- Islam and the Future -- 145
- Islamization and Academic Institutions -- 149
- The Future Course of Humanity -- 153
- Islamization is the Issue of the Ummah -- 158
CHAPTER SIX
Islam and the Future
At the end of this study it must be
emphasized that reform is of equal importance to the Ummah and humanity alike.
It is therefore essential that the attention and efforts of Islamic workers and
leaders be directed toward three fundamental matters:
1.
the future of the Ummah; i.e. working among Muslim youth;
2.
the role of academic institutions in achieving Islamization and
clarifying the Islamic perspective toward knowledge, civilization, and the
preparation of new generations qualified to carry the eternal message of Islam
to all of humankind;
3.
guiding the future course of human civilization in fulfillment of the
Ummah’s responsibility to correct the progress and thought of humankind.
The Future of the Ummah’s Character
It is obvious that the thought of the
Ummah as it stands at present is in need of reform. It is equally obvious that
the psychological makeup of the Ummah as it stands at present is defective.
Even if individuals and even entire generations are capable of ingesting new
information and ideas, that intake will be superficial and significantly different
from the processes involved in true character-building. “The best of you in
Islam are the best of you in jāhilīyah, so long as you
(pg.145)
acquire an understanding of Islam,” said the Prophet.
It was for this reason that the free and daring Arabs of the desert, after they
converted to Islam, were able to achieve so much in a remarkably short period
of time.
The role of the present generation of
Muslims is first to understand the nature of the present environment, assess
the range of possible activities and available capabilities, and then propose
workable and worthwhile ideas. For this to happen it will first be necessary to
build exemplary schools for the young in which they may develop strong
characters and unshakable faith in the objectives and precepts of Islam.
Any hopes that change will come about in
the Ummah lie in the investment to be made in the future, and in the emotional
and intellectual preparation of youth to perform their duties for civilization
as a whole. If today’s generation does its duty and prepares the following
generation for the future, then it will have discharged its responsibility successfully.
On the other hand, if it supposes itself to have the ability to do the job on
its own, it will have missed the point and wasted its energies.
The importance of the role to be played
by the present generation is in its formulating sound approaches and suitable
means for the proper preparation of future generations. Once we have understood
this lesson, it becomes essential that we focus on three major tasks:
1.
provide energy and resources for constructive work, and protect the
same from depletion;
2.
generate sound ideas from an Islamic perspective;
3.
direct resources toward translating Islamic vision into material that
may be used in the education and upbringing of youth.
What this means to Muslim intellectuals
and leaders is that the first priority of the present generation needs to be
the renewal of Islamic thought through the articulation of sound Islamic
perspectives.
(pg.146)
At this beginning stage, the work of building
for the future of the Ummah will have to be carried out in the intellectual and
educational spheres, as these are the ones from which the required
reformational energies may be generated. Under the present circumstances, then,
the Ummah should expend on its political and military organization only as much
as will ensure that its building and reformation may proceed apace.
The responsibility of the Ummah’s
leadership at the present time is to explain to parents and teachers the
meaning of psychological development, its importance to the Ummah, and the
elements required in bringing it about. If this is done, future generations
will never suffer from the backwardness and decadence that have beset Muslims
over the past several centuries. The future of the Ummah clearly depends upon
change taking place in the development of the psychological and intellectual
makeup of the coming generations. The more effort we expend in preparing our
young for their responsibilities, the closer we come to achieving our goals.
It is the responsibility of the Ummah’s
thinkers and scholars to concentrate their energies on reform of the Ummah’s
thought, on clarifying its vision, and on presenting these to the Ummah in such
a way that its institutions may derive benefit from them. It is the
responsibility of the Ummah’s thinkers and scholars to study the historical
development of the Ummah in order to determine what influenced the course that
it took, and where it went astray. Only then will the Ummah be able to set out
on a new path and produce the kind of ideas that will lead it to a better
future.
It is the responsibility of the Ummah’s
thinkers and scholars to review the foundations of Islamic thought, the vital
relationships between its constituent elements, and the roles that these play
in generating new ideas for society.
