Dr. Sherman A. Jackson

A must read for every muslim, despite its complex nature., The dichotomy of authority in an "Islamic" state...That is what this books details, from the vantagepoint of a thirteenth century scholar in Egypt. It outlines the constant tension between the madhab and the Islamic state. The main reason for this tention is authority; authority and justification to become the sole repository of Islamic law.

A very timely and important work., "Hujjat al-Islam" (Proof of Islam) Shaykh Abu Hamid al-Ghazali covered a very important topic in his famous book "Faysal at-Tafriqa Bayna al-Islam wa al-Zandaqa" - The Decisive Criterion for Distinguishing Islam from Heresy (or Masked Infidelity).

It's actually a really great read, especially the commentary by Dr. Sherman (Abdul-Hakim) Jackson. Very methodological, but also flows very well, giving great background on Ghazali's life, the development of his work, and the importance of his thought even today.

Dr. Jackson explains the importance of the book: "al-Ghazali's mission is to define the boundaries within which competing theologies can coexist in mutual recognition of each other, i.e., as 'orthodox,' in the sense of passing theological muster. Al-Ghazali's aim, in other words, is not to establish who among the theological schools is 'right', but rather to demonstrate the folly and unfairness of the practice of condemning a doctrine as heresy simply because it goes against one's own theology. Furthermore, he insists, even where a doctrine can be justifiably deemed 'wrong' or heretical, this does not necessarily constitute Unbelief."

It is a very important book, and i really recommend it to anyone interested in trying to make sense of all this stuff. It really helped me a lot, and made me see that this whole idea of who is right, and who is not, the notions people have of "haqq" (truth) and so on, are actually much more complex and deeper than at least I believed previously. I am sure for many others this will be the case too.

In it Ghazali (and Dr. Jackson) mention a number of interesting points. A few that i remember are:

1) Certain matters are Usul (foundations) and others are Furu (branches).
2) All Muslims must believe in the Usul, as that is what makes them Muslim, but the Furu can have differences and still be within the boundaries of Islam.
3) There are many different methods of dealing with/interpreting Quran and Sunnah that jurists/theologians use - especially ones that us everyday people don't understand. These are matters for specialists.
4) Sometimes scholars are speaking on different wavelengths about the same subject, and this can lead to misunderstanding, when actually they are perhaps using different methods/levels of interpretation (point 3 above).

From within that, al-Ghazali mentions that there are only a handful of things that are actually Foundations (Usul):

1) The Oneness of God
2) The Prophethood of Muhammad (s)
3) The reality of Judgement Day

According to his explanation, other things are secondary and as Dr. Jackson translates "there should be no branding any person an Unbeliever over any secondary issue whatsoever, as a matter of principle."

The exception to this rule is the secondary issues handed down by the Prophet in the state of tawatur (ie. Mutwatir hadith). Rejection of this is basically a rejection of point 2 above.

For me, this is abslutely fascinating, and led to me looking at the various different sects/interpretations of both law and theology within Islam in a different way. This is especially true when there are certain sects within Islam that seem to delight in calling 'Takfir' on others (pronouncing other sects of Muslims as unbelievers, or apostates).

The other most interesting part, is how al-Ghazali deals with non-Muslims and their place in the afterlife. It is a very topical question, and this book shows a master of theology at work. The complex relationship between non-Muslims and their relationship with Islam is explained, and various possibilities are given. It is much more nuanced than the standard "non-Muslims will be in the eternal Hellfire" that certain groups like to say - which is very black & white - something I feel completely disregards our intellectual tradition. Instead the principles of Justice and Mercy shines through (especially from the famous hadith "My Mercy precedes my Wrath.")

A truly remarkable book I highly recommend to anyone wanting to read the work of one of the greats in Islam and understand their importance!

