How to Respond to Setbacks in Islam’s Religious Discourse – Habib Ali al-Jifri

Original post can be found here.
The solutions to the setbacks facing Islam’s religious discourse require a unification of efforts and and an assumption of responsibility by all stakeholders involved.
They, the stakeholders, are: (1) the scholars/ulama (who have the largest share of the responsibility since every area has it own expertise and this is their area of expertise); (2) political leaders; (3) the media; (4) the wealthy, business people, and economists; and (5) academics who preside over the teaching, schooling and education of younger generations.
These five groups have a primary responsibility in redressing the setbacks. A secondary responsibility falls on the listener – i.e. he/she whom listens to and is a recipient of the discourse.
For example, if the listener observes that the speaker’s tone is repressive or inciting, he/she should bring it to the speaker’s attention that this is unacceptable and walk away in peace. The speaker, who is being seen as a representative of the Islamic tradition and applying it, will thus begin to feel that if he deviates from this path there will be no one left willing to listen.
The Prophet said, peace be upon him: “Verily God will not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people (from their hearts), rather, He will take knowledge away by taking away the scholars (by reclaiming their souls); so that when He leaves no scholar behind, people will take the ignorant as leaders. Then they are asked to deliver religious verdicts (fatwa) and they deliver them without knowledge. They go astray, and cause other to go astray”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).

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