It is the responsibility of the Ummah’s
thinkers and scholars to return to Islamic thought its originality, integrity,
and comprehensiveness. Only in this way can the deviations of the past be
avoided. And only if this is done
(pg.147)
will the thought of the Ummah become anything more
than a mirage.
It is the responsibility of the Ummah’s thinkers and
scholars to study the usul and methodology of Islamic thought so as to develop
unique Islamic disciplines not only in the service of the texts of revelation
but in the sciences of life and society as well. Certainly Islamic thought is
capable of making valuable contributions to education, politics, economics,
administration, and communications as well as to the philosophies of the hard
and theoretical sciences.
The Ummah’s thinkers and scholars need
to accept that the responsibility for putting the Ummah back on the track of
progress is theirs alone. All others will merely follow in the light of their
vision and counsel. Thus, their success in presenting their ideas will
determine the success of others in bringing those ideas to fruition.
Another of their responsibilities at
this difficult stage in the life of the Ummah is to increase the Islamic
consciousness of those who claim allegiance to it. This can come about only if
sound methods of character building are employed from an early stage in the
educational process. Indeed, the youth are our future and our strength. The
Ummah must begin now to prepare the people it needs for tomorrow.
In this undertaking, the educators of
the Ummah need to consider the role of parents in bringing up children. Indeed,
in these matters nothing compares in importance to the conviction held by
mothers and fathers in general about how to raise children. To a great extent,
the development of values and character depends upon the relationships between
parents and children. Any effort expended in the school or in society which
does not win the approval of parents is therefore doomed to certain failure.
Any chance of success, therefore, that
thinkers and educators may have will rest entirely on their ability to bring
the issue of education and proper upbringing to the attention of parents. When
that happens, both the parents and the home will play their part in achieving
the desired results. In this basic way, then, the Ummah will be able to
(pg.148)
overcome whatever obstacles are placed in the way of
its reform and development by any institutions or systems.
Islamization and Academic Institutions
Our discussion of the future will not be
complete without mention of the role to be played by Islamic academic
institutions in achieving the goals of Islamization and formulation of an
informed Islamic perspective. It is obvious that in the final analysis the
crisis of the Ummah is in clarifying its values and basic concepts within an
established and competent societal structure. It has also become quite obvious
that the efforts and sacrifices of the Ummah in the political and military
spheres will never do anything to lift it from the depths to which it has
already fallen. Rather, the gulf between the Islamic peoples and those of the
developed nations continues to widen day by day.
The practical application of Islam’s
lofty civilizational ideals and its advanced social systems will never be
possible unless Islam’s epistemological sources and its unique methodology
become a part of the Ummah’s makeup and, in particular, become ingrained in the
education of all Muslims. Thus, the major arena for change, in addition to the
family and home environment, will be the Ummah’s educational institutions.
Clearly, if these institutions are to succeed in their mission to become the
instruments of change in our society, they must not continue as poor imitations
of the Western institutions they were established to emulate blindly. Nor must
our Islamic educational institutions remain in perpetual need of sending its
best brains to foreign universities for the purpose of qualifying, or training,
or upgrading skills. Instead they must concentrate on providing an intellectual
atmosphere that will encourage and ensure the development of truly inquisitive
minds, original thinking, and creativity.
It is thus essential that the
educational institutions in the Islamic world realize their own importance and
change their mentalities by openly ascribing themselves to the Ummah, its
resources, religion, thought, and objectives. They must then offer programs
that put the resources of
(pg.149)
the Ummah to optimum benefit. In this way they will be
able to meet the real challenges that stand before them, and to fulfill the
true needs of the Ummah of Islam.
It is no longer acceptable for our
educational institutions to present no more than literal translations of
Western or Eastern sciences and knowledge. Nor is it any longer acceptable for
Muslim intellectuals to be satisfied with merely reproducing and rehashing the
thought and efforts of others.
The educational institutions of the
Islamic world should take as their starting point the universal truths,
convictions, and purposes of which the Islamic quintessence is composed. In
order to achieve this, these institutions will have to establish academic
centers, units, and associations that will strive to formulate and develop
Islamic academic methodologies in every branch of knowledge. The Islamization
of knowledge needs to begin by developing suitable methodologies in the various
branches of knowledge and by preparing general introductions to each. These
foundations may then become the framework for Islamically oriented research and
ijtihad that seeks to guide the upbringing and development of new generations
of Muslims.
