Our Difference of Opinion With Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
People often ask me if I ever disagree with any opinion of Ghamidi Sahib. I always say two things in response to that. The first is that Allah has created people like us with a moderate mind. We do not come into the world with the ability to create a new ideology. We choose an ideology from only the available theories. In the course of this selection, we raise questions, make objections, disagree, and feel doubtful.
However, the whole process is related to the realm of understanding. As a result, sometimes we accept this view and sometimes reject it. If we are true students of knowledge, then this behavior of ours lasts throughout life.
When I started my academic life, I observed confusion in many aspects of the traditional interpretation of religion. Many questions were raised. The answers came from the higher minds of the traditional interpretation as well as from Ghamidi’s school of thought. I embarked on a journey of understanding both in a comparative way in the light of my intellect and consciousness.
It took years to go through this process itself; a long time was spent in understanding the basis of reasoning from Ghamidi’s point of view. Only then was I able to grasp the principles of his interpretation and come to agree with them. Now if there is confusion, ambiguity, or a question about anything from Mr Ghamidi’s interpretation, then I will be responsible to go through the same process of selecting the best point of view. Or learned scholars like Javed Ghamidi will provide convincing and satisfactory answers to my questions. Similarly, some other scholar may point out a new path to put me through the same process of analysis and understanding.
Individuals within our stratum lack the capacity to propose alternative viewpoints by challenging the conventional understanding of religion, nor do we have the capacity to criticize and disagree with Mr Ghamidi’s thought to clarify its shortcomings.
Therefore, people like us adopt any thought in the light of agreement with its principles and then stand in it and continue the process of reflection and agreement or disagreement. That is all we do with our capabilities.
The second aspect is purely human. From this point of view, many things from Ghamidi are not easily understood in the beginning, just as the traditional interpretation of religion from other scholars proves difficult to understand.
Consequently, confusion or temporary disagreement is a natural outcome.
Discussions take place on these issues day and night, and many suggestions pass through our minds on methods to improve those interpretations. This process should be considered a journey of delving deep into certain ideas, applying principles, and finding satisfactory answers to questions rather than a disagreement with someone’s thinking.
However, people like us do not live in contradictions by accepting this disagreement and confusion, but try our best to remove it because we cannot adopt any school of thought unless it is clear from principle to application and free from contradiction.
Alhamdulillah, this process continues from dawn to dusk and morning to night. This advantageous relationship with Javed Ahmad Ghamidi started around fifteen years ago and continues to this day.
This process will stop in only two conditions: either we will have become blind followers of Mr Ghamidi’s thought or we will have started considering ourselves as a person who establishes an independent view and a disciplined school of thought from principle to application like him.
I pray that Allah protects us from these two levels. It is because the first condition ends in sectarianism and bias, which is sheer mischief, and the result of the second is to become a “mujtahid” without capacity, which is sheer ignorance. Both of these results are going to close the door of knowledge, so we ask refuge in Allah from them.