Radical Intellectual Idolisation

The motivation for this blog lies in my readily observable idolisation that exists within human society that often compromises the betterment of our character. It is as if the human conscious needs an attachment to a figure that can provide some type of security and legitimacy to its position. I would argue that this has always been the case whether it was with the use of images of Zeus and Thor to images of Saints and Prophets, or words of wisdom from the ancients, whether it is Confucius or Churchill, or simply a mixture of images and words. It is as if recalling the words of our forefathers carries with it an aura of integrity that is not shared by words of the living.

However, one wonders whether we are stifled by the efforts of our forefathers to move ahead in the 21st century. Ingenious as they were, many feel the work has been done and we but only need to refer to them for guidance. Debates are rife as to what Islamic law and our theology really entail. I often find myself contemplating that the Prophet had made Islam so simple with simply the belief in a creator; the creator, but how often have too many issues become the subject of division when they need not be often leading to attacks whether verbal or physical against those who may think differently, though sincerely.

I often wonder how the great scholars of our past would react to the divisions that have risen in their names, division on issues that have been accentuated post 20th century, maybe it is because each group is looking for a way out of the quagmire Muslims have found themselves in, but in the manner in which they conduct themselves have lost enough credibility to win the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority who simply get on with their lives sharing in the trials and tribulations as the rest of humanity.

I often wonder as we create intellectual idols often of authorities that have passed away, is this not a manner in which we associate partners with our creator, believing that their edicts and approach which in itself may have been revolutionary and subject to attack in their own lifetimes are subsequently accepted in the following generations thereby only to become part of the cycle which leads to it being challenged as time and space change and thus requires new paradigms in order to extrapolate the best manner in commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong, just as Imam Abu Hanifa had done, and Imam Shafi after him.

I often feel that our difference of opinion is definitely a mercy, but only when we are sincere in our approach and we strive to have the best of characters and not lowering ourselves to the degrading levels of behaviour that we have witnessed against Baroness Warsi, a Muslim, a woman, a human being who though I have personally critiqued in the past fully support her position within Conservative party and even more so now.