Post by maruf on Sept 8, 2004 12:11:14 GMT -5
The Failure To Revive Muslims
Since the middle of the Twelfth Century after Hijra (Eighteenth Century AD) the Islamic World has declined from its rightful status'. It has now reached its all time low. This decline now so evident has occurred in the individual and society. The individual Muslim has declined in his Islamic personality; the once great Islamic state has been demolished and Muslim society has deteriorated. It has now reached a level where it is difficult to characterise Muslim countries by Islam.
Although this decline was noticeable prior to the Eighteenth Century AD it was the great boost given to the Western World by the Industrial Revolution that brought home to the Muslims their real decline. Naturally Muslims sought to halt this decline and revive Islam.
Many attempts were made, and are still being made, to revive Islam and to prevent its continued decline, unfortunately none of these attempts have succeeded. Accordingly the Islamic World continues to act haphazardly in the depths of this disarray. Muslims are still suffering the effects of this decline and the agony of confusion and backwardness.
The reason for this decline, is but one. The reason is the tremendous lack of importance which befell the minds of Muslims in understanding Islam. Muslims simply began to loose their understanding of Islam. This lack of understanding was not confined to the ordinary folk, indeed, whilst it may have commenced with them it soon embraced those people in authority such as the judges, scholars, Walis (governors) and Khalifahs.
This lack of understanding arose as a result of detaching the vitality of the Arabic language from the energy of Islam. The vitality of the Arabic language is essential for understanding the Miracle of Quran. Although many scholars debate exactly what constitutes the Miracle of Quran, i.e. science, laws and rules, even the prophecies, there can be no doubt that whilst the Quran contains all these phenomenon its Miracle is its linguistic style - the Arabic language.
To account for the linguistic energy in Quran Muslims must have an equal linguistic vitality to understand the verses of Quran, Allah's orders and prohibitions, and the explanations of paradise and hell etc. In addition to this it was through the Arabic language that the messengers of Allah (s.a.w.) conveyed his message. The result of these two factors is that Arabic language cannot be divorced from the energy of Islam. However despite this fact by the Seventh Century A.H the Arabic language began to be ignored and absent in the ruling system i.e. the Government. This was of course a gradual process taking many years. The Khalifahs and their assistants began to talk in their own languages and give orders in their own language. Sheikh of Islam only knew enough Arabic to understand and issue the various Islamic opinions 'fatwas' that they were asked to issue. Naturally Arabic became neglected.
Compare for example those countries introduced to Islam together with the vitality of Arabic, for example, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia etc., with those countries where the vitality of Arabic was neglected such as the Balkan states. The latter group in the main have only the remains of history to remind them of Islam.
On the other hand the first group of countries despite the absence of the system of Islam still adheres to Islam. This is because of the tie of the Arabic Language and Islam and the correct delivery of Islam by those who conveyed it. This point is not missed by those westernised secularists who led by people such as Nasser in the 50s tried very hard to introduce dialects and colloquialism into the Arabic language so as to drive further the wedge between the Muslims understanding of Islam.
Without Arabic, Ijtihad (exertion) cannot be performed. For Arabic language is essential to the Mujtahid (the person performing exertion) in understanding directly the sources i.e. Quran and Hadiths. Ijtihad is essential for the Ummah without it Muslims cannot progress because it allows Muslims to understand the Islamic opinion on new issues. The decision to close the gates of Ijtihad meant Muslims could not respond to the continual developments being made in terms of science and technology, accordingly the State missed out. However it should be remembered that the gates of Ijtihad were closed for a reason i.e. to prevent non Islamic opinions from entering Islam. The point which must be made is that the nation without Ijtihad will lag behind the rest of the world and that Arabic language is a prerequisite for Ijtihad to take place.
It is against this background, the poor understanding of Islam through the neglect of the Arabic language, that we analyse the many attempts that have been made to revive Muslims by Islam.
Most, if not all the attempts to revive Islam have failed for the following reasons:
1. Misunderstanding of the Islamic thought by those who endeavoured to revive Islam.
2. Vagueness in understanding the method of implementing the Islamic thought.
3. The failure to connect the Islamic thought with the Islamic method of implementing Islam.
4. Reliance upon people with simply enthusiasm and sincerity who have failed to correctly define the problem and its solution.
5. Incorrect relationship between leader and members and lack of structure within the movement.
It is vital for the Ummah that all movements address themselves to these reasons for we should not learn by our mistakes, instead we should avoid making them in the first place and learn from the mistakes of those movements that have started out on their path before us.
1. Misunderstanding of the Islamic thought
Various Movements were established on a general, undefined thought. This thought itself was vague, missing definition, identity, purity and clarity. The Islamic thought had been subjected to concealing factors that obscured its true identity. These concealing factors obscured a lot of details for Muslims. These factors commenced from the second century A.H. onwards up to the advent of Capitalism. The spread of Islam into Persia, India and Europe brought Islam into contact with the respective philosophies. This had an affect on some Muslims who tried to reconcile the differences between Islam and these philosophies, despite the explicit contrast between them. The Scholars of Islam began to interpret Islam in the light of these philosophies. They observed concepts in these philosophies and sought to see if they were present in Islam.
The result of these efforts of conciliation between Islam and these alien concepts was to obscure the clarity and true identity of the Islamic thought in the minds of the Muslims. That is, it led to interpretations and explanations that alienated some Islamic notions from their minds as well as weakening their comprehension.
In addition to this process, which in many ways is still going on, the entering hypocritically into Islam of people who hated Islam had the effect of inserting some concepts not only strange to Islam but contradicting it. These hypocrites endeavoured to harm Islam.
