Islamic Civilization - The Pandora's Box?

- Introduction -

What has happened to us, the heirs of so brilliant and magnificent a civilization? What has reduced us to our present living conditions? Why have we ceded the hegemony of our world to others? What has caused the decline in our culture, in our science and our political power? What stopped our progress in its tracks? Why have we yielded our leadership in manufactures and science to Westerners so that we now need them where they once needed us? Why must Muslims, with all their splendid past in East and West, hang their heads in the modern world?

It was not blowing our own trumpet or banging our own drum that raised Islam to world pre-eminence in its time. It was our culture, our remarkable spiritual and social revolution. Shame that we should waste our strength in conflicts amongst ourselves and in internecine tugs-of-war which have reduced the glory of Unity to an empty phoneme.

A strong nation can only be built on firm principles of manners, morals, order - sole sources of progress. Islam never owed its power to cannons and tanks and weapons but to the pre-eminence in thought amongst its Ulema, in character amongst its peoples and in following the guidance of God on the good road (for which we pray in the Fatihe 17 times a day), the road of justice, fellowship, brotherhood.

History - A breathing mosaic of Islamic glory and downfall

History demonstrates unmistakably that whenever the Muslims have constructed their philosophy of life in the spirit of the teachings revealed to them by Heaven, they have prospered : and whenever they have deserted those teachings, adversity and misfortune have been visited upon them. The Muslims who founded the brilliant culture and social wellbeing of the past followed those teachings more closely than we do, individual, society and nation alike

The sun of culture shone while just measure and proportion was given to science, thought, matter and spirit. When we deserted those, the banner of endeavor, diligence and combat for right fell from our hands, only to be grabbed by the West in self- aggrandizement.

Where is the old Muslim sincerity: integrity, honesty and truthfulness? These were once the fences on either side of our path. When we transgressed across them we were lost in a trackless desert, and abandoned the holy calling, announced as God's purpose for us, of leading mankind to live as God wills. Abandoning that destiny, we sank in the quicksands of corruption, ignorance and wretchedness which engulf us today. Yet a truly united Islam could return to that heavenly vocation and lead mankind's feet on to the spiritual road. This would be a blessing for all.

Napoleon's profound words for Islam - A flashback

Napoleon's companion in exile on the island of St. Helena wrote:

"In Egypt Napoleon constantly repeated his amazement at the blessings which the Prophet of Islam and her other great men in history had brought to the foreign lands they took under their sway.

He looked with hope to Islam as the force which might again confer such blessings on the world, even saying: "I think I will take up Islam as my religion'."

Recognizing the true essence of success - The need of the hour

A true Islamic society would be very different from that which obtains anywhere in the world. Its thinking and its living must once again incarnate those heavenly principles of its inception. As the poet said:

"Islam's pure truth's from spot or blemish free:
Our Muslims blame for any fault you see."

To take its full share in that moral and spiritual revolution which must come to the entire world, Islam must orient itself in today's global realities. It must then undertake those internal reforms which will be its restitution for past backwardness.

It must balance spiritual and material conditions in the right proportion in accordance with those principles of perfection which shaped the glories of its past and which are dictated by the Lord of both worlds - this one and the next.

In these it will find, not merely its own internal stability, but also the secret of stability for the world and the way to mediate it to all mankind.

The Solution - Realization and Rectification of Reality

There's a saying that goes: "God helps those who help themselves"

No doubt about that. The above phrase is not just a moral, social and humane antidote that applies to every human being Muslim or Non-Muslim - but is something that defines the very fabric of our existences as beings with intellect, comprehension, reasoning and manipulative abilities and the capacity to use those facets to grow and define our own "Horizons" with everything at our disposal as inhabitants of this planet.

Now, the problem is how does one define the point past where one realizes he has to "Help himself" ?

As Muslims, Islam teaches us that nothing is a "Given" in life. Even as Muslims we are not guaranteed success, prosperity, progress, rewards and fulfillment in this life and the heareafter and every single breath we take is a test on its own where we have to strive day in and day out to live as Human Beings and As Muslims at the same time according to the will of God without transgressing the boundaries he has set-forth when it comes to our dealings within the folds of our religion and that of outside as well.

The problem today like many brothers here mentioned, is that we've lost the mental, emotional, physical and intellectual "Dictionary" within ourselves where we as Muslims would be able to "Define" the point past where one has to dunk their head in a bucket of water, bring themselves to their senses and realize that "God helps those who help themselves" and that taking life for granted by reclining on the comfortable and re-assuring dedication to one's religion alone is NOT enough to succeed and prosper in life be it individually, socially, religiously or internationally as a human being or as a Muslim.

