in the
Muslim Mind
ʻAbdulHamīd A. AbūSulaymān
translation by
Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo
The International Institute of Islamic Thought
Herndon, Virginia USA
Islamic Methodology (1)
© Copyright 1414/1993 by
The International
Institute of Islamic Thought
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
AbūSulaymān, ʻAbdulHamīd,
1936-/1355-
Crisis in the Muslim Mind / by ʻAbdulHamīd A. AbūSulaymān
English translation by
Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo
p. 160 cm. 22 15 (Islamic Methodology: 1)
ISBN 1-56564-147-X – ISBN 1-56564-138-8 9pbk)
1. Islam – Psychology.
2. Civilization, Islamic –
Miscellanea
3. Muslims – Intellectual Life
I.
DeLorenzo, Yusuf Talal.
II.
AbūSulaymān, ʻAbdulHamīd. Azmat al-‘Aql al-Muslim.
III.
Series
BP175.A27 1993
297.2
– dc20
93-24088
CIP
IIIT
In-house Desktop Publishing
By
Yusuf DeLorenzo
Printed
in the United States of America by
International
Graphics Printing Services
4411
41st Street
Brentwood,
Maryland 22072., U.S.A.
Tel:
(301) 779-7774
Printed
in Malaysia
By: Institut Kajian Dasar
(The Institute for Policy
Research)
Malaysia
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD --- ix
PREFACE TO THE ARABIC
EDITION --- xiii
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH
EDITION --- xvii
CHAPTER ONE
Contemporary Islamic Asalāh:
The Only Solution --- 1
The Historical Roots of
the Crisis --- 22
The Crux of the Crisis and
the Future of the Ummah --- 28
CHAPTER TWO
The Traditional
Methodology Of Islamic Thought: Assessment and Critique --- 35
Shari’ah and Non-Shari’ah
Sciences --- 38
Neglect of the Social
Sciences --- 43
The Conflict Between
Reason and Revelation --- 46
Our Intellectual Heritage:
Past, Present, and Future --- 59
CHAPTER THREE
Principles in the
Methodology of Islamic Thought ---.65
The Basic Concepts:
The purposeful Nature of
Creation --- 79
Objectivity of Truth ---
81
Freedom --- 83
Tawakkul --- 91
Causality --- 95
Islamic Methodology: Means
and Application --- 98
CHAPTER FOUR
Requirements for
Establishing the Islamic Civilizational Sciences --- 105
Classifying Islamic Texts ---
106
Dimensions of Existence ---
113
The Impartiality of Truth ---
119
CHAPTER FIVE
The Premises of the Social
Sciences --- 123
Islamization and the
Science of Education --- 125
Islamization and Political
Science --- 132
Islam, Science, and
Technology ---141
CHAPTER SIX
Islam and the Future --- 145
Islamization and Academic
Institutions --- 149
The Future Course of
Humanity --- 153
Islamization is the Issue
of the Ummah --- 158
FOREWORD
There is general agreement that the Ummah is passing
through an extremely difficult stage, one of disintegration and schism, loss of
identity, failure of institutions, and inability to extract itself from its
present state of bewilderment.
There is also general agreement that change is needed.
In particular, the Ummah became acutely aware of its problems following its
early encounters with Western civilization in Egypt and Turkey. In the two
centuries that have passed since then, the Ummah has suffered through periods
of dictatorship and submission to foreign experiments with its political and
administrative systems, its culture and business, ethical and social makeup,
and science and art. None of this, however, has yielded the kinds of results
that the Ummah wanted or hoped for. Instead, the Ummah found itself caught up
in a vicious circle.
What this means is that the leadership of the Ummah
has been unable to determine the proper approach for bringing about the change
needed to lead it toward its true objectives. After pondering the matter at
length, looking at it from different perspectives, and considering objectively
the attempts of the Ummah in the past to extract itself, we are convinced that
the process of change must begin in the thought of the Ummah. This is because
thought naturally precedes deeds, whether they prove to be correct or faulty.
(pg.ix)
Only sound
thinking will result in sound reconstruction, and only sound thinking will
deliver the Ummah from the crisis which threatens to strangle the life from it.
Since Islam represents the sound core of the Ummah’s
thought and its true spirit, which tempers its sensibilities, moves its
consciousness, and kindles within it the power to create, to construct, and to
contribute, only Islamic thought suitable for the Ummah.
Therefore, we may state confidently that the desired
process of change is based on the thought of Islam and guided by its teachings,
a process rooted in Islamic doctrines, values, and ethics and deriving its
essence from Islam’s sources.
Islamic thought is a general term, and interpretations
of it differ. Since its definition is crucial, this book seeks to provide a
definition which precisely delineates its method, identifies its principles,
and anchors its basic concepts.
The book begins with a critical discussion of the
traditional methodology of Islamic thought, which is followed by a look at its
fundaments and sources. The discussion then moves on to the subject of this
methodology’s performance in terms of the comprehensiveness of its scope and
means. Finally, a general comparison is made between Islamic and scientific
methodologies.
Thereafter, the author deals with the social sciences
and humanities from the perspective of the Islamization of knowledge. At the
end of the book, the author speaks of two matters: Islam and the future, and
the future of humanity. Finally, he announces his satisfaction with the idea
that Islamization is the most important issue before the Ummah, that it is
indeed the Ummah’s future, its destiny, its objective, the means of its
emergence from its crisis, and the way to its building a new civilization and a
new renaissance.
Undoubtedly, rectifying the methodology of Islamic
thought, returning to the roots of the matter, moving from the particular to
the general, treating the causes of the problem rather than the symptoms, and
advancing general principles and axioms, all in accordance with the teachings
(pg.x)
of
Islam, are the guarantees for the success and correctness of the process of change
in thought that will enable the Ummah to put its feet on the right path. This
is what this book attempts to explain.
Some may feel that the author attaches more importance
to this issue than it deserves. But there can be no doubt that the issue of thought
is fundamental and is of great concern to all Muslim scholars. Furthermore,
according priority to this issue does not mean that other issues are forgotten.
On the contrary, renewal will only come about when all issues are treated from
a sound Islamic basis.
A number of studies have been published recently on
the crisis of thought, the makeup of the Arab mind, the reconstruction of the
Muslim mind, and issues of Islamic thought and methodology. This present study,
however, takes a very different approach.
In his analysis of the crisis of the Muslim Ummah and
its intellectual, methodological, and historical dimensions, the author takes a
uniquely penetrating look at the problem. The ability to detect linkage between
different issues and to derive lessons and wisdom from events are among the
qualities that distinguish the author and his work. He is not distracted by
side issues or by academic or technical discussions that pointlessly engage the
reader’s attention. This is one of the reasons that some readers may find the
author’s style difficult at first. On rereading, however, in the light of the
author’s objectives and basic ideas, the same readers will have no trouble in
following what the author intends.
As readers delve further into this book, they will
discover that they are not reading a fairy tale or a cleverly-written piece of
literary forte. Rather readers are bombarded with new ideas and perspectives that
penetrate their innermost being. In short the author is a hardened veteran who
has weathered the concerns of da’wah and the difficulties and burdens of
struggle for the sake of Islam.
The Ummah’s pain and anguish are not merely subjects
for treatment from a literary point of view. Its pains are his, as is its
suffering. If he were a poet, it is possible that he
(pg.xi)
would
have filled a library with his verses on the subject. Were he a professional
writer, the bibliography of his works might have run to several volumes. In
fact, a professional writer might develop each one of the author’s ideas into a
separate book.
The author, however, is a distinguished thinker whose
concern is with the goals of the Ummah and the objectives of its existence. At
times, readers will notice that his words have the hardness of a mujāhid
or the directness of a pioneer. His writing is frank, for he goes straight to
the point that he wishes to make. Rather than use a circuitous route, he shakes
the reader with his exposition and forcefully draws his attention to the
objective.
The original publication of this book in Arabic was
delayed for several years in anticipation of the moment when the Ummah’s
political and intellectual leadership would be ready to look realistically and
candidly at such a deep and comprehensive discussion of the Ummah’s situation.
Recent events, however, have made the translation of this book and the
adaptation of the topics it deals with a matter of great importance. We can
only hope that the book will find a place for itself among the issues that
engage the attention of the intellectual and social leadership, as well as the
youth, of the Ummah.
May Allah Most High grant that this book proves to be
as beneficial as we hope it will be; and He is the Granter of Success!
All praise be to Allah, lord of the Universe!
Dr. Taha Jabir al ‘Alwani President,
IIIT
DhulHijjah 1314AH/June 1993AC
Herndon, Virginia USA
(pg.xii)
PREFACE TO THE ARABIC EDITION
All
praise to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!
Peace
and blessings on Muhammad, His
Servant
and Messenger!
The book in your hands is very special. It is not a
compendium or a composition, but a study, a contemplation, and an analysis that
has occupied me throughout my life.
As a child, I opened my heart and soul to the Ummah’s
trials and anguish as expressed by its writers and poets. Where I grew up, in
Makkah, in the classroom and between the covers of my books, the pages of
history opened before my eyes and, in my imagination, I relived the Ummah’s
best and worst moments along with the finest and most courageous of its heroes.
Often bitterness and frustration crept into the depths of my soul; but more
often did the urgency of the crisis fill my heart with determination and the
conviction that things must change.
The voyage of life provided me with experience and
knowledge, and I never stopped asking myself about the reasons for the Ummah’s
decline and fall. As I was never prone to intimidation, I was unwilling to
accept anything less than a satisfactory answer. Moreover, aided by personal
experience and my studies in both the classical disciplines of Islam and in
modern knowledge, I constantly pondered the crisis of the Ummah, searched for
its causes, and
(pg.xiii)
sought
answers and solutions. Nor was I ever satisfied with lamentation, emotional
outbursts of anger, or even sentiments of zealous loyalty. To me, the problems
of the Ummah demand understanding, study, and analysis. Therefore, I put all my
personal and practical abilities, all my learning, and all my accomplishments
to work. Day and night I pondered the Ummah’s history, event by event, in quest
of deeper understanding. I sought only the truth and the remedy.
When I write, I do so because I have made the Ummah’s
problems my own problems. Nothing I write is criticism, or faultfinding, or
objection, or slander. Rather it is straight talk whose truth and candor are
sharp and bitter.
As I speak to you in these terms, I am aware of the
wealth of goodness residing in the Ummah, of the excellence of its essential
being, of the strength it possesses in its depths, of how it is favored by its
profound faith, its readiness to sacrifice, and its sincerity. I am not seeking
to bestow compliments, nor am I looking for excuses, nor attempting to make the
affliction seem less than it is. Rather, I have taken it upon myself to
identify areas of impotence and backwardness for the purpose of rectifying
these and seeking a way out of the crisis.
If I have been remiss in praising the Ummah’s
contributions, outstanding individuals, scholars, leaders, youth, or mujahidin,
then my excuse is that, while the malaise grows more insidious, I am attempting
to uncover the true nature of the affliction in order to prescribe an effective
cure.
I do not insist on adherence to anything I have said
in this book or to any opinion I have offered. Nor do I fear that something I
have written may prove to be wrong. My only concern is that readers should join
me in considering my vision of the reasons that led to the downfall of the
Ummah.
No one could be happier than I if this book leads to
serious discussion. Despite its modest proportions, this book is not an easy
one to read, for its subject matter, which is extremely complicated and
involved, stretches across populations, generations, and centuries. In order to
(pg.xiv)
follow
its arguments, the reader should know the Ummah’s history and have an
understanding of the sunan (natural laws) that Allah applies to nations
and civilizations.
I hope that readers will give as much of their time
and patience as is required for true comprehension of the issues discussed. A
quick turning of the pages may not enable readers to see more than the
externals, so that they understand the words mechanically. This is why the
result of a cursory reading will only be to further cloud the vision I have
intended to create. Since the subject is so vast, there is little opportunity
for the book to go into the details of every matter discussed, or to produce
historical evidence, or even to include other opinions. Rather, its focus is on
the major issues and those at the very crux of the matter.
It is hoped that academic and cultural circles in the
Ummah, as well as the social leadership, will deal with the thought and vision
presented in this book in a manner befitting the issues that it raises.
Hopefully, the book will motivate a great deal of serious and frank discussion
that will in turn inspire more study and contemplation.
There is nothing in this effort that is intended to
malign or detract from the work of any group or party in the Ummah, or from any
of its individual scholars. I am well aware of the faith, sincerity,
generosity, and jihad in the hearts of those who compose the Ummah. This work
is an attempt to arrive at an objective understanding of the Ummah’s history
and the events that prompted it to tread on roads for which there were no maps,
along which vision was limited, and for which there appeared to be no
alternatives.
I hope that the Ummah’s thinkers, leadership,
scholars, and youth will rise to the challenge and accept their responsibility
in dealing openly and truthfully with this undertaking. Moreover, I am
confident that they will use all the means available to them in confronting the
challenges before them. Certainly this will not be accomplished by snubbing our
identity and nature; nor will it come about through an increase in resources,
or in sacrifices, or in calls to honor values and principles, or in
sermonizing, or in
(pg.xv)
becoming
emotional. In fact, nothing will change unless we rectify, before all else, the
ways in which we think! This, in turn, will lead to the rectification of the
ways in which we teach, and then to the rectification of our social system and
institutions. Only in this manner will the Ummah be able to revitalize itself.
“O Lord, show us the truth as the truth and grant
that we should follow it. And show us falsehood as
falsehood and grant that we should avoid it!”
I ask Allah Most High to grant the Ummah guidance,
direction, tawfiq, assistance, and competence. Surely, He hears and
answers those who supplicate Him.
‘AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman
1413AH / 1992AC
Herndon, Virginia USA
(pg.xvi)
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION
This work, Crisis in the Muslim Mind, is an
abridgement and translation of an original Arabic text of high literary style.
The subject matter, which is not always easy to follow, is aimed toward the
initiation of serious discussion among Muslim intellectuals regarding the roots
of the malaise of contemporary Muslim society. Such a work is undoubtedly
difficult for anyone other than the author himself to translate. Unfortunately,
I had neither the time nor the opportunity to undertake it myself. However, as
I have full confidence in the abilities of Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo and those who
edited and reviewed the work, I am confident that the message of the original
has been conveyed.
The translation comes out at a time when the Muslim
Ummah finds itself in the wake of the collapse of the former Soviet Union and
the bipolar world order. Throughout the world, the adversaries of Islam
continue their aggression against Muslims, in places like Bosnia, Kashmir,
Kurdistan, southern Sudan, Somalia, the Philippines, Burma, Palestine,
Afghanistan, Algeria, and in many other places. Such dreadful conditions serve
only to magnify the Ummah’s crisis. While Muslims may react to these situations
in the short term, we must never lose sight of the fact that the malaise lies
in our own weakness and incompetency. Perhaps the most striking difference
between the early Muslim generations and those that have followed is that the
early Muslims were raised to be strong, both physically and psychologically.
The dynamics of the Prophet’s instructions
(pg.xvii)
(to
strut and show their strength) to those performing tawaf before the
conquest of Makkah were not lost on the early Muslims. This book deals briefly
with issues of methodology, the relationship between the Qur’an and the Sunnah,
the time and space dimension in the Sunnah, and the rift between the political
and the religious-intellectual leadership of the Ummah. It is the contention of
this work that while the political leadership used force to keep the masses in
order, the intellectual leadership used emotional and psychological means to
keep them in check. The net result of such pressure was the creation of
inhibitions within the Muslim mind, which caused the mentality of the Ummah and
its character to develop in such a way that it lacked initiative and the ability
to innovate and think for itself.
At the present time, the Ummah clearly needs to
address these problems and to deal with them openly and honestly. As a
precondition, it is essential that the Ummah as a whole overcome its
reservations and superstitions in regard to understanding and reinterpreting
both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. In the final analysis, however, it is the
education and upbringing of new generations of Muslims that must be our first
concern.
The responsibility for instituting the needed change
lies squarely on the shoulders of Muslim intellectuals. These are the ones who
must break the psychological chains that have bound the Ummah for the past
several centuries. They are the ones who must diagnose the malady for what it
really is and then prescribe the right cure. Only then will Muslims be able to
actualize the true Islamic way of life represented by Tawhid, khilāfah, and
brotherhood. Finally, once Muslims have regained their dynamism, courage, and
morality they will not only improve their own lot, but contribute positively to
world civilization as well.
‘AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman
1414AH/1993AC
Herndon, Virginia USA
(pg.xviii)
CHAPTER ONE
Contemporary Islamic Asālah: The Only Solution
The Approach to the Solution
No one studying the Ummah will have difficulty in
discerning the present backwardness of its culture, its political degradation,
and its human suffering, regardless of its human and material resources and in
spite of its values and principles. Such is the very heart of the Ummah’s
crisis. It is inevitable that such a backward and aimless existence should be
of major concern to the spirit of the Muslim Ummah which has always represented
the conscience of a pioneering and constructive people. It is therefore only
natural that the Ummah seeks to reform, renew, and revive itself.
In order to deal with the Ummah’s structural
shortcomings and to fulfill the conditions necessary for their successful
treatment, we must understand the root causes of those shortcomings. In truth,
the Ummah’s present infirmity and backwardness have become so pronounced that
its very existence is threatened by the challenge of Western civilization to
its way of life, thought, and institutions. What is called for is a comprehensive
and deeply analytical examination of every facet of the Ummah, for only such an
analysis will allow us to trace the path which has brought, and continues to
bring, the Ummah to the depths to which it has fallen.
(pg.1)
The Ummah has been in decline for several centuries.
All of it, save a few remote geographical regions, came under the sway of
European imperial power. Perhaps even more painful is the fact that, even
today, the Ummah continues to represent spheres of influence. The entire world
vies for supremacy over its strategically valuable territory, important markets
for foreign industry, raw materials, and cheap unskilled labor. And this is
happening at a time when the Ummah is unable to feed itself and remains in dire
need of industry as well as a scientific and technological base, technical
experience, advanced institutions of technology, and all the elements of
independent power.
The reasons for the Ummah’s decline go far back into
history. Not all of the factors are readily apparent, for many nations at the
outset of their decline enjoyed the great wealth and ease earned by their
previous progress and development. This was also true of the Ummah, for, in its
early stages, wealth, centers of learning, personal fortunes, and public works
were abundant. Yet the signs of coming decline were clear in the ebb of the
Ummah’s territorial expansion, the spread of corruption, the change from an
offensive to a defensive posture, and the losses that it sustained at Baghdad,
Jerusalem, Cordoba, and other places.
It is quite important, if we hope to come to an
understanding of our decline, to distinguish between what caused the malady and
what its symptoms and complications were. The historical spread of heretical
sects and doctrines is nothing new to the Ummah. Books of Millal and Nihal
(Sects and Religions) are full of names and descriptions of the many sects and
doctrines that grew and developed in the past in the Muslim world. Heretics,
Atheists, misled peoples and enemies of Islam continue to form different kinds
of defiant groups, misled sects and harmful doctrines.
These movements are clearly symptomatic of maladies
that took root during the early years of the Ummah, when the Muslims were
challenged by the Roman and Persian empires and were compelled, in order to
meet those challenges, to give a measure of civil and military power to desert
Arab tribes who had only recently embraced Islam. Since their tribāl mentality
had not been totally transformed
(pg.2)
by
the teachings of Islam, they soon began to cause great upheaval and eventually
brought down the government of the third khalīfah, ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān,
when they attacked Madinah, the capital of the prophetic state. This event led
to the creation of states with distinctly tribālistic and ethnic leanings,
states that were essentially a mixture of Islamic and pre-Islamic teachings and
heritages.
When we ponder the depths to which the Ummah has
plummeted, the seriousness of the threat it faces, and the extent of the crisis
from which it suffers, we begin to understand the gravity of its situation and
the urgency of the efforts required to rescue it from further decline and
suffering. Even though these negative developments are tangible and objective
matters upon which all sincere and reasonable people can agree, there is no
agreement on, or any degree of clear vision of either a solution or the means
to a solution. An even worse complication is the spread of ethnocentrism,
nationalism, atheism, anarchy, and permissiveness. Some of those who claim to
be reformers are in fact the Ummah’s enemies, for they promote these foreign
ideologies by all the means at their disposal. They often claim that these
ideologies are signs of a healthy society, or that they constitute
starting-points for progress and reform.
What we need to determine, first of all, is the true
starting-point for dealing with the crisis. Perhaps we should first define the
starting-points and alternatives that are available to the Ummah. These may be
classified into three main categories:
1.
The Imitative Foreign Solution:
This is often called “the foreign solution” and entails borrowing solutions
which spring, in essence, from the cultural (secular and materialist)
experience of the contemporary West. This may take the form of individualism,
totalitarianism, secularism, atheism, capitalism, or Marxism.
2.
The Imitative Historical Solution: This implies relying on solutions derived from the Islamic historical
experience, regardless of considerations of relevance in terms of time and
place.
(pg.3)
3.
The Islamic Asālah1 Solution: This is the approach which seeks to apply relevant
solutions, derived from authentic Islamic sources, to the Ummah’s problems.
In the Ummah’s quest for the recovery of its vitality,
there are four prerequisites: (1) specification of a sound approach; (2)
unswerving faith in that approach; (3) resolve to do all that is necessary for
the attainment of its goals; and (4) provision of all the practical means
required to ensure its success.
We might begin promoting the correct approach by
taking it directly to the people and explaining to the Ummah’s writers,
thinkers, and leaders what we believe to be its most important aspects. In this
way, they may come to share our conviction that our approach is the best one.
Perhaps the most effective method of promoting our
solution would be to lay bare the weaknesses of the faulty approaches by
explaining why they are unsound and then presenting the correct solution and
the reasons why it should be adopted. This is the method used in this book, for
while the Ummah is under attack, so to speak, by cultural invaders who seek to
confuse it and make it lose its way. It is imperative that the Ummah understand
the reasons why the solutions proposed by others will not work. In this way,
the Ummah will be better able to discern for itself the most suitable solution
and then proceed to bring it about.
The Imitative Historical Solution
The historical approach traditionally has been the
Ummah’s choice. However, this approach inherently disregards temporal, local,
and ummatic considerations. In recent times, it has failed repeatedly to meet
the challenges of modern life and the forces inimical to the survival of the
Ummah and its thought. Had traditional solutions remained
(pg.4)
effective
there would be no crisis today, no downfall, and no impending disaster.
Moreover, there is no point in making excuses for the inefficacy of this
approach. If there were extenuating factors, then the fact remains that the
traditional approach failed to take them into consideration. In any event, it
failed to deal with the problem in its totality.
The main drawback of the traditional approach is that
since it begins with the pious assumption of its own infallibility, it is
totally intolerant of all parties, approaches, and circumstances that do not
agree with it. An approach that demands even its detractors’ cooperation is
clearly impractical. Rather, it is symptomatic of the Ummah’s problem itself
Essentially, the approach that has dominated the Ummah’s thought for so long is
little more than a stubborn insistence on maintaining the facade of Islam’s
golden age. The traditional approach ignores the realities of history and
material development. Therefore it has consistently failed, despite the Ummah’s
faith in Islam. This also explains why the fuqaha’ stopped short of dealing
with modern transactions (muʻāmalāt), restricting themselves instead to
the regulation of religious ritual and personal circumstances.
An example of how the traditional approach may lead to
an absurd extreme is the pronouncement made by one of this century’s most
prominent Muslim reformers, who nevertheless misinterpreted the connection
between the social and political systems at the time of the khulafā’.
His opinion, based on the traditional approach, was that the Ummah could only
be reformed by what he termed a “just dictatorship.” This, as any student of
political science knows, is a contradiction in terms. That ‘dictatorship’ and ‘justice’
are mutually contradictory, or in no way compatible, is a recurrent theme in
the Book of Allah:
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ (٦) أَن
رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ (٧) سُوۡرَةُ العَلق
…but man transgresses all bounds, in that
he looks upon himself as self-sufficient (96:6-7),
فَبِمَا رَحۡمَةٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمۡۖ وَلَوۡ كُنتَ
فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّواْ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡہُمۡ
وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ وَشَاوِرۡهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَمۡرِۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمۡتَ فَتَوَكَّلۡ
عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلِينَ (١٥٩) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
ۖ…and consult
with them in affairs [of moment] (3:159),
(pg.5)
وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتَجَابُواْ لِرَبِّہِمۡ وَأَقَامُواْ
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَمۡرُهُمۡ شُورَىٰ بَيۡنَہُمۡ وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنَـٰهُمۡ يُنفِقُونَ
(٣٨) سُوۡرَةُ
الشّوریٰ
…who conduct their affairs by mutual
consultation (42:38).
The isolation of Islam’s intellectual leadership from
its political leadership dates back to the confrontation between the first khulafā’
and the various ethnicities and tribāl groups. This was the upheaval which
ended in conflict between the old-line leadership like al Husayn ibn ‘Alī, ‘Abd
Allah ibn al Zubayr, Muhammad al Nafs al Zakīyah, Zayd ibn ‘Alī, and others who
advocated an Islamic polity along the lines of the first Islamic state at
Madinah, and the emergent political leadership that established dynasties on
the basis of ethnocentrism and tribāl loyalties. When the first group was
defeated politically by the second, its members, along with the scholars,
withdrew from public life. As time passed, the isolation of Muslim
intellectuals from the challenges of public life became more pronounced. The
result was the growth of a school of thought that was isolationist and
protectionist (in that they feared the Shari’ah might be tampered with by
unscrupulous rulers and those who served them). Those who ascribed to this
school of thought paralyzed the progress of Islamic society and culture by
referring almost exclusively in their writings to the events of the early years
of Islam (the lifetime of the Prophet and the thirty years that followed his
death). In this way, they left the political and social leadership of the Ummah
to those who were intellectually and politically incompetent.
Owing to this withdrawal, the Ummah fell prey to despotism,
poverty, and social and political decline. Indeed, from the times of the Mongol
invasions and the Crusades, this has been the fate of the Ummah. In more recent
times, it fell beneath the sway of foreign colonial powers and was exposed to
the dangers of blindly imitating a foreign civilization, either of its own
volition or under duress. In every case, however, imitation led to greater and
more widespread infirmity and decline. Thus the cultural, economic, and
technological gaps widened between North and South, between the advanced
industrialized nations
(pg.6)
and
the underdeveloped nations of the Third World, many of which are Muslim.
The
lessons to be learned from this are that the traditional approach has been of
no avail and that dreams of times past are useless against the relentless
movement of life in time and place and in thought. In short, the obvious
results of this approach have inevitably been backwardness weakness, and
decline.
The Imitative Foreign Solution
This is the other approach that has found currency in
the Muslim world. Historically, it was first adopted over two centuries ago,
when the Turkish ‘Uthmānīyah empire was confronted by the military might of
Europe. Under Salim III, the ‘Uthmānīyah empire began a policy of imitating
Europe, thinking that this was the way to renew their declining power.
Thus the cycle of emptiness and loss of vision began
on the millstone of imitation, as the attempt was made to import foreign
technical knowledge and experience. The Turkish state began by establishing its
first modern engineering college and followed that with a military academy for
training officers along Western lines. So determined were the ‘Uthmānīyah sultans
to carry out their plans, and to regain their power and status that they
actually slaughtered their own traditional military corps, the Janissaries, in
their barracks when the resisted plans to “modernize” the army.
However, neither the plan to imitate the West nor the
method chosen to effect it was successful in restoring the power to the ‘Uthmānīyah
sultanate, in facing up to the challenges confronting their empire, or in
transferring knowledge to the Ummah. Rather, the retreat of the ‘Uthmānīyah sultanate
continued without a halt before the onslaught of Western military might. Their
solution to this unexpected turn of events was to increase their efforts to
imitate the West by sending droves of students to Europe a policy which led to
further Westernization. This in turn, brought a new dimension to imitation: the
perception on the
(pg.7)
part
of the Turks that political and social reform would have to be carried out
along Western lines. Otherwise, their reasoning went, they would not have the
kind of atmosphere conducive to the academic, administrative, and military
reform so urgently needed for the reconstruction of their empire.
This kind of thinking resulted in many liberal
political and social reforms, reforms that were crowned in the latter half of
the nineteenth century by what became to be known as Midhat Pasha’s
constitution. It is a widely known historical fact that this attempt at reform
was no more successful than those that had preceded it. Thus, Sultan ‘Abd al
Hamīd II was encouraged to personally administer the entire state in a last
hopeless attempt to rescue the historical model of the Islamic system of state
and society.
This reform movement, based on the principle of
foreign imitation, progressed and added a new and clearly European dimension:
the importance of nationalism as a motive in building a nation. Among the
Turks, the leaders of the reform movement that adopted the foreign approach
emphasized the importance of nationalism. To give meaning to their assertions,
they created “Turanian” nationalism. This was an essentially pan-Turkish
nationalism that encompassed all speakers of Turkish in western and central
Asia. The modernist reform movement began its rise to power in Turkey at the
end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, when, under
the name of the Union and Progress Party, it challenged the ‘Uthmānīyah sultanate,
overthrew Sultan Abd al Hamīd II, and took the reins of power. This attempt at
reform, however, ended when these Turks, in their final war, were subjected to
a defeat worse than any they had suffered under ‘Uthmānīyah rule: the
occupation of the heart of Anatolia by the Greeks, whom they had long
considered to be their lowliest subjects.
In spite of all this travail, however, attempts at
foreign-inspired reform continued unabated, and in a more comprehensive
fashion, until the ‘Uthmānīyah sultanate was brought to an end at the hands of
the founder of the
(pg.8)
modern
Turkish republic. General Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and his military clique. This
group carried foreign imitation to its furthest extremes, for its leaders
instituted comprehensive and overall changes in accordance with European
patterns, abolished the role of Islam and Islamic culture in society, endorsed
the European concept of secularism, and ensured, in no uncertain terms, the
separation of Islam from the affairs and organization of the state as well as
from all aspects of society. In addition, they abolished all Islamic laws and ‘Uthmānīyah
institutions and replaced them with the legal code of the European country they
believed to be the most advanced: Switzerland. In order to nullify the effects
of Islamic culture on future generations, the Arabic script was abolished and
replaced with the Latin alphabet. The common people were forced to adopt
European dress, women were required to discard the hijāb, and even
Islamic rituals like the call to prayer were required to be performed in
Turkish.
Before Ataturk’s rule ended, the government had
adopted many concepts dealing with state intervention in administering and
making policy for the country’s major social and economic institutions. In
particular, the state took control of the country’s most important financial
and economic institutions, such as banks and insurance companies. However,
these developments did not improve Turkey’s condition. Rather, its decline
continued unabated, even though it passed through all the stages of the foreign
imitation solution: the importation of science and technology; the organization
of a modern army; the modernization of its civil administration; the espousal
of liberal concepts; the transmission of Western culture; the enactment of
political and constitutional reforms; the adoption of nationalism, ethnicity,
and secularism; the establishment of European laws and institutions; and state
control of all important social, economic, and financial institutions.
Still, all that this imitation accomplished was the
further weakening of the Turkish state and its eventual complete domination by
the Western powers. General Ismet Inönü,
(pg.9)
Atatürks
successor and longtime comrade, was forced, as a result of the failure of these
policies and of the pressure exerted by the Western powers, to abolish
one-party rule in the country (i.e., the Republican party) and to return to a
new round of liberal political reform. As a result, new elections were held and
the opposition Democratic Party, under Adnan Menderes, took over.
