اندیشهفلسفهخردگفتگوحکمتمعناپرسشفرهنگ
Religion
Hark, Proclaim That My Fortune Has Triumphed
Religious intellectualism is passing through a blessed period, moving beyond jurisprudence to theology and shedding its impurities. This school of thought is neither a new sect nor a party, but opens a new path for understanding religion in the modern world; its unwitting enemies only add to its resilience.
“Religious intellectualism” is passing through blessed days. On the one hand it is becoming more complete, and on the other, purer. On the one hand, it fulfills its promises, stepping from jurisprudence—which was its first concern—into theology, and excavating the sources that nourish jurisprudence, namely the ancient theology, Qur’anic studies, and prophetology, and, in the light of earlier mysticism and philosophy, and modern philosophical and scientific teachings, it grants them greater and fresher nourishment and richness; it presents a new theology. And on the other hand, it observes the decline and slumber of discordant companions, how they joined this school out of one greed and desire, and now, out of another greed and desire, depart unsuccessfully, taking the impurities with them and leaving this precious and immense capital for its rightful people.
(1) In the Name of God
Mawlana Jalal al-Din relates in the fourth book of the Masnavi that one day Bayazid, in the gathering of his disciples, proclaimed “I am the Truth.” They became furious. He said: “If I say such a thing again, cut my limbs to pieces.”
When that free man made his testament Each disciple readied a knife
This time, Bayazid’s intoxication and frenzy placed an even greater claim upon his tongue. “He spoke more powerfully than he had spoken before”: “There is naught in my robe but God” (Laysa fi jubbati siwa Allah).
All those disciples went mad Striking knives upon his pure body
Each one who thrust a blade into the Shaykh Was, in reverse, tearing his own body
And he who was aware of that Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction His heart did not permit him to strike a heavy blow
Half-knowledge bound his hand He saved his life, but wounded himself
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“Religious intellectualism” is passing through blessed days. On the one hand it is becoming more complete, and on the other, purer. On the one hand, it fulfills its promises, stepping from jurisprudence—which was its first concern—into theology, and excavating the sources that nourish jurisprudence, namely the ancient theology, Qur’anic studies, and prophetology, and, in the light of earlier mysticism and philosophy, and modern philosophical and scientific teachings, it grants them greater and fresher nourishment and richness; it presents a new theology. And on the other hand, it observes the decline and slumber of discordant companions, how they joined this school out of one greed and desire, and now, out of another greed and desire, depart unsuccessfully, taking the impurities with them and leaving this precious and immense capital for its rightful people.
In this regard, the account of scholarly critics is, of course, separate. They hold the status of agreeable companions, whose sifting efforts have continually added, and continue to add, to the perfection and purity of this school.
The truth is that this thirty-year-old fetus, which was in the womb of contemporary Iranian history, is now, having received the divine breath, preparing to be born; and it is the pain of its labor that stirs up these temporary (and at times hostile and malevolent) tensions and palpitations, which will surely soon subside, and the seekers of truth will deem the birth of this newfangled newborn blessed and auspicious, and will see the mark of victory and triumph upon its brow.
This newly emerged newborn is neither a new sect, nor a novel sacred law or religion! It has no prophet, no book; no disciple, no master! It is neither a party, nor a government; it has no source of emulation, no leader; it has neither believer nor infidel! It is far humbler than these. It is an intellectual school of thought that opens new doors in religious studies and religious practice (in theory and in practice) for the faithful, and shows a new path in religious and Muslim understanding and conduct within the modern secular world.
And it is already evident that the star of this traveler’s fortune is exceedingly brilliant. For, still unborn, it has so many intoxicated devotees and dagger-wielding foes: “Believers intoxicated by confession, and deniers intoxicated by denial!”
