Muslims rediscover faith, strength

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New Delhi: The hippies made Hinduism trendy and now a new generation of Indian hippies seem to be doing the same, but what about Islam? Are young Muslims trying to move away from traditional notions of Islam? CNN-IBN meets some Muslims who are redefining their search for Allah.

For Fahad Mustafa it's GRE preparation that's keeping him busy these days, but he also takes time out to pray five times a day. And he is fasting during this month of Ramadan. Islam for this 21-year-old St Stephen's college graduate is not immutable.

Mustafa says, “Islam to me is a changing thing there are words in this actually 'Ijtihad' and 'Qayas' you interpret Islam according to your self and live your life according to that. Why don't we look at the Sufis? People like Iban Arabi, who gave the interesting concept of "Wahadatul Wajood" – all part lead to God there is no one single correct path."

Muslim reformists feel the current interpretation of Islam is misleading. They put the blame on clerics and Islamic extremists.

Planning Commission Member Sayeeda Hamid says," Religion and Islam has been cornered by clerics and Maulanas and the whole spirit of Islam is Islam according to ones own likes and nobody has the right to dictate what Islam means."

Though progressive Muslims believe Islam has to be made relevant in today's world, they keep the holy book Quran at the heart of all their beliefs.

National Minorities Commission member Hamid Ansari says, “Go by the book rather than the commentary if you priorities that then it's not at all a complex religion."

Film maker Ambarien Alqadar accepts the basic tenets of Islam but feels like an outsider among the faithful. This 27 year old, like many others, believes that the religion is being hijacked by those who lay emphasis on rituals.

Alqadar says, “Why can’t Islam change with times and why cant it change as people change. I have felt that happen with me."

Some Muslim scholars feel that to say Sharia, the set of Islamic laws dealing with aspect of day-to-day life of a Muslim, is subject to change because unlike the Quran these laws are a result of human interpretation.