Revelation and Tradition in Islam: Tradition Redefines Revelation

By Leslie Terebessy

The umma is in trauma. There is poverty, corruption, and repression. Why is that? Revelation states that Allah never changes the condition of people unless they first change what is in themselves. The turn from revelation to tradition was triggered by politics. Hawkish rulers aspired to enlarge the empire. This required wars of aggression. But wars of aggression are prohibited in revelation. Accordingly, the rulers engaged different ulama to reinterpret revelation to provide a justification for waging wars of aggression. As the ulama could find no justification of aggression in revelation, they turned to tradition. To justify aggression, Islamist ulama propagate the perception of the war between the "realm of Islam" and the "realm of war." This perception furnished a justification for treating wars of aggression as not just lawful but as a pillar of Islam. But this perception is without justification in revelation. The reinterpretation of Islam as a teaching of war was expedited by the "abrogation" of all verses of reconciliation by the verse of the sword. The turn to tradition was also justified by the perception tradition, too, is "revelation" and a "part of" the Book of Allah. Treating tradition as revelation transpired in defiance of the prohibition of the "fabrication" of revelation (69:44-46). Traditions were also recorded in defiance of the prophet's prohibition of writing his traditions. The turn from revelation to tradition bewildered the umma. For traditions cannot replace revelation. There is no comparison. Thus, Islam of tradition differs from the Islam of revelation. Tradition is treated as a "judge" of revelation. But treating tradition as a "judge" of revelation, however, reverses the relationship between revelation and tradition, subordinating the revelation of Allah to the "judgment" of men. Tradition was treated as a "root" of legislation. But legislation in Islam is the exclusive prerogative of Allah. To treat tradition as a root of legislation is to treat their transmitters as "lawgivers." This is shirk. Treating tradition as revelation enabled tradition to "abrogate" and "replace" revelation pertaining to apostasy and adultery. Allah prescribed the death penalty for neither. But jurists prescribe capital punishment for both. Hawkish jurists transformed parts of penal legislation into a "license to kill." In this they transgressed the hudud of Allah. Recourse to problematic perceptions was assisted by the repression of reason. For which person in his or her right mind would agree that tradition is revelation? The reluctance to use reason was justified by recourse to a tradition in which using reason to understand revelation is treated as kufr. This produced adverse effects. The reluctance to engage reason prevents Muslims from understanding revelation. A few verses began to strike them as "unclear." The required "clarification" would be provided by tradition. They presumed that persons "explain" better than Allah. The treatment of tradition as a "judge" of revelation was also justified by the perception that revelation is in parts "insufficiently detailed." But revelation presents itself as "clear" and "fully detailed." Why would a Book that is "clear" and "fully detailed" require further clarification and detailing? The perception that the Book is in parts "unclear" and "insufficiently detailed" requires rejecting all verses that teach the contrary. This is tantamount to kufr. The perceptions that the Book is in parts "unclear" and "insufficiently detailed" accordingly render all exegesis and jurisprudence built upon them unreliable. Renewal requires the desacralization of tradition, the affirmation of the pre-eminence of revelation and the rehabilitation and re-engagement of reason. This requires a rehabilitation of the knowledge of revelation. It also requires the rehabilitation of the epistemology of revelation, both exegesis and jurisprudence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09HQBZZ1N
• ISBN13: 9798493109010
• Release Date: October 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"