In spite of the seriousness with which they were
undertaken, none of these attempts was successful in rescuing Turkey or in
restoring it to its former power and status. On the contrary, the deterioration
was so complete that, in 1960, Menderes was hanged in the first of a series of
military coups that would eventually lead to dictatorship and repression. Thus
Turkey remains, as much today as ever before, the “Sick Man of Europe.” In
fact, Turkey is worse than sick. It is the perennial Western camp-follower who
has no hope of ever improving its lot in life.
If we look closely at the Egyptian experience from the
time of Muhammad ʻAlī, from the outset of the nineteenth century AC/thirteenth
century AH until the present time, and if we look at the experiences of Islamic
countries in Arabia, Asia, and Africa, we will find nothing new to add to the
experience of Turkey and its painful results. Over the centuries, the Islamic
world has remained, owing to its adherence to the principle of imitating
whatever is foreign, a sick and fractured entity. And it remains so during a
time when the civilizational gulf separating it from the developed nations
continues to increase.
The reasons for the failure of this approach are easy
to understand. Nations, as living human aggregates, are far more complex than
individuals in their composition and in the amount of energy it takes to
motivate them either to overcome obstacles or to be constructive. Each nation,
then, in the same way that it has its own motivations, psychology, and history,
has its own composition in terms of its values, beliefs, and concepts. Unless
these are understood correctly, it is next to impossible to deal with a nation
in a way that will inspire it to realize all of its hidden potential for
progress.
(pg.10)
What motivates one human being may not motivate
another. The same is true of nations, since each nation works on the basis of
its own incentives and priorities. It is therefore a major mistake to ignore a
nation’s incentives and priorities and rush headlong after a blind imitation of
plans for production and reform without a proper understanding of what
distinguishes that nation from other nations. Unless this way of understanding
nations is adopted, the future of the Ummah will be no better than the long
centuries of importation and imitation.
Examples from Recent History
Among the simplest and most readily understandable
examples of what was mentioned above is the effect that the uniquely Western
institution of banking has had on the Ummah. When it first appeared in the
West, banking served to answer the economic and commercial requirements of
Western society. This imported institution, however, had a distinctly negative
effect on the foundations of the Muslim Ummah. Instead of assisting in the
Ummah’s development and economic reconstruction, it paved the way for further
foreign influence. The main reason for this negative effect may be attributed
to differences in beliefs and values. Indeed, Western-style banking succeeded
in creating divisions and generating even more conflict, as well as draining
the Ummah’s strength, curbing its motivation, extinguishing its enthusiasm, and
facilitating the foreign domination of its resources instead of acting as an
aid to progress and economic development.
To a great extent, the reason Western-style banking
failed in Islamic societies, despite its supposed success in the West, is that
it is an application of methods that are essentially foreign to Islamic
economic systems and values. It presented both the individual Muslim and the
Muslim Ummah with an extremely difficult choice: wealth and economic prosperity
in this world on the basis of usurious transactions which would ultimately
spell damnation in the afterlife, or toil, backwardness, and poverty in this
world if the teachings and values of Islam were followed.
(pg.11)
What the Muslim conscience seeks is to make the best
of life in this world and thus earn blessings, rewards, and ultimate bliss in
the next world. There is no scope in that conscience for the acceptance of
dualism or contradiction as to what is good and right in this world and what is
good and right in the next. Islamic banking in the Islamic world today is a
partial attempt to present an Islamic solution or alternative which gives hope
to the desire to realize contemporary Islamic requirements, including financial
and economic services, in a way that harmonizes with the Muslim’s personality,
thought, and heart.
The Ummah and the Imported Solution
The imported foreign solution is, to use a metaphor, a
theatrical solution which turns the Ummah into a passive spectator in a drama
that is mere play-acting and only a shadow of reality. The most that the
audience can do during a performance is to applaud or show its displeasure in
accordance with the twists of the plot and what it evokes. This does not mean,
however, that the Ummah has any significant role to play in what takes place on
the stage between the actors representing the political and social leadership.
This may explain why every time one of these plays ends, or a leader falls from
power, or a role is finished, the Ummah merely shakes it off and goes about its
business as if nothing had happened. Before long, it will move on to witness
another play, another distraction, another leadership, and another round of the
latest trends in imitative historical and foreign solutions.
The difference between the thought of advanced
nations, their leadership, and their institutions on their own territory, and
the thought of backward nations, their leadership, and their institutions is
immediately obvious: those of the advanced nations are real, for they spring
directly from the being or essence, the values, the personalities, and the
requirements of those nations. These are the components of thought, policies,
and teachings that make the leadership and the nation one team working for
progress and the purposeful betterment of the life of the nation.
(pg.12)
This basic insight presents us with a sound explanation
of what we might term the “comedy of politics and politicians” in the Islamic
world and, on a larger scale, in the Third World in general. It explains the
differences in the nature of politics, government, and administration in the
developed nations. It also explains how these reflect the relationships of
interaction and performance that represent a society, a process, and a movement
springing from reality, dealing with and influencing it, and being influenced
by that same reality.
What is required of us is that we understand the
intellectual and cultural dimensions of the imported foreign solutions. If we
can accomplish this, then we will not waste any more time on imitation and
parody, and therefore spare ourselves and the rest of the Ummah more suffering
and pain. It is certainly neither fair nor just that the Ummah continue to be
led by the political and intellectual leadership, be they nationalist,
secularist, Marxist, or whatever, who have failed it so badly over the
centuries. Why should they be allowed to direct the Ummah along the same
useless path?
Serious and mature Muslim intellectuals and leaders
must commit themselves to the one path that is truly open to them, regardless
of how difficult it might at first appear to be. They must make certain that
the solution they seek originates in their religion, their homeland, and their
history, and that they use it to steadfastly confront the challenges of the
present. If this is not done, the bitter failures suffered by the Islamic world
over the past several centuries will pale in comparison with the new problems
that it will have to face.
Of course, Muslim leaders and intellectuals, with all
their different leanings and preferences, as well as the entire Muslim Ummah
can continue to dream of salvation, progress, honor, or power. However, if they
do not change their present ways, means, and methods of thinking, in the end
they can only expect that their lot will be a harvest even more bitter than
those they have experienced in the past. The Ummah’s intellectual and social
leadership must search
(pg.13)
for
an authentic Islamic alternative solution, strive to discern its elements from
deep within the thought, culture, practices, and institutions of the Ummah, and
then relate it to the actual circumstances of its people.
The Ummah and the Historical Solution
The Ummah has also attempted to apply the imitative
approach. However, this solution ignores, in a completely haphazard fashion,
the elements of time and place in the structure of the Ummah and its historical
progression. In the last few centuries, this approach has represented continual
reversals for the Ummah as regards the challenges put forward by contemporary
life and the forces inimical to the Muslim mind and its thought. Clearly this
solution has failed to rescue the Ummah, for the circumstances of the Ummah
have continued to deteriorate rapidly, its enemies have gained a great deal
from its crisis, and it continues to be beset by innumerable problems. If this
approach had been successful, the excuse that certain unforeseen obstacles
prevented the realization of the desired results would never be accepted.
Obviously a solution is only as good as its results and, unless it takes the
unexpected into consideration, it will not be satisfactory, for the unexpected
is an integral part of the problem.
The imitative historical solution greatly
oversimplifies matters by attempting to establish the soundness of its own
principles and the inadequacy of all others. In fact, it is a solution that
requires, as a condition for its success, the cooperation of its opponents.
Were they to place obstacles in its way, it would not be able to solve
anything. This in itself represents a part of the problem that needs to be
solved.
Essentially, the imitative historical solution that
has captured and held the imagination of so many Muslims for so long is little
more than a stubborn insistence on a return to Islam’s golden age. It does not
take into account any change, whether material or contextual. This explains why
this “Islamic” approach to delivering the Ummah from its tribulations has
consistently failed, even though the
(pg.14)
Ummah
is Islamic in its beliefs and has been so throughout its history. This further
explains why the scope of traditional madhhab- based fiqh was confined
to the sphere of ritual worship and personal law.
Perhaps the example which most embodies the fallacies
inherent in this solution is that of Sayyid Jamal al Din al Afghānī. Although
he was one of the greatest and most sagacious of all recent Islamic reformers,
he nevertheless misinterpreted the relationship between the social and the
political systems at the time of the early khulafā’ and deduced his
infamous conclusion that the leadership needed by the Ummah was a “Just
dictatorship.”
Obviously,
dictatorship and justice are at opposite ends of the political and
administrative scale. And, furthermore, this was clearly enunciated in one of
the first Qur’anic revelations:
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ (٦) أَن
رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ (٧) سُوۡرَةُ
العَلق
…but man transgresses all bounds, in that he looks upon himself as
self-sufficient (96:6-7).
In attempting to understand the phenomena of the
imitative historical approach, we should first come to terms with how the
approach developed through the history of the Ummah. The origins of the
approach go back to the division between the Ummah’s intellectual and political
leadership: the last days of the early khulafā’, which were
characterized by a power struggle between the leadership of the state and those
ethnocentric and tribalistic desert Arabs who supported the movements toward
apostasy and repeated political refractoriness. Finally, this conflict
escalated into an open confrontation between the leaders of the state at
Madinah who represented the general politics of Islam (i.e., people such as al
Husayn ibn ‘Alī, ʻAbd Allah ibn al Zubayr, Muhammad Dhū al Nafs al Zakīyah,
Zayd ibn ‘Alī, and others) and the political leadership of the ruling
dynasties.
This confrontation ended in the defeat of the
intellectual and religious leadership, a development which engendered their
withdrawal from politics and their assumption of a
(pg.15)
new
role: an intellectual and religious opposition. Their isolation continued to
increase and, over the centuries, left an indelible mark on the nature of
Islamic thought and the concerns of Islamic thinkers. As the scholars fell into
the trap of looking at problems from a narrow perspective and interpreting the
texts of revelation from a purely lexical point of view, schools of taqlīd
came into existence. In the scholars’ defense, it is likely that their desire
to protect and preserve the Shari’ah from any tampering on the part of the
unqualified and unscrupulous contributed to the overly conservative approach
they adopted. Still, the natural result was that as time went on Islamic
thought became distinctly retrospective, lost in faint recollections of times
past and the adoration of sacred relics.
As a result of this development, the intellectual
roots of the Ummah’s social and political leadership shrivelled up and died.
When the leadership finally and completely lost its hold, the Ummah succumbed
to blind imitation and intellectual stagnation, particularly the religious
scholars who no longer had any practical political or social role to play.
Repression, tyranny, and subjugation took hold of the Ummah as the political
and social leadership lost the intellectual base from which to derive the
solutions needed for the Ummah’s development, and its alternatives and
replacements.
On one side, the Ummah was enveloped in imitative and
stagnant thought and, on the other, by despotism and political autocracy. This
is a fairly accurate picture of the Ummah’s history and the reason why, after
the Mongol invasions and the Crusades, the Ummah fell prey to Western
imperialism and remains today under foreign domination.
The important thing here is that the Ummah’s decline,
the failure of its institutions, and its inability to think beyond the limits
of historical imitation led to an even greater danger: the perception that the
solution to its problems was to be found in an imitative foreign approach.
However, the results of that imitative approach were to hasten the fall of the
Ummah and to leave it weaker than
(pg.16)
ever
before. By following this path, the Ummah was soon beset with what scholars
call an increasing civilizational (economic and technological) gulf between the
North and the South, or between the advanced and industrialized nations and
those of the underdeveloped Third World, many of which are Muslim. Among the most
important lessons to be learned from the failure of this approach is that
backward-oriented dreams are unnatural and contrary to the laws of motion that
govern life, time, space, thought, and possibility. Moreover, insisting on this
type of thought and approach when it comes to reform entails insistence on the
results of the approach: backwardness, decline, and defeat in the face of a
barrage of foreign ideas.
The Ummah must find a new path to tread, and the
intellectual and political leadership must make a serious attempt to find ways
and means of reform. But what is this new way? And what is this new approach?
What is at its core? What are its characteristics? How can it be tested so that
we may know that it will be better than what preceded it, and that it will
succeed where the others failed?
In order to answer these questions, we first have to
understand this phenomenon. How did it begin? How, when, and why did the
decline first set in? How did the situation degenerate? Surely an understanding
of the malady itself, its beginnings and its symptoms, and then its progress as
it infected the corpus of Islam and its history is an essential prerequisite to
understanding the cure and its attributes. By means of such an understanding,
we may determine the kind of effort required for reform, the priories of such
an effort, and the plans for its implementation.
The Approach of Contemporary Islamic Asālah
As its name indicates, this is an approach based on
Islam in terms of its objectives, beliefs, values, and ideas. This is because
the Ummah for which growth, positive action, and reform are intended is Islamic
in its beliefs, values, and intellectual and psychological makeup. Thus
(pg.17)
there
is no way to motivate it if this basic truth about its personality, hidden
strengths, and motives is ignored.
Clearly, it is not enough to state categorically that
Islam is the essence of the approach and the solution, because Islam
constitutes a part of both the imitative historical approach and the
contemporary Islamic asalāh approach. It is therefore essential that the
distinguishing features of the latter be defined.
These features may be sought in the contemporary
aspect and the integrity of the proposed Islamic approach. This means that the
solution will be derived from Islamic beliefs, values, and inclinations as they
reflect on the Ummah’s contemporary circumstances and its standing issues. It
also means understanding what those circumstances require as regards time and
place in relation to Islam’s heritage and experience in its earliest age on the
one hand, and in terms of the significance of quantitative and qualitative
change in human life on the other. This differs from the imitative solutions in
that the solution based on contemporary Islamic asalāh comes as an
enunciation of the Ummah’s needs, and as an answer based on the values,
concepts, and objectives of Islam, to the challenges confronting it. In this
way, the Ummah and its potentials are placed in a position of leadership, and
through its values and objectives the Ummah may best direct the future of
humanity.
Our understanding of “contemporary asalāh” or
dealing with contemporary circumstances from the starting-point of the Ummah’s
Islamic character, means, to begin with, “comprehensiveness.” This, in turn,
means understanding the theories and applications of the early period of Islam
with all their dimensions of time and place. This also entails a thorough
understanding of Islam’s objectives and higher purposes and the proper
relationship between them. This is what is to serve as the foundation for all
ummatic interaction with contemporary life and society, so that the Ummah may
assume a position of leadership as regards other civilizations.
(p.18)
Contemporary asalāh implies ability, technical
experience, and sound methodology. It also means an academic and intellectual
approach based on knowledge of the laws of nature and experience. The
experience referred to here is that which springs from real issues, problems,
and possibilities as viewed from the perspective of Islamic thought,
principles, purposes, values, and teachings. By means of a methodology based on
academic and practical comprehensiveness, it should be possible to make the
desired intellectual and civilizational transition from pastoral, agricultural,
and simple trading societies to the world of automation, communication and
unending movement, one which is characterized by change in its potentialities
and capabilities, its wealth and production, and in the requirements and
responsibilities of individuals, groups, and political, social, and economic
systems. In this way the challenges, dangers, and opportunities from which the
world has begun both to benefit and suffer can be met.
There is therefore no escaping the need to think about
overall and comprehensive approaches or of following the movements and social
dealings of human groupings. This, above all, means that there must be a
complete understanding of, and concentration on, the higher purposes of the
Shari’ah and on its general principles, values, and fundamental teachings.
These must become the starting point for contemporary Islamic social thought
and for the arrangement of its institutions, organizations, and the regulations
that direct and guide its movement. If these goals are realized, Islamic
society will remain distinguished by justice, shūra, solidarity,
brotherhood, and all the other values held dear by Islam.
In order to achieve the goal of contemporary Islamic asalāh
the methodology of research in Islamic studies must be restructured so that it
proceeds from experience derived from practical situations related to Islam and
its higher purposes, values, and societal and civilizational precepts. What
this entails is the reunification of the two branches of education on all
levels: the spiritual, with its stress on values, and the technical, with its
stress on application.
(pg.19)
Attention
also must be paid to Islamic approaches and philosophy in every branch of
learning, particularly the humanities and the social sciences.
In the final analysis, contemporary Islamic asalāh
will lead to a reordering of priorities and a restructuring of methodology and
thought so that the means for sound Islamic education will be provided.
Moreover, a reconstruction of institutions, organizations, social systems, and
political institutions will also take place, so that complementarity and sound
progression will propel society towards constructive reorganization on the basis
of Islamic values and purposes.
The approach taken by contemporary Islamic asalāh
must include two factors if it is to have an effective role in the leadership
and reform of human civilization. Based on the study of historical
civilizational change, these factors are: the impetus of a positive religious
outlook and preeminence in effective thought.
In the early days of Islam this came about through the
pure Islamic ‘aqīdah (creed) and the supremacy of Islamic thought. Such
a combination gave rise to many remarkable accomplishments in the first
generation of Muslims: the severing of the pagan Arab trade routes, military
and diplomatic genius at the battles of Khandaq and Hudaybīyah, the conquest of
Makkah, the amazing crossing of the Syrian desert prior to the decisive battle
with the Byzantines at Yarmuk, the genius in maintaining the various dīwans,
framing policies, establishing organizations, building mosques as schools and
training centers, and the dissemination of knowledge and scientific lore. All
of this speaks eloquently of the Ummah’s cultural superiority at that early
stage of its history when it was surrounded by corrupt and failing
civilizations and barbarian bedouins.
The same was true of the European Renaissance, for it
was driven by a positive new religious outlook (the Protestant reformation)
dedicated to an effective Christian worldview aimed at erasing the superstition
and ignorance of the Middle Ages. This, combined with the reform of European
thought, which until that time had been shackled
(pg.20)
by
literal interpretations of fabulous tales derived from biblical sources, proved
to be a potent mixture. What had happened in the early days of Islam, the
joining together of a constructive religious outlook and effective and superior
thought, also happened in Europe and resulted in a similar development: the
founding of a new civilization, that of Renaissance Europe. The approach of
contemporary asalāh is based on these two factors as well.
Thus, emphasizing religious reform to the exclusion of
sound methodology will not benefit the contemporary Islamic movement. Moreover,
Westernized secularists will not succeed if they are only concerned with the
issue of thought and its brilliant achievements. Rather, both elements must be
combined, and the two camps must unite to bring about the needed elements for khilāfah
and the establishment of a new civilization.
The process of bringing the religious and the secular
elements together is, from the Islamic point of view, a restoration of the link
between reason and revelation, or between the role of the mind in appreciating
(comprehending and interpreting) revelation and guiding the mind by means of
the revelation’s objectives, its comprehensive and universal outlook, and its
living and civilizational values. Thus, the joining of the two wings in the
pursuit of reform is an intellectual process in its methodology and style. In
other words, the crisis faced by the Ummah at the present time is one of
thought.
It is only natural, then, that the call to the proper
approach, the explanation of what that approach and its priorities should be,
and the plans for its implementation should be made by the Ummah’s
intellectuals, writers, and concerned social and political leaders. These
people must strive to clarify the picture, to make the Ummah aware of the
problem, and to plant the seeds of reform so that these may grow and eventually
bear fruit. It may sometimes seem that the road is a winding one. This,
however, is the case in every beginning and new undertaking. Although the
beginning may be difficult, people have never chosen paths simply for the ease
of passage these may afford them. On
(pg.21)
the
contrary, paths are chosen for the reason that they lead to those objectives
for which people set out on the road in the first place.
The Historical Roots of the Crisis
Change in the Political Base: Bedouins, infighting, and the Fail of the
Khilāfah
It
should be quite clear from the preceding analysis that the Islamic solution
must be applied if the Ummah is ever to resolve the crisis of its debilitation,
factiousness, backwardness, and lack of civilization. The opening pages of this
work briefly sketched the Ummah’s efforts to extricate itself from the crisis
and to institute reform when it found itself face to face with modern Western
culture and forced to taste the bitterness of defeat at its hands. For the
first time, the Ummah was confronted by a decidedly destructive enemy which
threatened its entire civilization. In the foregoing pages, we reviewed how the
Ummah has failed repeatedly in its attempts to liberate itself from the
challenge of Western influence. As a result of the preceding analysis and what
we see today, we have come to look at contemporary Islamic asalāh as the
only way to deliver the Ummah from its present woes and to free it from the
vicious circle in which it finds itself enveloped. It is therefore all the more
important that we understand the nature of the crisis and the axis on which it
revolves. Only if that is accomplished will we be able to penetrate to the
heart of the crisis. Indeed, until now, it has been our ignorance of the nature
of this crisis that has hampered us from evaluating our performance as a
civilization and maintaining a course of progress over the centuries.
In such an undertaking, we must be ready to plumb the
depths and to ignore the superficial (regardless of the defects in our
upbringing), the shortcomings in our thinking, and our trepidations with regard
to what we hold, legitimately or otherwise, to be sacred. Undoubtedly, we have
(pg.22)
been
influenced by the long popular, political, and intellectual struggles that have
taken place over the centuries and that rarely, if ever, show themselves for
what they really were, or are. Moreover, these influences persist beneath the
surface of our caution about what we hold sacred, and thus paralyze our minds
and souls, and prevent us from thinking seriously, from pondering these
matters, and from wisely using our intellect in ways that lead to true
accomplishment.
It is therefore incumbent upon us to consider our
present condition and every aspect of our long history. We must examine these
closely in order to acquire a proper understanding of the situation and to
distinguish between what is truly sacred and what is not. We must also avoid
the futile trap of attempting to assign responsibility for our failures to
others.
The first sign of the Ummah’s emerging crisis was the fitnah
(infighting) which broke out in a series of destructive civil wars within the
Islamic state. The third khalīfah, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affān, was martyred
during these wars, as was his successor ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib. Eventually the khilāfah
came to an end and was replaced by the profligacy, despotism, and tribālism of
the new rulers of the Ummah, the Umayyah royalty.
The infighting that ultimately resulted in the fall of
the khilāfah is such an important event in the history of the Ummah that
it should not be passed over until we have gained a correct understanding of
it, of what caused it, and of what it engendered. We need this information
because the events of this period continue, even in our own day, to influence
the Ummah’s behavior.
The most important factor in the infighting was the
unnoticed and inevitable change in the political power base from which the
leadership of the khilāfah derived its legitimacy. Because the
Companions (sahābah) constituted the armies and echelons for the power
base of the Prophet’s state, they also performed the same function for the khilāfah
with all that this implies as regards standards of quality, inclination,
training, wisdom, and morals.
(pg.23)
During the sequence of events that included challenges
by the contemporary Persian and Eastern Roman empires, the door was open for
Arab bedouin tribes, still imbued with their ethnocentricity and prejudice, to
join the Muslim armies. While the numbers of the new bedouin recruits
increased, the numbers of the veteran Companions decreased, for many were
martyred during the early conquests. This fact made it possible for the
bedouins to preserve and maintain, in addition to the main teachings of Islam,
all of the prejudices and ethnic biases of the desert, namely, all of those
elements which the care and upbringing of the Prophet had managed to erase from
the hearts and minds of his Companions.
Thus the political foundations of the khilāfah
underwent drastic change due to the ascendancy of these bedouins. The purely
Islamic values, objectives, and criteria that had been taught by the Prophet
were no longer the guiding forces of the new armies or of the new politics. The
inevitable result of such a development was infighting and the eventual fall of
the khilāfah, which was replaced with the power of the tribes and the
ethnocentric and despotic tribālists of the Umayyah royalty.
It was also quite natural that the religious and
political leadership in Makkah and Madinah would not last for more than a
century, and that the efforts of Husayn ibn ‘Alī, ‘Abd Allah ibn al Zubayr,
Muhammad Dhū al Nafs al Zakīyah, Zayd ibn Alī, and others would come to naught
in the bloody civil wars against the overwhelming bedouin majority. As time
passed, great numbers of Persians, Byzantines, Indians, Turks, Africans, and
others entered the fold of Islam without the benefit of a complete Islamic
upbringing to destroy their old prejudices and pre-Islamic concepts. This
missing element soon caused many members of the Ummah to deviate from purely
Islamic practices, concepts, and methods. In short, when the bedouin tribāl
majority came to power, the political power base changed and the Ummah was
subjected to a mixed pre-Islamic and Islamic style of leadership and politics.
(pg.24)
The Rift between Political and Religious Leadership
If the bedouin domination of the army that led to the
fall of the khilāfah and its replacement with the Umayyah royalty was
the first cause of change and deviation, then the subtle differences that came
about as a result of this overt change were decidedly more insidious.
Essentially a rift occurred in the ranks of the social leadership between the
political and religious intellectual leaders. This rift became one of the most
important factors in the dissipation of the incredible energies so recently
released by the force of Islam.
Following the establishment of ethnic and dictatorial
forces in the Islamic social system, the religious intellectual leaders located
in the Hijaz refused to accept the reality and the reasons for the new changes.
Instead, they resisted on the basis of dogma and thought, as opposed to
ethnicity, all tribāl forces, including those of the Umayyah branch of the
Quraysh.
When the century-long civil wars had exhausted the
religious intelligentsia (who had been unable to gain the support of the masses
whose thinking and upbringing were decidedly tribālist and ethnic in nature),
its members retreated and sought refuge far from the political leadership,
abandoning all attempts to mount any significant opposition. The strategy of
the new political leadership was to contain the religious intelligentsia and to
force its members to do as they were told by applying increasing amounts of
pressure. Thus the lot of the great ulama, especially those four who founded
the schools of legal thought, consisted of torture and exemplary punishment.
Imam Abu Hanīfah (d. 150/767) died in prison because he refused to accept a
position as a judge in a regime that was not committed to Islam. When Imam Mālik
(d. 175/795) opined in favor of the invalidity of talāq pronounced under
duress, he was beaten so badly that his hand was paralyzed.2
Likewise, Imam
(pg.25)
Ahmad
ibn Hanbal (d. 241/855) was forced to undergo a great deal of suffering for his
opposition to the political ambitions of those in power. Imam al Shāfi’ī (d.
204/820) was forced to flee from the authorities in Baghdad after he was brought
there in chains from Yemen. Finally, he had to take refuge in Egypt, far from
the center of power.
The rift between the Ummah’s political and religious
intellectual leadership represented the beginning of the decline of Muslim
power, of the rent in the fabric of Muslim society, and of the crisis in
Islamic thought and institutions. All of these factors contributed to throwing
the door open to corruption and decline. Gradually Islam was no longer able to
maintain its vitality. As a result, only the remnants of its spiritual
teachings have survived over the centuries. The rest of its glorious
civilization has perished.
The rift between the religious intellectual and the
political leadership was the underlying cause of all the maladies that would later
beset the Ummah. This bitter rift led to the removal of the intellectual
leadership from all practical and social responsibility within the Ummah. This,
in turn, became the most important reason for the paralysis of the Muslim mind,
which literally retreated into the confines of the mosque. There, its only
concern was with tomes of primarily theoretical lore dealing essentially with
descriptive and lexical approaches to the interpretation of texts from the Qur’an
and the Sunnah. The intellectual leadership’s only other concern was its
vigilance in preventing the political leadership and its agents from corrupting
or misinterpreting the sacred texts in order to justify their actions. As a
result, the Ummah is even now incapable of competing with other civilizations
on either a material or intellectual level. In fact, its very existence is
threatened by contemporary Western civilization.
(pg.26)
This sorry state of affairs led to what is widely
known as the closing of the door to ijtihad, although in truth, ijtihad never
had a door to close. Rather, “closing the door” was a metaphor for the
stagnation of thought based on the political leadership’s loss of commitment to
Islam because of its preference for perpetuating its authority and power
through despotism and for putting everything it touched into the service of
its, and its agents’, own interests. All of this served only to drive the ulama
deeper into the recesses of their mosques, far from the continuing changes.
Secondly, the rift led to the political leadership
being deprived of a viable intellectual base capable of serving it in the face
of changing circumstances and providing it with ideas, policy guidelines, and
workable alternatives. It should come as no surprise, then, that the political
leadership of the Islamic world has, generally speaking, been despotic and
dictatorial in nature. Rarely, if ever, has there been scope for shūra,
a Qur’anic term denoting the participation of the masses in determining the Ummah’s
affairs. This being the case, there is also nothing strange about the way in
which the Ummah faded and then disappeared as a world civilization with its own
unique characteristics, thought, and institutions.
It should not be difficult for readers to appreciate
the kind of factionalism and political disintegration that afflicted the body
politic of the Ummah after the fall of the khilāfah. Readers must
understand, however, the difference between the power of civilizational
vitality exhibited by Islam in its early period and the great accumulations of
wealth and territory that came about later as a result of that early vitality,
accumulations which were partly due to the imminent collapse of the neighboring
Persian and Byzantine empires. These outward signs of vitality came about
despite the decay that had set into the Muslim Ummah, for the loss of vitality
we refer to was a relative loss. In fact, the Ummah of that time still retained
a great deal of its vitality. It is therefore important that readers not
overlook what might otherwise be hidden by outward circumstances; the Ummah’s
strength was sapped.
(pg.27)
The Crux of the Crisis and the Future of the Ummah
A Crisis of Thought not a Crisis of Belief
In
spite of the continual ill-fated attempts to apply foreign or traditional
solutions to its problems, the Ummah’s understanding of an Islamic outlook has
remained unclear. This is perhaps due to its general misconception concerning
thought and belief, i.e., viewing thought and belief as one and the same thing,
absolute and eternally sacred. In fact, this misconception is a direct result
of what our enemies have circulated among us via their control of culture,
education, and the media. In particular, the concerted efforts of those engaged
in orientalist studies about Islam or the Muslim world have greatly increased
our level of confusion. One factor contributing to the lack of clarity in
contemporary Islamic vision is the psychological impediments that have left the
Muslim mind as tame as a household pet. In other words, it does not have enough
courage to analyze its intellectual legacy or what it holds as sacred. As a
result, it cannot understand what is really important, distinguish between what
is fundamental and absolute and what is temporary and limited; or even
appreciate what is essential and what is a matter of performance and style. The
fears, the lack of self-confidence, and the misgivings that we have planted in
ourselves make it impossible for us to look honestly at the events, and the
accompanying factors and shortcomings, of our past.
The Muslim mind, therefore, has remained a prisoner of
those concepts and basic approaches that doom it to remain bound by past
mistakes and digressions and bereft of the ability to penetrate, distinguish,
and amend its own course, or to plumb the depths of the issues confronting it.
Thus it is unable to boldly chart a course for the future, for it sits bound
and blindfolded in a dusty corner of the distant past.
If the methodology of thought does not undergo change,
and if its approaches are not rectified, the Muslim mind will remain unable to
take a critical or penetrating look at anything. Instead, it will continue to
gravitate from one
(pg.28)
failed
solution to the next. There can be little doubt that continuing along this path
can only lead to further disintegration and collapse.
To add to the burdens of the wretched Muslim mind, the
Ummah’s intellectual and political leaders, whether by design or otherwise,
despaired of ever having a complete monopoly on leadership. What each group
sought, then, was to force its own kind of terrorism on the Ummah. Regardless
of what its intentions might have been, the political leadership practiced a
sort of material terrorism, whereas the intellectual leadership perpetrated a
sort of psychological terrorism. These two groups engaged in this type of
activity in order to ensure the continued pacification, weakness, and
subjugation of the Muslims vis-a-vis the leadership in their private and public
lives. What is so laughably regrettable, however, is that this terrorism
reached a point where even the intellectual and political leadership themselves
were negatively affected. The final result was that the infirmity of the Ummah
caused the collapse of the leadership’s powerbase and left it unable to defend
itself in the face of the onslaught of foreign colonial powers.
