Courses by Leslie Terebessy
This course is based on fifteen years of work in the Islamic sector. It explains that the theory ... more This course is based on fifteen years of work in the Islamic sector. It explains that the theory of abrogation in Islam is an aberration. Accordingly, it has to be rejected. For it contributed not just the rise of "political Islam," another aberration. It also caused a misunderstanding of Islam by non-Muslims as well as by Muslims themselves. The teaching of abrogation represents a gross deformation of the teaching of revelation. It has been rejected by almost all contemporary commentators: Muhammad Asad, Muhammad Ghazali, Muhammad 'Abduh, Rashid Rida, Fazlur Rahman, Ismail Faruqi, and even Syed Qutb. It was also rejected by Abu Muslim al Isfahani, on the basis of three verses in the Quran, which state tat we will find "no change in the words of God." The allegation that a solitary verse, the ayah as-sayf or the "sword verse" abrogated a hundred and twenty "peace verses" is preposterous. It robs the religion of peace of its teaching of peace. It also reveals the extent to which "traditional" exegesis in Islam was compromised by political considerations. The teaching of abrogation was adopted in response to the deterioration of the knowledge of revelation resulting from the prohibition of reasoning. It was also formulated to provide a justification for the expansion of the empire, the "realm of peace" at the expense of "the realm of war." It justified the so-called aggressive jihad, in defiance of revelation, which provides no basis whatsoever for aggressive warfare. 6 video lessons606 views
Videos by Leslie Terebessy
The sixth stage in the emergence of political Islam consisted of the elevation of exegetes above ... more The sixth stage in the emergence of political Islam consisted of the elevation of exegetes above both revelation and tradition. This was expressed in the assertion that if any verse of the Quran or tradition should be in conflict with the rulings of the ulema, the verse or tradition in question should be considered "abrogated." In this way, the ulema ensured that they would have the final say on the teaching of revelation. In different words, they became the chief authority, surpassing even that of tradition and the Quran. 242 views
Among the myths in Islam is the teaching of abrogation. People who rejected this problematic doct... more Among the myths in Islam is the teaching of abrogation. People who rejected this problematic doctrine include Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, Muhammad Ghazali, Muhammad 'Abduh, Rashid Rida, and Muhammad Asad. The application of this theory grossly tainted the teaching of the Quran and enabled the emergence of "political Islam." It is time to set it aside. 1011 views
In this video we take a look at how tradition went from being elevated above reason, first to bec... more In this video we take a look at how tradition went from being elevated above reason, first to become an "equal" of revelation and then even to "judge" revelation. We explore a few problems to which the notion that tradition explains revelation better than reason is exposed. These include the designation of the words of persons who were not prophets as "revelation," the reversal of the traditional ranking between of revelation and reason, and the suggestion that human beings "explain" better than God. 122 views
This lecture explores the process by which tradition was elevated to tradition. Traditional exege... more This lecture explores the process by which tradition was elevated to tradition. Traditional exegetes elevated tradition to the rank of revelation in the expectation that tradition would assist in "explaining" revelation. They designated tradition as "revelation" to protect themselves from the charge that they "judged" by what Allah did not reveal. For verses 44, 45 and 47 of chapter 5 of the Quran are explicit in saying that anyone who judges" by what Allah did not reveal is a zalim (wrongdoer), kafir (unbeliever) and a fasiq (a rebel). However, the elevation of tradition to revelation resulted in a few unforeseen and unwelcome consequences. Prominent among these was that the designation of tradition as revelation flouted tauhid and associated with God something for which He gave no authority. Secondly, the elevation of tradition to revelation could be perceived as an effort to "fabricate" revelation. Thirdly, it resulted in the amalgamation and confusion of tradition with revelation. 90 views
This video refers to the upcoming book on translating the Quran. It surveys five translations, th... more This video refers to the upcoming book on translating the Quran. It surveys five translations, those of Muhammad Asad, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Edip Yuksel, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. It uses four criteria to measure faithful rendition of key terms: verses 7, 44, 46 and 67, all from chapter 3. Muhammad Asad and Yusuf Ali score a point out of four each, Yuksel and Qadri score two each, while Pickthall wins the contest with 3/4 points. To score a point, the translators were required to translate mutashabihat as "allegorical," (verse 7), fi ha huda wa nur using the present rather than the past tense, as "in it is light and guidance," (verses 44 and 46), and Muslim as "Muslim," (verse 67). 13 views
This video explores the fourth stage of the transformation of Islam into Islamism or political Is... more This video explores the fourth stage of the transformation of Islam into Islamism or political Islam. This stage consisted of further elevation of tradition in relation to revelation, to a position where tradition did not just become an "equal" or a "judge" of revelation, but even began to abrogate or override revelation. This was even more problematic than the previous two stages, in which tradition was first elevated to an "equal" and then to a "judge" of revelation. With abrogation, tradition acquired the capacity to "cancel" the word of God, to declare specific verse of the Quran "null and void." This was truly an astonishing development, as it appeared to disregard the traditional ranking of the sources of the sharia and violate the sovereignty of God. We wonder how the ulema could have supported such an egregious act. It would appear that the ulema that sanctioned this action abandoned not just revelation but even reason. 85 views