It is as if the inverted game of fate has willed that the scorners and enemies strive to ruin that school, only to make it more flourishing, and set fire to this perfumed musk so as to scatter its fragrance further. They come to battle and lay claim to command, so that, unknowingly, they fortify the Sultan’s castle. They set fire to its sown field so that, in the topsy-turvy game of history, they burn their own crop. Like Pharaoh, they contend with the one who spoke with God, only to drown in the Nile of annihilation. They grapple with the Josephs, only to rise from sleep like wolves, seeing the depths of the well but not the heights of glory:
O you who have torn the coat of the Josephs, Rise, O wolf, from this heavy sleep
And in this vain obsession and graceless striving, like demons they enter Solomon’s service and unwillingly add to his majesty and esteem:
Work, O demon, for Solomon lives; As long as you are a demon, his blade is sharp
And in the presence of the Simorgh they make a display and sell a coquettish glance, only to rend their own veil and ruin their own honor, for:
When God wills to rend someone’s veil, He inclines them to taunt the pure
But despite their false claim, religious intellectualism has neither seen its day pass, nor is it passing; it is not left alone, nor is it to be left alone. It is the language of the age and the need of the era. Its coming was not by anyone’s command or permission, and its going is not dependent on anyone’s satire or jest. The departure of the oath-breakers, the apostates, and the unjust has no effect on its life and perfection.
Despite the pretenders who forbid love, The beauty of “His” countenance is our manifest proof
And if the undiscerning, who carry the axe of scorn and the pickaxe of destruction on their shoulders, falsely imagine that the root of this blessed sapling can be uprooted, let them know that hammering upon the nail will only make it firmer.
The lamp that God has kindled, If a fool blows at it, his beard will catch fire
No thought in our land has created as much passion and delight, rejection and acceptance, as the thought of religious intellectualism and new religious thinking. Secular intellectualism is both indebted to it and a supporter of it, and so is the clergy of Qom; secular intellectualism is an enemy to it, and so is the clergy of Qom! These enemies are in envy of even a half-shred of the thousand-shred fortune and respect that is showered upon that school. (2)
And while its friends practice dissimulation and sit silent for fear of their lives, and its enemies strive with all their might to suppress its name, the blossoming of this flower bush in that barren, unfree desert is itself a historical miracle. Even obscure, talentless individuals, in order to gain a false and worthless fame, grapple with religious intellectuals under corrupt pretexts, so as to falsely present themselves as rivals to those champions.
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In this era, religion, and especially the religion of Islam, has fallen into a vortex of crisis, and “the deliverer needs a remedy, not force”! Today everyone has realized that the tumultuous revolution that occurred thirty-seven years ago in Iran was a passionate, anti-tyranny, and loving yet irrational movement that rested on no theoretical foundation. It spoke of an Islam that had no familiarity with modern reason and science. It emerged from a seminary that possessed an outdated jurisprudence and an even more outdated theology. It taught the religion of old women to the masses, was based on imitation and emotion, possessed a unique skill in oratory and eulogy recitation, and its product was practical treatises on the branches of religion! It had conducted no new research in economics, nor in ethics, nor in management, nor in politics, nor in… Yet after the revolution, empty-handed, it laid claim to all of these, and in the name of religion and at the expense of Islam! And thus the crisis was born. Much effort was made to keep this crisis concealed, but “the more you cover it, the more disgraced it becomes”! So they called for “dynamic jurisprudence of the Jawāhirī school,” and extraction from “untapped sources,” and the “Islamization of the sciences,” and “establishing theory-building chairs,” and… and finally, like a hunter chasing a shadow:
Having found no way to his intended goal, Wasted effort, vain striving, wounded foot
And when none of these ruses availed, they reached for the sullied hands of the panegyrists, hoping that these might return the spilled water of the Sharia to the dried-up stream of the community! ( 3 )
Religious intellectuals were the first to grasp the secret and depth of this crisis, and with hearts devoted to service and faith, and with a Shariati-like courage and integrity, fearlessly and without dissimulation, and without bribe or reward, they confronted it and, with astonishing sagacity and acumen, created wonders. They brought forth a new theology, opened the path of dialogue with modernity, laid the foundation for the struggle against religious despotism, put jurisprudential obligation in its place, gave sovereignty to rights and ethics, and, by simultaneously emphasizing spirituality and tradition, gently seated religious knowledge and identity side by side. By exploring the meaning and nature of prophethood and revelation, they unveiled the mystery of the finality of prophecy, reconciled truth-seekers with the prophetic mission, drew back the veil from the historicity of religion, dissected its essential and accidental aspects, and blocked the path of violence in the name of religion… And although a fierce struggle still rages from both sides and an asymmetrical battle is underway, the adversary has submitted to the strength of this school, “willingly or unwillingly.” Had it not submitted, it would not be engaged in so much futile exercise, nor teaching lessons of ignorance, nor writing books of misguidance, nor amassing such armies and weapons, nor building fraudulent research institutes and training centers, nor organizing virtual and real magazines and newspapers—all with one primary and singular aim: to crush religious intellectualism and new religious thinking!