Owing to the fogginess of the Muslim vision and the
way that it has been hampered, we find that Muslims either accept their past
with all its deviations and peculiarities of thought, society, and
organization, or they reject it, along with all its inherent values, entirely.
Over the centuries, this vision has grown increasingly weaker as the Ummah’s
personality has been beset by a series of devastating illnesses that have left
it unable to distinguish between truth and dogma, ends and means, religion and
folklore, values and commonplace events, and concepts and imitation.
In essence, the Muslim mind was divided between groups
that called upon it either to reject or to accept everything, without
differentiating between historical fact and fiction or distinguishing between
the means and the end. Some groups within the Ummah even claimed that peoples
and societies whose material resources have
(pg.29)
suffered
are actually the victims of immaterial or abstract crises.
Issues of Thought and Means Versus Issues of Values and Ends
It should be clear that no one could possibly object
to the values, principles, and beliefs which form the foundations of Islam.
Still, the enemies of Islam do not speak of these matters. According to them,
when one speaks of Islam one speaks of fatalism and tyranny, political
absolutism, intellectual and psychological shortcomings, the excesses of the
slave trade, and the degradation of women. Such people also proclaim that
Islamic beliefs are no more than the myths of Muslims and the history of their
mistakes and their beliefs are really their customs and traditions, as well as
signs of their ignorance, superstition, and prejudice.
However, what we must remember is that the peoples who
accepted Islam did so at a time when their nations were in decline. Thus
whatever those peoples achieved thereafter was the result of the precedence of
Islam and its principles and approaches. On the other hand, whatever evil ways
those people fell into came about in spite of Islam and its values and can be
traced back to the practices of their former civilizations. Had it not been for
the civilizing effect of Islam and its values and principles, the Muslims would
undoubtedly have involved themselves in far worse sorts of injustice,
corruption, and ignorance.
The important thing for us to realize at this juncture
is that the shortcomings in the lives of Muslims are in no way attributable to
the values, objectives, and purposes of Islam, but rather to the way that
Muslims think perceive, and reason. Thus when we speak of reform, we are really
speaking of thought and the Muslim mind. What really needs addressing is how
the Muslim mind applies the values and principles of Islam in society and
organizations, and in specific situations and under various circumstances.
After all, there is a difference between the
principles of mutual agreement and solidarity and the arrangements and
procedures used to realize these principles (or those which
(pg.30)
in
fact allow these principles to be lost or wasted). There is also a difference
between the higher purposes of the Shari’ah and the policies framed to ensure
them, as well as between the principles and values of the Shari’ah and the
procedures and arrangements for carrying them out. Things like values,
principles, and ends are among the universal laws of existence, which, in spite
of limitations of time and place, become parts of a sound human character.
Procedures, policies, approaches, and practical measures, on the other hand,
are very much linked to the exigencies of time and place.
What all of this means is that the difference between
beliefs, principles, and values, on the one hand, and thought, understanding,
and application (or its lack or imperfection), on the other, is a very basic
issue. If ever we hope to put our future course right and effect any sort of
meaningful reform, we must be clear on this issue. In the final analysis, this
confirms that the Ummah’s crisis is essentially one of thought rather than of
belief, one of method and not of meaning, and that the issue involved is one of
means and not of ends. This, then, is the proper place from which to begin a
serious study and, in so doing, to put an end to the needless confusion about
pretentious claims and timeworn traditions.
Intellectual Isolation: The Cause of Taqlid and Backwardness
As time passed, the crisis in the Muslim mind became
more and more difficult to ignore, for the gulf between theory and practice
became more exaggerated. Muslim objectives took on the aspect of unattainable
hopes and fanciful wishes, and Muslim accomplishments became little more than
history and memories of times past. When control of the Ummah passed into the
hands of its enemies, the bankruptcy of Muslim society and its political
leadership was self-evident. The Muslim intelligentsia also suffered the same
fate, and to the same degree, for by that time it was no longer competent when
it came to facing the challenges thrown its way by the foreign cultural
invasion.
(pg.31)
The civilizational horizons attained by the Ummah in
the past were clearly the result of the overwhelming impetus provided by the
early generations of Islam. Yet the spark had to fade eventually, and the
movement had to come to a standstill sometime. Times and circumstances changed.
But the Ummah truly lost both its way and its ability to renew itself when its
political leadership became separated from its intellectual leadership. This
spilt so encouraged literalism, taqlīd, indulgence, and superstition
that they soon became the order of the day. The Ummah lost its ability to give
birth to new ideas, to update its institutions, and to produce the planning,
means, and policies essential to further progress at the civilizational level.
Since the time of this separation, the Ummah has lived
on the ruins of the broad societal foundations laid by the early generations of
Muslims. Yet at the same time, the agents of political and intellectual decay
have spread throughout the Ummah and its leadership, a trend that has resulted
in the virtual disintegration of the historical Islamic social structure.
The intellectual leadership, due to its isolation
(often an isolation imposed upon it by the forces of political authority),
rarely if ever exercised its social responsibilities. Instead, it devoted
itself to studying religious texts, cultivating an oasis of religious sciences,
and preserving the intricacies of the Arabic (as the medium of all religious
texts and sciences) spoken in classical times. These activities led to the
establishment by these people of the textual sciences of the Qur’an, the
Sunnah, and the Arabic language. The science of fiqh was limited from its
inception to the regulation of individual practice in formal acts of devotion.
As such, it never developed a perspective beyond that of the daily
circumstances of the early generations of Muslims. Likewise, the practical
science of fiqh was never applied to the doctrinal sciences (‘aqā’īd),
so that these became, generally speaking, theoretical and speculative in
nature. Thus the doctrinal sciences never played a significant role in guiding
the Ummah.
(pg.32)
Even the major principles of Islam which had guided
the Muslim mind and the Ummah in its thought and deeds in the early generations
were divided into two distinct sets. The first, and by far the most important,
consisted of those principles related to the preservation and interpretation of
the textual sources of Islam. The second set, deemed secondary in status and
relegated to insignificance and neglect, were those principles related to the
rules and approaches essential to analysis of social conditions and the
circumstances and variables of life in society.
Owing to this division, the principles dealing with
texts were developed into highly complex sciences, while the “secondary”
principles and all the fields of knowledge related to them were essentially
ignored. It was for the above reasons that no social sciences, in the proper
sense, ever developed from Islamic principles and approaches. This explains why
no Islamic economic, educational, political, communications, or administrative
sciences were ever developed. Instead, these subjects were mentioned by the
classical scholars of Islam, if ever, only in passing or as casual asides or
observations. Thus matters like establishing cadres within Muslim society,
organizing it, and framing policies for its development were never anything
more than ad hoc and wholly arbitrary, concocted in reaction to fluctuating
circumstances. The differences between casual observations made on social
phenomenon and the use of formal social sciences is that formal studies are
structural, begin from reality and an understanding of nature, and then proceed
to objectives, principles, and values. The social sciences are regulated by
real results and are in no need, as so often happens, of hiding behind catch
words and empty phrases.
The crisis in the Muslim mind is one related to the
achievement of Islam’s higher objectives and the embodiment of Islamic values.
It is therefore a crisis of thought in its essence and its approach, and a
crisis of the methodology, which the Ummah lacks, in the social sciences. The
crisis of Muslim thought is one of the establishment of those social sciences
that can assist the Ummah with its
(pg.33)
thought,
organization, institutions, and policies. When we speak of the social sciences,
we refer to the fields of methodological study, without reference to any
specific (Western, leftist, Eastern or whatever) theories or schools. Certainly
the Muslim mind, with its complete and comprehensive sources of knowledge, will
have much of value to contribute to such sciences and disciplines.
It is certainly premature to speak in a detailed
fashion of the issues and problems of the Islamic social sciences. Rather,
these are things that, with the passing of time, will become more apparent.
Regardless of the formula we begin with, the point is to make a beginning from
what is already known, to benefit from what humanity has already achieved in
the relevant fields. The important thing here is that the starting-point be
distinguished by its asalāh, maturity, and openness, so that progress
may begin far removed from the restraints of those traditions which have held
the Ummah captive for so long.
(pg.34)
CHAPTER TWO
The Traditional Methodology of Islamic Thought:
Assessment and Critique
It should be apparent from the foregoing discussion
that the traditional solutions, be they historical or foreign, have failed
because they do not represent the proper approach to reform. The crisis of the
Ummah is not one of capabilities and resources, but rather one of the concepts.
This conceptual crisis is not a crisis of beliefs, values, or principles, but
rather a long-standing crisis of thought and methodology brought on by a change
in the Ummah’s political foundations and the resultant distancing of the
intellectual leadership from any sort of societal responsibility. This single
development ended all intellectual and scientific growth, and rendered the
Ummah incapable of keeping up with change, development, and challenges.
This inability to keep abreast of the march of
civilization is the core of the crisis. But the situation will not be rectified
until several other matters are attended to: until the course of the Muslim
mind is set aright; the ways by which Muslim thought approaches various issues
are rectified, and its methodology is restructured in a way that will enable it
to deal with events, challenges, relationships and all other aspects of social
life. If the Ummah’s methodology is sound, its thought will be capable of
providing it with the energy required for reformational efforts and for
confronting the challenges that face it.
(pg.35)
For this reason, we must take a closer look at the
methodology of the Muslim mind and thought to understand them better and to
recognize their shortcomings and failures more easily. Thereafter, we should be
able to draw some tentative conclusions about how the Muslim mind might be
reformed.
Al Usūl: Definition and Clarification
The science of usūl al fiqh (juridical source
methodology) is the historical methodology of Islamic thought. This science
represents the most important component of the methodology used in the
classical Islamic disciplines. Taking into account the perspective of those who
have mastered this science arid its branches, from the earliest generations to
the present, it might also be called the traditional methodology of Islam for
the reason that its perspective has always been one of passive, if not blind,
acceptance.
In the early days of Islam, the broad principles and
universals of this methodology reflected the nature of Islamic thought arid its
correlation to the religion and mission of Islam. The best example of its spirit
and its creative application is to be found during the times of the khulafā’,
a time when revelation (wahy) was taken as the source of guidance and
direction, and when reason and ijtihad were used both as tools for
understanding and interpreting revelation, as well as for dealing with events
and developing responses and policies.
In the age of ijtihad that followed, when the first
schism occurred between the Ummah’s political and intellectual leadership,
Muslim thinkers and scholars were still in close touch with the spirit of the
message and the methods of the earliest age of Islam. As a result, they wrote
and thought on the basis of the early methodology. However, as their political
isolation grew, they began to shun all but academic pursuits, and taught and
wrote on the most personalized aspects of the texts of the Qur’an and the
Sunnah, such as worship and transactions, and ignored issues related to
politics, government, social organization, and the general
(pg.36)
nature
of the group and society. As a result, the source methodology they used became
conditioned by the purposes it served, while conforming to the circumstances
under which it was developed, and over which the scholars of Islam had no
control.
Even so, the general principles of their methodology
remained open to development and real contribution. But continued development,
based upon the spirit of innovation as opposed to taqlīd, became the
responsibility of the generations to follow. Only in the spirit of progress
would it be possible to deal correctly with the methodology, to derive benefit
from it, and to build upon it in order to meet the challenges presented by
changing conditions. Such a spirit would allow the methodology to evolve in a
positive and effective manner and thereby contribute to life outside the
personal realm. This spirit would also allow Islamic thought to preserve its
comprehensive and original nature, as well as its ijtihad and the
complementarity of its sources and disciplines.
It will be advantageous here to survey briefly the
universals of the traditional methodology of Islamic thought as we know it
today. This will be followed by a discussion of some of the more pivotal
aspects of that criticism and of the more important issues of that methodology.
The methodology of Islamic thought as we know it today
is represented by the science of usūl al fiqh which, in turn, is
represented in its general principles and axioms by the rational foundations
and basic precepts of the Islamic mind. However, usūl al fiqh, as a
discipline, was developed by scholars of the successor generation (tābiʻīn)
and those immediately following them (tabʻu al tābiʻīn)),
generations that came after the age of al khulafā’ al rāshidīn. Thus the
work, al Risalāh, by Imam al Shāfi’ī is considered the earliest academic
articulation of Islamic thought methodology in general, and of the science of usūl
al fiqh in particular.
The basic principles upon which this science and
methodology are based may be classified into two types: primary and secondary.
The primary foundations are composed essentially of studies related to the Qur’an,
the
(pg.37)
Sunnah,
ijmā’ (the consensus of the learned), and qiyās (analogy). The
secondary foundations consist of studies dealing with those sources of evidence
on which the scholars differed as to how and under what conditions they are to
be applied (al adillah al mukhtalif fīhā), sources which are used in the
main as the basis for the process of ijtihad. Among the most important of these
secondary sources are: istihsān (the more reasonable analogy), al masālīh
al mursalah (the wider interests of the community), sadd al dhara’i
(the obstruction of ostensibly legitimate means to illegitimate ends), ‘urf
(custom and legal usage), the sayings of the sahābah, and the practices
of the people of Madīnah.
Shari’ah and Non-Shari’ah Sciences
On the basis of this division, we find that all
Islamic sciences and disciplines since the first generation have been
classified as either Shari’ah or non-Shari’ah sciences. From the earliest
generations, the distinguishing characteristic of the Shari’ah sciences has
been their concentration on studies related to legal interpretations of the Qur’an
and the Sunnah. It was on this basis that the sciences of the Qur’an and the
Sunnah, of fiqh, theology, and the classical Arabic language developed into the
Shari’ah sciences. The inclusion of the sciences of the classical Arabic
language under the general heading of the Shari’ah sciences was due to the fact
that Arabic is an essential element in all studies of the Qur’an and the
Sunnah.
This division or separation in the foundations of the
methodology of Islamic thought explains the position of the theological
sciences (‘ilm al kalām) on the lowest rung of the Shari’ah sciences.
Although the central concern of the theological sciences is the study of
Islamic beliefs and doctrines, their intrusion into the realms of comparative
religious studies and their infiltration by Aristotelian logic and Greek
philosophy gave them a low priority, and left them open to much acrimonious
debate and division in the ranks of all those scholars who dealt with them.
(pg.38)
Thus theology remained a Source of weakness in the
Ummah’s thought. As a result, the Ummah was unable to use it as a guide to its
actions and deliberations in the domains of its social and civilizational
organization and development. Another result was the dichotomy between the
spheres of the legal sciences, with their orientation toward the life of the
individual and the instructive and universal orientation of the theological
sciences. Without the complementarity of these sciences, no comprehensive Islamic
vision developed, and so both sciences developed incompletely, a result which
led to their later inability to keep abreast of the changes and challenges
faced by the Ummah.
At this point in our discussion it will be necessary
to look at each of the basic issues in the framework of traditional Islamic
thought. This will enable us to understand the reasons for its shortcomings and
also how best to deal with these issues.
The first sources of Islam are the Qur’an and the
Sunnah. The most important qualifications for their study under the traditional
methodology are at once historical, theoretical, and linguistic knowledge. All
traditional Islamic studies hinged on the theoretical, while all of the other
vital elements associated with these two sources (i.e. interpretation and
relevance to actual situations) remained of secondary importance. The
utilization of these elements depended on chance, the background of the
scholar, and the scholar’s personal way of life.
This realization helps us to understand the reason for
the domination of petrified lexical methodology in all the Islamic sciences and
studies, and the demise of ijtihad. In addition, it helps us to appreciate more
fully the abilities of a handful of brilliant scholars over the centuries who
performed ijtihad despite the long stagnation of the institution itself. Their
brilliance can surely be traced to their exposure to political and social life
which enabled them to excel in the contemporary sciences, to understand the
situation of the Ummah as a whole, and to look objectively at problems as
opposed to dealing with them from a purely theoretical or lexical perspective.
(pg.39)
Another relevant observation is that the traditional
studies of the Qur’an and the Sunnah often confuse the one with the other and
actually dispute each other’s positions and the ways in which they are
interrelated. It is almost impossible to discern in these studies any sort of
distinguishing role or any particular contribution for either of them. This is
why contemporary Islamic studies have been overshadowed by traditional
historical taqlīd and the concept of abrogation (naskh), with the
result that the wisdom of the higher purposes of the Shari’ah and the concept
of a relevant and responsive fiqh were lost. In addition, the static
intellectual atmosphere resulted in the confusion of such elements as time and
place dimensions, and the position of specific and contextualized texts in
relation to the general and universal meanings of the original revelation, and
to the nature of humanity and the universe.
Such a state of affairs is contrary to what we find in
the record of the Sunnah itself or to what we know of the lives of the khulafā’
and their contemporaries. Thus, for example, the study of the Sunnah was
transformed into a complex study of the formalities of transmitting and
relaying hadiths. This is not to deny the importance of these studies, but to
point out that centuries have passed since these matters were essentially
settled, classified, and codified. The tragedy is that the meaning and
relevance of these same hadiths have not received nearly the same amount of
scholarly attention.
Likewise, if we look closely at the fundamental
concept of ijmā’, we find that its purpose as defined in the traditional
usūl studies is not consensus in the sense of the dominant or majority
opinion, but rather as an absolute consensus leaving no room for disagreement
or opposition. Thus, those who have studied ijmā’ have realized that it
is virtually impossible for it to be used in any matter of either doctrinal or
juridical significance, save for those fundamental teachings specifically
mentioned in the sources. Of course in those circumstances where a clear text
from the sources is available there is no need for ijmā’!
(pg.40)
Moreover, the kind of traditional ijmā’ defined
by the scholars of usūl al fiqh is never referred to by anyone other
than certain groups of specialized academicians in their studies of the Qur’an
and Hadith. Thus ijmā’, even if it ever were to be achieved, is
essentially a theoretical issue with no practical bearing on contemporary
Muslim needs. It is out of step with our ways of thinking and has no relevance
to our present situation. This situation has, in addition to its theoretical
and academic dimensions, real social and political dimensions, for it makes ijmā’
a phenomenon that perpetuates and encourages the rift between the Ummah’s
intellectual and political leadership. The result is that society as a whole
suffers. This, in practical terms, spells an end to the true meaning of the
Ummah or the Muslim community that is based on the harmony and legitimacy of
the two leadership groups.
Thus ijmā’, as conceived by scholars of usūl,
is purely theoretical and represents no practical or reliable source and no
real expression of Islam’s social or political dynamics. As such, it plays no
significant part in the politics, government, or legislation in contemporary
Islamic society.
Muslims should seek to establish another type of ijmā’,
one based on ijtihad and shurà, one that draws in a major way from the
idea of consulting groups of qualified people and those leaders of society
committed to Islam irrespective of their various political or intellectual
leanings. The needed ijmā’ is the one that also draws from the idea of
majority rule, the majority as represented by its true and responsible
leadership. This is the kind of ijmā’ that is needed when the Ummah
cannot agree unanimously on an issue. In this manner, we may easily
differentiate between theoretical studies based on personal opinion (especially
on issues dealing with transactions, organizations, and public policy) and
politically and legally binding legislation that affects Muslim life in
practical, conceptual, and ethical ways.
The fourth primary foundation is qiyās, the
exercise of reason in regard to events about which no textual injunctions have
come to us in either the Qur’an or the Sunnah. Its purpose is to establish
similarities between the event in
(pg.41)
question
and one that occurred in the lifetime of the Prophet, in the belief that their
similarity will allow the application of the same ruling. However, there is one
major qualification to this practice: the general social circumstances in both
instances must be the same. If anything is different, it must be ascertained
whether the difference(s) are minimal and limited to details rather than
fundamental and demanding of attention. If the differences are found to be
inconsequential, a parallel may be drawn with the historical event, and the
same ruling may be applied.
From the time of Islam’s greatest expansion, during
the khilāfah of ‘Umar, comprehensive and sweeping changes have taken
place. Thus, such a limited form of qiyās as described above is no
longer practical or suitable for dealing with contemporary problems and
changes. This was realized by certain of the classical scholars themselves, so
that they moved toward another option, istihsān. This methodological
tool first gained currency with the fiqh scholars in Iraq, Persia, and Central
Asia. Moreover, the reason why istihsān first appeared in those
territories was due to social developments during the period of the khulafā’,
the expansion of Islam into Persia, and the establishment of the ‘Abbasiyah
empire. This period was a time of massive demographic, social, and political
change on a scale never before seen in the early days of Islam or in the
Arabian peninsula where the political role of the scholars had decreased to
insignificance after the passing of the first khulafā’.
Istihsān
heads the list of secondary sources in the science of usūl al fiqh. Its
development indicates clearly the changing legislative and social needs of
society, especially in the more developed urban situations in lands where
pre-Islamic civilizations had flourished. The traditional form of qiyās
and its method of comparing one incident or event to another that resembled it
in certain (but not all) aspects was far too simplistic. Such a method was
actually misleading, for it distracted scholars from seeking the true causes of
the problems confronting society and led them instead to base their legal
rulings and judgments on circumstances that did not represent the total picture
or the truth of those
(pg.42)
situations.
Hence the need for istihsān was clear, for without it the legal scholar
could not transcend the limited approach represented by qiyās and his
own inability to undertake a comprehensive approach that took into account the
higher purposes and priorities of the Shari’ah. Only in this way could the
jurist go beyond the limited particulars of the problems that continually
sprang up to confront him, and give rulings reflecting the true spirit of the
Shari’ah and its higher purposes. There can be little doubt that such rulings
are always better in the long run for Islam.
In order to comprehend the vital issue of
understanding Islamic institutions and social change, we should note that the
majority of classical jurists, particularly those given to a strict adherence
to the literal, chose no other means to deal with social change other than a
belated acceptance of its consequences. They had no alternative but to move
beyond their literalist methodology and its constricted horizons to consider
the purposes, principles, and priorities of the Shari’ah.
Among the examples of this new phenomenon was the
position of such scholars concerning price regulation. Despite the existence of
texts in the Sunnah that categorically rejected such regulation, and in spite
of the scholars’ natural inclination toward literal acceptance of everything in
the Sunnah, they ruled in favor of regulation because it was obvious to them
that economic injustice would ensue if they did not. Since they were unable to
deal with the issue in a comprehensive way that would restore general social
and economic balance, they had no alternative but to rule in favor of
regulation and governmental intervention in the marketplace and, in particular,
the setting of prices.
The Neglect of the Social Sciences
These observations on the general lines followed by
the traditional usūl and methodology, and their origins and development,
clarify how the secondary usūl represented the principles and approaches
of Islamic rationalism toward reality and life. However, even though these
principles
(pg.43)
represented
the basis of ijtihad and its practical application, their being accorded only
secondary importance is clearly indicative of the flaws that beset Islamic
thought and methodology in general. These, then, were the landmarks on the road
to the social, organizational, and cultural backwardness that eventually caused
the Ummah’s decline and fall.
The obvious result of the intellectual leadership’s
resignation (forced or otherwise) from public life was that its principles and
methodological tools were never put to significant use in developing distinctly
Islamic sciences of fitrah and Muslim society (on the lines of today’s
social sciences and humanities). As a consequence of the political turmoil
experienced by the Islamic world from the times of the “great fitnah” and the
murder of ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān that led eventually to the establishment of the
Ummawīyah dynasty, the political and intellectual leadership of the Ummah had a
parting of ways. With the separation of the committed Islamic intellectual
leadership from all real forms of authority, Islamic thought turned away from
using its usūl for the development of sciences and disciplines dealing
with the organization and well-being of society, preferring instead to focus on
the spiritual and ritualistic needs of the individual Muslim.
Having considered the events that contributed to the
development of Islamic thought and its methodology, we may now more fully
appreciate the causes behind the failure of Islamic rationalism and why the
door to true ijtihad and intellectual initiative was closed so early in the
history of the Ummah. While there were a number of outstanding contributions in
these fields, they were no more than the efforts of individuals and never
constituted anything like a formal intellectual movement. This explains why we
may find in the science of fiqh examples of profound thought about the nature and
workings of society. However, these isolated thoughts may in no way be
considered “Islamic social sciences,” nor could they be expected to become a
new trend in Islamic thought or direct the Ummah and its institutions towards
solutions to its problems. Based on
(pg.44)
what
we know about the growth of Islamic thought, we can easily understand the
reasons for the lack of serious intellectual studies on the general
organization of society and the issues of authority, government, caliphate, and
politics. Thus, the all-important questions of what constitutes the Ummah and
the essence of its existence were either ignored or left to passing mention in
minor works of little import.
The intellectual framework that evolved from the
separation of the Ummah’s political and intellectual leadership reflected on
both the methodology and the content of Islamic thought, as well as on the
Islamic sciences and the scope of their concern. The result of this was that
all of these studies became hopelessly mired in descriptive traditionalism and
literalism. This development accounts for the excessive attention of classical
scholars to language and literature, and to all the learning requisite to a
proper and orthodox understanding of the texts.
The resulting intellectual gulf led to a clear division
in the society of the Ummah. On the one hand there was the individual and on
the other there was society in general. The classical Islamic scholars made the
individual the focus of their concern, especially in matters of worship,
ritual, personal law, and transactions. Thus the affairs of individual Muslims
were largely governed by the opinions of jurists and their legal pronouncements
(fātawà). The affairs of society as a whole, as well as the affairs of
state, became the sole domain of royalty and the feudal hierarchy, or of the
powerful and influential. These leaders and authorities were looked upon by
both the common people and the scholars with outright distrust and suspicion.
The intellectual and psychological atmosphere of
estrangement led the traditional scholars to have a poor and incomplete
understanding of politics and society in general. Then, without the guidance
and learning of the scholars, the Ummah’s policies and institutions suffered.
Without the intellectual leadership’s input, true Islamic institutions never
developed. Instead, whatever institutions did evolve fell prey to corrupt
hands. Thus the concept of an ummatic
(pg.45)
entity,
of the group, the state, or society never sparked the inner conscience of the
Ummah.
Another result of this gulf was a weakening of the
political leadership’s commitment to Islamic teachings and principles, as well
as the lack of any formal or comprehensive educational or cultural programs. As
the Ummah and its institutions grew weaker, so did the role of its leadership
and its law, until finally the Ummah became divided into sects, tribes,
serfdoms, and mutually antagonistic groupings unchecked by either religion or
conscience.
Under the influence of these factors, the essence of
Islamic thought and education was transformed into trepidation, compulsion, and
submission. In many ways this was practiced, propagated, and encouraged, either
intentionally or otherwise, by all sectors of the Ummah’s political, social,
and intellectual leadership.
The Conflict between Reason and Revelation
Among the most important effects of the intellectual
and political estrangement and confrontation was the existence of an imaginary
struggle between reason and revelation. This struggle resulted in a portentous
rift between the juridical sciences of fiqh and those of theology (‘ilm al
kalām). This rift was not limited to outward appearances or even to
specialized and academic issues, for it was a serious intellectual rift that
had deep-seated effects on the relationship between concepts and purposes of
religion on the one hand, and between social life and institutions on the
other. One result was that the sciences of theology became entangled in
philosophical arguments and rational debates (more often than not over
metaphysical issues related to the “world of the unseen”) that had no relevance
to the Islamic mind or to those issues which were of concern to it. Such
intellectual acrobatics gradually exhausted the Muslim mind and blurred true
Islamic vision, thus negatively affecting the Muslim intellect when it came to
matters of the “seen and the unseen”“ (i.e., revelation, reason, faith,
determinism and free will, the divine names and attributes, and a whole list of
futile intellectual sophistries that contributed
(pg.46)
nothing
to the Ummah, its thought, or its faith). The result of this was that the
science of fiqh, and Islamic thought in general, formulated no clear
theological basis that could represent the purposes and principles enabling the
Ummah to progress and develop both socially and organizationally. In this
manner, the Islamic mind and thought became the prisoner of a specific and
limited methodology that was incapable of growth and of keeping pace with
changing realities, needs, and possibilities.
Another traditional issue of Islamic thought that
represents the conditions mentioned above, including the gulf between the
intellectual and political leadership, and one which has yet to be settled, is
the abrogation (naskh) of text in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The widely
held and accepted opinion on this issue is that the correct legal ruling or
teaching belonged to the last revealed text, so that the previously understood
meanings and rulings derived from the earlier text would be annulled. This
annulment, however, did not necessarily take into account the circumstances
around which the ruling revolved or the wisdom behind the earlier legislation.
In this way, and despite the discrepancy between the two cases in content and
circumstances, the concept of naskh in Islamic law became almost
synonymous with the concept of abrogation in man-made legal systems in which
later legislation is given precedence over earlier legislation owing to the
differences in circumstances.
This concept, generally speaking, leads to the
supposition that all Islamic legislation and social organization is to be
patterned after the example of Madinah during the last days of the Prophet and
subsequent to the conquest of Makkah. This may be referred to as the “second Madīnan
period” as distinguished from the “first Madīnan period.” The first Madīnan
period was characterized by fear, frailty, and deficiency, for it was a time of
building amidst a hostile environment. In my opinion, the time of the Prophet
can be divided into three distinct stages: the “Makkan period” (the initial
phase during which an individual propagational style was used to spread Islam.
This was a period in which the
(pg.47)
fundamentals
of belief and the principles of change were suggested to society at large), the
“first Madīnan period,” and the “second Madīnan period.”
A comprehensive look at the progression of revelation
and the prophetic mission will show the policies and the attempts used to deal
with varying circumstances and situations while maintaining the same basic
principles stemming from a single divine source. The Makkan period, as it
represents the stage of propagation and reform based on new and higher
principles, was concerned with the call, dialogue with fundamentals, and with
generalizations. It is also for this reason that the Prophet used to emphasize
to his followers never to use confrontational methods or to return open
hostility with hostility. Regardless of the price they had to pay in suffering,
the early Muslims were never to turn away from the basic issue: the reform of
society.
Moreover this was, generally speaking, a political
issue, and the only thing that can influence politicians is politics.
Furthermore, a nonviolent response to violence exposes the aggressor before the
conscience of the world, while the issue under contention remains a point of
focus, especially for sympathy, regardless of its details.
The first Madīnan period took place before the truce
of Hudaybiyah, at a time when the Muslims were forming their own polity in the
face of conspiracies and alliances of pagan Arabian tribes with the Jews. Thus,
we find that the dominant characteristics of this period were discipline and
sacrifice as well as the use of force in answering force in order to make the
enemies afraid and discourage them from ever again attempting to use violence
against the Muslims.
The second Madīnan period, from Hudaybīyah to the time
when the new Muslim state and society had gained absolute ascendancy over all
its adversaries, was characterized by its completion of the detailed
organizational and social arrangements for society and for ensuring its
progress and protection. This was also a period during which the new Muslim
state dealt with forbearance and understanding toward its enemies and
neighbors.
(pg.48)
Here we may note that the way things were done and the
nature of legislation at the time, even though they represented a similar
vision and goal, reflected policies connected to the realities of that period
and stage of development. Moreover, these were aimed at influencing, directing,
and bringing about fruitful change in those conditions.
In that period, any concept of action or legislation
which did not take the specific nature of that action or legislation into
consideration would have been the same as a crime against the thought of the
Ummah, for it would have transformed the guidance of Islam into theoretical
chains divorced from the surrounding actualities and circumstances and from the
policies and strategies appropriate to each stage of development.
