Like my folk peasant people say: “I’m willing to cut
my arm” if Sheikh Salem Abdel-Galil has done his best in reviewing, studying,
comprehending, understanding or even discussing the Christian theology… and “I’m
willing to cut my other arm” if he had done the same thing in understanding the
issues related to the Logos, soul and incarnation in Kalam or Islamic
scholastic theology and in Principles of Islamic jurisprudence with its two
religious and Fiqhi branches.
Then I’m willing to cut my leg if his “excellency” had
thought, taken his time and contemplated a little before he spat out what he
said about the Christian faith or faith of Christians… finally, I’m willing to
cut my forth limb if people in charge of the Islamic sciences studies opened
the door for free reasoned discussion… not only to address the problem still
standing since the Abbasid era, but also because it is much needed in a society
like the Egyptian one that suffers economically, socially and culturally and
which is in desperate need for all these massive numbers of those who has nothing
to do but talking in religious issues!
If Mr. Abdel-Galil had done what I mentioned, he would
not have been dazzled by the desire to talk on TV screens with lights shed over
him… he would not have talked about faith issues out of ignorance and abhorred
fanaticism.
This time, I do not want to write again about the
Quranic, Prophet Muhammed’s and Qudsi texts; meaning Qudsi Hadith, related to
Jews, Christians, Sabians and even Magi… also those Hadith related to
Christians in specific… I do not want also to write over the interpretations
presented by Imams of Islamic Sufism like Mohie ed-Din Ibn Arabi and Galal
ed-Din er-Romi of the Trinity… and third, I do not want to write about the
theological essence related to salvation and incarnation only because the
current atmosphere is really heavy, depressing and gloomy out of ignorance.
What I really want is that we – we here means all
those who have brains and conscience – work hard to fight the religious,
intellectual and scientific illiteracy of people like Mr. Abdel Galil… and to consider
the possibility of having a comprehensive scholar program in the post-graduate
studies of Dawaa, Usul ed-Din and Sharie’a schools that
include studying Judaism, Christianity and Mandaeism… and even extend to
studying Buddhism as well… as some scholars considered that Quran mentioned “By
the Fig and Olive” as a hint for Buddhism as it takes the Bengali fig tree as a
symbol… this massive tree has airy roots going down to the land until it
establishes a whole forest out of one tree… and no one knows which tree started
this forest… it is the example given when talking about the human civilization.
Quran talked about a faith set that included those who
believed in God; whether Jews, Christians, Sabians and Muslims… and definitely true
Muslim is the one who does not deny what is absolutely known from religion;
meaning he does not deny that “read” is an order that must be maintained by the
Muslim and that is not less imperative than other orders like “have prayers,
fast, do Zakaa, do Hajj”… as a Muslim, he is required to read and
then do other imperative Quranic orders like to contemplate… to reason… to
think thoroughly… to observe God’s concrete proofs on earth.
If a Muslim read, contemplated, reasoned and thought
thoroughly of God’s proofs in universe, he would not have said what Salem
Abdel-Galil said… one thinks of writing a reply to what he said like those
writings that took place in deterioration times in post-Rashidun Caliphs era… one
may call such reply “therapy tips to get cured from Salem Abdel-Galil’s
thoughts”.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This article was published in
Almasry alyoum newspaper on May 17, 2017.
To see the original article,
go to:
#almasry_alyoum
#ahmed_elgammal #Egypt #faith #Islam #Christianity
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