Muslim Introspection

In the context of the horrific bombing in Sri Lanka last month, it is vital Muslims across the world unite against violence which is perpetuated in the name of Islam. There are episodes in recent history which give a clear indication of the malice and hostility. Amjad Sabri -- the famous qawal was killed in June 2016 by Pakistan Taliban. The Sabri family have sung devotional songs using Sufi music -- essentially aiming at bridging the gap between different faiths. Few months later 75 devotees were killed in a shrine in Sindh Pakistan in January 2017, where a specific part of the shrine was bombed where women were praying. More than 25 shrines have been targeted since 2005 in Pakistan.

There is a growing mislaid trend in Muslim world, to brush everything before the birth of Islam in 7th century, under an era of ignorance ‘jahaliya’ as it is referred to commonly. The term ‘jahaliya’ has many overtones, however, it doesn’t infer what some Muslims take as gospel truth- that the people of the era were uncivilized and philistine.

The modern charter of democracy and civil liberties is directly copied from the Roman’s, who ruled 1000 years before Islamic civilization was found in Arabia. The Roman Republic didn’t have a King by lineage. The Romans rather elected senate who in turn elected a Consul- the ruler of the time. Julius Caesar for example was a consul. Roman assemblies would meet in the Forum arena, which is somewhere close to where the current Colosseum exists. The point being that knowledge, learning and progress is never an inheritance of one civilization. Rather it is an ever flowing river from which every civilization over the course of mankind’s history has drawn ways of improving living and set forth progress.

Islamic civilization in its apogee for about 600 years was a sparkle of social justice, knowledge and equality. The Bayt-ul-Hiqma at Baghdad, House of Wisdom, attracted philosophers, scientists and theologists from many places, notably Greece. Prophet Muhammad in Arabia had set precedence. The prisoners of wars of ‘Badr’ who could teach ten Muslims to read and write were set free by him. The Muslim caliphs of the later Islamic times, like the great Harun-al-Rashid, carried the tradition and invited Greek scientists to Baghdad for teaching Muslim scholars in their universities. This led to an era of enlightenment in Muslim world. Debates, discussions and lectures on a wide range of religious, scientific and philosophical issues of the day were common at the houses of worship, which also served as centres of judicial proceedings. The role and concept of a mosque wasn’t just to pray and deliver sermons from pulpits, encouraging youngsters to throw their lives and critique an economic system which is the backbone of current world, as is the norm these days.  

Subsequently, Europe and west in the renaissance period, read the works of Muslim scholars, teachers and scientists. The works of Avicenna, Ibn Arbi, al-Idrisi, Beruni, al-Khwarizmi over a course of time were translated into French, English, and Portuguese. The ideals of European Renaissance were directly derived from Muslim theologians and scholars. It is fair to say that Arab science altered medieval Christendom beyond recognition. For the first time in centuries, Europe opened its eyes to the world around it.

With the decline of Muslim civilization beginning from the 16th century, West advanced in areas of science and philosophy. The clash was obvious. However it’s very important for us to read the nuances in between. The Islamic revivalism that began in late 19th century and carried across the next century stressed on the tales of west’s sinister ideas, and its larger plan of indoctrinating Muslims; driving them away from puranitical Islam- the one in the times of Prophet Muhammad.

One just needs to step back a bit and read about the enlightenment and differential views exhibited by Muslims in 18 and 19th centuries before these revivalist movements even began. Since transport had greatly advanced, the mobility of political movement with many number of Muslims taking the pilgrimage to Mecca and technologies of printing and telegraph carried ideas in all directions. The Muslim world wasn’t imperious to the developments around. The civil liberties post French Revolution and American civil war resonated ideals amongst Muslims. The Muslims in the Middle East reconstituted thanks to anti-slavery, emancipation of women and decline of polygamy. New ideas were not rejected, but embraced. Books were translated into Arabic, Turkish as soon as they were published in west. Darwin’s much controversial work Origin of Species in particular piqued a keen interest in Lebanon. Clerical boasting was punctured readily and the picture of a greedy ignorant mullah was visible in many journals and pamphlets.

One of the ways forward is to read about Prophet Muhammad in a theological sense rather than just spiritual or religious. His life is a living practical example of social justice and equality, abhorring violence. To relegate Prophet’s life as an epiphany and a divine programme revealed by God, and Islamic society being the only properly oriented society is a grave error we make. The aftermath to this is evident and so is our knee jerk reaction. Merely closing our eyes on the monster and committing it so as Zionist conspiracy shall not do. This notion of natural birth right on knowledge and moral up holdings is misplaced. World is shrinking. Societies and civilizations are drawing new borders. Muslims must rise up to it with introspection and correct factual reading of history.  

Faheem is an IT Engineer based in Dubai UAE, with interest in travel, history and culture.
This blog was carried by Quint.