In this wide-ranging questions and answers, Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad was impressive, honest, humble, polite, succinct, beautiful language , respect for his audience, – not pitching too high or too low, not at all extravagant in speech, proved himself to be an excellent 21st century Islamic scholar-teacher and indeed a worthy local director of the Ansar Ud Deen. In this regard (smile) we ought to perpetually bear it in mind not to forget that al-aql (intellect) is mentioned 79 times in the Quran!
After the relentless on-going anti-Islam blitz mostly in the secular Western and some of the cringe or starve Nigerian style uncle tom & munafiq social media, it was heartening to listen to Sheikh Ahmad putting things straight about the Islamic traditions of women's education and adjacent themes covering women's issues (55 minutes ff in the video.) For a surety, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi must have also been cheered by the way that Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad handled the question about the disparity between the Islamic and the non-Islamic areas of Nigeria when it comes to education and what he said about the importance of women's education, since I daresay, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has the same kind of agenda and would like to implement his development policy based on that understanding. This short video is of relevance here.
However, in my view, Sheikh Ahmad could exercise a little more caution and circumspection about what he stated so empathically, his exact words: "I think the idea that women are supposed to be heard, not seen is not even an Islamic idea, I think more than anything else it is a Biblical idea, not Islamic at all, at all, at all" - a view which on the surface at least considering Paul and his New Testament attitude to women is based more on fact than on wishful thinking and a probable misunderstanding of why, because of the Jewish man praying every morning, these Morning Blessings (in perfect Hebrew of course):
"Blessed are You Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a gentile"
"Blessed are You Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave"
"Blessed are You Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman!"
In the good or the not so good old days, it was forbidden and in certain orthodox sections it is still forbidden for a woman to study the Torah. So, how come there are now female rabbis?
We should not underestimate the strong reform currents blowing in the wind...
Nor should we underestimate the fact that Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad is a true Sunni scholar in all that he says about Aisha (r.a.) " was a professor of professors" that, " even the Sahaba" used to refer thorny problems to her for her adjudication and that she would solve these problems "intellectually and comprehensively" …. intellectually and comprehensively indeed. About women being required to be heard and not seen, with reference to Lady Aisha ( r.a.) there's the case in point about her leadership role in the Battle of the Camel which was the first fitna and the first civil war in Islam. Nota bene: The Quran says explicitly that the woman must stay at home ( I was busy acquiring some knowledge about some of these basic things while some were busy doing their post doctoral researches into these very matters. The rabbis say that if you don't increase your knowledge, then your knowledge decreases. )
But Lord Agbetuyi, fast forward to your alarmist headline that "PROPHET MOHAMMED PROMOTED INTER- FAITH WORSHIP". Did Sheikh Ahmad really say that?
Here's as short and eloquent rejoinder that heinous perception: BUNKUM!
"Prophet Mohammed promoted pluralism during his time and he and his companions promoted inter- faith worship "???
Perish the thought!
And, astaghfirullah, why should Sheikh Ahmad go bending over backwards just to credit the Prophet of Islam, salallahu alaihi wa salaam with an ecumenical spirit which he did not have?
Not at all, not at all, not at all.
Deaf, dumb and blind and at least I trust that you appreciate the micro-percussion in Pharaoh Sander's Summun Bukmun Umyun
To begin with, after wiping out more than 800 Jews in Medina there was the wonderful Charter of Medina and all that but let's start here: it was Rasulullah's last wish to rid the Hejaz peninsular of Christians.
Of course if you or anyone else should be interested in discussing this matter further, here's a good place to begin : Hans Kung's, 767 page tome, Islam: Past, Present & Future
Ecumenism, inter-faith dialogue is very good news for Islam, especially because Christianity always winds up making concessions to al-Islam before, during, and after such talks, just see how close the Vatican City has moved to Mecca
BTW, circa 1987 something I attended a session with one Naqshbandi Sheikh, Nazim Al-Haqqani at his khanqah which was then at 277, Seven Sisters Road in London and which address was, once upon a time, a church which had apparently fallen into desuetude and had therefore been purchased by a Malaysian Prince and donated it to his Sheikh Nazim. I think that I have described that meeting with the Sheikh briefly, here and elsewhere. At some point his secretary wanted me to get married to a lady from Somalia who lived in Norway and who happened to be a lawyer (Lord have mercy! AT the time, it was a really terrifying thought) The only point I want to make here is that Sheikh Nazim was known to hold religious meetings jointly with people of other faiths, I suppose in the sprit of ecumenism?
Prophet Mohammed promoted pluralism during his time and he and his companions promoted inter- faith worship. These facts were revealed by the National Missioner of the Ansar- Ud- Deen Society of Nigeria, Imam Abdulrrahman Ahmad during a zoom interview organised by the Toyin Falola Interviews.
According to Imam Ahmed, Prophet Mohammed allowed Christians and other faiths to worship in mosques and Muslims to worship in the congregations of other faiths.
He said all Islamic rules and laws and regulations are about the question: will it promote the social good or will it keep evil away?
Imam Ahmad stated that Islam is not about extremism and it is those who do not understand what Islam is about that promote extremism.
Imam Ahmad stressed that Islam promotes the leadership, education and integration of women in various communities and does not support their marginalisation. He maintained that the relative under education of women in northern Nigeria relative to the South seems to be due to cultural, social and chauvinistic reasons rather than Islam.
OAA
Sent from my Galaxy
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