There has been an attempt at criticizing traditional Islam, which we understand as Islam as defined by the madhabs, schools of Aqida, and the various Sufi Tariqats. The particular character which has attempted this criticism is one who has engaged in extreme personal character assassination, which already speaks volumes about the capacity of showing tolerance and understanding from this individual.

As far as the specific points raised I would break them down to the following:

1) Taqleed equates to not-thinking

My Response:

Taqleed is actually about thinking. In fact, it is about thinking very clearly about the world, and the roles and responsibilities of people. Taqleed is about recognizing the world is indeed full of many different types of people. It is about respecting the process of learning, the manners of being a student, the authorization of teaching.

Unlike the world of the pseudo-scholar, looking to seek some means for a quick path from an unknown past, to believing layman, to Ustadh. Traditionalism is about recognizing the difficult road in learning about the principals of Islamic Law.

Some people are teachers, others are students of knowledge, others still are publishers and distributors of their work, others still are listeners and readers. Taqleed is all about respecting the final group as people and believers, and even possibly: those loved by Allah. The modern day approach of forgetting those people, or enforcing some type of inferiority complex on them is one that is abandoned by taqleed. In fact, Taqleed is about empowering them with the ability to follow qualified opinions, in the plural, and having them feel confident about the Islamic life that they lead.

The alternative leads to tossing them to the side as irrelevant to the conversation of Islam. Leaving them confused about each and every issue in their own lives, as they are not educated in the sciences of Shariat.

2) Taqleed involves separating from the primary sources of Islam

Response:

Not at all. Taqleed is actually about connecting ourselves to the primary sources of Islam by realizing that text on paper doesn’t stand on its own. It is key to understand that there is indeed an interpretive process with any text, it occurs automatically in everyones mind based on the knowledge they have learned in their lives, the context of the society around them, the prejudices they have. This process is one where the nafs and lack of knowledge can easily become involved and corrupt.

Taqleed is therefore the *absolutely* necessary first step in getting the interpretive context of the source texts of the first three generations.

3) “Traditionalism” is a vague term

Response:

When I generally see Muslims using traditionalism they are speaking of the Islam which is contained within the Sunni four Madhabs, the two schools of Aqida, and the orthodox Sufi Tariqats. Hope that clears it up for anyone confused on the subject.

4) Traditionalism equals perennialism

Response:

See above definition of traditionalism in the Islamic context, perennialism has been explicitly excluded by everyone who understands the above definition of Islamic traditionalism.

5) Traditionalism focuses on classical texts and in times past

Response:

Indeed it does, focusing on classical text is one means with which we can, as a community disconnected from the interpretative traditional of scholarship, bring back that context and interpretation. This is within a contained pluralism, with clear boundaries but also clear freedom.

6) Traditionalists leave the first three generations of Muslims for times such as growth of al-Andalus.

Response:

Not at all. We find the classical texts, the people of al-Andalus, of Ottoman times, as people who continued the tradition of carrying Islam to us. We respect their sacrifice, their knowledge, and their authority in correctly portraying to us the beliefs of the first three generations. We respect their interpretative tradition, the methodologies that they used to come to conclusions as being ones inherited from the first three generations of Muslims.

7) Traditionalists are not focusing on becoming scholars

Response:

This is true, we don’t believe everyone needs to be a scholar. We believe the few which can carry that heavy burden are to be commended, and we pray that they find means to achieve that goal through the proper means.

8 ) Traditionalists use post-modern tools to perform analysis of Salafis

Response:

(Chuckle: post-modern is a word that brought a great deal of trouble)

As far as the concept: Possibly. Who said traditionalists could not adopt modern ideas and techniques? Rather the idea is that tradition connects us to the past so we can move forward.

The flag was dropped when we lost authority (and respect for it) in Islam, and it needs to be picked up in order to carry the march forward. Having everyone independently start knitting their own leads to many banners and a confused discourse, and no one left to do any actual work.

9) Traditionalism is a place for the exhausted intellectual to escape into

Response:

Possibly. Best to find clarity as a means to escape from confusion. Islam might be an escape for the unbeliever in this regard.

10) Traditionalists reject the University system for an Islamic education. An Eastern university system is frowned upon by traditionalists.

Response:

Not at all. Most traditionalists have great respect for Islamic institutions of learning, including universities. At the same time, universities are still contingent to the traditional ijazaat system when it comes to being an authority on Islamic Law to actual Muslim laypeople.

At the same time, education at most universities is based in secularism. The subtle affects of secular teachings about knowledge have infiltrated most of the world, including those who think there is a means outside of the traditional to be considered an Islamic scholar. In the West, Universities also teach Islamic studies, and the professors are often atheists or other non-Muslims.

Should Muslims now consider a degree granted by these institutions equivalent to a qualified ijazaat in fiqh? The university doesn’t distinguish between believer and non-believer.

In terms of spiritual teachings, this is completely divorced from the university, whose goal is outer knowledge, not inner.

11) Taqleed caused Muslims to stay away from technological advancements

Response:

Buying into western propaganda about Muslims.

In what way did Taqleed cause us to stay away from technology? It was during a time which respected taqleed that we found not everyone had to focus on being a scholar of Islamic Law. The Ottomans developed winged rockets, had advanced architecture. The scientific and social achievements of Andalus are well known, a type of steel was developed which we still cannot mimic today.

In fact I would suggest the complete opposite is true about Taqleed. We find that the technological achievements greatly fell with the absence of authority in Islam, which is indeed what Taqleed is all about.

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I have more to say on this subject, but that will be for a later time inshaAllah.