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History_of_Allah-com, page : 40
scholars in one vessel, with the help of only two assistants [… The method I followed
is one that God] inspired me with (alhamanihi [sic]) and that no book or
person pointed me to” (Darwish, n.d.).
CONCLUSION: THE INDIVIDUAL ON THE “HIGHWAY
FOR KNOWLEDGE”
From degreeless software engineer to scholar-shaykh and “custodian of Prophetic
Tradition,” Ahmad Darwish set out to complete the work of the first caliphs by
establishing the definitive canon of Islam. Fantastic as this story may sound, it is
nevertheless not untypical. The challenge posed to the hegemony of traditional
Muslim scholarly elites by people with an educational background in secular
fields (medicine, engineering, law, literary studies, accounting, etc.) has been a
dominant theme in twentieth-century Islam; many of the most prominent names
in contemporary Islamic thought and action exemplify this challenge. Ahmad
Darwish is far from being prominent; even his high-profile web address has not
helped to secure him a significant audience.42 But he is typical of a larger trend:
that the individual believer—in principle, every individual believer—assumes the
right and takes responsibility for understanding what Islam means and for
is one that God] inspired me with (alhamanihi [sic]) and that no book or
person pointed me to” (Darwish, n.d.).
CONCLUSION: THE INDIVIDUAL ON THE “HIGHWAY
FOR KNOWLEDGE”
From degreeless software engineer to scholar-shaykh and “custodian of Prophetic
Tradition,” Ahmad Darwish set out to complete the work of the first caliphs by
establishing the definitive canon of Islam. Fantastic as this story may sound, it is
nevertheless not untypical. The challenge posed to the hegemony of traditional
Muslim scholarly elites by people with an educational background in secular
fields (medicine, engineering, law, literary studies, accounting, etc.) has been a
dominant theme in twentieth-century Islam; many of the most prominent names
in contemporary Islamic thought and action exemplify this challenge. Ahmad
Darwish is far from being prominent; even his high-profile web address has not
helped to secure him a significant audience.42 But he is typical of a larger trend:
that the individual believer—in principle, every individual believer—assumes the
right and takes responsibility for understanding what Islam means and for