Sattar. Question a) Give 3 differences that the author gives between strict constructionists and liberal constructionists in their approach towards interpreting the sacred text. Answer a) One of the main differences the author points out is the fact that the individuals belonging to the orthodox, strict constructionist school, emphasize on the literal translations on the Holy Texts. Their emphasis is on the “literal interpretation and application” of the word of Allah, the Quran, and the Sunnah, the tradition of the Prophet (PBUH). Individuals part of the liberal constructionist school, on the other hand, emphasize on understanding the deeper meaning of the Holy Texts. According to the author they emphasize to “comprehend the underlying moral philosophy of Islam…” They instead of literal translation and application, look at the Texts in a more contextual sense. Another difference lies in the debate over the original intent of Allah’s commands. The orthodox constructionists believe that all the laws can be derived from the plain meaning of the Holy Text. Even though there are several verses in the Quran which may be contradicting each other, the individuals following this school of thought do little to reconcile such differences, as they believe that all the answers lie in the literal translations. The liberal constructionists believe that the verses have to be studied with a much more in depth analysis, and they need to be enhanced with the understanding of the society at that time. According to the author, these individuals believe that “the texts do not speak unequivocally…” by this he means that the liberalists are of the opinion that the Quran speaks ambiguously and thus we cannot rely solely on the pure, literal interpretation of the Holy Texts. Stemming from the same argument, the author points out a third difference. The liberalists, he says, believe in a comprehensive approach to the interpretation of the Texts. They propose to “recontextualize” the Texts. They believe, that in order to make the Word of Allah “…a living guide for contemporary times…” we need to look at the society at the time of the Revelations, and how it applies to us now, in the modern day. According to the liberalists, certain laws were era-specific, and need to be looked at in a different light to make it comprehensive to us now. The traditionalists strongly believe that Allah’s Word holds true, and “…good for all times and milieu.” They do not believe that any law is era specific, and therefore there is no need for to recontextualize. Instead, such an approach according to them is un-Islamic. They believe that there should be no “…deviation from the historical understanding and application…” of the Law. Question c) Give 3 reasons why Babar feels that the ‘institution of ulema’ is not desirable. How would a traditionalist respond to such criticism?
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