ISLAM AND THE WORLD SUMMARY
CHAPTER 7: THE REVIVAL OF THE MUSLIM WORLD
Key points from this chapter:
Islam remains the only force which can rescue the world from its problems
The East (the Muslims) are not free from the same problems faced by those in the West
For the Muslims to lead the world again, they must rediscover their roots by detaching themselves from the material and developing maturity of thought
The author begins this chapter by restating points from the earliest chapters on how Islam rescued the world and the problems surrounding Western leadership. He then mentions the need for a revival of the Muslim World and how this can be achieved. The summary of this chapter will be split into two sections. The first will briefly detail the reasons why a revival of the Muslim world is necessary to help the world whilst the second will highlight how the Muslims can achieve this.
The author says that the only way for the world to be cured from the problems it faces at present is by allowing leadership to pass from “the hands of those who worship materialism to the hands of those who worship The One God.” It is clear from this that only those who believe in Allah (SWT) can rescue the world. The author does not directly mention why this is the case but it is clear from the points he makes throughout the book that if those who do not believe in religion assume leadership of the world, they will not find the equilibrium between material and spiritual focus causing society to fall into moral depravity. The West cannot possibly rescue the world from its problems as it does “not possess an unpolluted source of revealed knowledge or an uncorrupted fund of divine wisdom.” No other religion is able to do this either as all other religions have “lost touch with their heritage of divine guidance” and “severed their connections with the real origins of their spiritual inspiration”. It is therefore Islam and its followers who remain the only source of hope in the world. They have not lost touch with their heritage and divine guidance and even if it seems that they have, it is easily possible to regain it as the teachings have remained unpolluted. This is owed to the Isnād system which has preserved the Hadith and teachings of the noble Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. There have also constantly been a series of reformers throughout the course of Islamic History who have nourished the souls of the Muslims. The author gives a more detailed overview on this in his book ‘Saviours of Islamic Spirit’. Therefore, it is clear that the message of Islam can even shake the hearts of the ignorant people today. Although the author does not make this point, it is worth noting that if the message of Islam, which was completely strange, was able to shake the hearts of ignorant people in a very dark 6th-century world, surely it can do so now after having proved that the system it builds in society allows society to flourish. One may ask that even if Islam is the only source of hope, is it enough to rescue the world from the issues it faces today? Perhaps a new religion or way of life is needed to shake the world out of its ignorance. However, the message of Islam is one that is timeless and can easily help the societies of today as it did over 1400’s years ago. Furthermore, we see that Islam has the power to shake the very foundations upon which a society is built. Prior to the advent of Islam, the world was in such a way that everyone worked hard for the benefit of one man – the ruler. The author says “the wheels of the nation’s life moved for him alone…” A society like that was the norm. Following the advent of Islam, the existence of such a society is unthinkable and never has a society like that come into existence since Islam toppled it. It is therefore obvious that “the future of the word is inseparably linked to the social justice of Islam.” Furthermore, Islam strikes the perfect balance between man’s material state and his spiritual state and so by accepting Islam, “man will rediscover his equilibrium.” It is therefore strikingly clear that Islam is the only source of hope for a declining world.
The author mentions certain things that must be done in order for the Muslims to undergo a successful revival and be granted stewardship over the world once again. The Muslims have forgotten what it means to lead and have instead become allies of the countries who only think of this material life. In some cases, “Muslims are actually outdoing some Western nations in the glorification of material wealth”. For any attempt at a successful revival, the “Islamic world will have to rediscover its spiritual roots”. It must return to that which allowed it to assume leadership of the world in the first place. This point by the author brings to mind a famous quote by the second Caliph of Islam ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah The Almighty be pleased with him) during his journey to Jerusalem where he said “Allah (SWT) honoured us with Islam. If we seek honour through anything else, then Allah (SWT) will humiliate us”. Another key characteristic that must be developed in order to achieve a Muslim Revival is maturity of thought. The author says “no matter how well-provided with material resources a nation may be, it cannot hope to go far in the world without maturity of thought”. The author draws parallels to the French Revolution. No revolution can succeed unless the minds of the people have been prepared. The French revolution is an example of this and shows how irresistible it was once the people’s minds had been aroused. The process of thinking in Muslims has become stagnant. They are no longer able to think for themselves in a critical manner as they once did before. The author gives an example of how the earliest followers of Islam exercised their thought. He mentions the time when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said “Help your brother, be he the oppressor or the oppressed.” The Companions questioned how they could help their brother if he were oppressing other people. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to help him stop his oppression. They did not do this out of disloyalty or a lack of faith but because Islam taught them to be critical and exercise their own judgement. Islam developed a consciousness in people and was deeper, stronger and wider than what we mean by it today. They could not fathom things that were inconsistent with their own basic pattern. The Muslims must again be able to exercise their own judgment as their predecessors did. Even the Caliph was questioned if he did something that the people perceived as wrong. People who cannot do their own thinking cannot constitute a reliable people. These people do not have stability in their thoughts and emotions. They think with their hearts instead of with their minds. As a result, they can easily be influenced by other ideologies and thoughts. It is therefore necessary to develop a maturity of thought and begin thinking critically once again to achieve a Muslim revival. In terms of educational systems which allow a person to develop his critical thinking, the foundations of these systems have to be “thoroughly overhauled in the light of Islamic ideals and precepts.” Although they can have certain ideas from the West, they should not forget their roots. They cannot become intellectual followers of others but must establish intellectual superiority over the rest of the world in order to assume leadership of the world. After achieving these things, the Muslims will become ready to assume leadership of the world and then be granted it by the Creator Himself. It is therefore clear that to achieve a Muslim revival, the Muslim must go back to its roots and from there build the foundations for a group of people ready to assume leadership of the world.
To conclude, this chapter clearly shows that Islam is the only ideology and religion that can help to rescue the world and bring man back to what it is supposed to be. The author then gives clear guidelines on how to achieve a revival of the Muslim world and how Muslims can assume stewardship over the world again. These guidelines are very much tied to the Muslim finding his roots once again.