Thus the concept of naskh as the abrogation of
the earlier by the latter in a strict academic and legalistic fashion is
something which, in this day and age, cannot possibly have any sort of
application outside of institutions run on strictly parliamentary lines. (The
obvious reason for this is that such institutions are the only ones in which
there are established guidelines for carrying out legislative decisions.) Thus,
whatever is legislated subsequently on any particular issue will automatically
cause the earlier legislation to become legally null and void. This, however,
is an entirely different matter from the issue of interpreting a text from
revelation, or turning to it for guidance in human affairs at any time and in any
place.
The concept of naskh, as traditionally
elaborated, reflects a static understanding in the methodology of Islamic
thought, for it acts without taking notice of the difference between the
general and universalist nature of the Qur’anic teachings as opposed to the
specific and particularized treatment of subjects found in the Sunnah. The
traditional concept of naskh also reflects a total lack of appreciation
for the elements of time and place in the process of interpreting and applying
texts, as well as in comparing and analyzing them. This matter is clearly
illustrated in the limited attention paid to the asbāb al nazūl (the
study of what occasioned the revelation of verses in the Qur’an) and the
(pg.49)
lack
of scholarly works on the subject. The scholarly attention paid to what
occasioned the sayings and deeds of the Prophet and their chronology was even
less.
The traditional concept of naskh prevalent in
methodological usūl studies (a concept which spelled contradiction and
abrogation along the lines of man-made legislation) immediately jars the
sensibilities of the modern scholar, thinker, legislator, or leader who looks
to the prophetic period for guidance, legal rulings, policies, ideas, and
solutions to current situations. While current situations may share some common
elements with events of the prophetic period, the differences are far more
numerous.
The Muslim student of today will notice that the
concept of naskh in its traditional form actually came into conflict
with many of the basic principles of revelation, actually nullifying or
limiting the scope of their applicability to include only as much as was
relevant during the second Madīnan period.
Two examples of the negative effects of this concept
of naskh are the issue of relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and
the effect that mistaken interpretation had on matters like da’wah,
international relations, Islamic law, and political strategy.
In the field of Muslim-non-Muslim relations, we find
that the “verse of the sword,”
فَٱقۡتُلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ حَيۡثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمۡ (٥) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
And fight the pagans wherever you encounter them
(9:5),
is
a clear example of the negative effects of the classical interpretation of naskh
as annulment. This verse was revealed late in the second Madīnan period and at
a time when the Muslims enjoyed power and dominance over their enemies, the
pagan Arabs who had for nearly twenty years opposed the mission and message of
Islam through open hostility, conspiracy, and the repeated breaking of
treaties, despite the diplomacy, peacemaking initiatives, and patience of the
Muslims and the Muslim state. Thus the Qur’an commanded the Muslims to fight
the intractable and
(pg.50)
obstinate
pagan bedouins until they submitted to Islam and became members of its
structured and civilized society. Only then would their situation improve and
their aggression cease. But here we discover that the traditional
interpretation of naskh failed to derive the desired perspectives from
this situation, those of reform, refining character, and meeting injustice and
oppression with deterrent force. Instead, the traditional interpretation was
carried over into the fields of da’wah, relations with others, and every other
form of discourse with non-Muslims. By extracting similarities from these
events, all sense of how to deal with equals, give doers of good their due, and
soften the hearts of those who appear to be coming close to Islam is lost. Thus
tolerance as a concept became a conditioned value, one qualified and relegated
to particular situations only, while the concept of limiting the individual’s
freedom of religious belief became a hard and fast rule.
Likewise, the meaning of the Qur’anic term “People of
the Book” (and the dealings the Prophet had with them) lost its
comprehensiveness and so excluded people of all other enlightened and civilized
religions. Instead, the term was understood as limited only to those mentioned
specifically and unambiguously: the Jews, the Christians, and the Magians.
This issue and its far-reaching repercussions have
been discussed in my book, The Islamic Theory of International Relations:
New Directions for Islamic Methodology and Thought. There, it was concluded
that apparent contradictions between the revealed texts and Shari’ah rulings do
not necessarily indicate that one must have been abrogated or annulled. Rather,
the true significance of such contradictions is that human life and society,
when faced with different conditions, require different forms of regulation.
Thus, the application of a particular Shari’ah ruling depends upon the
prevailing circumstances. For example, when non-Muslims live in peace with
Muslims and deal with them decently, Muslims must reciprocate. But when
non-Muslims act aggressively toward Islam and Muslims, then the only proper
Muslim response is one of
(pg.51)
confrontation
and even open hostilities. There can be no mistaking the one position for the
other due to a mistaken understanding of naskh. In other words, the
legal ruling applied depends upon the particular situation. However, if the
circumstances change, it is senseless to insist on maintaining an irrelevant
ruling. Rather, a new ruling that takes into account the new conditions must be
sought. In this way, we may understand the “verse of the sword” as being
completely compatible with those Qur’anic verses that insist on tolerance and
forbearance toward non-Muslims.
It is for this reason that the interpretation of this
verse as the final revealed word on the subject, as well as the Prophet’s final
practice, is in fact in opposition to the concept of Islam’s finality and
universal mission.
At the time of the Prophets death, the new Islamic
society had essentially gained the upper hand over its enemies throughout the
Arabian peninsula. During the time of the Ummayah and the ‘Abbāsīyah khilāfah,
when ijtihad was alive and the classical schools of fiqh flourished, those
conditions remained constant. Today, however, Muslim society is debilitated and
in many ways resembles the conditions faced by the first Muslims in the early
days of Makkah, the period of the first emigration to Ethiopia, the first Madīnan
period, and before the treaty of Hudaybiyah and the conquest of Makkah, all
times when the Muslims were literally surrounded by enemies threatening them
with death and destruction.
If contemporary Muslims were to consider carefully the
teachings of Islam and the priorities, policies, organization, and strategies
of the Prophet prior to the treaty of Hudaybiyah and the conquest of Makkah,
they would learn a great deal about how oppressed, weak, and unequipped nations
could best deal with the challenges put forward by powerful enemies. Certainly
the weak and oppressed Muslim masses of today have much to learn from the
policies and methods adopted by the Prophet for the economic, political, and
military advancement of the weak and disadvantaged Muslim community.
(pg.52)
The second example of the traditional interpretation
of naskh is related to the position of Islamic thought toward strategies
for da’wah and the implementation of Islamic law. Basically, there are two
trends of thought on these issues. One group, saying that the present
circumstances of the Muslim world resemble the Makkan and the first Madīnan
periods, claims that Muslims need to concern themselves with issues of faith
and propagation in the same way as the early Muslims did. Such matters as
transactions, arrangements, and administration that characterized the second Madīnan
period do not need to be considered at this time. The other group, however,
holds that the present state of Muslims is more like that of the second Madīnan
period, when the Muslims were the majority and held sway over the entire
Arabian peninsula. Moreover, as this second group understands naskh to
mean that the rulings and policies of the second Madīnan period abrogated those
of the earlier periods, they feel themselves bound only by the teachings of the
latter period.
While we have no doubt that certain rulings or
teachings of the earlier period were actually replaced in the later period, we
also have to believe that the religion and mission of Islam are in fact two
parts of the same whole. It is therefore incorrect to say that a certain person
or organization is presently going through a stage that closely resembles the
Makkan stage, and that therefore that person or organization does not have to
follow the teachings of the later Madīnan period.
Rather, we must understand that both the formality of
the religion and the flexibility of the mission have gone through distinct
stages and that we cannot compare those stages to present situations when so
many of the elements involved have changed so completely. Nor is it any more
sensible to attempt to force a distorted analogy from any historical period,
especially when there can be no comparison between those who live after the
revelation was completed and those who were living while it was still being
revealed.
(pg.53)
The real issues here are those of the particular and
the general, the methodology of Islamic thought, the lack of appreciation for
the elements of time and place in the composition of society, and the concept
of revelation as a source of knowledge complementing both reason and nature so
that humanity can fulfill its role of doing good on earth. Individuals and
societies in different times and places will differ according to their
circumstances, opportunities, needs, and challenges. Therefore their policies and
organization will also vary. Even contemporaneous societies will differ
greatly, so that differences in time will hardly seem to be more significant
than differences in place. Thus, when the matter is looked at in a
comprehensive manner, there is really no scope for labelling a situation as
Makkan or Madīnan. Rather, one must deal with situations realistically and on
the basis of the laws of nature and the Shari’ah’s higher purposes, objectives,
and principles. Moreover, a dynamic kind of fiqh is required, one that relies
upon living ideas suited to the circumstances of contemporary society rather
than on the fossilized and forced legal analogies or qiyās of bygone
ages. Thus, every individual and every society will pass through its own
special stages in the light of broader Shari’ah principles.
One problem currently afflicting the Ummah is that of ribā
(usury). The contemporary application of the traditional methodology by Muslim
scholars and students has proved inadequate in the face of this issue’s import,
implications, the relevant Qur’anic guidance, and the prophetic practice. Upon
further consideration, it is clear that these shortcomings are due to the
limited vision and experience of Islamic scholars in matters of economics and
the social sciences in general. The result has been that their efforts have
brought forth a plurality of formalistic and contradictory exercises in regard
to the term’s meaning and significance. Today there are over twenty different
schools of thought on this single issue.
Significantly, several of these schools have ignored a
very important authentic hadith which, if viewed from a comprehensive economic
perspective, would go a long way toward
(pg.54)
clarifying
much of the reasoning behind the economic policies of the Prophet and the
stages through which these passed. This hadith, related by Usāmah ibn Zayd,
concerns how ribā is limited to deferred payment (ribā al nasī’ah)
on the exchange of the six similar commodities named in the hadith.1
Owing to their constricted vision and methodology, some of the classical
schools were forced to resort to legal artifices that would allow them to
tamper with the true spirit of the law while at the same time adhering to the
strict letter of the texts. This is what happened in their interpretation of
the hadith related by Rāfi’ ibn Khudayj concerning the Prophet’s prohibition of
a landowner renting land to a farmer in return for a percentage of the
resulting crop.2 The classical jurists3
opined that if the landowner supplied the seed to the farmer, then the
landowner could legitimately take a share of the harvest. Another group of
classical fuqahā’, in an opinion that amounted to a declaration of
surrender and a squandering of the Shari’ah’s higher economic objectives and
wisdom, said that ribā was a
(pg.55)
matter
of ritual and therefore to be accepted blindly, but only in regard to
commodities mentioned specifically in the hadith literature on ribā al fadl
(i.e., gold, silver, and salt). No wider application, they held, was necessary.4
Such shortcomings in methodology and thought caused
Muslim economic policy to undergo an important change when experienced Muslim
economists began a serious professional inquiry into the issues of Islamic
economics. This new attitude has resulted in the good tidings of a
comprehensive academic and intellectual breakthrough in Islamic economic
studies, and it can now be hoped that a contemporary movement of reform in
Islamic economic thought and methodology has begun. These advances will in turn
help to reestablish the vitality and comprehensiveness of Islamic thought in
general.
Another shortcoming in traditional methodology and
those who attempt to apply it is their view that the sayings and opinions of
the salaf (predecessors) are nothing short of sacred. This is especially
true in regard to the understanding, ijtihad, and interpretations of the salaf
some of which have been elevated by the traditionalists to the status of
revelation itself. So, in spite of our acknowledging the circumstance of human
limitations in terms of time and place, and in spite of our theoretical
certainty that nothing other than divine revelation is sacred, we find Muslims
studying the works of the salaf not to extract from them authentic
Islamic perspectives on contemporary issues of concern, but in order to
transpose their situation on our own and then follow, by means of legal
analogy, the rulings that they had prescribed centuries ago.
Without our even sensing it, the false understanding
we have of what it means to respect the salaf has been transformed into
a whip with which we flagellate ourselves. Such
(pg.56)
faulty
perceptions obstruct our attempts at reform and progress. This is also why we
find many of the enlightened ideas and thinking of contemporary scholars being
distorted by those traditionalists who believe that all ideas must agree with
those held by the salaf.
As long as Muslims refuse to deal realistically with
the heritage left by the salaf and continue to bestow upon them and
their work a sort of sanctity, the latter’s ideas and experiences cannot be
used to solve contemporary problems or help Muslims to relate Islam to the
actualities of contemporary human life and society.
To summarize, it should now be clear that the
traditional methodology of Islam sufficed in its own times to address the
political and civilizational issues then current. Many of the shortcomings in
that methodology resulted from its futile concentration on ways to extract the
Ummah from its long-standing problems instead of helping it to keep abreast of
issues of progress and development. While the classical disciplines did contain
the seeds of the methodology essential to inquiry in the social sciences, these
were never sown or cared for by the generations of scholars that followed. It
is also important for us to understand where the traditional methodology falls
short in dealing with present-day problems, for it is not only the shortcomings
in the methodology itself which render it ineffective, but also the
shortcomings in the attempts to apply it by traditional scholars.
Another important methodological issue to keep in mind
is related to the texts of the Sunnah. It is quite amazing that, despite the
passing of so much time since the Sunnah was first preserved and recorded, its
texts still present scholars with difficulties as regards their authenticity or
lack of it. Likewise, the highly technical terminology developed by the
classical Hadith scholars has created no end of confusion among contemporary
Islamic scholars. As a result, whenever an author cites a hadith, he is
automatically subjected to criticism that serves little more than to distract
readers from the point the author was trying to make by needlessly engaging the
reader in disputes over
(pg.57)
technicalities
related to the transmission of the hadith in question.
It is therefore imperative that the texts of the
authentic Sunnah be collected, classified, and placed within easy reach of scholars,
researchers, and specialists in all fields of knowledge. These texts must be
indexed, ordered by subject content, and purged of all accretions.
Such a classification of the Sunnah may be completed
in the following manner:
1.
Those hadiths which, owing to the authenticity of their narration
(sanad) and the soundness of their meaning, may be accepted as authoritative
evidence.
2.
Those hadiths which, owing to the soundness of their meaning, may be
accepted as evidence, even if their narration is open to debate.
3.
Those hadiths which, regardless of what may be said about the
authenticity or otherwise of their narration, are questionable in terms of
meaning (i.e., their meanings seem to be in some way contradictory to the
principles or purposes of the Shari’ah).
4.
Those hadiths which, owing to the dubious authenticity of their
narration and the contradictory nature of their meaning, may not be considered
acceptable as evidence.
The importance of this methodological issue is not
limited to the mishandling of the Sunnah, for in many cases the Muslim mind is
overawed by what is clearly unsound, with the result that when it accepts
something unsound as sound, it loses its ability to discriminate and perceive
things as they truly are. Finally, the Muslim mind, thought, and methodology
lose all value and utility when they become accustomed to accepting principles
other than the divinely revealed principles and approaches contained in the Qur’an
and the Sunnah.
Quite clearly, then, awareness of and sensitivity to
the principles and approaches of thought as well as to the principles, values,
and purposes of the Shari’ah are the only proper standards for the preservation
of revelation, the
(pg.58)
prophetic
message, and the Shari’ah from all distortion and misrepresentation. In the
same way, these are the only standards of importance to guarantee the freedom
and integrity of the Muslim mind and methodology. Furthermore, preserving the
Muslim mind and methodology is the same as preserving Islam itself.
What is true in regard to the Sunnah is true in regard
to all of the literature of our heritage. It must be made accessible to
scholars and it must also be analyzed and presented in a way that the pure and
simple teachings of Islam shine through the accretions of alien influences. In
this way, this body of literature may serve as an example and an aid to lucid
contemporary Muslim thinking, rather than as a means to renewing intellectual
disputes that should have been buried long ago.
Among the important issues deserving mention at this
point (a detailed discussion will follow in a later chapter), is the confusion
over the roles of revelation and reason in Islamic methodology. This occurred
during the centuries following the first expansion of Islam which brought
Muslims into contact with the philosophy and culture of other civilizations and
religions (primarily Greek and Roman) and saw them begin to inquire into the
subject of theology. Even leading Islamic thinkers, like many of the mu’tazilah,
fell under the influence of abstruse metaphysical inquiries. Many orthodox
Islamic scholars went to the extreme of denying reason and its role, thus
limiting Islamic thought to literalist and descriptive studies of the revealed
texts that have continued to influence Islamic thought by making it suspicious
even today of all forms of rational inquiry.
Our Intellectual Heritage: Past, Present and Future
At the end of this brief critique of the most
important issues in traditional Islamic methodology, it is essential that we
pause to consider some of the questions dictated by the circumstances of
contemporary Islamic thought and the increasing number of problems presented to
it by the modern world.
(pg.59)
Perhaps the most pressing question is: Who is to blame
for the present situation? The answer to that question, however, is that there
is no place for such a question. It is simply not important that we be able to
place this responsibility on a particular person or age. Such an exercise only
detracts us from gaining a proper understanding of the problem and prevents us
from obtaining an overall view of the Ummah’s progress over the centuries.
Rather, the questions that need to be asked are: What is the proper framework
for coming to an understanding of the dimensions of the issues with which we
need to deal? And how may we discern the outlines of the course we have taken
so that we may direct our attention back to the right course?
In order to answer these questions, we must do the
following:
1.
We must understand our past, benefit from its lessons, and make it a
source of strength by concentrating on its positive aspects and then building
upon them. We have already wasted centuries on the negative aspects of our
history, and we certainly cannot afford to waste any more time or effort on
such matters.
2.
In order to progress, we must understand that many past mistakes were
made with the best of intentions. It therefore behooves us to study the past in
order to extract from it only that which is positive and beneficial. Furthermore,
there is no point in reopening disruptive chapters of our history. What we need
to remember is that the Ummah’s previous achievements were due to its adherence
to Islam and Islamic thinking and methodology. Islam, and Islam alone, allowed
the Ummah to establish its civilization and culture all over the world. Still,
the objective of this study is to direct the reader’s attention toward the
future so that the Ummah may continue to develop and reach out toward new
horizons. Only by thinking in this way can the Ummah regain its strength and
its pioneering and reformative energies.
3.
The Ummah must also overcome its tendency toward talfiq, or the
urge to graft essentially Western solutions
(pg.60)
onto its own political, military, cultural and
economic problems. Both talfiq and taqlid must give way to an
original and integral Islamic approach that rejects imitation. Such an approach
requires an intellectual and reformational movement based on a methodology that
truly reflects Islamic concepts, objectives, and values. In the final analysis,
of course, this requires independent Islamic intellectual inquiry nourished by
Islamic social sciences that are distinguished by their sources and their
unique premises and approaches.
What all this ultimately means is that an original and
systematic intellectual vision must emerge, one that will not suffer adversely
from the achievements of others but will, on the contrary, both welcome and
accommodate them after weighing them against the standards of its own unique
perspective.
The calamities that befell the Ummah after the period
of its early expansion, calamities that led to the fall of the khilāfah, should
not be attributed to Islamic thought or even to the mistakes and excesses of
the political leadership. Rather, the reasons for their occurrence can be
traced in the main to the influx of peoples and nations into the society of
Islam before they were properly attuned to the Islamic way of life or had educated
themselves in Islam’s objectives and noble values. As a result, the new
political leadership never developed or matured as it should have. Instead, the
new political and military leadership represented a cross between the old
pre-Islamic ways and the new. It was no surprise then, especially after the
political and intellectual leadership parted company, that the effectiveness of
Islamic thought was never extended to aspects of the administrative or the hard
sciences.
Yet in spite of all this, the achievements of that
thought in the early period were sufficient to bring light, guidance, and
knowledge to humanity. In view of the accomplishments of the early generations
of Muslims, is there really any reason for us to attempt to place the blame on
them for what they did not manage to achieve?
(pg.61)
Under such circumstances, it is no wonder that their
Islamic vision should have become obscured, that the forces of Islamic
originality should have weakened to such an extent that they gradually faded
away altogether, and that the thought of the Ummah should have been
transfigured to mere form, empty words, and a heritage venerated, but seriously
misunderstood, by succeeding generations. It is thus imperative that we take
pride in the achievements of Islamic thought for the betterment of the Ummah
and humanity in general. Indeed, none of our historical achievements can be
understood except as a result of Islam’s contribution and its ways of thought,
civilization, and reform. So even if it did not deliver all that it was capable
of delivering, there can be no doubt about the fact that it did deliver a great
deal in spite of all the obstacles in its way.
What we must understand is that what happened to us is
what happens to all nations and communities. But when the progress of nations
is impeded, they need to regain their original and uncontaminated vision so
that they may rechart their course and again set out on their way.
So here we may rephrase the questions: Why was our
progress impeded? How do we regain our vision and strength and thus correct our
course? The objective of our study and research should be to take a step toward
renewing our vision, reforming our methodology, and developing the sources of
our strength.
At this point, we have reached a suitable place in our
study from which to look comprehensively at the issues of our thought and
methodology in full view of the challenges now confronting us.
Islam came as a message of guidance from Allah to all
creation at a time of ignorance in its history, a time when the previous
revelations had been distorted and corruption had become universal. Islam came
and opened peoples’ minds and souls to its light, to learning, and to
civilization.
The methodology of Islam in its earliest ages was a
natural and automatic sort of methodology that relied on the wisdom of
revelation and the soundness of human reason and ijtihad that sprang from the
untainted human
(pg.62)
fitrah. Thus the prophetic
and the caliphal ages were the best examples of the human spirit for all the
generations that followed. Whatever remains today of goodness in the lands of
Islam is directly attributable to Islam, Islamic character, or Islamic objectives.
Thus it is safe to say that Islam has remained, despite all the factors of
decay, the only refuge for the Ummah.
(pg.63)
CHAPTER THREE
Principles in the Methodology of Islamic Thought
The Islamic world community has been charged with a
responsibility towards itself and towards history to perform the duties of
vicegerency (khilāfah) and reform civilization in the light of the noble
principles of Islam. In view of the present world situation, humankind and the
Muslim Ummah have no alternative but Islam. Only through Islam will reform come
to modern civilization.
In order to understand the teachings of Islam, we must
first define the comprehensive framework of the methodology which forms the
pivotal point around which Islamic thought revolves.
Methodological Framework of Islamic Thought
It is very important to understand at the outset that
the framework of Islamic thought represents a comprehensive view of life and
the universe. Having realized this, we may begin to comprehend the relationships,
concepts, and principles which characterize and govern Islamic thought. So, if
we wish to appreciate the nature of Islamic thought and methodology, and if we
ever hope to understand the goals which Islam seeks to achieve, it is essential
that we first comprehend the concepts of the “seen” and the “unseen” in Islam.
These concepts define the purpose of life and relate
it to that which is beyond the material universe. The world of the
(pg.65)
unseen
is known only to Allah. He reveals about it what He wishes to whomever of His
servants He wishes, and then sends them as messengers to bring guidance to
humankind and clarify for them the meaning of their existence. According to the
Islamic concept of the unseen, man’s relationship with the world of the unseen
is a good and constructive one which is aimed at establishing truth and justice
on earth and keeping it free from corruption.
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ
لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفُورُ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المُلک
He who created death and life, that He may try which
of you is best in deed (67:2).
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ
وَٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآىِٕ ذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَيَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ
وَٱلۡمُنڪَرِ (٩٠) سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and
liberality to kith and kin; and He forbids all shameful deeds, abomination, and
wrongdoing (16:90).
We can summarize the most important principles of the unseen
and what it has to offer to man, as follows:
·
Life has a purpose, which is moral good; it was not created without a
purpose.
أَفَحَسِبۡتُمۡ أَنَّمَا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُمۡ عَبَثً۬ا
وَأَنَّكُمۡ إِلَيۡنَا لَا تُرۡجَعُونَ (١١٥)
سُوۡرَةُ المؤمنون
Do you suppose that We created you in vain, and that
you will never return to Us? (23 :115)
·
The original, eternal relations between everything in the universe are
beyond what the human mind is capable of comprehending.
·
The most important feature of the unseen world, which is of particular
concern to man, is the existence of Allah, the Eternal Creator Who is One;
there is nothing like unto Him, and He has knowledge of all things.
·
The resurrection of all souls in the Hereafter will be the time of
reckoning when man will be either rewarded or punished according to his deeds
in this life.
·
This world is the place for positive action, for building, and for
putting things in order. Everything in it has been made subject to the will of
man in his mission as khalīfah on the earth, populating it, putting it
in order,
(pg.66)
subjecting everything in it to his good will, taking
care of it, putting it to good use, and not abusing it by spreading corruption
throughout it.
·
Man’s free will springs from the omniscience of the Almighty and exists
by His command. It is one of the wonders of Allah’s creation and a sign of His
greatness and power. He created it by His Will as He created everything else.
He distinguished and honored man by giving him freedom of will.
·
Allah created the Universe and subjected it to natural laws. By acting
in accordance with these laws, deeds can be done, aims can be realized, and the
human will can express its determination and direction. Without the application
of these laws, however, there can be no will or determination, no goals can be
reached, and nothing can be expressed. After the Believer has sought to
understand the natural laws and to act in accordance with them, he is to rely
(tawakkul) on Allah, Who knows the unseen and is in control of the universe.
Everything Allah decrees for His believing servant, after that servant has
fulfilled his responsibilities according to the natural laws, is for the
servant’s good in this world and the next.
Wahy or revelation is the divine
source which provides man with the knowledge he needs of the unseen world;
whereas reason is the instrument man uses to acquire and apply knowledge in
this world, which is the seen world, in order to achieve the mission of khilāfah
and its aims of establishing truth, justice and righteousness.
·
In the presence of sound human nature (fitrah), faith in the
oneness of Allah, and the guidance of His wahy, there can be no room for
contradictions in the Islamic outlook toward wahy, reason, and the
natural universe. Wahy deals with the unseen world; and acceptance of
the truths brought by wahy is the factor which distinguishes between
sound and corrupt knowledge. This is the standard which differentiates between
the angels’ rightly-guided knowledge and Iblīs’s corrupt knowledge and
reasoning:
(pg.67)
قَالُواْ سُبۡحَـٰنَكَ لَا عِلۡمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا
مَا عَلَّمۡتَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (٣٢) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
They said: …of knowledge we have none save what You
have taught us (2: 32).
Iblis
arrogantly voiced the idea that he was created of superior matter:
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسۡجُدَ إِذۡ
أَمَرۡتُكَۖ قَالَ أَنَا۟ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ۬
وَخَلَقۡتَهُ ۥ مِن طِينٍ۬ (١٢)
سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف
You created me from fire, and created him (Adam) from
clay (7:12).
Allah,
Who has complete knowledge and power, said:
سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠)
I know what you know not (2:30).
Within this comprehensive framework of thought, the
first generation of Muslims found the answers to all their needs. It did not
escape them that Allah has connected faith (iman) with good works throughout
the Qur’an.
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ
ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
… such
as have faith, and do righteous deeds ( 103:3).
The word for righteous deeds (salāh) implies
both objective understanding and serious efforts. Good intentions, in other
words, are not enough.
In order for the Muslim mind to regain its strength,
it must first recover its outlook. When this happens, man and his thought will
be guided, his efforts will be rewarded, and Allah’s promise of strength and
victory will be fulfilled.
Sources of Islamic Methodology: Revelation, Reason, and the Universe
Wahy
Wahy, as a
source of knowledge and guidance in human life is the truth which Allah
revealed to His Messengers so that they might convey His commandments to
humankind, and guide and teach them the meaning and purpose of their existence.
The essence of the message which wahy brought to humankind is its
explanation of their relationship to Allah, and the aims of their existence in
the universe.
(pg.68)
Humans are the most honored of Allah’s creations
because Allah favored them with free will. If they follow the truth of their
own accord, they will be superior and do well. But if they follow their own
whims and ignore the truth, they will become corrupt and oppressive.
The relationship of human, the creature, to Allah, the
Creator, is one of submissive discipline and control, not one of enslavement
and degradation; it is a relationship of khilāfah and honor, not of
contempt and exploitation. A human’s turning to Allah, following His commandments,
and avoiding that which He has prohibited is a relationship of respect and
honor because it reaches and achieves the Truth, that which is good and real,
the straight path, the lofty aim for which all righteous people strive. Humans
are elevated by their efforts, and there is no room in the Islamic
understanding of this relationship for any concept of degradation, contempt or
exploitation. Concerning this, the Prophet said:
The odor from the mouth of a fasting person is better
in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk (Al Bukhari, Muslim).
Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His
servant than any of you would be if you were on a Journey in the desert and
lost the riding-camel that was carrying your food and drink and, after
despairing of it and lying down in the shade of a tree, you saw the camel come
back and stand beside you. (Muslim)
Allah
said:
يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ قَدۡ جَآءَڪُمۡ
رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمۡ ڪَثِيرً۬ا مِّمَّا ڪُنتُمۡ تُخۡفُونَ مِنَ
ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ وَيَعۡفُواْ عَن ڪَثِيرٍ۬ۚ قَدۡ جَآءَڪُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ نُورٌ۬
وَڪِتَـٰبٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (١٥) يَهۡدِى بِهِ ٱللَّهُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ
رِضۡوَٲنَهُ ۥ سُبُلَ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ وَيُخۡرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى
ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦ وَيَهۡدِيهِمۡ إِلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (١٦ ) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
There has come to you from Allah a light and a
perspicuous Book, - wherewith Allah guides those who seek His good pleasure to
ways of peace and safety, and leads them out of darkness, by His will, unto the
light, - guides them to a path that is straight (5:15-16).
(pg.69)
Reason
Reason is the instrument humans use to understand,
distinguish and compare insights, and it is the means of carrying out
responsibilities in the seen world. Besides being the basic means for
understanding, reason is that through which humans can reach an appreciation of
their relationship with life, the universe, and other creatures. On this basis,
they can build their understanding of their own existence. Without reason there
would be no humans, no comprehension, no appreciation, and no responsibility.
It is reason which distinguishes between true wahy
and false, between misleading lies, fabrications, and myths. Likewise, it is
reason which enables humans to choose and face the consequences of the choices
they make.
When the revelations given to previous nations were
altered and corrupted so that they lost their authenticity, the Muslim mind
became distinguished by its having a complete and true revelation, and by the
fact that its sources of knowledge encompassed both the seen and the unseen
worlds. Thus the two sources, wahy and reason, are integrated with the
universe to enable humans to realize the purpose of creation and to fulfil the
role of khalīfah.
The role of reason is to understand the seen world
through establishing the authenticity of the wahy and then by
understanding its purpose concerning human existence in the seen world. The
role of the Muslim mind is to shape the seen world and perform the duties of khalīfah
in accordance with the directions and aims of the Divine Will.
The Muslim mind derives its strength, stability and
uprightness from its understanding of wahy. The Muslim mind is a
believing, rightly guided, and confident mind. It is not arrogant, it does not
abandon certainty for conjecture. or light for darkness, or guidance for error.
It is a capable mind, completely absorbed in its role as khalīfah. It
does not waste its time and efforts on conjecture or on matters which serve no
useful purpose. In accordance with this unambiguous outlook, the Muslim mind
will not debate matters of the unseen, nor will it ignore the role of reason in
understanding and interpreting the articulations and
(pg.70)
purposes
of wahy and putting them into practice. According to this Islamic
outlook, the role of reason cannot be ignored in understanding nature and
events, or in building systems, or bearing responsibilities.
Such an outlook should enable humans to fulfill their
roles as khalīfah, prevent clergy and priests from controlling people in
the name of religion, halt the activities of tyrants, and bring an end to the
exploitation of religious sentiments for purposes which ultimately go against
those of the Shari’ah. In the correct Islamic outlook, there can be no
room for deviation or tyranny in the name of either reason or religion.
