خطبات احمدیہ میں سر سید احمد کے عقلیت و جدت پسندانہ رجحانات (تحقیقی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ)

SIR SYED AHMAD RATIONALISTIC AND MODERNIST TENDENCIES IN KHUTBAT E AHMADIYAH __ RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a towering intellectual, reformer, and historian of the 19th century, contributed significantly to Islamic thought and the defense of the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) biography through his seminal work Khutbat-e-Ahmadiyah. This book was written as a response to Sir William Muir’s controversial Life of Mohammed. While defending the Prophet’s character, Sir Syed introduced new interpretations of several established religious and historical events, reflecting his rationalist and modernist approach. However, these reinterpretations often led to the rejection or redefinition of traditionally accepted Islamic beliefs.

Among such instances, Sir Syed identified Prophet Isaac (AS) instead of Prophet Ishmael (AS) as the "sacrificed son", favored monogamy over polygamy except in rare cases, denied the continued existence of slavery in Islam, and promoted individual ijtihad (independent reasoning) over strict adherence to the opinions of the Prophet’s companions. He redefined jihad as permissible only in cases of religious persecution, not as a standing command. He considered the Hajr-e-Aswad an ordinary stone, dismissed the sacredness of Ashhar ul-Haram (Sacred Months), and held that the Prophet (PBUH) was born as a Prophet rather than receiving Prophethood at the age of 40. He also saw Zamzam as an ordinary well, regarded the Ashab-e-Feel event as a natural epidemic (smallpox) rather than divine intervention, interpreted Isra and Mi'raj as spiritual, and viewed the Seal of Prophet hood as a physical swelling due to illness rather than a divine mark. I have also presented the traditional perspective on sir Syed weak reasoning and his rationalist and modernist interpretations of certain events.