btw, I tried to imagine this entire thing read in an Australian accent.

“That amongst ourselves, in different parts of the world, we can only think of one prominent example?”

– Uhhh…No. Actually there are more examples than Dr. Ali Al Timimi. He is simply one example that many of us — especially those of us who live in the DC Metro area & attended GMU — often remember.

– Other examples (at least those from the West or those who have made extensive Dawah in the West) that include:

1. Jamal Zarabozo…
2. Jafar Sheikh Idris… (the “Sheikh” is part of his middle name)
3. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

http://thesunnah.wordpress.com/2007/03/08/sh-bilal-philips-test-tube-babies-to-sex-change-operations/

Great article – as you are very well aware its not just in issues of medicine and banking where such a penchant for ‘past’ scholarship is clung to. Many amongst our Western students are simply too timid to venture beyond the opinions that the Eastern scholars they (and we all) look up to have stated. Its as if an opinion of a scholar in a land far, far away regarding an issue that Western Muslims are facing is etched in stone. To dare challenge such a scholar’s understanding of our situation (and not necessarily his understanding of the Sharee’ah) risks alienating ourselves from other students of knowledge.

Of course the flip side of the coin – which you hinted at – is that many times Western students do not have the necessary background to make cutting-edge ijtihad. And the issues that we as a Western community are facing require such ijtihad. So, does that mean (quoting you again) that a limited student of knowledge gives a two-minute response to an issue that he has not thoroughly researched, but knows more about (in a ‘modern’ sense) than many classically trained Eastern scholars, or should he simply remain silent and refer the questioner to ‘authorities’ whom the student himself would not follow in such issues?

Also, what about the case of the student of knowledge who goes beyond his realm of ijtihad and becomes a pseudo-scholar: who will decide this, and who will re-direct him back? (Not to mention that, in all honesty, the same happens when many Eastern scholars give fatwas regarding the situation of Western Muslims without fully understanding the repurcussions of those fatwas – but then such people have the halo of scholarship attached to them, which makes direct and explicit criticism almost impossible).

No doubt this raises many many concerns, on all sides of the equation. There is no clear cut answer or solution. The long term solution is of course to have Western trained and educated ulamaa. But that doesn’t help us in our current situation (except perhaps in accentuating the need for more and more people from the West to specialize in Islamic studies – from all different Eastern serminaries and classical institutions, and not just one or two in particular).

I guess this is but one more reflection of our current state of affairs, wa Allah al-Musta`aan….

I will shortly post my second article about al-Muhasibi, in which I will continue along the same lines as you did in this one – I call it the clash between the ‘purists’ and the ‘pragmatists’ ;)

Yasir

But that kinda illustrates the point very well then. That amongst ourselves, in different parts of the world, we can only think of one prominent example?