{bit.ly/IR5dev} This is the 5th Lecture in a course on “How to Launch an Islamic Revival“. Links to previous lectures are provided at the bottom of this post.
African Proverb: Until the lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
Europeans conquered and colonized the globe, having control of about 90% of the world by 1900’s. Today the stories they tell about their own courage, virtues, and intelligence, are built into our educational curricula. These stories penetrate our minds, and teach us to imitate our conquerors. We learn that the goal of life is the pursuit of power, pleasure, profits, and no ethical considerations or social responsibilities should stand in our way: “All is fair in love and war”.
For Muslims, the current conditions of the Ummah are heartbreaking. The question of how we can transform these conditions is of burning importance. This sequence of eight lectures is designed to address the core elements required for positive change. We can organize our thoughts by asking: “How did Islam lead ignorant & backwards Bedouin to World Leadership?” The revolution launched by the teachings of Islam 1450 years ago is a unique event in human history
- CAN this revolution be replicated today?
- DO Islamic teaching have the power to AGAIN take ignorant and backwards Muslims TODAY from the bottom of world civilizations to the top?
Our Hearts and Faith says YES. The message of the Quran was meant for eternal guidance of mankind. However, Our Minds and the Empirical Evidence says NO! if the Islamic teachings had this revolutionary power, Muslims would not be in the conditions that we see them today. They are backwards in all dimensions of existence, both material and spiritual.
How can we resolve this PARADOX and CONFLICT? How can we reconcile the HEAD & the HEART and get them to agree? This online course will attempt to answer these fundamental questions in 8 Lecture over Two Months. The Eight Lectures are listed below:
L1: Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi -What the World LOST due to the DECLINE of Islamic Civilization
We have forgotten our history and our achievements. What were the great gifts that Islam gave to the world? How did the decline of Islam adversely affect the world? Because we have learned to view the world through Western glasses, we fail to appreciate the vital contributions of Islam to the World Civilizations. Maulana Nadwi’s book is an essential antidote to this blindness to our own history. We must learn to appreciate the contributions of Islam, before we can learn how to recreate them today. For a detailed discussion, see: : What the World Lost Due to the Decline of the Islamic Civilization. Shortlink: bit.do/azrdm
L2: Developing an Islamic Worldview
A Western education indoctrinates us into a Eurocentric worldview, according to which all great accomplishments of humanity are due ONLY to Europeans, and occurred only in the past four centuries of the rise of Europe. This is dramatically in conflict with Islamic teachings which tell us that the most important development in the history of humanity was the advent of Islam 14 centuries ago. How can we learn to see the world with Islamic eyes, instead of European ones? To free our minds from enslavement to these Eurocentric theories, we must understand that Wealth and Power are NOT the measures of progress. Rather, it is the development of human beings. When viewed through this lens, Islam shines brightly, while what Europeans call progress has led to decline of humanity. For details, see Developing an Islamic WorldView: An Essential Component of An Islamic Education. Shortlink: bit.ly/iwv4az.
L3: Origins of Western Social Sciences
Our worldview is created by the Western Social Sciences, which claim to be objective, impartial, and rational. However, these sciences are based on the denial of religion, God, afterlife, and other central Islamic (and Christian) concepts. They redefine the purpose of human life to be the pursuit of pleasure and power, and reduce human beings to animals. They give materialistic and secular answers to fundamental questions like the purpose of creation of the universe and mankind. We need to learn to see through these deceptions. Building an Islamic Social Science requires recognizing and rejecting of these atheistic foundations of modern Western Social Science. For more details, see Origins of Western Social Sciences, Shortlink: [bit.do/azowss]
L4: Islamic Knowledge: Still Revolutionary after 1440 Years!
14 Centuries ago, Islamic teachings led ignorant and backwards Bedouin to world leadership. What was the secret of these teachings, and do they still have the same power today? Why do Muslims no longer trust these teachings, and instead hope to revive Islamic societies by using Western teachings? The Ummah as a whole believes that Islamic revival requires our acquiring the knowledge of the West, and not on deeper knowledge of the teachings of Islam. This is an illusion. The path to revolution lies in learning how to become HUMAN BEINGS Ahsan-e-Taqwim, the BEST of the creations of God. This is what the Prophet SAW taught, which launched the Islamic Revolution. Western education teaches external sciences, but offers nothing in the human dimension. Instead, the West only teaches us how to be Asfal-a-Safeleen, the WORST of the creations. For more details, see Islamic Knowledge: Still Revolutionary after 1440 Years – bit.do/aznww
L5: Rebuilding Islamic Societies
How to launch an Islamic Revolution?
- Revolutionary Strategies ask us to tear down existing secular, modern, capitalistic institutions and rebuild from scratch on new Islamic foundations.
- Evolutionary Strategies work on making gradual changes to existing systems to transform them towards the Islamic ideals.
Both have strengths and weakness, and success requires combining elements from both strategies while abandoning the weaknesses of both. For more details, see Rebuilding Islamic Societies. bit.do/azttp.
L6: Changing Our Development Paradigms
The West was built on the wealth and power created by global colonization. This has also become the meaning of development in Muslim minds. If we strive for wealth and power, we can only arrive at these illusions. We much change our goals of development, in line with Islamic teachings, before we can achieve the great successes of our ancestors. To create an Islamic Revolution, we must focus on the development of human beings. In particular, the transformation from Asfal-a-Safeleen (lowest of the low) to Ahsan-ul-Taqweem (best of the creations) must be the goal of development. For more details, see Changing Our Development Paradigms: bit.do/azwid –
L7: Three Mega-Events Which Have Shaped Our Minds
The MAIN obstacle to an Islamic Revival comes from the COLONIZATION of minds which took place when the West conquered 85% of the Globe, including most Islamic countries. The ways of thinking of West have been shaped by major historical events, and we have absorbed these same lessons via our Western education. TO liberate our minds, we must learn the history which shaped Western minds and how this has shaped our thoughts. Three major historical experience of the West have shaped Western thought. Understanding this historical experience, and its impact on minds and hearts, allows us the clarity required to liberate ourselves from the chains of colonial thought. For more discussion, see Three Mega-Events Which Shape Our Minds Shortlink: bit.do/azgt4
The Mu’tazila were deeply impressed with Greek Philosophy and wanted to give it status EQUAL to the WAHY. Today, Muslims have given Western knowledge status even greater than the Quran and our intellectual traditions. To UNDO this damage, we must take the three steps taken by Imam Ghazali to counter the Greek influence:
- Deliverance from Error: Acquire certainty and clarity about the teaching of our faith. Remove confusion and doubt about Islam
- Tahafatul Falasafa: Show the deep contradictions and confusions within the bodies of Western knowledge, especially their human sciences.
- Ihya Uloom ud Deen: Show how Islamic teachings provide us with deep guidance not just on the Akhira but also directly relevant to our modern problems.
For more discussion, see The Ghazali Project for the Revival of Deen Shortlink: bit.do/azgt6