In a restaurant in Baghdad
Modi (Moderate): Radi, you have something on your mind. You look worried.
Radi (Radical): Good morning, Modi. I will order coffee for everyone. The reason for my concern is that I have a visitor from Holland at my house. He is a cousin on my father’s side, a Muslim, but he knows very little about our faith.
Mani: Do not the Muslims in Holland have mosques? I read somewhere they have some very large ones there.
Radi: They do; however, when he goes to mosque, he does not understand what the imams are saying. Somehow, as a child, he missed quite a lot. My cousin was attending a British school because his father was working in a place too far from a Muslim school. There were other Muslims in the schools, so he figured it was okay to have his son there.
Modi: Your cousin could have been taught at home. It would not be that difficult.
Radi: I agree; however, my cousin’s mother was not a Muslim and could not teach him the religion. His father, besides working, went to night school to improve himself. Well, he improved himself and now has less time than before to teach my cousin. He tried tutors, but the tutors either were wrapped up in politics, or were too strict.
Mani: So, he was sent to you.
Radi: Yes, he was. He is still asleep; he is tired from his trip.
Modi: Radi, I get the idea that he wants to learn the basics of his religion so that he can understand what is going on in the world and he can go on from there if he wants.
Radi: That sounds right. He says that he has read the Qur’an from cover to cover twice, but has not really learned anything from it.
Modi: That is understandable. My advice is that he should start with the Sira, the Life of our Most Beloved. I would not advise just any Sira, but one that provides the Qur’anic references and Ahadith references as part of the historical flow.
Mani: Oh, yes. Since he probably speaks better Dutch than Arabic, Modi and I suggest the one from America, Mohammed and the Unbelievers, A Political Life, by the Center for the Study of Political Islam. I don't know if it is printed in Dutch, yet; however, it should be by now. Just as Modi says, as the story of our Most Beloved progresses, the Qur’anic and Ahadith references are right there. It is awesome.
Radi: Why did it not help just to read the Qur’an? He could get a book on the Hadiths also, could he not?
Modi: Radi, there are thousands of individual Hadiths. You know that. In addition, reading the Qur’an? That is not for a beginner; he could not get much if anything out of such reading.
Mani: Modi is right. The Qur’an is not organized chronologically. It is organized according to the length of the suras, except for the first one. Once your cousin goes through the Sira once or twice, only then does the Qur’an begin to make sense. It is possible then to refer to the Qur’an for further reading on certain issues of interest. When your cousin begins to do that, he is becoming a scholar.
Radi: I do not know if he wants to go that far.
Modi: Perhaps not. However, if he follows those guidelines, there is no reason why he could not become a recognized scholar. Look, Maududi and Qutb are recognized scholars. Neither of them do anything for me because both of them had an agenda; their vision was not the vision of the common people who simply wanted to live, let live, and bring up their kids like everyone else in the world.
Mani: Remember, Radi, Qutb wrote what is supposed to be his greatest works while awaiting execution by Nasser. He smuggled it out of jail.
Modi: We could use new scholars with a fresh approach to Islam and the world. Some scholars had a rough life and a violent death, others went mad. Some were so engrossed in words on paper that they missed what life was about. Those are scholars, not philosophers. The scholars taught not only a religion, but ideology as well, as if the two could never be separated. They taught how wonderful death could be, but they did not teach the rudiments of enjoying life and being thankful for life's little pleasures. We have had enough of the old fashioned, long-beard scholars.
Radi: It is not proper even to consider reforming our religion. That is a death penalty.
Modi: We are not talking about reform. We are talking about new scholars with a fresh approach to translating what is already there. For example, we were discussing the thirty-third sura yesterday. Every time I go through that sura, my heart starts palpitating is if there is something there that I miss. Perhaps a new scholar with a fresh outlook can review Sura 33 and find what I cannot see.
Mani: I believe Modi says that philosophers look at what the scholars have done and also look at life, then try to put the two together so that people in general have a reliable guide to take them through life as happily and productive as possible, while still giving Allah His due.
Radi: Oh! I can understand that.
