INTRODUCTION

This is a review of a selected writings of Dr. Mohamed Ali Mohamed Shukri.  Presently Dr. Shukri is the Director of a leading educational institute of Islamic learning, Jamiah Naleemiah, in Sri Lanka.  Dr.  Shukri has been in this position for nearly three decades.  Before that he was a university professor attached to the Department of Arabic and Islamic Civilization of a leading higher educational institution in Sri Lanka, University of Peradeniya.  Dr. Shukri is a well-known researcher, writer, orator and preacher. His contribution to knowledge especially in the areas of Islam and Muslims is well known and well recognized.  He is known widely within Sri Lanka and beyond for his academic excellence and religious and social devotion.

This is a brief note about the writings of Dr. Shukri. In fact, it is a review and is focused on selected writings of Dr. Shukuri.  The review includes some selected writings of Dr. Shukri that were available to the reviewer for review.  The review includes about 80 pieces of his writings. But Dr. Shukri’s writings go beyond this number and cover a vast array of issues. Those writings too need separate attention. The reviewer recognizes that the non-inclusion of all his writings is a short-coming of this review.

The reviewed writings are in Tamil and English.  The writings that are chosen for review were mainly addressed to common people and were written in a style that everyone can understand and benefit. They were written over a long period of time. 

The purpose of the review is to identify the issues that were focused upon in the writings.  It is to assess the nature of the contribution made by him in which  the writer has had the opportunity to fully appreciate and evaluate. It is to explain rationale behind the writings. Finally, it is also to evaluate the impacts of those writings on the readers.

 BACKGROUND

The writings that are reviewed are mainly on aspects of Islam and Muslims of Sri Lanka.  Muslims in Sri Lanka while being the second largest minority, inter mingled with the other major communities and have maintained cordial and friendly relations with them  for a long time in this country.  Islam was introduced in a peaceful manner in Sri Lanka which was one of the reasons for the way Muslims have been perceived and treated as  friendly neighbors by the people of other faiths in the country.  At the same time, while foundations of the belief system of the Muslims of Sri Lanka are unshaken, Islam and Muslims have been undergoing significant changes because of the reforms that had taken place among them in Sri Lanka and as a result of the influence of contemporary trends of  global Islamization These form the  background for the  Dr. Shukri’s writings. They are based on them and also reflect those influences.

CONTENT

The subjects dealt in the writings vary greatly but remain largely within the broad area of Islam and Muslims.  Some speak of Islamic history and culture.  Some concentrate on philosophy and theology. Others dealt with subjects such as the western approach to Islam, and Muslims in multi-religious and cultural settings. Islamic archaeology is a dominant feature in some writings while an issue which was once considered controversial, music in Islam, is the subject of other writings.  The subjects he dealt with are many more than those listed here.  In most cases, each subject is dealt with separately.

In discussing history, the respective writings deal in detail about the golden era of the time of the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) and his disciples and also go into explaining how Islam through its noble message was able to attract different nations worldwide. In referring to Islamic culture, the author states   that Islamic culture is a blend of the way Islamic teaching and what people inherited from their pre-Islamic past that are considered acceptable to Islam. 

The life and contribution of individual Islamic scholars were the subjects some other.  The contribution of Imam Gazzaly (Rah) to the development of Islamic thoughts was one of them. The author also compared the contribution of scholars of different faiths.  For example, the author found that the message and vision of two great south Asian poets such as Allama Iqbal and the poet Barathi were similar because they lived through a period of colonialism leading to independence and made a clarion call to the  masses preaching a common message. 

The writings of reviewed also show that how strong the author was in his criticism of western approach of Islam and Muslims. This in fact has not been a new phenomenon; but it has antecedent from the past.  However, the way Dr. Shukri approach this issue was different and distinct. The author, Dr. Shukri, who did his higher studies in the west and knew well the good side of western scholarship and culture felt that the unfair treatment of Islam and Muslims by the west is unreasonable and unacceptable.  At the same time, he does this criticism from the perspective of bridging the gaps between these two civilizations.

Dr. Shukri writes about the use of music in Islam which is an issue commonly misunderstood by many.  His writing refers to the right place that Islam gives to music. In fact, the article might be written at a time when there were differences in opinion as to how Islam sees the use of music in Islamic and non-Islamic activities of Muslims of Sri Lanka.  The different writings argue that Islam does not prohibit the use of music, and the habit of listening to music, if the use is meaningful and undertaken in a way that does not hinder spiritual devotion. Some writings go into explaining the ethnics and morality that are insisted on in  Islam.  In one of the writings the author says that fear of Allah is the measure by which one’s morality can be evaluated. 

