WHEN the Quran was revealed it was assumed that all Muslims would read it to seek guidance for their problems and hence no class of priesthood was needed. But as Islam spread far and wide and Muslims from other cultures spoke different languages, they could not do so.
The Quran was in Arabic and many did not know that language. Hence the need for scholars. Thus, the people approached Islamic experts, who came to be known as ulema, with their questions. The ulema would seek for followers answers from the Quran and Hadith, sometimes making their own interpretations and also in the light of their own cultural background. These answers began to be compiled, and the ulema of the later generations would refer to these compilations to answer similar questions asked by their followers.
Categories: Law
I always thought that today’s problem of the Muslims is (partly) in the educational system. Now-a-days we choose to either study science OR religion. Consequently a highly educated scientist has only a little knowledge of Islam. Equally a highly educated Imam has little knowledge of ‘the life out there’. Looking at the good old days when Muslims were masters of the sciences we can see that scientists like Ibn Sina also had knowledge of the Quran. Islamic studies should be part of all fields of education, and, for those studying the Islamic religion they should study ‘the world out there’ as well… My personal belief is that this would help …