Teaching diversity of opinion in Islam

Zameer Hussain

I am often asked in the classroom: ‘Sir, is X haraam (forbidden) or allowed in Islam?’ My response is mostly the same: ‘It depends – some say Y, others say Z.’ The more this happened the more I questioned whether we have truly taught why Muslims differ on some subjects. We may throw in ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ in front of the word ‘Muslim’ but I have long argued that these words do not exist within Islam since they are Western frameworks. The lack of recognition of diversity in Islam can further become a problem at KS4 and KS5 when students are thrown different Islamic opinions on the same issue without knowing where these come from. This made me take action – I have to teach the origin of Islamic diversity so that when it comes to them, it is not an alien thing to hear. I am sure teachers are aware that there are differences of opinion in Islam but do they actually know where this comes from?

This brings me to Ijtihad. This is a concept usually found in Islam components at A-Level RE but never before. However, I believe if this is taught earlier, it can ‘unlock’ a lot of Islamic thought. Ijtihad has roots in the word ‘jihad’ (to struggle) and can be defined as ‘independent reasoning using Islamic sources’ (which is a struggle). Ijtihad is, essentially, trying to find the answer to an issue when the Quran and Sunnah of Muhammad does not directly deal with it. For example, the Quran or Hadith do not directly tell Muslims whether IVF is allowed or not. Ijtihad must be done here to work out the answer…and people will come to different conclusions. This is why not all Muslims start Ramadan or celebrate Eid ul Fitr on the same day – how you determine the new lunar month is debatable. Do I view the new moon with the naked eye? Can I use optical aid? If it is sighted in one country, does it also apply to my country? Do I even need to sight the moon when the observatory tells me it is there? Ijtihad is traditionally only done by qualified Muslim scholars (like open heart surgery is only performed by a qualified cardiologist) who have mastered the sciences of Islam, which generally include Arabic grammar, history, principles of law and many other areas. This has been a part of Islamic tradition for centuries.  What ijtihad can be done on and who has the right to do it is a debate in itself which opens up more conversations about how religions are organised!

In my KS3 Islam scheme of work, that is structured around the life of Muhammad, I have built a lesson called ‘How did Islamic Thought develop after Muhammad?’ at the end. Prior to this, they have learnt about Sharia (in this same unit) and also how personal worldviews are influenced by several factors (in Year 7), which act as essential prerequisite knowledge.

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I first introduce the idea that if a Muslim was alive at the time of Muhammad, finding the answer would be easy since one could ask the ‘source’ himself directly. However, as time went on, access to this ‘source’ was now not available. Muslims had to use the Quran and what Muhammad left behind to work out what was the correct answer to certain issues. I also remind students of how where you live has a major influence on your worldview, something they already would have done in Year 7. If you are a Muslim living in a Hindu context, this would influence how you would view the religion of Islam. For example, your view of the Divine may be similar to the local customs.

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I then use two examples to show how Muslims express things differently depending on their context. I share images of Muslims and Sikhs praying together and an image of a Muslim man praying with his hands in the ‘namaste’ gesture as opposed to the traditional ‘palms up’ gesture. This is an example of how humans borrow from each other naturally. I even refer to my own family who are Shia Muslims from Pakistan.  My own father wears a Kara and it is common for us to call food at the mosque ‘langar’. Isn’t that fascinating? I also look at the variety of the ways Muslim females cover their heads across the world since they may interpret the idea of modesty differently. None of these different modes of expression would be possible had it not been for the places these Muslims live in. I am pretty sure a Muslim living in an area where everyone covers their head in black cloth would find the idea of patterned or branded headscarves as odd! I do this before introducing them to ijtihad to make them understand that a person’s worldview will have influence on the conclusion they come to after doing ijtihad, no matter how neutral and within the parameters of Islamic sources they try to be.

