Portal: Traditional Islamic Scholars: Difference between revisions

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<metadesc>Traditional Scholars portal summary</metadesc>
<metadesc>Traditional Scholars portal summary</metadesc>{{#seo:
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}}Islam has been defined by its scholars since the 8th century (the second Islamic century). The Arabic word عالم 'aalim means simply "one who knows" and it is also used in Arabic to refer to scientists and specialists in many fields of knowledge. In Islamic discourse the word usually refers to scholars of [[fiqh]] or Islamic law, although the word is also used to refer to the early scholars who gathered the stories of [[maghazi]] (raids) and [[hadith]] of the prophet. In classical times ulemaa such as [[Tabari]] were also knowledgeable in other fields such as philosophy, medicine, and world history, but as with most other fields modernity has forced the concentration of efforts, and modern Islamic scholars tend not to be polymaths. Included in this portal are modern scholars working inside the Islamic tradition, such as [[Yasir Qadhi]], but also modern scholar-preachers such as [[Zakir Naik]]. The scholars of the Shi'i tradition, although fulfilling many of the same roles as their Sunni counterparts, also have a more systematized, organized role in the context of the Shi'ite religious hierarchy, particularly in Iran where the state is currently fused to the Shi'ite clerical establishment.
==Classical scholars==


The scholars of the classical or pre-modern period played a tremendous role in defining what Islam would be for later generations. Many questions that Muslim scholars take for granted, such as the nature of the [[Quran]] vis-a-vis [[Allah]] or the place of reason or philosophy vis-a-vis revelation were settled in this period and remain more or less uncontested today.


==Portal Overview==
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# Classical Scholars
{{PortalArticle|image=Gazali_1.jpg|title=Al-Ghazali|summary= Al-Ghazali was a 9th century Islamic scholar who championed the "Islamic sciences" against the philosophy of the Greeks; in theology he was a famous Ash'ari and in fiqh he was a famous Shafi'i jurist|description=}}
# Modern scholars
{{PortalArticle|image=Suyuti.jpg|title=Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti|summary= Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti was a 13th century Islamic scholar and jurist of the Shafi'i madhab, famous for his extremely influential tafsir. He also wrote on a wide variety of subjects and is sometimes called the most prolific writer of the Islamic tradition|description=}}
# Popular Preachers
{{PortalArticle|image=Ibn kathir.png|title=Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi|summary= Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi was a 12th century Islamic scholar of hadith. His tafsir is considered to be one of the most influential in modern Islamic theology and jurisprudence. He also wrote a work called the Israi'iliyaat about the biblical stories of the Jews.|description=}}</div><div class="articleSummaryColumn">
# Shi'i Scholars
{{PortalArticle|image=ibn taymiyyah.jpg|title=Ibn Taymiyyah|summary= Ibn Taymiyyah was an 11th and 12th century Islamic scholar known for his fierce defense of Sunni orthodoxy. Along with Ghazali he helped turn the intellectual tide against Greek philosophy in the Muslim wolrd and also called for [[jihad]] against the Mongols|description=}}
{{PortalArticle|image=Tabari.PNG|title=Tabari|summary= Tabari is one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic tradition; his tafsir and his sira of the prophet have a status of or close to scripture in the Islamic tradition. In addition to his historical works, he was jurist in the Shafi'i tradition.|description=}}


Islam has been defined by its scholars since the 8th century (the second Islamic century). The Arabic word عالم 'aalim means simply "one who knows" and it is also used in Arabic to refer to scientists and specialists in many fields of knowledge. In Islamic discourse the word usually refers to scholars of [[fiqh]] or Islamic law, although the word is also used to refer to the early scholars who gathered the stories of [[maghazi]] (raids) and [[hadith]] of the prophet. In classical times ulemaa such as [[Tabari]] were also knowledgeable in other fields such as philosophy, medicine, and world history, but as with most other fields modernity has forced the concentration of efforts, and modern Islamic scholars tend not to be polymaths. Included in this portal are modern scholars working inside the Islamic tradition, such as [[Yasir Qadhi]], but also modern scholar-preachers such as [[Zakir Naik]]. The scholars of the Shi'i tradition, although fulfilling many of the same roles as their Sunni counterparts, also have a more systematized, organized role in the context of the Shi'ite religious hierarchy, particularly in Iran where the state is currently fused to the Shi'ite clerical establishment.


