Ahmed Al-Gubbanchi
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Hasan Ali Al-Gubbanchi is an Iraq
i liberal Muslim intellectual, born in Najaf
in 1958, who focuses on developing a "Civil Islam" which is consistent with human rights, justice and modern circumstances, addressing the problems of traditional islamic thought as he thinks that the literal interpretation of Quran leads to the incapability of islam to get use of modern development and achievements, which leads, in turn, to the end of islam, he sees every islamic thought as a mere opinion on Islam and that the islamic scripture had to comply with the historic situations of the ancient society of the prophet Mohammed, therefore it can not be considered literally, he considers Sharia
alterable depending on the society, time and place, one of the evidence to support that is the Quran verses themselves whose orders have been changed at the time of the prophet which is called Naskh. He also translated many books of Abdolkarim Soroush
into Arabic.
that most of the terrorists of today are religious and good worshipers, he sees that the traditional islamic thought unable to find a solution for many problematic issues, for instance, it is unable to address clearly the relation between the situation and time of the early islamic society of the prophet Muhammad and the scripture, therefore still considering many regressive issues as part of islamic Sharia
, like, Apostasy
, Stoning
, Inequality for women, discrimination against non-Muslims in the islamic society. The way to get rid of these practices is, according to him, in addition to criticism of Hadith
as he has done in his book (Rectification of the Hadith
of Shia), also to rethink the whole concept of inspiration, he comes up with the belief that the words of Quran is not the literal word of God, rather the meanings is from God, while the knowledge and the phrasing of Quran is from the prophet himself intended to suit with the conditions of his time, which is why, he allowed seven ways of reading the Quran, he also believes that Muslims need not to consider the verses of Quran literally today when they conflict with the "Practical reason
", just as Mu'tazila did formerly with the verses which conflict with the "Theoretical reason".
Authored:
Translated for Abdolkarim Soroush
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i liberal Muslim intellectual, born in Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
in 1958, who focuses on developing a "Civil Islam" which is consistent with human rights, justice and modern circumstances, addressing the problems of traditional islamic thought as he thinks that the literal interpretation of Quran leads to the incapability of islam to get use of modern development and achievements, which leads, in turn, to the end of islam, he sees every islamic thought as a mere opinion on Islam and that the islamic scripture had to comply with the historic situations of the ancient society of the prophet Mohammed, therefore it can not be considered literally, he considers Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
alterable depending on the society, time and place, one of the evidence to support that is the Quran verses themselves whose orders have been changed at the time of the prophet which is called Naskh. He also translated many books of Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush , born Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh , is an Iranian thinker, reformer, Rumi scholar and a former professor at the University of Tehran. He is arguably the most influential figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at the...
into Arabic.
Thoughts
Ahmed Al-Gubbanchi sees worshiping as a means not an end itself, and that if it will not improve the morality of the human being, it is useless, noting in an interview with Al-Baghdadia ChannelAl-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV is an independent Iraqi-owned Arabic-language satellite channel based in Cairo, Egypt. It is considered a Nationalistic channel of funding directly and only from the CEO. During the Iraqi insurgency, several prominent journalists with the station were murdered...
that most of the terrorists of today are religious and good worshipers, he sees that the traditional islamic thought unable to find a solution for many problematic issues, for instance, it is unable to address clearly the relation between the situation and time of the early islamic society of the prophet Muhammad and the scripture, therefore still considering many regressive issues as part of islamic Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, like, Apostasy
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
, Stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
, Inequality for women, discrimination against non-Muslims in the islamic society. The way to get rid of these practices is, according to him, in addition to criticism of Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
as he has done in his book (Rectification of the Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
of Shia), also to rethink the whole concept of inspiration, he comes up with the belief that the words of Quran is not the literal word of God, rather the meanings is from God, while the knowledge and the phrasing of Quran is from the prophet himself intended to suit with the conditions of his time, which is why, he allowed seven ways of reading the Quran, he also believes that Muslims need not to consider the verses of Quran literally today when they conflict with the "Practical reason
Practical reason
In philosophy, practical reason is the use of reason to decide how to act. This contrasts with theoretical reason , which is the use of reason to decide what to believe. For example: agents use practical reason to decide whether to build a telescope, but theoretical reason to decide which of two...
", just as Mu'tazila did formerly with the verses which conflict with the "Theoretical reason".
Books
He has written many books (in Arabic) and translated many others into Arabic including:Authored:
- Civil Islam
- Islam the religion
- Prophecy and the problem of divine inspiration
- Rectification of the HadithHadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
of Shia
- The divine justice and freedom of the human
- The woman, the concepts and rights
- Theories in Psychology
Translated for Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush , born Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh , is an Iranian thinker, reformer, Rumi scholar and a former professor at the University of Tehran. He is arguably the most influential figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at the...
- The Secular Religion
- The reason and freedom
- Politics and Religiousness