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I have many thoughts myself on the subjects covered in the article. I offer the article first, to allow people to react. My main reason for posting it is to encourage people to engage on an intellectual level with the issues that are behind the present war of ideas involved in our relations with all the various schools of thought in the Islamic world. To those who are not scholars of the subject, it may give a sense of the ideas that are involved. To some of a theological or historical bent, some of the subjects may well be familiar from parallel controversies within historical Christianity (e.g. Newman on tradition vs. consensus).

I also offer it because, like the author of this article, I think Rahman's thought is a promising way forward, or at the very least that he has raised the right issues moderate Muslims will have to grapple with. I had the benefit of studying with the man briefly in the last years of his life, while he taught at the University of Chicago. He was a kind, urbane, measured, and impressively learned old gentleman.

A partial glossary of terms used in the article may be helpful. More detail about the nuances of each term are discussed in the body of the article.

sunna - exemplary conduct, moral example, precedent, tradition
ijtihad - interpretation
ijma - consensus, especially agreement of faithful muslims
ulama - body of religious scholars, divines
hadith - narration, especially reports of actions of Muhammad or his Companions
r'ay - opinion, especially personal
qi'ya - analogy, reasoning from similar cases

Here is a partial bibliography of Fazlur Rahman's works. The most useful for those new to the subject are "Islam" and "Islam and Modernity" -

Rahman, Fazlur (1962-3). ‘Post-Formative Developments in Islam - I’. Islamic Studies, I (4), (1962), pp. 1-23.

Rahman, Fazlur (1963). ‘Post-Formative Developments in Islam - II’ Islamic Studies, II (1963), pp. 297-316.

Rahman, Fazlur (1965). Islamic Methodology in History. Karachi, Central Institute of Islamic Research. [Out of Print]

Rahman, Fazlur (1979a) ‘Islamic Studies and the Future of Islam’. In Kerr, Malcolm H. (ed.), Islamic Studies: A Tradition and Its Problems, Seventh Giorgio Della Vida Conference, 1979. Malibu, Calif.; Undena Publications. Pp. 125-133.

Rahman, Fazlur (1979b). Islam. (2nd ed.) Chicago, Chicago University Press. [In Print, usually available from Dillons.]

Rahman, Fazlur (1980). Major Themes of the Qur’an. [In print, available from al-Hoda books.]

Rahman, Fazlur (1982). Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago, Chicago University Press. [In print, available from Dillons].

Rahman, Fazlur (1984). ‘Some Recent Books on the Qur’an by Western Authors’. Journal of Religion, 64 (1), (1984), pp. 73-95.

Rahman, Fazlur (1985a). ‘ Law and Ethics in Islam.’ In Hovannisian, R. (ed.), Ethics in Islam: Ninth Giorgio Levi Della Vida Conference, 1983, in Honour of Fazlur Rahman. Malibu, Calif.; Undena Publications. Pp 3-15.

Rahman, Fazlur (1985b). ‘Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies: A Review.’ In Martin, R.C. (ed.), Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies. Tuscon, The University of Arizona Press. Pp. 189-202, 233-234.

Rahman, Fazlur (1988a). ‘Islamization of Knowledge: A Response.’ American Journal of Islamic Social Science, Vol. 5(1), 1988, pp. 3-11.

Rahman, Fazlur (1988b). ‘Roots of Islamic Neo-Fundamentalism’. In Stoddard, P.H., Cuthell, C. and Sullivan, M.W. (eds), Change in the Muslim World. Syracuse, US; Syracuse University Press. Pp. 23-35.

I made it 16 paragraphs in, before I jumped to the last two paragraphs (Conclusion), and called someone else for an assessment. It would have been a little helpful, if you had provided an initial reference to the existence of a glossary at the end of your first reply. But even if you had, the glossary is quite vague, and provides little for comprehensive understanding, except possibly as a refresher to those who have looked into the subject in the past.

For the most part, at least of what I read, the article appears to me to be a collection of specific title phrases, names, and vague connections to vaguely written explanations. However, I'm not criticising it for such, as it appears to be a comprehensive summary of an in depth study. In that regard, I doubt you will find many here at FR who have studied the topic enough, to be able to formulate any opinion on the matter.

My curiosity will bring me back to this post to see if any of those who reply, actually grasp much if any of the subject matter covered. I'm sure a few will, but not very many. For those who do, I hope future discussion will lead to some simplification (progress), thus providing the rest of us with an increased understanding. In my case, I think a whole lot of simplification may be needed.