Brothers and sisters! The range and scope of the challenges faced by Islam and Muslims in the 21st century is enormous. It is sufficient to say that the entire ummah, which as a distinct entity shares certain foundational principles about God, about Islam’s belief system, and the practices associated with it, is under threat. The threat and challenges in their diverse forms be they ethnic cleansing, oppression, persecution, bigotry, stereotyping, accusations, blasphemy, and Islamophobia or whatever, aim at nothing less than to eclipse the worldview, the lifestyles, and the cultural, social, and communal aspects of Islam.
In today’s khutba, I wish to share some thoughts with you on the historical and philosophical background of these challenges. Understanding the underlying truths of any phenomenon is important. It helps to strategize plans with insight.
The origin of the challenges now faced by Islam and Muslims can be traced back to the emergence of a new political and military order in the world during the closing years of the 18th century. Seen in retrospect, the 18th century stands out as the dividing line between the classical period of Islamic civilization—a multicultural, multi-racial and pluralistic civilization that came into existence on the basis of revelation, and the subsequent colonization that rapidly transformed the entire spectrum of social, political, and economic institutions of that civilization in the whole Muslim world. By destroying the foundational institutions of the Islamic civilization, the colonizers of the Muslim world—Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, and Russia—produced a crack in the organic process that nourished and sustained the Islamic civilization.
By late 18th century, Europe became the real authority of international affairs. This European domination has been attributed to the great transformation of its economic, political, scientific, and industrial institutions which began in the late 16th century. This transformation was not perceived in time and was not perceived in totality by the three ruling Muslim Empires; the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Mughal Empire. This delayed realization of Europe’s transformation that threatened the Muslim rule, and an insufficient response to the threat were significant factors in Europe’s ability to establish its leadership over the entire world and in its success in colonizing the Muslim world.
The most devastating and long-term effect of colonization was not the political and economic subjugation but the large-scale destruction of the institutional base of the Islamic civilization. The role of Arabic language in the growth of Islamic civilization was disrupted; the institution of awqaf or endowments which were primarily the economic arms and basis of the extensive educational, health, and social welfare systems throughout the Muslim world was destroyed; nationalism arose to define Muslims on the basis of where they lived, rather than their common bond through religion.
After the Second World War, movements of independence in the Muslim lands were led by those who had become thoroughly westernized through their education, social, political and economic affiliations. In many cases, the leaders of the independence movement were thoroughly secularized men. As a result, the departure of colonial masters from Muslim lands did little for Muslims in terms of their regaining the lost spiritual, cultural, social and economic orientation.
Since the time of colonization, Islam and Muslims have been under attack at all levels with the purpose of (1) eliminating Islam as a complete way of life as it has been understood ever since its revelation; and (2) to transform Muslim men and women so that their adherence to their faith becomes a compartmentalized private affair while they live is a secularized word.
In order to understand the flow of events now taking place, we need to understand their source. The source of all action is belief. The belief system now operative in the West is a product of series of revolts and revolutions. The revolts against the catholic church, the protestant reformation, the French and American revolutions, the scientific and the industrial revolutions, and the rise of humanism, have all contributed to the making of this belief system. Other ideologies and isms have also contributed to the rise of this belief system.
At the most basic level, this system is anchored in the belief that human reason is the ultimate judge of all affairs. Thus it gives to human reason the authority to define good and evil, to enact laws and to establish the criteria for values and goals. In a revolt against sacred beliefs, the West fought with all manifestations of divine authority and succeeded in giving man a degree of freedom, power and autonomy that made him the measure of all things. This meant that the question whether a thing is right or wrong, good or bad, must always be considered in relation to a person’s needs. This also meant that everything is relative and subjective, and that there is no objective truth.
This change removed God from the central position He held as the giver of law. The parliaments began to redefine societal structures. Through this process, many practices that used to be considered despicable, sinful, and prohibited, gained legality, acceptance and permissibility.
This transformed belief system now operative in the West and the civilization that is based on it has claims to universality. It asserts that the cultures, values, and ideals which have come into existence on the basis of this belief system are the most advanced form of human achievement. Seen from this perspective, the western civilization presents to humanity the most advanced, progressive, and desirable way of life.
Another belief system with a similar claim is that of Islam. Islam’s claim to universality is simply expressed in the Qur’anic statement that it is a message for all people.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَى لِلْعَالَمِينَ
“It is a lesson (a reminder) for all people” (al-An’am 6:90).
