Islamic Epistemology versus Postmodern Relativism: A Critical Refutation of Internalized Postmodern Hermeneutics in Contemporary Muslim Thought

Abstract

Contemporary Muslim thought has increasingly become postmodern in terms of how Muslims understand knowledge and truth. Postmodernism challenged the idea of objective truth and authoritative interpretation in religious contexts; yet, it has had far greater implications in recent years in how Muslims understand their scripture and law with regard to the application of identity-based, reader-centered and historicist approaches to the Qur'an and Shari'ah. The purpose of this paper is to identify the epistemological implications of such postmodern thinking and to argue that postmodern relativism directly challenges the fundamental principles of knowledge in Islam. This paper utilizes the basic components of classical Islamic epistemology - namely, waḥy (revelation), Sunnah (Prophetic authority), ijma' (scholarly consensus), and qias (disciplined reason/aql) - to illustrate how they collectively form a coherent and durable system of knowing truth, morality, and interpreting the Qur'an and Shari'ah. In addition, the paper demonstrates that the reinterpretive movement in contemporary times that has been influenced by postmodern thought is not simply an attempt to offer alternative interpretations of the scripture and law, but rather creates a new set of standards for determining what constitutes meaningfulness and normativity in Islamic law. This, in turn, has the possibility of rendering the epistemological authority of revelation irrelevant, and to fragment the Islamic moral discourse. To counteract this trend the author of the paper argues that Islam possesses its own methods of renewal - i.e., through the use of ijtihad (independent reasoning), maqasid al-shariah (the purposes/goals of the Shariah), and tajdid (Islamic reform/renewal) - and therefore affords contemporary Muslims the opportunity to address their particular, contextual situations, while at the same time maintaining morally universal truths in an epistemically secure manner. Ultimately, the author presents a strategic counter-attack against postmodern relativism using Islamic epistemology, while also highlighting the need for renewed epistemological confidence amongst contemporary Muslim scholars. The author concludes that whether or not Islam will remain relevant in the modern world is dependent on Islam's affirmation of being a source of objective, transcendent truth as opposed to the relativization of the nature of revelation.