The Intellectual Contributions of American Muslim Scholars
Document Type
Book
Source of Publication
Oxford Handbooks Online
Publication Date
3-3-2014
Abstract
This chapter discusses the work of five American Muslim scholars: Fazlur Rahman, Amina Wadud, Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Abdullahi Ahmed an-NaÊ¿im, and M. A. Muqtedar Khan. Their contributions influence and inform the debates on a variety of issues, such as ijtihad, shari'a, gender equality, human rights, democracy and reform, and interfaith dialogue. These scholars agree that a crisis of thought exists in the Muslim world and that it was created because of the absence of ijtihad. They recognize that many problems plague the Muslim world and Muslim communities"”problems partly engendered by taqlid and a reliance on old interpretations of the Qur'an. To solve them and achieve reform, justice, and gender equality, Muslim scholars should drive these debates forward through a commitment to continuous and progressive exegetical exercises. Thus this chapter outlines how each one of these five scholars explains and interprets these debates and assesses their attempts at reopening the doors of ijtihad.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Chehab, Sara J. and Whitaker, Marvin R., "The Intellectual Contributions of American Muslim Scholars" (2014). All Works. 3497.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/3497
Indexed in Scopus
no
Open Access
no