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without any movement. Further reform
264 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
visited London and several other major conservative clerics who blindly imitated foremost ideas in the Qur’an are its
that began in the 19 century was not European cities. From his encounters others. He also yielded wide influence ethics. The Book of Allah reveals the
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limited to the realm of thought, but also with European society, Abduh issued among the Muslim youth in India and moral guides for mankind. Many verses
incited movements. These movements a statement which was very famous: one of his disciples, Chiragh Ali (1844- in the Qur’an relate to legal and political
were massive and radical. The reform “wajadna al-Islam biduni al-muslimin fi 1895) followed in his footsteps as a issues, but should be seen asethics’
in the 19 century was inspired by the aurubba, wa fi al-misr wajadna muslimin reformer. He advocated the importance moral postulates. Laws should not be
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condition of the Muslim people who were biduni al-Islam” (In Europe we found of reforming the shari’a (Islamic law). understood literally and punitive, as
colonized and fell under the shadow of Islam without Muslims, while in Egypt According to him, Islamic law was the Muslims did in the past because that
the spread of Western civilization, which we found Muslims without Islam). product of jurists and therefore Islamic would make it seem as if Islamic law
was considered the locomotive of the Those words showMuhammad Abduh’s law should change its main target. The was only concerned with punishments
new world order. As-Syaukanie (2009: high appreciation ofmodernEuropean essential reform of Islamis the changes and sanctions. The idea of the Islamic
25-34) mentions the following Muslim rational civilization that produceda real jurists made in Islamic law. According to state of Pakistan, according to him,
scholars as thinkers of Islamic reformism Islamic ethos in everyday life. Abduh’s Ali, the search for the truth in Islam would was the result of an obsessive desire to
in the 19 -20 centuries. rationality appears in his fatwas when he never end. implement this kind of “punitive” Islam.
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served as the Mufti of Egypt. Among his
The first is Rifa’a al-Tahtawi (1801- The greatest reformer in India was In short, these reformers’ positive
1873). Tahtawi was a pioneer reformer controversial fatwas are those about the Muhammad Iqbal (1875-1938). His most attitudes towards changes are based
in the 19 century. In his magnum lawful status of bank interest, the non- influential workis The Reconstruction of on their beliefs that change is part of
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opus, Takhlish al-Ibriz ila Bariz, he obligation for Muslim women to wear the Religious Thought in Islam in which he the basic principles of Islam. Reformers
expressed the need for Muslims to draw hijab, and the permission for Muslims to referred to many Western philosophers consider ijtihad the most plausible
on and adopt modern political concepts eat meat slaughtered by non-Muslims such as George Berkeley, Immanuel argument for change. In Islamic
such as nationalism, democracy, and (As-Syaukanie, 2009: 26). Kant, William James, Alfred North jurisprudence, ijtihad is not about
equality because these concepts were In 19 century India another Islamic Whitehead, and Bertrand Russell. primary sources such as the Qur’an, the
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useful for the progress of the Muslim reformer was born. He was Sayyid Iqbal did not only authorize Muslims’ Prophetic tradition (sunnah), the Muslims’
community. Tahtawi’s appreciation of Ahmed Khan (1817-1898), whose position use of Western knowledge even he consensus (ijma’) and analogy (qiyas),
modern sciences and his positive attitude in India was similar to that of Tahtawi recommended Muslims to learn and to but concerns the method of istinbat in
towards the West were enthusiastically in Egypt. As Abduh, Sayyid Ahmed take benefit from it. Iqbal’s arguments order to produce law. Ijtihad is a rational
greeted by one of the next generation Khan was also a rationalist who did about the necessity of convincing way for Muslims to understand religious
of Egyptian clerics, Muhammad Abduh not hesitate to accept modern culture. changes wouldinspire many scholars texts but it is not included in the texts
(1849-1905). Abduh was a reformer He criticized orientalists who distorted around the world. Of Iqbal’sfollowers, themselves. Muhammad Arkoun defined
who urged Muslims to conform to some the understanding of Islam, just as he Fazlur Rahman (1919-1988) was even ijtihad as naqd al-’aql al-islami or the
aspects of modernity. He used to live criticized conservative Muslim scholars more radical about the issue of Islam critical logic of Islam. According to him,
in Paris at the invitation of his “mentor” whom is understood Islam as well. and social change. Rahman was what is necessary for modern Muslims
Jamaluddin Al-Afgani and he also In one of his works, Khan criticized convinced that the most principal and now is not a mere re-interpretation of
Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 265