Islam Rediscovered
15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wah
~ 271 ~
remains one and the same. However, since the
situations in human society are subject to change, it
becomes essential that the original religion (
al-din
)
could be reapplied to changing sets of
circumstances. For instance, the shariah permitted
the touching of leather socks with wet hands for
purification instead of the normal washing of feet
during ablution. Now when socks made of artificial
fibres came to be used, the question arose as to
whether doing
masah
(rubbing with water) was
lawful or not. Then it became necessary to re-apply
the old injunction to the new situation; after the
exercise of
ijtihad
, permission was given to do
masah
on these socks.
In every age the necessity arises of re-applying
divine injunctions. And this has happened in
modern times on a large scale. In ancient times, war
was a means of settling conflicts, but with the
invention of the latest deadly weapons, war today
serves no positive purpose. Now power lies in
peace alone. Such is the state of affairs that the
commands of war in Islam require a reapplication.
In days gone by, kingship, whereby the ruler
unilaterally possessed absolute power, was the
