The Esoteric Deviation in Islam

Contents
Preface
	The problem is called capitalism
	The thesis of this book
	Questions demanding an answer
Introduction
	The global values towards world unity
		The United Religions Initiative
		Global citizenship
		The World Parliaments
		The World Scripture
		The Temple of Understanding
		The Abrahamic Religion
		The World Earth Day
	Capitalism continues
	The Muslims and the new esoteric order
Part 1: What is esotericism?
	The notion of esotericism
	The esoteric foundations
		The Fall
		Universalism
		Dualism
		Satanism
	The esoteric method
		Symbolism
		Analogy
	The esoteric motifs
		Universality of religions
			Definition
			Perennialism
			The doctrine of the 'Unity of belief in God found in all religions'
			The revealed books are all accepted
			Comparative religions
		Brotherhood of mankind
			Definition
			The supporters of the brotherhood of mankind
			Brotherhood in Islam
		Messianism and mahdism
			The islamilis' Mahdi
			The imamiyya's Mahdi
			The ahmadiyya's Mahdi
			The shia's Mahdi
			Jewish messianism
			Millenialism
				The power of the myth
				Esoteric millenialism
				An example: the jehovah's witnesses
				Pseudo-Sufi millennialism
				Year-2000-paranoia
	Esoteric politics - the United Nations
		The United Nations and esotericism
			The United Nations and its esoteric millennium events
			The UN and human rights
Part 2: The esoteric phenomenon
	The esoteric experience
		The secret and the idea of progress
	The esoteric deviation
		The esoteric order
		Esotericism and capitalism
		Esotericism and Tasawwuf
		Esotericism and interfaith dialogue
	Esoteric humanism
		Esotericism and the philosophy of human rights
			An Islamic critique of human rights
		Esotericism and constitutionalism
			What is constitutionalism?
			Esotericism and state
			Esotericism and democracy
				Sovereignty
				Pluralism
	Genealogy of new morals
		The new role of religion
		The idea behind tolerance
		Toleration as assimilation
		Tolerance and compulsion
		The emancipation of usury and the jews
		Tolerance as totalitarianism
Part 3: The religious reforms
	The christian reform: puritanism and the christianisation of usury
		The christian reform as a model of esotericisation
			Luther
			Martin Bucer
			John Calvin
		The christian reform as the christian acceptance of usury
		The consequence of the christian reform: utilitarianism
		The Ring and the emergence of capitalism
	The Islamic reform: puritanism and the islamisation of usury
		The Islamic reform as esotericisation
		The Islamic reform as the acceptance of usury
		The consequence of the Islamic reform: utilitarianism
Part 4: Freemasonry
	Introduction
		Multi-confessionalism
		Masonic humanism
	What is freemasonry?
		Definition and name
		The origins of freemasonry
			Political diversity
			Mythical origin of freemasonry
			Alchemical, kabbalistic and hermetic lore
		Fundamental principles
			The lodge and initiation
			The myth
			Symbolism
			Anti-dogmatism
			The Landmarks (the Old Limits)
	Anti-masonry
		Anti-masonry today
		History of anti-masonry
			Political anti-masonry
	The esoteric character of freemasonry
		Deism and tradition
			What is Tradition?
		Attitude towards atheism and rationalism
		The origins of esoteric freemasonry
			André Michel Ramsay, Knight of Ramsay (1686-1743)
			Martines de Pasqually (1727-1774)
			Jean-Baptiste Willermoz (1730-1824)
			Louis-Calude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803)
			Joseph de Maistre (1754-1821)
	The universalist character of freemasonry
		Universal religion
			World religion
		Universal brotherhood
			Messianism in freemasonry
		Beyond a veil of conspiracy
		The sociology of freemasonry
		Some facts about freemasonry
	Masonry in the muslim world
		The masonic experience of Amir Abdelkader
Part 5: Islam
	The Foundations of Islam
		The necessary things (wajiba) that you have to accept
		The things (mustahila) that you accept about impossible matters
		The things, the existence of which has been established, that you accept
		The things which it is believed are certain to come
	Concerning other religions
		Christianity as a metaphysical fiction
		The jews and christians are kuffar
			The christian problem
			The jewish problem
			The kuffar want us to follow their religion
		The dhimma
			The mercy of the dhimma
		The obligation of Jihad
		Islam abrogates all other religions
	The unacceptability of human rights under Islamic Law
		Apostasy in Islamic Law
		Slavery in Islamic Law
		Riba in Islamic Law
			Riba is not merely interest
	Concerning the Mahdi
		The fiqh on the Mahdi
		The corruption of the sources
			1. Esoteric ta'wil
			2. Secret sources
Part 6: The Tanzimat: the esoteric preparation
	The economics of the Tanzimat
	The esotericism of the Tanzimat
	The turn of the century
		Money and the Rights of Man
Part 7: Political deviations in Islam
	The mu'tazili
	Our 'aqida
	The shi'a
		The ideas which the shi'a hold in common with the mu'tazili
		Our position with regard to the shi'a
	Imamiyya shi'a
		Anti-governmental attitudes
		An example of kufr among the shi'a doctrines
		Messianism in the shi'a doctrine
	Bahaism
	The khawarij
		The wahhabis
			The modern khawarij
			Coming from Najd
			The habit of shaving their heads
			Their war against Islam
			Their creeds
			The Ahl al-Hadith
			The salafis
			No ta'wil
			Ibn Taymiyya as seen by the wahhabis
Part 8: The esotericisation of Tasawwuf
	The general idea of the esotericisation of Tasawwuf
	René Guénon
		Esotericism
			What is the Primordial Tradition?
