Editorial

The Defining Elements of the Faith That Defines Us

Islam should not be perceived as only a collection of tenets of faith, nor should it be assumed to be a mere proclamation of one’s beliefs and convictions. And it is definitely not a miscellany of half-truths and vague ideas. Islam, as taught by the scholars of Ahlu’s-Sunnah, is the purest faith composed of a sublime order that manifests as a way of life. It is impeccably structured by the divine will that revealed it. Its commands are precise and perfectly clear. And it is practiced with universal standards that aren’t observed in any other belief system. All of this is enabled by a methodology known as fiqh, a system of jurisprudence that envisions the right and just way of performing every legitimate action and directing our entire lives based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. By providing a clear, systematic understanding of what Islam requires of us, scholars of fiqh have stamped out the majority of potential misinterpretations and misaligned ideologies that could have otherwise arisen in faith and practice throughout history.

Fiqh is not incidental to the religion but at its very heart. Without fiqh, it’s impossible to ascertain our obligations to our Creator, other people, or even ourselves. Without the decrees of Allah’s divine will being clearly expressed by the laws of Islam, the lines between right and wrong, just and unjust, would be blurred, and there would be ubiquitous contention and discord in all matters regulated by Islam’s principles and guidelines. Reformist and non-conformist movements would be endemic, while the competition to establish supremacy among clashing, divergent thoughts would supersede the all-important goals of maintaining the correct course and ensuring the welfare and betterment of the ummah. In summary, there would be cacophony and multipolarity instead of harmony and unity. While the preservation of this delicate balance hinges on adherence to the laws and principles of Islam by the prevailing majority of Muslims, for most of the recent history, this prevalence has been shifted towards preserving the material wealth that keeps us complacent.

Although a robust understanding of fiqh still persists among classically trained scholars of Islam, the wider Muslim population is deprived of this clarity and awareness because the responsibilities of being a believer, which include knowing and practicing the teachings of Islam, have been relegated to the background of our lives. In this issue’s feature article, we have prepared an adaptation of a small part from the book of fiqh titled “Büyük İslam İlmihali” by the late Turkish Muslim scholar Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen to accentuate some of these vital responsibilities in the hopes of providing essential reminders for our readers. We wish you a beneficial reading experience and hope to see you in the November issue inshallah.

M. Galip Dönmez