The Contemporary Crisis in Islamdom and the Role of Scholars in Its Renewal Giv Nassiri Dr. Nassiri argues that the political confusion in the Islamic world derives in part from the marginalization of the scholar class which in earlier centuries was the authoritative voice in interpreting the diverse legacies of the Prophet Muhammad. As such, these scholars fostered political moderation and doctrinal consensus, and, the author argues, could do so again.
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his article intends to define within a historical context the contemporary political crisis of Islamdom.1 The perspective of this article is that of Islamic normative tradition. The present political crisis is due to the absence of an infrastructure that can represent, in a way widely accepted as legitimate, the manifold elements of the Prophet Muhammad’s authority. The lack of such an infrastructure stems from the decline of the class of communally based pious scholars who historically have represented the Prophet’s various authorities. Traditionally, these scholars have also formed the infrastructure of succession to the Prophet’s political authority but have generally not assumed temporal power themselves. Rather, they have served to hold within limits those who claim legitimate political authority. The loss of this infrastructure of pious scholars has not been due to a shortage of individual religious experts but due to a decline of a network, of a culture of communally supported consensus. This decline has left a vacuum that has been exploited by new forces claiming an exclusive right to succeed to the Prophet’s authorities, primarily to his political authority.
issue 4, june 2004
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