The conflict between wahy and reason which
emerged in the history of Islamic thought was, on the one hand, an expression
of political conflicts and aims and, on the other, the outcome of the confusion
of pre-Islamic cultures when their tribes and peoples came to Islam. The result
was that Muslim thought was pulled in two opposite directions. Historically,
Muslims wasted a great deal of energy when they began to discuss matters of the
unseen, theology, and philosophical sophistries having to do with issues like
the divine predicates.
Yet all the illusions and sophistries remain; the
Ummah is still arguing about theology, and the arguments continue to intensify.
What is worse is that those with vested interests support and encourage these
wasteful exercises and thereby hinder the Ummah by diverting it from taking up
the challenges it should be facing. In the final analysis, this can only help
the enemies of the Ummah to achieve their purposes.
It is important that, in this study of Islamic
methodology, we should not confuse the sources of Islamic knowledge, which are wahy,
reason, and the natural laws of the universe, with the means for conducting research
and study. Every scientific field has its own means which are particularly
suited to it. Clearly, the Islamic disciplines must be based on wahy,
reason, and the laws and standards that Allah has imposed on creation. Thus
grounded, the new Islamic disciplines will be distinguished by their
(pg.71)
comprehensiveness
and openness to any means capable of producing knowledge beneficial to
humankind.
In the modern age, the Muslim mind has yet to deal in
a systematic way with the sources of Islamic knowledge. Yet in light of those
sources, it must lay the foundations for the sort of social sciences which the
Islamic outlook requires and which, through research and study, will enable the
Ummah to educate its youth. But before the Muslim mind is qualified to
establish its own social sciences, it must clarify the principles and concepts
on which Islamic thought is based.
The Fundamentals of Islamic Methodology and Thought
Islamic methodology and thought are distinguished by
certain fundamental principles. If we fail to understand these principles, we
cannot deal with them or operate according to them. These principles represent
basic assumptions which guide the Muslim mind in its creative and intellectual
movement towards an understanding of life and the universe, and how to interact
with these in a progressive manner.
These fundamentals are unicity, vicegerency, and
responsibility; three principles which form the basic outline of the Muslim
mind, define its direction, and clarify its aims. Anything not based on these
principles will never motivate or vitalize the Muslim consciousness. The
failure of Islamic thought in the past was, to a great extent, due to the
failure on the part of Muslims to understand the importance of these
principles; it may also, to a great extent, explain the confusion of the Muslim
mind and its ineffectiveness at the present time. In what follows, we shall
examine each of these three principles.
Unicity
This principle, as it is embodied in kalimat al
shahādah and as it is explained in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, establishes
Islamic thought and methodology on the premise that absolute truth is the
basis, source, and
(pg.72)
ultimate
destiny of the whole universe; that the universe exists for a serious purpose;
that the final destiny of the universe is with Allah alone, Who has no partner
or equal; that the universe emerged from a single source and represents a
single reality; and that man is unique - Allah created him and honored him with
free will and the responsibility of khilāfah over the universe on the
basis of truth and justice.
سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى (١) ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ (٢) وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعلی
Glorify the name of your Guardian-Lord most High, Who
has created, and further, given order and proportion; Who has ordained laws,
and granted guidance (87:1-3).
مَا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ۬ وَمَا ڪَانَ مَعَهُ ۥ
مِنۡ إِلَـٰهٍۚ إِذً۬ا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَـٰهِۭ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا
بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬ۚ سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (٩١) سُوۡرَةُ
المؤمنون
No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along
with Him: [if there were many gods], behold, each god would have taken away
what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah!
[He is free] from the [sort of’ things they attribute to Him! (23:91).
أَمۡ خُلِقُواْ مِنۡ غَيۡرِ شَىۡءٍ أَمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰلِقُونَ (٣٥)
سُوۡرَةُ الطُّور
Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves
the creators? (52:35).
قَالَ رَبُّنَا ٱلَّذِىٓ أَعۡطَىٰ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ
خَلۡقَهُ ۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (٥٠) سُوۡرَةُ
طٰه
He said: “Our Lord is He Who gave to each [created]
thing its form and nature, and further, gave [it] guidance” (20:50).
وَتَرَى ٱلۡجِبَالَ تَحۡسَبُہَا جَامِدَةً۬ وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ
مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِۚ صُنۡعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍۚ
إِنَّهُ ۥ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٨٨)
سُوۡرَةُ النَّمل
[Such is] the artistry of Allah, Who disposes of all things in
perfect order; for He is well acquainted with all that you do (27:88).
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمۡ
فَأَحۡسَنَ صُوَرَكُمۡۖ وَإِلَيۡهِ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ التّغَابُن
He has created the heavens and the earth in just
proportions, and has given you shape, and has made your forms beautiful: and to
Him is the final goal (64:3).
(pg.73)
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمَـٰوَٲتٍ۬ طِبَاقً۬اۖ
مَّا تَرَىٰ فِى خَلۡقِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ مِن تَفَـٰوُتٍ۬ۖ فَٱرۡجِعِ ٱلۡبَصَرَ هَلۡ
تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ۬ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ
المُلک
No want of proportion will you see in the Creation of
[God] Most Gracious. So turn your vision again: do you see any flaw? (67:3).
لَوۡ كَانَ فِيہِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ
لَفَسَدَتَاۚ فَسُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنبیَاء
If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other
gods besides Allah; there would have been confusion in both! But glory to
Allah, the Lord of the Throne; [high is He] above what they attribute to Him!
(21:22).
لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَىۡءٌ۬ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ
ٱلۡبَصِيرُ (١١) سُوۡرَةُ
الشّوریٰ
There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the
One that hears and sees [all things] (42:11).
وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَہۡدِ قَلۡبَهُ ۥۚ
وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ (١١) سُوۡرَةُ
التّغَابُن
And if any one believes in Allah, [Allah] guides his
heart [aright] for Allah knows all things (64:11).
ذَٲلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنَّ
مَا يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلۡبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَلِىُّ
ٱلۡڪَبِيرُ (٦٢) سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ
That is because Allah is the Reality; and those
besides Him, whom they invoke, are but vain falsehood: Verily Allah is He, Most
High, Most Great (22:62).
Khilāfah
Man’s vicegerency on earth and in the universe
requires him to act as guardian and deputy of Allah in dealing with the earth,
the universe, and other creatures. The Muslim, with his fitrah, ‘aqīdah,
methods of thought, free will, and the ability to learn with which Allah has
honored him, does not view man’s position in the universe as being other than
that of a responsible guardian. Man cannot achieve his purpose, fulfill his
role in life, or have peace of mind unless he continually acts and takes
decisions concerning the management of his environment in the natural universe.
The principle of khilāfah, according to Islamic thought, defines the
purpose of man’s natural desires and guides him. In this manner, these natural
desires are directed towards truth, justice, and reform.
(pg.74)
أَفَحَسِبۡتُمۡ أَنَّمَا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُمۡ عَبَثً۬ا
وَأَنَّكُمۡ إِلَيۡنَا لَا تُرۡجَعُونَ (١١٥)
سُوۡرَةُ المؤمنون
Did you then that We had created you in
jest, and that you would not be brought back to Us? (23:115).
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ
أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفُورُ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ
المُلک
He Who created Death and Life that He may
try which of you is best in deed (67:2).
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى
جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬ۖ (٣٠)
سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
Behold, your Lord said to the angels: ‘I
will create a vicegerent on earth...’ (2:30).
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
جَمِيعً۬ا مِّنۡهُۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (١٣)
سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
And He has subjected to you, as from Him,
all that is in the heavens and on earth: Behold , in that are signs indeed for
those who reflect(45:13).
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ ذَلُولاً۬
فَٱمۡشُواْ فِى مَنَاكِبِہَا وَكُلُواْ مِن رِّزۡقِهِۦۖ وَإِلَيۡهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ المُلک
It is He Who has made the earth
manageable for you so travel throughout its tracts and enjoy of the sustenance
which He furnishes: But unto Him is the resurrection (67:15).
The dimension of khilāfah in Islamic thought
explains the enormous energy of the first Muslims and the incomparable energy
of the Prophet and his companions who never tired of working, sacrificing, and
striving in jihad. In the space of a few years the whole of the known world had
been enlightened by the truth. Divine guidance to mankind was renewed, and a
movement for civilization and reform began from which every place on earth
benefited from.
Moral Responsibility
The third principle upon which Islamic thought and
methodology is predicated is that of moral responsibility. We cannot understand
Muslim thought if we do not consider the dimension of responsibility in that
thought. Even during the worst periods of backwardness, the factor that
preserved the Muslim’s consciousness and prevented him from extinction was his
conscience, his awareness of his responsibilities and shortcomings. For this
reason the Muslim mind continued to be restless, and never accepted the reality
of its stagnation and backwardness. In fact, it is still
(pg.75)
doing
so. This is because once the Muslim mind has realized its moral responsibility,
it can no longer remain indifferent. Hence the history of the Muslim Ummah
during the later periods, when it lost its way and fell behind, was the history
of anxiety and worry. All that it had left, and all that preserved it, was its
sense of responsibility as regards its role as vicegerent. Thus the principle
of responsibility represents the other side of the principle of khilāfah
in the makeup of the Muslim mind. Khilāfah, the purpose behind it, and
its requisite qualifications (free will, the ability to reason, and the
potential for more learning) carry with them man’s moral responsibility for his
role, and for the decisions he makes in undertaking it.
By using his will and abilities to realize the purpose
of his existence, the Muslim will have carried out his responsibility and
secured his place in the Hereafter. If he uses his will and ability for any
purpose other than those for which they were created, for oppression and
corruption for example, he will have failed in his responsibility, violated the
honor of his duties, and missed the purpose of his existence. Then his destiny
in the Hereafter will be that of the lowest of the low!
قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۟ بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ
أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمۡ إِلَـٰهٌ۬ وَٲحِدٌ۬ۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ لِقَآءَ
رَبِّهِۦ فَلۡيَعۡمَلۡ عَمَلاً۬ صَـٰلِحً۬ا وَلَا يُشۡرِكۡ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦۤ
أَحَدَۢا (١١٠)
سُوۡرَةُ الکهف
Say: “I am but a man like yourselves, [but] the
inspiration has come to me that your God is One God: whoever expects to meet
his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no
one as partner” (18:110).
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ
أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفُورُ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ
المُلک
He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which
of you is best in deed; and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving (67:2).
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ حَلَـٰلاً۬
طَيِّبً۬ا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٲتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَكُمۡ
عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ (١٦٨) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
O you people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and
good; and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil One, for he is to you an avowed
enemy (2:168).
وَٱبۡتَغِ فِيمَآ ءَاتَٮٰكَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡأَخِرَةَۖ
وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۖ وَأَحۡسِن ڪَمَآ أَحۡسَنَ ٱللَّهُ
إِلَيۡكَۖ وَلَا تَبۡغِ ٱلۡفَسَادَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ
ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ (٧٧) سُوۡرَةُ
القَصَص
But seek, with the [wealth] which Allah has bestowed
on you, the Home of the Hereafter, and do not forget your portion in this
world: but do good, as Allah has been good to you, and seek not [occasions for]
mischief in the land; for Allah loves not those who do mischief (28:77).
(pg.76)
وَٱتَّقُواْ يَوۡمً۬ا تُرۡجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ ثُمَّ
تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ مَّا ڪَسَبَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُونَ (٢٨١) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
You shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every
soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly (2:281).
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 kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice
and rebellion: He instructs you that you may receive admonition (16:90).
مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَنۡ أَسَآءَ فَعَلَيۡہَاۖ
ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ تُرۡجَعُونَ (١٥)
سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the
benefit of his own soul; if he does evil, it works against [his own soul]. In
the end you will [all] be brought back to your Lord (45:15).
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ۬ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰ (٣٨) وَأَن
لَّيۡسَ لِلۡإِنسَـٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ (٣٩) وَأَنَّ سَعۡيَهُ ۥ
سَوۡفَ يُرَىٰ (٤٠) ثُمَّ يُجۡزَٮٰهُ ٱلۡجَزَآءَ ٱلۡأَوۡفَىٰ (٤١) سُوۡرَةُ
النّجْم
Namely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden
of another; that man can have nothing but what he strives for; that [the fruit
of] his striving will soon come in sight; then will he be rewarded with a
reward complete (53:38-41).
ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوۡلَٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ أَلَا
لَهُ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ وَهُوَ أَسۡرَعُ ٱلۡحَـٰسِبِينَ (٦٢) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴنعَام
Then are men returned unto God, their Protector, the
[only] Reality; is not His the Command? And He is the Swiftest in taking
account (6:62).
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرً۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٧) وَمَن
يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ۬ شَرًّ۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ
الزّلزَلة
Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of
good see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it
(99:7-8).
The principle of responsibility, as a principle
integrated in the Muslim mind with that of khilāfah, may explain to us
the powers of love and sacrifice possessed by the early generations of Muslims,
who set an historical example for all nations and societies. It also explains
to us the outstanding example of the earliest Muslims who were free from
(pg.77)
greed,
hypocrisy, and arrogance, and who were distinguished by their lack of interest
in gathering and hoarding wealth. The more capable they became of earning
worldly wealth, the less interested they were in gathering and hoarding it.
They were among those described in the Qur’an:
وَيُطۡعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسۡكِينً۬ا
وَيَتِيمً۬ا وَأَسِيرًا (٨) إِنَّمَا
نُطۡعِمُكُمۡ لِوَجۡهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمۡ جَزَآءً۬ وَلَا شُكُورًا (٩) سُوۡرَةُ
ٱلدَّهۡر / الإنسَان
And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent,
the orphan and the captive, - [saying] “We feed you for the sake of Allah
alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks” (76:8-9).
The principle of responsibility is furthermore a
guarantee of correct Islamic thought, and of sound methodology.
Actions are but by intentions, and every man shall
have that which he intended. (Al Bukhari and Muslim)
A Muslim cannot be diverted from the path of truth and
justice because he knows for sure that his peace of mind in this world and his
destiny in the next depend on his carrying out his responsibility to work
strive, sacrifice, and do good in this life.
If the meaning of these three principles, unicity,
vicegerency, and responsibility, becomes clear to Muslims, the Ummah will
surely be able to find its way, renew the sources of its energy, and succeed in
raising its young according to sound Islamic methodology. This, in turn, will
requalify the Muslim mind to restore the Ummah to its position as a pioneering
and creative force in history.
With a true understanding of unicity, the Muslim mind
will find its true direction and will succeed. By playing its role as khalīfah,
the Muslim mind will go forth and succeed. With its integrated methodology, the
Muslim mind will be positive and productive.
(pg.78)
The Basic Concepts of Islamic Methodology
In order that we gain an understanding of how Islamic
thought and methodology work, it is not enough to be familiar with the
framework of the principles on which they are built. Rather, it is also
necessary to discern the concepts which represent the practical aspects of that
framework. It is not enough to know the theoretical aspects of methodology, for
that will not afford a true understanding of how the methodology works. If we
wish to take practical steps towards reform, we must know the concepts
according to which, and on the basis of whose requirements, the Muslim mind
works.
In fact, many of the basic concepts of Islamic
methodology were tainted by the jāhilīyah cultures and philosophies of
the peoples who entered Islam. As these were firmly entrenched in the knowledge
and practice of those people, they became influences on the Ummah’s thought.
This situation was exacerbated both by the lack of commitment on the part of,
and the Machiavellian practices employed by, the Ummah’s political leadership
in later periods. The confusion in the methodology of Islamic thought became
one of the most potent weapons at the leadership’s disposal for weakening the
Ummah’s understanding of their situation, for gaining oppressive control, and
for distracting the Ummah’s attention from their (the leadership’s) deviant
practices and goals.
Among the most important of these methodological
concepts are the following:
·
The purposeful nature of creation and existence;
·
The objectivity of truth and relativity of circumstances;
·
Freedom of decision and free will;
·
The comprehensiveness of tawakkul;
·
The causality of deeds.
The Purposeful Nature of Creation and Existence
Muslim thought is based on belief in unicity and the
principle of oneness which imply the unity of creation, life, man and reality,
This oneness and this unity, in turn, imply the purpose behind creation and
existence:
(pg.79)
وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَہُمَا
لَـٰعِبِينَ (١٦)
سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنبیَاء
Not for [idle] sport did We create the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them (21:16).
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا
لِيَعۡبُدُونِ (٥٦) مَآ أُرِيدُ مِنۡہُم مِّن رِّزۡقٍ۬ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَن
يُطۡعِمُونِ (٥٧) سُوۡرَةُ
الذّاریَات
I have only created the jinn and men so that they
might serve Me. No sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they
should feed Me (51:56-57).
The belief that Allah is the Creator implies that
creation has only one source and purpose. According to man’s natural common
sense and the Muslim’s belief in oneness, it is unacceptable for the Muslim
mind to be unaware of the unity and purpose of Creation, or of the integration
and harmony upon which creation is based. The Muslim mind’s natural disposition
towards a belief in tawhīd guides it in its interaction with the rest of
creation. According to this concept of the Muslim mind and its relationship to
the rest of creation, a haphazard way of thinking is inadmissible. As befits
his human nature and Islamic awareness, the Muslim is a khalīfah, a
witness, and a guardian over creation.
Nonetheless, misunderstandings regarding the concepts
of causality and the purposeful nature of creation led to misunderstandings
about tawakkul and belief in the Divine decree (qadā and qadr).
These in turn led the Muslim mind to a situation of frustration and lassitude
in which it became indifferent and fatalistic, and began to dwell on decidedly
un-Islamic asceticisms. Thereafter, it was not long before it lost both its
energy and its role as a reforming and civilizing force in the world.
The concept of the purposefulness of nature, if
understood correctly, is a strong basis which rejects all indifference and
inability. Most importantly, it motivates the Muslim to seek knowledge and to
strive to understand the relationship between life, the universe, and events
around him.
ٱلَّذِى لَهُ ۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ
وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدً۬ا وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ شَرِيكٌ۬ فِى
ٱلۡمُلۡكِ وَخَلَقَ ڪُلَّ شَىۡءٍ۬ فَقَدَّرَهُ ۥ تَقۡدِيرً۬ا (٢) سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان
Nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He Who
created all things, and ordered them in due proportions (25:2).
(pg.80)
وَتَرَى ٱلۡجِبَالَ تَحۡسَبُہَا جَامِدَةً۬ وَهِىَ
تَمُرُّ مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِۚ صُنۡعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍۚ
إِنَّهُ ۥ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٨٨) سُوۡرَةُ
النَّمل
[Such is] the artistry of Allah, Who
disposes of all things in perfect order: for He is well acquainted with all
that you do (27:88).
Objectivity of Truth and Relativity of Circumstances
The Muslim’s fitrah explains the concept of the
objectivity of truth as meaning that he is a finite creature in a finite
universe, subject to comprehensive and precise laws. The laws of the universe
are a reality with which man lives; he is subject to them and he interacts with
them every moment of his life. Furthermore, while man may be cognizant of the
universe and even understand some aspects of the natural system and the laws
which govern its existence, he is unable on his own to comprehend the whole of
it, or even to fathom its purpose. The Muslim mind, however, accepts and
interacts with these laws as a result of the insight it has gained, and the
principles it has learned, through revelation. In this way the Muslim mind is
able to understand the purpose of life and human existence.
The Muslim mind and common sense are given insight by
the light and guidance of wahy. For the Muslim mind, reality is
objective; it is aware of its existence and dimensions, and seeks to interact
correctly with it and with its laws. The Muslim mind is totally objective. It
is not governed by whims, and it does not scorn the truth. Righteousness
motivates it, and its efforts are directed towards seeking the truth in harmony
with the laws of the universe.
The Concept of Success
According to the Muslim mind, the concept of success
in life does not lie in permissiveness and corruption, but in discipline,
awareness, and harmony with nature. There is no contradiction in the Muslim
mind between what is true and what is good for human existence, whether
individual or collective. Nor is there any conflict in the Muslim mind between
the spiritual and the material, or between what is good for this life and what
is good for the Hereafter. All of these represent parts of the reality of
existence; they harmonize with it and are integrated with it.
(pg.81)
The Muslim occupies a position of care and
responsibility in whatever work he undertakes and in whatever role he plays. He
strives to deal fairly with everything around him. He conducts his affairs by
consultation and seeks truth and justice. If he fails to work in this way, he
will not achieve his objective.
Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is
responsible for his flock (al Bukhari and Muslim).
The lives of the believers are equal in value; they
fight as one against their enemies; and the least of them can have a say in
general affairs (Abu Dawud, al Nasi’i).
The Prophet said, “Religion is sincerity.” When the
Companions asked: “To whom?” the Prophet replied: “To Allah and His Book, and
His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk”
(Muslim).
Muslims conduct their affairs by mutual
consultation, with no ‘asabīyah (ethnocentrism), nationalism, factionalism or
sectarianism, and with none of the negative implications of oppression,
tyranny, or corruption.
Although reality, according to the
Muslim mind, is an objective matter, this does not imply narrow-mindedness.
Even if reality is one in essence and unchanging, man’s position in it, either
as an individual or as part of a society, is a minor position which changes according
to time and place. This means that that outlook, position and application are
all relative. The way that the Muslim mind deals with reality differs in
accordance with the differing needs and conditions of man. The child is’ not
like the adult; the capable man is not like the incapable; the learned are not
like the ignorant; education is not like passing judgement; peace is not like
war; and plenty is not like famine. Although the Muslim mind is distinguished
by its comprehensive belief in unity, it is also multifaceted and is able to
(pg.82)
provide different solutions for different needs,
according to the time and the place, without losing its bases or guidance.
Freedom
If we hope to understand the concept of
freedom, we must understand the conditions necessary for practicing it. Freedom
is a right, an attitude, and a responsibility like any other. It cannot be
practiced in isolation or chaos. More than anything else, it needs to be
regulated because it has the most serious bearing on man’s life and the meaning
of his existence. Freedom of will in general, and of worship in particular, are
the rights of the mature and sane individual who is able to understand the
meaning and effects of freedom and to bear responsibility for his actions in
his own life and that of the society around him.
In the case of children and the insane, it is
wrong to take advantage of their shortcomings or to undermine the duties of the
guardians who are responsible for their affairs until they become able to bear
those responsibilities for themselves, either by attaining intellectual
maturity or by regaining their mental balance. On the basis of man’s right to
freedom of worship and his responsibility in using that freedom, we find that
the army of the first Muslims opposed the forces of oppression with faith and
determination, defending man’s right to freedom of worship, enabling him to
carry out his responsibilities, and resisting aggression.
The Islamic perspective on the freedom
of worship is that man is free to choose the ideology which he believes and
adheres to, whether it is Islam or anything else. Man alone has the right to
make this decision, and he is responsible for it. The Islamic state and society
are duty-bound to guard this right, respect this decision, and guarantee that
this right is upheld for every person in every land, even those outside the
lands of Islam.
To understand the aspects of man’s free
will and Islamic practice, we have to learn to distinguish between the
different concepts involved. These concepts may be summarized as three
dimensions: the dimension of belief, the
(pg.83)
dimension of Islamic thought, and the dimension of
social behavior.
Freedom of Belief
Islam clearly insists upon freedom of
belief for all human beings. Hence this freedom was the basis of all da’wah,
the Islamic social system, and Islam’s greatest battles against the forces of
oppression. On the basis of this concept, the Islamic state itself guarantees
freedom of worship for its non-Muslim subjects. From this concept we can
understand the meaning of the letters which the Prophet sent to kings and
rulers, calling them to Islam and asking them to stop oppressing their subjects
so that they would have freedom of worship.
قَالُوٓاْ أُوذِينَا مِن قَبۡلِ أَن تَأۡتِيَنَا وَمِنۢ بَعۡدِ
مَا جِئۡتَنَاۚ قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُهۡلِكَ عَدُوَّڪُمۡ
وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَڪُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرَ ڪَيۡفَ تَعۡمَلُونَ (١٢٩) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴعرَاف
He [Moses] said: “It may be that your Lord will
destroy your enemy and make you inheritors on earth; so He may try you by your
deeds” (7:129).
قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدۡ جَآءَڪُمُ
ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ فَمَنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَہۡتَدِى لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ
وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡہَاۖ وَمَآ أَنَا۟ عَلَيۡكُم بِوَڪِيلٍ۬ (١٠٨) سُوۡرَةُ یُونس
Say: “0 men! Now Truth has reached you from your Lord!
Those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who
stray, do so to their own loss” (10:108).
وَتَرَى ٱلۡجِبَالَ تَحۡسَبُہَا جَامِدَةً۬ وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ
مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِۚ صُنۡعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍۚ
إِنَّهُ ۥ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٨٨) سُوۡرَةُ
النَّمل
[Such is] the artistry of God, Who disposes of all things in
perfect order (27:88).
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ
وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ۬ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ يُغۡشِى
ٱلَّيۡلَ ٱلنَّہَارَ يَطۡلُبُهُ ۥ حَثِيثً۬ا وَٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ
وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٲتِۭ بِأَمۡرِهِۦۤۗ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُۗ
تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٥٤) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴعرَاف
Is it not His to create and govern? (7:54).
The nature of man’s free will is something which his
natural common sense can understand clearly, as explained in the Qur’an:
وَنَفۡسٍ۬ وَمَا سَوَّٮٰهَا (٧) فَأَلۡهَمَهَا
فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَٮٰهَا (٨) قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّٮٰهَا (٩)وَقَدۡ خَابَ
مَن دَسَّٮٰهَا (١٠) سُوۡرَةُ
الشّمس
By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; truly he succeeds that
purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it! (91:7-10).
(pg.84)
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لِيَجۡزِىَ
ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَـٰٓـُٔواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيَجۡزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ
بِٱلۡحُسۡنَى (٣١)
سُوۡرَةُ النّجْم
Yea, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and
on earth: so that He rewards those who do evil, according to their deeds, and
He rewards those who do good with what is best (53:31).
وَخَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ
وَلِتُجۡزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفۡسِۭ بِمَا ڪَسَبَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُونَ (٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ
الجَاثیَة
Allah created the heavens and the earth for just ends,
and in order that each soul may find the recompense of what it has earned, and
none of them be wronged (45:22).
Freedom of Decision, Free Will and Responsibilities
The concept of a human’s freedom of will
and the responsibility it entails constitute the third basic principle on which
Islamic thought and methodology are based. We cannot understand the meaning of
the Islamic message for life, or the meaning of the Prophet’s life and jihad,
or the conflicts of the first Muslims with the Persian and Roman empires,
unless we understand the concept of free will and the individual responsibility
entailed by this freedom.
Deeds illustrate the quality of will,
whether it is good or evil, whether it follows truth, goodness and justice, or
whether it is corruptible by its own desires. Finally, deeds will be measured
in light of the individual’s role as khalīfah; and the Hereafter will
represent and reflect the quality of one’s will and deeds in this life.
وَنَفۡسٍ۬ وَمَا سَوَّٮٰهَا (٧) فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا
وَتَقۡوَٮٰهَا (٨) قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّٮٰهَا (٩)وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّٮٰهَا
(١٠) سُوۡرَةُ الشّمس
By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; truly he succeeds that
purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it! (91:7-10).
وَبِٱلۡحَقِّ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ وَبِٱلۡحَقِّ نَزَلَۗ وَمَآ
أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرً۬ا وَنَذِيرً۬ا (١٠٥) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
We sent down the [Qur’an] in Truth, and in Truth has
it descended: and We sent you only to give glad tidings and to warn [sinners]
(17:105).
وَلَقَدۡ جِئۡنَـٰهُم بِكِتَـٰبٍ۬ فَصَّلۡنَـٰهُ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمٍ
هُدً۬ى وَرَحۡمَةً۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٥٢) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴعرَاف
For We had certainly sent unto them a Book, based on
knowledge, which We explained in detail, - a guide and a mercy to all who
believe (7:52).
(pg.85)
We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We
will assuredly guard it [from corruption] (15:9).
Attitudes of oppression, injustice and
compulsion do not defend Islam or make the Islamic outlook any easier to
understand. Instead, such attitudes represent aggression against the essence of
the message, reality, and aims of Islam.
لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشۡدُ مِنَ
ٱلۡغَىِّۚ فَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ
وَيُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ
لَهَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (٢٥٦) سُوۡرَةُ
البَقَرَة
Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands
out clear from error (2:256).
وَقُلِ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ فَمَن شَآءَ فَلۡيُؤۡمِن
وَمَن شَآءَ فَلۡيَكۡفُرۡۚ إِنَّآ أَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ نَارًا
أَحَاطَ بِہِمۡ سُرَادِقُهَاۚ وَإِن يَسۡتَغِيثُواْ يُغَاثُواْ بِمَآءٍ۬
كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ يَشۡوِى ٱلۡوُجُوهَۚ بِئۡسَ ٱلشَّرَابُ وَسَآءَتۡ مُرۡتَفَقًا (٢٩) سُوۡرَةُ
الکهف
Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject
[it] (18:29).
وَلَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ أُمَّةً۬ وَٲحِدَةً۬ۖ
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخۡتَلِفِينَ (١١٨) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind
one People (11:118).
وَلَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَمَنَ مَن فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ڪُلُّهُمۡ
جَمِيعًاۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكۡرِهُ ٱلنَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ (٩٩) سُوۡرَةُ
یُونس
Will you then compel mankind, against their will, to
believe! (10:99).
مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَنۡ أَسَآءَ
فَعَلَيۡہَاۖ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ تُرۡجَعُونَ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ
الجَاثیَة
If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the
benefit of his own soul; if he does evil it works against it [his soul]. In the
end you will [all] be brought back to your lord (45:15).
Based on the knowledge of divine wahy,
the Islamic outlook was and still is sure of its energy and ability to prevail,
not because of the force the state is able to bring to bear, but because it
represents reality. As long as the Islamic outlook continues to adhere to
correct methodology and structure, it need not fear conflicts and
contradiction, because the strength of the Islamic fitrah will always
direct the Ummah.
The only way we can protect Islam is to
understand, know, and explain it well, and to ensure that the structure of the
system of Islam is sound. Ideological and intellectual freedom has nothing to
fear from an Islamic state, or from the principles, aims, and system of Islam.
In fact, Islam
(pg.86)
guarantees ideological and intellectual freedom.
Likewise, the vision and system of Islam have nothing to fear from ideological
and intellectual freedom.
Freedom of thought in Islamic society is
like a deep river flowing towards its destination. When it widens it becomes
even more resplendant. On the basis of man’s will and the relativity of the
position of the truth, Muslim thought enjoys a tolerance which guarantees
freedom of thought and belief, and a multiplicity of conflicting intellectual
and ideological positions.
Within the Ummah there is little reason
to fear the destruction of its bases from conflicting opinions. Rather, it
provides room for free scope and balance, and provides stability and growth,
because Islamic thought, with its clear vision based on the guidance, values,
concepts, and principles of wahy, will remain strong. New growth and
creativity are the products of an Ummah that has agreed upon its basic
principles.
Cultural maturity is a necessary
condition for people to be able to exercise their right to freedom, especially
freedom of belief, because a primitive cultural environment, or cultural
backwardness in some form of bedouinism, barbarity, or primitiveness, could
mean that man is culturally, socially, or mentally immature in such a way as to
make him unable to take responsible decisions. Certainly, this will disqualify
him from his right to freedom. This means that he should be cared for until he
reaches maturity, and should not be given the right to freedom or to bear
responsibility for it until then.