This video explores how rulings based on traditions began not just to "abrogate" but even to repl... more This video explores how rulings based on traditions began not just to "abrogate" but even to replace selected rulings of revelation. A case in point is the replacement of the punishment for adultery specified in revelation by punishment drawn from tradition. The Quran prescribes a hundred lashes, but the ahadith specify the death penalty. We see here a departure from the teaching of revelation in favour of tradition. It appears to be an instance of defiance of Allah, in favor of following the narrations of persons who were not even prophets. For the ahadith are not the exact or verbatim words of the prophet; rather they are paraphrases. The replacement of the punishment specified in revelation by punishment drawn from tradition is an example of the way jurists permitted the reports of persons – hearsay – to overrule the words of God. In that sense, the punishment by stoning for adultery in place of the lashing prescribed in the Quran amounts to a violation of the sovereignty of God. 6 views
This clip takes us through six phases whereby the religion of peace was transformed into politica... more This clip takes us through six phases whereby the religion of peace was transformed into political Islam. These stages encompass the subordination of reason to tradition, the elevation of tradition to revelation, the expectation that tradition would "judge" or explain revelation, the abrogation of revelation by tradition, the embedding of punishments based on traditions within the penal law, and a re-articulation of the meaning of jihad to justify territorial expansion by an emergent empire. The marginalization of reason was justified by recourse to a tradition according to which the prophet allegedly stated that, "whoever uses his reason to understand revelation is committing an act of disbelief." The elevation of tradition to revelation was justified by recourse to a hadith according to which the prophet allegedly said that "I was given the Quran and something equal to it, the traditions." The cumulative effect of these waves was the emergence of political if not militant Islam. 12 views
This video is the first in a series of six, exploring the question of how Islam became "political... more This video is the first in a series of six, exploring the question of how Islam became "political," if not "militant." For it is evident that with the application of the teaching of abrogation, the understanding of Islam experienced a transformation. From being a "religion of peace," as presented in revelation, militant exegetes recast Islam as a "religion of war." They did it by "abrogating" no fewer that a hundred and twenty of the so-called peace verses by the "verse of the sword." The alleged abrogation of the peace verses required astonishing boldness if not hubris, as it amounted to a cynical and brazen tampering with the teaching of revelation, a re-interpretation aimed to justify the expansion – by means of aggressive jihad –of the "abode of peace" at the expense of the "abode of war" in the alleged "clash" between the "dar al-Islam" and the "dar al-harb," in an eerie foreshadowing of the alleged "clash of civilizations," propounded a millennium afterwards by Samuel Huntington. 54 views
It is not surprising to see non-Muslims having few issues with usury (interest). They have become... more It is not surprising to see non-Muslims having few issues with usury (interest). They have become used to it. It is surprising, however, to see Muslims proclaim that “interest is a price like any other.” For we would expect that, as Muslims, they would be aware of differences between profit and usury. How could they miss the elephant in the room? It appears that the confusion of profit with usury was a result of faulty reasoning, of a “paralysis in the Muslim mind." The paralysis was the result of the equation of the use of reason to understand revelation with kufr. In what follows we explore the perceptions of Fazlur Rahman and Abdur Rab. These may be summed up in statements that “interest is a price like any other,” that “interest is not riba,” and that the abolition of interest would be “suicidal” for the economy. We maintain that, on the contrary, interest is not “like any other price," that interest is riba, and that it would be suicidal to retain the riba-based regime. 18 views
This video is about the plague of plagiarism. It is so endemic that it could be seen as an academ... more This video is about the plague of plagiarism. It is so endemic that it could be seen as an academic pandemic. How to separate the true from the fake, the authentic from the imposter? 15 views
Papers by Leslie Terebessy
Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 2015
Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 2017
With the emergence of empiricism, a perception developed that rationality and faith are 'incompat... more With the emergence of empiricism, a perception developed that rationality and faith are 'incompatible.' According to this view, religion is based on faith rather than knowledge. Attachment to faith is fundamentally arbitrary and lacks a rational foundation. In education, the 'separation' of reason from faith produces either graduates with knowledge for the purpose of employment but little spiritual awareness or persons with religious beliefs that have few marketable skills. What is required is balanced education, where instruction in revealed knowledge is provided together with training in present-day knowledge. To facilitate holistic education, it is necessary to recognise that faith and present-day knowledge complement rather than exclude each other. Present-day knowledge is used primarily for the purpose of employment. Revealed knowledge is intended for the purpose of guidance. The two are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.
Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 2014
Discussions of the benefits of risk sharing tend to be confined to benefits at the company level.... more Discussions of the benefits of risk sharing tend to be confined to benefits at the company level. These include remaining debt-free and the fact that capital, unlike borrowed funds-apart from listing, legal and other fees-comes at zero cost. What tends to be overlooked is that the use of risk sharing also brings major benefits to society at the macroeconomic level. Specifically, it contributes to the realisation of the leading economic objectives of government stabilisation policies. These include an efficient allocation of resources, full employment, stable prices, robust growth, a more even distribution of wealth, and greater cyclical stability. Thus, channeling capital into investment by means of risk sharing in preference to borrowing at interest can significantly alleviate the macroeconomic problems currently plaguing most industrialised economies.