In order to ensure the success of the
efforts to bring about Islamization in the various branches of knowledge it
will be necessary to direct the energies of researchers, scholars, teachers,
and students toward the new Islamic intellectual framework. The goals, Islamic
premises, and propositions that this is to be based on must be articulated, and
a new mentality developed. Then the academic heritage of Islam and other
nations may be classified. These are the kinds of efforts that represent the
only way to realization of the requisite academic ability and maturity.
The opening of academic departments for
the Islamic social sciences in certain universities within the Islamic world,
such as departments of Islamic economics, Islamic communications, and Islamic
civilization, and the opening of research centers such as the centers for
Islamic thought and Islamic economics, and the teaching of certain Islamic
(pg.150)
social sciences, such as Islamic international
relations, Islamic political thought, Islamic political systems, the political
development of the Islamic world, and so on, all of these are good and positive
steps in the right direction and need to be encouraged in every possible way.
Among the most pressing problems faced
by the new Islamic social studies is the shortage of resources. If we look at
any center, unit, or department, we will discover that its resources are
limited and that it suffers from a lack of qualified personnel.
At this stage it is not enough merely to
open a center, or a teaching department, or to teach a new subject without
providing qualified specialists and the support they need to carry out their
mission. The practice of giving qualified persons the responsibility of
teaching the Islamic disciplines or social studies and then burdening them with
administrative chores without adequate staff assistance is a practice which
must not be continued, especially not at this sensitive stage of the
Islamization process. Such scholars need the time to be able to conduct
research into their subjects of specialization. Thus, to burden such scholars
in such a way is more likely to block progress than to encourage it.
The way to the success of the movement
for the Islamization of knowledge and learning is continued, diligent effort.
The matter is far more complex than the making of an announcement in the media.
The first step required in the Islamization of knowledge is that Islamic
educational institutions undertake the following important tasks:
• To classify and index the texts of wahy, the Qur’an
and the Sunnah; to facilitate the understanding of these texts and their
purposes for researchers and students; to facilitate access to these texts and
the ways to deal with them.
• To edit, classify, and index the specialized,
encyclopedic texts of the intellectual heritage, so as to facilitate the
understanding of their content by researchers.
(pg.151)
Here, the process of acquainting Muslim students with
the classical heritage of Islam is an important part of instilling within them
a sense of identity and cultural integrity. Unless this is accomplished, every
effort to reform Islamic thought will be a waste of time.
• Islamic universities and educational institutions
need to recruit qualified scholars who combine specializations in the social
sciences with sound backgrounds in the Islamic intellectual heritage. By means
of their studies and research, they should clarify the desired academic vision
and methodology. To begin with, specialized centers of research and graduate
departments could be established. Continual efforts could then be made by
graduate students and researchers to gradually prepare curricula and textbooks
that would replace the imported texts presently used at nearly every level of
our educational systems.
• The widespread ineptitude which allows the
publication and use of unsuitable textbooks indicates the attempt to avoid the
responsibilities which would otherwise lead to success. To continue in this
manner can only mean more disappointments.
• Islamic educational institutions need to increase
awareness among leaders and educated Muslims in general of the issue of
Islamization, its priorities, and the place of those priorities on the agenda
of the Ummah as a whole. These institutions need also to open their doors to
these people through organizing and sponsoring seminars, conferences, and
lectures on the subject of Islamization. Educational institutions will need
also to encourage the establishment of academic societies and the publication
of academic journals devoted to the subject. Indeed, the time has arrived to
transform Islamization from an empty catchword into a well-organized and
worldwide movement.
• Islamic academic institutions must now begin to
direct graduate research and programs toward the subjects and issues of
Islamization. In this way they will be able to produce the academic manpower
needed for the
(pg.152)
coming stages. No longer must our universities depend
upon the return of people whose minds and attitudes have been transformed into
tools of the cultural invasion.
Thus we need to be certain, by means of
organized planning and diligent work, that we are fulfilling our responsibility
to the Ummah. In this way will we be deserving of Allah’s pleasure and His tawfiq.