This is what Islam tried to do at the
beginning with regard to the primitive, idolatrous tribes of desert Arabia
when, in its relationship with them, it resorted to every possible means to
help them to rid themselves of their primitive practices and shortcomings, to
liberate themselves from the social and cultural backwardness in which they
were still living, and to end their hostility towards the Muslims and their
allies. The Muslims’ sense of responsibility towards man left them with no choice
but to subject these barbaric tribes to the cultural system of Islam, and to
(pg.87)
rescue them from their savage social behavior and
idolatrous myths. Hence Islam clearly declared that as far as these tribes were
concerned, the matter was not one of man’s freedom of will and worship, but of
subjecting them to the system of Islam and ridding them of the barbarity in
which they were still living.
ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتَّ مِنۡہُمۡ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ
عَهۡدَهُمۡ فِى ڪُلِّ مَرَّةٍ۬ وَهُمۡ لَا يَتَّقُونَ (٥٦) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴنفَال
They are those with whom you made a covenant, but they
break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear [of Allah] (8:56).
لَا يَرۡقُبُونَ فِى مُؤۡمِنٍ إِلاًّ۬ وَلَا ذِمَّةً۬ۚ
وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدُونَ (١٠) سُوۡرَةُ
التّوبَة
In a Believer they respect not the ties either of
kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds (9:10).
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُشۡرِكُونَ
نَجَسٌ۬ فَلَا يَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ بَعۡدَ عَامِهِمۡ هَـٰذَاۚ
وَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ عَيۡلَةً۬ فَسَوۡفَ يُغۡنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦۤ إِن
شَآءَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَڪِيمٌ۬ (٢٨) سُوۡرَةُ
التّوبَة
O you who believe! Truly the pagans are tainted; so
let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque (9:28).
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّہُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثۡنَا عَشَرَ
شَہۡرً۬ا فِى ڪِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوۡمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِنۡہَآ
أَرۡبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ۬ۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُۚ فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيہِنَّ
أَنفُسَڪُمۡۚ وَقَـٰتِلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِڪِينَ كَآفَّةً۬ ڪَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمۡ
ڪَآفَّةً۬ۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ (٣٦) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
And fight the pagans all together as they fight you
all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves (9:36).
وَقَـٰتِلُوهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتۡنَةٌ۬ وَيَڪُونَ
ٱلدِّينُ ڪُلُّهُ ۥ لِلَّهِۚ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوۡاْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا
يَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ۬ (٣٩) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴنفَال
And fight them until there is no more tumult or
oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and
everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah sees all that they do (8:39).
۞
قَالَتِ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّاۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوٓاْ
أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ
ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ لَا يَلِتۡكُم مِّنۡ أَعۡمَـٰلِكُمۡ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (١٤) سُوۡرَةُ
الحُجرَات
The desert Arabs say, “We believe.” Say: “ You have no
faith; but you [only] say, ‘We have submitted our wills to Allah,’ For not yet
has faith entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His prophet, He will
not belittle aught of your deeds, for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
(49:14).
Islam’s attitude towards the primitive,
idolatrous desert Arabs was one of concern and seeking to provide the
qualifications required for the right to freedom of will. It was not an
attitude of denying the freedom of will to the qualified
(pg.88)
man, or of going back on its basic attitude to man’s
freedom of worship. Islam’s attitude was clear: it respected and preserved the
right of the ahl al kitāb (Christians and Jews) to freedom of worship,
despite their hostility and aggressive plotting. Islam also gave this right,
stated clearly in the texts, to the people of other civilizations who were also
qualified to make such decisions, such as the Persians and Magians, in spite of
the fact that they were idolaters and worshippers of fire. It should therefore
be perfectly clear that freedom of worship is a basic Islamic concept; and that
the formation and application of Islamic cultural thought and methodology will
never be correct unless this dimension is properly understood.
Freedom of Thought
The dimension of freedom in human
thought stems from and complements the dimension of the freedom of worship.
Freedom of thought is related to one’s moral freedom, but comes within the
framework of ideological commitment. In an Islamic society, one is free to act
according to one’s own conscious moral convictions, to make ideological or
intellectual choices, and to take decisions on the basis of these convictions
and choices. If one is forced to do something of which one is not convinced or
which one has not freely accepted, as it goes against one’s nature, then that
is Islamically unacceptable. So, according to Islamic methodology and thought,
the final decision rests with the individual, and is related to his or her free
will and the choice which it entails, a choice about which he or she alone will
be asked, and the consequences of which he or she alone will have to bear in
this world and the next.
Consult your heart ... even though people again and
again have given you their legal opinions. (Ahmad)
مَّنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَہۡتَدِى لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن
ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡہَاۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ۬ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰۗ
وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبۡعَثَ رَسُولاً۬ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ
بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
The one who strays does so at his own loss: no bearer
of burdens can bear the burden of another (17:15).
(pg.89)
In order to realize the purpose of
existence and carry out the responsibilities of khalīfah, freedom of
thought and intellectual conviction are basic necessities. Oppressive abuse of
thought and conviction denies the meaning and responsibility of life, and is
unacceptable to Islam and its methodology. Islamic thought can only be built on
the basis of commitment to the rights of freedom of worship and thought.
An Islamic society is one where there is
freedom for creativity. But in the end, that society’s progress, principles,
and creativity are related only to the purpose of existence which is to reform
and not to corrupt. Likewise, social behavior is based on the freedoms of
worship and thought. This is not a theoretical or abstract matter, but a
practical one.
Human behavior and action have a
collective nature, that is, they must be carried out on the understanding that
they interact with and complement society at large. The collective dimension of
social behavior does not mean the suppression of the individual’s will.
Instead, it means that the individuals freedom of action in society must be
controlled.
The individual’s freedom of worship and
thought should be controlled by society’s beliefs and practices. Likewise, the
regulations, laws, and public institutions of society are all intended to
achieve the aims which that society has agreed upon, to facilitate the
individual’s performing to the best of his ability within those limits, and to
enable him to express his wishes, way of thinking, and convictions through his
actions. Society’s regulations and public systems are based on the outlook of
the majority. Even if an individual has beliefs which stem from his own
convictions, he still cannot act in a way which goes against the public system,
because individual behavior on the basis of freedom of thought and conviction,
with no regard for to society’s regulations, will make that freedom a means of
spreading confusion throughout society. In this situation, all rights and
freedoms will become forfeit, and all meanings of human existence will be lost.
(pg.90)
The legitimacy of an action depends upon
whether that action adheres to the aims and general regulations agreed upon by
the majority. The legitimacy of the majority’s decision is, in turn, based upon
its desire to realize the basic goal of human existence which, according to the
Islamic concept, is to carry out the responsibilities of being a khalīfah
on earth. Any individual action which transgresses the regulations laid down by
society loses its legitimacy. However, the regulations themselves will lose
their legitimacy if they are not intended to preserve the individual’s rights
to freedom of belief and thought.
Individual Muslim behavior and the
system of public legislation within Muslim society derive their legitimacy from
a commitment to Islam and to its goals, purposes, principles, and values.
Muslim legislators within a Muslim society cannot ignore the goals and values
of Islam in the rules and regulations they propose because those rules are
meant to release man’s potential so that he may carry out his responsibilities
as a khalīfah on earth. Likewise, the individual Muslim’s actions and
behavior cannot ignore the regulations of the Muslim system as defined by the
majority of Muslims on the basis of their commitment to Islam.
One of the basic principles of the
Islamic system is that everything is lawful (halāl) except that which
has been expressly forbidden in the clear texts of wahy, or that which
is determined to go against the basic interests of society.
In the light of this principle, we can
understand the concept of enjoining good and forbidding evil (al amr bi al
ma’rūf wa a’ nahy ‘an a’ munkar) in Islam. As freedom of thought and
belief, it represents advice, exhortation, guidance, and direction. As social
behavior, it represents jihad, action, sacrifice and the ability to protect
society from being destroyed and losing sight of its objectives of renewal and
bringing about reform.
The principle of Tawakkul
Tawakkul means trust in Allah and acceptance of His divine
decree (qadā’ and qadar) in every aspect of life. Tawakkul means
that the believer’s heart has faith in the
(pg.91)
power, wisdom, and justice of Allah, and believes that
it is He who is in control of all things.
The tawakkul of the believer
stems from his belief in the unseen and the predicates of the unseen world
which Allah, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, controls; He alone has knowledge of
it. A Muslim’s understanding of tawakkul is a natural and sensitive
understanding which represents one of the most important sources of his or her
psychological strength and energy; the source from which spring patience,
forbearance, determination, contentment and happiness.
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡغَمِّ أَمَنَةً۬
نُّعَاسً۬ا يَغۡشَىٰ طَآٮِٕفَةً۬ مِّنكُمۡۖ وَطَآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ قَدۡ أَهَمَّتۡہُمۡ
أَنفُسُہُمۡ يَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِيَّةِۖ
يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِن شَىۡءٍ۬ۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ
كُلَّهُ ۥ لِلَّهِۗ يُخۡفُونَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِہِم مَّا لَا يُبۡدُونَ لَكَۖ
يَقُولُونَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ شَىۡءٌ۬ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هَـٰهُنَاۗ
قُل لَّوۡ كُنتُمۡ فِى بُيُوتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ
ٱلۡقَتۡلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمۡۖ وَلِيَبۡتَلِىَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِى صُدُورِڪُمۡ
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ (١٥٤) سُوۡرَةُ
آل عِمرَان
Verily, the decree, all of it, is Allah’s (3:154).
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ
وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ۬ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ يُغۡشِى
ٱلَّيۡلَ ٱلنَّہَارَ يَطۡلُبُهُ ۥ حَثِيثً۬ا وَٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ
وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٲتِۭ بِأَمۡرِهِۦۤۗ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُۗ
تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٥٤) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف
O yes! Decree and creation belong to Him alone (7:54).
وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ
رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬ (٨٥) سُوۡرَةُ
بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
Of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated
to you (17:85).
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَىُّ ٱلۡقَيُّومُۚ لَا تَأۡخُذُهُ ۥ سِنَةٌ۬ وَلَا نَوۡمٌ۬ۚ لَّهُ ۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشۡفَعُ عِندَهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِهِۦۚ يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهِۦۤ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَۚ وَسِعَ كُرۡسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُ ۥ حِفۡظُهُمَاۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِىُّ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (٢٥٥) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
Nor shall they compass any of His knowledge except as
He wills it (2:255).
ٱلَّذِينَ يَحۡمِلُونَ ٱلۡعَرۡشَ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَهُ ۥ
يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّہِمۡ وَيُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ
لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ رَبَّنَا وَسِعۡتَ ڪُلَّ شَىۡءٍ۬ رَّحۡمَةً۬ وَعِلۡمً۬ا
فَٱغۡفِرۡ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُواْ وَٱتَّبَعُواْ سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمۡ عَذَابَ
ٱلۡجَحِيمِ (٧)
سُوۡرَةُ المؤمن / غَافر
Your reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge
(40:7).
The Muslim’s belief in the divine predicates
and the methodology of his thought concerning them are that everything will
ultimately be for the good, because the true Muslim gives thanks when he is
blessed and is patient at the time of trial. Likewise, when he has good fortune
in this life, he will be content. And if bad fortune befalls him and he is
patient and trusts in Allah, he will find his reward in the Hereafter. The
Muslim’s belief in the divine predicates is that a Muslim’s efforts will
ultimately succeed, whatever material successes or failures these efforts may
have in this life. It is the belief that ultimately the truth will prevail and
the jihad of the Ummah of truth will eventually be victorious; and that
falsehood will fail and its supporters
(pg.92)
will finally be defeated in the conflict between good
and evil throughout history, when all shall rise to face Allah.
وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُمۡ حَتَّىٰ نَعۡلَمَ ٱلۡمُجَـٰهِدِينَ
مِنكُمۡ وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ وَنَبۡلُوَاْ أَخۡبَارَكُمۡ (٣١) سُوۡرَةُ
محَمَّد
And We shall try you until We test those among you who
strive their utmost and persevere in patience (47:31).
كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ ذَآٮِٕقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۗ وَنَبۡلُوكُم
بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلۡخَيۡرِ فِتۡنَةً۬ۖ وَإِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ (٣٥) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴنبیَاء
And We test you by evil and by good by way of trial.
To Us must you return (21:35).
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُواْ فِينَا لَنَہۡدِيَنَّہُمۡ سُبُلَنَاۚ
وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَمَعَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ (٦٩) سُوۡرَةُ
العَنکبوت
And those who strive in Our [cause], - We will
certainly guide them to Our paths (29:69).
وَجَـٰهِدُواْ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦۚ هُوَ
ٱجۡتَبَٮٰكُمۡ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ۚ مِّلَّةَ
أَبِيكُمۡ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَۚ هُوَ سَمَّٮٰكُمُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَفِى
هَـٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَتَكُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى
ٱلنَّاسِۚ فَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ
بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوۡلَٮٰكُمۡۖ فَنِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَوۡلَىٰ وَنِعۡمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ (٧٨) سُوۡرَةُ
الحَجّ
And strive in His cause as you should strive, [with
sincerity and under discipline] (22:78).
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِن تَنصُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ
يَنصُرۡكُمۡ وَيُثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَكُمۡ (٧) سُوۡرَةُ
محَمَّد
O believers! If you will aid [the cause of] Allah, He
will aid you, and plant your feet firmly (47:7).
قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ أَرَءَيۡتُمۡ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ۬
مِّن رَّبِّى وَرَزَقَنِى مِنۡهُ رِزۡقًا حَسَنً۬اۚ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنۡ
أُخَالِفَكُمۡ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنۡهَٮٰڪُمۡ عَنۡهُۚ إِنۡ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا
ٱلۡإِصۡلَـٰحَ مَا ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُۚ وَمَا تَوۡفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِۚ عَلَيۡهِ
تَوَكَّلۡتُ وَإِلَيۡهِ أُنِيبُ (٨٨)
سُوۡرَةُ هُود
“I only desire [your] betterment to the
best of my power; and my success [in my task] can only come from Allah. In Him
I trust and unto Him I turn” (11:88).
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ
لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ غُرَفً۬ا تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِہَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ
خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَاۚ نِعۡمَ أَجۡرُ ٱلۡعَـٰمِلِينَ (٥٨) ٱلَّذِينَ
صَبَرُواْ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّہِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ (٥٩) سُوۡرَةُ
العَنکبوت
An excellent reward for those who do [good]! - those
who persevere in patience, and put their trust in their Lord and Cherisher
(29:58-59).
فَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَىۡءٍ۬ فَمَتَـٰعُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ
ٱلدُّنۡيَاۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيۡرٌ۬ وَأَبۡقَىٰ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّہِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ (٣٦) سُوۡرَةُ الشّوریٰ
But that which is with Allah is better and more
lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord (42:36).
وَلِلَّهِ غَيۡبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَإِلَيۡهِ
يُرۡجَعُ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ كُلُّهُ ۥ فَٱعۡبُدۡهُ وَتَوَڪَّلۡ عَلَيۡهِۚ وَمَا
رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ (١٢٣) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
And to Him goes back every affair [for decision]: then
worship Him, and put your trust in Him (11:123).
An important distinction needs to made
here. Tawakkul is not the same as tawākul (fatalistic
acceptance). Tawakkul is a Muslim’s trust and acceptance of the divine
predicates
(pg.93)
which no one can know, or understand, or control,
except Allah. The meaning of tawākul, on the other hand, contains
elements of inertia, inability, and general incompetence, for it indicates a
refusal to strive in accordance with the laws and standards which Allah has
laid down for humankind. The fatalism inherent in the concept of tawākul
spells both disobedience to the commandments of Allah and defiance of nature, fitrah.
Shortcomings in striving to know and use the appropriate means and to follow
the natural laws do not stem from trust in Allah, or tawakkul. Rather,
finding and using appropriate means are the essence of man’s responsibility in
this life; it is that by which his will is tested, and it is the purpose of his
existence. But tawākul is a corruption of this sort of faith. Hence,
when a bedouin who had confused tawakkul for tawākul came to the
Prophet and asked about this matter, the Prophet explained it clearly: “Take
the appropriate action, then put your trust in Allah.”
Following the same principle, ‘Umar ibn
al Khattāb answered those who thought that he was fleeing from the
decree of Allah when he refused to enter a land which was infected by the
plague. They thought that neglecting to find the correct means, or that failing
to work according to the natural laws which Allah had imposed upon the universe
was true tawakkul and reliance upon Allah. ‘Umar’s reply was very clear:
“I flee from one decree of Allah to another.”
If one becomes infected, that is the
decree of Allah; and if one seeks to protect oneself from that infection, that
too is the decree of Allah. Everything happens by the will of Allah, and
striving to use the appropriate means in accordance with the natural laws also
stems from the decree of Allah. It is a way of obeying Him. Certainly, it does
not imply kufr, or that one is not relying upon Him.
From this clear distinction between the
meanings of tawakkul and tawākul, and in the light of what man’s fitrah
dictates, and Allah’s commands to man to be a khalīfah on earth and to
manage and care for it, we can easily understand that tawākul is
unnatural. Certainly, Islam does not teach it. On the contrary, it has nothing
whatsoever to do with the Islamic meaning of tawakkul, or with the first
(pg.94)
Muslims’ beliefs. In fact, it contradicts every aspect
of the life of the Prophet and his Companions, their jihad, the efforts they
expended in accordance with the natural laws, their planning, and their ways of
thinking.
The Causality of Human Nature
If we understand the above, we will also
appreciate that causality is a basic concept in the life and thought of
Muslims. Fitrah and ‘aqīdah explain that Allah created the
universe, subjected it to laws and standards, then entrusted it to man to care
for, to master, and to strive to civilize and reform. Allah enabled man to
carry out his responsibilities and express his will by using the appropriate
means in accordance with the natural laws. So the Muslim mind and fitrah
have no way to carry out their responsibilities of directing and subjecting
creation, unless they adopt the appropriate means and strive to apply them in
all fields of life.
ٱلَّذِى لَهُ ۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَمۡ
يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدً۬ا وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ شَرِيكٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡمُلۡكِ وَخَلَقَ
ڪُلَّ شَىۡءٍ۬ فَقَدَّرَهُ ۥ تَقۡدِيرً۬ا (٢) سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان
He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth: no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He
Who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions (25:2).
سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى (١) ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ
فَسَوَّىٰ (٢) وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴعلی
Glorify the name of your Guardian-lord Most High, Who
has created, and further, given order and proportion; Who has ordained laws and
granted guidance (87:1-3).
وَتَرَى ٱلۡجِبَالَ تَحۡسَبُہَا جَامِدَةً۬ وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِۚ صُنۡعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٨٨) سُوۡرَةُ النَّمل
[Such is] the artistry of Allah, Who
disposes of all things in perfect order: for He is well acquainted with all
that you do (27:88).
فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفً۬اۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ
ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡہَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٲلِكَ
ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
[Establish] Allah’s handiwork according to
the pattern on which He has made mankind: [let there be] no change in the work
[done] by Allah (30:30).
وَخَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ
وَلِتُجۡزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفۡسِۭ بِمَا ڪَسَبَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُونَ (٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
Allah created the heavens and the earth for just ends,
and in order that each soul may find the
(pg.95)
recompense of what it has earned, and that none of
them be wronged (45:22).
قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ سُنَنٌ۬ فَسِيرُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
فَٱنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ (١٣٧) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
Many were the ways of Life that passed away before
you: travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who rejected
the truth (3:137).
إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُ ۥ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ
مِن كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ سَبَبً۬ا (٨٤) سُوۡرَةُ
الکهف
Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave
him the ways and the means to all ends (18:84).
ٱسۡتِكۡبَارً۬ا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَكۡرَ ٱلسَّيِّىِٕۚ وَلَا
يَحِيقُ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ ٱلسَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهۡلِهِۚۦ فَهَلۡ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا
سُنَّتَ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَۚ فَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ ٱللَّهِ تَبۡدِيلاً۬ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ
لِسُنَّتِ ٱللَّهِ تَحۡوِيلاً (٤٣) سُوۡرَةُ
فَاطِر
But no change will you find in Allah’s way [of
dealing], and no turning off (35:43).
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ۬ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰ (٣٨) وَأَن لَّيۡسَ
لِلۡإِنسَـٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ (٣٩) وَأَنَّ سَعۡيَهُ ۥ سَوۡفَ
يُرَىٰ (٤٠) ثُمَّ يُجۡزَٮٰهُ ٱلۡجَزَآءَ ٱلۡأَوۡفَىٰ (٤١) سُوۡرَةُ النّجْم
Namely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden
of another; that man can have nothing but what he strives for; that [the fruit
of] his striving will soon come in sight; then will he be rewarded with a
reward complete (53:38-41).
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
جَمِيعً۬ا مِّنۡهُۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (١٣) سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is
in the heavens and on earth: behold, in that are signs indeed for those who
reflect (45:13).
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
لِيَجۡزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَـٰٓـُٔواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيَجۡزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ
أَحۡسَنُواْ بِٱلۡحُسۡنَى (٣١) سُوۡرَةُ
النّجْم
Surely, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens
and on earth: so that He rewards those who do evil according to their deeds,
and He rewards those who do good with what is best (53:31).
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ
أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفُورُ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المُلک
He [it was] Who created death and life, to test you
[in order to know] the best among you in deed (67:2).
قَالُوٓاْ أُوذِينَا مِن قَبۡلِ أَن تَأۡتِيَنَا وَمِنۢ بَعۡدِ
مَا جِئۡتَنَاۚ قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُهۡلِكَ عَدُوَّڪُمۡ
وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَڪُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرَ ڪَيۡفَ تَعۡمَلُونَ (١٢٩) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف
He will give you stewardship over earth, and see what
you do (7:129).
وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَہُمَا
لَـٰعِبِينَ (١٦) سُوۡرَةُ
الاٴنبیَاء
Nor did We create heaven and earth and all [that lies]
between in jest (21:16).
This understanding of the meaning of
life clarifies for human beings that their responsibility in this life depends
(pg.96)
on how they use the laws of nature ordained upon all
creation by Allah. The role of humans, therefore, revolves around the ways in
which they put these laws to use. Then, by dealing in an innovative manner with
creation for practical purposes, humankind develops and prospers.
Unless there is an appreciation in
humans for the principles of causality, they will never be able to understand
how they are responsible for their actions. When their minds cease to innovate,
their actions will be stillborn, and their ability to perceive and understand
will suffer decrease. This should explain the reasons for the success of the
Prophet’s methodology: jihad, ijtihad, organization, thought, and respect for
the laws of nature.
The basis of Muslim strength and
ability, as well as creativity, stems from faith in the face of obstacles and
challenges, and in the determination to discover and use the appropriate means
in accordance with the laws of nature. It is only when Muslims exercise this
manner of strength, ability, and creativity that they become deserving of the
aid, succor, and success promised by Allah to those who truly believe.
The early generations of Muslims
understood this, and the result was that they were successful. If Muslims today
have any notions of achieving success and the aid of Allah, they will do so
only if they seek the means appropriate to attaining their goals, political,
scientific, educational, social, technological, or whatever.
If Muslims become content to live with
their own shortcomings, they cannot realistically expect Allah to fulfill His
promises to them. If they concern themselves with no more than the discussion
of points of theology, they will continue in their backwardness. For true
Muslims, there is no way that they will truly carry out their responsibilities
unless they work in harmony with the natural order of the universe, unless they
understand the requirements of their fitrah, unless they take guidance from
their creed, and unless they adopt the methodology ordained by Allah for
dealing responsibly with the universe.
(pg.97)
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ
سَنُدۡخِلُهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ
فِيہَآ أَبَدً۬اۖ وَعۡدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقًّ۬اۚ وَمَنۡ أَصۡدَقُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ
قِيلاً۬ (١٢٢)
سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
Allah’s promise is the truth...and whose word could be
truer than Allah’s? (4:122).
Islamic Methodology: Means and Application
Let us now discuss the areas in which
the methodology of Islamic thought may be applied. Owing to the influences of
backwardness, the isolation of the intellectual leadership, and the concept of
religion as understood through the filter of Western experience, the areas in
which Islamic thought and methodology may find practical application have been
relegated almost entirely to the spheres of the spiritual and personal concerns
of individual believers. Plainly, however, the scope of this unique thought and
methodology is potentially far greater.
It is clear that Islam directs the
efforts of believers towards the fulfillment of their role as khulafā’.
In short, everything in the seen world should be understood by Muslims as the
legitimate field of their endeavors. There they may put to use their energies
and abilities in order to deal with all that they require, and do so on the
basis of the guidance, principles, values, and natural laws that pertain to the
purpose of their existence as expounded by the revelation from the unseen world
and the knowledge of Allah.
On the basis of this understanding,
therefore, we may say that the methodology of Islamic thought is a
comprehensive methodology which directs the activities of Muslims through all
phases of reform and development.
Since the methodology of Islamic thought
is distinguished by the comprehensiveness of its scope of application, it needs
also to be distinguished by the comprehensiveness of its means. Life, in all
its aspects, is the field of application for Muslims. In it they are obliged to
understand, to seek knowledge, and to strive with every means at their disposal
to direct the affairs of their lives toward their goals. Among the sound means
of acquiring knowledge and understanding there are none that Muslims are to
ignore, whether these be material, semantic, artistic, scientific, empirical,
rational, quantitative, qualitative, theoretical, or
(pg.98)
analytical. But any means which inherently contradict
the objectives of man’s mission and nature, means that lead him astray into
either meaningless or evil pursuits, must be rejected. If the Muslim mind is to
regain its equilibrium and begin to fulfill its reformational responsibilities,
it must extract itself from its preoccupation with petty controversy and devote
itself to the creative adoption of the means with which to achieve its goals.
Having perceived that the methodology of
Islamic thought is comprehensive in nature and scope, we come to the
realization that the structure of Islamic knowledge, thought, and culture must
be based on the everyday realities of life at the levels of the individual,
society, the Ummah, and all of human civilization. The kind of knowledge to be
sought and used, therefore, is that which is sound in its principles, aims, and
structure. Knowledge without these characteristics will be worthless when
measured against the standards of Islamic teachings and principles. Any
structure of Muslim knowledge, thought, or science that does not provide the
Muslim mind with the means to achieve the best possible understanding and
performance is not a true Islamic structure or methodology for thought,
knowledge, or life. Without a comprehensive methodology, in terms of both scope
and application, Muslims will never be able to fulfill their trust, propagate
the message, or regain their position as God’s vicegerents.
كُنتُمۡ خَيۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ
بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنڪَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ وَلَوۡ
ءَامَنَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيۡرً۬ا لَّهُمۚ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ
وَأَڪۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ (١١٠)
سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
You are the best of people evolved for humankind;
enjoining right and forbidding evil, and believing in Allah (3:110).
In view of the success of Islamic
methodology as practiced by the early generations of Muslims, despite all the
challenges they faced and their lack of experience in setting up institutions,
we have no recourse but to study that methodology and the innovative ijtihad it
produced, so as to understand better how principles were put into motion. The
early generations and those who followed close behind them were able to
preserve for us the texts of revelation
(pg.99)
from which they drew their inspiration and derived the
principles of their methodology. These, in turn, became the subject of much
academic inquiry and study. Owing to the strained relations between the
scholars, however, and the political leadership of the Ummah, no attention of
similar significance was paid to the practical spheres of life. Thus, very
little ijtihad was applied to questions and issues of politics, economics, and
society in general. The result of the repression of ijtihad in these spheres
has been that until this day there has been no formulation of these sciences
from a purely Islamic perspective. In other words, the sort of integrated
methodology needed to understand and deal Islamically with the realities of
life and society was never developed.
In fact, Islamic thought has not
progressed much further than to record the principles key to the methodology
which governed the formulations and strategies of the early generations,
including the secondary source methodology (discussed earlier) that included maslahah,
daf’ al darar, ‘urf, istihsān, and istishāb. So in order to make
Islamic thought and methodology of use to the Ummah, we must examine the
earlier methodology and then distinguish between sources, means, and fields of
study and application.
Islamic thought must undertake a
methodological study to articulate the Shari’ah’s aims, purposes and directives
so that these may serve as introductions to Islamic studies in various fields
of life: politics, economics, psychology, education, the arts, and technology.
Then, in the light of these general introductions, specialized methodologies
may be established for each one of these fields. In this way, Islamic thought
will be able to play its role in contributing to the social sciences. Islamic
religious and educational institutions can no longer confine their studies to
the texts of revelation, or remain isolated from the fields of social and
technological studies. All of these are different aspects of human life and
activity; and all of them represent fields in which Islam has some application.
It is therefore the Muslim’s responsibility to develop the methodological and
(pg.100)
disciplinary principles according to which these
Islamic sciences can be established.
In order to establish the basic Islamic
premises representing the aims, values, and tenets of Islam, Muslim thinkers
will first have to classify the texts of revelation, the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Thereafter, they will have to do the same with the literature of the classical
intellectual legacy. In this second exercise, they will have to sift through
all those works, and determine which of them showed biases, either political or
sectarian, or the influence of the myths, legends, and isra’īlīyāt which
crept into many of the later works of that legacy. Such a classification could
be carried out in the various disciplines and sciences, each in accordance with
the dictates of a modern Islamic perspective. This classification is necessary
so that Muslim students, researchers, and specialists will have easy access to
the revelational texts and the intellectual heritage, and thus be enabled to
derive from them comprehensive sets of aims, values, and principles. Then, in
the light of these, Muslim scholars will be able to begin to work creatively in
their various disciplines.
Clearly, the situation of the Muslim
world today is one of suffering and confusion. Contemporary Islamic thought and
sciences offer no answers to its needs and challenges. On the contrary, these
seem only to add to the average Muslim’s confusion. Under the circumstances,
then, Islamic thought has no alternative but to begin reforming the existing
secular sciences by laying down the premises necessary for the establishment of
uniquely Islamic approaches in all fields of knowledge.
The texts of the Sunnah need to be
classified according to which hadiths are sound in both form and content, and
in a way that will facilitate dealing with this material, in terms of subjects
or key words, by researchers. Then, besides classifying and regulating the
texts on a methodological basis, and presenting the hadith reports clearly,
there need to be historical studies of the Prophet’s times and those of the
early generations: studies that will assist researchers in better understanding
the cultural and
(pg.101)
social circumstances under which the hadiths were
revealed, and to which the efforts of the first generations responded.
A Word in Closing
Academic circles in the West today and
the secularist Muslims who follow them attempt to weigh Islam on the same scale
they use to weigh all religions. To their way of thinking, Islam, like all
religions, should be allowed to have no connection with modern society and the
policies which govern it. In their estimation, Islam and religion in general
are little more than ideas from the past, or mythological lore of no
consequence to the present age. Such ideas, they hold, belong in museums, or
should at best be confined to the realm of the personal spiritual experience.
Still, if this sort of thinking is in
any way valid in relation to religions other than Islam, religions in which the
original teachings and beliefs have been corrupted and often replaced with the
incredible, this is certainly not true of Islam. It is very important to
realize that the methods of presenting Islam used by its adherents today are
less than adequate for explaining its eternal truths, or for showing how it
differs from the others, or its relevance to the world of today. This can only
be accomplished through the sort of serious scholarship that was mentioned
above, scholarship that ultimately transforms ideas into action and a living
reality which demands recognition and respect from all quarters of contemporary
society.