Changing the Tide - Effacing the blemishes and Embracing the jewels

No other creation on earth throughout the depths and bounds of its existence, has been blessed with intelligence, reasoning, comprehension and calculative abilities and the capacity to derive valuable information from those abilities to progress and prosper - the way we as Human Beings do.

Having said that, looking at the present scenario in regards to the condition of Muslims today; it is quiet evident that not only have we crumbled down to the lowest of lows in terms of not just religion itself but all the facets that stem out from religion like tolerance, compassion, humanity etc. - all these elements seem to have taken the backseat and its true - Isolization is never the solution to anything, which is exactly what the Muslim world today languishes in.

Intolerance, Extremism etc. all qualify as the poster childs for "Isolization" and pushes down the Muslim world into a quicksand of social apathy that not only contaminates its body within but also reflects its weakness to the outside world, which in turn ofcourse encourages people to view the Muslim world as it does in the most deplorable way today - specifically in the western hemisphere.

"Self Help" - A Multi-Tier process

The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" - is a multi-faceted process where change needs to take place from within first, capitalization and initiation on that change then takes place and ultimately the "Self-Help" comes into play where the picture starts to gain color from the demise of its fade.

This desperately required attitude to wake up and smell the roses and for once get up on one's feet from the darkness of slumber, wipe off the dirt, take a deep breath and move forward instead of lying at the mercy of self-stagnation - is the kind of "Self-Help" we need today and it can not take place overnight. This demands a complete overhaul and that can come only through education, opening up to the outside world through free flow of information, trade, commerce, marketing of ideas, embracing of humanity through tolerance and respect and in the process eliminating the roadblocks of greed, corruption and injustice etc. that separates the Muslim world within its ownself as prevalent through the grotesquely true and bitter testament that the rulers in many Muslim countries today seem to so perfectly portray with utmost ease.

Islam's Golden Age - An Overview of the splendor and secrets behind the success

Muslims no doubt back in the 11th- 13th century or so, were the flag and torch bearers of human enlightenment; progressing phenomenally in all facets of life from science, astronomy, medicine, mathematics, philosophy - to architecture, engineering, commerce, urban life, navigation etc.

Al-Beruni, Avicenna, Al-Khwarzimi, Ibn-Al-Haitham, Al-Farabi, Al-Kindi and many more Muslim scientists and philosophers contributed wonders to the Muslim empire in specific and the world in general in ways which the western world still acknowledges till this very day.

Now, "Islam's Golden Age" - never came about through merely "Religious Devotion". All these historical figures who were such a vital part in the Islamic engine that propelled us to soaring heights - many of them were not that religious at all as a matter of fact!

Thus, we must eliminate these misconceptions from our minds as Muslims that "Religion" alone is the way to prosperity and that cutting off oneself from the rest of the world and depriving the Ummah of education, research, exposure, enlightenment etc. has no significant impact on progress, development and success! This is a great fallacy that contaminates the minds of many in the Islamic world today and what makes it far more preposterous is the fact that no-where in the Quran or Sunnah - are Muslims encouraged to abandon the quest for enlightenment, education and communication with the rest of the world.

Thus, the profound Muslim personalities during Islam's Golden Age - realized, reflected and recognized their approach towards the world - gaining inspiration, motivation and foresight from the essence of religion and utilizing it openly through embracing humanity and the idea of free information flow wherever they went without limits or boundaries - sadly which isn't the case today.


Free-Flow of Ideas - The fenced gateway to embracing glory

Free flow of Ideas paves the way for Free "Exchange" of Ideas - which results in perfect
synchronization and well balanced orchestration of progress, development, advancement and prosperity on all levels and hence enriches the social "pool" to great magnitudes thus enabling such splendor to traverse religious, social, national and ideological differences and paving the way for constructive and positive results in the short and long run of things - for everyone's sake!

Perfect "orchestration" and sublime "amalgamation" - The formula for Unity in Diversity.

A great example would be an "Orchestra" band. My favorite Orchestra band of all time is the "Prague Philharmonic Band" and I've watched them live more than once.

Now, to the spectator in the audience - the perfect amplification of each musical note, the well-balanced orchestration of each different instrument and the well-assimilated synchronization of every sound and the perfect amalgamation of wave-length, frequency, pitch etc. emanating from the band making music "Together - to the spectator all of that might seem pretty normal or a "Given" - like we talked about earlier.

