Community - Academic Writing

a)           Description or definition

“Al-ta’aruf” is defined as knowledge of one another in how humans were created as male and females who are suppose to be in community with one another like, “nations and tribes, that you might get to know one another.”(Afsaruddin, 2011). The values ascribed to creation of communities narrates the common role of respect that all humans need in the roles that create the common good for all.

b) Use by the Selected Author

The author Afsaruddin through out this piece examines the different classes associated with what a sense of community looks like from a emic perspective and how exegetes guide or interpret the dialogue within the Muslim community. Afsaruddin also examines the Muslim denominational perspectives of why “umma muqtasida” is interpreted in different ways structures of communities are valued and judged based on their religiousity or lack there of. Afsaruddin further contrasts the common history between Islam, Judaism and Chrisitianity’s community hospitality pedagogy and the intrinsic faith benefits attached to them. Afsaruddin clearly illustrates how the Abrahamic scriptures bind these religious communities acceptance and how they have created a divergence of faith development in light of the exegetes that inform their dialogue and decision making processes.

c) Further reflections

Afsaruddin is tied to how the classification of the “umma maqtasida” stratifies the social development within Muslim faith communities, which creates its own barriers in the social and theological arena. Yet, Afsaruddin also indicates that these divisions apply an element of judgement to classes that are internally created through, “shibboleth” in the foundational truths of Muslim beliefs by stating, “Muslims of good will have understood to sanction the coexistence of diverse peoples and nations.”(Afsaruddin, 2011:74). So while Afsaruddin describes the Muslim faith as a purposeful individual choice for its believers, interfaith pluralistic opportunities can be a negative thing without a strong sense of identity, which might be influenced by non-Muslims. This means that the terms in which a community is bound together, regardless of the external religious identity; Jewish, Christian, or internal Muslim identity such as Khawarj, Sunni or Shia, many believers are subject to the exegetes interpretation of what “umma muqtasida” has been built on (Afsaruddin, 2011). Therefore, I agree with Afsaruddin that contemporary times call for moderation of exegetes, who need to foster the respect and the sense of knowing and respective truths Afsaruddin exerts that  Muslim communities are called to honour.

Sources used

Afsaruddin, Asma. (2011). Learned Ignorance: Intellectual Humility Among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Eds. James Heft, Reuven Firestone and Omid Safi. New York, NY. Oxford University Press Inc.