Historic ijma meeting in İstanbul

İhsan Yılmaz
İhsan Yılmaz


Date posted: May 1, 2013

İHSAN YILMAZ

Last weekend, a meeting organized by the Yeni Ümit and Hira magazines and supported by the Hizmet movement aimed to elaborate on the issue of ijma, or consensus of Islamic scholars, and collective consciousness.

This two-day meeting was titled “Ijma as a Common Roadmap and Collective Awareness.” I very much wished to attend but since I was in the US, I could not. I sense that I have missed a historic event that will be described as one of the first few events that paved the way for the emergence of the ummah as a civilian theological, but not political, entity that is in tune with modern times. My reading of Islamic sources suggests that God will be pleased with an ummah that reconciles Islam’s unchangeable fundamentals with the needs and necessities of the time. Such meetings are essential for this purpose.

In the meeting, Islamic scholars, men and women, from 80 countries exchanged views about ijma. Among the speakers of the event were Professor Ahmed Abbâdi, Muhammed Saad Ebu Bekir, former Egyptian Mufti Professor Ali Gomaa, Professor İsam Beshiri, Professor Muhammad Imara, Islamic scholar Selmân Hussein en-Nedvî and Professor Nadia Mustafa of the University of Cairo. Fethullah Gülen and Rashid al-Ghannushi also sent messages to the event organizers saying they were unable to attend because of their poor health.

Yeni Ümit, published in Turkish by the Hizmet movement, is a monthly magazine on Islamic knowledge and literature. It reaches out to around 100,000 people every month. Renowned Islamic scholars Professor Hayrettin Karaman and Suat Yıldırım are among the members of the magazine’s advisory board. Hira, the other organizer, is another magazine published by Hizmet. Hira is published in Arabic. It reaches out to people in many Islamic countries. Among the contributors to Hira are many writers, thinkers and intellectuals from the Arab world. Its editor-in-chief, Nevzat Savas, was spot-on in explaining the purpose of the meeting when he said that the Islamic world has good and solid ideas, but Muslims have difficulties exchanging these ideas. I hope that this event becomes an annual meeting of Islamic scholars and will serve as a platform for exchanging not only Islamic theological and jurisprudential ideas but also thoughts on Muslims’ and all humanity’s pressing concerns.

It may not directly come to mind but ijma, or consensus of Islamic scholars, implies the diversity and plurality of opinions, or ijtihad, of Islamic scholars. Thanks to the concept of ikhtilaf, or agreeing to disagree, as long as an agreed Islamic methodology is followed and the fundamentals of the faith are respected, conflicting opinions are considered legitimate. These two concepts, ijtihad and ikhtilaf, have helped Islamic scholars to creatively contribute to the lives of Muslims. With the help of ijma, shared opinions made sure that a unity within diversity has also been maintained.

When Islamic scholars were free of state pressure, this civilian activity reached its peak and Islamic civilization gave birth to several genius minds. Whenever ulama accepted state positions and became civil servants of the state, ceasing to be civilian scholars, this activity stagnated. One of the fatal mistakes of the Ottomans was to make ulama civil servants who lost their, to use a modern term anachronistically, checks and balances function. As a result, political leaders in the Muslim world, with some notable and honorable exceptions, have become authoritarian rulers and have acted as if Judgment Day will never come. It is thus imperative that this initiative remains a civilian platform. Politicians’ involvement will also create doubts on the intentions of such meetings. As history has shown, politicians will try to make inroads at such events or will try to create alternative, parallel ones, but this must be denounced by the Islamic scholars who must not attend similar state or politician-sponsored events.

SourceToday’s Zaman, 1 May 2013


Related News

“ISIS — A terrorist group making false representation of Islam,” says Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen

Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Muslim scholar, thinker, author, poet, opinion leader and educational activist. who is actively promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue for over a decade now, has strongly condemned the brutal atrocities being committed by the ISIS terrorist group hiding behind a false religious rhetoric.

Former Pakistani PM expresses gratitude for Turkish schools

Underlining that Pakistan’s major problems result from a lack of adequate education, the former prime minister noted that the developed education system at Pakistan’s 23 Turkish schools could play a significant role in solving those problems in the country.

Islam and Peace: Oxymoron or perfect match?

Gülen philosophy, however, encourages not breaking through borders but transgressing them, not by means of useless physical clashes but by positive action that involves negotiation and dialogue.

Chronology of Dec. 17: The stones are settling into place…

İSTANBUL Dec. 17, 2013: On the morning of Dec. 17, Turkey wakes up to a bribery and corruption operation. Simultaneous operations in İstanbul and Ankara take place after an investigation that included allegations of land being opened up to illegal city zoning, bribery and money laundering. The operations, which are carried out on the orders […]

Why Gulen Should Not Be Extradited

To extradite Gulen would not only imply a high chance of an unfair trial, but would also sound the death knell of a blueprint for global peace. Gulen’s ideas have all the potential for a global approach to peace-building. John L. Esposito, a professor at Georgetown University and a highly respected expert on Islam, called Gulen’s initiatives “extraordinarily unique”, and suggested it would be “wise” for other Muslim movements to emulate them.

Nigeria says asked by Turkey to extradite over 1000 people

Turkey seeks extradition of 1000 people in Nigeria as part of its post-coup crackdown against the Gulen movement, local media reported on Monday.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Judge says judiciary still under tutelage, implies gov’t responsible

Orange County’s Anatolian Festival: A Meeting of Worlds

‘I feel like I have been buried alive’: families live in fear and isolation as Erdoğan leads a witch-hunt

2017 model bigotry: Defamation of Jews and Gulen movement in Turkey

GYV rejects claims that Hizmet movement dominates Turkey’s judiciary

Young Peacebuilders Honored

The role of civil society in Turkey’s democratization

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News