The Future Course of Humanity
If the future of the Ummah of Islam is
to depend upon the degree of success it achieves in reforming its methodology,
thought, education, and organization, as well as laying the foundations for new
Islamic social sciences, then the future of all bewildered and threatened
humanity rests on the degree of success achieved by Muslims in presenting a
living example of Islamic teachings.
Islam provides humankind with a reason
for living, and with an ethical code by which to live. It affords humankind
with insight into the fitrah and the dimensions of its universal
relationships; with the seen and the unseen, the individual, society, and the
universe. Islam provides humankind with the foundations for a stable society,
progress, security, and world peace.
Islam protects the institution of the
family, upholds the principles of justice, self-sufficiency, personal and
collective responsibility, freedom of belief and thought, shura, and the
oneness of all humankind in terms of their origins, interests, and destiny. It
is this perfect Islamic vision which is capable of treating the ills of modern
materialistic society and the dangers it has produced. Certainly, the moral
bankruptcy of modern society is no secret to anyone. Under the shadow of
materialism, the world is divided into north and south, white and black, rich
and poor, overfed and underfed, colonizer and colonized, master and slave. To
people today, peace is nothing more than the suppression of their fears about
the unleashing of the forces of mass destruction by one or another of the
nations, classes, or camps competing for supremacy.
(pg.153)
In view of the serious flaws in their
societies, the developed nations of the world have never had greater need of
Islam. This is because Islam embodies concepts capable of mending those flaws.
These concepts may be summarized in two
points:
Islam’s Society of Unity
Islamic society stands on the
foundations of unity and the concept of brotherhood. As such, it focuses on
answering the basic needs of the individual and the interests he/she shares
with others in terms of the family, the neighborhood, the nation, and humankind
in general. If the materialist powers of the contemporary world stand on the
philosophy of confrontation, then the philosophy of Islam, collective security,
is the philosophy of tomorrow. Allah says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم
مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡہُمَا رِجَالاً۬
كَثِيرً۬ا وَنِسَآءً۬ۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ
وَٱلۡأَرۡحَامَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ رَقِيبً۬ا (١) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
O people! Heed your Lord Who created you from a single
life and then created from it its mate. Then He scattered from them countless
men and women (4:1)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ۬
وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ شُعُوبً۬ا وَقَبَآٮِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ
أَڪۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَٮٰكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ۬ (١٣) سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات
O people! We have created you from male and female and
made you peoples and nations in order to know one another. Verily the best
among you in the sight of Allah are those who heed Him (49:13)
وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَـٰفُ
أَلۡسِنَتِڪُمۡ وَأَلۡوَٲنِكُمۡۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّلۡعَـٰلِمِينَ
(٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ
الرُّوم
Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and
earth, and the differences in your tongues and coloring (30:22)
وَمَا كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ إِلَّآ أُمَّةً۬ وَٲحِدَةً۬
فَٱخۡتَلَفُواْۚ وَلَوۡلَا ڪَلِمَةٌ۬ سَبَقَتۡ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِىَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ
فِيمَا فِيهِ يَخۡتَلِفُونَ (١٩) سُوۡرَةُ
یُونس
People were no other than a single community, but then
they fell to differing (10:19)
۞
وَٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡـًٔ۬اۖ وَبِٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ
إِحۡسَـٰنً۬ا وَبِذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلۡجَارِ
ذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡجَارِ ٱلۡجُنُبِ وَٱلصَّاحِبِ بِٱلۡجَنۢبِ وَٱبۡنِ
ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَمَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَـٰنُكُمۡۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن ڪَانَ
مُخۡتَالاً۬ فَخُورًا (٣٦) سُوۡرَةُ
النِّسَاء
Do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the needy,
neighbors who are near and who are not so near, the companion by your side, the
wayfarer (4:36)
مِنۡ أَجۡلِ ذَٲلِكَ ڪَتَبۡنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ
أَنَّهُ ۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفۡسَۢا بِغَيۡرِ نَفۡسٍ أَوۡ فَسَادٍ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
فَڪَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعً۬ا وَمَنۡ أَحۡيَاهَا فَڪَأَنَّمَآ أَحۡيَا
ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعً۬اۚ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلۡبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ
إِنَّ كَثِيرً۬ا مِّنۡهُم بَعۡدَ ذَٲلِكَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لَمُسۡرِفُونَ (٣٢) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
On that account We prescribed for Bani Isra’il that
whoever slays another, for other than the crimes of murder or depravity, will
be as one who has slain all of humankind (5:32)
وَإِن طَلَّقۡتُمُوهُنَّ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن تَمَسُّوهُنَّ وَقَدۡ
فَرَضۡتُمۡ لَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً۬ فَنِصۡفُ مَا فَرَضۡتُمۡ إِلَّآ أَن يَعۡفُونَ
أَوۡ يَعۡفُوَاْ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِۦ عُقۡدَةُ ٱلنِّكَاحِۚ وَأَن تَعۡفُوٓاْ
أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰۚ وَلَا تَنسَوُاْ ٱلۡفَضۡلَ بَيۡنَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ
بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ (٢٣٧) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
Never forget generosity between yourselves (2:237)
وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ لَا
تَعۡبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَبِٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَانً۬ا وَذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ
وَٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰڪِينِ وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ حُسۡنً۬ا وَأَقِيمُواْ
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬
مِّنڪُمۡ وَأَنتُم مُّعۡرِضُونَ (٨٣) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
Address people with kindness (2:83)
لَّا يَنۡهَٮٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمۡ
يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمۡ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمۡ يُخۡرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمۡ أَن
تَبَرُّوهُمۡ وَتُقۡسِطُوٓاْ إِلَيۡہِمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُقۡسِطِينَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المُمتَحنَة
Allah does not forbid you, with regard to those who
neither war against you nor drive you from your homes, from dealing kindly with
them and justly (60:8)
وَإِنۡ عَاقَبۡتُمۡ فَعَاقِبُواْ بِمِثۡلِ مَا عُوقِبۡتُم بِهِۦۖ وَلَٮِٕن صَبَرۡتُمۡ لَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ۬ لِّلصَّـٰبِرِينَ (١٢٦) سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
If you do retaliate, then retaliate in a manner no
worse than the way you were attacked. But if you are patient, things will be
best for those who are patient (16:126)
وَقَـٰتِلُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ
يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ
(١٩٠) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight
against you; but do not transgress (2:190)
وَقَـٰتِلُوهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتۡنَةٌ۬ وَيَكُونَ
ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَہَوۡاْ فَلَا عُدۡوَٲنَ إِلَّا عَلَى
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (١٩٣) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
If they cease, then let there be no hostility except
against oppressors (2:193)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ
لِلَّهِ شُہَدَآءَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّڪُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ
عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْۚ ٱعۡدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
Let not your dislike for a people cause you to deal
unjustly. Deal justly, for that is closer to taqwa (5:8)
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ
أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ ۥۖ وَأَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡڪَيۡلَ
وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۖ وَإِذَا
قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ ڪَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ وَبِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡفُواْۚ
ذَٲلِڪُمۡ وَصَّٮٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ (١٥٢) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام
When you speak, speak justly, even if a near relative
is concerned (6:152)
۞
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُكُمۡ أَن تُؤَدُّواْ ٱلۡأَمَـٰنَـٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهَا
وَإِذَا حَكَمۡتُم بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَن تَحۡكُمُواْ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ
نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦۤۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعَۢا بَصِيرً۬ا (٥٨) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
When you make a decision between people, decide fairly
(4:58)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُحِلُّواْ
شَعَـٰٓٮِٕرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّہۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلۡهَدۡىَ وَلَا
ٱلۡقَلَـٰٓٮِٕدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ يَبۡتَغُونَ فَضۡلاً۬
مِّن رَّبِّہِمۡ وَرِضۡوَٲنً۬اۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلۡتُمۡ فَٱصۡطَادُواْۚ وَلَا
يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ أَن صَدُّوڪُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ
أَن تَعۡتَدُواْۘ وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَلَا
تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٲنِۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ
المَائدة
Assist one another in goodness and taqwa, but not in
wrongdoing and aggression (5:2)
وَإِن طَآٮِٕفَتَانِ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٱقۡتَتَلُواْ
فَأَصۡلِحُواْ بَيۡنَہُمَاۖ فَإِنۢ بَغَتۡ إِحۡدَٮٰهُمَا عَلَى ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰ
فَقَـٰتِلُواْ ٱلَّتِى تَبۡغِى حَتَّىٰ تَفِىٓءَ إِلَىٰٓ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ فَإِن
فَآءَتۡ فَأَصۡلِحُواْ بَيۡنَہُمَا بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ وَأَقۡسِطُوٓاْۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ
يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُقۡسِطِينَ (٩) إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ إِخۡوَةٌ۬
فَأَصۡلِحُواْ بَيۡنَ أَخَوَيۡكُمۡۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ
(١٠) سُوۡرَةُ
الحُجرَات
If two parties among the believers fall to fighting
among themselves, then make peace between them. But if one should then break
the truce against the other, fight the one breaking the truce until it
(pg.155)
compiles with Allah’s ruling. Then if it complies,
make peace between them with justice, and be fair; for Allah loves those who
are fair. Certainly, the believers are brothers. So make peace between your two
brothers and heed Allah so that you may be shown mercy (49:9-10).
