{"id":13034,"date":"2025-11-25T21:22:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/?p=13034"},"modified":"2025-12-07T23:52:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:52:02","slug":"dr-badrawy-on-egyptke-dont-talk-about-religion-youre-not-a-specialist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-badrawy-on-egyptke-dont-talk-about-religion-youre-not-a-specialist\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Badrawy on Egyptke: \u201cDon\u2019t Talk About Religion \u2014 You\u2019re Not a Specialist!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I am often surprised by those who demand that I remain silent whenever I reflect on the Qur\u2019an or express an opinion about a prophetic hadith, claiming that I am \u201cnot a religious scholar.\u201d As if religion descended as an exclusive domain for a select group, or as if understanding the words of God and His Messenger is forbidden unless endorsed by an official institution.<\/p>\n

Religion was revealed for all people, not as an encrypted text decipherable only by specialists. God addressed human minds, encouraged reflection, and never tied it to certificates or professions. He said: \u201cDo they not reflect upon the Qur\u2019an?\u201d<\/em> and: \u201cA blessed Book which We have revealed to you that they may ponder its verses.\u201d<\/em> He did not say: so that only the scholars may ponder it.<\/em><\/p>\n

I know my limits. I do not claim expertise in matters that truly require specialized knowledge, nor do I issue legal rulings. But I have a mind God granted me, a spirit that seeks, a heart that interacts with divine words, and an intellect nurtured on science, critique, and analysis.<\/p>\n

When I read the Qur\u2019an, I do not read it as letters recited, but as a call to human consciousness. When I contemplate hadith, I do not treat it as a linguistic idol, but as a historical and spiritual discourse that must be understood through context and purpose.<\/p>\n

Those who compare religion to medicine say: \u201cJust as I don\u2019t argue with you in medicine, don\u2019t argue with us in religion.\u201d I tell them: Medicine is an empirical science that requires specialization, experience, and practice. Religion, however, begins with the human mind and conscience. Its starting point is questioning, contemplation, and the search for meaning.<\/p>\n

Turning religion into a private property of a small elite is the first gateway to clericalism and the last fortress of stagnation.<\/p>\n

A religion that does not allow its followers to think, ask, and re-read its texts in harmony with the evolution of their understanding does not grasp its spirit \u2014 even if it memorizes its texts.<\/p>\n

Throughout history, many new phenomena in our societies were met with prohibition and accusations of heresy through fatwas issued by those who monopolize religious discourse \u2014 only for these \u201cforbidden\u201d things to later become pillars of daily life.<\/p>\n

Coffee<\/strong>, for example, when it first appeared in the 15th century, was banned by Muslim scholars who considered it intoxicating or a \u201csatanic innovation.\u201d Those who drank it were accused of disbelief based on fatwas \u2014 and today it is a symbol of hospitality and part of our cultural identity.<\/p>\n

Printing<\/strong> was banned in many Muslim lands for centuries, under the pretext that it would \u201cdistort the Qur\u2019an\u201d or \u201cspread corruption.\u201d Today it is the foundation of education, culture, and even religious propagation.<\/p>\n

Music<\/strong>, women\u2019s education<\/strong>, theater<\/strong>, and even sports<\/strong> were once viewed with suspicion or labeled forbidden \u2014 based on fatwas from voices similar to those who now attack anyone expressing an opinion about religion. Yet they all became engines of development and enlightenment.<\/p>\n

This raises an important question:
Why does this pattern keep repeating? Why is the fatwa used to block every new idea instead of understanding it?<\/p>\n

In the field of health, and until very recently, the fatwa-driven insistence on female genital mutilation was unquestionable, despite its clear tragedies and severe harm.<\/p>\n

Today, in the 21st century, with all our scientific progress, a law is proposed in Egypt to prohibit any expression of opinion that approaches religion in any way, attacking anyone who speaks because they are \u201cnot a specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n

I do not claim to possess \u201cthe truth,\u201d but I search for it.<\/p>\n

If reflection is a crime, then welcome the crime \u2014 as long as I read with reason, contemplate with spirit, and respect the sanctity of the text without shutting the door to understanding.<\/p>\n

A young dreamer once sent me a comment on this topic that I admired, and I share it with you here:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do people come to know God?<\/p>\n