"Factors that Change Religious Edicts" by Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi

The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming work “Factors that Change Religious Edicts” by Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi. This text is the first to be officially published by virtualmosque.com. Translated by a group of students of knowledge (Webb Translators), it is hoped that this text will serve to chart the way forward for those interested in Islam and the West.

The Problem:

“Many scholars live exclusively amongst their books; failing to stay abreast of current affairs, completely oblivious of them – or we could say current affairs are oblivious of them! This is because they fail to read contemporary works as they read the classic texts. Therefore, their religious opinions come as though they came from the graves!”

The Reason:

“Changes in political and social circumstances are a fact of life determined by the process of progress and change. Most things in life are not dormant (frozen in time) but adjust; people’s attitudes towards them change as well.”

An Example:

“The matter of non-Muslims residing in Muslim societies (Ahl al-Dhimah) – referred to as religious minorities – which also includes the relationship shared between Muslims and people of other faiths, raises a fundamental question: is it a relationship based on mutual respect or war? Also [there is] issues related to women: studying, working and political participation are all issues of major importance in today’s world, and it is not acceptable for us to rely upon legal opinions found in classical texts when addressing them.”

The Solution:

“It is obligatory that we pay attention to the aims of Shari’ah, look at the particulars of the Qu’ran and Sunnah in the light of Islam’s universal aims (al-Maqasid al-Kuliyyah) and correlate the texts with each other.”

Taking from the forthcoming work “Factors that Change Religious Edicts” by Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi translated by the Webb Translators Team. Look for the exclusive download here soon insha’Allah.