Islam’s Cultivation of Knowledge
This point is related to the meaning of
knowledge and the ways in which academic research is carried out. Materialist
thought is essentially based on rational, empirical, and inductive methods so
that it proceeds from experience and knowledge of the real world and extracts
from these theories about the laws that govern life and the universe. There is
no connection between this thought, however, and revelation. The main reason
for this has to do with the Western lack of confidence in any of the major
religions. This state of affairs arose when it became common knowledge that the
texts of Christianity in particular had been tampered with, and filled with a
great deal of unreasonable, contradictory, and incredible material.
When we understand the amazing
complexity of the social nature of human beings and the number of factors which
may come together at any given time to influence human behavior, we realize how
badly the social sciences and the unceasing progression of social theories have
floundered.
Moreover, as the consequences of
mistakes made in these fields are imperceptible over the short run, and as they
are nearly impossible to rectify once they have begun to take effect, we may
come to have an even greater appreciation for the distinguishing factor in
Islamic knowledge. Islamic knowledge agrees with rationalist, materialist
knowledge in relation to the fitrah and natural laws of the universe.
Rather than stop at the point of gathering that knowledge, however, Islamic
knowledge passes on to cultivate and refine it, and to prevent its shortcomings
from having any sort of negative effects on society.
(pg.156)
Thus, the Muslim has access to any
number of approaches and convictions revealed through divine wahy and
dealing with the basic issues of social behavior. It is for this reason that
even if a Muslim develops incorrect notions on the subject, wahy is
there to correct them. So, at one and the same time, Islamic knowledge puts
both empirical and inductive knowledge together with the sources of wahy
so that Muslims may deal and transact as they please, so long as their dealings
and transactions leave no ill effects on society. Muslims may thus earn their
livings and order their family affairs in accordance with their particular
circumstances. So the teachings of Islam should not be understood as shackles
and chains, but as beacons and landmarks along the way of life.
۞
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ وَٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآىِٕ ذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ
وَيَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَٱلۡمُنڪَرِ وَٱلۡبَغۡىِۚ يَعِظُكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ
تَذَكَّرُونَ (٩٠) سُوۡرَةُ
النّحل
Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and
liberality to kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, injustice, and rebellion
(16:90).
These two points, Islam’s society of
unity and its cultivation of knowledge shall, if the Muslims understand them
well, be very important in the world of tomorrow. Human society will no longer
be able, in the future, to pay tomorrow for the mistakes it made today. In the
decisive battles of history the numbers of dead rarely exceeded a few hundred
persons, and nearby nations remained relatively unaffected when their neighbors
fell to fighting. Nowadays, however, the whole world is in danger of becoming a
battlefield.
When humankind realizes its capacity to
destroy itself and the planet on which it lives, then it will realize its need
for decisive regulations as prescribed by wahy in the teachings of the
Qur’an and the Sunnah. Only by understanding this will humankind save itself
from falling into the depths of destruction. Nor will its way out be anything
other than unity and the search for common interests.
In order to achieve their goals, Muslims
need to understand the mission with which they have been entrusted.