Creating false scholarly and intellectual figures, giving lavish prizes to charlatans, bringing babblers to the box of sound and image and the enterprise of clamor and color; banishing the free and the noble, promoting empty, anti-rational, and sorrow-inducing rites; consolidating the foundations of despotism through the preachers of the sultans and trafficking in religion; granting dominance to submission over criticism; and strictly forbidding the proposal or utterance of religious reform… this is the practice and thought of a regime that has risen from the seminaries, seated itself upon religion, and sees religious intellectuals who, in theory and practice, lovingly and wisely, stand against them and are engaged in enlightenment. They stand to make it known that:
Though cunning reason has raised an army, Do not be disheartened, for Love is not alone!
I would not trade a single line of a peer for the kingdom of Jam, Whoever is not slain is not of our tribe.
The daily increasing robustness and strength of this school is now undeniable, for “the sun itself is proof of the sun”! The critique of critics and the confirmation and completion by scholars have made it more complete and robust, and the departure of the Kharijites and the dotards has added to its purity. Therefore, it has no fear or dread of the taunts of the taunters or the enmity of the dagger-wielders, for they are, unwittingly, the agents of this very school! It is the great fortune of this school that its enemies tear at their own sides, the demons enter Solomon’s service, hearts become black-faced, hidden hypocrisies fall out of spite-filled breasts, clear waters are saved from troublesome rubbish, and the sooner, the better:
Hark, proclaim that my fortune has triumphed, What was to happen tomorrow, has happened today!
There are many believers (and especially young people) who have drawn their faith from this school in this turbulent sea of doubt and atheism, and they acknowledge it openly and in secret. The writer of these lines, whose “day of life has reached its evening,” bears the wounds of a hundred cruelties on his heart, is severed from friend and homeland, sits in exile, has never looked upon religion as a trade, has had no desire for lust, wealth, or status, and whose care for truth and contentment has made him independent of greed, lies, and hypocrisy—seeing the flourishing of this school and the favor of the truth-seekers, says, in unison with Mawlana Jalal al-Din:
If the days have passed, let them go, there is no fear, You remain, O You, besides whom none is pure.
And he prays to God for its greater permanence and splendor. And he prostrates at the court of the Knower of the Unseen and the Veiler of Faults, thanking God that He has made our enemies our agents; for the more they clamor and cause ruin, and scatter the thorns of slander and ridicule, the more the rose petals emerge, laughing, from among the thorns, perfuming the assembly of the spiritual.
فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَیَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً ۖ وَأَمَّا مَا یَنفَعُ النَّاسَ فَیَمْکُثُ فِی الْأَرْضِ (As for the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains on the earth… Ar-Ra‘d, 17).
So, from repelling the minds of the people of perfection, The souls of the Pharaohs remain in misguidance.
The horseshoes are reversed, O Salim, Know the Pharaoh’s hatred from Moses.
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Hark, Proclaim That My Fortune Has Triumphed
Abdolkarim Soroush
Mehr 1395, Muharram 1438
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Source: Zeitoons website
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Discussion11 comments
سه دسته با یکدیگر رو به رو شده اند : انکار کنندگان قرآن و نبوت ، انکار کنندگان توحید ، و انکار کنندگان امامت . با اینهمه دین با دو معیار قرآن و عترت و براساس دلایل واضح باقی می ماند همچنانکه تا کنون به برکت تدابیر و فداکاری های پیامبر و اهل بیت عصمت و طهارت علیهم اسلام باقی مانده است و دینداران حقیقی موظف هستند باطل بودن ادعا های هریک از سه دسته انکار کنندگان را آشکار سازند.