An excellent must-read, Dr. Sherman Jackson's book is concerned with the "third resurrection" of Islam among Blackamericans. The first resurrection refers to the period before the death of Elijah Muhammad and his proto-Islamic movement, which was essentially a "holy protest" against white supremacy and anti-black racism. In the period of the second resurrection, it was charismatic leadership rather than "any objective method for scriptural interpretation that made or unmade doctrine." The third resurrection would hopefully be characterized by the "appropriation and mastery of the Islamic tradition." Dr. Jackson defines "appropriation" as the "enlisting of a set of non-indigenous ideas or doctrines for one's existential or ideological struggle." In other words, Blackamericans will not come to a foreign Islam that looks to the world through the prism of others' historical experiences ignoring their own experiences and predicaments, nor to a domesticated Islam that appeals to the dominant groups rather than combating supremacy and striving for a just peace.

In order to clear any misunderstanding, Dr. Jackson spent considerable time detailing his vision for the third resurrection. The protest spirit of Black Religion must be maintained but not to the detriment of the moral and spiritual. Put simply, what is required is a balance between protest and piety, activism and spirituality, the pursuit of secular goals and the quest for eschatological success. Black religion must rid itself of the exclusive obsession with race and the insistence on eliminating the evil of white supremacy without an attempt to contribute good to the world. Blacks, and the other Muslims, must understand that they need to recognize the US constitution and embrace America "in protest," something that Dr. Jackson authenticates and justifies using the Islamic sources and tradition, and not to destroy themselves by victimology, glorification of ignorance, and rejectionism. At the same time, the last thing needed is a theology of accommodation, dictated by certain tendencies in Immigrant Islam especially after the catastrophe of 9/11, where Islam is domesticated and used to bolster the assumptions of the privileged groups and to beg for their recognition.

Dr. Jackson deals with aspects of the relationship between Blackamerican and Immigrant Islam focusing on the monopoly exercised by the immigrants over the interpretation of the faith and the determination of the substance and priorities of Islam in America. His analysis is elegant and deeply objective. This is clear from his refusal to make one historical experience the sole determiner of the goals and objectives of Islam in the US and his refusal of "false universals" where a version of Islam is considered to be the "true" Islam without paying any attention to the particularities of the various Muslim communities. Rejecting "false universals" does not at all mean compromising anything essential to the doctrinal integrity of Islam; it means taking the historical experiences and customs of the different Muslim groups into account while formulating a vision of Islam that helps them in this life and the afterlife.

Despite his correct and convincing critique of Immigrant Islam, Dr. Jackson also deconstructs the assertions of "Black Orientalism"---a tendency by some Blacks to consider Islam the (main) enemy of Black people. The fundamental problem with Black Orientalism is that it analyzed the historical experience of Black people through the prism of American slavery. Dr. Jackson did not deny the presence of anti-Black sentiments in the Islamic tradition. Backing his arguments with historical facts, he calls for an objective assessment of these since there is a huge difference between societies which produce expressions of racial and color prejudice and societies that are founded on notions of racial superiority of some people and the utter inferiority of others who do not have the same skin color.

Dr. Jackson's book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of Islam in America. The most important thing about his prescriptions is that they can be embraced by all Muslims regardless of their background. First, they are faithful to the definitives of Islam. Second, they are balanced and take the different aspects of the Islamic faith into account. Third, they are based on the emphatically tolerant and pluralistic Islamic tradition---something that should promote intra-Muslim tolerance and, most importantly, prevent any particular group from laying exclusive claim over the divine truth.

A superb overview, Prof. Jackson does a masterful job of describing the problem of suffering in the four major Islamic theological schools and then developing that presentation around the idea of the suffering of Blackamericans. Done in comparison to similar ideas in Black Christianity, the underlying question is one of whether oppression and the suffering it creates is created by God and must therefore be passively endured, or whether it is a creation of humans and therefore can be rejected and struggled against. How many scholarly books have you read to the end because you wanted to find out not just how it came out, but how the whole argument was crafted? Jackson's book is one.

The majority of this work could readily be used to study the idea of God and His omnibenevolence and omnipotence in Islam, and as that alone is well worth the price of the book. Anyone interested in a careful but clear presentation of the idea of God in Islam will find this new work well worth the time put into it. Jackson's rigorous prose is precise without ever becoming stodgy. Those who have had the opportunity to hear him speak will find the same engagement and insight he brings in person alive in his books as well.