The author gives special attention to Islamic architecture in some of his writings.  The distinctiveness of Islamic architecture such as having several special architectural features such as the minaret that reflect Islamic traditions have been dealt in those writings.  In speaking  about Islamic law, it is said that  Islamic law is based on justice to all and that it treats everyone equally and also based on spiritual guidance and not on material values. 

The reference to the concept of Islamic education is also found in some of the writings.  They refer to the importance of education in Islam and also how early Islamic leaders had devoted much of their time and resources to the development of education.  The author says that the success of Muslims during period was based on educational development.  Those writings bring examples from where Muslims were and who first established university education there during the  early spread of Islam in Europe.

Several writings discuss the nature of Islamic believes and practices.  They speak of the ways of reaching Allah through prayers. Those writings indicate that best examples for good prayers could be learned from the prayers of the prophet (Peace be Upon  Him ) which in fact were total submission to the god.

Some of the articles speak about the way a country should ideally be ruled taking example of  the Islamic rulers of the early days. Those articles emphasize that Islam had given proper guidance to rulers as to how best countries can be ruled with Islamic principles.

The list of issues covered in the writings of Dr. Shukri goes beyond the above and the contents of those are as  important as those discussed here.

MESSAGES CONVEYED

The overall theme of the wrings of Dr. Shukri is on Islam and the Muslims of Sri Lanka in multi-religious and cultural settings.  Within this, religious, cultural, social and other issues have been discussed.   He argues that Islam is a religion of completeness and it is a tolerant and flexible religion.  He attempts to establish his argument through the discussion of various issues that were mentioned earlier.

It is very clear from the writings that were reviewed that the author introduces Islam to Muslim and non-Muslim readers who can think of Islam in a very positive manner. He gives his vision to the Muslim community as to how the community has to reform itself and face contemporary challenges.  His thoughts are not always confined within Islam and Muslims and often go beyond those parameters. He tells that Muslims of Sri Lanka are peace loving people who have proved that they can co-exist in different socio-religious and cultural environment without compromising their own religious beliefs and cultural norms. He also shares his world views with the readers of the past and present through his writings.  He often compared western and eastern cultures in a positive manner insisting  that each has benefited from the other in building a  successful modern society. In this respect, his comparison of different religions especially Islam and other faiths is very useful and suggests a positive approach.   

He studied Islam and Islamic civilization in the west which is something special for him . This is reflected in the balanced way of his thinking.  He bridges gaps between different faiths in a very positive manner through his writings.

SHORT-COMINGS 

Issues relating religious beliefs and practices dominate his writings and far less attention is paid to the social, economic and political aspects of Muslim communities within and outside of Sri Lanka.  The material richness of the writings in some places is  lost because the writings were written a simple and readable manner.  However, when one things of the  demand for this kind of reading that come from the common people who seek knowledge in those areas, not many were able to reach even close to what  Dr. Shukri has done through his writings in the recent past. 

WHAT SHOULD BE  NEXT

It seems that many follow up activities will have to be done on the writings and other educational contribution of Dr. Shukri. It is necessary to synthesize his thoughts that are expressed through his writings and other means and conceptualize them for future research and use.  At the same time, the materials that are not reviewed need special attention.  In this respect, it is necessary to look beyond published materials but also  to look for the unpublished materials of Dr. Shukri.  Letters and other forms of correspondence of Dr. Shukri could be other sources which also need to be compiled and analyzed. In order for his contribution to reach wider readers, it may a good idea to translate some or most of his writings to other languages used in Sri Lanka and possibly in south Asia.  Students could be encouraged to research the messages that were conveyed by Dr. Shukri through his writings.

CONCLUSION

The writings of Dr. Shukri that are reviewed reveal that writer has successfully conveyed his messages to his readers.  This was done through the art of writing, which he inherited.  He had a wide audience because his perspective was broad and appealing to many.     Undoubtedly, his writings are readable and easily understandable. Through his writings, he achieved the task of communicating with readers of all ranks in a smooth manner even on some matters, which could be considered philosophically and otherwise heavy and difficult to explain and understand.  Islamic concepts are written in a way for average readers to understand them fully.  He uses religious texts and evidences in correct places and in an appropriate manner.  For readers who can read only in Tamil, the writings of Dr. Shukri are a great asset.  His contribution to knowledge through his writings has been very useful to many.  The richness of his contribution could be understood by reviewing all his writings from different perspectives.  Many wishes that his contribution to knowledge has to continue.