On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 19:28:39 -0900, Sandra Chamberlain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Gliberto, I wrote: <> I would agree that the spiritual > attributes of which humans are capable are eternally > "appropriate". However, the material (scientific) > capabilities of humanity have advanced to such a degree (and, > continue to do so) that it has become necessary to find > solutions that will insure the continued survival of humanity, > as inhabitants of one planet. <>
> You responded: <> I would just think that the material aspect > of the Law can be dealt with without converting to a different > religoin. At least in terms of islamic law, you have living > scholars who can arrive at rulings by understanding the > principles of the Quran and sunnah and understanding the > realities of contemporary life. I'm not sure if you have any > particular changes in technology or social organization in > mind which you think Islam would have trouble keeping up with. > Forgive me for responding with questions, however, I'm not > familiar enough with the judicial structure of Islam, or it's > authority, to make a comparison. Does the Quranic > scripture grant such prerogatives to scholars? Yes, sort of. I say sort of because I don't think it is a matter of authority or prerogative given to specific individuals (at least not in sunni Islam). The Quran says if you don't know something, ask those who know. (i.e. scholars). So in practice, when you have a question, you seek out someone who by consensus is a knowledgable trained scholar whom you trust. To arrive at rulings there are certain traditional methodologies (especially those established by the 4 schools) which can get applied to contemporary situations. There are places online where you can look at the rulings of contemporary scholars who apply a traditional approach to current situations. One would be www.sunnipath.com here are traditional methodologies which have been studid But in terms of material changes, I think that if scientific knowledge or social situations actually change substantially, there are ways for scholars to take some of that into account when answering questions and arriving at rulings. For example, once the health risk of smoking became known, it would be possible for scholars to say that smoking is prohibited (or at least strongly discouraged) on the grounds that it would be "letting your own hands be the cause of your own destruction" (something prohibited in the Quran). And in terms of the various factors which scholars look to when arriving at rulings, the Quran, the sunnah, analogy, etc. one of the principles which is used in some cases is pre-existing customs of the community. What I would want to get across is that although there are certain aspects of Islam which might seem rigid and invariable, there is also a certain amount of room for living scholars to respond to the particularities of a given situation. Peace Gilberto __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
