Dear Mr.Mbye:
Thank you for your interesting response to my earlier concerns regarding
the above subject. Other obligations and a busy travel schedule
prevented me from responding earlier. The thrust of my query was not
over the credibility or lack thereof of the scholars you mentioned, but
over your position on what they said.  My questions in my posting were:
Are you in effect supporting what they( muslim Scholars) said or ruled
and as such, advocate their position, or do they confirm in what they
ruled, your own views on the subject?

 Mr. Mbye, I am likely to disagree and argue with you on issues over
theory, methodology etc., but not over normative issues such as
religion. It would not make sense to to do so.  Why?  Because, religion
to me is a private matter and should be kept that way.  What you believe
is your right and must be protected at all cost. Yet, that would not
prevent me from looking at religion critically in its sociological,
political, ideological and economic ramifications. In other words,
"deconstructing" religion. Thus, religion and "gender relations" become
a "social construct", bound in space, time, culture and more important,
ideology.  In so doing, "gender relations" are a conversation whose
participants( including those you mentioned) situate themselves "outside
of ideology", but in reality are informed by a privileged viewpoint.
your posting on the rulings of these scholars are presented as if it is
the unmediated "truth", and to which all intelligent analysis must
ultimately speak, rather than a viewpoint,even if partly derived from
the Quaran. In my humble view, this is more in the realm of the
sociology/politics of religion.

In sum, Mr. Mbye, you may wish to make your position on these issues
clearer by telling us how you feel. This would be more interesting to me
and to many who raised concern(s). Use the Muslim scholar's rulings for
support, if you wish, but they represent points of view and thus open to
critical sociological analyses.
Thanks!

Abdoulaye
Momodou Jabang wrote:
>
> Asalaamu alaikum Dr. Saine,
>
> Alhamdulillah wa sallalaahu wa sallim ala Khaatim al-Anbiyya, Nabiyyina
> Muhammad sallalahu alayhi  wa sallam.
>
> You wrote:
>
> With all due respect to Mr. Jabang and not withstanding his
> >other informative postings on prayer(s), Islam etc. this one is a little
> >troubling. These Islamic scholars like some other scholars, often have a
> >vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Unfortunately, for some
> >of these scholars, religion is often used as an ideological tool to
> >mystify, justify and ultimately legitimize unequal gender relations.>
>
> Dr. Saine, I beg to differ with you. No, I don't think there is anything
> remotely troubling with the fiqh rulings by the rich array of irrudite
> Islaamic scholars and Imaams in the posting concerning Muslim wives serving
> their husbands.
>
> Why? Each of these scholars have based their rulings and deductions on the
> Qur'aan and Sunnah as clearly explained by our great Shaickh, al-Munajjid.
> Indeed, the best approach to fiqh (jurisprudence), aqeedah (belief)or any
> branch of Islaam for that matter is to base one's evidence and deductions
> from the Qur'aan and Sunnah according to the understanding of the pious
> predecessors ( the Prophet (SAW) and his companions, the generation
> following them and the one after that as well as those who followed in their
> footsteps).
>
> Dr. Saine, as a respectable political scientist and scholar I am
> disappointed that you can blanketly refer to Imaam Bukhaari, Imaam
> at-Tabari, Shaick al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyya etc. as 'scholars (for whom)
> religion is often used as an ideological tool to mystify, justify and
> ultimately legitimize unequal gender relations'. You have not given us any
> evidence from the said article or elsewhere that substantiates your above
> claim. Rather, you just preferred to make a blanket statement. That is
> unconvincing and unscholarly.
>
> Remember, we are talking about FIQH; and so if you want to show this forum
> that the above imaams and others that you generalized about that I did not
> mention are propagating the so-called 'isms' that you mentioned, you should
> point out their 'errors' and substantiate your arguments with CONCRETE
> evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah by other scholars. That is the correct
> (Minhaj) methodology in Islaamic scholarship ( speaking with knowledge and
> evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah).
>
> I know you will be hard pressed to do that. Why? Because, Imaam Bukhaari
> compiled the best book of Hadith (Sahih Bukhaari) that all Muslims depend on
> for their religious practice; Imaam at-Tabari compiled one of the best
> tafseer (interpretations) of the Qur'aan (tafsir at-Tabari) and Shaick al
> Islaam Ibn Taymiyya is ranked as one of the most knowledgible in all
> branches of Islaamic knowledge in the history of the Ummah. His
> contemporaries said he was an Ayah (sign from Allah). He was a Hanbali
> jurisprudent by training but later on went into all other Madhhabs and his
> contemporaries say his knowledge of these Madhhabs surpassed that of highly
> regarded schlars belonging to them. He is the teacher of other great Imaams
> such as Ibn Qayyim, adDhahabi, Ibn Katheer etc.
>
> I can write a volume about the piety and scholarship of these scholars but
> this is not the place for that. Whenever, I seek a fiqh ruling as in the
> case under contention, I look for theirs, knowing that Allah made them heirs
> to the Prophets (alayhi salaam). And when I find their rulings as in this
> case and many others I stick to it in obedience of Allah, Who said: 'wa
> aati'ullah wa rasuulahu wa uulil amr minkum', Obey Allah and the Messenger
> (SAW) and those in authority (scholars and leaders) among you.
>
> To answer your question, yes, I totally agree with these Imaams (Raheemahu
> Allah) in any ruling and piece of knowledge they provide that is based on
> the Qur'aan and Sunnah and the practice of the pious predecessors. May Allah
> never put any rancour or displeasure in our hearts for these noble scholars
> and make us drink satisfactorily from their ocean of knowledge. May Allah
> make us hearers of the message and  followers of the best of it. May Allah
> give honour to Islaam and Muslims.
> May Allah increase us in knowledge. Allahumma salli wasallim ala Nabiyyina
> Muhammad. Wasalaam.
>
> Modou Mbye
>
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