== Aisha ==
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===Other articles in this section===


Aisha was the youngest wife of the prophet, and also his favorite. The prophet, according to the tradition, passed away in her lap. After the expansion of Islam, she was key figure in the criticism of the early [[caliphate]] and also a key player in the first fitna, which saw her face off against Ali at the battle of the camel, where she was defeated and Ali took the throne of the caliphate for himself. As she was the prophet's favorite, the tradition goes to great lengths to emphasize her virginity, youth, and purity, even to the point of emphasizing that she was 6 years old when she was married to the prophet and 9 when the marriage was consummated.  
*[[Ibn Qayyim]]
*[[Ibn Rushd (Averroes)]]
*[[Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi]]
 
==Modern scholars==
 
The modern period brought about a confrontation between modernity, and all of its attendant movements and ideas, and the scholars of Islam, whose background and basis is in the writings of men who lived in a civilization which was very sure of itself and unchallenged. As such, even the most reactionary Islamic scholars can be read as being in conversation with modernity, even if this conversation entails a wholesale rejection of the concept.  


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{{PortalArticle|image=Aisha.png|title=Aisha bint Abi Bakr|title=Aisha bint Abi Bakr|summary= Aisha was Muhammad's third and favorite wife, who was married to Muhammad at the age of six, and the daughter of Abu Bakr Abdullah b. Uthman, Muhammad's best friend. Aisha's status as the favorite wife of Muhammad gave her a preeminent position both in the early caliphate and in the Islamic tradition itself.|description=}}


{{PortalArticle|image=Hamood bin Uqla Ash-Shu'aibi.jpg|title=Hamood bin Uqla Ash-Shu'aibi|summary=Hamood bin Uqla Ash-Shu'aibi was a hardcore salafi scholar who was quoted my Usama bin Laden and was influential in the jihad movement in the 21st century.|description=}}
{{PortalArticle|image=Muhammad_ibn_Abd_al-Wahhab.jpg|title=Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab|summary=Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was an influential Islamic scholar in the Arabian peninsula during the early modern period. His thought was very influential on the salafi and takfiri schools of jihadi Islam was well as the Hanbali Islam of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.|description=}}
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{{PortalArticle|image=Shaykh_Gibril.jpg|title=Gibril Haddad|summary=Gibril Haddad is an influential Beirut-born scholar of hadith as well as translator. He is a self-described opponent of "salafi fundamentalism."|description= }}
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===Other articles in this section===
*[[Muhammad Qutb]]
==Popular Preachers==


{{PortalArticle|image=Muhammad_and_Aisha_freeing_chief%27s_daughter.jpg|title=Aisha's Age|summary=Aisha was only 6 when the prophet married her and 9 when the marriage was consummated, according to the sources which the Islamic tradition itself deems most trustworthy. This is confirmed in multiple [[hadith]], indicating that the tradition is going to some|description=}}
The modern period has brought many challenges to the Muslim ummah which were not heavily considered by scholars of previous ages, including large Muslim populations living in otherwise non-Muslim governments and socieites in places like Europe and India. This has brought with it debate and competition for the minds and souls of the people in these societies, against other religions such as Christianity and the advance of atheism in the contemporary period. In order to meet this challenge, popular "dawah" preachers have arisen who have a style more familiar to protestant pastors and atheist preachers such as Christopher Hitchens, but who never the less hew to very traditional understandings of the Islamic tradition.
 