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I then introduce them to the origin of ijtihad – a famous narration of a conversation between Muhammad and one of his companions who goes to act as a judge in Yemen. Muhammad questions how he would come to a decision in the absence of clear proof from the Quran or his Sunnah. Muhammad is pleased with his companion’s response of using his own judgement as best as he can.

My final task is to get students to actually try the process of ijtihad through applying it to the case study of music, an issue in Islamic law that is always hotly debated. I play a clip of the renowned folk singer, Nusret Fateh Ali Khan, who uses music as a way to worship God. Is this haraam? But he is talking about Allah so beautifully in his songs. Is this allowed? This is done through a worksheet where I provide different sources on the topic of music with some guided questions to get them thinking. They see that there is not a clear Arabic word for music and are asked questions about whether the Arabic words that deem music as being wrong refer to all types of music or a certain type. They see opinions of classical Islamic scholars and hadiths that are both pro ‘music’ and anti ‘music’ to see how difficult it is. In the end, they are asked to explain how music can be deemed as permissible or forbidden using ijtihad. The purpose of this is not for them to find the correct answer but to mirror the process of ijtihad to see that the answer is not that simple to get to and different conclusions can be reached depending on how the text is read. They are essentially doing Hermeneutics.

Source	Reflection Questions
“Among the people is he who engages with lahw that he may lead [people] astray from Allah’s path” (Quran 31:6)       “Successful are the believers that are humble when they pray and keep themselves away from lahw” (Quran 23:1-3)       “And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near lahw, they pass by with dignity.” (Quran 25:72)	In Arabic, lahw means anything that is useless or distracting. What could some examples of lahw be?       Why would some Muslim scholars say music is haraam (forbidden) using these verses?       Why would some Muslim scholars say that music is not being made haraam (forbidden) in these verses?
“Stay away from ghina because it destroys the modesty…it kills one’s manliness and leads one to alcohol and he will then become drunk.” (Hadith of Prophet Muhammad)   “Iblis (Satan) was the first person to use ghina.” (Hadith of Prophet Muhammad)   “Musical instruments were played in front of the Prophet (to welcome him) during his first arrival in Medinah and Abu Bakr wanted to tell off those who were playing the instruments but the Prophet stopped him saying: Leave them alone O Abu Bakr so that the Jews (of Medinah) will also learn and know that our religion is relaxed and accommodating!” (Al Qurtubi, Islamic scholar)	Ghina is generally defined as singing that changes someone’s mood. What are the negative effects of ghina, according to Muhammad?       Are ghina and music the same thing? Explain.         Why does Al Qurtubi argue music is halal (permissible) using the incident of Muhammad?
“Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” (Definition of music, Oxford Dictionary)	How would Muslim scholars define music that may be haraam (forbidden)? Think about ghina and lahw.
“All actions are based on intentions” (Hadith of Prophet Muhammad)	What is the role of intention in Islam? How does this link to music?
“Whoever says that all music is prohibited, let him also claim that the songs of birds are prohibited.” (Al Ghazali, Islamic scholar)	According to Al Ghazali, why is banning all music not logical?
“Listening to music, attending musical gatherings, and studying music of all genres and instruments is allowed as long as it is not accompanied with immoral and sinful acts, or used as a way to invite people towards haraam (prohibited) behaviour, and it does not preoccupy a person away from observing the obligatory acts of worship” (Grand Mufti of Al Azhar University, Egypt, 1980)	Why does the Grand Mufti of Egypt allow music? What are the conditions?
According to your Ijtihad, explain why music is haraam (forbidden).	According to your Ijtihad, explain why music is halal (allowed).

I believe that knowing this will help students understand Islam better at KS4 and KS5. Diversity of Islamic views on sexuality, gender, medical ethics, politics etc. will not come as a surprise now. When teaching Judaism, it is important to see why orthodox and reform exist and when teaching Christianity, it natural to show how Protestants and Catholics approach authority to find answers, which are different. If students are exposed to Islamic thought through Ijtihad, I am confident they will appreciate the rich diversity of opinion that exists within Islam and further appreciate the messiness of religion.