			What does Guénon mean by the exterior?
		Mysteries
		Occultism
		Freemasonry
			Was René Guénon a mason?
			His debate with Julius Evola about freemasonry
		Hinduism
			The castes
		Conclusion
	Frithjof Schuon
		His doctrine
	Titus Burckhardt
		The esotericisation of Tasawwuf
		On tradition
		His universality of religions
		His extremism
		The Law as exotericism
		Symbolism and analogy
	Martin Lings
		His connection with Schuon
		His perennialism
		Devils
		Negation of the necessity of Shari'ah
		Symbolism
		Islam and christianity
	John G. Bennett and his people
		John G. Bennett
	George Gurdjieff
		The Sarmoun Society
		An inner circle of humanity
		A kafir visits Makkah
		His teachings
		The Work
		The Enneagram
	Muhammad Subuh
	Idries Shah
		Shah had a career of awards
		His ideas
			Esoteric universality of religions
			Separating Sufism from religion
		His style
		His masonic claims
		His book The Elephant in the Dark
	Shaykh 'Abdullah Daghestani
		The prodigy
		His teachings
		Daghestani's meeting with Bennett
		Daghestani's meeting with Gurdjieff
		His predictions
	Shaykh Nazim
		Perennialism
		The brotherhood of mankind
		The places of worship
		The books
		Occultism and spiritual powers
		Satanism
		Fatalism
		The philosophy of 'the Problem is Satan not Economics'
		Conclusion
	Henry Corbin
		Misunderstanding the Muslims
		On ta'wil
	Abdel Haleem Mahmud
	Inayat Khan
Part 9: The esotericisation of the Shari'ah
	The stages of modernism
		Taqlid and ijtihad
	Key features
		Rupture with the past
		Free interpretation of texts
		Islamisation of riba
		The danger of making principles out of contracts
			Stages of islamisation
		No expansionist Jihad
		Transformation of Zakat
Part 10: The Humanist Stage
	Jamaluddin al-Afghani
		He became a freemason
		His relation with the babis
		About his ideas
		About his political activity
			The Nationalist Liberal Party (Al-Hizb al-Watani al-Hurr)
			The Young Egypt Association
			The Salafiyyah movement
	Muhammad 'Abduh
		His life
		A salafi follower of Afghani
		He became a freemason
		British support
		On Khalifate and nationalism
		His alienation from the 'ulema
		His position on Islamic reform
		His position on usury
	Muhammad Rashid Reda
		Al-Manar
		The modernist-wahhabi alliance
		British support
		His modernism
		The Young Turks and the anti-Khalifate position
			Who were the Young Turks?
	Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan
Part 11: The Utilitarian Stage
	The birth of revivalism
		The term 'revival'
		What is revivalism?