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{{PortalArticle|image=Dr_Zakir_Naik.jpg|title=Zakir Naik|summary=Zakir Naik is a popular Sunni preacher from India. His fiery defenses of Islam and his outreach to other religious groups such as atheists and Hindus have made him popular with many Muslim believers, but he has also stirred controversy with statements supportive of Usama bin Laden and terrorism.|description=}}




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== Muhammad's Other Wives and Consorts ==
==Shi'i Scholars==


Depending on the sources, Muhammad had around 19 wives and concubines, the concubines being slaves of his. Many of the marriages were conducted for political reasons, but the tradition is also quite frank that Muhammad was very fond of women and had a voracious sexual appetite; he is even imputed with the sexual powers of 30 men.
Shi'i scholar belong to a different tradition than their Sunni counterparts. Thanks to the doctrine of vilayet-e-figh in Iran, many Shi'ite clerics also hold important roles in the contemporary Iranian government


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{{PortalArticle|image=Safiyya_bint_Huyayy.png|title=Safiyah|summary=Safiyah was the beautiful wife of the Jewish leader Kinana, whom the prophet killed after conquering his people at Khaybar. Muhammad took her as his wife after killing her husband, though she never converted to Islam.|description=}}
{{PortalArticle|image=Ali_Meshkini01.jpg|title=Ali Meshkini|summary=ِAli Meshkini is a high-ranking Shi'i cleric and member and chairman of the Assembly of Experts which picks the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.|description=}}
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{{PortalArticle|image=Khameini.jpg|title=Imam Khamenei|summary=Ali Khamenei is an ayatollah in the Shi'i scholarly tradition and the current supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran|description=}}


{{PortalArticle|image=Khadijah.png|title=Khadijah bint Khuwaylid|summary=Khadijah was the prophet's first wife. She was considerably older than him and he benefited from her thriving trade business. She was one of the first converts to Islam.|description=}}
{{PortalArticle|image=wives of the prophet.jpg|title=Muhammad's Marriages|summary=The prophet married many women, though some of them died while he was alive so he was not married to them all at the same time.|description= }}
{{PortalArticle|image=Muhammad and Aisha.png|title=Ages of Muhammads Wives at Marriage|summary=Muhammad married different women at different stages of their lives.|description= }}
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{{PortalArticle|image=Prophet-Muhammad-wives.jpg|title=Muhammads Marriages of Political Necessity|summary=Although the tradtion is quite explicit that Muhammad was fond of women, many of his marriages also had a political dimension to them, solidifying alliances within the early Islamic community.  |description=. }}


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==All Articles==
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* [[Ages of Muhammads Wives at Marriage]]
* [[Aisha's Age]]
* [[Aisha bint Abi Bakr]]
* [[Khadijah bint Khuwaylid]]
* [[Muhammad's Marriages]]
* [[Muhammads Marriages of Political Necessity]]
* [[Safiyah]]


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[[Category:Portals]]

Latest revision as of 20:26, 6 March 2021

Islam has been defined by its scholars since the 8th century (the second Islamic century). The Arabic word عالم 'aalim means simply "one who knows" and it is also used in Arabic to refer to scientists and specialists in many fields of knowledge. In Islamic discourse the word usually refers to scholars of fiqh or Islamic law, although the word is also used to refer to the early scholars who gathered the stories of maghazi (raids) and hadith of the prophet. In classical times ulemaa such as Tabari were also knowledgeable in other fields such as philosophy, medicine, and world history, but as with most other fields modernity has forced the concentration of efforts, and modern Islamic scholars tend not to be polymaths. Included in this portal are modern scholars working inside the Islamic tradition, such as Yasir Qadhi, but also modern scholar-preachers such as Zakir Naik. The scholars of the Shi'i tradition, although fulfilling many of the same roles as their Sunni counterparts, also have a more systematized, organized role in the context of the Shi'ite religious hierarchy, particularly in Iran where the state is currently fused to the Shi'ite clerical establishment.