Mani: So, Radi, you can tell your cousin to put his Qur’an away for a little while and get himself a Sira that has all the elements we discussed. After that, he will know how to read the Qur'an.
Modi: That is right. If he has a computer, even in Holland he can get free downloads of the Ahadith from different websites. He really needs to have Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, and Dawud. That collection totals about 7,300.
Radi: Are you kidding. He can get that for nothing?
Modi: You bet.
Radi: Perhaps I should get a computer.
Mani: Oh, yes, Radi. You could enroll in Islam 101.
Radi: Do they actually have that, Mani, or are you just kidding me?
Modi: Yes, Radi, they have it. It is www.islam101.com . Perhaps you should get a computer and go through some of those sites. It may make a better person of you.
Radi: Will it make a better Muslim of me?
Mani: Radi, Modi told you a few times before that it is not the religion, but the person. If in your heart you are a good person, then of course you will be a good Believer. However, even mean, malevolent people will find enough in our scriptures to justify their malevolence.
Modi: That is why we need more scholars, Radi. Remember what our wives do each Spring? They open all the doors and windows, shake all the rugs and carpets, and sweep the house like crazy. It seems as if they are moving all the stale air out and bringing in new air. Perhaps they know something we missed.
Radi: This coffee is good. We need to come here more often. Thank you, my friends. I think my cousin will become a good Believer by taking your advice. Even if he doesn't, at least he will know something about his religion. Perhaps non-Muslims, especially Americans, would understand us better if they took some time to do that.
Modi, Mani: Amen.
Modi: It does not take much work, Radi. The Sira is interesting. It is so much better than going through life--and wars--having to depend on politicians who do not know what they should and cannot explain what is going on. Politicians have agendas too--and they will not tell you anything that interferes with their agenda, even if it is something you really must know.
Mani: Because they cannot explain—because they do not know—they lie! The more they lie, the worse things become.
Radi: You mean the politicians will not take a couple of hours to read a book? They would rather be uninformed and ignorant, than to find out the truth?
Mani: Go figure.
HJS
Modi (Moderate): Radi, you have something on your mind. You look worried.
Radi (Radical): Good morning, Modi. I will order coffee for everyone. The reason for my concern is that I have a visitor from Holland at my house. He is a cousin on my father’s side, a Muslim, but he knows very little about our faith.
Mani: Do not the Muslims in Holland have mosques? I read somewhere they have some very large ones there.
Radi: They do; however, when he goes to mosque, he does not understand what the imams are saying. Somehow, as a child, he missed quite a lot. My cousin was attending a British school because his father was working in a place too far from a Muslim school. There were other Muslims in the schools, so he figured it was okay to have his son there.
Modi: Your cousin could have been taught at home. It would not be that difficult.
Radi: I agree; however, my cousin’s mother was not a Muslim and could not teach him the religion. His father, besides working, went to night school to improve himself. Well, he improved himself and now has less time than before to teach my cousin. He tried tutors, but the tutors either were wrapped up in politics, or were too strict.
Mani: So, he was sent to you.
Radi: Yes, he was. He is still asleep; he is tired from his trip.
Modi: Radi, I get the idea that he wants to learn the basics of his religion so that he can understand what is going on in the world and he can go on from there if he wants.
Radi: That sounds right. He says that he has read the Qur’an from cover to cover twice, but has not really learned anything from it.
Modi: That is understandable. My advice is that he should start with the Sira, the Life of our Most Beloved. I would not advise just any Sira, but one that provides the Qur’anic references and Ahadith references as part of the historical flow.
Mani: Oh, yes. Since he probably speaks better Dutch than Arabic, Modi and I suggest the one from America, Mohammed and the Unbelievers, A Political Life, by the Center for the Study of Political Islam. I don't know if it is printed in Dutch, yet; however, it should be by now. Just as Modi says, as the story of our Most Beloved progresses, the Qur’anic and Ahadith references are right there. It is awesome.
Radi: Why did it not help just to read the Qur’an? He could get a book on the Hadiths also, could he not?
