Living Islam With a Purpose

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were the best. He replied: You will find that people are minesof gold and silver. The best of you in the time of ignorance be-

fore Islam will be the best of you in Islam if they gain understanding of

the religion. This Hadith implies that Islam requires both belief and

understanding to bring out intrinsic human goodness, even in the best of

people. However great the native goodness of Muslims may be, they can

only realize their potential as individuals and members of communities

through an adequate understanding of their faith. The need for a deeper

understanding of Islam in order to achieve excellence clearly applies to

Muslims in America. They have exceptional potential. They are intelli-

gent, industrious, and uniquely promising, yet, like undiscovered mines

of gold and silver, their promise remains largely untapped due to insuf-

ficient acquaintance with their faith, its resources, and legacy.

A Nawawi Foundation Paper

by Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Ph.D.

Living Islam with Purpose


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living islam with purpose


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operational principle one

TRUSTING REASON


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operational principle two

RESPECTING DISSENT


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Although the

protocol of

Islamic thought

agrees to disagree

on presumptively

authoritative

matters, it should

be emphasized that

dissenting views

must be held tohigh standards

and sound

methodologies.


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Receptivityto dissent

counteracts

rigidity and

dogmatism;

familiarity with

competing

interpretations

and different

points of view

leads to flexibility

and intellectual

maturity.


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operational principle three

STRESSING SOCIETAL OBLIGATIONS


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For the American

Muslim community,

societal

obligations

require the

proactive

development of

needed resources

that address real

issues on the

ground.


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operational principle four

SETTING PRIORITIES


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Actions and

activities are not

done for their

sake alone; it is

not enough to

go through the

motions. Works

must have direction

and be carried out

in a manner that is

likely to achieve

the rationales and

objectives behind

them.


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operational principle five

EMBRACING MAXIMS


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A religious

psychology

narrowly moldedby lists of dos and

donts is greatly

handicapped.

Muslims with

such an identity

struggle not

to feel alien or

out of place in

surroundings

where their list of

dos and donts is

not shared.


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Islam is not

culturally

predatory, and it

teaches Muslims

to look upon all

cultural heritages

with an open mind,

especially those

where they live

and to which they

belong.


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Islam is a religion

of humane

rationales

and practicalobjectives.

Application of the

religion in practice

must be consistent

with them. Islam

must make sense,

but, to make

sense, it requires

intelligent

followers

with sound

understanding.


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CONCLUSION


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