Classical scholars

The scholars of the classical or pre-modern period played a tremendous role in defining what Islam would be for later generations. Many questions that Muslim scholars take for granted, such as the nature of the Quran vis-a-vis Allah or the place of reason or philosophy vis-a-vis revelation were settled in this period and remain more or less uncontested today.

Gazali 1.jpg

Al-Ghazali was a 9th century Islamic scholar who championed the "Islamic sciences" against the philosophy of the Greeks; in theology he was a famous Ash'ari and in fiqh he was a famous Shafi'i jurist

Suyuti.jpg

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti was a 13th century Islamic scholar and jurist of the Shafi'i madhab, famous for his extremely influential tafsir. He also wrote on a wide variety of subjects and is sometimes called the most prolific writer of the Islamic tradition

Ibn kathir.png

Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi was a 12th century Islamic scholar of hadith. His tafsir is considered to be one of the most influential in modern Islamic theology and jurisprudence. He also wrote a work called the Israi'iliyaat about the biblical stories of the Jews.

Ibn taymiyyah.jpg

Ibn Taymiyyah was an 11th and 12th century Islamic scholar known for his fierce defense of Sunni orthodoxy. Along with Ghazali he helped turn the intellectual tide against Greek philosophy in the Muslim wolrd and also called for jihad against the Mongols

Tabari.PNG

Tabari is one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic tradition; his tafsir and his sira of the prophet have a status of or close to scripture in the Islamic tradition. In addition to his historical works, he was jurist in the Shafi'i tradition.


Other articles in this section

Modern scholars

The modern period brought about a confrontation between modernity, and all of its attendant movements and ideas, and the scholars of Islam, whose background and basis is in the writings of men who lived in a civilization which was very sure of itself and unchallenged. As such, even the most reactionary Islamic scholars can be read as being in conversation with modernity, even if this conversation entails a wholesale rejection of the concept.

Hamood bin Uqla Ash-Shu'aibi.jpg

Hamood bin Uqla Ash-Shu'aibi was a hardcore salafi scholar who was quoted my Usama bin Laden and was influential in the jihad movement in the 21st century.

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.jpg

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was an influential Islamic scholar in the Arabian peninsula during the early modern period. His thought was very influential on the salafi and takfiri schools of jihadi Islam was well as the Hanbali Islam of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Shaykh Gibril.jpg

Gibril Haddad is an influential Beirut-born scholar of hadith as well as translator. He is a self-described opponent of "salafi fundamentalism."

Other articles in this section

Popular Preachers

The modern period has brought many challenges to the Muslim ummah which were not heavily considered by scholars of previous ages, including large Muslim populations living in otherwise non-Muslim governments and socieites in places like Europe and India. This has brought with it debate and competition for the minds and souls of the people in these societies, against other religions such as Christianity and the advance of atheism in the contemporary period. In order to meet this challenge, popular "dawah" preachers have arisen who have a style more familiar to protestant pastors and atheist preachers such as Christopher Hitchens, but who never the less hew to very traditional understandings of the Islamic tradition.

Dr Zakir Naik.jpg

Zakir Naik is a popular Sunni preacher from India. His fiery defenses of Islam and his outreach to other religious groups such as atheists and Hindus have made him popular with many Muslim believers, but he has also stirred controversy with statements supportive of Usama bin Laden and terrorism.


Shi'i Scholars

Shi'i scholar belong to a different tradition than their Sunni counterparts. Thanks to the doctrine of vilayet-e-figh in Iran, many Shi'ite clerics also hold important roles in the contemporary Iranian government

Ali Meshkini01.jpg

ِAli Meshkini is a high-ranking Shi'i cleric and member and chairman of the Assembly of Experts which picks the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

Khameini.jpg

Ali Khamenei is an ayatollah in the Shi'i scholarly tradition and the current supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran