Malaysias secular 'closing of the gate of ijtihad'
Towards the end of the 10th century, at the height of the Islamic civilisation, the luminaries of the era confidently concluded that every conceivable issue of the faith had been decided upon, and that no new enquiry or fresh insight was needed.
All the faithful had to do to be good Muslims was simply obey and follow the taqleed (accepted wisdom) . They no longer needed to think.
This medieval stricture is referred to as "the closing of the gate of ijtihad " (rational discourse). Modern Malaysia too has its own secular version of this.
Its leaders in their wisdom have decided that certain "sensitive" social and political issues had been decided upon. Therefore no new insight or fresh thinking is needed. All the citizens have to do is simply and blindly accept and follow those dictates.
The issues deemed settled include special privileges for Bumiputeras, supremacy of the Malay language, the status of the sultans, and the practices of Islam.
With time, this list will surely expand. on these matters our wise leaders have pronounced their judgment; follow them, and we will all live happily ever after.
Just to be sure that the message registers loud and clear, those who dare breach such prohibitions will be punished, and punished severely. Tragically many intellectuals, writers, and scholars have suffered, courtesy of the ISA and the equally dreaded Sedition Act.
Towards the end of the 10th century, at the height of the Islamic civilisation, the luminaries of the era confidently concluded that every conceivable issue of the faith had been decided upon, and that no new enquiry or fresh insight was needed.
All the faithful had to do to be good Muslims was simply obey and follow the taqleed (accepted wisdom) . They no longer needed to think.
This medieval stricture is referred to as "the closing of the gate of ijtihad " (rational discourse). Modern Malaysia too has its own secular version of this.
Its leaders in their wisdom have decided that certain "sensitive" social and political issues had been decided upon. Therefore no new insight or fresh thinking is needed. All the citizens have to do is simply and blindly accept and follow those dictates.
The issues deemed settled include special privileges for Bumiputeras, supremacy of the Malay language, the status of the sultans, and the practices of Islam.
With time, this list will surely expand. on these matters our wise leaders have pronounced their judgment; follow them, and we will all live happily ever after.
Just to be sure that the message registers loud and clear, those who dare breach such prohibitions will be punished, and punished severely. Tragically many intellectuals, writers, and scholars have suffered, courtesy of the ISA and the equally dreaded Sedition Act.
Supreme arrogance
Ijtihad is a complex concept in Muslim theology. Related to it is the equally contentious issue of mujtahid who can participate in such discourses.
Those ancient ulamas , surrounded as they were by ignorant and illiterate Bedouins, easily arrogated unto themselves that role, and the privileges and power that went with it. They were the shepherds leading the flock, a common enough religious metaphor and imagery.
Much has been written on this "closing of the gate of ijtihad ", with great minds of the day going to great lengths (and voluminous treatises) to justify their actions. Stripped of their elegance and sophistication, the arguments in the end reflect nothing more than that basic human flaw hubris.
They had the supreme arrogance to believe that no mortals following them could come close to never mind exceed their insight and brilliance.
Cynically, they were more like the modern tenured professors who, having exhausted their intellectual and creative juices, suddenly declare that their department no longer values research, thus ensuring that their contributions remain unchallenged.
One sure way to make your candle be seen as shining brightly even when it is dimming is to blow out the other candles, and to make sure that no new ones are being lighted.
Secular subversion
Many attribute the decline of the once vibrant Islamic civilisation, and with it the intellectual sparks and creative innovations, to this medieval stricture.
Consequently today's ummah (community) is burdened by centuries of accumulated accretions and petrified practices. Muslims now confuse innovation with bida'a (subversion); independent and critical thought with heresy and apostasy.
Sadly Malaysians today are falling into the same trap as those ancient Muslims. We too have our own secular bida'a any fresh ideas and insight on these "sensitive" issues that are at variance to the accepted wisdom. Those advocating such views are viewed as seditious a secular version of apostasy.
It is not that those "sensitive" issues cannot be discussed; rather only the chosen few can partake in such lofty discourses.
Lesser mortals and others not fortunate enough to be counted among this class of secular mujtahids need not bother; just follow.
It is fine for Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi, and their protgs in Umno Youth, to threaten Malays with ending their special privileges and quotas; anyone else does so at his or her own peril.
When these secular mujtahids make their pronouncements, why, they have the best interests of the nation at heart. They view themselves as championing the cause of the race. When others do it, that's demagoguery and divisive; and if you are not careful, it could even be seditious!
Traitors and extremists
A generation ago these secular mujtahids were obsessed with replacing English with the national language Malay. Followers not exhibiting sufficient zeal in this national fixation were branded as petualang bangsa (anti-nationalists), akin to being traitors.
Today those same mujtahids are championing you guessed it English! And passionate defenders of our national language are now labelled "language extremists".
When Mahathir was an ambitious young politician and later as Education Minister, he was hailed a hero for having "restored" the dignity of the Malay language.
Today, he is pushing for wider usage of English and even toying with bringing back English schools. Perversely today he is again hailed a saviour. Obviously these modern secular mujtahids , like their ancient religious counterparts, can do no wrong. As we Malays say, they can even change the kiblat (direction of prayers). Prayers presented in the old direction are no longer acceptable; they are sinful.
When the Prophet ( pbuh ) directed early Muslims to change from facing Jerusalem to Mecca when praying, he did so upon divine revelation. Our latter day political prophets too claim their own exclusive access to the truth and wisdom. The rest of us must simply and blindly accept their pronouncements.
That shepherd mode of leadership may have been fine with and perhaps best for the ancient illiterate and ignorant Bedouins; alas it is totally inappropriate for a modern nation aspiring for Vision 2020.
Fresh insights
With the democratisation of information and education, today's citizens are well informed, and talent and wisdom are much more widely distributed.
We may never know where or when the next spark of genius would arise. Fresh insights and creative innovations are no longer the exclusive preserve of the elite.
Malaysians are no ancient Bedouins; nor are we a flock of sheep. Besides, with that leadership model, no one would dare tell the shepherd that both he and the flock are headed for the cliff. Nor would the shepherds know as they lead from behind, just like our modern secular mujtahids .
In a recent widely acclaimed speech at Al Azhar University, Mahathir called for Muslims to return to the Qur'an and Sunnah , and give a fresh interpretation to our faith and lead it into a new renaissance.
Sadly while he bravely calls for re-opening of the gate of ijtihad in Islam, he keeps his own gate of secular ijtihad tightly closed back home. In so doing he too risks taking his nation along the same path of decline as present-day Islam.
