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Niyāz Fateḥpurī and the 'Ulamā' : criticism and debates (1922-1966)

Niyaz Fateh&dotbelow;puri (1884-1966 A.D./1302-1384 A.H.) was an accomplished literary critic, poet and religious scholar. He published a very successful magazine Nigar, primarily a literary journal, which soon became a platform for debating many of the most controversial religious, ideological, political and sociological issues of the time. It began publication in 1922 and continues to this day. / This thesis, the first detailed study in English, aims to put forward and analyze Fateh&dotbelow;puri's religious and social views in the context of the socio-political situation of the time. Through Nigar, Fateh&dotbelow;puri campaigned against the traditionalists, who he felt were responsible for the lack of both worldly and spiritual progress of Muslims because they fostered an unquestioning attitude on religious matters. / He discussed many religious concepts, for instance, revelation, free will and predestination, the hereafter, as well as the purpose of Islamic practices like prayer, fasting and charity. He believed that the basic purpose of religion was to teach akhlaq (ethical spirit) to people. Akhlaq, for him, meant doing good deeds for their own sake (as an individual's natural duty) and for the love of God. He offered what he believed to be the "rational" meaning of religion; his interpretation of religion was completely shorn of anything super-natural, and consisted of only those beliefs and actions which he thought were logical. / However, he defended the traditional role of women in society, which he saw as managing the household effectively. He considered this rational, since nature had made men and women different to enable them to perform different roles in society. Women, however, were equal to men, since their role in society was as important as that of men.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99602
Date January 2007
CreatorsShahin, Juhi.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Institute of Islamic Studies.)
Rights© Juhi Shahin, 2007
Relationalephsysno: 002614212, proquestno: AAIMR32560, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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