سروش نوشته است : « امروز همه دریافته اند که انقلابی پرهیاهو که سی و هفت سال پیش در ایران حادث شد، حرکت شورمند و ستم ستیز و عاشقانهی غیرعاقلانهای بود که بر هیچ پشتوانهی تئوریکی استوار نبود. از اسلامی دم میزد که هیچ آشنایی با عقل و علم مدرن نداشت. از حوزهای برآمده بود که فقهی کهنه و کلامی کهنهتر داشت. دین عجایز تعلیم عوام می کرد و بر تقلید و عاطفه استوار بود، و مهارتی یگانه در سخنرانی و روضهخوانی داشت و محصولش رسالههای عملیه در فروع دین! نه تحقیق تازه در اقتصاد کرده بود، نه در اخلاق، نه در مدیریت، نه در سیاست، نه در… » ، من اما جزء آن « همه » ای که ایشان نوشته اند ، نیستم : کارهای فکری سروش و دیگران در حوزه اندیشه دینی ، بخشی و طیفی از نواندیشی دینی ایران معاصر است و نه جنینی سی ساله ، که میان سالی فربه است ! کار ایشان ادامه کار بازرگان و سحابی و شریعتی ها و مطهری و ... بوده است . برای درک شعور و شناخت پشتوانه انقلاب که به نفی حکومت فردی مادام العمر و موروثی منجر شد ، بهتر است ایشان تحلیل ها و اسناد ان عصر را مرور کنند !
برای بعضی مرکز دنیا روستای انهاست! ایشان انچنان در عمل به "اوصاف پارسایان" وارونه رفته که گمان میکند مطهری و شریعتی و بازرگان و استاد محمد رضا حکیمی و شیخ محمد تقی جعفری و بسیاری دیگر همه تاریک فکری دینی را تبلیغ می کرده اند و روشن فکری دینی, فقط فکر و ملک ایشان است و سرقفلی اش هم دست ایشان است. حرف هم فقط حرف ایشان است و بس! همه خاموش و مدهوش, فقط ببینید, اعلیحضرت علم و عرفان و دانایی و تحقیق و مدرنیسم و پست مدرنیسم چه می فرمایند!
به خاطر دارم دو دهه پیش که آثار سروش را با ولع می خواندم در جای جای مطالب ایشان بر می خوردم به این انذار و پرهیز که مبادا اندیشمندی چنان بسته ی اندیشه ی خویش شود که اگر روزی از روزگار به آنجا رسید که اندیشه اش با حقیقت زاویه دارد ، از ترسِ از دست دادن موقعیت پیشین و حرمت و مقام و جاه ، از اعتراف به خطا خودداری کند و اندیشه ی ناصواب دست نخورده را با خود به گور ببرد . اکنون آنچه می بینم جز شگفتی برایم نیست . جناب سروش آنچنان دستگاه ایدئولوژیکی راکد و بسته ای از پروسه ی روانِ روشنفکری دینی (هر چند با این اصطلاح همداستان نیستم)ساخته و چنان خود را کلید دار و پرده دار آن حرم "خود مقدس پندار" انگاشته که در خودکامگی و بی منطقی ، گوی سبقت از مخالفان بی سواد و معاندان مغرضِ خویش ربوده . جناب ایشان را به بازخوانی دو سه کتاب از خودشان به ویژه "فربه تر از ایدئولوژی" توصیه می کنم !
خداوند ایات بسیاری را در برابر دیدگان ما قرار می دهد که از خواب غفلت و منیت و خود پسندی و عجب در اییم, و متاسفانه دکتر سروش, ایت عظمای خداوند در این باب شده است. به خدا پناه ببریم از شر وساوس شیطانی, انواع و اقسامش! درونی و بیرونی, جنی و انسی, داخلی, خارجی, روشنفکر, تاریک فر, اپوزیسیون, پوزیسیون, و.....
متن فوق در جواب اقای رامین حجتی بود
استاد بزرگوار دکتر سروش: اینجانب جز آندسته از جوانانی هستم که پس از سالها ارتداد با مراجعه مجدد به آرا حضرتعالی و تلمذ در جلسات سخنرانی شما مجددا به دامن دین مبین بازگشته و از این بابت خود را تا پایان عمر وامدار حضرتعالی میدانم! اما متواضعانه و جسارتا از شما تقاضا دارم تا گلایه های موجود در خصوص نحوه برخوردتان با مخالفان را به مثابه نهی از منکر پذیرا باشید!!!