Islam and Civilisational Renewal, Jul 1, 2010
Critical Thinking: An Islamic Perspective, by Muhammad Mumtaz Ali, published by the Thinker’s Lib... more Critical Thinking: An Islamic Perspective, by Muhammad Mumtaz Ali, published by the Thinker’s Library in 2008, explores “critical thinking” within the context of the Islamist revivalist movement. At 168 pages, the book consists of an Introduction and five chapters. Upon closer inspection, however, the book turns out to be more of a critique of ‘modernist,’ ‘moderate,’ and ‘liberalist’ Muslims than an inquiry into the meaning of critical thinking, from the Islamic perspective:
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Courses by Leslie Terebessy
Videos by Leslie Terebessy
Papers by Leslie Terebessy
This capital is returned, just as the principal of a debt is returned to a lender. As a result of the debt structure of the contracts, a few issuers of “sukuk” or certificates of investment akin to shares defaulted. This was not supposed to take place. Default does not happen in investing. Losses may be experienced, but not defaults. “Defaults” take place in lending. (5 pages)
Another reason is to share whatever wisdom a person learns along the way and share it with the younger generation. A third reason is to earn revenue. Which of these reasons is the chief motive? Perhaps the reader could judge that for himself or herself. I feel I want to tell this story. I grew up under communism, where equality was placed higher than freedom. I was educated in the West, where freedom trumps equality. I found employment in Malaysia, where I also encountered deeper spirituality. This book summarises my adventures in Koh Samui, Thailand. It relates how I went to Thailand to write a book, but ended up running a bakery, baking sour dough rye bread. It relates what transpired there. It gives a snapshot of life on Samui, from the perspective of an expat entrepreneur, with all the risks and hazards associated with such an effort. It portrays "the good, bad and the ugly." I experienced "writer's block." Thus, I concentrated on the bakery. I soon realised, however, that I was not made to bake food. I was more comfortable with "food for thought." Hence, I returned to Malaysia to resume my career in teaching.
Militant rulers craved a rendition of Islam that would enable them to wage unlawful wars of territorial expansion under the banner of Islam. This required a re-alignment of the relationships between revelation, reason and tradition. The process reflected a drift from tradition to revelation. The revelation-centric paradigm gave way to a tradition-centric paradigm. This was an anomaly in the epistemology of Islam and explains a slew of problems confronting the umma today. At the prodding of militant rulers and their accomplices among clerics the umma turned from revelation to tradition. This was exemplified in the requests by rulers to record the traditions ascribed to the prophet in defiance of his prohibition of the recording of his traditions. The traditions were recorded reluctantly by the persons tasked with the recordings. For a few of them remembered that the prophet prohibited the recording of his traditions. To assuage the fears of defying the prophet, Umar II publicly declared that the prophet “abrogated” his prohibition of recording his traditions. The first and sixth phases were political. The second stage witnessed the repression of reasoning by tradition. In the third stage, tradition would become a “part of” revelation. In the fourth stage, tradition would “judge” revelation. In the fifth stage, the verses of reconciliation in the Book of Allah would be abrogated and replaced by the verse of the sword and hawkish traditions. The transformation of Islam to Islamism was expedited by the repression of reason. This was achieved by treating the use of reason in religion as kufr. In the third phase, tradition was treated as revelation. It was at this juncture that Islam became “traditional.” The treatment of tradition as revelation was “justified” by recourse to a tradition in which the prophet said that his traditions were “similar” to the Book of Allah. In so far as tradition was treated as an “equal” of revelation, the designation of tradition as revelation amounted to scriptural shirk. Thus, the transformation of Islam into Islamism was enabled by a gradual encroachment upon tauhid. In the fourth phase, tradition transcended revelation and was treated as a “judge” of revelation. Treating tradition as a “judge” of revelation required the subordination of revelation to tradition. In so far as the subordination of revelation to tradition amounts to the subordination of the word of God to the words of persons, the treatment of tradition as a judge of revelation also amounted to shirk. The fifth stage witnessed the abrogation of revelation by revelation, tradition, and the rulings of the ulama. When the peace verses were “abrogated” by the verses of the sword, Islam became “political.” In so far as the abrogation of revelation by tradition and the rulings of the ulama required treating the words of persons as greater authorities than Allah, the alleged “abrogation” of revelation by tradition and the rulings of the ulama were expression of juristic shirk. The sixth and last stage witnessed the embedding of the teaching of the clash of the realm of peace (dar al-Islam) with the realm of unbelief (dar al-kufr). Islam became political and began to serve as a justification for unlawful wars of territorial enlargement waged under the pretext of propagating Islam by the sword, a practice referred to as jihad al-talab, or the sixth pillar of Islam. The aggressiveness of militant Islam brought defeats, as in the destruction of the Abbasids by the Mongols, the defeats of the Turks at the gates of Vienna, as well as the war in Afghanistan and the fall of Bagdad in 2003.