Yet, the truth of the matter is - the dynamics of "unity" , the balanced oscillation of conduct, the fundamentals of "craft", the statuesqueness of "delivery" and the rendering, origination and fructification of the sweet symphonic harmony that encompasses the atmosphere - is not something that is based on any one element!

It involves complete submission to the creed of the music that the orchestra is following and at the same time individuality and unity plays important roles!

Each section of the orchestra has different people playing different instruments! Saxophones, violins and harmonicas on one side - the piano, drums, trumpets, Xylophones and the Cymbals on the other!

Yet even amid such diversity and difference of instruments - the orchestra plays together in perfect resonance, profound vibrancy and captivating splendor - capturing the hearts and minds of every human being with an ear!

How come? How is that possible?

The answer is simple : Our differences be it religious, social or political - are not a curse, diversity and differences can never be a curse unless you use such a gift the wrong way! Each member of the orchestra regardless of his instrument type and skill level - is open to "Facilitate" and "Embrace" the "Difference" and "Diversity" of sound and ecstatic symphony coming from the other section of the orchestra regardless of the other side's instrument type or skill level. It is through this well integrated and superbly amalgamated coherency of unity and free flow of music through the vehicles of diversity and difference - that the orchestra with the sheer glory of its sound and the majestic and incessant perfection of its symphony - captivates the audience in awe-inspiring totality!

An Orchestra gone haywire - Bad music is never pretty.

The Muslim world today is an orchestra gone haywire! We do not facilitate our own diversity to help ourselves - let alone embracing and facilitating with arms wide open to the rest of the world enough to produce sweet symphonic sound of success and prosperity that resounds through the very fabric of humanity and captivates the world audience on an international stage!

Simple!

That is what we've lost, that is the difference between Islam's Golden Age and what the Muslims have succumbed down to today, That is what we must strive for and that is exactly what "Helping Ourselves" means under the phrase "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"

Until and unless all of the above standards, criterion and requirements are met - religion alone can only make us recognize God - but humanity, tolerance, compassion, acceptance and unity in diversity and difference - are all those elements that recognizing God itself generates yet we turn blind eyes and deaf ears to them and it is this other half of the equation which will guarantee us success both in this life and the hereafter and which also ultimately gives meaning to the whole phrase "God helps those who help themselves" altogether.


The Human Fabric - The profound ingredient to our mortal existences

God Almighty intended humanity to exist in such diversity for a reason - it wasn't a fluke. We have regions on our planet that are rich with natural resources like oil, coal, gas etc. as in the Middle East, Central Asia - and then there are regions well endowed with agricultural prowess like China, Southeast Asia etc.

There are people in different regions that are known for their handicrafts, domestic skills etc. and then there are people in different regions that are known for their industrial and economical ability.

All these facets make up the fabric of our humanity and without opening up and embracing all these facets with arms wide open - there can never be the inevitability of serenity, peace, progress, development and advancement on both regional and international scales.

We're put on earth to communicate, reach out, grasp and pave the way for the flow and exchange of our capabilities "together" as human beings - because once that happens in perfect motion, sublime synchronization, immaculate grace and well-balanced orchestration - we as Muslim and as human beings can transcend the thorny borders of our existences and make the most beautiful music through the symphony of progress - together!

Which is exactly what the Muslim Ummah today needs and since its never too late till the fat lady sings - there's always time to grab a seat and play on a stage of life full of possibilities with an anxious audience to please!



Final Thoughts:-


I felt it was important to shed some light on the state of the Muslim Ummah today keeping in mind the current world circumstances and the Geo-political turmoil humanity as a whole and the Ummah in particular face today; with malice, injustice, terrorism and a plethora of other ills contaminating our very existences that have reduced us to smithereens.

I thought these thoughts were worthy of sharing with everyone.

May Allah (swt) guide each and every one of us onto the right path as an Ummah and may we soar higher together and prosper through the depths and bounds of progress and unity.

May the passion for our beautiful religion transcend our differences and may we embrace eachother as brothers with arms wide open once again, ushering in a new era of Islamic revival that will lay down the foundations of Islamic splendor and thundering grace that we were once the torchbearers of - for the rest of the world to gain inspiration from - for the sake of our humanity and the innocence bounded by respect, love and compassion that we innately should possess to pass on for our children and our children's children to find serenity, harmony, solace and warmth in.

Ameen!

Peace be unto all!

Allahu Akbar!

Sincerely,
- Ali