The Role of Intellectual Revolution in the Unification of the Ummah

Out of all the generations of the Ummah of Muhammed (saw), ours is the one that finds itself in dire straits, facing an enemy without form; tyranny and incompetence at almost all levels of our respective governments and institutions ; the absence of Islamic governance in our countries, let alone a universal one; brazen economic disparity between a handful of elites and the impoverished masses; constant interference by foreign powers within every aspect of our Islamic culture; and perhaps the most serious challenge of all and that is jahilliyah on an unprecedented level where entire segments of our Muslim community lack the knowledge of the basics of Islam such as the beliefs embodied in our aqeedah, knowing the rules of recitation of the Quran, not knowing more then a handful of Surahs, being unaware of the preservation of the Quran and Hadeeth through a sound and precise methodology, incapable of grasping the rules pertaining to worship, and lacking knowledge of our rich Islamic heritage. As time progresses, more and more problems are appearing and it seems that our collective body has entered into the terminal phase in the decline of its health where nothing short of death is imminent. And yet, although nothing but darkness appears in our future, it is in conditions such as these, when we find ourselves at our lowest ebb, that leaders arise, assess the situation, develop a plan of action, and turn the tide. And now is precisely one such time when an intellectual revolution is brewing in the collective mind of the Muslim Ummah.

Whether we like it or not, based on the gripping series of events that have unfolded in recent years, the various Islamic groups, factions, and communities all over the world have become simultaneously realized that we have been provided a window of opportunity to unite our Ummah. However, rhetoric aside, we must query into the meaning of unity: do we mean unity in thought or unity in action? Unity in action, which is the type of unity that seems to be currently emphasized by our leaders, intellectuals, and activists, is impossible without first attaining some sort of unity in thought. After all, is it not self-evident that collective action necessitates that first a coherent and pragmatic course of action be laid down? In fact, why is unity in thought pertinent at all? If the 20th Century with its clash of ideologies such as Communism, Capitalism, and Fascism and Democracy is not clear enough evidence of the authority of ideas, then merely turning to the time of the Prophet (saw) and examining the seerah will elucidate the role of ideas in human behavior.

An idea is like an idol. What makes an idol an idol is that some sort of concept impresses itself within the mind of a human being causing him to overlook the blatant fact that an idol is man-made and cannot possibly be divine. A person may look at an idol, and although he recognizes that it was made by human hands and can be destroyed by human hands, he worships it. The inherent nature of a human being, unlike other animate and inanimate objects, shows that he is capable of ideation: developing, understanding, and modifying concepts. Why do people worship idols, support or reject the war on Iraq, or vote for a President? All of these have to do with how we think. Furthermore, if we were to undergo a comprehensive scrutiny of the sources of the fitnah that are dividing our Muslim Ummah, we would be forced to conclude that the greatest sources of our Ummah’s decline lies in collective intellectual anarchy and stagnation. Why is our Ummah divided into 52 states instead of being under one Universal Islamic Government? Is it because of natural historical processes? No, it is because of an ideology known as nationalism. Why are Muslims rejecting the Shariah and adopting Western forms of government and economics? It is because of the ideology known as Democratic Capitalism and the theory of modernity. Why are Muslim women throwing off their hijabs and calling for reform of ahkam that pertain to them? It is because of the ideology known as feminism. Although all of these ideologies, through powerful institutions, media, and public officials scream “Freedom! Freedom!” in our face, isn’t it obvious that our Ummah is the furthest thing from being free? Not only are we no where near being free, we are the most colonized and suppressed people on the face of the earth! Our colonization, however, is no longer in the form of direct control by foreign powers, but rather, we are under intellectual colonization, the colonization of concepts. Furthermore, we must recognize that we as an Ummah lost the battle against colonialism long ago and are entering in the more serious phase of conquest: the phase where the victorious party imposes its will, traditions, and culture on the defeated party.

Although our Ummah has been clearly defeated on the battlefield not once, but many times, we still have hope since we have not yet lost the intellectual war. It is quite possible that the tide will turn and this is only possible by putting our trust in Allah (swt) and pushing for intellectual revolution. What is meant by intellectual revolution? 1) The Reconstruction of Islamic Knowledge, 2) The Deconstruction of Western Thought, 3) The Construction of Islamic Power Systems, and 4) the refutation of deviant groups. In the upcoming series of articles, intellectual revolution will be further explained, how exactly it will unite the Ummah, and the pivotal role that the American Muslim community shall play in establishing a Universal Islamic Government