	Hasan al-Banna
		Biography
		His Islamic ideology
		His political theory
		The Palestinian issue
		His historical theory
		The name Ikhwan al-Muslimin and the wahhabis
		On constitutions
		On economics
	Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
		His view of the Khalifate
		His attack on Tasawwuf
		His support of Ibn Taymiyya
		His attack on 'Uthman, radiallahu 'anhu
		His modernist commentary of Qur'an
			No compulsion in the Deen
			Changing the meaning of Jihad
			On abrogation
			On riba
			On the brotherhood of mankind
		His concept of Guidance (Hidaya): the universal guidance
		Islamic principles
		Friendship with the kuffar
		Sexual puritanism
			Stay at home
			Veil your face and hands
			Do not try to see each other
		Islamic economics
		Shari'ah: The Universal and Eternal Law
		Dualism
		His symbolic words
			Ummah
			Testimony of truth
		The modernist Mahdi
	Sir Muhammad Iqbal
		Early life and career
		He was a qadiani for many years
			The issue of the ahmadiyya split in 1914
		His ideas
		On Khalifate
			Reformism
			Humanism and tolerance
		His remarkable position on Ijtihad
	Sayyid Qutb
		His ideas
			Constitutionalism
			Humanism
			Praising Muhammad 'Abduh
			The concept of evil
			The concept of the tyrant
			The concept of living in the jahiliyya
		His 'brotherhood of mankind'
		His humanist thinking
	Muhammad Asad
		Constitutionalism
		His connection with 'Abduh
		His modernist position against the fiqh
		His new fiqh
Part 12: The Assimilation Stage: esoteric nihilism
	Introduction
		The case against Islamic banking
			The practice of Murabaha in Islamic banking
		The case against the Islamic state
			The Saudi state
				The importance of the Oil
				Esoteric wahhabism
		The Religious Dialogue
			John Esposito and his people
		Tasawwuf and Assimilation
	Sayyed Hussein Nasr
		His connection with Schuon
		Perennialism
		Anti-Taqlid
	Shaykh Ahmad Kuftaro
		Kuftaro's participation in the interfaith dialogue movement
		His dialogue with the catholic church
		The Abrahamic Dialogue
		World Scripture
		The Interfaith Summit Conference
		The jews and the christians in Syria before Kuftaro
		Kuftaro's teaching
	Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
	Khurshid Ahmad
		Biography
		Perennialism
		On revivalism (Iqbal and Maududi) as a new age
		Traditionalism
		The father of Islamic economics
		His comparative religion career
	Hassan Hathout
		Brotherhood of mankind
		Universality of religions
		Unity of belief in God
		Political implications
			No Jihad to expand the Deen
			Pluralism
			Constitutionalism
			The principle of shura
	Sheikh Rachid al-Ghannoushi
	Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi
		Faruqi's doctrines
			Dualism
			Tolerance
			Egalitarianism
	Anwar Ibrahim
		His political career
		Thinking like a freemason
		Comparative religions and interfaith dialogue
		The brotherhood of mankind
		Tolerance
		No taqlid
		Revivalism
	Yusuf Qardawi
		His ideas
			Tolerance
			Brotherhood of Mankind
			Dialogue and comparative religions
			The head of the salafiyya sect
			The need for a new fiqh
			Secular state and islamisation
			Constitutionalism and democracy
			Banking and paper-money
			Islamic insurance
			His endorsement of Dr. Hassan Hathout
			His endorsement of Rashid Reda
Part 13: The politics of the esoteric deviation
	Political docility
		The philosophy of 'the Muslims are weak'
	Anti-Khalifate programme
		The Arab Khalifate
		Khalifate as parliamentary democracy
		The Khalifate as spiritual authority only
		The Khalifate as a commonwealth of states
		Waiting on the Khalifa
		The Khalifate is already finished
	Puritanism
Part 14: The opening of Islam
	The 'Amal of Madinah
		1. The restoration of the 'Amal
		2. The political aspects of the 'Amal
	Tasawwuf
	Renewal through Islam
		Beyond political parties
		A programme based on the 'Amal of Madinah
		A new science of trading
Part 15: Conclusion
	Islam over kufr
	A final word
Appendices
	Appendix 1. Ibn Khaldun's "On the Matter of the Mahdi"
	Appendix 2. Ibn Taymiyya: the School of Madinah
		The soundness of the basic premises of the School of the People of Madinah
			The text of the question which Ibn Taymiyya was asked
			The excellence of Madinah and its people in hadith
			The consensus of the people of Madinah is a proof as opposed to other muslim cities
			Odious innovations like the shi'a and the qadariyya issued from almost all cities except Madinah
	Appendix 3. Esoteric dates
	Appendix 4. Political dates
	Appendix 5. The esoteric jargon
	Appendix 6. Glossary of special terms
	Appendix 7. Glossary of Islamic terms
	Appendix 8. Glossary of Arabic expressions
Bibliography
Notes
	Introduction
	Part 1: What is esotericism
	Part 2: The esoteric phenomenon
	Part 3: The religious reforms
	Part 4: Freemasonry
	Part 5: Islam
	Part 6: The Tanzimat — the esoteric preparation
	Part 7: Political deviations in Islam
	Part 8: The esotericisation of Tasawwuf
	Part 9: The esotericisation of the Shari'ah
	Part 10: The Humanist Stage
	Part 11: The Utilitarian Stage
	Part 12: The Assimilation Stage — esoteric nihilism
	Part 13: The politics of esoteric deviation
	Part 14: The opening of Islam
	Part 15: Conclusion
	Appendix 1: Ibn Khaldun's "On the Matter of the Mahdi"
	Appendix 3: Esoteric dates
	Appendix 4: Political dates
	Appendix 5: The esoteric jargon
	Appendix 6: Glossary of special terms
	Appendix 7: Glossary of Islamic terms
Index