(pg.157)
وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةً۬ وَسَطً۬ا لِّتَڪُونُواْ
شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ شَهِيدً۬اۗ وَمَا
جَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ ٱلَّتِى كُنتَ عَلَيۡہَآ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ
ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيۡهِۚ وَإِن كَانَتۡ لَكَبِيرَةً
إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ
إِيمَـٰنَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٤٣) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
Thus have We made you a middlemost nation to be a
witness unto humankind (2:143).
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرً۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٧) وَمَن
يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ۬ شَرًّ۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ
الزّلزَلة
So whosoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see
it, and whosoever does an atom’s weight of evil shall see it (99:7-8).
The responsibility of Muslim scholars
and thinkers is all the greater for, if they are able to clarify for others how
sound the concepts of Islam really are or establish an exemplary society, they
will save not only themselves and their own societies, but humankind and
civilization at large. Then they will achieve a society of peace and security,
guide the efforts of science and material progress, and establish the khilāfah
society on earth that Allah commanded.
Islamization is the Issue of the Ummah
The objective of this study was to
describe the overall condition of the Ummah and then place it before Muslims so
that they may discuss the problems of society and seek the means of relief for
individuals, the Ummah, and all of humankind. The most that can be expected
from this effort in the direction of achieving these higher goals is that it
may help to promote inquiry into Muslim thought and impel the Muslim mind
toward objective consideration of the reasons for the Ummah’s backwardness.
It is clear that the Ummah is in no real
need of resources, opportunities, or values. Rather, what it is lacking is a
methodology for sound thinking. Indeed, the problems of the Ummah are clearly
connected to confused thinking, obscured social vision, improper and inadequate
education, and the decline of its institutions in general. The result is that
it is divided and has begun to resemble an enfeebled and cringing slave.
It is hoped that Islamization in general
and the Islamization of knowledge in particular become the most important
issues on the Ummah’s agenda in the coming decades. It may also be hoped that
the leadership of our contemporary Islamic movements will not look on
Islamization as
(pg.158)
in any way depreciative of or detracting from the
value of their own efforts. Rather, political action and mobilization without
sound ideas or people capable of delivering them is surely wasted.
It is essential to understand this
problem as the Ummah’s problem, and as a preparatory stage for it to pass
through before it can take its rightful place as a leader of world
civilization. Thus, the issue is not one of coming to power, or ruling over a
locality, or establishing a political party. Thought is an element that works
at a more fundamental level, one that qualifies any undertaking or program for
producing real results.
It is also essential that the efforts
being undertaken in different fields become coordinated so that they complement
and support one another. Giving priority to one matter over another, it should
be remembered, does not mean that one of those matters should be ignored and
forgotten. So, along with whatever political efforts are being made at the
present time, academic and intellectual efforts must also be made. In fact,
political efforts can be understood as defensive in nature and aimed at
allowing the Ummah to develop itself and its resources for the reform of its
mental and intellectual strength.
Another matter to clarify is that
academic work has its own levels and scope. Among these are the fundamental, or
those having to do with methodology, epistemology, philosophy, etc. Among these
too are the practical, applied, strategic, and dynamic levels. The problems of
the Ummah, it should be emphasized, are related to the more fundamental and
complex of these. The success of the practical and applied levels hinge almost
entirely on the soundness and depth of the methodological matters at the
fundamental level. This may explain why the strategic ideas of ‘Abd al Rahman
al Kawākibī in his book Umm al Qurà, which was written nearly a hundred
years ago and explained in the clearest possible terms how a contemporary
Islamic revival might be brought about, never amounted to anything other than a
few localized achievements that changed nothing of real significance to the
Ummah as a whole.
(pg.159)
Rather, it is hoped that efforts will be
increased so that work toward Islamic reformation may be carried out as a
challenge at the international level.
Undoubtedly, if this much of the issue
has been clarified for the thinkers and scholars of the Ummah, and if they are
sincerely determined to pass the message on the Ummah at large, then the matter
will catch on and spread like a spark in kindling. The lessons of history in
this regard are perfectly clear. Nations possessed of sound ideas and clear
thinking are those which burst forth like spring floods with new and greater
achievements. But with the passage of a relatively short time, the situation
always changes.