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ
وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمۡ لِمَا يُحۡيِيڪُمۡۖ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ
يَحُولُ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَرۡءِ وَقَلۡبِهِۦ وَأَنَّهُ ۥۤ إِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ (٢٤)
سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنفَال
O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to His
Messenger when He calls you to what will revive you! (8:24)
وَيَوۡمَ نَبۡعَثُ فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ۬ شَهِيدًا عَلَيۡهِم
مِّنۡ أَنفُسِہِمۡۖ وَجِئۡنَا بِكَ شَہِيدًا عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِۚ وَنَزَّلۡنَا
عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ تِبۡيَـٰنً۬ا لِّكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ وَهُدً۬ى وَرَحۡمَةً۬
وَبُشۡرَىٰ لِلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ (٨٩) سُوۡرَةُ
النّحل
We revealed the Book to you in explanation of
everything, and as guidance, mercy, and good tidings to those who believe (16:89)
أَفَمَن يَمۡشِى مُكِبًّا عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦۤ أَهۡدَىٰٓ أَمَّن
يَمۡشِى سَوِيًّا عَلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ
المُلک
Then is one who walks headlong, with his face
downcast, better guided? Or one who walks evenly on a straight path? (67:22)
(pg.102)
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرۡسَلَ رَسُولَهُ ۥ بِٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ
ٱلۡحَقِّ لِيُظۡهِرَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكُونَ
(٩) سُوۡرَةُ
الصَّف
He it is that sent His Messenger with guidance and the
true religion, so that He may proclaim it over all other religions (61:9)
وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلاً۬ مِّمَّن دَعَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ
وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِى مِنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ (٣٣) سُوۡرَةُ حٰمٓ السجدة / فُصّلَت
Who is better spoken than he who calls to Allah, and
does good deeds, and says: ‘I am one of the believers.’ (41:33).
(pg.103)
CHAPTER FOUR
Requirements for Establishing the Islamic civilizational
Sciences
In this chapter we shall consider some
of the more important elements, as well as the steps and stages required for
the establishment of Islamic civilizational sciences. When we speak of sciences
here, we refer to all human knowledge and learning, including those sciences
that deal with human society (i.e., the social sciences and the humanities),
the sciences of technology, and the natural and applied sciences.
Earlier in this volume, it was mentioned
that the classical Islamic discipline of usūl al fiqh contained the
foundations for serious academic inquiry into the various aspects of life.
These early foundations also included the precursors of academic inquiry into
the social sciences. Unfortunately, the general principles relating to ijtihad
in the classical usūl al fiqh studies were never allowed to develop
significantly. This was also true for rational inquiry into the issues and
conditions of humanity from the Shari’ah perspective. Thus none of these early
indications or promises ever materialized in the form of methodological
foundations or well-defined academic disciplines that used rational inquiry to
study various aspects of life, especially the field of social studies. It
should be obvious, then, that there is no point in relying on the collection of
legalistic rulings and Judgments from the classical discipline of fiqh,
(pg.105)
or even on its general principles, as the intellectual
and academic basis for solutions and alternatives, for that discipline never
provided the Muslim mind with the capacity to initiate or renew, or with the
rational and intellectual tools needed to deal with the realities and
responsibilities of social life.
This statement is meant to underscore
the previously mentioned need to seek new foundations in Islamic methodology
for the social sciences and the humanities, and for the natural sciences and
technology as well. In this way, the sciences of revelation will complement
these sciences and provide humanity with knowledge guided by revelation on the
one hand, and by reason, intellect, and the laws of nature on the other.
In this study, we shall attempt to take
a few steps toward establishing the existence of viable sources of derivation
for the social sciences in Islamic thought. In addition, we shall study the
matter of a preliminary work plan for the Islamization of these sciences.
Classifying Islamic Texts
Without easy access to the revealed
texts, it is inconceivable that either the Islamization of knowledge or the
Islamization of the social sciences will occur. Such access needs to be
accurate and yet simple enough so that any Muslim scholar can deal with it. It
was also explained earlier that the issue of providing access to the revealed
texts requires not only rearranging the subjects, but also ridding them of all
obscurities.
But classifying the texts of revelation,
and especially the texts of the Sunnah, requires that the methodology for
dealing with them be presented in a new way, so that scholars and educated
Muslims may bypass the technicalities and academic niceties that have
historically characterized studies of the Sunnah. Only in this way will
scholars and generalists benefit from the wealth of material contained in those
texts.
In order that the texts be understood
and applied properly, it is essential that lexical and historical studies be
(pg.106)
undertaken to place each one in its respective
context. Only in this way will the student or researcher fully understand the
texts, higher purposes, underlying principles, and basic concepts. A proper
interpretation of the texts is impossible without first clearing away the
influence of circumstances existing at the time and place of their revelation
or, in the case of Sunnah texts, articulation. By such an academic preparation,
such texts may become living representations of unambiguous meaning and significance.
Likewise, it is important that this academic groundwork be undertaken in the
most reliable and authentic manner possible, so that commentary on the text is
never mistaken for the text itself, and so that matters of less-than-certain
authenticity may not be confused for the unmistakably authentic. Thus, by means
of an established academic methodology, the meanings and contexts of each text
will become clear. Moreover, texts for which such clarification is not
altogether possible may be left to be understood in the light of the greater
perspective of the sīrah, the history of the first Islamic period, and
the general principles and higher purposes of Islam.
Moreover,
it is essential that these ordered and authenticated texts issue from reliable institutions
of learning or research, or from qualified and trusted scholars. It will also
be necessary for scholars and researchers to adopt a positive attitude toward
such studies and compilations and then study and criticize them in a
constructive manner. Likewise, Muslim academic circles must give this task the
priority required to ensure that the work is completed. In this way, they will
do Islamic thought a great service. It is also essential that modern
information technology be used to collect and classify the revealed texts.
Another project would be to index the contents of all major texts of the
classical heritage (turāth). This would allow Muslims to become
acquainted with the work and experiences of their ancestors and to derive
benefit from the fruit of their intellectual labors.
At the present time, the International
Institute of Islamic Thought considers this issue to be among its priorities
and
(pg.107)
is therefore engaged in its promotion. It is hoped
that all Muslim individuals, organizations, and academic specialists will work
together for the successful conclusion of this undertaking.
A Comprehensive Civilizational Outlook
As Muslims prepare to shoulder a more
serious role in the social sciences, they should realize that they are not
beginning from scratch. On the contrary, Muslims have made valuable
contributions to the history of civilization. Nevertheless, as other communities
make enormous strides in this area, Muslims have begun to view the foot race
for preeminence in the civilization of the modern world as a challenge to
Islam.
Since becoming aware of this challenge,
Muslims have begun to learn about the efforts of others in this area of
endeavor. In addition, they have begun to establish relations with the hope of
obtaining that which they have missed. Unfortunately, however, not very much
has been accomplished, and the gulf dividing them from other communities continues
to grow wider, despite all the efforts and money spent by Muslims.
It is quite obvious that greater efforts
to translate the science and literature of other communities, or to increase
the number of students sent to their universities, will not change this
unfortunate situation. Moreover, the reasons for this sorry state of affairs
may be traced to the Muslim mentality of imitation, its methodology of taking
only half measures, and the evaporation of its religious fervor and
psychological self-esteem.
It should also be noted that what is
needed for the establishment of a sound relationship between Islamic and
Western thought is the provision of comprehensive studies to the Muslim mind
and Muslim student. These studies should focus on contemporary thought and
civilization, their history, values, objectives, and their complementary
relationships. In this way, our intellectuals will be able to free themselves
from either drowning or becoming dissolved in the sea of Western thought. They
will also be enabled to
(pg.108)
deal independently with the issues of that thought.
The end result will be that Islamic thought will benefit from the experiences
of other nations without having to sacrifice its own foundations or
distinguishing features.
It is also important to distinguish
between being overwhelmed by the thought and culture of others and selecting
and adopting what is truly beneficial from that thought and culture. When a
careful and attentive selection is being made, questions of faith, identity, intentions,
and principles cannot be bargained or trifled with. Rather, the matter is
merely one of choosing the most beneficial means available and then using them
in a way that will be of the most value to the Ummah. Such a form of borrowing
may thus be termed a studied and ordered breakthrough. This is also the
foundation for successful grafting between civilizations. The Prophet used this
technique when he dealt with the People of the Book. He also directed his
companions and Muslim society to use the same method. The West used it in its
early encounters with Islam and Islamic civilization during the latter’s golden
age. Borrowing from the Muslim world did not change the identity, beliefs, or
fundamental orientation of the West. On the contrary, the West fought every
Islamic influence of a religious or doctrinal nature and used every possible
means of propaganda and censorship. Quite often, for example, it fabricated
falsehoods about Islam, the Prophet, and major Muslim personalities.
It is for this reason that a sound and
comprehensive understanding of contemporary society is essential for any sort
of cross-cultural exchange. Indeed, such an understanding makes it possible to
benefit from the learning and technology of others without having to sacrifice one’s
values, principles, identity, and beliefs in the process. Therefore, great care
should be taken in regard to mistaking imitation for exchange. This process of
borrowing must be done on the basis of the equality of both parties, not one
being the leader and the other the follower.
This is the mission that the
International Institute of Islamic Thought has undertaken. By providing Muslims
with comprehensive studies of Western social sciences and
(pg.109)
civilization, as opposed to mere translations, the
Institute is seeking to enable the Muslim mind to deal correctly with Western
civilization. In fact, the Institute hopes to publish a comprehensive work on
the beginnings and objectives, the historical progression and accomplishments,
and the strengths and weaknesses of Western civilization. Such a work will fill
a gap that has existed for far too long in contemporary Islamic thought.
Indeed, the Institute welcomes the cooperation of all Muslim scholars and
thinkers in making a success of this important project.
Premises of the Social Sciences
The purpose of the social sciences and
the humanities is to conduct methodical inquiry into three realms:
(1) the natures and relationships of
beings and the universe,
(2) the reality and the potential of
society and of the challenges it faces,
(3) and the systems, concepts,
policies. and alternatives necessary to the life of society.
Given all of this, however, what is the
connection between the objectives of revelation as articulated by Islam and the
various fields and disciplines in the social sciences?
The way to make this connection is to
classify the premises of the social sciences alongside the corresponding
fundamentals of Islam in order to define their framework and clarify their
objectives and purposes. If this is not done, the resulting studies will
consist of no more than statistics, charts, and analyses that draw their
inspiration from sources other than Islam and revelation.
There are two kinds of desired Islamic
premises as regards the social sciences. The first are general premises having
to do with the general principles of Islam. These premises define the major
values and priorities of life in Islam, Islamic systems, and the Islamic
personality. The second kind is that of vital academic work which includes:
(1) the premises and foundations of
every science and discipline, including the social sciences;
(pg.110)
(2) the nature, reality, potential,
and relations of each discipline;
(3) the purposes, values, orientations,
and Islamic methodological guidelines for each discipline;
(4) discussion of each academic field
in the light of these principles and values;
(5) and the landmarks of knowledge
and the major issues which clarify the Islamic view of that knowledge as
distinguished from the non-Islamic vision and objectives, and the effects that
these have on society under different circumstances.
Even though these premises may be traced
to the revealed texts, they will nonetheless be derivations obtained through
ijtihad and will thereby represent rational inquiry and the Islamic response to
various civilizational challenges. As such they will represent examples of free
and creative Islamic thinking that is open to discussion, criticism, and
correction. Undoubtedly, as the Islamic contribution gradually grows stronger,
these premises will mature and be absorbed into the mainstream of knowledge. In
this manner, the Islamic contribution to the social sciences and all branches
of knowledge will increase. Likewise, the Islamic treatment of these subjects
will become distinct in terms of its outlook and contributions.
It is important for us to understand
that Muslims must bring about the requisite civilizational and methodological
changes in Islamic thought and thus release it from its particularist and
theoretical confines as well as from the effects of its long battle with the
political leadership. Muslims must also develop a sound and comprehensive
methodology for their thought so that they may reopen the door to ijtihad and
overcome the sort of mentality bred by taqlīd. If Muslims cannot succeed
in such undertakings, the Ummah’s current deplorable situation will not change.
Moreover, the efforts of contemporary Islamic movements and organizations will
come to nothing, as happened with their predecessors.
Our study of contemporary Islamic
movements that have sprung up in deserts clarifies that the reason for their
initial
(pg.111)
success was that they began in an environment closely
resembling that of the Prophet’s time. It is obvious that Islamic movements
characterized by imitation, particularism, and a merely historical and
descriptive understanding of Islam, its institutions, and its civilizational
foundations will never flourish away from a remote desert. The failure of these
movements was inevitable, even if some did succeed in coming to power at local
or national levels, for they were totally unprepared to deal with the
challenges of modern society. Thus, before they suffered either military or
political loss, they had lost on the battleground of thought and culture.
In this way, one Islamic movement
followed another, each one as culturally and intellectually unqualified as the
next to effect any sort of positive change in Muslim society, to renew and
reform it, or even to save it from the forces threatening its existence.
Perhaps a study of their leaders (i.e., al Sanūsi in Libya, al Mahdī in Sudan,
Shah Walī Allah in India, and Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al Wahhab in Arabia) would shed
more light on this analysis.
In order for an Islamic movement to
succeed in the modern Islamic world, it must first seek to reform the
methodology of Islamic thought and the way it looks at civilization in general.
Only in this way will the efforts and jihad of the Ummah rise above the
oft-heard emotional and sentimental appeals that do nothing to produce the
changes in thought and culture needed to combat contemporary challenges, to clarify
the Ummah’s identity and personality, or to recast its approaches and social
institutions in an Islamic mold.
Unless changes are made in methodology,
no constructive efforts can take place, and no undertaking will amount to
anything. In fact, such efforts represent a steady drain of valuable resources,
while the gulf between the Ummah and the rest of the world grows even wider.
The Ummah stands to witness the continued forfeiture of territory, wastage of
resources, loss of allegiance, and the befalling of even more disasters unless
it begins to address properly the real issues confronting it.
(pg.112)
The importance of reforming Muslim
thought and methodology should now be quite clear. It is equally important that
we realize that our suffering will increase and that time is not on our side,
despite the wealth of our religion, our history, and our lands, as long as our
thought, our psychological make-up, and our culture remain deformed and
disabled.
It is our responsibility to look at
ourselves critically and to face up to our own shortcomings. This is not easy,
but rather bitter and painful. However, if we are to be honest with ourselves,
overcome our emotionalism, and put aside our inflated estimations of our
abilities, accomplishments, and selves, such an undertaking cannot be avoided.
Only if we do this will we be able to benefit from the lessons of the past and
put them to use for the future.
To expand on our treatment of Islamic
methodology, it is now appropriate to discuss some of the premises that
distinguish the Islamic perspective from contemporary perspectives on
civilization. Indeed, on the basis of these premises, one might begin to hope
that one day the Ummah will make important original contributions to humanity.
The inclusiveness of the Islamic
concepts of human nature and fitrah is what makes the Islamic
perspective so complete. This perspective, in addition to providing a proper
and unique basis for study, research, and analysis in the social sciences and
humanities, also promises to make positive contributions to humanity. Our
discussion of these premises will concentrate on the following topics:
• the dimensions of human existence in Islam: a
collective singularity and a comprehensive plurality;
• The purpose of existence and the
reason for order in the universe; and
• The impartiality of truth and the reality of human
nature and social relations.
The Dimensions of Human Existence in Islam: A
Collective Singularity and Comprehensive Plurality
Human existence, viewed from the Islamic
perspective, is distinguished by its comprehensive plurality within a
(pg.113)
unified human singularity. This outlook represents a
very important methodological assumption with far-reaching consequences for the
study of behavior, human nature, and the Muslim personality in particular.
To a great extent, religions and
ideologies are either limited to, or simply focus on, a single aspect of human
existence. Thus, to varying degrees, all other aspects are ignored. So, in
spite of the successes and achievements of these religions and ideologies, the
people who subscribe to them remain, both individually and collectively,
confused and subject to inner conflicts.
Western materialism, at the level of the
individual, focuses on the senses and on pleasures and desires. Then, in spite
of all that Western civilization has accomplished in terms of physical comfort
and pleasure, the individual finds him/herself enveloped by psychological
maladies; and society finds itself subject to the negative effects of these
maladies as they multiply and become more acute.
Likewise, materialist totalitarian
Marxism concentrates almost exclusively on material and economic concerns. Thus,
it has taken as its highest objectives production and the freeing of humankind
from material needs. Yet, in spite of that, the individual in the Marxist
system is no less prone to the psychological maladies that beset his/her
Western European counterparts. Thus, both ideologies have failed miserably to
provide the individual and society as a whole with a sense of well-being and
security.
The religions of the far East which
belittle the desires and needs of humankind in ways even more severe than the doctrines
of self-denial and abstinence taught by Christianity have also failed to solve
the problems of backwardness and hopelessness that confront their followers
individually and collectively. It was the lack of faith in these religions that
led whole populations. like the people of China, to seek deliverance in
materialist ideologies and totalitarianism. Thus, the shortcomings in these
religions should be obvious to anyone who pauses to consider them. Nor should
it surprise anyone if people turn and run from these religions and from the
emptiness they represent.
(pg.114)
But Islam, as articulated by the
indisputable texts of revelation, is distinguished by the way in which it deals
with the nature, being and needs of humankind. Islam acknowledges that humans
have natural desires, aspirations, and longings. Indeed, these are considered
by Islam to be favors which Allah has bestowed upon humankind. Thus, if they
are put to proper and constructive uses, they will afford pleasure and
satisfaction as well as beauty and renewal of strength and life.
Islam also acknowledges that humans have
material and economic needs and considers these to be a means of living,
fulfillment, innovation, and establishing an order of truth, justice, and well
being for all members of society. Thus, Islam refuses to relegate humankind to
the level of mere matter, for it refuses to suppose that humankind is no more
than the stirrings of the spirit. Rather, Islam sees humankind as both matter
and spirit, body and soul, with an earthly existence and a heavenly goal. Thus,
every deed or material achievement in human life is, from the Islamic
perspective, an outward form, or a material expression designed to achieve a
spiritual objective that gives meaning to existence.
As Islam sees it, a human is a material
being with desires and longings, and with the need to work in order to survive.
At the same time, however, a human being is a soul with a higher spiritual
purpose that causes it to strive in the ways of goodness and reform. It is for
this reason that every sort of worship or act of remembrance and devotion
prescribed by Islam is really very simple to perform. In addition, these acts
bring to those who perform them benefits of both a spiritual and a material
nature. Cleanliness, for example, comes of wudū’, orderliness comes of salāh,
patience and forbearance come of sawm, generosity comes of zakah, and
equality comes of hajj. The objective in every instance is to prepare
the soul to perform good deeds, to honor trusts, to bear the responsibilities
of khilāfah, and to do good on earth through reform and civilization.
Consider the following verses of the Qur’an:
(pg.115)
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ وَٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ
وَإِيتَآىِٕ ذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَيَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَٱلۡمُنڪَرِ
وَٱلۡبَغۡىِۚ يَعِظُكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ (٩٠) سُوۡرَةُ
النّحل
And Allah forbids all shameful deeds, reprehensible
actions, and rebellion: He advises you so that you may take these matters to
heart (16:90).
أَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِى يُكَذِّبُ بِٱلدِّينِ (١) فَذَٲلِكَ
ٱلَّذِى يَدُعُّ ٱلۡيَتِيمَ (٢)وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلۡمِسۡكِينِ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ المَاعون
Have you seen the one who denies the final Judgment?
That is the one who turns away the orphan arid does not encourage the feeding
of the poor (107:1-3).
مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَنۡ أَسَآءَ
فَعَلَيۡہَاۖ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ تُرۡجَعُونَ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
If anyone does a righteous deed it ensures to the
benefit of his/her own soul; if he/she does evil, it works against it [his/her
own soul] (45:15).
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ
أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفُورُ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المُلک
He who created life and death, that He may try which
of you are better in deed (67:2).
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرً۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٧) وَمَن
يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ۬ شَرًّ۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ
الزّلزَلة
Then anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good,
shall see it And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it (99:7-8).
The Prophet of Allah said:
A kind word is charity.
In your sexual satisfaction there is charity.
A person was sentenced to the eternal Fire for
mistreating a cat, while another person was thanked by Allah and forgiven for
giving water to a dog on a hot day.
The Islamic perception of the human
being is that as the facets of his/her existence, needs, and personality
multiply, he or she is, at the same time, a single and complete entity endowed
with both material and spiritual aspects that are as agreeable as they are
inseparable. There can be no felicity or balance for a human being in this
world if any one of these aspects is ignored or put to incorrect use.
(pg.116)
By means of this perception, the menial
and limited life of a human being in this world takes on a whole new dimension.
Life is to be followed by life, and death is not the end of one’s existence.
Life was given to humans for a purpose, and in life situations humans are free
to exercise their own will. Then, the eternity that follows this life will be
the result of the nature of one’s life in this world. In other words, one’s
position in the next life will depend on the kind of life one led in this
world. Only this perception of human life reflects the reality of its
composition and destination as well as its fitrah. Therefore, unless one
achieves more than the mere satisfaction of one’s physical needs and desires in
this life, one will never achieve psychological and emotional balance,
stability, or security. On the contrary, one would resemble an animal who would
stoop to any depravity in order to survive a life that is destined to end
anyway. Such an animal knows nothing of where it came from, or why, or where it
is going, or how. All it knows is that it came, and that it is going. Its
limited understanding, however, is unable to determine with any sort of
certainty the objective toward which it must head, or the purpose for which it
was placed on this earth.
The individual in this world, when faced
with worldly calamities, changes, and trials is incapable of finding true
happiness in life unless he/she recognizes that there is another dimension to
it, one which corrects and puts everything right. Otherwise, what kind of life
would it be? An animal’s life would clearly be better for, after all, an animal
has no understanding and would therefore never miss things like justice or
fairness if they were to be withheld from it.
Thus, the Islamic concept of the
afterlife is an important one for the way in which it contributes to the mental
balance and felicity of the individual. A correct Muslim life, owing to its
singularity, comprehensiveness, and belief in the afterlife, will lead to
contentment, felicity, and security. The effort one expends in the course of it
will never be allowed to go to waste: not the patience, not the thanksgiving,
and not the trust in Allah’s Justice and wisdom. These
(pg.117)
are the provisions a Muslim takes with him/her on the
journey of life. And thus the self rests satisfied and appreciative because its
worldly life includes aspects of both the mundane and the sublime.
It is not difficult to imagine, then,
what confusion and difficulty will beset the Muslim personality, and society as
a whole, if the individual Muslim’s perception of the afterworld is adversely
affected. Certainly, the issue of the afterlife is not a secondary one. On the
contrary, its prominence is such that it deeply affects both Muslim society and
the individual.
From the Islamic perspective of the
human being as a unified singularity, no conflict is seen to exist between the
individual and the societal aspects of life. Rather, both are manifestations of
a single being and its needs and both have, as material and spiritual
realities, their own dimensions and ramifications. Human society, in both physical
and theoretical terms, is composed of individuals. Likewise, the individual can
neither exist or survive without society. Human life is therefore a combination
of these two dimensions, and the Islamic concept of human life is therefore not
one of conflict. Another result of this logic is that Islam is antithetical to
all forms of oppression, tyranny, injustice and corruption.
What needs to be noted in the matter of
how Islam confronts corruption is its distinguishing between what is
unambiguously laid down as divine commandment and what is no more than opinion,
or interpretation, or ijtihad. Matters of interpretation, then, return finally
for the consideration of the Ummah or, more specifically, those entrusted with
the responsibility of solving the Ummah’s political and legislative problems (ahl
al hall wa al ‘aqd). So these are matters in which no decision can be
correct unless it has received the approval of the Ummah through the process of
shura.
(pg.118)
The Purpose of Existence and the Reason for Order in
the Universe
We have previously discussed the topic
of approaches, including the purpose of existence, as a component and a basic
assumption of the sort of Islamic methodology that guides all forms of research
and academic endeavor through the various branches of knowledge. It is this
component, in fact, which protects Islamically oriented academic inquiry from
deception, ignorance, and inadvertent deviation. In this way, academic inquiry
undertaken from an Islamic perspective may proceed, with the insight provided
by the fitrah, toward the establishment of a universal order of
goodness, reform, and civilization in which there is no room for corruption,
deviation, perversion, superstition, or kufr.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَذۡكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمً۬ا وَقُعُودً۬ا
وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمۡ وَيَتَفَڪَّرُونَ فِى خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ رَبَّنَا
مَا خَلَقۡتَ هَـٰذَا بَـٰطِلاً۬ سُبۡحَـٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ (١٩١) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
O Our lord! Surely You have not created
this in vain! (3:191)
The Impartiality of Truth and the Reality of Human
Nature and Social Relations
Islamic thought, with its approaches and
concepts springing from belief in Allah and His oneness, includes a very basic
assumption in the way it looks into any field of knowledge. This general and
basic assumption is that truth and reality, right and wrong, and good and evil
are in fact neutral realities which must be understood in the light of both the
nature which Allah has created in humankind and the revelations which He has
sent to guide them. From this standpoint, the Muslim mind is a scientific one which
seeks knowledge on its own terms and according to its own objective rules,
rather than on the basis of whim or presupposed notions. For this reason the
efforts of the Muslim mind will not be wasted and will not go astray.
وَلَوِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلۡحَقُّ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ لَفَسَدَتِ
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّۚ بَلۡ أَتَيۡنَـٰهُم بِذِڪۡرِهِمۡ
فَهُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِهِم مُّعۡرِضُونَ (٧١) سُوۡرَةُ
المؤمنون
If the Truth had been in accord with their desires,
truly the heavens and the earth and all beings therein would have been
corrupted (23:71).
(pg.119)
فَإِن لَّمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لَكَ فَٱعۡلَمۡ أَنَّمَا
يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡۚ وَمَنۡ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُ بِغَيۡرِ
هُدً۬ى مِّنَ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَہۡدِى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (٥٠) سُوۡرَةُ القَصَص
And who is more astray than one who follows his own
desires, devoid of guidance from Allah? (28:50).
أَفَرَءَيۡتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ ۥ هَوَٮٰهُ
وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمٍ۬ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمۡعِهِۦ وَقَلۡبِهِۦ
وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ غِشَـٰوَةً۬ فَمَن يَہۡدِيهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱللَّهِۚ
أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (٢٣) سُوۡرَةُ
الجَاثیَة
So have you ever seen anyone [like one] who takes as
his god his own vain desire? (45:23).
If the contemporary materialistic mind
is forced in its study of the hard sciences and technology to be objective,
that same mind will be transformed into a refractory devil when loosed upon the
social sciences and humanities. Then, in the name of scientific inquiry it
rationalizes all manner of aberrations. It is for this reason that we witness a
never-ending succession of “schools” in the social sciences, each with its own
theories and prognostications. In the meantime, however, society remains in a
state of confusion, unable to find relief from the problems that beset it.
Materialist studies in the social
sciences completely ignore the element of revelation. Instead of viewing this
as one of its major weaknesses, materialist scholarship in the social sciences
claims that its field is complex and incomprehensible to non specialists.
Social sciences which rely solely on human reason, however, will inevitably go
astray. This is because, on its own, the human mind is incapable of
understanding the complete objective truth about, and the higher purposes of,
the human experience.
The Western intellectual heritage that
ignored and mistrusted revelation as a source of knowledge came about as the
result of deliberate distortions to the concepts of religion and prophethood.
One of the only Western schools of thought to reflect the fitrah and to
attempt to understand its concepts in a truthful and objective manner was the
school of natural law. This school, however, never progressed for the reason
that it had no connection to true and unaltered revelation. The Western concept
of religion was badly distorted when the revelational sources available to them
were interpreted in ways that contributed greatly to superstition and
unscientific beliefs, not to mention social injustice.
(pg.120)
Academic research in the social sciences
from an Islamic perspective should confidently and objectively inquire into
life, the universe, nature, and everything else. In so doing, it will need to
proceed in the light of the teachings, objectives and values of revelation.
Only in this way will it not lose its way, or fall victim to its own
inclinations.
In view of the preceding, it should not
be surprising that Western scholarship in the social sciences has not been able
to achieve anything like what it has achieved in the hard sciences and
technology. Nor is it anything to marvel over that its successes in technology
have been paralleled by failures in its institutions at the levels of society,
the family, and the individual.
The objectivity of truth and reality is
a living and dynamic concept in which relations are regulated by the fitrah,
the natural laws of the universe, and values that distinguish between right and
wrong. This concept is one that ignores the sophistry of diseased minds that
cry out in the name of knowledge and free inquiry, and then attempt to belittle
society’s most basic standards of decency. Such minds do not balk at defending
even the most disgusting perversions, and presenting them in such a way that
they appear to be the rule rather than the exception. Such thought and blind methodology
will never result in other than perversion, corruption, and deviation that
further tear the fabric of society and destroy its family structure. If this is
allowed to continue in Western society, it will lose all the values it acquired
from revelation (through Christianity) and Islamic civilization (chiefly at the
time of the Crusades).
Among the factors distinguishing
Islamically oriented social studies from the non-Islamic is that Islamic social
studies must always be mindful of its objectives and higher purposes. This is
the guarantee that they will not stray from the truth, or from what is right,
or that they will produce utter depravity in the name of academic freedom.
Thus, whatever is unjust, oppressive, or overweening will remain unjust,
oppressive, and overweening in spite of the academic terminology in which these
may be disguised, or the terms of the arguments in which they are presented.
(pg.121)
CHAPTER FIVE
The Premises of the
Social Sciences
If there are such things as general
methodology and premises to the Islamic perspective on knowledge and the
various sciences, there are also premises and methodological issues that are
particular to each scientific field and discipline; and it is the
responsibility of the contemporary Muslim scholar to determine exactly what
these premises are so that these may be put to use, without confusion, as the
need arises.
From the beginning, it has been my
opinion that the new Islamic social sciences should be distinguished by these
premises, and that they should attend to the explanation and clarification of
the reasons for each set of premises and the extent to which they represent a
truly Islamic perspective, respond to the Ummah’s needs, and actually produce
results.
There are several fields of study which
need to be noted for the nature of the means and the methodology required to deal
with them from within the overall framework of the Islamic perspective. Among
them are those dealing with the study of the texts of revelation, the Qur’an
and the Sunnah, and the way that these have been preserved. Other fields
include the maqāsid or higher Shari’ah purposes, the understanding of
human nature and society, ways of dealing with society and helping it to
achieve its ideals, social institutions, social policies, the establishment and
(pg.123)
development of society, and the achievement of Islamic
ideals for society.
Each of the fields mentioned here may be
divided quite naturally into several subjects and disciplines. Our concern, at
this early stage in the Islamization of knowledge, is to determine the
importance of the field known in contemporary Western terminology as the “behavioral
sciences” which include psychology, sociology, and anthropology. It is quite
important that a start be made toward “Islamizing” these sciences because they
are the ones that represent, on the agenda of today’s scholars and thinkers,
the proper fields for the study of human nature, the nature of society, the
meaning of man, and the fundamental assumptions concerning man’s nature,
constitution, and needs.
