Civilisation

Question:-

Will the Islamic civilization rise again to recapture its pre-eminence on the world stage?

A Muslim:-

That won't happen.

"Islamic civilization" was driven from pre-eminence with the death of 'Ali radi ALLAHU anhu and the rise of kingdom. What most people see as "Islamic civilization" is a degenerative by-product of Islam. That civilization has been gone for a long, long time and won't be back now that it has followed those that went before it into the Fire.

Comment:-

As I see it:-

There are three levels at which we can discuss human affairs:- (1) The Spiritual (2) The Cultural, to which the notion of Civilisation belongs (3) The Physical, to which the notion of Empires belong.

Everything in the world tends to degenerate owing to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Human evolution is driven by the introduction of spiritual impulses from "above". They come from time to time through the Messengers (persons who perceive something Universal through a higher consciousness). This insight transforms a certain set of people.

But the spiritual impulse, like the waves in a pond into which an impulse has been introduced, spreads gradually in space and time and gets thinner and weaker as it does so. It gets used up by raising the general level. It creates a civilisation. Thus we have different civilisations in China, India and the Middle East. This then congeals further into the third state, the arising of Nations and Empires. These eventually disintegrate and create the chaos and suffering which acts as a stimulus for an awakening, and people look around for solutions to their problems. This is when they are ready to receive a new dispensation of the Spiritual Impulse. However, it is also the time when many charlatans arise and are followed. But as these movements lead to no solution they gradually fade away, leaving that which is real. Truth eventually triumphs and falsehood vanishes away.

So in effect, we have four stages, the fourth stage being a return to the first. There are cycles in human affairs, of waking and sleeping, of death and regeneration. But each dispensation of the spiritual impulse spreads throughout the world. It affect previous religions by bringing reformation to them. There is little doubt that the coming of Islam also caused reformations in Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The present Western Civilisation is the result of influences that came from Ancient Greece and Rome, and from Christianity and Islam, but also from China and India. In fact, it is driven by Science which, as has been shown repeatedly, is based on the Islamic attitude to existence, is fuelled by a brain drain from all over the world and employs scientists from all over the world. It is not, therefore, strictly speaking a Western Civilisation and it is rapidly becoming a global one. The inter-dependence of people is increasing owing to developments in transport, communication and trade and the world is becoming a single system. Therefore, it can be predicted with high probability that though influences from Islam will continue to be introduced to transform the global civilisation there is unlikely to be a separate "Islamic Civilisation" in any restricted sense of the term.

It is also necessary to note that a Civilisation does not only have features and influences that can be regarded as good from an objective point of view, but also bad ones. It is not realised by those who have accepted or been conditioned by their values, that the Greek and Roman civilisations have had corrupting influences, particularly on the religious or spiritual stream. This is because they were materialistic, and based on slavery, coercion, cruelty, egotism and class division. While the slaves did the actual useful work, their masters indulged themselves in their appetites, various perversions and in games - intellectual, emotional, physical and political. This essentially accounts for Greek philosophy, literature, art and institutions. The Roman law, organisation and public theatre were mainly concerned with the control and exploitation of slaves and conquered peoples. This is not to say that they did not exercise considerable amounts of skills or that there were not also some more highly developed person with good influences such as Pythagoras and Socrates. This judgement is, of course, made from the spiritual point of view.

It can be asserted from the study of the Quran that the purpose of religion is not primarily to create a small exclusive community of Muslims, though this may well be a means by which the more Universal aim of the spiritual evolution of humanity is to be achieved. A revival of Islam will certainly take place, but the word "Islam" in this context cannot be understood in the restricted sense as a label but in its real meaning "Surrender to Allah" i.e. a spiritual revival no matter what techniques or formulations are used. In so far as the world has been transformed since the arising of Islam and still continues to be affected by Islam in all kinds of obvious as well as subtle ways, the present age can still be regarded as being presided over or be under the influence of Muhammad (saw).

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did forecast that there would be a deterioration of Islam:-

"The best of my people are in my generation, then their immediate followers, then their immediate followers. After them will be people who give testimony without being asked, who will be treacherous and not to be trusted, who will make vows which they do not fulfil; among whom fatness will appear."

"A time is soon coming to mankind when nothing of Islam but its name will remain and only the written form of the Quran will remain. Their mosques will be in fine condition but will be devoid of guidance; their learned men will be the worst of people under heaven; corruption coming forth from them and returning among them."

However, he also predicted:-

"In every successive century those who are reliable authorities will preserve this knowledge, rejecting the changes made by extremists, the plagiarisms of those who make false claims for themselves, and the interpretations of the ignorant."

"A section of my people will not cease to fight for the Truth and prevail until the day of resurrection."

Eventually Jesus would return to introduce a new spiritual impulse and restore Islam.

The Quran tells us:-

“Every nation (or community) has its appointed term, and when their appointed term is completed they cannot delay it an hour, nor can they advance it.” 7:34

“For every Announcement (Message, prophecy) there is a set term, and you will soon come to know it. When you see those who plunge deeply into vain discussion of Our Signs (revelations), turn away from them until they discuss another topic. It may be that Satan makes you forget, but sit not, after you have remembered, with the congregation of the faithless . Those who fear (or avoid evil, the righteous) are not accountable for them at all, but remind them (or give them the Reminder) that per chance they may learn to fear (Allah). Leave alone (forsake, abandon) those who have taken their religion for a play a sport (jest, amusement), whom the life of the world has deceived, and remind them hereby lest a soul be destroyed by what it has earned. It has, beside Allah, no patron or intercessor; and though it should offer every compensation (or ransom) it will not be accepted. Those are they who perish by their own deserts. For them is (the similitude of) a drink of boiling water, and grievous woe because they persisted in their disbelief.” 6:67-70

But consider also the implications of Quran 18:33-47

Could it be that in these verses the Vineyards symbolise a Christian Civilisation and the Palm groves symbolises Islam? There are two Vineyards, both surrounded by Palm groves. Could it be that this is a prediction of the decline of the one and the rise of the other, not only as has already taken place in the past, but also in the future?

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