Usuli Institute SECOND Ramadan Q&A, Part 2 of 2, 23 May 2020

Part 2 of 2: Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl answers questions from around the world. YouTube video is at: https://youtu.be/4jKyRwjlKv4 0:01 - On paranormal abilities A few years ago, I woke from sleep, sitting straight up in bed, heart pounding, having heard, not in a dream, a voice saying, “Your death age is 63”. I’m using the word ‘voice’, but the quality of this was unlike anything I’ve ever known or heard. I’ve thought of this everyday since then. What do you make of that? Also, is there an explanation for an intoxicating, beautiful scent or perfume in the presence of a dying person in their last days and hours? I should add that it seems among the many people surrounding the dying person, only I was aware of it. 7:42 - On what happens after death What happens to the body and soul after death, what happens when we die? When we visit our dead in the cemetery and we say “As Salaam Alaikum” to them, does that mean they can hear us? What relief, if any, can we provide them in the grave? 21:46 - On how to deal with the recently deceased How should modern western Muslims bury their dead? 30:13 - On destiny If I’m not mistaken, Islam, perhaps in the Quran, propagates that our destinies are set or written. But on the other hand, I’ve heard hadith that say that du’a changes destiny. I fail to understand how is that possible if destinies are set? Allah gave us the capacity to do good or evil, how do we deal with the concepts of predestination and destiny versus what Allah wills? In general and also in the context of natural disasters, in specific. If God is all-merciful and all-knowing, why would He create people that would end up suffering eternally, for example, that would get into Jahannam? I fail to understand the concept of eternal reward or punishment, as I assumed that a finite time is spent on doing good or bad, then a finite reward would be expected. 1:08:20 - What is the Usuli Institute? What does “usuli” mean in the context of Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl’s work? Foundationalism? Principalism? How does the term “usuli” apply to the Professor’s methodology and how does that differ from other things described as “usuli”, such as Usuli Shiism? Does an Usuli approach have an overlap in meaning with the maqasidi approach discussed by others, like Jasser Auda? What about usulism in particular distinguishes the approach from those of other Muslim scholars today? Could you talk about the history of the Usuli approach? Who were some of the other scholars in our tradition that would be identified as usuli? How much of the Professor’s approach were taught by his teachers, and how much of it did he develop? 1:32:48 - Grace Song’s reflections Grace Song, the Usuli Institute’s Executive Director, reflects on this Q&A session and the Usuli Institute. 1:37:10- Dr. Abou El Fadl’s reflections Dr. Abou El Fadl offers his reflections on his past teachers and what he hopes for his students. 1:44:35 - The miraculous nature of the Quran Dr. Abou El Fadl has mentioned two halaqas ago that the Prophet’s miracle was the Quran and it stands as a distinct proof apart from the miracles of other prophets. I understand that different scholars debated what it was that made the Quran miraculous, for example, whether it was the prose, the content, et cetera. The typical explanation that we hear today is that the Quran’s miracle is linguistic and it is the Quraysh’s failure to answer its challenge that demonstrates its power to incapacitate. Alhamdulillah, I am personally content with this answer but I do not think it would persuade many today, especially non-Arabic speakers. What are your thoughts on the miraculous nature of the Quran as a timeless quality and how it is a proof for all times and places?