RESPONSE OF "HIKMET" TO A PHENOMENON OF RELIGIOUS MODERNISM IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS

Abstract

The research subject in this article is reactions of ulama gathered around the periodical Hikmet to the phenomenon of religious modernism in Bosnia and Herzegovina between the two World Wars. The methods used in this research are: method of the content analysis, comparative and descriptive methods. The most significant issues discussed by this ulama are: the issue of preserving the "authentic Islam", emancipation of Muslim women, unacceptability of ijtiha, illegitimacy of the opinions of the secular ulama about the issues of Islam, is the dress code a reflection of man’s belief or unbelief, the issue of banking that involves dealing with interest and the issue of legitimacy of polygamic marriages. Hikmet recognised as valid only that explanation of the text of the Qur’an that is based on the Qur’an and the sunnah of the Prophet s.w.s., and they held that understanding of the message of the Qur’an is possible only on the bases of the original text of the Qur’an and by no means on the bases of the translation of the Qur’an. When explaining text of the Qur’an, authors of the articles published in Hikmet attempted to offer answers the challenges brought about by social and other changes of the time, and they tried to give solutions for the Muslim society that, in their opinion, would be in accordance with Islamic rules and at the same time could be brought to practice in given social circumstances.