پاسخ احتمالی اقای سروش و یا تلقی احتمالی ایشان از این گلایه: شما احتمالا دروغ می گویید و از منتقدان من هستید و در لباس دوست و ارادتمند سخن می گویی!مخالفان من سودای شهرت دارند و یا کسی انها را تحویل نگرفته, و یا ادم های کودنی هستند که نمی فهمند. اگر می خواستند, تا حالا فهمیده بودند. به این دلیل که هنوز به من ایراد می گیرند, معلوم میشوند که سطح فهمشان پایین است. اصلا اینها عوامل جمهوری اسلامی هستند, و یا بعدا می خواهند بشوند. و چون من به جمهوری اسلامی انتقاد کرده ام, انها به من انتقاد می کنند. چطور شما حرف هایم را فهمیدی و دوست داشتی؟ انها که دشمن من اند, اصلا نمی خواهند بفهمند. من هم انها را در جهالتشان باقی می گذارم تا بسوزند. بسوزند چوب درختان بی بر, سزا خود همین است مر بی بری را!
ممنون که درج کردید, بعضی سایت ها, به ملاحظاتی که بر من معلوم نیست, از درج بعضی مطالب ابا دارند و به نحوی سخنی را که در ان توهین و لغو نیست, بر مبنای سلیقه ی خود سانسور می کنند. یادداشت فوق برای زیتون فرستاده شد و ان بلا که عرض کردم بر سرش امده بود! البته نه در همه ی موارد, گاهی یکی در میان, درج می کنند!
قل هل ننبئکم بالاخسرین اعمالا الذین ضل سعیهم فی الحیوه الدنیا و هم یحسبون انهم یحسنون صنعا, قران کریم, سوره کهف, ایات ۱۰۳ و ۱۰۴ خداوند به همه ی ما رحم کند که از خطا های خود غافل نشویم. خود را حق و حقیقت و فقط حق, ندانیم. کمی احتمال اشتباه برای خودمان نیز, و نه فقط برای دیگران بدهیم. سرتا پای یادداشت فوق, حاکی از ایمانی فوق بشری به اندیشه و کلام و مرام و روشی بشری و انسانی (روشنفکری دینی) است که گوینده ی ان فقط زیبایی و حسن و درستی و صداقت و طهارت در ان می بیند و هر کس را با ان ناسازگار و منتقد و زاویه دار و مسئله دار ببیند, به انواع عتابها و برچسب ها و اهانتها و جهالت ها و ستم ها و وابستگی ها و…می نوازد. چگونه با کسی که فریفته ی خود و اندیشه ی خویش گشته و حتی یک مورد احتمال و پذیرش خطا در فکر و عملکرد نمی دهد, می توان سخن گفت؟! شاه خود را نظر کرده ی حضرت عباس می دانست و جمهوری اسلامی خود را نماینده ی خدا در روی زمین, و بعضی, خدا را نماینده ی خود در اسمان می دانند! در این مقاله جز تعریف و تمجید از مشی و مرام ایشان ندیدیم. ایا این سخنان, پاسخ دکتر نصر, مهندس عبدالعلی بازرگان, دکتر سید جواد طباطبایی, دکتر کدیور, دکتر علوی تبار, دکترجلایی پور, دکترنراقی, و گنجی و سهیمی و …است؟ از جناب دکتر عبدالکریم سروش تقاضا می کنم بجای شعار و زنده باد, متواضعانه, اشکالات به سخنانشان را, که در مقالات اشخاص فوق الذکر امده, یک به یک طرح کرده و پاسخ دهند. با انصاف و حوصله ای عالمانه و پدرانه, و نه خطابه ای حماسی و شعارگونه. اشعار مولوی و ادعای خدایی بایزید بسطامی و خدا خواندن خود, توسط حلاج, شطحیات است, نه سخنی که قران به ما سفارش می کند که: افلا یعقلون. ایا ادبیات زیبا و روان و استناد به مولوی و بایزید و حلاج, ما را از دلیل و برهان, بی نیاز میکند و هرچه ایشان گفت, باید بپذیریم؟ و الا جزو فلان و فلان و فلان! هستیم که ایشان در مقاله اش نثار منتقدان و مخالفانش می کند؟! “هین بگو که بخت من پیروز شد”! این چگونه پیروزی است که در سرتا سر این نوشته, یک دلیل علمی و منطقی, جز شعار و شعار و شعار و خود ستایی و خود فریبی و خود حقیقت بینی در ان نمی بینیم؟! مشک انست که خود ببوید, نه که عطار بگوید!
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