Moreover, they are the ones that influence, through
their premises and theories, all the other social sciences and humanities.
No doubt, subjects like education,
political science, economics, administration, and communications as well as the
philosophy of each of these sciences are based in the main upon premises
posited in the behavioral sciences, the findings of its research, and the
concepts it has developed in relation to the nature of man and the patterns of
his behavior. Then, if no Islamic premises are developed as alternatives to
these premises, no real Islamization of the social sciences and its various
disciplines will be possible.
All the efforts to Islamize the various
branches of knowledge rest upon a single precondition; a proper understanding
of the fitrah and the dynamics of human relations. Since such an
understanding can only come about through the behavioral sciences, their
Islamization is quite logically the first step toward the Islamization of the
rest of the social sciences. Likewise, if the Islamization of subjects like
education, political science, and economics is accounted among the priorities
of Islamization, then the Islamization of the behavioral sciences is clearly a
step toward the achievement of success in those spheres.
(pg.124)
In order that this endeavor be
successful, it will first be necessary to establish graduate and postgraduate
programs, centers for research, and teaching departments in these subjects so
that scholars and thinkers may together begin to develop sound Islamic
perspectives on the issues.
Islamization and the Science of Education
Having exhausted themselves looking for
solutions to their problems, having failed to address the issues of their
weakness and their backwardness, and having lost all hope of ascendancy in the
physical, military, legal, and political sciences, Muslims turned toward the
sciences of education, administration, and economics. Finally, they turned
toward media and mass communications.
Then, amidst the bitterness of their
failure to Westernize or modernize themselves using approaches other than
Islamic, a reaction took place within the Ummah toward Islam. The attention of
Muslims turned toward the concepts of Islamic asalāh (innovative
application of original Islamic principles) and the adoption of Islamic ways in
the life and social systems of the Ummah. This, it was hoped, would deliver
them from their problems and enable them to regain their constructive energies
and abilities. Among the most important manifestations of this attitude is the
undertaking to Islamize certain of the major applied social sciences like
economics and communications, and the establishment of teaching departments and
centers of research at universities.
The objective of all these efforts is
undoubtedly a sound one. It is important to note, however, that these two
particular fields, economics and communications, are concerned with means.
Therefore, even though it is imperative that these two fields be Islamized, the
fact remains that unless the educational and intellectual foundations of
Muslims are Islamically oriented, undertakings in these fields will never be of
value to Muslim society. Clearly, unless Muslim society including its political
institutions is put in order, changes of this nature will amount to very
little.
(pg.125)
It is for this reason that Muslim
scholars need to direct their reformative energies first of all toward
education and political science. The forms that this attention might best take
would include seminars, conferences, curriculum development, centers of study
and research, and specialized academic departments.
At this stage it might be useful to note
that among the most manifest aspects of the Islamic personality in recent times
has been the inconsistency between what it claims and what it actually does or
has the capacity to do. Despite the faith of Muslims in the superiority of
Islam and the fact that the Ummah is the carrier of the eternal message of
Islam to all mankind, the Ummah has not represented Islam or even reflected
Islam in its daily life, its institutions, or its practices. Islam is barely
present in the life of the Ummah, except perhaps as a myth to be celebrated in
song. Even at the individual level where Islam may be expressed as values,
character and behavior, it is presented in an incomplete and unsound manner
with the result that Muslims have lost the power to inspire others to look at
Islam as something desirable or worth considering as a way of life for
themselves.
If one is familiar with thinking on
Islamic education in recent centuries and its superficiality, one will easily
discern that a comprehensive and imaginative solution to its problems will
never take place without serious academic study of the subject. Random
observations, no matter how insightful, will never accomplish anything. So in
spite of all the observations made by Islamic thinkers in regard to the noble
objectives of Islamic education, there remains a lack of concerted academic
effort in the behavioral sciences and, in turn, in the study of humanity, its
nature, and the ways in which it took shape and evolved.
The methods by which values, principles
and fundamental Islamic concepts are instilled in students are clearly
inappropriate for their mentality and level of development. In fact, the manner
used by the Qur’an and the Prophet to address the pagan Arab tribes (and
Quraysh) is the one that has most influenced Muslim teaching. Thus, even today
(pg.126)
Muslim teachers use this style, without bothering to
consider the condition of those they are addressing. It is for this reason that
Muslim children are subjected to the harshest sort of schooling and upbringing;
as if they were mature sons of Arab tribesmen who, like those the Prophet
attempted to educate, need to be made aware of the consequences of their arrogance
and continued refusal to accept the truth.
When an adult is taught a subject like
the articles of faith, the subject is introduced in a way that appeals before
all else to reason. But when children are presented this material, it needs to
be organized in such a way that it encourages and develops the personality that
will remain with the child throughout his/her entire lifetime. It was for this
reason that the Prophet of Allah said, “The best of you in Jahiliyah will be
the best of you in Islam; so long as you develop your understanding of Islam.”
In other words, those who develop strong and sound characters in their
childhood will grow up to have such characters when they mature. Then, having
attained maturity, their understanding and faith will serve to direct their
strengths and abilities toward noble and worthwhile objectives.
Instructive discourse directed to a
child is first of all a process of building fundamental character. Such
discourse when directed to an adult, however, is more of the nature of common
sense advice and rational counsel. Among the most important matters with which
we need to concern ourselves is the way that we approach our children from
stage to stage during the period of their mental and emotional development. We
need to study the ways to approach them and how these differ from the kinds of
methods used in the instruction and guidance of mature adults.
There can be no doubt that growing
children need to be addressed in a way that will implant within them the seeds
of a strong character, that will enhance their sense of independence and
self-reliance, and that will encourage them to fulfil their mission in life
with pride and the desire to excel. In this way, their characters will develop
the traits necessary to assist them in bringing the Ummah success in
(pg.127)
its mission to mankind. It is equally as important
that their instruction not be undertaken in a rough and admonitory manner that
will only serve to arrest the development of the traits mentioned above and disrupt
or impair the development of their relationship with the Almighty, the Merciful
and Mercy-giving. In other words, the religious instruction children receive at
the earliest stages of their development must be positive if it is ever to
promote love for religion, pride in it, and the desire to contribute to it. One
who has acquired such love and pride in childhood will grow up with patience,
motivation, and the ability to make sacrifices. One, on the other hand, who has
grown up fearing religion and in awe of its teachings will develop
psychological and emotional defenses that will remain in place throughout
adulthood. Such a one will never learn to do more than the required minimum.
Thus, traits like sloth, unreliability, and lackadaisical attitudes come to
dominate the personality. In recent centuries, this is exactly the kind of
character that has developed in the majority of Muslims.
When we consider our religion, we
realize that the Muslim has a special place with the Almighty and that, in
spite of what happens, the Muslim will eventually be rewarded with paradise.
The Prophet said: “Whoever declares that there is no god but Allah will enter
paradise, even if he/she fornicates or steals.” Muslim children are not
responsible for their actions until they attain the age of maturity. Thus,
there is no need to attempt to hasten their development, or to shoulder them
with responsibilities that they are incapable of bearing.
In all of this the example of the
Prophet, upon whom be the peace and blessings of Allah, needs to be kept in
mind. The Prophet’s treatment of children was always loving and encouraging.
For example, his kindness to his nephew, Ibn ‘Abbās, is well known. The Hadith
literature has preserved for us instances of his delivering the Friday khutbah
while holding his grandsons in his arms, of his making sajdah in salah
(as the imam in the mosque) with his granddaughter on his back, of his kindness
toward Anas ibn Mālik (who was a young boy at the time), and of his annoyance
with the
(pg.128)
bedouin who confessed to him that he, the bedouin, had
never kissed his own children.
Certainly, when a message is presented
to Muslim youth at the proper time and in the proper way it will have a
positive effect on their growth and development. This was the case with the
Companions of the Prophet who accepted Islam after they had matured, people
like Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, Khālid ibn al Walīd, Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqas, Abū ‘Ubaydah ‘Amir
ibn al Jarrāh, and many others.
The correct starting-place for Islamic
education, therefore, is not admonition and intimidation but caring and love,
beginning with the love of Allah, the Almighty Creator, the Merciful and
Forgiving. From there one may move on to love of the Prophet, of good deeds, of
truth, justice, life, khilāfah, reform, jihad, and the desire to meet
Allah and enjoy the divine countenance in the eternal abode.
In education, perhaps more so than in
any other field, we notice how important it is that the objectives and higher
purposes of revelation complement the efforts of academic inquiry and rational
thinking in the social sciences. Thus, academic study of the human fitrah
and relationships is an effective means of achieving the objectives, and
realizing the higher purposes, of Islam. Our experience with Islamic education
over the past few centuries proves to us that good intentions are not
sufficient. Rather, it is essential that we learn how to actually achieve the
good that we hope to see done.
It may be important at this juncture to
mention that even after the time of the khulafā’, it remained the habit
of the city-dwelling Quraysh to place their young children in the charge of
bedouins who would raise them along with their own as desert Arabs. Obviously,
the upbringing that children received at the hands of the bedouins was not only
physical, but psychological as well. In the open expanses of the desert the
child grew up with unencumbered horizons, free of the forms and other
restrictions imposed on the individual by society. In such an atmosphere and at
such an early developmental stage, traits like self-reliance, independence, and
bravery will naturally become a part of
(pg.129)
the child’s essential character. Thus, this remained
the practice among royalty and nobility in the early centuries of Islam,
because they knew that it was the best possible sort of preparation for the
responsibilities of leadership that would later become their lot. After the
initial period of development in the desert, the children returned to the
cities and towns to begin their formal studies with their tutors and
instructors. That was the way their education was completed.
Any introduction to Islamic education
must include mention of the methods used by the Prophet in his discourse with
children and youth, and the love, care, and patience that he exercised in
dealing with them. Indeed, there is nothing in the historical record to
indicate that the Prophet ever struck a child or treated the young with other
than respect. There is no room for misunderstanding in regard to the concepts
of positiveness and love being somehow contradictory to the concept of
discipline. Rather, it should be clear that discipline is something that
children develop through practice, accustomization, and the example of others.
In learning discipline, moreover, children are aided by the positive aspects of
their character which urge them to seek success and the acceptance of those
whom they love and respect.
Showing love to a child, then, must not
be understood as being the same as “spoiling” the child. Likewise, it is quite
important that admonishing the child not be understood to be the same as teaching
the child discipline. Such understanding is both incorrect and reprehensible.
What is needed in bringing up children is both love and discipline. If we are
successful, we can raise our children to be successful.
Another matter of some importance is that
our present-day leaders, scholars, and educators have to realize that the
educational and reformational tasks with which they are faced are different in
several ways from those which faced the Prophet in the early days of Islam. The
people toward whom he directed his message were strong and hardened, but the
problem with them was that they were overly proud,
(pg.130)
stubborn, and tribalistic. On the other hand, the
Ummah today and its youth might best be described as infirm, dissipated,
unambitious, and lacking confidence.
In many ways the Ummah resembles the
children of Israel during the period of their slavery in Egypt when the Prophet
Musa was forced to wander with them in the wilderness of Sinai for a period of
forty years while a new and stronger generation came of age. Only then were
they able to leave the desert and go to the holy land where they reestablished
a society of Islam, tawhīd, and prophethood.
It is important here to understand that
the replacement of creative intellect with superficiality occurs when the
collective mind of a nation is no longer capable of dealing realistically with
changing situations so that it fails to keep abreast with developments and
balks at accepting challenges. This is precisely what happened to the children
of Israel and their rabbis. The result was that when a poor person among them
committed a theft, they applied the severest penalty, but when a rich person
did the same thing, they allowed him to go free. It was for this reason that
the teachings and mission of the prophet ‘Isa focused on bringing the
Israelites back to the basics, to the positive aspects of love for one’s fellow
humans, and of sincerity and care.
Thus, the undertaking to reform
education and upbringing in the Ummah today is not of the nature of training
for a mature and developed people. On the contrary, it is a treatment for an
infirm and feeble people who have lost their strength, determination,
ingenuity, diligence, and love. Muslim educators need to understand their
mission well. They must strive together to produce a well-defined Islamic
theory of education with clear-cut objectives and methods. In particular, they must
distinguish between the psychological and intellectual aspects of education. In
this they will have to consider the psychological makeup of the Ummah and the
ways in which it needs to be reformed.
It is also of importance, in the light
of what revelation tells us of the varied spiritual, emotional, and material
dimensions of human beings, that Muslim psychologists
(pg.131)
and sociologists renew their efforts to Islamize
psychology and the other social sciences so as to provide the Muslim teacher
with a knowledge and awareness of the human fitrah, how it develops, and
how best to deal with it.
Islamization and Political Science
Political science revolves around the
study of politics, the priorities, principles and institutions of the Ummah,
the methods by which political leadership may be chosen, clarification of the
general political agenda for the Ummah, organization of the Ummah’s political
system, statutes, and bylaws, the legislation necessary to maintain the system,
the administration of that system, the direction of its energies, and its
potential. All of these topics represent vital issues for the Ummah in the present
day, from both an ideological and a constitutional point of view.
The study and the practice of politics
hinge upon a proper understanding of these elements, the ways in which they
interrelate, and the vestiges that they leave behind. Politics also demands the
ability to present solutions and the capacity to keep abreast with change in a
way that guarantees the well-being, development, and stability of the Ummah.
Thus, the study of the historical models produced by the Ummah, though
certainly not an end in itself, is something that might be beneficial, for they
represent an important source of the kind of lessons the Ummah needs to learn
if it is ever to move forward. In these studies it would be advisable to pay
attention to the roles played by both the formal and the informal political
institutions. Such a study could shed light on the reasons those institutions
developed in the ways that they did and thus assist in the renewal or creation
of appropriate institutions, systems, and organizations. Indeed, unless the
Ummah is able to develop for itself political institutions that suit its
particular circumstances and values, it will never achieve its ends.
What we need to understand is that the
political leadership of the Ummah as well as its political institutions and
processes need to reflect the true nature and thought of the Ummah. Otherwise,
no leadership or public political
(pg.132)
institution can ever hope to prosper develop, or
survive. If we ever expect to put the politics of the Ummah back on the right
course we must realize that the key to all this is the youth. Certainly, both
the systems and the leadership of the Ummah reflect its thought and
personality. Moreover, the nature of a system will never change unless its
psychological and ideological foundations undergo change. Thus, if we seek to
alter the Systems, leadership, and institutions of the Ummah, we must start at
the foundational level, in the way that the Ummah thinks and feels.
Correct Islamic politics must first of
all be the product of a healthy Ummah that is capable of producing sound and
true ideas. The political leadership and institutions of such an Ummah must of
necessity be based on the trust the Ummah has in them, on the participation of
its members in their administration, and on the mature advice that the Ummah
presents to them.
It is for these reasons that the
political thought of the Ummah is in serious need of revamping. Certainly the
same is true in regard to education. Only if this is done will the Ummah’s
political and educational systems reflect its particular religious and
psychological constitution, and only then will the nature of political life in
Islam be understood, or its objectives be grasped. Academic studies in
political science must help the Ummah to regain its wholeness and social
sensibilities, to perform at a societal level, to renew the vitality of its
institutions, and to direct its political leadership towards serious Islamic
commitment. If this happens, the political leadership of the Ummah will finally
gain the trust and support of the Ummah.
It is essential that Islamic political
thought and institutions deliver the Ummah from the failings and humiliation
that have left it with a clearly discernible slave mentality, bereft of free
will and independent action. The intellectual and political leadership of the
Ummah must call a halt to the culture of psychological and academic terrorism
that has taken concepts like truthfulness, objective thinking, and pride in one’s
identity and
(pg.133)
transformed them into slavery, saghār,1
fatalism, taqlid, and finally into misery and degradation. Rather, we
must ensure that people come to understand Islamic thought as the champion of
honor and decency as well as the representative of truth, goodness, sacrifice, khilāfah,
and reform.
The present depressed state of the
Ummah, its weakness, its decline, its dread of its enemies, its capitulation to
their ambitions and machinations, and its infighting are all reflections of the
Ummah’s slave mentality, that developed as a result of infirm thought and
twisted psychological upbringing. Moreover, in the field of Islamic political
studies a distinction must be made between the letter of revelation, the
interpretations of academic studies, and the decisions of legislators and
politicians. Academic studies undertaken by thinkers and scholars are quite
different from the word of revelation, nor are they the same as the decisions
of social legislation and political activism. Rather, they represent a rich
source of ideas for the Ummah, and a means by which its vision may be
clarified. The different points of view held by scholars in regard to political
and social legislation do not detract in any way from the opinions held by
supporters of either side in such issues. Thus, no one opinion should be taken
as anything more than all aid to the Ummah’s understanding of the issue at
hand. Therefore, the greater the number of ideas produced by the Ummah’s
scholars, the greater the chances that the Ummah will consider social and
political legislation in an objective and mature manner, and in accordance with
its convictions and outlook. In this way decisions about social and political
legislation will actually reflect the convictions of the public as well as the
greater interests of the Ummah, even if they do not always conform to the
opinions of certain individuals or parties.
(pg.134)
Certainly, among the most important tasks
confronting scholars of political science is to define the constants in the
makeup and thought of the Ummah. Scholars will also need to explain how best to
deal with these constants in the legislative and administrative spheres, and
how best to deal with challenges without overturning the entire executive and
constitutional framework of the Ummah.
It is now very clear that neither
Eastern nor Western institutions will suit the political needs of the Muslim
world. The Ummah of Islam, unlike these others, considers service to truth and
justice to be its sacred duty. Likewise, the truth that it seeks in wahy,
fitrah, and reason is objective. Consultation is considered by the Ummah
to be a fundamental method for arriving at the truth, when following the direction
of truth is considered the best way to achieve the Islamic “good” on both the
public and the private levels. Here we can see that the Western party system is
not interested in arriving at the objective truth, nor has it been devised to
achieve the dynamism of Islamic shūra. On the other hand, the
totalitarianism represented in the Eastern Marxist states is even further
removed from these essential Islamic concepts.
Both materialism and rationalism form
the foundations of contemporary Western civilization. If there are any
religious aspects to Western civilization they are remnants of a heritage which
refuses to die and one which, by the way, borrowed heavily from Islamic
civilization.
In the light of this rational
materialism, democratic systems came about that considered the voice of the
parliamentary (or party) majority to be the best possible way to achieve what
is best for the individual and society. Democratic decisions, then, are the
decisions of a majority taken in the interests of their own political party.
Marxism, on the other hand, came about as a reformational movement that deified
the human mind to the point of denouncing organized religion and openly
declaring its own atheism. Thus Marxism viewed economics and material
prosperity as the goal of all human aspiration and history. With this
understanding at its ideological foundation—that
(pg.135)
the life of the individual is relatively unimportant
when compared with the material progress of humankind in history—it should come
as no surprise that totalitarianism and dictatorships held sway in Eastern
Europe for so long.
At this point it might be of interest to
point out that the West’s rejection of revelation deprived it of spiritual and
moral guidance, and this is why it fell into the trap of materialism.
Ultimately, it is the limited nature of human reason and understanding that is
the real cause of the social, ethical, and economic problems that beset the
West.
Another point to remember is that
Islamic thought differs from Western thought in its fundamental approach to
humankind. Islam recognizes all the various aspects of human life, and takes as
its objective in this life the exercise of free will in deciding between good
and evil, right and wrong, truth and falsehood. This approach or philosophy is
what makes the truth objective, falling outside the person of the individual
and his/ her will. As such, then, it becomes something that he/she is to strive
for and seek. It is for this reason that the Islamic concept of rule, al hukm,
is not the same as the democratic concept of majority rule, but rather the
concept of mutual consultation or shūra in all matters of importance to
the Ummah, and of the free exchange of ideas in seeking the truth and solutions
to problems. In this process only the teachings of wahy, the laws of
nature, and the needs and requirements of the Ummah are to be taken into
consideration.
The approach and the purpose of shūra
are therefore other than those of democracy, though in some aspects there are
resemblances between them, like the need to abide by the majority decision when
there is ambiguity concerning the truth, or when a decision must be made on an
issue on which there is no clear consensus or ijmā’. Of course, the
supposition here is that the majority opinion will be the right one.
The institution of shūra and its
systems must reflect the nature of this concept (shūra) in searching for
the truth in the texts of Revelation, the dictates of fitrah, and the laws of
the universe. It is for this reason that shūra will, of
(pg.136)
necessity, differ from democratic institutions and
processes which strive for autonomous decisions springing from the interests
and opinions of those belonging to the ruling party or coalition.
Then, if the Islamic political system
differs in its approach and purposes from the Western democratic system, the
institutions of the Islamic political system must reflect those differences. It
is therefore essential that an Islamic political system embody the freedom of
choice and all that follows from it, like the freedom of faith, thought, and
organized social action. At the same time, it is essential that the system
reflect the convictions of the Ummah and its ideology. None of that will be
possible, however, without truly representative leaders who are both elected to
office and in possession of the personal qualifications that will enable them
to benefit from the advice and counsel given them by supporting institutions.
The foregoing exposition should have
clarified the reasons for the importance of comprehensive vision in the attempt
to understand these systems and compare them with others. This should also
assist us in chalking out the major features of an original Islamic system that
will benefit from the experience of others rather than attempt no more than to
imitate them when it is clear that their approaches and their objectives are
significantly different from those of the Ummah.
So then which system best expresses the
Islamic spirit in the field of politics? And how is this system to be brought
about?
The Islamic system will undoubtedly be
distinguished by ideological and constitutional conditions and qualifications
for which guarantees will have to be provided. Likewise, experience will be
necessary in methods of education, raising political awareness, and working
within the Islamic political system and its supporting political and
legislative institutions. The organization of political parties will have to be
based on competence and flexibility so as to ensure that the Islamic vision is
represented by appropriate counsel and experience. What this may well mean is
that the Islamic
(pg.137)
system will comprise several levels of authority as
well as several consultative and legislative bodies, depending on the practical
needs and exigencies that may arise.
The means of political expression and
organization must be flexible enough to allow the elected representatives of
the Ummah to be politically active in constructive ways. Thus, political
parties in the Islamic political system would resemble parliamentary groupings
which submit neither to restrictions nor to previously determined party
positions. The responses of such groupings to events would be based on their
objective convictions, perceptions, and understanding, as well as on advice
generated through shura.
Perhaps one of the most important steps
taken recently by ruling parties in certain Islamic countries was, in addition
to allowing the formation of political parties other than their own, that they
took certain personalities from the leadership of the Islamic movements into
the ruling parties. Thus, practicing and sincere Muslim leaders have been able
to gain the confidence and respect of the masses for their wisdom and
understanding of political realities.
The developments we see in the
contemporary political life of what are commonly known as the “developed”
nations of the world clarify for us how the Ummah may expand its role in
regulating political life and protecting it from corruption. We may also learn
how to build political forums and develop political activism in a way that
guarantees greater independence for the political leadership, more objectivity
in their decisions, and better representation of the Muslim public and their
interests in general. All of this should encourage Muslim scholars and
legislators to think of suitable alternatives that better serve the interests,
needs, and nature of the Ummah. When this is accomplished, the need for
imitation and grafting will have disappeared.
Looking at the increasing size of the
Muslim Ummah and the way that its population is spread out over the globe to
include many different lands, peoples, cultures, and historical experiences, we
may readily understand that perhaps the most suitable form of government would
be one
(pg.138)
that distributes the responsibilities for ruling in
Islamic lands at the local, state, and central levels in a flexible federation.
Such an arrangement would facilitate matters for the leadership and provide the
populace with better opportunities for participation in shouldering the
responsibilities of government.
The Islamic premises to Islamic
political science and to Islamic political action need to transgress the
present understanding of khilāfah as merely a historical institution
which needs to be copied and practiced in the same way that it was practiced by
the early generations of Muslims. Instead, khilāfah should be understood
as a dynamic system that aims at achieving lofty objectives through the
establishment of values and principles in daily human life, and through
attending to the religious and temporal interests of its citizens. On that
basis, there is nothing to prevent earnest Islamic inquiry into systems,
procedures, and institutions for the purpose of redesigning them in ways that
better serve the real interests of the Ummah.
Many who study the khilāfah and
find it to be a rigid system based on the centrality of power and authority
have not truly understood this political system. Whatever system of government
the Ummah chooses for itself in order to realize its spiritual and temporal
aspirations is the one that should be understood as the khilāfah system,
and thus deserving of the Ummah’s support. Students should pay no attention to
historical forms, because to adhere to forms while ignoring the essence is the
result of inexperience.
Among the premises of Islamic political
science is knowledge of the role played by the purposes and objectives of Islam
in the life of the Ummah, in its organization, in its potential, and in the
differences of its interests and perspectives. The concepts of myth and
reality, on the other hand, form the framework of Western political thought on
this issue, which views values and principles with disdain for the reason that
they do not reflect the reality of present-day situations and needs.
So, if the Westerner is to be excused
for his pessimism (owing to the corruption of revelational sources available to
(pg.139)
him in his culture), there is certainly no place in
Islam for myth. The objectives, principles and guidance brought by Islam are
not supposition or imagination but rather derived from creation, fitrah,
and the truth on which the heavens and earth were erected.
Islam identifies other sorts of
opposites: good and evil, truth and falsehood, guidance and deviation,
rectitude and corruption. But Islamic society does not recognize myth as
opposed to reality. Rather, there is truth, guidance, and rectitude in
opposition to falsehood, deviation, and corruption. Conditions in society will
then differ on the basis of how much influence is exerted on individuals and
society by these opposing variables.
Another important factor will be the
clarification of contemporary Islamic thought from all the controversies and
circumstances that beset the Ummah from an early date in its history and became
the reason for specialized or localized interpretations of the sources of
revelation in ways that served the political interests or ambitions of one
group or another. Indeed, this was how the elements of tawhid and shura were
separated early on from governing the affairs of the Ummah. Instead, scholars
sought out texts and historical precedents that would serve to substantiate the
political claims of their patrons, with the result that the Ummah lost its
ability to shoulder the responsibility for the mission of Islam and
establishing its order on earth.
The Islamization of political life
really means the Islamization of ideas and education; and the Islamization of
the fundamental polity, its leadership, and its organization. The meaning of
Islamization is adherence to the fundamental values and purposes of Islam by
means of practical, sound, and realistic shura, and by educating the Ummah and
the political base in the fundamentals of that adherence and its forthright
ways.
Another matter of importance for us to
realize is that in the final analysis the important thing is the social and
intellectual perceptions that are reflected by political decisions. Ideally
speaking, such decisions should be the result of interaction between the texts
of revelation and the
(pg.140)
higher purposes of Islam with fitrah and reality, by
means of the leadership’s perceptions, decisions, and practices. It was in
illustration of this relationship that the Qur’anic text was revealed:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ
وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِى ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِنكُمۡۖ فَإِن
تَنَـٰزَعۡتُمۡ فِى شَىۡءٍ۬ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمۡ
تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِۚ ذَٲلِكَ خَيۡرٌ۬ وَأَحۡسَنُ
تَأۡوِيلاً (٥٩) سُوۡرَةُ
النِّسَاء
Obey Allah, and obey the Prophet, and those in
authority among you (4:59).
The kind of obedience and experience
referred to here will never come about through mere academic inquiry into the
texts of revelation, but rather through practical interaction between the text
and reality as represented by committed Islamic leadership acting on behalf of
the Ummah, reflecting its true situation, and responding with true hikmah to
its needs and the challenges it faces. Otherwise, the texts of revelation (the
Qur’an and the Sunnah) become destructive, divisive, misleading, and conducive
to unrealistic thinking.
The Ummah must never lose its resolve to
establish committed Islamic leadership for itself. Indeed, only through such
leadership may the Ummah benefit from the teachings of revelation. If we are
successful in reforming our thought, we will undoubtedly be able to reach the
concepts and means upon which the broad Islamic social base may be established.
Then, from that base, able and committed Islamic leadership will surely spring
forth.
The Islamic thought which showed so much
promise when it produced the genius of al Māwardī, Ibn Taymīyah, al Fārābī, and
Ibn Khaldūn, needs now to spring up anew, to develop, and to complete its
methodology in order to provide the means by which the Ummah may play its
proper role in civilization.
Islamization, Science, and Technology
At an earlier stage in the life of the
Ummah, under pressure from the cultural and scientific pressure that was
exerted upon it by the West, educated Muslims confused two things: firstly, the
objective nature of truth and universal laws: secondly, the personalization
inherent in the
(pg.141)
way that individuals and societies make use of these
truths and universal laws. Thus, educated Muslims accepted everything Western
civilization and science produced, supposing this to be objective and neutral.
The truth of the matter, however, is
that Western civilization, like all other nations and civilizations, sprang
from its own particular set of beliefs, psychological elements, and historical
factors. Its development was also influenced by its loss of confidence in
revelational sources when it discovered that these had been tampered with and
altered. Thus, the material needs of humankind became so important that the
individual and his/her desires attained a sort of sanctity. In this way, all
ties to spiritual life were severed. It is for this reason that while Western
society provides its people with an abundance of material goods and comforts,
it is plagued by psychological problems and social strife that constantly
destabilize society and threaten it with destruction.
It is therefore extremely important for
Muslims to realize that not all of Western knowledge and science is objective
in nature. If it is not difficult to see how the social sciences are clearly
subjective, it should not be difficult to see how the hard sciences are really
any different in this respect. If there is a difference, it is one of degree
only. Indeed, scientific studies are not undertaken in a haphazard manner. On
the contrary, these spring from decidedly human objectives and from subjective
considerations undertaken by minds shaped in the Western mold and determined to
achieve their objectives. All the sciences of foreign civilizations need to be
seen in this perspective.
There is no way to speak truthfully
about objectivity in science other than from an Islamic perspective. This is
because Islamic thought, in its study of the particulars of nature, the laws of
nature, and natural phenomena, does not proceed from limited rationalist vision
only, but combines this with the comprehensive and universalist knowledge of
revelation so that all science and knowledge emerge with their objectives
properly designated, thus satisfying for humankind both temporal and spiritual
needs.
(pg.142)
The Islamization of knowledge in general
and of the hard sciences in particular does not necessarily mean that the
material or professional particulars of a science will be any different.
Rather, its significance is in its providing guidance to scientific research
and endeavors so that these are directed toward the achievement of what is
truly in the best interests of humankind. Thus, Islamization means correct
direction, correct objectives, and correct philosophy. In this way, Islamic
knowledge is reformational in nature, constructive, ethical, rightly guided,
and tawhīdī.
The challenge confronting Islamization
is that it present to humankind a vision in which science is put to the service
of humankind and khilāfah in order to fulfill the responsibilities of
reformation and constructive custody of the earth.
It is strange indeed that in the shadow
of Western civilization there should be nothing greater for humankind than to
compete in the arms race or to produce swifter and more deadly means of
destruction. In this arrangement, truth always resides with those who possess
the most arms, power, and wealth. Certainly, the present situation is one that
goes against the grain of humankind’s fitrah. In fact, humankind has now
reached a juncture where divine guidance has become all the more important to
its future, where the comprehensive vision of Islam is urgently needed, and
where the establishment of constructive and reformational civilization is
essential. Without a living example, however, it will be difficult for
humankind to comprehend the vision of Islam or apply its solutions to their
problems. Thus, only if Muslims discharge their responsibility to themselves by
applying this vision and those solutions will humankind ever understand the
efficacy of the Islamic solution.
(pg.143)
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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