Maulavi Chiragh Ali on Islamic Law (Sharī‘ah) and War (Jihād): A Defensive Modernist Reformist Project

Abstract

Maulavi Chiragh Ali was a leading sub-continent modernist reformist thinker of late 19^th century. He was a contemporary of Sir Sayed Ahmad Khan and was associated with the Aligarh Movement in colonial India. His literary projects revolve around reinterpreting Islam in the light of rationality and modernity_ a much-needed endeavor at his time. This descriptive paper will shed light on two of his important discourses, i.e., on Islamic Law (Sharī‘ah) and Concept of war (Jihād). The paper applies a discourse analysis to examine the dynamics of Chiragh Ali major themes and arguments developed in accordance with the social, cultural, political, historical and intellectual contexts of the colonial rule eminent in South Asia. The methodology of this paper employs qualitative historical analysis, so the first section is prelude to the historical and political setting in which Chiragh Ali developed his thought. The next two sections are reserved for thorough discussion of his discourses on Islamic law and the concept of war. The fourth section of this paper will analyze the strength and weaknesses of his thought. The last section has been focused on modern-day relevance of Maulavi Chiragh Ali in 21^st century for Muslims to combat Islamophobia and virtuous war against Islam on a global level.