The Raja Muda of Perak speaks for many when he stated at the recent Ulama
Conference that an alim (pl: ulama) "must first build a credible image of
himself so that his advice and views are accepted and valued."
Unfortunately, the sad reality is that ulama in many Muslim countries,
Malaysia included, have prostituted themselves as instruments of a
repressive state. They behave less as spiritual leaders and more to
provide religious legitimacy to brutal and unjust governments.
In Malaysia, where the government has totally co-opted the Islamic
establishment, Islam is now less a faith and more a bureaucracy, with
ulama preaching government propaganda instead of doing God's work. How
many ulama have spoken out against official corruption and gross abuses
of human rights?
Islam in Malaysia is what the government says it is; one deviates at one's
own earthly peril. Many have been jailed without trial courtesy of the
Internal Security Act, or sent to "rehabilitation camps" by sham Syariah
Courts for practicing "deviationist" Islam. This is not the wisdom of
Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., but of Comrade Stalin.
On another level, today's ulama remind me of physicians of yore. Then,
physicians were put on a pedestal, their every pronouncement meekly
accepted. Even the language to describe a physician's advice was
telling: "Doctor's orders!"
This is still the prevailing ethos in the Third World. New doctors coming
from there have difficulty accepting the fact that in America physicians
are just professionals like others. Meaning, patients are your valued
clients, not subservient customers. You have to explain your treatment
plans, tests ordered, and medications prescribed. A request for a second
opinion is not seen as a slight on your professional competence rather the
expectation of an informed patient. And an informed patient is a better
patient.
This transformation of American physicians did not occur magically. It is
the consequence of three major factors: radical changes in medical
education, the public becoming more informed in matters of health and
diseases, and the fact that medical care is largely in the private
sector. Doctors have to listen to their customers in order to survive
economically.
Then there is the manner of training. Would-be doctors in America are
well grounded in the humanities and social sciences (in addition to the
prerequisite natural sciences) before entering medical school. Further,
it is the rare medical student who lives in dorms; most live in the
community. They are not cut off from the rest of society, as priests in
monasteries, or ulama in their madrasahs. American patients are also
better educated and well informed, with medical information readily
available. These patients do not take kindly to a physician's
patronizing or "know it all" attitude.
Educating Ulama
Contrast that to the training of an alim. More than likely he (never she)
had attended a religious school where the curriculum is severely
constrained. His social circle is also similarly limited; having never
encountered anyone from a different faith or of the opposite sex. This
pattern is repeated at university. Would-be ulama thus dwell in a world
totally alien from that of their parishioners. It is no surprise that
their pronouncements have little relevance to the real world.
One ready solution would be to abolish religious schools. That however,
would not be politically feasible. Besides, these schools are popular
with Malays; the Islamic imprimatur sells. A better alternative would be
to modernize the curriculum by broadening it to include more secular
subjects. There is no reason why these religious schools cannot excel in
secular subjects and thus produce their share of the nation's future
scientists and managers, just like religious schools in America.
American Catholic schools provide such superior education that they
attract many non-Catholics, including Muslim students.
At universities these future ulama should, like modern physicians (at
least in America), have broad-based liberal education. An understanding
of the humanities and the sciences (natural and social) would enhance
their understanding of the Quran and Hadith. The contributions of
ancient Muslim scholars were prodigious and monumental because their
intellectual interests were broad. They did not differentiate between
religious and secular knowledge. Contrast that to the insularity of
today's ulama and religious scholars.
If our ulama are well versed with and have insights from the social
sciences, they would be in a better position to relate to and counsel
their ummah. They would then be less likely to be simplistic when
addressing serious problems of their congregation.
All too often when ulama are confronted with major social problems, be
they AIDS, drug abuse, or out-of-wedlock childbirths, their responses
have been nothing but the uttering of platitudes and mindless quotations
of the Quran and hadith. Similarly when they issue fatwas (decrees),
they do so without much thought. They simply give their declarations
without any explanation or references to existing body of knowledge. No
surprise then that their fatwas are often far detached from reality; and
frequently ignored.
If only they would use the occasion of issuing the fatwa as an opportunity
to educate the masses by engaging them, then these ulama would be doing
themselves and their followers a great service. When judges render
decisions, they have pages and pages of reasoning, citing relevant
precedents. Our ulama should do no less with their fatwas.
Similarly, just as judges seek testimonies from experts before deciding on
a case, ulama too must not hesitate to consult specialists in the relevant
fields before issuing fatwas. I would go further and suggest that these
ulama have public hearings on important issues before delivering their
edicts.
I am appalled that ulama and religious scholars would issue fatwas on such
complex matters as modern financial instruments like bonds or public
health issues such as AIDS without first understanding them. These are
new and daunting problems that earlier Muslims never had to face.
Endlessly quoting ancient texts would shed little light except to
illustrate general principles. It would be more useful to understand
these modern issues by learning from practitioners of other disciplines,
and then discern what aspects are or are not in compliance with the
principles of Islam.
Quite apart from broadening the curriculum, the current education of the
ulama must also be revamped. What passes for "education" in a religious
class is nothing but indoctrination. The communication is strictly one
way, from instructor to students.
I once attended what was supposed to be a graduate-level class in Islamic
Studies. I was appalled at the lack of any intellectual discussion.
When I tried to ask a question, I was patronizingly told that I could not
even contemplate asking any when I was just beginning the course. I would
have to wait at least until I have understood the whole material.
Whereupon I retorted that if I had understood everything, then there is
no need for my asking any question, or even taking the course!
The instructor's mindset was telling, and is typical of many Islamic
scholars and ulama. Even more revealing was the attitude of the
students. These were adults, many professionals in their own right, yet
they passively sat through the lecture.
Changing Ulama/Ummah Dynamics
Just as the physician/patient relationship is changing with the public
being better informed on health matters, so too must the ulama/ummah
dynamics, with average Muslims now more knowledgeable on matters of their
faith. The days when the clergy class had exclusive access to religious
knowledge went away with the advent of the printing press. The Internet
further breached what little remains of that exclusivity.
If ulama persist in their role as gatekeepers to religious knowledge, then
they risk becoming irrelevant. Through the Internet I can listen to
khutbas and lectures given at leading Islamic centers. There is no need
to subject myself to the boring reading of canned sermons prepared by the
state. I can read it myself twice as fast, and without putting me to
sleep.
On the other hand, if ulama were to assume the role of spiritual advisers,
then they would have plenty to do in filling the large void in our modern
lives, with problems of alienation and dislocations brought on by rapid
urbanization and globalization. To effectively fill in this new role
however, they would have to have knowledge and skills beyond the
religious, just as a physician needs other skills beyond his narrow
profession in order to succeed.
Today's ulama need to be well versed in counseling skills, child
development, family dynamics, and social work to meet the needs of their
modern ummah. Muslims today would not be satisfied with someone only
reciting the Quran; they could turn on the CD and listen to the most
exquisite voices of the best qaris and qariyahs. Nor would today's
Muslims be satisfied with someone endlessly quoting the hadith. What we
desperately need is someone who can relate the wisdom of the Quran and
hadith to the problems we face day to day. That would demand a totally
different set of skills from the ulama.
Ulama have to disengage themselves from the state. They should be the
custodians of the ideals of the community; they should guide the ummah
along the straight path. Most of all, our ulama should be our bulwark
against the tyranny of the state, and not be its accomplice.
If we change how and what we teach our Islamic Studies students, we may
get ulama who have a "credible image of himself so that his advice and
views are accepted and valued." That would be good for the ulama, the
ummah, Malaysia, and Islam.
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