About the only universal agreement that exists among Islamic scholars is that every word of the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not subject to human modification, ever.  The Hadith enjoys a similar sacrosanct standing.  And of course, the faithful Muhammad’s conduct as recorded in the Sunna is the model to be emulated.  Hence, one can pick and choose, but one cannot discard or revise any part of the Islamic scripture.  For this reason, a Martin Luther-type reformation has not happened and will not likely ever happen within Islam.

Numerous people have tried it in every imaginable way.  The Mu’tazelis tried it, the Sufis tried it, and hundreds of old and new schools tried it, and they all failed.  Many open-minded Muslim intellectuals have tried reforming Islam, including Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Sayyid al-Qimni, Nasr Abu Zayd, Khalil Abdel-Karim, Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammed Arkoun, Mohammed Shahrour, and Ahmed Subhy Mansour.  Sheikh Mansour was fired from Al-Azhar University after expressing his Hadith rejector views.  Edip Yuksel, Gamal al-Banna, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im  Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri,  Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, Ahmed Al-Gubbanchi,  Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, and Faraj Foda, Taha were hanged in 1985 under the sharia regime of Jaafar al-Nimeiri,  and Foda was assassinated in 1992 by al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya.  Persian scholar and historian Ahmad Kasravi was also assassinated by Fada’iyan-e Islam (the devotees of Islam).

Thus, Islam is not reformable for the following primary reasons:

* At the heart of the problem is the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred book, considered as literally perfect and the immutable words of Allah.

* Islam is a perfect religion.

Qur’an 5:3: Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall be your religion.

How can fallible, limited humans possibly reform or improve the handiwork of the all-knowing, all-wise Author of the Universe?

Freedom of all forms is anathema to Islam, which is squarely based on total submission to the dictates and will of Allah.  Muslims must obey Allah and His Messenger.

Qur’an 33:36: And it behoves not a believing man and a believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely strays off a manifest straying.