The thinkers and scholars of the Ummah
must focus their determination and attention first of all on the reform of
Muslim thought and the clarification of its vision for the Ummah and its
leadership. Thereafter, should it be the will of Allah, the Ummah will take
over with the work of building for the future and progressing toward new
horizons.
To close: May Allah give us wisdom and
guidance, deliver us from the rubble beneath which lie the ruins of the Ummah
and humankind, and make us righteous workers who heed the call and follow the
best of it.
All praise to Allah, Creator of the
Universes!
(pg.160)
Translator’s Notes
Chapter One
1
The meaning of asalāh is not to be confused
with ‘fundamentalism’. It is rather a more comprehensive term which denotes the
innovative application of original Islamic principles to changing circumstance.
(Trans.)
2
Under the ‘Abbasiyah khilāfah subjects were
required to take an oath of allegiance in which they swore that if they ever
broke their allegiance to the khalīfah then their wives would stand
divorced. Thus, Malik’s fatwa absolving one under duress of the
consequences of pronouncing divorce was, under the circumstances, an important
political statement. (Trans.)
Chapter Two
1
This was the hadith related by Abu Said al Khudari and
other in which they reported the Prophet to have said, “Gold for gold, silver
for silver, oats for oats, wheat for wheat, date for dates, and salt for salt;
a like amount for a like amount, and passed from hand to hand. Anyone who
increases or asks for increase will have taken ribā.”
2
The wisdom behind such a prohibition was obviously to
encourage those who own land to take an interest in making it productive. The
classical jurists, however, understood the prohibition only in terms of ribā,
considering that the agreement to pay percentage of a crop that is unknown in
quantity at the time of agreement is a form of deferred payment, the prohibited
nasīʻah, to be given in exchange for an unknown.
3
Often such decisions were made under pressure exerted
on the fuqahā by royalty and princely landowners whose interests and
influence made them impossible to ignore.
4
For a more detailed explanation of these and other
matters, see the author’s introduction to Islamic economics theories;
Contemporary Aspects of Economic and Social Thinking in Islam, American
Trust Publications, Plainfield, Indiana, 1976.
Chapter Five
1
The mistaken interpretation led to institution of
humiliating non-Muslim subjects. See chapter two, p. 50.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Across
the Muslim world today if anything is self-evident it is that the Ummah is
badly in need of reform. On this point it can be stated with confidence that
all Muslims are agreed. Poverty and injustice characterize the face of Muslim
lands from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Pollution and corruption are the order
of the day in societies where the gulf between then and the developed countries
of the world has never been wider. Politics in the Muslim world are all too
often the politics of desperation, economics the economics of deprivation, and
culture the culture of despair. Crisis in the Muslim Mind examines the
intellectual and historical roots of the malaise that has overspread the Ummah
and threatens to efface its identity. First published in Arabic in 1991, this
important work (in an abridged English translation) is designed to familiarize
educated and concerned Muslims with the nature of the crisis confronting them,
and to suggest the steps necessary to overcome it.
Dr.
‘AbdulHamid Ahmad AbuSulayman was born in Makkah 1355AH /1936AC Rector of the
International Islamic University (IIU), Malaysia, from 1408AH /1988AC to the
present Chairman of the Board, trustee, former president, and founding member
of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) BA Commerce,
University of Cairo, 1378AH /1959AC MA Political Science, University of Cairo,
1381AH /1963AC PhD International Relations, University of Pennsylvania, 1398AH
/1973AC Secretary, State Planning Committee, Saudi Arabia, 1383-84AH/1963-64AC Chairman,
Department of Political Science at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
1402-04AH /1982-84AC Founding member of The Association of Muslim Social
Scientists (AMSS), 1392AH /1972AC, and its former President, 1405-07AH
/1985-87AC Secretary General of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY),
1393-99AH /1973- 79AC
Author
of several articles and books on reforming the Ummah, including: The Islamic
Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Islamic Methodology and
Thought, Azmat al ‘Aql al Muslim (Arabic), and The Islamic Theory of Economics:
Philosophy and Contemporary Means Dr. Abu Sulayman has been instrumental in
bringing about many international academic conferences and seminars
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