Islam Without Modernism
Two things need to be separated here: – One is guidance and deviance and, – The Second is practical matters related to that guidance and interpretation of certain directives related to that guidance. As far as the former is conerned, there is ample evidence available ( in one’s own nature, history and through inference based on observations ) to reach that guidance and at an individual level, even without help of any scholar, one can can reach to that guidance. In additon to this, this guidance is being supervised under divine law of guidance and error , which entails that God will make sure that a true seeker of guidance is bound to find it, one way or another. The same goes for first part of the latter, one can easily follow such practical matters of religion without any major difference among the followers. As for the second part of the latter, there lies some differences of opinion based on differences in understanding of linguistics, interpretation of some historical matters and preference given to one source over another etc. etc. Very minor part of this difference results in some grave misunderstanding of any divine directive. But this is the inherent limitation that lies with every text that is bound to be understood by humans and cannot be eliminated completely. The questions in a human mind regarding God kept changing over the time depending on domination of a particular ideology, particular nation and/or particular technology etc. over the centuries. And when looked in the hindsight, we find erudite scholars being born during each of these times who were most suitable for their time and there were never any questions left unanswered in any era that were diectly related to God and his existence or other pertinent matters of their time.