The civilization that came into existence on the basis of the message of the Qur’an—the Islamic civilization—now does not possess military or economic strength comparable to the West, but it still holds that its belief system is the only valid belief system that is existing and that it is for the entire humanity. This belief is simply unshakable.
Hence a materially superior West finds itself face to face with a civilization that once had its golden days of strength and power but that now lies prostrate, yet refuses to accept the universalist claim of a civilization far stronger in military and economic terms. Thus, the root of the real clash between the West and Islam or the Western civilization and the Islamic civilization lies in their claims to universality.
The West’s claim to superiority rests on its belief that it’s political, economic, and social systems are the most advanced form of human achievement in these realms. In the realm of politics, democracy as defined by the Western civilization has achieved sanctity. In the social realm, individual freedom achieved the same status, and in the realm of economics, free-market economy is considered the destiny of humanity. These three “ideals” are now being imposed on the rest of the world. However, it is very important that we are mindful of the Qur’anic ayah,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
Allah does not change the condition of a people (of a nation) unless they change what is in themselves (al-Ra’d 13:11);
So brothers and sisters, instead of passing the buck, instead of blaming the West and making them responsible for a problem that should be dealt by the ummah is neither justified nor does it serve any purpose. The Qur’an addresses the believers in unequivocal terms, when it says,
وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
Do not be weak, and do not grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers (Aal ‘Imran 3:139).
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! What are the possible strategies for meeting the challenges? What is to be done? Muslims have to work to revive the ummah. But what is to be done to revive the ummah? There is no denying that there have been many attempts to reform and revive the ummah. Names of Islamic reformers, activists, scholars, thinkers, and revivalists such as Jamaluddin Afghani, Mohammad Abduh, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Hassan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutub, Muhammad Iqbal, Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi, Imam al-Khomeini and others come to mind. Many Islamic movements such as al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) and the Jama’at-e-Islami became active in different Muslim countries with the avowed goals of reviving Islam, and the enforcement of the Islamic system, but did not achieve any remarkable success anywhere in the Muslim world. It appears that they jumped into the political arena too soon, without having changed the minds of a substantial number of thoughtful and perceptive individuals in their respective countries. This resulted in a premature clash between the Islamic movements on the one hand and the secular political leadership on the other.
It has been argued that the actual cause of the failure of these revivalist movements is the result of an immaturity in their conception of religion and in their understanding of Islam. Since Islam is based on faith (iman), the hope and vision of the revival of Islam can never be realized without a renewal of religious faith throughout the Muslim ummah. A mass religious movement called the Jama’at-i-Tabligh did emerge in the Indian subcontinent in 1926 for this purpose. Despite its achievements at the grassroots level, the actual effectiveness of this movement has remained limited as it primarily addresses the religious sentiments rather than the intellect. There is always an intellectual minority of a society whose knowledge and intellect takes precedence over feelings. It is this minority which plays the leadership role in setting the direction and priorities of any given society. Therefore, it is extremely important that a revolutionary transformation is brought about in the thinking and viewpoint of those who belong to this intellectual minority.
An Islamic Renaissance is possible only by means of revitalizing true faith and conviction among the Muslims, particularly their intelligentsia. The revitalization of faith, in turn is possible only by the propagation of the Qur’anic teachings and presenting the everlasting wisdom of the Book of Allah in contemporary expression and at the highest level of scholarship.
Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi, a contemporary scholar, thinker, and revivalist wrote in his book Our Mental Slavery and its Causes, (Quote) “….Until the time Muslims kept their forward movement in searching and thinking, and proved themselves more creative than others, other nations of the world followed and imitated them. Islamic thinking remained the dominant paradigm of the whole humanity. But when the Muslim community stopped producing thoughtful and industrious creative men of thinking, when the habit of thinking and probing was abandoned and lethargy and inaction took over them, they in fact resigned themselves from their natural role of being the leader and guide of humanity. At the same time, on the other side, the nations of the West stepped forward to employ the faculties of thinking and searching. They probed into the mysteries of the universe and uncovered the treasure of powers hidden in the nature. The result of all this was same as expected. They became the leaders of the world and Muslims had to submit to their authority in the same way as once the world had submitted to the power and authority of Muslims themselves.” (Unquote)
To conclude, I have very briefly touched upon the origin and the background of the challenges now faced by Islam and Muslims. Both theoretically and practically, holding on to the Qur’an and to the divinely guided lifestyle of the Prophet (SAW), employing the faculties of thinking and searching, and working real hard are some of the ways to overcome the challenges that confront the ummah.
وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى
“And that a human being attains only what he strives for.” (an-Najm, 53:39)
May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to do so.
