Suspension Of Critical Thinking In Much Of Contemporary Islam

Suspension Of Critical Thinking In Much Of Contemporary Islam

M. Bakri Musa

Updated excerpt #32 from my Qur’an, Hadith And Hikayat:  Exercises In Critical Thinking

 

Jan 4, 2026

 

Islam is both iman and amal (faith and effort). The Qur’an exhorts us to “believe and do righteous deeds.” Amal is more than just effort for the Qur’an also introduces the concept of istiqamah (steadfastness, continuing effort).

 

         The Qur’an is the ultimate authority for Muslims. Then comes the sunnah, sayings and practices attributed to the Prophet. The operative word there is “attributed.” The first collection of sunnah was not until 200 years after the Prophet’s death. Further, he prohibited his companions from recording his deeds and words for fear those would be mistaken as also being divine. How prescient was he!

 

         Then comes ijma (consensus of the scholars) followed by qiyas, analogous reasonings. At each level, critical thinking helps one get closer to the truth and core of our faith. 

 

         As Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted in his Rethinking Ourselves:  Justice, Reform and Ignorance In Postnormal Times (2025), the Golden Age of Islam came about because first, “[It] was not of great importance to these thinkers whether their sources were Muslim or not, ... and second, [they] were not trapped in dualities and categories.” Meaning, they were not obsessed with “Islamizing” anything but more on results. 

 

         One can learn much by asking questions. It is not “questioning” or doubting, rather a desire to know more. That is also how a child learns, by asking endless “why.” The Socratic method is but a refinement. The Qur’an also exhorts us to reason and reflect.          

 

         Muhammad, s.a.w, was the last man whom God had talked to. Us regular mortals cannot get answers to life’s challenges by simply going into seclusion in mountain caves. Instead, we have to use that one tool The Almighty had bestowed upon each of us and what separates us from the rest of His creations, our akal (intellect). 

 

         Hamka’s concept of two Qur’ans is apropos. We are familiar with the first. Second is the universe. We have an obligation to also study this. Scientists exploring the outer edges of the expanding cosmos and biologists our inner life secrets are doing just that. 

 

         The co-winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize equivalent in economics, Joel Mokyr, posits the key role of knowledge in society’s economic growth. Not just society’s or economic but also one’s personal and spiritual growth. His “propositional” versus “prescriptive” knowledge, akin to our “pure” versus “applied” science, resonates with our Islamic akal and amal.

 

         Contemporary ulama are obsessed with endless regurgitations of ancient texts and puerile expositions of same, akin to ancient Christians’ “how many angels can fit on the tip of a needle.” Endless exhausting intellectual and other efforts expended on ascertaining whether some western products or instruments are maqasid syariah (syariah-compliant) but minimal on creating novel products to benefit the ummah. 

 

         They assert that modern mortgages are haram ignoring that the Islamic variants are invariably costlier and impose greater risks on borrowers. Secular mortgages are non-recourse and calculated on declining balance, unlike “halal” Islamic ones. Non-recourse means that should you default, western banks could recover only up to the value of the home. They cannot go after you for the balance. With Islamic mortgages you are liable for the total balance. Unfair and unjust. As such, not maqasid syariah. Making home loans more affordable and less risky, is maqasid syariah no matter what the label or who issued them. 

 

         In Malaysia, it took a non-Muslim judge to expose this fraud of Islamic mortgages. The response?  They just rewrite the disclosures to legalize the extra costs. The fraud continues!

 

         Likewise, the current obsession with “halal” foods and eating premises. Before any food or a restaurant can be halal, it must first be clean and hygienic. If there are flies all over, the food cannot be halal despite the meat being properly slaughtered or the restaurant in Mecca to boot.

 

         As for education, Muslim societies are backward because our education system sucks. That cannot be maqasidcompliant. There are glimpses of nur (enlightenment) emerging from the West. Peruse the summer reading list for Chicago’s Aqsa Girls’ School. It includes Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mocking Bird and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Likewise, Singapore’s Aljunid teaches its students modern science, not the Islamic variety which is but pseudo-science and pseudo-Islamic. Aljunid prepares its students for the International Baccalaureate. 

 

         Like Muslims during our Golden Age who did not hesitate to learn from even the Godless Greeks, the Aqsas and Aljunids do not hesitate to learn from the secular West.

 

Next:  Sociocultural Barriers To Critical Thinking