Modi: Radi, there are thousands of individual Hadiths. You know that. In addition, reading the Qur’an? That is not for a beginner; he could not get much if anything out of such reading.
Mani: Modi is right. The Qur’an is not organized chronologically. It is organized according to the length of the suras, except for the first one. Once your cousin goes through the Sira once or twice, only then does the Qur’an begin to make sense. It is possible then to refer to the Qur’an for further reading on certain issues of interest. When your cousin begins to do that, he is becoming a scholar.
Radi: I do not know if he wants to go that far.
Modi: Perhaps not. However, if he follows those guidelines, there is no reason why he could not become a recognized scholar. Look, Maududi and Qutb are recognized scholars. Neither of them do anything for me because both of them had an agenda; their vision was not the vision of the common people who simply wanted to live, let live, and bring up their kids like everyone else in the world.
Mani: Remember, Radi, Qutb wrote what is supposed to be his greatest works while awaiting execution by Nasser. He smuggled it out of jail.
Modi: We could use new scholars with a fresh approach to Islam and the world. Some scholars had a rough life and a violent death, others went mad. Some were so engrossed in words on paper that they missed what life was about. Those are scholars, not philosophers. The scholars taught not only a religion, but ideology as well, as if the two could never be separated. They taught how wonderful death could be, but they did not teach the rudiments of enjoying life and being thankful for life's little pleasures. We have had enough of the old fashioned, long-beard scholars.
Radi: It is not proper even to consider reforming our religion. That is a death penalty.
Modi: We are not talking about reform. We are talking about new scholars with a fresh approach to translating what is already there. For example, we were discussing the thirty-third sura yesterday. Every time I go through that sura, my heart starts palpitating is if there is something there that I miss. Perhaps a new scholar with a fresh outlook can review Sura 33 and find what I cannot see.
Mani: I believe Modi says that philosophers look at what the scholars have done and also look at life, then try to put the two together so that people in general have a reliable guide to take them through life as happily and productive as possible, while still giving Allah His due.
Radi: Oh! I can understand that.
Mani: So, Radi, you can tell your cousin to put his Qur’an away for a little while and get himself a Sira that has all the elements we discussed. After that, he will know how to read the Qur'an.
Modi: That is right. If he has a computer, even in Holland he can get free downloads of the Ahadith from different websites. He really needs to have Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, and Dawud. That collection totals about 7,300.
Radi: Are you kidding. He can get that for nothing?
Modi: You bet.
Radi: Perhaps I should get a computer.
Mani: Oh, yes, Radi. You could enroll in Islam 101.
Radi: Do they actually have that, Mani, or are you just kidding me?
Modi: Yes, Radi, they have it. It is www.islam101.com . Perhaps you should get a computer and go through some of those sites. It may make a better person of you.
Radi: Will it make a better Muslim of me?
Mani: Radi, Modi told you a few times before that it is not the religion, but the person. If in your heart you are a good person, then of course you will be a good Believer. However, even mean, malevolent people will find enough in our scriptures to justify their malevolence.
Modi: That is why we need more scholars, Radi. Remember what our wives do each Spring? They open all the doors and windows, shake all the rugs and carpets, and sweep the house like crazy. It seems as if they are moving all the stale air out and bringing in new air. Perhaps they know something we missed.
Radi: This coffee is good. We need to come here more often. Thank you, my friends. I think my cousin will become a good Believer by taking your advice. Even if he doesn't, at least he will know something about his religion. Perhaps non-Muslims, especially Americans, would understand us better if they took some time to do that.
Modi, Mani: Amen.
Modi: It does not take much work, Radi. The Sira is interesting. It is so much better than going through life--and wars--having to depend on politicians who do not know what they should and cannot explain what is going on. Politicians have agendas too--and they will not tell you anything that interferes with their agenda, even if it is something you really must know.
Mani: Because they cannot explain—because they do not know—they lie! The more they lie, the worse things become.
Radi: You mean the politicians will not take a couple of hours to read a book? They would rather be uninformed and ignorant, than to find out the truth?
Mani: Go figure.
HJS
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