I just watched the clip of @mohammed_hijab doing takfīr of me, & must say, it is very light on actual argument. His first claim against me is that I am "just" a "medical doctor" & not a professor in Islamic studies... 1/
...even though he very well knows that I am a PhD candidate in Islamic studies at Harvard, with a BA & two masters degrees in the same field. Sorry for my Reza Aslan impersonation here, but seriously, @mohammed_hijab, no need to be so envious. 2/
Now, to the substance of it, yes I have claimed that my academic journey has led me to embrace the idea that the Qur'an should not be understood as a book of literal history or science. Instead, the Qur'an relies on historical memory in order to convey... 3/
...deeper moral, spiritual, & theological truths. Ultimately, I believe the Qur'an is homiletic in nature & its primary function is hortatory, i.e. calling to good action: "enjoin the good and eschew the evil." Yes, this is tough to swallow for many Muslims today who have... 4/
...grown up with a very literalistic understanding of the Qur'an & of religion in general. Yet, this reading of the Qur'an--as literal history & science--will (& has) run us into deep trouble, including in the very field that @mohammed_hijab engages in: apologetics/polemics. 5/
@mohammed_hijab has put out videos on this topic of science & scripture, & my view is that he is the one that actually twists scripture in order to justify his scientistic interpretations. In reality, I am doing more justice to the Qur'an by actually understanding it... 6/
...on its own terms, & without using science as a measure to reinterpret it & engage in textual acrobatics. I think many of us modern Muslims are so impressed by modern science that we use it as a measuring stick to judge the Qur'an, whereas what is needed is to push back... 7/
...against the view that only science & a scientific view of history can be of any worth. Rather, as academics in the study of religion well know, there is great value in myth & literary narrative. "Myth" here is used in the academic sense of the word, not the lay usage... 8/
Whether or not the Qur'anic creation story is literally true or not, it would still fall under the *academic* definition of myth. And yes, the Qur'an also uses what I call "sacred legend," which means that it relies on historical memory to construct a literary story in order...9/
...to convey a deeper moral & religious point. The story may or may not be historical in nature, & almost certainly not strictly or literalistically so. This is not my own argument, but rather, that of Muḥammad Aḥmad Khalafallāh, who points out that the same story is... 10/
...often retold in the Qur'an in numerous ways. Whereas this would run us into problems if we take a strictly literal & historical approach, it makes all the sense in the world from a literary artistic point of view. In any case, this literary approach appeals to me... 11/
...due to my academic training in Qur'anic Studies & the study of religion, which has exposed me to the sources that the Qur'an draws upon & then creatively rearticulates & theologizes. My view immunizes the Qur'an from the accusations of the very polemicists you engage with. 12/
In any case, there has been a long line of modern Islamic thinkers who have expressed the same sentiment as me, including Fazlur Rahman, Naṣr Abū Zayd, Ṭāhā Ḥussayn, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān, & of course, even a stalwart like Muḥammad Iqbāl. And many others. 13/
Iqbāl famously considered the Adamic creation story & the story of the fall to be allegorical. Would you also takfīr him? Please try to do so. Why not just take a more cautious approach, put that takfīr gun back in its holster, & just say you simply disagree with me? 14/
And, of course, the idea that religion conveys deeper truths in the language of symbol, allegory, & metaphor was long ago expressed by the great Islamic philosophers. I myself have now heeded the words of Ibn Rushd & I no longer aggressively "preach" my view to the masses. 15/
To speak in his language, this is a view limited to the intellectual elite, whereas the masses take a more literal reading. I have agreed not to be aggressive in pushing my view, but likewise, it would be wise of Muslims on your side not to anathematize my view... 16/
...which has its intellectual merits even if it goes against popular opinion. In any case, @mohammed_hijab has not actually provided a real counterargument, aside from the singular objection that the Qur'an says the pagans referred to the Qur'an as "tales of the ancients." 17/
This is, of course, a powerful objection, but one which not only Khalafallāh provides an answer for but which I also provided my own argument during a podcast with Notre Dame's @MindingScript. I have closely looked at the verses that use this phrase "tales of the ancients," 18/
& noted that they, in fact, refer to the belief in the Hereafter & the idea of resurrection. This is a belief that the pagans did not believe in & had a hard time fathoming, which is why they called them "tales of the ancients." This phrase, however, was not referring to... 19/
...the stories of the past prophets & nations, which they believed in. The belief in the Hereafter is a creedal belief in the sense that it is essential to the Qur'an. Contrary to what some people have said about me, I absolutely affirm the existence of the Hereafter... 20/
& consider it essential to proper belief & to morality overall (Kant). Whether or not the *description* of the Hereafter is literal or symbolic is another issue, but its existence is real. This is an almost obvious point, as the Qur'an draws on images that would appeal to... 21/
...the people of the time. Or do you deny that? In any case, I am perfectly fine keeping my position restricted to certain audiences, although it will increasingly be needed as time goes on. But, at least do me the favor of accurately representing my position. 22/
Finally, I must address the issue of Palestine. I have been a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights since I first entered college, supporting SJP when it formed at Berkeley almost 20 years ago. My support is unwavering. I reject as wholly unacceptable the view... 23/
...that Palestinians should abandon their homelands. Quite the contrary, I affirm their Right of Return & believe that this is the true "demographic bomb" that we have & must invoke. I unwaveringly support BDS & cede no ground to the Zionist propaganda, none whatsoever. 24/
Finally, you should heed your own advice & stop posting in rage-filled Alex Jones-style video clips, which you promised you would stop doing. Or will you soon resort to dumpster diving & using filthy sexual innuendo & rapist langauge again? Or shall we remind you of this? 25/
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