Since the middle of the Twelfth Century after Hijra (Eighteenth Century AD) the Islamic World has declined from its rightful status'. It has now reached its all time low. This decline now so evident has occurred in the individual and society. The individual Muslim has declined in his Islamic personality; the once great Islamic state has been demolished and Muslim society has deteriorated. It has now reached a level where it is difficult to characterise Muslim countries by Islam.
Although this decline was noticeable prior to the Eighteenth Century AD it was the great boost given to the Western World by the Industrial Revolution that brought home to the Muslims their real decline. Naturally Muslims sought to halt this decline and revive Islam.
Many attempts were made, and are still being made, to revive Islam and to prevent its continued decline, unfortunately none of these attempts have succeeded. Accordingly the Islamic World continues to act haphazardly in the depths of this disarray. Muslims are still suffering the effects of this decline and the agony of confusion and backwardness.
The reason for this decline, is but one. The reason is the tremendous lack of importance which befell the minds of Muslims in understanding Islam. Muslims simply began to loose their understanding of Islam. This lack of understanding was not confined to the ordinary folk, indeed, whilst it may have commenced with them it soon embraced those people in authority such as the judges, scholars, Walis (governors) and Khalifahs.
This lack of understanding arose as a result of detaching the vitality of the Arabic language from the energy of Islam. The vitality of the Arabic language is essential for understanding the Miracle of Quran. Although many scholars debate exactly what constitutes the Miracle of Quran, i.e. science, laws and rules, even the prophecies, there can be no doubt that whilst the Quran contains all these phenomenon its Miracle is its linguistic style - the Arabic language.
To account for the linguistic energy in Quran Muslims must have an equal linguistic vitality to understand the verses of Quran, Allah's orders and prohibitions, and the explanations of paradise and hell etc. In addition to this it was through the Arabic language that the messengers of Allah (s.a.w.) conveyed his message. The result of these two factors is that Arabic language cannot be divorced from the energy of Islam. However despite this fact by the Seventh Century A.H the Arabic language began to be ignored and absent in the ruling system i.e. the Government. This was of course a gradual process taking many years. The Khalifahs and their assistants began to talk in their own languages and give orders in their own language. Sheikh of Islam only knew enough Arabic to understand and issue the various Islamic opinions 'fatwas' that they were asked to issue. Naturally Arabic became neglected.
Compare for example those countries introduced to Islam together with the vitality of Arabic, for example, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia etc., with those countries where the vitality of Arabic was neglected such as the Balkan states. The latter group in the main have only the remains of history to remind them of Islam.
On the other hand the first group of countries despite the absence of the system of Islam still adheres to Islam. This is because of the tie of the Arabic Language and Islam and the correct delivery of Islam by those who conveyed it. This point is not missed by those westernised secularists who led by people such as Nasser in the 50s tried very hard to introduce dialects and colloquialism into the Arabic language so as to drive further the wedge between the Muslims understanding of Islam.
Without Arabic, Ijtihad (exertion) cannot be performed. For Arabic language is essential to the Mujtahid (the person performing exertion) in understanding directly the sources i.e. Quran and Hadiths. Ijtihad is essential for the Ummah without it Muslims cannot progress because it allows Muslims to understand the Islamic opinion on new issues. The decision to close the gates of Ijtihad meant Muslims could not respond to the continual developments being made in terms of science and technology, accordingly the State missed out. However it should be remembered that the gates of Ijtihad were closed for a reason i.e. to prevent non Islamic opinions from entering Islam. The point which must be made is that the nation without Ijtihad will lag behind the rest of the world and that Arabic language is a prerequisite for Ijtihad to take place.
It is against this background, the poor understanding of Islam through the neglect of the Arabic language, that we analyse the many attempts that have been made to revive Muslims by Islam.
Most, if not all the attempts to revive Islam have failed for the following reasons:
1. Misunderstanding of the Islamic thought by those who endeavoured to revive Islam.
2. Vagueness in understanding the method of implementing the Islamic thought.
3. The failure to connect the Islamic thought with the Islamic method of implementing Islam.
4. Reliance upon people with simply enthusiasm and sincerity who have failed to correctly define the problem and its solution.
5. Incorrect relationship between leader and members and lack of structure within the movement.
It is vital for the Ummah that all movements address themselves to these reasons for we should not learn by our mistakes, instead we should avoid making them in the first place and learn from the mistakes of those movements that have started out on their path before us.
1. Misunderstanding of the Islamic thought
Various Movements were established on a general, undefined thought. This thought itself was vague, missing definition, identity, purity and clarity. The Islamic thought had been subjected to concealing factors that obscured its true identity. These concealing factors obscured a lot of details for Muslims. These factors commenced from the second century A.H. onwards up to the advent of Capitalism. The spread of Islam into Persia, India and Europe brought Islam into contact with the respective philosophies. This had an affect on some Muslims who tried to reconcile the differences between Islam and these philosophies, despite the explicit contrast between them. The Scholars of Islam began to interpret Islam in the light of these philosophies. They observed concepts in these philosophies and sought to see if they were present in Islam.
The result of these efforts of conciliation between Islam and these alien concepts was to obscure the clarity and true identity of the Islamic thought in the minds of the Muslims. That is, it led to interpretations and explanations that alienated some Islamic notions from their minds as well as weakening their comprehension.
In addition to this process, which in many ways is still going on, the entering hypocritically into Islam of people who hated Islam had the effect of inserting some concepts not only strange to Islam but contradicting it. These hypocrites endeavoured to harm Islam.